No Détente as Donald Trump's Feud with Fox Takes Center Stage (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "On 'O'Reilly,' Trump goes on defensive about debate decision."

I was kind of surprised how aggressively O'Reilly implored Trump to reconsider. Watch, at Fox News, "Donald Trump weighs in on GOP debate controversy," and "Donald Trump weighs in on GOP debate controversy, Part II."

And see the New York Times, "With No Détente, Donald Trump's Feud With Fox Takes Center Stage":

For months, Donald J. Trump had kept up a relentless and sometimes personal barrage against the Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, in retaliation for the tough — and, he said, unfair — questioning she submitted him to in the first Republican debate last summer. And for months, Fox News and Ms. Kelly had avoided taking the bait, intent on sticking to Ms. Kelly’s vow to avoid becoming part of the story.

Fox’s decision to fight back this week after Mr. Trump demanded Fox remove her from its panel of moderators at a debate scheduled for Thursday sent the already unconventional Republican race for president into uncharted territory just days before the first critical contest in Iowa.

With Mr. Trump declaring he will skip the debate, the most potentially consequential fight on the campaign trail is not between Mr. Trump and his fellow candidates, but between Mr. Trump and the top-rated cable television news network, which is also one of the most important forces in Republican politics.

Neither Fox News nor Mr. Trump showed any indication of budging on Wednesday. That was in spite of furious discussions inside the network, inside the campaign, and in direct and indirect communications between the two sides. The talks even included a conversation between Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and the influential Fox News chairman, Roger Ailes, who contacted her to gauge Mr. Trump’s seriousness but, network officials said, did not seek to change his mind.

Mr. Trump said the final straw was a sarcastic press statement Fox News released on Tuesday, which jokingly questioned how he would handle President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran if he could not handle Ms. Kelly. On Twitter on Wednesday evening, Mr. Trump called it “childishly written” and “taunting.” But network officials said the statement was, in fact, an attempt at levity composed by Mr. Ailes, who they said had reached his limit with Mr. Trump’s rants against Ms. Kelly, which ramped up over the weekend. Still, Fox’s stance was primarily about journalistic principles, the officials said.

Fox News said it would never accede to Mr. Trump’s demand that it remove Ms. Kelly from its panel of moderators, which also includes the network anchors Bret Baier and Chris Wallace...

Keep reading.

RELATED: At Politico, "With no Trump, will Cruz be left out in the cold?"

GOP 'Strategist' Ana Navarro: Jeb Bush 'Misheard' Megyn Kelly's Question About Iraq

She's such a faux-con amnesty shill.

At TPM, "Ex-Bush Aide: Jeb Told Me He Misheard Question About Invading Iraq (VIDEO)":

Ana Navarro, a former aide to ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), said on CNN Tuesday that the potential presidential candidate told her he'd misheard a question about the Iraq War.

Navarro, who was Bush's director of immigration policy in the governor's office, said on CNN's "New Day" that she'd emailed Bush on Tuesday morning for clarification about his comments.

"I emailed him this morning and I said to him, 'Hey, I'm a little confused by this answer so I'm genuinely wondering did you mishear the question?'" Navarro said. "And he said, 'Yes, I misheard the question.'"

Bush gave the answer in a sit-down interview with Fox News host Megyn Kelly that aired Monday night. The question came after reports surfaced last week that he sought advice on the Middle East from his brother, President George W. Bush.

"Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?" Kelly asked.

"I would," Bush answered.

On Tuesday morning, Navarro she wasn't sure whether he would clarify the answer.

Bush has taken heat from both conservative radio host Laura Ingraham and the Democratic National Committee since the remark went live.

Fellow guest and Democratic strategist Paul Begala chimed in after Navarro's answer.

"I didn't know he had a hearing impairment and we pray for his swift recovery," Begala said.

More at NYT, "Jeb Bush, Ana Navarro and the Question That May Have Been Misheard."

Megyn Kelly Eviscerates Obama for Shameful 'No Major Ground Wars' Memorial Day Comments (VIDEO)

Megyn Kelly is the freakin' best!

Background at Gateway Pundit, "In Memorial Day Speech Obama Brags About ‘Ending’ War in Afghanistan … (No One Applauds)."

Watch, "Reaction to President Obama's Memorial Day Remarks - The Kelly File."

Obama-Democrats' Ebola Evasions Reveal Disdain for the American People

From Peggy Noonan, at WSJ, "Who Do They Think We Are?":

The administration’s handling of the Ebola crisis continues to be marked by double talk, runaround and gobbledygook. And its logic is worse than its language. In many of its actions, especially its public pronouncements, the government is functioning not as a soother of public anxiety but the cause of it.

An example this week came in the dialogue between Megyn Kelly of Fox News and Thomas Frieden , director of the Centers for Disease Control.

Their conversation focused largely on the government’s refusal to stop travel into the United States by citizens of plague nations. “Why not put a travel ban in place,” Ms. Kelly asked, while we shore up the U.S. public-health system?

Dr. Frieden replied that we now have screening at airports, and “we’ve already recommended that all nonessential travel to these countries be stopped for Americans.” He added: “We’re always looking at ways that we can better protect Americans.”

“But this is one,” Ms. Kelly responded.

Dr. Frieden implied a travel ban would be harmful: “If we do things that are going to make it harder to stop the epidemic there, it’s going to spread to other parts of—”

Ms. Kelly interjected, asking how keeping citizens from the affected regions out of America would make it harder to stop Ebola in Africa.

“Because you can’t get people in and out.”

“Why can’t we have charter flights?”

“You know, charter flights don’t do the same thing commercial airliners do.”

“What do you mean? They fly in and fly out.”

Dr. Frieden replied that limiting travel between African nations would slow relief efforts. “If we isolate these countries, what’s not going to happen is disease staying there. It’s going to spread more all over Africa and we’ll be at higher risk.”

Later in the interview, Ms. Kelly noted that we still have airplanes coming into the U.S. from Liberia, with passengers expected to self-report Ebola exposure.

Dr. Frieden responded: “Ultimately the only way—and you may not like this—but the only way we will get our risk to zero here is to stop the outbreak in Africa.”

Ms. Kelly said yes, that’s why we’re sending troops. But why can’t we do that and have a travel ban?

“If it spreads more in Africa, it’s going to be more of a risk to us here. Our only goal is protecting Americans—that’s our mission. We do that by protecting people here and by stopping threats abroad. That protects Americans.”

Dr. Frieden’s logic was a bit of a heart-stopper. In fact his responses were more non sequiturs than answers. We cannot ban people at high risk of Ebola from entering the U.S. because people in West Africa have Ebola, and we don’t want it to spread. Huh?

In testimony before Congress Thursday, Dr. Frieden was not much more straightforward. His answers often sound like filibusters: long, rolling paragraphs of benign assertion, advertising slogans—“We know how to stop Ebola,” “Our focus is protecting people”—occasionally extraneous data, and testimony to the excellence of our health-care professionals.

It is my impression that everyone who speaks for the government on this issue has been instructed to imagine his audience as anxious children. It feels like how the pediatrician talks to the child, not the parents. It’s as if they’ve been told: “Talk, talk, talk, but don’t say anything. Clarity is the enemy.”

The language of government now is word-spew...

More.

Megyn Kelly to Get Prime-Time Slot on Fox News

At the New York Times:

Back in my May 7 story (http://t.co/fRRaUPBe2c) Greta Van Susteren's husband hinted about a new time slot for her. Maybe weekend prime time?

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 2, 2013

The second quarter of 2013 cemented the recent ratings trends in cable news, with CNN rising and MSNBC falling, while Fox News continued its overall dominance.

But within those quarterly reports was the news that in June Fox News scored its lowest ratings since August 2001 among the viewers news advertisers most want to reach, the 25-to-54 age group. The network may be trying to address this issue with its decision to elevate one of its rising stars, Megyn Kelly, to a prime-time slot as soon as she returns from a planned maternity leave in the next few months. Fox made that expected promotion official on Tuesday.

Fox did not announce a specific show for Ms. Kelly or whose place she would be taking in the network’s prime-time lineup. However, speculation has centered on Greta Van Susteren, the 10 p.m. anchor. Ms. Van Susteren recently signed an extension of her Fox contract but her future role is not certain at this point.

Her husband, John Coale, said in an interview with The Times in May that she would be willing to move to an earlier hour. Several Web sites, including Mediaite, reported this week that Ms. Van Susteren had held talks with CNN, seeking a job at that network. A CNN executive confirmed Tuesday that those talks had taken place.

Fox News also announced on Tuesday that it had extended the contracts of all its evening and prime-time anchors: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Bret Baier and Shepard Smith.

All those men continued to pile up huge advantages over their competitors in terms of total viewers in the second quarter, as did Fox News, which was up 12 percent in total day ratings and 3 percent in the Monday through Friday prime-time ratings.

But Fox News did show declines among viewers between 25 and 54, the group that accounts for the bulk of ad revenue for news networks. For the quarter, Fox was down 6 percent in total day ratings in that category and 12 percent in the prime-time hours.

Absolutely worst hit: Lying dirtbag Rachel Maddow at the communist MSNBC.

Fox News Couldn't Kill Donald Trump's Momentum and May Have Only Made It Stronger (VIDEO)

I don't know. I think Charles Krauthammer's hot take was right on, but Trump appears to be winning the post-debate buzz.

From Joshua Green, at Bloomberg (via Memeorandum):

Judging by Thursday’s electric debate, he may have sensed his true opponent before anyone else had a clue: the network.

A few hours before Thursday’s Fox News debate, a friend of Donald Trump’s confided to me that Trump was nervous. Not about the competition—he could handle them. No, Trump worried about Fox News, and in particular, debate moderator Megyn Kelly. She’d been hammering him all week on her show, and he was certain she was out to get him. He’d canceled a Fox News appearance on Monday night, the friend said, in order to avoid her. (Trump’s spokeswoman wouldn’t confirm or deny this.)

It turns out Trump was right. His toughest opponents Thursday night weren’t the candidates up on stage, but the Fox News moderators, who went right after him—none with more gusto than Kelly.

Kelly, the whip-smart queen of Fox News’ blonde stunners, went straight for the jugular. “You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” she admonished Trump. “Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?”

But Trump saw her coming a mile away and cut her off. “Only Rosie O’Donnell,” he barked, drawing cheers from the crowd. When Kelly tried to point out that he had insulted more women than O’Donnell, Trump, as he would all night, steamrolled right past her. “The big problem this country has is being politically correct,” Trump practically shouted, invoking conservatives’ favorite term of disdain. “I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness and to be honest with you this country doesn't have time either.” The crowd went wild.

Maybe they were cheering because the question was apropos of something Rachel Maddow would ask, and they were, after all, Republicans. But I think they were cheering because it was clear, at that moment, that Trump was going to be Trump, and wasn’t going to heed the pundits and phonies to tone down his act. According to a report in New York magazine, even his own daughter, Ivanka, was making that case.

When it became clear last week that Trump was the Republican front-runner, everyone assumed that the big battle shaping up in Republican politics was going to be between Trump and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. But judging by Thursday’s raucous, electric debate, Trump may have sensed his true opponent before anyone else had a clue: It’s Fox News. Throughout the evening, Trump and his inquisitors battled back and forth like gladiators. Both parties emerged as huge winners. Though nearly devoid of substance, it was the most entertaining debate I’ve ever seen.

Trump led the way. His ethos—the blustering bravado and aggression—became the ethos of the whole affair. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie went bananas on Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The crowd was roaring throughout. There was none of the stilted, awkward talk of the junior debate earlier in the evening. Political Twitter was throbbing with joy and satisfaction.

Hurling insults, Trump went after O’Donnell, political reporters, Bowe Bergdahl, China, Mexico, Japan, money lenders, and practically everyone in Washington. “Our leaders are stupid,” he said, “Our politicians are stupid.” He did stop short of calling Mexicans “rapists,” but not by much. “We need to build a wall, and it has to be built quickly,” he said. “We need to keep illegals out.”

While the moderators went after Trump, the candidates mostly shied away from him. In fact, consciously or otherwise, several echoed his points and nearly everyone tried to match his energy. Some even seemed to genuflect. “Donald Trump is hitting a nerve in this country,” Ohio Governor John Kasich said at one point. “Mr. Trump is touching a nerve because people want to see a wall being built.”

Only Paul mustered the nerve to launch a pair of (pretty weak) direct attacks. He might have regretted it. Trump dispatched him with a single, withering aside (“You’re having a hard time tonight”) that was all the more effective because it was true.

Trump’s Fox News antagonists had their moments, too. When moderator Chris Wallace invoked the four bankruptcies his companies have suffered, Trump, seeming genuinely angry, repeatedly fell back on an oddly phrased legalism: “I have used the laws of this country just like the greatest people you read about in the business section,” he said.

But it was Kelly who inflicted the deepest cut by rattling off the liberal positions Trump once held and stopping him cold with the question: “When did you actually become a Republican?” Trump’s bluster escaped him. He stammered nervously and seemed lost. “I’ve evolved on many issues over the years, and do you know who else has? Ronald Reagan,” he said feebly. “Very much evolved.” That’s as un-Trump-like a phrase as I’ve heard from him, something more befitting 2012 nominee Mitt Romney.

What’s more interesting than any Trump question or answer, though, was the larger dynamic at play...

Still more.

#BundyRanch Battle: Megyn Kelly Exclusive Behind the Scenes Footage

From last night's show, at Biz Pac Review, "Megyn Kelly: Chilling exclusive behind the scenes look at Nevada ranch showdown."



More at Liberty News, "Bundy Ranch Now Surrounded by Heavily Armed Guards as Talk of Federal Raid Picks Up." Also at Young Cons, "16 Incredible Photos from the Bundy Ranch Standoff Including the “Picture of the Year”."

Megyn Kelly Takes on Playboy

Via The Rhetorican, check out Megyn Kelly hammering Playboy Magazine:

Related: Michelle Malkin, "Playboy “hatef**k” list fallout: AOL did what?"

Megyn Kelly Eviscerates Hillary Clinton as Smoking Gun Emails Revealed in Benghazi Testimony (VIDEO)

If all the nightly news broadcasts were like Megyn Kelly's, the world would be a better place.

This is a long clip, and it just keeps building emotionally right to the end. Patricia Smith, mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, just erupts with outrage in the final minute of the video. Extremely compelling:



More here, "'She Lies!': Mom of Benghazi Victim Blasts Hillary for Not Telling the Truth."

9/11 Survivor Lauren Manning Slams Terrorist 'Coward' Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Megyn Kelly's been hammering on this story, bless her heart. At Twitchy, "Megyn Kelly blasts release of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed manifesto [video]."

More at the Los Angeles Times, "Khalid Shaikh Mohammed issues 'nonviolence' manifesto."

Bullshit propaganda, published in full at the Puffington Host. See Robert Spencer, "He is doing this in accord with Islamic teaching, but the "people in the court" should take note that if the "invitation" is refused, then comes jihad." In other words, convert or die.

Megyn Kelly Destroys Obama in 82 Seconds

At Western Journalism, "Epic Rant: It Took Just 82 Seconds for Megyn Kelly to Utterly Destroy Obama."

Megyn Kelly Broke Down in Tears During Monday's Fox News Coverage of Newtown Massacre

I think most people have broken down at some point. It's an emotional story.

At Gateway Pundit, "FOX News Host Megyn Kelly Breaks Down in Tears During Moving Sandy Hook Segment (Video)."

I don't know how well I would hold up if something happened to my family. But I know I'd need to be strong for my wife if anything happened to our boys. She wouldn't be able to hold up very long. In any case, the Rekos family story is at London's Daily Mail, "'The life was sucked out of us': Parents of first grader Jessica Rekos reveal moment they found out she was dead - and how they went home and lay in her bed for hours."

Here's That Video of Megyn Kelly Covering the 'Vomit All Over Your Rapist' Story

Twitchy has the background, "While most of the media stay silent, Megyn Kelly addresses Salazar, UCCS rape remarks."

And the video is here, "Controversy Over a Woman's Right to Defend Herself With a Firearm."

Also, I cribbed the title of this post from Katie Pavlich:

. @megynkelly covering the "vomit all over your rapist" story
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 19, 2013

PREVIOUSLY: "Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar: Women Don't Need Guns If They 'Feel Like They’re Going to Be Raped'."

Donald Trump to Megyn Kelly: 'I don't have time for political correctness...' (VIDEO)

Watch: "Is Donald Trump part of the 'war on women'? — Fox News Republican Debate."

And at the Hill, "Trump threatens to not be 'nice' to Megyn Kelly."

Tonight's debate confirmed what people have been saying about Donald Trump for a long time. He's a blustery blowhard and a bully. Personally, I thought he did well on a lot of questions, but clearly he often grasped for details and was unable to provide hard answers. That part about a single payer national health system had me cringing. That was like dafuq?

I'll have more about Trump, that's for sure. Charles Krauthammer was especially critical in the post-debate analysis.

Here's That Frank Luntz Focus Group Segment on Megyn Kelly's Show After the GOP Debate (VIDEO)

This is why I'm super excited to see the next batch of polls on the GOP field. If regular American voters are anything like the folks from Luntz's focus group, there's going to be quite a letdown in Trump-topia.

Watch: "Frank Luntz focus group turns on Trump during GOP Debate."

My initial reaction is here, "Donald Trump to Megyn Kelly: 'I don't have time for political correctness...' (VIDEO)."

Hat Tip: Hot Air, "Video: Not very classy focus group dumps on Trump after debate."

Devastating Megyn Kelly Segment: Obama Just 'Doesn't Know What to Do...'

Megyn Kelly opens with a breathtaking account of today's news of the Sotloff beheading, and then Brit Hume just eviscerates the president as completely flummoxed that the world didn't cotton to his assumed unique global-healing abilities, as well as Obama's utter cluelessness in the face of international dangers as great as any time during the post-Cold War era

Just devastating:

Here's That Megyn Kelly Segment on the Left's Bogus Smear of Dr. Benjamin Carson

Here's my earlier entry, "Progressives Smear Dr. Benjamin Carson on Polygamy Comments Even Though Justice Sotomayor Raised Exact Same Concerns."

The depraved progressives are busted. Megyn Kelly clearly gets it, and this idiot Dan Gerstein claims it's "apples and oranges" and "legal vs. ethical." What an asshole.

And listen to conservative Ben Ferguson just hammering the left for the hypocrisy. This issue really shows how f-ked up public debate is in America. When the radical left redefines all moral standards truth is the first casualty. It's bad all around, tragic.

Megyn Kelly Discusses Her 'Bizarre' Feud with Donald Trump (VIDEO)

She's interviewed by George Stephanopoulos, who I normally try to avoid.

But it's an interesting clip, nevertheless. I have a lot of respect for Megyn Kelly, despite all the attacks Fox News has been getting from various parties, not the least Donald Trump.

Watch, via GMA:

Megyn Kelly: Oklahoma Beheading Suspect Alton Nolen Shouted Islamic Phrases During Attack

Yes, but we wouldn't want jump to conclusions, because racism!!

At Truth Revolt, "Megyn Kelly: Suspect Nolen Shouted Islamic Phrases During Attack - Workplace. Violence."



And ICYMI, "Alton Nolen 'wasn’t just mildly Islamic in the nothing-to-do-with-terrorism sense, he was super-Islamic in the really-totally-no-terrorism-to-see-here sense...'"

Megyn Kelly Responds to Joseph Biden's Cheap Slam on Debate Booing as 'Reprehensible'

Progressives obviously feel entitled to their own facts, and Megyn Kelly visibly displeased by the vice president's comments:

BEHAR: But what did you – I have to ask you, what did you think of the booing that went on the other day, about the gay soldier. Did you have a visceral response to it?

BIDEN: I did have a visceral response, and I'm not sure it's because my son spent a year in Iraq, and I know my son and all the kids with him. Kids – they're grown men. I don't think they give a damn whether a guy firing a rifle to protect them is gay or straight. I don't think they care about that. And look, this kid risked his life, this kid is there for a year, and I, quite frankly, I thought it was reprehensible.

BEHAR: Right. And no one spoke up. That entire panel, not one person said anything.

Also at NewsBusters, "Joy Behar Baits Biden to Slam GOP Candidates on The View."