President Donald Trump gave an impromptu with the New York Times Washington Correspondent Michael Schmidt at his Mar-A-Lago property Thursday. Alexander Heffner, Host of PBS' "The Open Mind," explains what this interview reveals about the relationship between Trump and the media.
"All forms of media will tank if I'm not there because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes," Trump told the NYTimes. Heffner says the report in the New York Times showcasing a thirty minute conversation with Trump amplifies the president's microphone.
"There is incest in every situation with Trump and the media," said Heffner. "There's incest when you want access." Schmidt reportedly crossed paths with Trump while he was meeting Newsmax founder Chris Ruddy at the Florida resort.
"We have to acknowledge--I think--on part of the media that its important that we use discretion, deliberation, precision in our reporting of this administration," says Heffner.
Kayleigh McEnany confirms to Cheddar's J.D. Durkin that Michael Cohen remains as Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC, despite being under criminal investigation. "We'll take it step by step, day by day," she says.
A day after President Trump canceled the North Korea summit, Kim Jong-un said he is still willing to sit down with the U.S. president "at any time." This outcome is what "good negotiating looks like," says Kayleigh McEnany, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Though President Trump abruptly canceled his planned meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, there's still a possibility the summit could take place in the future if the two sides can tamp down their antagonism and agree to a framework for denuclearization.
Frank Zaccanelli, a former owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, says the NFL's decision to adopt a new policy on the national anthem without consulting the NFL Players Association was, "one of the dumbest things I've ever heard."
Tea Party Republicans and President Trump ran campaigns on a platform of being the Washington outsiders needed to save the country. Now the Democrats will have their own opportunity in the 2018 midterms.
Mark Zuckerberg Testifies Before EU Parliament
The Democratic Congressman from Texas says state and local officials should do more to limit the places people can carry guns, not introduce more guns into schools. "Like so many other teachers, they didn't sign up to be soldiers or police officers," says Castro.
European lawmakers aggressively questioned Facebook's CEO on Tuesday, indicating they may consider further restricting the social media company's unchecked growth and regulating its business practices.
Align Technology, which makes Invisalign orthodontics, opened its first manufacturing plant in China in 2017 and expects to have a "good, contained business" there by the end of the year, despite a wider reassessment of U.S.-China trade relations, says Joe Hogan, the CEO of Align Technology.
The streaming platform will give the former president and first lady a global platform to focus on issues important to them. But they need to be mindful of making that content available to communities that don't have access to high-speed internet or Netflix, says Alexander Heffner, the host of "The Open Mind" on PBS.
