The 2028 presidential primaries may have just begun to peek over the horizon, but media personalities are already starting to put their thumbs on the scales as they go about interviewing those who seem likely to throw a hat into the ring.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
On Sunday, two competing interviews — one with Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week&#8221; and the other with Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; — gave viewers a glimpse of what they might expect from legacy media as the next presidential election approached.
Early polling suggests that both Shapiro and Newsom could be considering a 2028 run for the White House, and as is often a precursor to such a campaign, both have published recent memoirs in an effort to test the waters. But the tone of those interviews shed some light on how the legacy media might treat the two governors differently during a presidential campaign.
On &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host Martha Raddatz was conciliatory toward Shapiro as long as he was keeping the attack focused on President Donald Trump.
At one point, knowing that Shapiro had been at a meeting with the president at the time, she asked him to describe Trump&#8217;s demeanor when he learned that his tariffs had been shot down by the Supreme Court.
Shapiro said that Trump had been taking questions from the governors at the meeting when an aide approached and handed him a piece of paper detailing the ruling. &#8220;I think he said, ‘we lost?’, as a question, the aide nodded in affirmation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro describes what happened when President Trump found out about the Supreme Court ruling during a meeting at the White House: “I think he said, ‘we lost?’, as a question, the aide nodded in affirmation.” <a href="https://t.co/ZpBwNhvycr">https://t.co/ZpBwNhvycr</a> <a href="https://t.co/vimv2UdJcN">pic.twitter.com/vimv2UdJcN</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025595617683333368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Raddatz went on to ask about Trump&#8217;s new plan — to use Section 122 to levy tariffs rather than the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as he had previously — and Shapiro once again condemned Trump.
&#8220;I wish he would just adhere to the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling and stop the pain for the American people,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on President Trump’s plan to use Section 122 to levy tariffs: “I wish he would just adhere to the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling and stop the pain for the American people.” <a href="https://t.co/oAxlKTXb3i">https://t.co/oAxlKTXb3i</a> <a href="https://t.co/gcKLdxKBFU">pic.twitter.com/gcKLdxKBFU</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025600792900878810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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When asked about the possibility of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in Pennsylvania, Shapiro toed the party line: &#8220;We do not want that kind of chaos in our communities in Pennsylvania, so don&#8217;t come. But if you come, we are prepared to address it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania is preparing for a potential ICE surge: “We do not want that kind of chaos in our communities in Pennsylvania, so don&#8217;t come. But if you come, we are prepared to address it.” <a href="https://t.co/KOQRly9D1A">https://t.co/KOQRly9D1A</a> <a href="https://t.co/ISi98wnkw2">pic.twitter.com/ISi98wnkw2</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025602518022340772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But then Raddatz pointed to a recent New York Times piece about a long-running feud between Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). Shapiro, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, said only that his relationship with Fetterman was &#8220;constructive&#8221; — and would not commit to supporting the senator if he chose to run for reelection.
&#8220;I think he needs to decide if he&#8217;s running, and then we&#8217;ll make a decision from there,&#8221; Shapiro said, arguing that the feud was a fabrication on the part of journalists attempting to stir up drama.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gov. Josh Shapiro says he has a “constructive relationship” with Sen. John Fetterman, but did not say if he would support a re-election bid: “I think he needs to decide if he&#8217;s running, and then we&#8217;ll make a decision from there.” <a href="https://t.co/dGjJbpGGuw">https://t.co/dGjJbpGGuw</a> <a href="https://t.co/uxs577D8Oy">pic.twitter.com/uxs577D8Oy</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2025602050915221871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; the tone shift was slight but noticeable. Newsom was given a lot of the same opportunities to bash Trump — &#8220;he&#8217;s flailing,&#8221; the California governor said of the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling striking down the tariffs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Newsom reacts to Supreme Court ruling striking down most of Trump&#8217;s tariffs: &#8220;He&#8217;s flailing&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tI1yiSoZw1">pic.twitter.com/tI1yiSoZw1</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602757479084482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But then Newsom was given far more room to sell himself throughout the interview, from questions about how he dealt with the death of his mother to a detailed explanation about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia and how he now views that as a &#8220;superpower.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin Newsom on his lifelong struggle with dyslexia: &#8220;I do think it&#8217;s a superpower&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/7Q0J8d0xks">pic.twitter.com/7Q0J8d0xks</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602206624292896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The most difficult question posed to Newsom was how he planned to handle it if his career and the career of his old friend — former Vice President Kamala Harris — ended up on a collision course in 2028. When Newsom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-laughs-off-potential-face-off-with-kamala-in-2028-thats-fate-if-it-happens">dismissed the question</a> out of hand as up to &#8220;fate,&#8221; Bash simply let the matter drop and allowed him to pivot right back to talking about his book.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin Newsom on possibly facing Kamala Harris in the 2028 presidential primary: &#8220;I&#8217;ve never gotten in the way of her ambition&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/PDm8CmkR96">pic.twitter.com/PDm8CmkR96</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2025602268746145959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” Newsom shrugged. “And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future. But I don’t —”
“But if you run against each other for president —” Bash tried again.
“That’s fate,” Newsom said again, dismissing the question entirely. “You only can control what you can control. I think this entire book is that fundamental lesson. And this notion of controlling what you control, and taking responsibility for what you control, is a big part of what I try to communicate in this book. That’s the third thing, it’s like how this book will be received. It’s the third thing, I can’t control it. I can’t control whatever decisions she makes.”
As the primaries approach, the delineation will get clearer — but it&#8217;s already clear that Newsom has the media&#8217;s attention, and media outlets want to be sure he has yours too.

Gavin Newsom

SPIN CYCLE: Two Interviews Reveal How The Press Is Framing 2028

Dana Bash

Donald Trump

Josh Shapiro

Kamala Harris

Martha Raddatz

Media

Politics

ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl spent part of Sunday morning&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;This Week&#8221; talking about a Washington Post hit piece attacking War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The story in question alleged that Hegseth had ordered a second strike on a boat full of narco-terrorists when the first had left two survivors.
Hegseth responded to the story in a <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1994552598142038358">lengthy post</a> on X, saying in part, &#8220;As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland. As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be &#8216;lethal, kinetic strikes.&#8217; The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.&#8221;
But when Karl raised the issue on Sunday morning, he opted to speak instead with ABC&#8217;s global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, who has reported extensively on the military but has never served herself.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?”<a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a> weighs in on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean. <a href="https://t.co/qh5zs8hdWr">https://t.co/qh5zs8hdWr</a> <a href="https://t.co/alnukF1hlq">pic.twitter.com/alnukF1hlq</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1995139913990255102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Raddatz cited The Washington Post report and said that the second strike — executed when the two survivors were apparently clinging to the wreckage of the destroyed boat — had been ordered based on verbal instruction from Hegseth himself to &#8220;kill everybody.&#8221;
&#8220;Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?&#8221; she asked, going on to wonder whether the order to strike a second time had been given with the knowledge that survivors were hanging on for dear life, and whether the lawyers had been consulted about the legality of such a strike.
The conversation focused on the idea that attacking when there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; would be a violation of the &#8220;rules of war.&#8221;
But as Marine Corps veteran and Fox News personality Joey Jones said on &#8220;The Big Weekend Show,&#8221; an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; does not always have to come in the form of guns pointed at American citizens.
WATCH:
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🚨 Joey Jones just ended the left with one quote:
“Spare me the tears over terrorists when you don’t cry over Americans who’ve died from them. Spare me the tears over terrorists when you didn’t have anything to say when President Obama droned American citizens.”
🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6ISsgZkWzD">pic.twitter.com/6ISsgZkWzD</a>
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/ginamilan_/status/1994905288915521570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Jones noted that if the survivors were able to radio others in their drug trafficking network, that could be just as grave a threat — and could also quickly result in men with guns showing up to defend them.

Harvard Goldsmith Awards With Martha Raddatz

ABC Personalities Run With WaPo Hit Piece On Hegseth, Ignore War Sec’s Response

ABC Personalities Run With WaPo Hit Piece On Hegseth, Ignore War Sec's Response

ABC News

Jonathan Karl

Military

narco-terrorism

Pete Hegseth

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unloaded on ABC News host Martha Raddatz over her claim that when President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Friday&#8217;s summit in Alaska, he had effectively &#8220;elevated&#8221; the Russian leader on the world stage.
Raddatz brought up the summit, which Trump has touted as a success, and claimed that &#8220;people were saying&#8221; he had actually given Putin the upper hand by allowing him to walk the &#8220;red carpet&#8221; and be seen on the &#8220;world stage&#8221; meeting with the American President.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> nukes ABC for asking about the &#8220;red carpet&#8221; for Putin: &#8220;You&#8217;re not going to end a war between Russia and Ukraine without dealing with Putin&#8230; [<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>] is the only leader in the world that could get Putin to a meeting to talk about serious things.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/daqIzXA9H6">pic.twitter.com/daqIzXA9H6</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957082014156296663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Critics of President Trump will say the pomp and circumstance — pomp and circumstance, the red carpet, the warm handshake — that President Trump simply lost that, that Putin gained there just by being on the world stage and walking down a red carpet with the president,&#8221; Raddatz said. &#8220;Your reaction to that?&#8221;
Rubio chuckled before responding, &#8220;Well, critics of President Trump are always going to find something to criticize, we don&#8217;t even pay attention to it anymore, but I will tell you this: Putin is already on the world stage.&#8221;
The Secretary of State went on to point out that Putin, after waging a major war against Ukraine for over three years, could hardly be considered a non-entity when it came to global politics — especially since he also sits in control of the second largest strategic nuclear arsenal in the world.
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&#8220;When I hear people say that, &#8216;Oh, it elevates him,&#8217; all we do is talk about Putin all the time. All the media&#8217;s done is talk about Putin all the time for the last four or five years,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t mean he&#8217;s right about the war, that doesn&#8217;t mean he&#8217;s justified about the war. If you put all of that aside, it means you&#8217;re not going to have a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, you&#8217;re not going to end a war between Russia and Ukraine without dealing with Putin.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s just common sense, I shouldn&#8217;t even have to say it,&#8221; Rubio continued, reminding Raddatz that it wasn&#8217;t the United States at war with Russia and arguing that Trump did not have to intervene at all – but also noting that he was the only leader with the ability to do so.
Raddatz further pressed Rubio to reveal details from the negotiations, asking what &#8220;concessions&#8221; Putin may have agreed to, but Rubio refused: &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t name them on your program.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>: &#8220;What utility would there be of me going on a program and telling you we wagged our finger at Putin and told him you must do this? &#8230; As much as everyone would love it to be a live PPV event, these discussions ONLY work best when they are conducted privately.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8LFJj06Fgq">pic.twitter.com/8LFJj06Fgq</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957076077693509860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;What utility would there be of me going on a program and telling you we wagged our finger at Putin and told him you must do this?&#8221; Rubio asked. &#8220;As much as everyone would love it to be a live pay-per-view event, these discussions ONLY work best when they are conducted privately.&#8221;

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies on the 2026 Budget In House Hearing

‘I Shouldn’t Even Have To Say It’: Rubio Slaps Back ABC’s Raddatz For Saying Trump ‘Elevated’ Putin

'I Shouldn't Even Have To Say It': Rubio Slaps Back ABC's Raddatz For Saying Trump 'Elevated' Putin

Global Politics

Marco Rubio

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said over the weekend that Democrats want a &#8220;pathway to citizenship&#8221; for the millions of illegal aliens that have entered the U.S.
Warren made the remarks during a Sunday ABC News interview on &#8220;This Week&#8221; with Martha Raddatz when pushed about President Joe Biden&#8217;s failure on immigration and border security.
&#8220;We need a pathway to citizenship for people who are here, for spouses, for dreamers, for essential workers, for people who serve in our military, for people who come to school here and want to help make this a stronger country,&#8221; she said.
Warren blamed Republicans for the crisis that Biden unleashed on the U.S. southern border when he came into office and reversed all of former President Donald Trump&#8217;s border policies.
Raddatz compared the number of illegal aliens that have entered the U.S. under Biden, which some estimates say is north of 10 million, to the 2 million who entered during Trump&#8217;s first term in office.
&#8220;What did the president do wrong?&#8221; Raddatz asked.
&#8220;No, this isn&#8217;t about what the president did wrong,&#8221; Warren claimed. &#8220;Remember, on the very first day that he was sworn into office, President Biden asked Congress both for the resources and for comprehensive immigration reform. The Republicans blocked it, blocked it, blocked it, blocked it.&#8221;
Raddatz fired back: &#8220;Donald Trump didn&#8217;t have that either, Senator. He didn&#8217;t have that either, and there were 2 million during his entire term.&#8221;
Raddatz also noted that voters overwhelmingly trust Trump more than Biden when it comes to immigration and securing the border.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sen. Elizabeth Warren tells ABC News Biden is ‘using the tools available to him’ on immigration" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SsZRPD2ILAM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

HHS Secretary Becerra Is Joined By Democratic Senators To Kickoff Tour Highlighting Efforts To Protect Reproductive Care

Senator Warren: Democrats Want ‘A Pathway To Citizenship’ For All Illegal Aliens

Elizabeth Warren

Upstart Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said the quiet part out loud, declaring that Russia taking over Ukraine is not a &#8220;top foreign policy priority&#8221; for his campaign — or for America.
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BK3LWxMqpQ">appearance</a> on Sunday&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; host Martha Raddatz asked: &#8220;You do not believe that Russia taking over Ukraine would be bad for our national interest?&#8221;
“I do not think that’s a top foreign policy priority for us. I don’t think it is preferable for Russia to be able to invade a sovereign country that’s its neighbor, but I think the job of the U.S. president is to look after American interests,” Ramaswamy said.
Instead, Ramaswamy said he would focus on the true threat, China, and its growing relationship with Russia.
&#8220;I would end this war in return for pulling Putin out of that treaty with China,&#8221; Ramaswamy said. &#8220;What I think we need to do is end the Ukraine war on peaceful terms that, yes, do make some major concessions to Russia, including freezing the current lines of control … and also a permanent commitment not to allow Ukraine to enter NATO,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;But in return, Russia has to leave its treaty and its joint military agreement with China. That better advances American interests and actually further deters China from going after Taiwan, which I think is a much higher priority for the United States,&#8221; the 37-year-old entrepreneur said.
Raddatz was dismissive, saying, &#8220;Let me ask you this, you want to be commander in chief. So, how would you decide what is in the national interest to use the U.S. military? What would the criteria be?&#8221;
&#8220;What affects the lives of Americans here on American soil? Where are there military threats? Where are there threats to life here in the United States?&#8221; Ramaswamy said. &#8220;I think the border crisis. Two hundred Americans dying per day from the fentanyl crisis, 50 times the number that died on 9/11. That’s an American interest.&#8221;
&#8220;Semiconductor security. That’s an American interest, which is why Taiwan matters in a way that Ukraine doesn’t,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;But I believe in America first principles, as George Washington did, by the way, avoiding foreign entanglements when unnecessary unless they’re essential for American interests. I share the George Washington vision of America first.&#8221;
Raddatz also dismissed Ramaswamy&#8217;s campaign so far, saying he is &#8220;way, way down there&#8221; in presidential polls. But the candidate was ready for that.
&#8220;In June of 2015, Donald Trump was polling at four percent in eighth place. I&#8217;m happy to say that we’re ahead of that and I think we’re going to take that same trajectory,&#8221; he said.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-46422">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
&#8220;I&#8217;m the outsider in this race. I think you get to be an outsider once. I&#8217;m the first millennial ever to run for the GOP nomination for U.S. president. And I&#8217;m actually leading us to something. Too long many other conservatives have been running from something. I&#8217;m running to something. What it actually means to be an American,&#8221; Ramaswamy said.
&#8220;I&#8217;m an America first conservative, but I believe that to put America first, we need to rediscover what America is. And I&#8217;m seeing the base across this country hungry for that message. And that’s how we’re going to win,&#8221; he said.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

TOPSHOT-SWITZERLAND-US-RUSSIA-SUMMIT-DIPLOMACY

Russia Taking Over Ukraine Not A ‘Top Foreign Policy Priority,’ GOP Presidential Candidate Says

Russia Taking Over Ukraine Not a 'Top Foreign Policy Priority,' GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Says

2024

2024 Election

2024 Primaries

Elections

Vivek Ramaswamy

You&#8217;ll be hearing the term &#8220;Title 42&#8221; a lot in the coming days.
Title 42 is a U.S. law that gives the government the power to shut down the border as an emergency action to keep communicable diseases out of the country. Presidents have used the power in the past. In June 1929, President Herbert Hoover <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/11/2020-20036/control-of-communicable-diseases-foreign-quarantine-suspension-of-the-right-to-introduce-and">restricted</a> the &#8220;transportation of passengers&#8221; from China and the Philippines because of a meningitis outbreak.
President Donald Trump used Title 42 in 2020 as the COVID pandemic broke out worldwide. And in a wise move, President Joe Biden kept the rule in place. Since it was enacted, more than two million people have been expelled.
But families seeking U.S. asylum filed a lawsuit, and a federal judge <a href="https://foreigndesknews.com/top-story/u-s-plans-for-more-migrant-releases-when-title-42-asylum-limits-end-wednesday/?utm_source=offthepress&amp;amp;utm_medium=home">ordered</a> the Biden administration to lift Title 42 by December 21. Once that happens, the floodgates will open. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials told U.S. lawmakers last Wednesday that some 50,000 foreigners are already waiting to cross into the U.S. once Title 42 is lifted.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott warned of the coming mayhem.
&#8220;If the courts don&#8217;t intervene and put a halt of removal to the Title 42 it’s going to be total chaos,&#8221; Abbott <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/texas-gov-greg-abbott-end-title-42-bring/story?id=95476815">said</a> during an interview broadcast on Sunday on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week.&#8221;
Host Martha Raddatz exposed her clear bias when she asked the governor about his claims that Biden supports an open border.
&#8220;You talk about the border wall, you talk about open borders, I don’t think I’ve ever heard President Biden say, &#8216;We have an open border, come on over.&#8217; But people I have heard say it are you, President Trump, [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis, that message reverberates in Mexico and beyond. So they do get the message that it’s an open border and smugglers use all those kind of statements.&#8221;
&#8220;It was known from the time that Joe Biden got elected that Joe Biden supported open borders,&#8221; Abbott said. &#8220;It is known by the cartels who have sophisticated information whether or not the Biden administration is going to enforce the immigration laws or not is known across the world but most importantly, known among the cartels.&#8221;
Abbott said the rule should be kept in place not only for COVID. &#8220;Whether it&#8217;s COVID or some other issue, when you have people coming across the globe without knowing at all what their health status is, that almost by definition is a public health risk. There’s every reason to keep that in place.&#8221;
&#8220;Some do come across with COVID and no one knows exactly who comes across with COVID. These people are not tested when they come across the border and so who knows how many people have COVID, who knows what other type of disease they may have. The answer is nobody knows because nobody is testing them,&#8221; the governor said.
And as few Republicans do, Abbott pointed out that there is a full process in place for foreigners to enter the country legally.
&#8220;This is very important because there are people across the globe who have a valid, a solid reason to come to the United States, but they can do so legally right now. The people who have the ability to come to the United States legally get pushed further and further and further back in the line every single day with the thousands of illegal immigrants coming across the border,&#8221; Abbott said.
Raddatz sought to attack Abbott for busing migrants to other parts of the country, but the governor explained just why he does so.
&#8220;The real reason behind it is because communities like Del Rio and Eagle Pass and others, they are having thousands of people dumped off into their communities, thousands of migrants, dumped off in their communities. They don&#8217;t have the capability of dealing with that vast number of migrants and I removed them to locations that self-identified as sanctuary cities that have the capability and the desire to help out these migrants and so that&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s taken place,&#8221; he said.
In fact, the Democratic mayor of the Texas border city of El Paso on Saturday declared a state of emergency, citing the hundreds of homeless migrants sleeping on city streets and the thousands being apprehended every day trying to cross the border.
Abbott is right. It&#8217;s about to be &#8220;chaos&#8221; at the border &#8211; a place Biden has never visited, and &#8220;Border Czar&#8221; Vice President Kamala Harris has stopped by only once for a brief tour. It&#8217;s clear that neither see the crisis as pressing.
But don&#8217;t worry, there&#8217;s plenty of money to take care of the coming throngs of migrants.
Yours.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-GUATEMALA-HONDURAS-US-MIGRANTS

Texas Governor Predicts ‘Total Chaos’ When Title 42 Border Rule Ends

 Texas Governor Greg Abbott Predicts 'Total Chaos' When Title 42 Border Rule Ends

Border Crisis

Greg Abbott

Immigration

Southern Border

Texas

Title 42

ABC News host Martha Raddatz falsely claimed during a segment that aired on Sunday that President Joe Biden never encouraged migrants to come to the U.S. in recent years as she appeared to pin the border crisis on Republicans.
Raddatz made the remarks during an interview on &#8220;This Week&#8221; with Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott while she toured the U.S.-Mexico border.
&#8220;You talk about the border wall, you talk about open borders, I don&#8217;t think I’ve ever heard President Biden say, &#8216;we have an open border, come on over,'&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;But people I have heard say it are you, are former president Trump, are Ron DeSantis, that message reverberates in Mexico and beyond. So they do get the message that it&#8217;s an open border and smugglers use all those kind of statements.&#8221;
While on the presidential campaign trail in 2019, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-leader-suggests-biden-revealed-plans-to-create-border-crisis-in-2019">told migrants</a> &#8220;you should come&#8221; to the U.S.
Abbott responded, &#8220;It was known from the time that Joe Biden got elected that Joe Biden supported open borders. It is known by the cartels who have sophisticated information whether or not the Biden administration is going to enforce the immigration laws or not is known across the world but most importantly, known among the cartels.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ABC’s <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a> blames Repubs for “open border” message: “I don’t think I’ve ever heard President Biden say ‘we have an open border, come on over,’ but people I have heard people say it are you (<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GregAbbott_TX</a>), are former President Trump, are Ron DeSantis&#8230;” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisWeek?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisWeek</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zmp5iHDJP8">pic.twitter.com/Zmp5iHDJP8</a>
&mdash; Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/1604484170226581506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>MARTHA RADDATZ, HOST: We joined Governor Greg Abbott of Texas as he surveyed the border this week. One of the Republican governors fighting to keep Title 42 in place, that Trump policy implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which allows the U.S. Government to immediately expel most migrants as a public health risk. Since March of 2020, it&#8217;s been used nearly 2.5 million times.
RADDATZ (on camera): What do you think happens next week when Title 42 comes to an end?
GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS GOVERNOR (R): If the courts don&#8217;t intervene and put a halt of removal to the Title 42 it’s going to be total chaos.
RADDATZ: But how do you &#8212; how do you keep that in place? That is about COVID, that is about public health risk.
ABBOTT: Whether it&#8217;s COVID or some other issue, when you have people coming across the globe without knowing at all what their health status is, that almost by definition is a public health risk. There’s every reason to keep that in place.
RADDATZ: You’re talking about the flu, you’re talking about RSV. In fact, you’ve seen that people coming across, they were saying maybe one person a day with COVID. So how does a judge look at that and go, oh, it&#8217;s still a public health risk?
ABBOTT: But some do come across with COVID and no one knows exactly who comes across with COVID. These people are not tested when they come across the border and so who knows how many people have COVID, who knows what other type of disease they may have. The answer is nobody knows because nobody is testing them. 
&#8230;
RADDATZ: You have used your taxpayer dollars here in Texas to bus migrants out of here. You know people have looked at that and said that&#8217;s just a political ploy to bring attention on the backs of these migrants and some families and some very young children.
ABBOTT: The real reason behind it is because communities like Del Rio and Eagle Pass and others, they are having thousands of people dumped off into their communities, thousands of migrants, dumped off in their communities. They don&#8217;t have the capability of dealing with that vast number of migrants and I removed them to locations that self-identified as sanctuary cities that have the capability and the desire to help out these migrants and so that&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s taken place.
RADDATZ: You talk about the border wall, you talk about open borders, I don&#8217;t think I’ve ever heard President Biden say, we have an open border, come on over. But people I have heard say it are you, are former president Trump, Ron DeSantis, that message reverberates in Mexico and beyond. So they do get the message that it&#8217;s an open border and smugglers use all those kind of statements.
ABBOTT: It was known from the time that Joe Biden got elected that Joe Biden supported open borders. It is known by the cartels who have sophisticated information whether or not the Biden administration is going to enforce the immigration laws or not is known across the world but most importantly, known among the cartels.
RADDATZ: And how do you play into that? What can you do better?
ABBOTT: So we have every level of government doing everything we can to prevent people from coming into the country illegally or repelling them or arresting them and putting them behind bars.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-leader-suggests-biden-revealed-plans-to-create-border-crisis-in-2019">GOP Leader Suggests Biden Revealed &#8216;Plans To Create&#8217; Border &#8216;Crisis&#8217; In 2019</a>

ABC’s Martha Raddatz Blames Border Crisis On GOP, Falsely Claims Biden Never Told Migrants To Come

ABC's Martha Raddatz Blames Border Crisis On GOP, Falsely Claims Biden Never Told Migrants To Come

Executive

Joe Biden

U.S.

The <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court’s</a> decision to let <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-leaves-abortion-restrictions-to-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states regulate the right to an abortion</a> means “‘women will die,’” a top ABC News reporter told an apoplectic “<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abc-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This Week</a>” anchor <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/martha-raddatz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Martha Raddatz</a> Sunday.
Raddatz opened the show lamenting Friday’s decision by the high court, which struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had made abortion a federal right. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the law was never constitutional, and states were the proper regulators of abortion.
“‘On Friday morning, women in this country, like they have for nearly 50 years, woke up with a constitutional right to abortion, a right enshrined by the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade and reaffirmed again and again,’” Raddatz said. “‘But just after 10 a.m. on Friday, a legal earthquake, the court stripped women of that fundamental right.’”
https://twitter.com/KevinTober94/status/1541047264201818112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541052225673388034%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsbusters.org%2Fblogs%2Fnb%2Fkevin-tober%2F2022%2F06%2F26%2Fwomen-will-die-raddatz-moran-rage-over-abortion-decision
Raddatz, who famously was <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6vkB5cWrzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought to near tears</a> after former President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, said the ruling means states can outlaw abortion.
“Abortion is now a matter for the states and Congress, a decision for voters and their elected leaders rather than between a woman and her doctor,” she said.
Senior national correspondent Terry Moran <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/abcs-terry-moran-women-will-die-supreme-court-ruling-roe-v-wade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, “women will die because of this ruling.”
<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/clips/ben-shapiro-reacts-to-biden-s-remarks-on-roe-v-wade-being-overturned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: DAILY WIRE’S BEN SHAPIRO REACTS TO SUPREME COURT OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE</a>
“It changes the status of American women as citizens of the United States and as citizens of their states,” he said.
Several states, including Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky, have “<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-multiple-states-ban-abortion-after-scotus-ruling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trigger bans</a>” in place that made abortion illegal as soon as Roe was reversed. Five more, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa, have passed similar laws only to have them struck down. With Roe reversed, those states could reimpose the laws, with them taking immediate effect.
<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anarchical-and-criminal-actions-arizona-authorities-address-rioting-from-pro-abortion-activists-in-state-capitol" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pro-abortion demonstrators</a> took to the streets Friday night, storming the Arizona statehouse, shutting down traffic in Los Angeles, vandalizing buildings and cars in Seattle, and protesting in Washington and New York. But Raddatz noted that a May leak of Alito’s draft opinion might have dissipated much of the outrage by making Friday’s decision seem like old news.

‘Women Will Die’: ABC Reporter Rails To Raddatz Over Roe Decision

'Women Will Die': ABC Reporter Rails To Raddatz Over Roe Decision

Abortion

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Sunday slammed ABC News host Martha Raddatz for hinting that the federal government is considering implementing vaccine passports. According to Walensky, vaccines are allowing the country to move forward from the COVID pandemic, which is why masks were always temporary.
&#8220;You said on Friday that the CDC is &#8217;empowering people to make their own decisions about their own health&#8217; but this is all on the honor system,&#8221; Raddatz said. &#8220;There are people who refuse to get vaccinated, about a quarter of the country, and who oppose mask-wearing, who could see this as a green light to go wherever they want, putting others at risk, especially in those indoor settings, including children and the immunocompromised.&#8221;
According to Walensky, the CDC guidance hasn&#8217;t changed for those who are unvaccinated. She indicated those who are unvaccinated, including young children and the immunocompromised, should continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
&#8220;If they are vaccinated, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated, they are not safe,&#8221; the CDC director stated. &#8220;They should still be wearing a mask or, better yet, get vaccinated.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Pressed on the challenges in enforcing new mask guidelines, CDC Dir. Walensky says: &quot;This is not permission for widespread removal of masks&#8230; these decisions have to be made at the jurisdictional level, at the community level.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wbEM2Uitmk">https://t.co/wbEM2Uitmk</a> <a href="https://t.co/gLIkZl1tdt">pic.twitter.com/gLIkZl1tdt</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1393918297012375552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The CDC director indicated the agency is encouraging businesses to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated.
&#8220;But COVID is still undeniably still a threat and CDC has consistently shown us scientific evidence that says you are much safer if two people in a room have masks on. So, if you are unvaccinated in that room and someone else comes in without a mask, you&#8217;re not as safe,&#8221; Raddatz said.
Walensky indicated yet again that those who are unvaccinated should receive their shots but recognized there&#8217;s a &#8220;challenge&#8221; because not everyone is &#8220;eligible,&#8221; including children under the age of 11.
&#8220;So, if you&#8217;re unvaccinated, we&#8217;re saying wear a mask, continue to distance if you&#8217;re unvaccinated, practice all of those mitigation strategies,&#8221; Walensky said.
&#8220;But who is supposed to be the vaccination police?&#8221; Raddatz interjected. &#8220;You look at Costco and Walmart, these essential workers. What are they supposed to do? Again, there&#8217;s a quarter of the country who says they will not get vaccinated.&#8221;
&#8220;We are asking people to take their health into their own hands, to get vaccinated. And, if they don&#8217;t, they continue to be at risk,&#8221; the CDC director replied. &#8220;For the unvaccinated, our policy has not changed. We were going to get to a place in this pandemic where vaccinated people were going to be able to take off their mask. We&#8217;re lucky to be there with the science that we have. And now we have to take this foundational step that is completely based in science and understand what it means as we open the entire country.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@martharaddatz</a>: &quot;Who is supposed to be the &#39;vaccination police&#39;&#8230; what are they supposed to do?&quot;
CDC Dir. Walensky: &quot;We are asking people to take their health into their own hands, to get vaccinated and if they don&#39;t they continue to be at risk.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wbEM2Uitmk">https://t.co/wbEM2Uitmk</a> <a href="https://t.co/FQKwQFP8UU">pic.twitter.com/FQKwQFP8UU</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1393919606167855106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Raddatz&#8217;s question about &#8220;vaccination police&#8221; mimics a <a href="https://www.ufcw.org/press-releases/ufcw-cdc-mask-policy-for-vaccinated-must-recognize-challenges-essential-retail-and-grocery-workers-still-face/">statement</a> from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), a union that represents more than 1.3 million retail and grocery store employees.
UFCW International President Marc Peronne asked the same question Raddatz did:
<blockquote>“While we all share the desire to return to a mask-free normal, today’s CDC guidance is confusing and fails to consider how it will impact essential workers who face frequent exposure to individuals who are not vaccinated and refuse to wear masks. 
“Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures. Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police? 
“With so many states already ending their mask mandates, this new CDC guidance must do more to acknowledge the real and daily challenge these workers and the American people still face. 
“Vaccinations are helping us take control of this pandemic, but we must not let our guard down. As one of America’s largest unions for essential workers, UFCW is calling on the CDC and our nation’s leaders to clarify how this new policy will be implemented, how essential workers will be protected, and how these workers will protect the communities they serve.”</blockquote>
The UFCW is pushing the CDC and the Biden administration to back vaccine passports, something conservatives have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-republicans-propose-no-vaccine-passport-act">warned</a> about. A handful of states have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idaho-becomes-fourth-state-to-ban-vaccine-passports">outlawed</a> vaccine passports from being used to screen Americans before they enter a place of business. The Biden administration, however, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-working-on-vaccine-passports-that-could-display-a-scannable-code-similar-to-an-airline-boarding-pass-report">reportedly</a> working on a mobile app that will house Americans&#8217; proof of vaccination, which some businesses &#8212; and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wa-states-reopening-plan-includes-vaccine-passports-for-religious-gatherings-sporting-events">states</a> &#8212; could potentially require.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Dr. Fauci Testifies Before Senate Committee On Federal Response To COVID-19

CDC Director Hits Back At ABC Host’s Hints At Vaccine Passports: We Were Always Going To Get To A Point Where We Could Take Masks Off

COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Rochelle Walensky

ABC News&#8217; Martha Raddatz grilled far-left Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Sunday over Tlaib&#8217;s claim that she cares about what is going on at the border when Tlaib voted against both Democrat and Republican bills to send aid to the border facilities.
Tlaib, who made the remarks on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week,&#8221; also engaged in Holocaust trivialization when she said that she &#8220;absolutely&#8221; agreed with socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) that immigrant detention facilities on the southern border are &#8220;concentration camps.&#8221; It&#8217;s worth noting that Tlaib has a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42998/ocasio-cortez-omar-tlaib-take-democrats-anti-ryan-saavedra">well-documented history</a> of anti-Semitism, which includes <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ben-shapiro-tlaib-protected-democrats">engaging</a> in anti-Semitic Holocaust revisionist history. Tlaib&#8217;s claim that Ocasio-Cortez is correct by comparing immigrant detention facilities to Nazi concentration camps is also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48625/immigration-expert-shreds-ocasio-cortez-comparing-ryan-saavedra">categorically false</a>.
&#8220;Congresswoman, I want to stop you here for just a second. McAleenan has been sounding the alarm for months for resources to help the migrants, you voted against the $4.6 billion emergency border bill to deal with the surge of migrants, that included almost $3 billion to provide shelter and care for unaccompanied children,&#8221; Raddatz said. &#8220;Acting Secretary McAleenan says those funds are critical to get children out of CBP custody and transfer, even if the bill didn’t have what you wanted.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I’m proud – I – exactly but listen to this, do you know what the CBP agents said on the ground though, Martha?&#8221; Tlaib responded.
&#8220;Isn’t opposing aid contributing to this crisis?&#8221; Raddatz continued.
&#8220;Three agents took me aside, away from my colleagues and said more money is not going to fix this, that they were not trained to separate children, that they don’t want to separate two-year-olds away from their mothers,&#8221; Tlaib claimed without evidence.
Tlaib later said that the humanitarian bill that sent billions of dollars to the border &#8220;was not the choice that we needed our country to move forward on.&#8221;
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Martha Raddatz destroyed Rashida Tlaib&#8217;s argument: &#8220;You voted against the $4.6 billion emergency border bill to deal with the surge of migrants that included almost $3 billion to provide shelter &amp; care for unaccompanied children&#8230; Isn&#8217;t opposing aid contributing to this crisis?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/uOYyJJ8R5U">pic.twitter.com/uOYyJJ8R5U</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1147872266971176960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

WATCH: ABC News’ Martha Raddatz Grills Rashida Tlaib Over Fake Border Outrage

Rashida Tlaib

ABC News&#8217; Martha Raddatz grilled far-left Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Iran over the weekend, calling him out for not truthfully acknowledging what is going on.
Buttigieg blamed National Security Adviser John Bolton for escalating tensions with Iran, saying that Bolton was trying to &#8220;prosecute a case to lead to higher tensions, escalation and perhaps conflict with Iran.&#8221;
&#8220;But this is also based on intelligence and the military,&#8221; Raddatz responded. &#8220;Central Command &#8212; you know Central Command very well &#8212; they asked for these troops for force protection, based on intelligence about missiles in some Iranian boats, so this is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military.&#8221;
Buttigieg tried to deflect from Raddatz pointing out that his statements were false.
&#8220;But let me stick to this because it&#8217;s based on intelligence,&#8221; Raddatz pressed. &#8220;Do you believe the intelligence?&#8221;
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Democrat Pete Buttigieg blames John Bolton for escalation w/Iran
Martha Raddatz: &#8220;This is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military.&#8221;
Buttigieg tries to deflect
Raddatz: &#8220;Let me stick to this because it&#8217;s based on intelligence. Do you believe the intelligence?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bkjnxb9Lep">pic.twitter.com/bkjnxb9Lep</a>
&#8212; Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1132765074890797056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Transcript provided via <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-26-19-mayor-pete-buttigieg-rep/story?id=63275063">ABC News</a>:
<blockquote>
RADDATZ: I want to move to foreign policy. The &#8212; the Pentagon is sending 1,500 more military personnel over to the Middle East to deter Iran. Is that a good idea? Is that something you would have approved?
BUTTIGIEG: This is not a good sign. Escalation is the last thing we need in the Middle East right now. And when you see what&#8217;s been happening, it appears that the administration, driven by the way by John Bolton, one of the architects of the Iraq War, is continuing to try to prosecute a case to lead to higher tensions, escalation and perhaps conflict with Iran as though we learned nothing from the last 15 years of armed conflict &#8212; conflict in the Middle East.
RADDATZ: But this is also based on intelligence and the military. Central Command &#8212; you know Central Command very well &#8212; they asked for these troops for force protection, based on intelligence about missiles in some Iranian boats, so this is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military.
BUTTIGIEG: Look, there is clearly a pattern of misbehavior and provocation by the Iranians that goes back in different ways across my entire lifetime.
RADDATZ: But let me stick to this because it&#8217;s based on intelligence. Do you believe the intelligence?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I can&#8217;t weigh in on intelligence that I haven&#8217;t seen, but what I do see is a pattern&#8230;
RADDATZ: But you&#8217;ve heard people in the military, commanders in the military today, saying, this was the intelligence they found.
BUTTIGIEG: And I think our national security policy has to be to avoid escalation in the Persian Gulf.
RADDATZ: But how do you do that if you&#8217;re under threat? So if they think their forces need to be protected more and you don&#8217;t send more&#8230;
BUTTIGIEG: I think that we have the means to protect our assets in the Middle East. And the way this is being talked about makes me wonder whether this &#8212; this is driven as much by domestic politics as it is by national security imperatives.
</blockquote>

WATCH: ABC News’ Martha Raddatz Grills Democrat Pete Buttigieg On Iran

Pete Buttigieg

Left-wing ABC News Democrat Martha Raddatz seemed confounded over President Donald Trump’s motivation for prioritizing the admission of Christians and other religious minorities seeking refuge from Muslim-majority states over Muslims.
In an interview with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Sunday’s This Week, Raddatz expressed her confusion.
Partial a <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-29-17-sean-spicer-sen-mitch/story?id=45112815">transcript</a> below:
<blockquote>RADDATZ: OK. The executive order also stipulates that after the refugee program is reinstated in 120 days, the government will prioritize religious minorities persecuted in their country. How will you determine what religion people are? How do you vet them?
SPICER: During this 120-day period, we&#8217;re going to put a system in place that looks country by country, group by group, and make sure we put appropriate vetting in place. Again &#8212;
RADDATZ: A religious test?
SPICER: Hold on, no. What we&#8217;re going to do is make sure that people who have been persecuted for either religious or other reasons have an opportunity to apply and go through a vetting system that ensures they&#8217;re coming to this country to seek asylum, to seek a new life for themselves or their family, but to do so with peaceful purposes.
RADDATZ: OK, President Trump said during an interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network that persecuted Christian refugees should be seen as a priority. Why &#8212;
SPICER: Well, in some countries they should.
RADDATZ: Why are Christian refugees &#8212; let me finish. Why are Christian refugees more worthy of admission to the United States than Muslims or even Jewish refugees?
SPICER: Well, it&#8217;s a question of making sure that in many so of these countries they are the persecuted group. And so it&#8217;s just &#8212; it&#8217;s a fact that when they live in a majority country of another religion, they are a minority being persecuted, not able to practice their religion, in some cases under threat. And so it&#8217;s just a fact that they are being persecuted in some of these countries and we need to make sure we recognize them so that they can come to this country and be able to practice their religion in accordance with our laws and our constitution.</blockquote>
At no point in the interview did Raddatz ask why <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/25/executive-order-border-security-and-immigration-enforcement-improvements">Trump&#8217;s executive order</a> did not go further in tightening the admission of foreigners from Muslim-majority countries, given that only seven Muslim-majority countries were indicated for specific restrictions.
Raddatz also neglected to identify the overlap between Islamic terrorism and Muslims, a primary justification for Trump&#8217;s policies of &#8220;extreme vetting.&#8221;
In asking about “Jewish refugees,” Raddatz seems to believe that an appreciable number of Jews live in the seven Muslim-majority states whose citizens (excluding American citizens holding dual nationalities) are <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/27/politics/donald-trump-refugees-executive-order/index.html">essentially banned</a> from entering the United States by Trump’s executive order.
With the exception of Iran, the combined number of Jews living in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen is essentially zero. Jews in Iran are essentially not permitted to exit the country with their families, lest they defect.
Raddatz presents herself as an objective, unbiased, and nonpartisan journalist.
Watch the interview below.
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe width="640" height="360"></iframe></div>
Follow Robert Kraychik on <a href="https://twitter.com/kr3ch3k">Twitter</a>.

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