CBS Reporter Actually Asked Sean Duffy Why He Would Consult Renowned Engineer Elon Musk, About, Well, Engineering

'Why wouldn’t I ask some of the best minds in the world to come in and offer us advice?'

Justice Gorsuch Surgically Disassembles CBS Reporter’s Suggestion That Supreme Court Has ‘Ripped Away’ Rights

'Those famous three first words of the Constitution empower you'

‘I Learned To Be Trans In The Catholic Church,’ NYC Fashion Model Says

'I am femme'

‘Catastrophic’: DEA Administrator Says Mexican Cartels Are Killing Americans With Fentanyl At ‘Record Rates’

'The whole world of drugs has changed'

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson blasts Trump, reveals 2024 plans, and defends state's abortion ban in interview



Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday that he is "laying the foundation" for a 2024 presidential campaign, asserting that former President Donald Trump has "disqualified himself" from returning to the White House by his conduct leading up to and after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

While he has not committed to running for president and says he is waiting until after the 2022 midterm elections to make a final decision, Hutchinson offered blistering criticism of Trump during an interview on CBS News and indicated he would be willing to challenge the former president for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

"Obviously, there's talk about 2024, and I had to make it clear that Trump has disqualified himself, in my judgement, from his actions from Jan. 6 and leading up to that," Hutchinson told "CBS Mornings" on Friday. "And so we have to go in a different direction for our country, for my party. I want to be a voice for commonsense conservatism."

"I haven't made a commitment to it, I haven't made a decision on it, but I'm laying the foundation for that if that is something that's going to be helpful to our country," he said.

Hutchinson joined the program for a wide-ranging interview that covered the demise of Roe v. Wade, Arkansas' trigger law that nearly banned abortions in the state, and the latest testimony from the House Jan. 6 committee.

On abortion, the Republican governor described actions lawmakers will take now that all abortions are illegal in Arkansas, excepting medical emergencies when the life of the mother is endangered. The state's trigger law went into effect last week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Hutchinson said that Arkansas accepted Medicaid expansion to provide "health coverage for the working poor" and that in addition to $1 million for pregnancy centers, the state will increase funding for mental health and other services.

Noting that there were about 3,000 abortions in Arkansas last year, the governor said "a significant number of those will be reduced" thanks to the statewide abortion ban.

”Some of those moms will put their child up for adoption,” said Hutchinson, ”so we’re going to have to increase our adoption services. Others will go out of state, which I think will be a small minority, but there’ll be many that will carry that child to term and to keep that child. And so we want to make sure that we have the wraparound services for that mom, both during the pregnancy, but also afterwards. So we’re looking at as to how we can beef that up.”

Asked about an effort from some GOP state lawmakers to prevent women from traveling out of state to seek abortions, Hutchinson said he would not support such legislation, calling it "a violation of interstate commerce."

Turning to the Jan. 6 committee hearings, CBS host Nate Burleson asked if Hutchinson agreed with Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney's assertion that Trump is "a domestic threat we have never seen before."

Hutchinson agreed that Trump's attempts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results were "a threat to our democracy."

"That's not the behavior we want to see in a responsible president," he said.

"I would not be supporting him for 2024," Hutchinson added. "He acted irresponsibly during that time. He was a risk to the nation, absolutely."

Watch:

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on state’s near-total abortion ban youtu.be

‘Dismantling The Federal Government’: Hillary Clinton Stokes Liberals’ Worst Fears About SCOTUS

'I think our country is really on the precipice'

CBS' John Dickerson gives Gayle King a reality check on banning 'assault weapons'



CBS chief political analyst John Dickerson injected a dose of reality into the national debate on gun control Friday morning, explaining to a panel on "CBS Mornings" that a federal so-called assault weapons ban after the deadly massacre in Ulvalde, Texas is politically unfeasible.

In the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers were murdered Tuesday by a deranged gunman, Democrats and some TV news pundits have renewed calls for gun control legislation. "CBS Mornings" co-host Michelle Miller introduced the topic on Friday's show, saying that "across the country students are making their voices heard in the gun debate. Yesterday, thousands walked out of class to protest the perpetual lack of action on the issue, in part due to the influence of the gun lobby.”

CBS chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa, who reported from the National Rifle Association's convention in Houston, Texas, said that the gun rights group is moving forward with the event while anti-gun protesters are expected to descend on the city.

"A recent CBS News poll found that among Republicans, the majority, nearly 75%, want laws covering the sales of guns to remain the same. Or be made less strict. And when it comes to political influence, gun-rights groups spent $15.8 million on lobbying last year," Costa reported.

During a panel discussion following Costa's report, CBS anchor Gayle King asked about gun control legislation Congress could pass. "What are the specifics we should focus on?" she asked Dickerson. "I think everybody just thinks assault rifles have to go. Good, we're talking about background checks. But assault rifles to civilians who don't have formal training, why is that so hard?”

"That's not even on the table, and the table is not even in the room," Dickerson responded. "And also, by the way, even if it were on the table, you'd have an immediate debate about what an assault weapon is."

Watch:

What's "actually being discussed," Dickerson said, is federal legislation that would incentivize states to pass so-called red-flag laws, which permit police or family members to get a court order taking guns away from a person they show may be a danger to themselves or others.

"There are some states that already have this. Indiana, Virginia, others, and so there is some bipartisan support around that," he continued. "But the key thing to remember here, you need 60 votes in the Senate to get anything done, because the filibuster means you need 60 votes. If you're Democrats and you can get all of your 50 members aligned, which is also not certain, you then need to find ten Republicans to get anything passed. Anything that is going to get ten Republicans is not going to be anything close to what you're talking about in terms of assault weapons, raising the age for ownership of guns or — or — and putting any kind of measures in that people want on the left."

Miller followed up by asking how it is possible that polls can show widespread support for some kind of new gun control legislation and yet Congress lacks the votes to pass a bill. A recent CBS News poll found that 54% of Americans want stricter laws governing the sale of firearms.

Doug Heye, former chief of staff for ex-Congressman Eric Cantor, reminded Miller that members of Congress don't represent most Americans; "they represent their state, and Vermont and Montana and California and North Carolina are all very different from each other."

"And you get in states like California, North Carolina, where they have a lot of congressional districts, those districts are different from each other, and those members, Congress very accurately reflects their voters," Heye added. "If you talk to a specific member of Congress, they're representing their district probably pretty well on issues like this."

"And the key point is representing their district," Dickerson said. "The NRA spends a lot of money supporting politicians, but that money is related to the feeling of the people in the district. So it is not just dollar bills. It is also the power of the voters in those districts."

(H/T: Newsbusters)

CBS News tweet says Kyle Rittenhouse 'testified' he 'murdered two men' — and the network deletes 'straight up libelous' tweet amid brutal backlash



Readers angrily called out CBS News for rendering its own verdict Thursday in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial by saying the defendant "testified" that he "murdered two men" amid protests and rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year.

While Rittenhouse has been charged with two counts of intentional homicide, he has pleaded not guilty and is arguing he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber in August 2020.

Both Fox News and Mediaite reported that CBS News deleted its initial tweet.

But the internet is forever — and below is an image of the tweet in question, which reads, "Kyle Rittenhouse testified in his murder trial yesterday, breaking down in tears as he told the jury he murdered two men at a Black Lives Matter protest last year in self-defense."

Becket Adams of the Washington Examiner offered a terse response to it:

bang up job, guys.pic.twitter.com/bhQVfYMcpZ

— tsar becket adams (@BecketAdams) 1636638440

Adams followed up reaction with a post just six minutes later saying CBS News "deleted" its problematic tweet "and re-wrote it." The apparent new tweet reads "killed two men" instead of "murdered two men."

But criticism over the network's blunder didn't end there.

Brutal backlash

  • "Again, a lot of Rittenhouse coverage and commentary is straight up libelous," Mark Hemingway, senior writer at RealClearInvestigations, tweeted about the network's "murdered two men" faux pas.
  • "When you could just report the story straight but you jump at the chance to put it in a lawsuit-worthy frame instead," journalist Virginia Kruta observed.
  • "Oh, well, then. No need for trials, CBS News has delivered its verdict!" Dan McLaughlin of National Review Online declared.

Others heartily agreed:

  • "Wow it's article after article of blatant misinformation and outright lies," one commenter added. "Different agencies and publications like an organized effort to railroad this kid."
  • "Apparently the plan is to continue with these inflammatory lies until a dam breaks and widespread violence breaks out," another user opined. "Imagine the top-down control they'll claim is necessary to quell massive civil unrest."
  • "In 2021 you are not convicted by a jury of your peers but by a set of semi-anonymous 'elite' 'journalists' / social media managers who hate you," another commenter said.
  • "Somebody obviously forgot what happened after the media falsely accused that youngster from Covington Catholic in KY," another user offered. "Apparently CBS has deep enough pockets that they won't have a problem settling with Kyle Rittenhouse for millions, too."

Anything else?

The Rittenhouse trial has been atop the news cycle this week.

Wendy Rittenhouse, the defendant's mother, said in a Thursday interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that President Joe Biden "defamed" her son by suggesting he's a white supremacist. Joy Behar, far-left co-host of "The View," on Thursday mocked Rittenhouse's courtroom testimony — during which he sobbed uncontrollably at one point — as "one of thew worst acting jobs I've ever seen." NBA superstar LeBron James also made fun of Rittenhouse's testimony in a tweet to his 50 million followers — but paid for it with scathing pushback from commenters.