♪ ♪,.

howard: what donald can trump says is news, period. that doesn't sound like a terribly controversial topic, but for a long time much of the media tried to play it down under the theory this would only help him rile up his base and, well, why give him a platform? trump has used harsh, anti-immigration rhetoric since his first campaign, and now his e language is getting rougher and that, of course, should be covered. he's the republican front-runner by far and has a good shot at winning babb the white house. trump -- back the white house. trump really lit a fuse last weekend in new hampshire. >> they're poise sonning the blood of our country. that's what they've done, they've poisoned. mental institutions and prisons all over the world not just in south america, not just in three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. howard: suddenly, there was a media a explosion with journalists and pundits accusing trump of echoing the racist rhetoric of adolf hitler's "mein kampf". trump absolutely stood by his remarks in iowa but dismissed

any nazi influence. >> and it's true, they're destroying the blood of our country. that's what they're doing. they're destroying our country. they don't like it when i said that, and i never read "mein kampf". they said, oh, hit eler said that in a much different way. no, they're coming from all over the world. howard: major media outlets are furiously trying to link trump to hitler, but is that a fact or just opinion? i'm howard kurtz, and this is a special petition of "mediabuzz." ♪ ♪ -- special edition. howard: ahead, the. stunning decision by colorado's all democratic top the court to try and knock donald trump off the state's ball 0. and a -- ballot. and a conversation with senator ted cruz about what he calls the corrupt media. the media are now fully engaged in a heated debate over donald trump and naziism. >> the disastrous effects of

illegal immigration, they're all around us. democrats can't justify any of it. all they can do is blather on about a trump's hitler or if trump wins, he's never going to hold9 another election are. it's all just absurd. >> first trump couldn't read and now he reads "mein kampf"? why are the democrats in the media obsessed with hitler? it's all they ever talk about. >> it is language that i think people have rightly found sum to the language of hitler. >> in "mein kampf" hitler wrote the jew with, and i'm quoting him here, positive son -- poisons the blood of others. trump has used that line beforeother phrases like it that echo nazi rhetoric. >> you can't bring up the fact that the donald trump talks like a fascist or mussolini or hitler. when, in fact, you go back and see what adolf hitler said about vermin. >> he was talking about people coming from other countries, coming from prisons, and they wanted to focus -- all of a sudden, lauren, the word he used, poison. he was just trying to say we want to keep america america.

howard: joining us now to analyze the coverage in detroit, robby soave, senior editor at reason magazine, and in san diego, laura fink. robby, donald trump loves to stir up this kind of controversy, but are much of the media going too far in saying he's hitler, he's mussolini, he's the farrest? >> frankly, at this point i think the reaction to these remarks tells you more about the media than it does about donald trump. look, if i was donald trump, would i choose my words more care friday? for sure -- carefully. but if this was a criticism that would stick, it would have worked by now. the media's favorite retrain. the amount of coverage this story got this week was baffling. they just -- the media thinks this is the playbook, if you explain to people how trump is hitler, they will stop the liking him, stop voting for him. the reality that's not true. there's a lot of frustration about the economic situation in this country. there is frustration with illegal immigration. do i think trump should choose

his words more carefully and distinguish between illegal immigration and just immigrants in general with, absolutely are. because he needs to bring in new voters, and he needs to win them over with, i think, more favorable rhetoric. but, come on, hitler, nazi? no one is buying that anymore. the media says that about every republican, and they've said it about a turn -- trump for ten years, and it doesn't work. howard: you could make the case the former president is using increasingly harsh rhetoric and resemibls language from the nazi err a, but does that justify comparing him to one of history's greatest mass murderers? >> well, howie, he compared hardships. when you paraphrase the furor, it's going to get -- fiewrer, it's going to get called out by the media. and, in fact, ignoring authoritarian and nazi-like rhetoric, the the media a's responsibility to call it out. if we go with robby and say the media should ignore it or not talk about it, you're ignoring

the normalization of this type of rhetoric, this anti-'em great, immigrant hate rhetoric x. that is a challenge for america. we see there is a consistency here with his wanding to end -- wanting to end birthright citizenship, with his e embrace of the great replacement theory which i will tell you the great replacement theory in recent polling, 50% of republicans believe that immigrants are coming to interrupt their ballot box with voter fraud and to take their jobs. this is something that needs to be confronted and compared accurately. and when your language comes direct from the pages of "mein kampf," it doesn't matter how you got there. you're wrapping yourself in the blanket of a really tragic and historic past. howard: robby didn't say we should ignore it, and i said at the top it's obviously a story. robby, does this fit a trump pattern? the language, vermin, tick today to have, s-hole countries and

the press goes nuts, and as a result, trump dominates the news cycle until the next e runs. >> yeah. i mean, and what he's fundamentally saying, he thinks there's too many illegal immigrants coming in and something ought to be done about it, a sentiment that is widespread among americans both republicans, democrats and moderates and independents. people want something done about our broken immigration system. i absolutely think he could sell it differently and, again, more carefully distinguish between legal and imlegal immigration -- illegal immigration. but the republican party being run by hitler? by the way, at a time when left-wing radical activists on college campuses everywhere are expressing the most horrifying and ludicrous antisemitinge views, on some level it feels like a distraction. look, the head of the republican party said something vaguely related to manager hitler said. the anti-semitism problem right now is on the left, and that's something americans have been able to tell and the media has

done an okay job of covering, frankly. at the end of the day, they want to stop donald trump. howard: right. sometimes after the story plays out, trump will say he was misunderstood or i was joking, saying i'd be dictator for a day. laura, did trump kind of, sort of take it back when he said, look, i've never read "mein kampf" and hitler was in a whole different context? >> that sort of back-walking and gaslighting is, as you said, part and parcel of his weaponry when he double down on the same sentiment. this level of propaganda, i will give him credit, he is quite good at articulating. and these sentiments going into the mainstream is his goal. normal easing anti-immigrant rhetoric, normalizing thicks hitler -- things hitler might have said. this is part and parcel of inner vising his base if making it seem less shocking. so for the media not to call it out is a problem. and, ultimately are, this is his goal. the media attention, howard, is his goal. so he's achieving his goal -- howard: yeah.

>> at the same time, you're framing it accurate, he's going to have to contend with it and so are republicans on the trail. this extremism actually does poison the well with voters over time. howard: interesting use of poison. the press did unearth a 1990 "vanity fair" interview with trump's late first wife ivaning that in which which she said he kept a book of hitler's speeches by his bedside. robby, let me play some sound for you between republican senator j.d. vance and ap chief congressional correspondent lisa mascaro. >> the idea they am well aware you framed your question implicitly assuming that a donald trump is talking about adolf hitler. it's absurd. it is absurd. you guys need to wake with up and actually do -- [inaudible conversations] >> -- language then? >> here's, here's, here's the problem with that question and that framing. you are allegedly a journalist.

howard: robby, what do you make of that exchange? >> i, frankly, understand the frustration. adolf hitler was referring specifically to the jews, a racist, general sidal policy -- general sidal policy obviously implemented by the nazis. donald trump was describing illegal immigration in the country, something most americans think should be controlled. not that they should be killed or anything racial against them, but just for the country to maintain the country we need better and stronger policies so that people can enter legally and work here and contribute to the country. i don't want to shut off immigration entirely. i don't think most republicans want to do that. we need teem -- people to work here and contribute to our economy. it's not anti-immigrant at all. we're a nation of immigrants, and trump could absolutely make that clearer by avoiding this kind of relate rim. -- rhetoric. just calling him hitler over and over and over again, it's not going to work. howard: right now the border is out of control. laura, the detroit news

reporting that the according to a tape from 2020 trump pressured two republicans, monica palmer and william hartman, on the wayne county board of canvassers not to certify joe biden's victory in michigan saying we've9 got to fight for our country. we can't let these people take our country away from us. and rnc chairwoman ronna mcdaniel telling the officials if you can go home tonight, do not sign it, we will get you attorney, trump agreeing. this is very similar to trump telling the georgia secretary of state i just need you to find me 11,780 votes, but does the michigan story move the needle at all? >> welsh this is really -- i don't know that it moves the needle in the press, but it does show that jack smith has ed that we don't know about in the public finish evidence that we don't know about in the public yet. it's possible these stories will continue to come out and also that these stories will be presented in a court of law. so i think it shows the jack smith case strong. but i did want to say one thing

about j.d. vance, this is the someone who called trump cultural a heroin, and it looks like he's mainlining it now, and fighting the press and refusing to demonize his very anti-immigrant remarks shows that he is trying out for second place in the vice presidential, tucker carlson, trump vp contest. howard: right. okay. well, a trump positionman says the then-president had a duty to try if insure a fair election, ron ma mcdaniel says she publicly called for often audit can, but that would delayed things. robby, des moines register, nbc poll, 42% of likely caucus-goers say the poise is softening. of the blood comment -- poisoning of the blood comment makes them more likely to support donald trump. why? >> i mean, trump is -- the perception among conservatives is that trump is being very much persecuted by democratic-aligned forces, what they call the deep state, all of that. i mean, desan ab dis, frankly, had more of a chance against

trump before all these indictments, before the mar rah mar-a-lago raid. it's created a ragly -- rally around the flag effect for donald trump. maybe on some level that's what democrats want because they think he's more vulnerable opponent than some of the other republicans. i guess we're going to test that out. howard: well, a fox business poll in iowa has trump now at 52% of 34-36 point lead over nikki haley and ron desantis. we've been covering on this program the defamation trial in which rudy giuliani was found to be liable for this eye-popping verdict of $148 million. ruedty giuliani has now declared bankruptcy. he's broke. he also owes millions to other creditors including about a million bucks in unfade federal and state taxes -- unpaid federal and state tax. given his one-time great reputation as america's mayor, i wanted to update you on the bankruptcy. when we come back, the

explosive impact of colorado's supreme court trying to boot donald trump off the ballot. ♪ ♪ ? miralax works naturally with the water in your body to help you go... ...free your gut. and your mood will follow. for 8 grams of fiber, try new mirafiber gummies. the all-in-one and done symptom relief of mucinex is delivered fast with doordash, so you don't have to leave the couch. oof! that was fast. mucinex. available on doordash. it's comeback season.

howard: colorado's high court has ignited a massive media uproar as 4 of the 7 democratically-appointed judges attempted to knock donald trump off the primary ballot relying on language from the 14th amendment. the ruling already being appealed to the supreme court, or trump plans to do that after the holiday weekend. it uses an anti-democratic tactic in the name of protecting democracy, even drawing criticism from trump's gop rifles. >> we don't need to have judges making these decisions, we need voters to make these decisions. >> this is the worst legal -- >> you, you, you. >> it's absurd.

it's absolutely absurd for a non-lawyer to sit here and say that minus a confrontation with someone who had not been charged much less convicted, that the court can take them off the ballot. it is a shameful moment in american jurisprudence. >> america is seeing the ultimate in election interference. >> if people keep looking for hoop holes to excuse donald trump for accountability, that's where you reap the think winder. s this is not partisan. >> do judges ran.comly decide that he's an insurrectionist or people on cable news shows decide he's an insurrectionist or does he actually have to be convicted of insurrection by, by federal prosecutors? howard: president biden briefly addressed the matter with reporters. >> reporter: is trump an insurrectionist, sir? >> the 14th amendment applies, i'll let the court make that decision. but he certainly supported an ins rex, there's no question about it. none, zero.

howard: robby, they were practically popping channel a pain corks at msnbc -- champagne corks when this broke. fox, not so much. the colorado court saying we declare donald trump to be an insurrectionist, booting him off the ballot. it was about the most anti-democratic move i can think of. >> that's exactly right. democracy dies in darknesses, that's what the washington post inevented their new motto to be during the trump years. this has been the constant refrain of the mainstream media, democracy itself is at stake because of donald trump. but here they are, democratic-appointed judges using totally anti-democratic means to keep him off the ballot to prevent you from voting for him99 if the american people think trump's activities constitute an insurrection e, then they can hold that against him and vote for an opponent. that is what our system says. we trust the people to make these determinations. i have my doubts that the donald trump, even if you think that

member he tried to stay in office via extralegal means that it institutes insurrection akin to what confederate officers did, you know, taking up arms oring breaking away from the republic, occupying territory, none of that is what happened. you can dislike trump, you can want to hold him accountable, but this is the court making the decision for you, and i can't think of anything more anti-democratic than that. howard: lara, each some media liberals like columnist marcus are saying this is an awful decision -- ruth marcus -- gavin newsom as well and that the supreme court should unanimously reverse it. >> well, and i think what you're hearing here is in this disagreement -- arms were taken up on january 6th, so let's not forget that. here we have colorado supreme court likely ahead of its skis, but the supreme court being forced to lay down the law, to interpret section three of the 14th amendment to determine what are the guide posts and rules around insurrection which, sadly, we need. we have to passty around this --

opacity around this because january 6th was unprecedent9, trump's actions prior to it were unprecedented. how does our judicial system deal with that. having this road map, forcing the supreme court to rule on it as other states start to look at these issues will provide clarity and is a good thing. is it politically great for the democrats? no, it's terrible because we're sort of fueling that victimization that trump is using to weaponize against the 911 counts that he's already facing -- 91 counts. howard: right. >> often it's not politically expedient, but adjudicating this is the right thing to do. howard: robby, ron desantis, chris christie and nikki haley are all side ising with the former president on this -- siding with the former president on this. whatever the debate on the 14th amendment, don't trump's tens of millions of supporters have a right to be outraged by this and see it as the establishment, again, trying to push trump off the stage? >> of course. and his opponents within the

republican coalition know that even -- i don't know, maybe privately they could, i'm sure some gop elites privately would like nothing more than a court to magically get rid of trump for them because he's always had a combative relationship, trump has, with some gop if heats. so privately they might wish they could the wave a magic. wand and have trump disappear which is kind of what this the decision to not put his name on the ballot would constitute if the supreme court uphead it. -- upheld it. but publicly they know, yes, his supporters, tens of millions of americans, are very concerned about the weaponization of the court system, the legal system, the federal government against their values and against donald trump itself. it is a top issue, and so they, strategically they can do nothing but, obviously, condemn this decision. and, again, they should, because ultimately it should be the people's choice. if the people are ready to move on from donald trump -- howard: yep, we'll find out. let me jump in because i want to get laura in on this, which is the supreme court in a victory for trump just rejected special

counsellen jack smith's appeal and this question of does he have presidential immunity, meaning the appeals court must review it first. all this could delay the case, could drag on for a while which, obviously, is what the former president wants. >> well, and we see the supreme court, you know, we all know that they've fallen out of favor with the american public because of the hyper-pretty ifization of the -- pretty politicization of the court and often the. >> corruption and indulgence sort of shadow that follows some of the justices. now, i will say this: the supreme court has a number of decisions where their actions may help or harm donald trump with respect to the 91 criminal counts. will the voters have the information that they need going to election day, or will they allow trump to work the judicial process of delay such that he, you know, election day comes and goes without accountability for all of these crimes that many, many judges across the political spectrum have said need to move forward. howard: that is the question.

robby, first of all, i'd bet a lot of money that the supreme court will overturn this, but what if red states just retaliate by kicking joe biden off the ballot saying he didn't protect the border? we could plunge into chaos. >> right. what if they say that anyone who supported black lives matter, some of those protests became violent, things were burped down, will say -- burned down, will they say that was an insurrection? it'd be very harmful. people should vote for joe biden, donald trump or one of donald trump's opponents. actually, there are people running against -- you never hear about this in the mainstream media, but there are people running against joe biden who are not getting heard from at all that he's just ignoring. let's be principledly pro-democratic. howard: thanks for joining us this holiday weekend. up next, we go to israel as a gaza hospital director admits he ran the place for hamas. ♪l missing teeth forever.

it changes how you eat, how you feel, and how you enjoy life. it changes your smile and how others smile at you. clearchoice network doctors have changed over 100,000 lives with dental implants, and they can change yours, too. because a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation. we're traveling all across america talking to people about their hearts. who wants to talk about their heart? [honking] how's the heart? how's your heart? how's your heart? - it's good. - is it? - i don't know. - it's okay. - it's okay. - yeah. - good. - you sure? - i think so. - how do you know? it doesn't come with a manual and you're like oh, i got the 20,000 day check up, right? let me show you something. put two fingers right on those pads. look at that. that's your heart. that is pretty awesome. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical grade ekg in just 30 seconds from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke.

and it's the only personal ekg that's fda cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia. how much do you think this costs? probably in the hundreds. $79. oh, wow. that could be cheaper than a tank of gas. for a limited time, kardiamobile is available for just $74. hurry, these prices won't last. get kardiamobile for yourself or a loved one at kardia.com or amazon.

howe the head of a gaza hospital now admits in a taped confession if after a his arrest that a he is a senior hamas commander. he told israeli interrogators that a 16 hospital staffers, doctors, nurses, paramedics were also members of hamas' military wig. joining us now from israel is fox news correspondent trey yingst. he's admitted turning the place into a hamas military center. doesn't this vindicate what israel's been saying about being forced to attack hospitals or schools suspected of terrorist activity? >> reporter: so we're talking here about the director -- or former director of the hospital in northern gaza, and he says during an interrogation -- this man was arrested if taken by israeli forces on december 12th -- he says that the hospital was being used for hamas activities and goes on to describe his role in the brigades, the military wing of hamas, saying he was recruited back in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel. he was the director of this

hospital in northern gaza is and says the facility was used not just for interrogation, communication and other facilities, but also as a place for hamas fighters to hide as the israelis were operating inside gaza. it is a massive revelation and something the israelis will continue to point to as evidence that they say hamas is using hospitals in northern gaza. now, we should note we have no way to independently confirm his words here because he is being interrogated while being under the control of israeli forces after being arrested. but what he's admitting on camera here is significant. a hospital director saying he was recruited in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel in the ca san brigades and that the facility he operated was being used by the military wing of hamas. howard: i agree it's a stunning revelation. a new york times investigation of large craters left by these 2,000-pound womans that israel drops -- bombs -- some were dropped in densely populated areas in southern gaza that

israel had designated as a safe zone, and the israeli response was, well, we'll look into this at a later stage. if. >> reporter: yeah, it's a fantastic investigation, and it's an important investigation. it describes the israelis using 2,000-pound if bombs, the harming arest bombs they are dropping on gaza, in the southern part of the strip where they've told more than a million people to evacuate to. now, this investigation looks specifically at the first six weeks of the war, and they use artificial intelligence to help map out where these massive craters are located. according to the investigation, the israelis at 20 different -- 200 different locations dropped these 2,000-pound bombs in areas where civilians were supposed to evacuate to, and it highlights how difficult it is to find a save location inside gaza. israelis have been telling people to go south since the beginning of the conflict, but we know now israeli forces are operating not just from the our, but also on the ground around the second and third largest

cities. so the investigation highlights the challenges for palestinian civilians as they look to find safe lower occasions, and out really cuts through all of the noise here that you hear from the i is reilly military that they are trying to do what they can to keep civilians safe. we should note they have informed civilians using leaflet drops and text messages and phone calls to evacuate, but this is a war in a a densely populated area, and it's an area that the israelis are using these 2,000-pound bombs. howard: right. and mean while, the netanyahu government continues to resist pressure to take it down several or notches. trey, thanks, as always. merry christmas and appreciate your joining us. >> reporter: thank you. howard: next on "mediabuzz," ted cruz has plenty to say about the media, none of it very positive. ♪ with the murder of hundreds of precious children. in this orphanage bomb shelter, we're praying for god's help,

praying to avino malkino, our father, our king. countless israelis are enduring the devastating anguish of lost loved ones. thousands of rockets have forced over a hundred thousand israelis to become refugees in their own homeland. israeli families are in crisis. the international fellowship of christians and jews is on the ground, reaching jewish people of all ages. children, mothers, the elderly, even holocaust survivors. but we can't do it without you. your gift of $45 will make sure that the people of israel have mobile bomb shelters, emergency supplies, and the hot, nutritious meals that they so desperately need. our teams are working on the ground, often at great risk to themselves. they're delivering meals to the elderly and families who are living in bomb shelters.

this would be an incredibly important time for all of the friends of the international fellowship of christians and jews to stand with our friends in israel. let them know that we are not only praying for the peace of jerusalem, but we're also praying and acting in their interest because we believe it's what god would have us do. i simply can't stress enough the urgency of this situation. it's more dire than ever before. this is your moment. this is your opportunity to make a life-saving difference. it's your prayers and gifts that give hope to the people of israel. call, scan, or visit our website now to make your life-saving donation.

howard: have the media gone totally woke with, and is that twisting their coverage? ted cruz is the author of the

new book "unwoke: how to defeat cultural marxism in america." the texas senator here in studio two. ted cruz, welcome. >> howard, good to be with you. howard: senator, you write in the book that if younger journalists had any doubts about whether inaccurate trump stories were true, they chased them away themselves. donald trump a literal fascist simply could not remain in power. i largely agree with that. but then you say marxist revolutionaries throughout history have used this excuse to justify the monstrous crimes of the regimes they serve. monstrous crimes sounds a bit over a top. >> welshing it's not remotely over the top that markist regimes -- marxist regimes have -- howard: -- [inaudible] through american journalists. >> well, that's right. and what the book does, every chapter focus on a different institution that the radical

left has taken over. so it starts with universities, it goes from there to k-12, it goes from there to journalism -- howard: yep. >> -- then government, big business and big tech, then entertainment and finally science. so on journalism, look, you know well, howard, the world of journalism has changed dramatically. howard: right. >> and it's changed dramatically in the last seven years. when i was first elected to the senate, it was 2012, 11 years ago. at the time, look, journalists -- journalism has always been biased, but let's take cnn, and i focus a lot on cnn in this book. howard: yeah where. try to give the appearance of fairness. >> in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, cnn reporters envisioned what they were doing as trying to be fair and even-handed. you'd have arguments. howard: and now? >> and now trump broke them. they hate trump so much -- i don't believe they view their mission as a let's be even-handed, let's have both sides on, let's be fair and objective.

i think they view their mission as a prop propagandists. when they say we're here to save democrat -- democracy, and by that they mean elect democrats -- [laughter] they're no longer interested. cnn now will have a panel of five, all of whom are there to discuss how horrible donald trump is. that's no longer -- howard: -- former republicans. from the book, the democratic party is now controlled by cultural marxists. it seems joe biden got elected as more moderate thanker certainly, elizabeth warren or bernie sanders, and he's moved left, but has he moved into marxist territory? >> so he has. and let me be clear, i'm not talking about democrat voters. i don't think the american people embrace the views of cultural marxism. if i'm talking about the people that a run this administration, the people that run this white house. what you pointed to is one of the most surprising things, you're right, joe biden in 2020 ran as something of a moderate. he hearkeninged back to the kinder or, gentler years of yesteryear --

howard: -- bipartisan -- [inaudible] >> and that was ap aa tracktive vision. he scrap ised it literally the cady day he was sworn in. i listened to his inauguration speech when was a hard-charging speech attacking all of his enemies. and he's governed that way ever since. i get asked all the time who's really running things at the white house because i don't think it's joe biden, very few other people do either. what is clear is in the administration they have given the agenda to the radicals. let's take the fight right now over ukraine funding, israel funding and open borders. i do a podcast every week, verdict with ted cruz. today's podcast does a deep dive as to why this bill is completely dead right now and the reason is the democrats care more about keeping open borders than they do about ukraine, and they're willing to sacrifice the ukraine funding -- which they encyst is saving democracy as well well, that's their faith new talking point, but open borders, they're more committed to 9.6 million people crossing

illegally because they want to change the electorate and stay in power. that's what markists do -- marxists do. howard: fascinating phrase in the book, marxism survives only in darkness. >> yeah. howard: seems to me these hot button cultural issues are i do debated all the time regardless of which side you're in. >> yes with, on fox. turn on msnbc. they don't talk about it. turn on cnn. they don't talk about it. look, this book, "unwoke," lays out a positive, proactive battle plan for how we take these institutions back. and it focuses -- howard: you say you need to regain the country. >> yes. howard: but republicans control the house, conservatives control the supreme court. i mean, was cultural marxism a problem during the trump years? >> yes. yes, it absolutely was. and part of it, you look at the deep state where the federal government waged war on the president of the united states. the department of justice, the it can bi, the intelligence agencies -- the fbi. from the very beginning, they

wanted the trump presidency to fail, and he were willing to abuse government power to attack him from within. and i talk about that at a considerable length in the book, how the deep state was weaponized. the weaponization of the department of justice because those indictments are as blatant an assault on democracy as we've ever seen in our country's history. why have they indicted him over and over and over again? because they're afraid of democracy. they think, holy crap, if the voter gets to decide, they might vote for this guy, so we've got to do everything we can to prevent that. howard: you say buy a damn movie studio, buy a network, we need more cull cultural diversity, ideological diversity, i should say. >> yeah. howard: do you think major corporations that own these outlets are run by wild-eyed liberals? >> for whatever reason, yes. and msnbc is a rabidly partisan, dishonest institution. heir not -- they don't cover news.

howard: sure, they cover news. >> all right, let's take, for example -- howard: [inaudible] >> no, they don't. i'm going to give you an example. three weeks ago i and several other start senators forced a a vote on emergency military funding for israel because joe biden and chuck schumer are holding israel funding hostage for the rest of their political priorities. howard: they're trying to do a different package. >> we forced a vote on a bill the house had passed. of you know who didn't cover it? cnn, msnbc, "the washington post," "the new york times," and they literally had come from an israel march to come to the senate floor to vote, and the reason is the corrupt corporate media covers it up and hides it. if you watch cnn, msnbc, there is no border crisis. doesn't exist. they don't cover on those facts -- howard: they cover it at times. >> -- and the corruption of the media is why a, a big part of the reason why democrats in congress and the administration are so radical. howard: i can tell you feel strongly about it. i would add a i'm not entirely

convinced all these indictments are of a purely political nature, but i know you do. met me close with this: "unwoke" is a great title. i suggest the word woke is so overused that it's essentially lost its meaning. >> well, yes and no. people understand it, and they don't like it. they understand it is about censorship, it is about canceling people, it is about silencing people. and i do want to mention to your viewers, it's been a bestseller. it's interesting, it's fun and christmas is right around the corner. it makes a fantastic christmas gift. howard: all politicians are salesmen. [laughter] senator ted cruz, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. howard: after the break, joe biden privately frustrated over his abysmal poll numbers, and his inner circle is frustrated with him. ♪ delivered fast with doordash, so you don't have to leave the couch. oof! that was fast.

mucinex. available on doordash. it's comeback season. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. wowwww... this new charmin ultra soft smooth tear is soooo soft and soo smooth, i'm starting to get tearied away! ahhh, thank you mr. smooth bear. designed with smooth tear edges, new charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better for a smooth more enjoyable go. mmmmm. huh? mom, you ok in there? i'm tear-ific! enjoy the go with charmin. (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro, your husband deserves it! ♪ (mom) carolers? to tell me you want a new iphone? a better plan is verizon. (dad) no way they'd take this wreck. (carolers) ♪ yes, they will, in any condition. ♪

♪ get iphone 15 pro and ipad and apple watch - all on them! ♪ (mom) please forgive him. (carolers) ♪ it's all good - just a little awkward. ♪ (soloist) think we'll wrap this up. (vo) it's your last chance to turn any iphone in any condition into a new iphone 15 pro with titanium and ipad and apple watch se - all on us. that's up to $1700 in value. only on verizon.

[music playing] today, you can give a gift like no other. a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. i think it's the most worthwhile place to put your money when it comes to childhood cancer. if it weren't for st. jude, i wouldn't be sitting here today. if it weren't for st. jude, a lot of kids wouldn't be with their families every day. let's come together to help the children of st. jude fight childhood cancer visit this website, call this number, or scan the qr code with your $19 monthly donation. join with your debit or credit card right now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt you can proudly

wear to show your support. today you can help st. jude save lives. it takes a heart for somebody to say i have this extra that i am willing to give to st. jude so that they can help save more lives. [music playing] howard: president biden told his closest aides last month that his poll numbers were unacceptably low and what were they going to do about it, that according to or "the washington post." the piece says biden and the first lady have been frustrated by polls suggesting he would lose to donald trump. joining us now, kevin corke. every politician says i don't pay attention to polls -- [laughter] but the post says biden told his team the numbers were too low, the economic message wasn't working and said you've got to fix this. doesn't the president bear some responsibility? >> he does. i see their frustration though,

howie with, because if he look at -- if you look at the jobs number, it's solid. unemployment rate at 3.7%, at one point it was3.4 -- 3.4%. however, perception is reality in washington, and i think that's why the polls have been so negative. what they really need to do is hammer home two simple ideas. one, we're winning in some areas, we've got work to do, trust us to get there. dis, two, if you think this is bad, the other guy would be worse. they don't have that message, it's not going to work. howard: i think you'll be hearing a lot of the second message. axios reports that biden's inner circle is frustrated because he pushes himself too hard and then he looks fatigued and sometimes frail at public events. jill biden also asking her husband to slow down. look, he's 811. 811. his own people think he's not managing well. >> here's the problem with that,s howie. ultimately, you have to be a fighter. ask yourself this question, if you had a small business, you would expect, i'd imagine, that

your ceo could get out there and sell what your business is doing. our ceo is strong and polished and really crisp and can get out there and take the slings and arrows. if you're asking that about a person running a $4 trillion economy with 350 million people, the question is, can he do it. if he can't, he may be in the wrong job. howard: one of the reasons i think he's been hindered from doing it is that he doesn't take a lot of questions, even fewer in the last week or two, i would say. he's largely stayed off tv. perhaps he doesn't want to be asked about impeachment or hunter biden, the israeli-hamas war. but isn't he really giving up the spotlight that any president can command instantly? if. >> absolutely. 14 interviews. 14. think about the paucity of interviews -- howard: this year. >> this year. howard: and and just to elaborate, a lot of them were with people who love joe biden including conan o'brien's podcast -- >> oh, wow. howard: -- the weather channel and al roker e. >> at least it wasn't someone in

a bathtub with cereal all a around a them. howard: you remember that? >> here's the issue. if you're not willing to take the slings and arrows, get out there and state your case, it does make people worry and wonder i, and i think that's a real issue for them moving forward. howard: yeah. it's such a great bully pulpit, and i think this president hasn't within using it, and maybe there's a reason behind it. look, there's been a lot of coverage of the border fiasco this week and the 11,000, 12,000 people a day coming forward. you look at these pictures, and it just seem is like a complete and total mess. now, this has mostly been covered, kevin, tied to the debate on the hill with the impasse about ukraine aid as well as israeli aid. even many democrats are not happy with the president on the border issue. >> end of the day, you have to remember, again, as we talked about, perception being reality. the perception is we don't have a border which, obviously, right now given what's happening, you could certainly make that argument. and the pictures sometimes will lead the storyline. howard: yes. >> if you don't combat the

pictures, the pictures are what people will remember and believe. this administration has a failed to counter that messaging. and unless and until they do something about it, this will be the lasting image not just in 2023, but in 2024 and beyond whether he wins or loses in november. howard: you know, i think you hit on an important point because pictures can be everything. >> yeah. howard: people who don't follow the news closely or just look at headlines, those pictures are devastating. so both for his own political health and i know he's under pressure from the left wig of his own party -- left wing of his own party and the democrats may be making what the are republicans call extreme demands, but he has to fix this somehow because you got new york mayor eric adams and others saying this is unsustainable. >> last thing i would say is if you're the president tough, again -- you have to, again, get out there and make an argument that says, i get it, it's my fault, my job is -- to fix it, and i'm going to.

i haven't heard that strongly enough from him, and i think unless and until that changes, he will get all the blame. howard: perception is reality, like you say, and it's true on every single issue. you can say, look, we're doing great things, but if people don't believe it -- >> that's right. howard: kevin corke, thanks so much. still to come, an alarming warning for journalism that goes well beyond "the new york times." ♪om ♪ indripping should be your styl. plop plop fizz fizz with alka-seltzer plus cold & flu relief. also try for fizzy fast cough relief. hi, i'm ben and i've lost 60 pounds on golo. (guitar music) i've struggled with weight my whole life. i'm sure you're like me and you've tried diet after diet. if you want to stop the insanity, try golo. the day you get your clearchoice dental implants makes every day... a "let's dig in" day...

mm. ...a "chow down" day... a "take a big bite" day... a "perfectly delicious" day... - mm. [ chuckles ] - ...a "love my new teeth" day. because your clearchoice day is the day everything is back on the menu. a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation.

howard: we told you last week about former new york times editorial page editor james bennett ripping his old paper for dumping him over an online op-ed by republican senator tom cotton. but his razor-sharp criticism in a 17,000-word economist essay is also an indictment of many major news organizations. bennett cites an internal marketing memo that calls the

paper's bias a selling point. and there's this, one of the glories of embracing ilj liberalism is, like trump, you're always right about a everything, and so you are justified in shouting disagreement down. and this, a new intolerance for the opinions of roughly half of american voters. and this, editors now tricep the bl before their reporters and even their interns. bennett, a foreman atlantic editor, a a accuses the times of hi pockily saying it's becoming the publication in which the elite talk to itself about an america that doesn't really exist. how many other outlets fit that transcription? when he dared to -- i found myself if facing an angry interim town hall trying to justify what, to me, was an obvious journalistic decision with one staffer asking when

he'd run a page of letters from barack obama backers which, of course, appeared quite regularly. the times game nervous about digital rivals such as the uber-liberal huff post and buzzfeed. they were the cool kids x began hiring it staffers who came with little journalistic s experience. bennett made some mistakes, he didn't read the cotton piece in advance is, but keep in mind that the publisher, a.g. sulzberger, origin ally praised him only to bow to a woke newsroom revolt three days later. this goes well beyond one newspaper. many younger journalists believe their core mission is to fight for social justice. they view the whole notion of fairness as antiquated, a relic of an earlier era. and if that means opposing republicans, opposing trump and squashing dissenting voices, well, who really cares about free speech when they're so certain they're right? that's why "the new york times" was shocked by trump's victory in 2016 and, says bennett, many

times staff members scared, angry assume the times was supposed to help lead the resistance. there are many reasons to criticize donald trump, but too many in the media are acting like the resistance. that's it for this special edition of "mediabuzz." i'm howard kurtz. have a very merry christmas tomorrow and happy holidays. you can subscribe to my dailied podcast media buzzmeter where we riff on the day's top five stories, sometimes a few more. we are back here next sunday, the last day of the year, 11 eastern, with the only media analysis show on national it's. ♪ national television. ♪ ♪ - bye, bye cough. - later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough,

day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season.

as a war rages inaz