President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he has confidence in Pete Hegseth, even as he acknowledged “people were a little bit concerned” about his pick to lead the Pentagon amid a series of allegations related to drinking and sexual misconduct.
“Looks like Pete is doing well now. I mean, people were a little bit concerned,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker in an interview at Trump Tower. “He’s a young guy with a tremendous track record. Actually, went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both, but he loves the military, and I think people are starting to see it. So, we’ll be working on his nomination, along with a lot of others.”
Asked whether he thinks Hegseth can earn Senate confirmation, Trump said, “I think he will, yeah. I’ve had a lot of senators call me up saying he’s fantastic.” But Trump said he has not gotten any assurances from senators that he’ll be confirmed.
CNN Reports the comments from the president-elect marked the latest public praise for his embattled choice for secretary of defense after days of support behind the scenes.
Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the military veteran and former television anchor “is doing very well” and that “his support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe.”
Asked by Welker whether he had concerns over reports of excessive drinking, Trump, who does not drink, said he’s “spoken to people that know [Hegseth] very well and they say he does not have a drinking problem.”
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and forcefully pushed back on what he has described as unfounded attacks against him. On Thursday, he concluded his first week of meetings on Capitol Hill as he seeks to shore up support with key senators who will vote on his confirmation.
Trump had told Hegseth he wants to see him fight for votes in the Senate, sources close to both men told CNN, and the continued backing is part of the reason Hegseth has appeared more bullish this week while he’s held critical meetings with Republican senators.
On Friday, he thanked the president-elect for his support, saying on X, “Like you, we will never back down.”
A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest its popular short video app TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban.
The decision is a win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app and a devastating blow to ByteDance. It increases the possibility of an unprecedented ban in just six weeks on a social media app used by 170 million Americans.
Reuters reports the ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
The appeals court noted the law was the result of Republicans and Democrats working together, as well as two presidents, as "part of a broader effort to counter a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People's Republic of China)."
But free speech advocates immediately criticized the decision. The American Civil Liberties Union said it sets a "flawed and dangerous precedent."
"Banning TikTok blatantly violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use this app to express themselves and communicate with people around the world,” said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of the ACLU's National Security Project.
TikTok said it expected the Supreme Court would reverse the appeals court decision on First Amendment grounds.
"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok said in a statement.
In its analysis, the court said China, through its relationship with TikTok parent ByteDance, threatened to distort U.S. speech through TikTok and "manipulate public discourse."
China's "ability to do so is at odds with free speech fundamentals. Indeed, the First Amendment precludes a domestic government from exercising comparable control over a social media company in the United States."
U.S. appeals court Judges Sri Srinivasan, Neomi Rao and Douglas Ginsburg considered the legal challenges brought by TikTok and users against the law, which gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell or divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.
The decision -- unless the Supreme Court reverses it -- puts TikTok's fate in the hands of first President Joe Biden on whether to grant a 90-day extension of the Jan. 19 deadline to force a sale and then President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But it's not clear whether ByteDance could meet the heavy burden to show it had made significant progress toward a divestiture needed to trigger the extension.
In a recent three-month period, six top networks' national linear TV advertising -- broadcast and cable -- is down 13% to $5.9 billion, according to estimates from EDO Ad EnGage.
For the period from September 7-December 5, total advertising airings are down 6% to 243,760.
MediaPost reports NBC, CBS and Fox are posting the strongest results -- at $1.41 billion, $1.36 billion, and $1.26 billion, respectively. All these totals are down around 10% to 15%.
ABC is at $1.04 billion -- down 25% from a year ago. It has had significant declines in airings to now total 37,830, down from 49,290.
For NFL programming, ABC is airing 14 simulcasts with ESPN (including two playoff games) and three games exclusively on ABC. There are more simulcasts with ESPN this season.
Two big cable TV networks are virtually at the same advertising revenue levels as a year ago. ESPN at $563 million (versus $574 million a year ago), Fox News Channel at $295 million (versus $296 million).
Geico and Progressive Insurance remain top advertisers on networks -- with Geico at $41 million (Fox), $35.9 million (NBC), and $29.8 million (CBS). Progressive is at $29.7 million (NBC), $26.5 million (Fox), and $22.8 million (CBS).
Fox scored $142.8 million from all automotive/home insurance brands, while NBC did best with non-luxury car brands at $137.5 million and CBS came in at $123.2 million from auto/home insurance; and ABC, $72.7 million from auto/home insurance.
iHeartMedia has announced Paul Lambert has been named Region President for iHeartMedia Houston, effective immediately. He will report to Eddie Martiny, Division President, iHeartMedia.
Paul Lambert
“I have had the pleasure of working with Paul for over 20 years; I have witnessed him excel in numerous management roles and his track record has been remarkable. I am confident that Paul’s knowledge and leadership skills will allow iHeart Houston to continue its winning ways,” commented Martiny.
Lambert, a Louisiana native, has been working for iHeartMedia for the past 24 years and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales in Houston. He started as an account executive and rose through the ranks, working as Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager and Director of Sales.
“Under Eddie’s leadership, iHeartMedia Houston has had an almost unmatched winning record. I’m honored to carry the torch on behalf of our wonderful clients and the amazing team of iHeart individuals who make magic happen every day!” said Paul Lambert.
A Connecticut appeals court on Friday largely upheld a nearly $1.3 billion defamation verdict against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a case accusing the Infowars founder of spreading lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Reuters reports a three-judge panel of the Connecticut Appellate Court found that a jury's October 2022 decision to award $965 million in damages plus attorney's fees and costs to families of the shooting's victims was not unreasonable given the mental anguish they suffered due to the lies by Jones about Sandy Hook.
Alex Jones
In affirming the verdict, the judges found fault only with a portion awarding $150 million in damages under a state unfair trade practices law, finding that should be thrown out because it did not properly apply to the facts of the case.
Jones claimed for years that the 2012 shooting deaths of 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, were staged with actors as part of a government plot to seize guns from Americans. He has since acknowledged that the mass shooting occurred, but plaintiffs said Jones cashed in for years off his lies about the massacre.
An attorney for the Sandy Hook families, Alinor Sterling, praised the ruling.
"The jury's $965 million rebuke of Jones will stand, and the families who have fought valiantly for years have brought Alex Jones yet another step closer to true justice," Sterling said in a statement.
Jones' lawyer Norm Pattis said in a statement that the jury was falsely led to believe Jones made millions of dollars off the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories and that Jones was to blame for the families' anguish.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced immediate backlash online after nearly doubling the number of Americans who purportedly approve of President Biden’s sweeping pardon for his son.
President Biden issued a sweeping pardon for Hunter Biden on Sunday after he had repeatedly said he would not do so. The first son had been convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year. He pled guilty to federal tax charges in September, and was convicted of three felony gun charges in June after lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. For over a year, the president and Jean-Pierre repeatedly insisted Hunter would not get a pardon.
The backlash against Karine Jean-Pierre stems from her incorrect claim that 64% of Americans supported President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. In reality, the poll she referenced showed that 64% of Democrats supported the pardon, while only 34% of Americans overall approved of it. This discrepancy led to significant criticism online and from various media outlets.
In her defense of the pardon, Jean-Pierre appealed to the American people's understanding of the "difficult" decision. While doing so, she cited a poll, the results of which were the opposite of what she claimed.
"And it said 64% of the American people agree with the pardon — 64% of the American people. So, we get a sense of where the American people are on this. Obviously, it's one poll, but it gives you a little bit of insight. Sixty-four percent is nothing to sneeze at," she emphasized.
But according to the YouGov poll, it was 64% of Democrats who supported the pardon. Of the American people, only 34% "strongly" or "somewhat" approved of the pardon, while 50% of Americans either "strongly" or "somewhat" disapproved.
Social media users were quick to point out the error.
She's wrong. The YouGov poll shows 64% of Democrats, not 64% of Americans, supported the pardon. 34% of Americans overall supported it, with 50% disapproving. https://t.co/VH92dNPNh0pic.twitter.com/3aHitv5PRd
RedState front-page contributor Bonchie said, "This is a psychotic level of lying. The kind of thing someone used to get shamed from polite society over. Of course, she'll be on MSNBC by next year."
Wisconsin has lost almost one in five of its newspapers in the past year. The state of newspapers has been dismal for years, and the 2024 figures are grim.
This his year alone, 130 newspapers nationwide shut down, according to a report by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
But, according to The Public News Service in Wisconsin, amid an increasing climate of misinformation and media distrust among some Americans, the news outlets they say they trust the most are community newspapers.
Wisconsin is losing local news outlets at an alarming rate, with 19% of its newspapers closing in the past year. Even as distrust in the news media has grown in some circles, a new study shows people trust local newspapers the most compared to other types of news outlets.
In this polarized climate, Professor Robert Asen at the University of Wisconsin at Madison believes where people choose to get their news matters.
“It seems less and less that we’re willing – or able – to see things that we may share in common,” Asen said, “and that’s exacerbated by a media ecosystem where we’re not even getting the same information – where we’re not even sharing the same basic set of facts.”
In the survey, 74% of Americans believe not having a local newspaper would seriously impact their community. Yet more than half of all counties in the United States have just one local news outlet – or none at all. Bayfield, Wisconsin’s northernmost county, has no news outlets, while 22 other counties have only one.
Asen said the rise in social media as an information source, and options such as podcasts and talk radio shows, have greatly affected how people choose to get their news – which also plays a role in how accurate it is. A recent review of radio talk shows in Wisconsin found those with the largest audiences and the most advertising are led by conservative hosts who aired the most misinformation.
“When you look at public discourse and you look at public figures, and you see examples of a disregard for truth – or disregard for verifying stories, or disregard for fair and accurate representations – I think that those practices encourage more of the same practice,” Asen observed.
The season finale of FOX Nation’s critically acclaimed new series, Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints will air this weekend with Maximilian Kolbe on Sunday, December 8th. Hosted, narrated and executive produced by celebrated Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the exclusive docudrama explores the remarkable stories of eight men and women who risked everything to embody humanity’s most noble and complex trait — faith.
With each episode focusing on a singular saint, including Joan of Arc, John the Baptist, Sebastian, Maximillian Kolbe, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, and Moses the Black, Scorsese journeys over 2,000 years of history focusing on these extraordinary figures and their extreme acts of kindness, selflessness, and sacrifice.
On Sunday, December 8th, part one of the series concludes with Milivoje Obradović as Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan monk who martyred himself to save a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz. Born in Poland at the turn of the 20th century to devout parents, Kolbe’s views on Judaism were marred by the prevailing antisemitic rhetoric of the time, the same virulent hate that gave rise to Nazi ideologies as well. But his treatment of individual Jews did not reflect the same antisemitism. In 1941, his monastery near Krakow was housing 3,000 people displaced by the Nazis during World War II, half of them were Jewish.
When the Third Reich invaded Poland, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where he was subjected to backbreaking slave labor. When a man in his barracks escaped, 10 men were selected to starve to death as a punishment. Despite being spared, Kolbe offered to take the place of one of the prisoners – a stranger. Kolbe and nine other men were thrown into a small concrete bunker and forced to slowly starve.
Throughout the torture, Kolbe offered support and encouragement to his fellow prisoners, Jews and Catholics alike, firmly anchored to the power of hope. At the end of the second week, everyone was dead – everyone except for Kolbe and one fellow prisoner. The guards inject the men with carbolic acid, killing them instantly. When Kolbe was canonized in 1982, the man he chose to die in place of, Franciszek Gajowniczek, was in attendance. Today, Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of prisoners.
CAST: Martin Scorsese (host and narrator), Milivoje Obradović (Maximilian Kolbe), Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America magazine Father James Martin, S.J. (self), award-winning poet and bestselling author Mary Karr (self), Georgetown senior fellow and New Yorker contributor Paul Elie (self)
WHEN: Sunday, December 8th
WHERE: FOX Nation (www.FOXNation.com)
Part II of the acclaimed series will return in Spring 2025 featuring the stories of Francis of Assisi, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene and Moses the Black.
Steve Alaimo, the honey-voiced music maverick who helped create the Miami sound, passed away on November 30th, 2024 at the age of 84. Known as much for his mischievous grin as his golden ear for hits, Alaimo lived life like one of his beloved records – with perfect timing and always leaving them wanting more.
Anyone who followed Henry Stone’s TK Records in the 1970s knows Alaimo’s name from the record labels. He was the guy who made the all time classic, “Rock Your Baby” by George McRae, into a massive hit. He was also involved with Gwen McRae’s “Rockin Chair” and KC and the Sunshine Band.
Alaimo was also responsible for producing Sam & Dave’s early pre-Atlantic Records. He wrote their first hit, long before “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming.” It was called “No More Pain,” on Marlin Records. Below you can find his official obit and listen to that Sam & Dave record. Sam Moore tells me Alaimo changed his life before Ahmet Ertegun happened on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers singing in Miami.
From his early days as a teen idol (with hits like “Everyday I have to cry” and “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”) He had nine singles on the Billboard Top 100 Chart and was the host of Dick Clark’s “Where the Action Is” to his later role as music industry kingpin, Alaimo’s career read like a who’s who of American music.
Alongside Howard and Ron Albert, he co-owned Audio-Vision Studios and Vision Records, where his legendary ear and irreverent wit helped shape countless hits. His earlier venture with Henry Stone, TK Records, became the launchpad for disco sensations like KC and the Sunshine Band, George McCrae, Betty Wright and Bobby Caldwell.
A man who could make even a boring industry meeting feel like a party, Alaimo approached life with a wisecrack ready and a twinkle in his eye. He split his time between making music magic and handicapping horses, often suggesting that the latter was the more reliable way to make a buck in the entertainment business.
➦In 1907...Arch Oboler born (Died at age 79 – March 19, 1987). He was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, and director who was active in radio, films, theater, and television. He generated much attention with his radio scripts, particularly the horror series Lights Out, and his work in radio remains the outstanding period of his career. Praised as one of broadcasting's top talents, he is regarded today as a key innovator of radio drama.
➦In 1921...KWG (now 1230 AM) in Stockton, CA was licensed. It was initially licensed to the Portable Wireless Telephone Company as the second formally licensed broadcasting station west of the Mississippi River. In addition, it traces its history to an earlier amateur station operated by Paul Oard. Today it is owned by IHR Educational Broadcasting and airs inspirational "Catholic Talk Radio" programming.
➦In 1930…Experimental Boston TV station W1XAV broadcast a video portion of CBS radio’s “The Fox Trappers” orchestra program.
➦In 1938...The St. Louis Dispatch begins a two-year experiment to deliver newspapers by radio facsimile, first transmission via W9XZY KSD-AM (now KTRS). It was the world’s first daily newspaper transmitted by radio signals to facsimile printers located in homes. The daily special edition of the Post-Dispatch was published for two years. The newspaper was dubbed the “radio edition” and was transmitted via ultra-high frequency.
➦In 1941... For most Americans, news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor came as an interruption to their favorite radio programs on an otherwise tranquil Sunday afternoon on December 7th, 1941. An Associated Press bulletin at 2:22 PM Eastern Standard Time first reported the attack to mainland news organizations and radio networks. After confirming the initial bulletin with the government, the major radio networks interrupted regular programming beginning at 2:30 PM, bringing news of the attack which was still in progress,
In New York City, station WOR broke into the local broadcast of the Giants and Dodgers game while CBS informed listeners of the attack at 2:25 PM EST. NBC broadcast their first bulletin nearly 4 minutes later at 2:29:50 PM . Within minutes the CBS radio network broke into normal programming with more information read by announcer John Daly.
Honolulu NBC radio affiliate KGU, provided the first and most comprehensive radio coverage of the event. What was not known at the time was that Japanese planes, still swarming overhead in Honolulu, had used the station's signal to guide their planes to Hawaii.
While the attack was still in progress a reporter for KGU radio climbed to the roof of the Advertiser Building in downtown Honolulu with microphone in hand and called the NBC Blue Network on the phone with the first eyewitness account of the attack, "This battle has been going on for nearly three hours... It's no joke, it's a real war" said the reporter. Ironically, a Honolulu telephone operator interrupted the broadcast after 2 ½ minutes declaring a need for the line for an emergency call.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,402 and wounded 1,282. Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
The nation's only Sunday afternoon newspaper was the only paper in the country that got word of the attack on Pearl Harbor into its regular edition. On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Publisher George B. Utter stopped the presses to get the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the front page. While the attack occurred at 2:22 p.m. EST, the Sun reported it as 2:23 p.m. in its headline. With history altered by a minute, the Sun got the story in its regular Sunday edition.
Note: America First Committee, referenced at the end of the story above, was an isolationist organization that was opposed to America becoming involved on the War in Europe.
The committee claimed a membership of 800,000 and attracted such leaders as General Robert E. Wood, the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, and Senator Gerald P. Nye. Though failing in its campaigns to block the Lend-Lease Act, the use of the U.S. Navy for convoys, and the repeal of the Neutrality Act, its public pressure undoubtedly discouraged greater direct military aid to a Great Britain beleaguered by Nazi Germany. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the committee dissolved and urged its members to support the war effort.
➦In 1941...Chattanooga Choo Choo by The Glenn Miller Orchestra was the number one song in the U-S.
