reveals that foreign fighters are streaming into syria and iraq in unprecedented numbers. an estimated 20000 trying to join america's enemies ask and at least 3,400 of those fighters are from western nations. 120 americans have tried or succeeded in reaching the war zone. a new york city police officer indicted in an accidental shooting. an attorney for the victim's family says the shooting shouldn't be justified even if it was an accident. the indictment follows other grand jury decisions which sparked nationwide protests which police officers kill unarmed men but weren't charged. i'm jackie ibanez. "hannity" starts now. welcome to "hannity." this is a foxers in alert. nbc news has suspended brian williams for six months without pay. the president deborah turness wrote in part quote, january

the 30th, 2015, brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the iraq war in 2003. it then became clear that on other occasions, brian had done the same thing, telling that story in other venues. this was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. in addition we have concerns about comments that occurred outside of nbc news while brian was talking about his experiences in the field. as managing editor, and anchor of nightly news brian has a responsibility to be truthful and to uphold the high standards of the news division at all times. joining me now fo reaction, howard kurtz, and hollywood reporter melissa guthrie. thank you both for being with us. howard, what's your reaction to this? they say they want railroad brian to -- they want brian to succeed and come back. >> this is nbc salvaging its own credibility as well as brian

williams and getting a shot at being able to come back after a six-month cooling-off period. i was told brian williams now recognizes the magnitude in fabricating his tale about his experience in iraq, and the way in which he botched the apology. it was lame, it was short it contained new inaccuracies that got knocked down. nbc belatedly realizing, in my view, that it had to show who was in charge, had to show williams was going to be punished. but at the same time because hoe's such a franchise player and face of nbc news trying to work out kind of a compromise where he could possibly return to 30 roc. >> let's go to what howie was referring to there, the january 30th, 2015 report. and the botched apology. >> the story started with a terrible moment a dozen years back, during the invasion of iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an rpg. our traveling nbc news team was

rescued, surrounded and kept alive from the u.s. army third infantry. i said i was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by rpg fire, i was instead in a following aircraft. we all landed after the ground fire incident and spent two harrowing nights in a sandstorm in the iraq desert. this was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran, and by extension, our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those who have served while i did not. i hope they know they have my greatest respect and also now my apology. >> marisa conflate, bungled apology, then the story gets bigger. we'll show the tape later, about katrina, and a story about a floating body in an area where the hotel manager said there were no floating bodies. because the water wasn't deep enough. and dysentery story. we had a health official on last night saying that didn't occur.

and katyusha rockets covering israel. is this much bigger than that? do you think the concerns were all about the issues combined? >> i think the drip, drip effect, the iraq story coming out. had he come out and really given a full-throated apology and admitted how wrong he was about the iraq story, i think there would have been less scrutiny on him. but he didn't. and so then we had everybody looking for more smoking guns and all of these other things turned up because nothing dies anymore, it lives forever on the internet. so i think he dug himself into a deeper hole there by not just coming clean immediately. >> now, marisa, you've been reporting on this all day. you have some insight as to how this all went down. why don't you bring us inside nbc news and how this happened. >> i think they wanted to preserve brian's career. i mean look, he's had a long and mostly distinguished career. so i think that there's an

effort inside to see if a cooling-off period will let them do that. i mean look, the -- certainly the morning franchise of the "today" show is much more valuable financially but the evening news anchors are really the brand of the news division, the face of the news division. they confer gravitas credibility, and brian going on these -- i mean a lot of the embellishments happened on these late-night comedy talk shows. where you're in the seat, and you have to tell an interesting story. and so i think there was a little bit of a blurring of the line of what his role should be. and he got burnt by that. >> yeah. howie, i know a lot of people -- look, i don't view him as one of the bad guys here. but you can't tell tall tales like he's been telling. isn't it at the end about the news brand that's bigger than him, and really not so much about him, and that was damaged

in all of this, and we all have -- all of us for those who don't know you sign a contract radio or tellevisiontelevision, we all have moral clauses. if we make the networks we work for look bad they have the right to protect their brand and fire us, right? >> absolutely. i found out over the weekend, sean, that the nbc internal investigation was not really that, it was just a fact-gathering inquiry to help the network play defense. marisa was right, if it was just the one iraq story if he apologized, i think the feeling was this could have been written out. but when you get to the questions about some of the other stories, it goes to the point of, as you were just saying, what you sell when you're in that chair when you're in front of the camera what you're selling is credibility. once that credibility is bruised, when it's tarnished, people don't look at you the same way. this is where nbc is now be lately taking one step.

remember, he was allowed to say i'm taking myself off the newscast for a few days, as if nobody else at nbc was in charge. but he still has to make an accounting, and an apology otherwise he'll never be able to get back to where he was. >> howie and marisa, thank you for being with us. we'll also talk to the pilot in a few minutes who flew the very helicopter that brian williams says was hit with an rpg. we'll get his reaction. and hillary clinton's tall tales about sniper fire in bosnia. but here first to explain how this will impact nbc news as a brand from our sister the fox business network, charlie gasparino is with us. >> this hurt their brand. you heard both people both your prior guests howie and marisa pointing out, this is all about brand and money. this is a money decision. what happened with brian williams, i have full disclosure, i know brian i like him, he's always been a stand-up guy, so i don't like saying this, but what he did to his

brand began to destroy the nbc news brand. and yes, tv's a lot of entertainment. but if your news brand gets whittled down people don't turn on the tv. they think you're a bunch of liars. that's what this is turning out to be. if you look at the statement it suggests, and says outright, the investigation continues. my guess is that they found whatever they're doing, and maybe a fact-gathering situation as howie said, but the guy heading it is a really good reporter. i know richie very well. he's been through the tabloids with me. good guy. smart guy. my guess is they found other smoke. >> listen, we have the smoke. i'm going to play it in the course of the pranl tonight about katyusha rockets, and katrina, and what hotel managers are saying disproving it. but i agree with you. i take no satisfaction in this personally. but it's not really about him. it's a breach of public faith. >> right. >> and if he loses that, then

it's more about the public. it isn't about -- >> absolutely. that's why he's -- who ever heard of a six-month hiatus. that's long, right? usually -- now, here's the questions i have just from a business standpoint. what's in his contract? why didn't they just whack him out immediately? >> steve burke if you take him at his word he said his actions are inexcusable, suspension is severe and appropriate. brian's life work is delivering the news. i know he loves his country, his colleagues and nbc news. he deserves a second chance. and we are rooting for him. that's how he said it. >> he deserves a second chance because other people knew about these -- all this hyperbole, including his boss at nbc, and they gave him a pass. now, here's the whole thing. if you're going to fire a guy, based on his morality clause of his contract which i'm sure they could, he would come back and sue them saying, why are you firing me now? you knew about this. you didn't take disciplinary

action. that's where this thing gets really interesting from a legal standpoint, and from a money standpoint. they'll save what $5 million this year right? >> more than that. >> if you believe reports he gets $10 million a year. >> he's out six months, right? they save $5 million. if he comes back, he can maybe resume his contract. and maybe get the rest of that money. i doubt it. my guess is he's going to settle for 25 cents on the dollar. and leave. >> all right. >> that's my guess. >> thanks so much for joining us. appreciate it. joining us now on the phone is the helicopter pilot he transported brian williams during his 2003 trip to iraq. and that's chief allan kelly with us. you tried to contact nbc and msnbc and tell them the story was not true from the get-go right? >> negative. that was the pilot on the aircraft that was actually shot down. >> that was the one that was shot down, and he saw the report, and excuse me for mixing

it up so there was an effort to contact nbc and msnbc and tell them, hey, this story isn't true. and that's even way before the letterman appearance. this was after the initial report right? >> i read that somewhere that that is what the pilot and crew members had done that they did try to contact them and express their disagreement with the way things were being portrayed. >> what is your reaction? take us back to that day, and then what is your reaction to the story that you see -- that you were watching unfold here that he had fabricated? >> well you know back in that day, it got pretty hairy. mr. williams and his crew in the back was the least of our worries at the time, if you can imagine. and when we heard the aircraft taking fire, the apache, and a little bit later the big windy aircraft, we were pretty worried about what we were flying into. but we ended up landing safely. and mr. williams spent a couple

days with him, sleeping in the aircraft, and watching him give interviews to the mechanized platoon that was there protecting us, as well as the big windy aircraft crew. and he seemed like a pretty cordial gentleman. as far as the way he embellished some of the stories and the response to it i'm pretty happy with it. i think everybody should be held accountable for their actions. i feel that way about myself. but i also appreciate the wisdom that the president of nbc showed in displays some compassion and some proportion to the punishment that was handed down to him. i'd hate to see somebody lose their career over making a mistake. you take away the $1000 suits and the prestige of the position that he holds, and he's still a human being like all the rest of us, and i'd like to think if i screwed up that someone would

have compassion on me and forgiveness, but still hold me accountable. >> we really appreciate you coming on the program tonight. as always, thank you for your service. we appreciate that. and your bravery for serving your country. thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> all right. now coming up, we're going to have much more on the breaking news, brian williams suspended for six months without pay. we're going to take you through all the statements that got the nbc news anchor in trouble, and other issues and questions that have arisen about katrina and about a trip to israel. media research center brent bossel is here. he'll talk about how this is not the only headache for nbc news. cheryl atkinson was on the trip with hillary clinton when hillary claimed she came under sniper fire in bosnia which turned out not to be true. how will this impact her story. that, and much more, when "hannity" continues. you u u u u u

fox news alert. brian williams of nbc news suspended without pay for six months over his reporting about his experiences in iraq back in 2003. now, that's not the only reporting that is being called into question. joining us now is the president of the media research center, brent bossel, and cheryl atkinson, and editor for hot air.com is with us. brent, let me start with you. and this was bigger than just an rpg that did not hit his helicopter. for example he told a story about katrina being outside of a five-star hotel and looking out and seeing a dead body floating. managers of the motel said we did not have that floodwater. officials last night said that didn't happen. let's go to katrina first.

>> look out of your hotel window in the french quarter and watch a man float by face down when you see bodies that you last saw in ban da acha in indonesia, and swore to yourself that you would never see in your country, i beat that storm. i was there before it arrived. i rode it out with people who later died in the superdome. >> all right. i'll get to the issue later of the katyusha rockets. but that's issue number two. what do you think of nbc's decision? >> well, if you read the letters, the statements made by the nbc executives, they never brought up katrina. they only focused on iraq which i found really buzzling. then you have the katyusha rockets. the whole six-month thing is very strange, sean. you can't say we will not stand for this our credibility is the most important thing -- >> they did kind of address it.

they said we have concerns about comments that occurred outside of nbc news while brian was talking about his experiences in the field. i assume that they were referencing katrina there. maybe i'm reading too much into it. >> i'm just saying they referenced iraq, they didn't reference katrina. or the katyusha rockets. >> what do you think of the issue then? >> i think it's an unfortunate decision. even people defending him tonight seem to feel that it's distasteful. you either keep him or let him go. but this six-month blood letting, it's just going to be awful. it's going to be ugly. there will be lawsuits there will be recriminations. this thing is not going to go away. if he comes back, it will be nbc, comma the network whose chief newscast has been caught lying while reporting news. >> that's why i would be shocked to see him come back, actually, after that long a recess. i like lester holt. he will be filling in for some time. but i have no illusion he will be in that seat for another six

months. they have to get a personality in there. once they do, they've moved on from the brian williams era. i think that's what they want, frankly. if other reports are accurate -- >> you don't believe steve burke's comment? >> if they knew this was an issue, he was a serial embellisher and did nothing about it, they would like to see him go away and make this whole crisis go away on top of it. >> cheryl, you have an interesting perspective on this and that is, that we talk about brian williams he was an anchor prestigious position "nbc nightly news." but we have a presidential candidate, you were on the trip with hillary clinton when she was in bosnia, and claimed as i understand it, multiple times, we have a tape that she came up sniper fire which was not true. let's roll the tape. >> i remember landing under sniper fire. there was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.

>> and cheryl, you were there. we even have -- we'll show a video when she got off the plane, hugging a little girl. you think this might be more important. >> well, i would just argue that one is very much like the other. so however you feel about one incident, you should logically probably feel about the other. if you don't care in either case, you don't think it's a very important breach, you shouldn't care if you didn't care the first lady former secretary of state, made such a statement. then maybe you shouldn't care too much about brian williams. if you brian williams made a huge breach, then so did logically the former secretary of state, and the woman who wants to be a presidential candidate. >> that's really an interesting question. brent, do you think now that this makes a difference -- hillary's answer was, i was sleep deprived, i already addressed that. does this get new scrutiny based on the brian williams story? >> sure, it does.

because had she said it once, we could all agree that sometimes when you're sleep deprived, you will say something especially when someone speaks as often as secretary clinton does. however, she repeated this story over and over. so yes, this will become part of a conversation. this is a good thing. it's a good thing we start having a serious conversation about our leaders across the board, and the things that they misrepresent. >> i just can't help to think that if a conservative did this they would be called for blood immediately. >> absolutely. if this fortuitously happened on the same day president obama was lying to the nation for a long time about his stance on gay marriage, and lobbied in the press about something clever and something to celebrate that a politician would so deftly maneuver around this that's

cons er cancerous. >> cheryl, here you are, you're on the trip with hillary you know what she said is absolutely false, as it relates, do you think there's new scrutiny to the story with hillary based on what happened with brian williams and do you think what nbc did is right? >> there's certainly new scrutiny, remains to be seen what the conclusion is. she's already served since then secretary of state. it didn't seem to bother her supporters that she had made that wild misstatement, or mistake at the time. we'll have to see if it matters now. as for what nbc did i think that's up for others to decide. but you'd have to check this out with nbc. it's my understanding there's a potential sale pending which may explain the six-month time period, that they may need to feel like they have to get to a sale period and perhaps the whole resolution of this would eventually fall into somebody else's hands. >> i want to thank you all for being with us. now, coming up, we have more

reaction to nbc news suspending brian williams for six months, plus, tonight -- >> some of what people described as his racist tendencies to iraqis and muslims when he went on these killing sprees. >> 22 retired generals and admirals are asking for a public apology for nasty remarks about american sniper chris kyle. as nbc, should they also fire this person suspend this person? who men have signed this letter they're here next as we continue tonight on "hannity."

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back to "hannity." brian williams' sus speng is not the only trouble for nbc news. they're also coming under fire for the vicious remarks made by one of their foreign correspondents about american hero in sniper chris kyle. watch this. >> it is a very compelling very thought-provoking, very

emotional movie. >> but? >> when you juxtapose it with the real chris kyle and what has emerged about what kind of person amountality he was in his own words, talking about when he was back home which may or may not have been true his personal opinions about what he was doing in iraq, how he viewed iraqis what some people described as his racist tendencies on iraqis and muslims when he went on these killing sprees in iraq on assignment. >> in a letter to the peacock network, 22 retired admirals and generals are demanding an apology for those remarks. here are two men who signed that letter, lieutenant general thomas mcinerney, and undersecretary of defense lieutenant general william boycut, general mcinerney you signed this letter. this is a reporter just making statements hearsay, speculation. that is as egregious to me as

what they suspended brian williams for. >> absolutely, sean. by the way, before i comment on that, general boykin was the real leader behind the 22 generals and admirals that signed this. so my thanks to general boykin. when he asked me to do it, it was imperative we responded to the outrageous comments that this chap made about chris kyle. and chris kyle's family. let's face it. they're all heroes. >> i totally agree. the more confirmed kills than any other sniper in american history. saving american lives on the battlefield. general boykin explain why you got this started. >> chris kyle is a brother sean, plain and simple. he's a brother. and i think we have a responsibility to him, his memory, his family, and to the other warriors that knew chris kyle, to stand up for him when he is obviously being

disparaged, his reputation is being maligned. i think it's our responsibility to stand up and fight back against an irresponsible reporting of a knucklehead of this ayman mohyeldin. >> let me ask you both this question, talking about brian williams, back to him. we talked about the rpg that did not hit his chopper. we talked about the issues and we played the comments he made about katrina. there's also an issue back in july 18th, 2006, in which he reports from a helicopter flying in a war zone in israel, and noticed off in the distance, he says six miles a katyusha rocket. i'll play that. and less than a month later he was on with jon stewart, and six miles, all of a sudden becomes 1,500 feet just underneath his helicopter. watch this report. >> the trails of smoke and dust visible out the window are where katyusha rockets have landed in this case, in the uninhabited

israeli countryside. and in some cases they have set fire to the surrounding brush. the missiles are unguided and random and plentiful. then i notice something out the window. i saw the launch trail right there. from a distance of six miles, i witnessed a rocket launch, an orange flash and more smoke as a rocket heads off toward israel. israeli black hawk helicopter. here's a view of rockets i've never seen passing underneath us, 1,500 feet beneath us. we've got the gunner doors on this thing. i'm saying to the general some four-star, okay, so if we're 1,500 feet, it wouldn't take much for them to adjust the aim and try to do ring toss right through our open doors, would it. but they're firing real bullets over there. anytime you want to cross over to the other side, baby, travel with me.

>> general mcinerney, the rpg didn't hit the helicopter. we've got katrina. we've got, well the health officials saying there was no disentiry claimed by anybody the hotel manager saying there were no floating bodies reported by anybody in the hotel. now you've got the original report, july 18th, 2006, six miles away and august 8th, that becomes 1,500 feet right underneath. it could have been pointed up and hit them. >> sean, it's very sad. first of all, i think you also ought to check that was not an israeli four-star general. you'll find the israelis don't have four-star generals. that's another omission by him. but it is really sad as i say that a very successful individual, anchor like this has to make up and create a narrative that makes him the issue, and he is the hero of the story. and he's got a flaw. and that flaw cannot be accepted

by the public or by nbc. as unfortunate as it may be, because we look at people and we've got to respect them when they come on the air, and they say things. and what they say must be true. now, the validity of all his comments now are in question. >> do you think nbc made the right decision? >> i do. but that's a holding pattern. and frankly, he's going to retire on his own volition. >> general boykin? >> well sean, i'm glad to see nbc take some action. but quite frankly, i think that it's obvious that he will not be back. he destroys the credibility not only of himself but nbc in general. that's why i think this reporter that made the disparageing remarks toward chris kyle needs to recognize that we use the term hero very loosely.

chris kyle was truly an american hero. i think most americans are recognizing that. and that's why nbc now needs to discipline this fella force him to apologize to the american public, but specifically to the family and friends of chris kyle. >> i totally agree. i am as outraged over that. we have an interesting tweet that we can report to you now from the stars and stripes reporter, travis trenton, that he broke the brian williams story, in stars and stripes. he sent out this tweet tonight. i don't get any satisfaction from seeing brian williams suspended, like the vets i spoke with, i just wanted to set the record straight. what's interesting to me general mcinerney is maybe there's culpability here by nbc news, in as much as the pilot, we spoke to the pilot flying brian williams but the pilot of the chopper that was shot down tried to inform nbc, reached out to nbc, reached out to the table

network msnbc and never heard back from them. inside apparently there were a lot of reports, i don't know if they're true but reports i've been reading all week that nbc knew about this proclivity to tell tall tales, and they didn't do anything to stop him. what's your reaction to that? >> well my reaction sean is there's a narrative that's been building in the mainstream media that they can absolutely lie about what they're saying, particularly when they're talking about conservatives. the president lied about the health care. so they have begun to accept that narrative that they can change the narrative as they see fit. and that's what's now being exposed, where you have this deliberate lying in a host of areas that fits their narrative. and by the way, we didn't say it in the letter, but i think that chap on nbc news who disparaged chris kyle that he should be fired. we deserve more than an apology. >> i agree with both of you there. all right. thank you both for being with us.

appreciate it. when we come back, you'll hear from one of brian williams' former colleagues, and why do people embellish this way? a huge announcement from the "daily show's" jon stewart. we'll talk about that and more on this busy news night, "hannity." at ancestry, we call it a hint.. our little leaf that helps guide you through the past. simply type in a name and you're taken on a journey. a journey that crosses generations. and continents. all to tell the most amazing story. yours. discover your story. start searching for free now at ancestry.com ♪ ♪ the bold nissan rogue,

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it's also katrina in question gangs and a body in an area where there was no flooding, and dysentery, and katyusha rockets, six miles, 1,500 feet do you think they made the right decision? >> i think they made the only decision they could make. i think it is all those other things that led to this decision. if this had just been about that one incident, we wouldn't be here. just the one rpg that didn't hit the helicopter. it's a big deal. but we would not be talking about a six-month suspension of brian williams. >> you're shaking your head. >> think about it it's a $5 million fine. he makes $10 million a year. loses six months' pay. he's with the network 22 years. one embellishment doesn't cost you necessarily your job even for six months. they probably would have been able to let it go. >> you read the statement as i read the statement, where it said we have concerns about comments that occurred outside of nbc news while brian was

talking about his experiences in the field. >> right. i think they're worried there are going to be other things that are potentially going to come out as well. they simply cannot allow this to continue, with more questions. everything from puppies to getting robbed in the 1970s -- >> or the 30 points -- >> all of these questions coming up. by the way, the firefighter thing, i know some people are sort of saying that's not a big deal, whether it was a puppy or not, but most importantly he wrote it for "usa today" in 2011. that's why it's important. it's not important whether it actually happened. what's important is, that the managing editor of nbc news wrote something for "usa today" that better have been true. >> do you believe steve burke when he says he goes through the whole thing it's severe and appropriate in terms of the suspension, and i know brian loves his country, nbc news, colleagues, et cetera, he deserves a second chance and we are rooting for him. how do you interpret that? >> steve burke is obviously, he

runs comcast. that's comcast who owns nbc. >> he wanted to be a part of the statement. >> what he's saying is brian williams is obviously a very respected, very well-liked guy within nbc news. and pretty much outside of it. you don't become a celebrity and go on all these shows like letterman and not be likable. six months, get him out of the public eye. when he comes back, sean, he can't do it quietly. because social media will make sure that the night he comes back, or when that anticipation comes, he's going to get killed on it. what he needs to do he needs to do a mea culpa, on barbara walters, and ellen -- >> you're assuming he's going to come back. second chance doesn't say at nbc. it says a second chance. i think they believe that. >> if they find something if disenysentery

dysentery, that he wasn't at a hospital, that this -- >> that's the point. that's the point. this gives them time to now evaluate all the various claims, let all the fallout happen. give them a sense of everything, the landscape they're dealing with -- >> in other words, get everything on the table. you know i don't think anybody takes satisfaction in this. it's a puzzlement to me. and i've often said we're in the public eye. i've always said, i don't think fame is healthy. is this just a case of maybe he's reporting on the news all these years and maybe wants to be a part of the story? is this, oh, my fish that i caught was this big, and it was really this big? >> depends how many incidents there are. if there's just -- >> from what we know katrina, rpg, and puppies, and -- >> we don't know which one of these necessarily aren't true. i'm not convinced necessarily that he didn't see a dead body. i understand people are saying he probably couldn't have -- >> outside the hotel. >> i understand that. convinced that's

necessarily not true. >> the hotel manager said there were no gangs. >> i understand the no gangs. the definition of a gang, are we really going to debate the definition of a gang? look, people conceded there were some issues at the ritz-carlton at the time. there were people making similar -- >> about there were attorneys -- >> i understand. but the dysentery, i hate to focus on one particular issue but that one becomes really important. because you can prove it. if he had it, someone at nbc news would have known about it somebody would be able to come forward and say, absolutely. >> he said a policeman helped him in a stairway get away from a gang. >> right. he said he's still in touch with the guy. >> i want to hear from that was actually true. here's what's happening now. every blogger, every news organization particularly the "new york post," they are looking into every story he's ever done and to yourto your point, it could get bigger.

>> isn't it really, at the end of the day we all in television have more or less clause in our contracts. i have it in my radio contract, i have it in my tv contract. at the end of the day isn't it really a story about brian williams? we could look at it from a personal angle and human ego out of control, ask somebody why somebody would embellish this way. but isn't it really about the viewers, about the brand more than him? >> absolutely. i think they made that point in the statement. this is about something bigger than brian williams. but brian williams is a really big deal. >> i agree. >> he's nbc. he's a really big deal. >> number one of all the networks. >> not just the anchor of the show. he's making decisions behind the scenes. let's be clear the point i made in my piece brian's won a lot of awards. he gets, in my view, a little bit of a cushion there to say, you know what, i'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

>> remember, joe, when i get in trouble, dan's going to give me a little cushion. >> absolutely. >> in fairness when matt lauer was getting beat up -- >> that was just sort of gossip and innuendo, et cetera. there i defended matt. in this piece i didn't defend brian, but i said i'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. >> you said if more comes out, and it changes -- >> at one point. >> 74% of americans trusted the media in 1996. think about that. 34%. expectation level. >> i accept the responsibility. >> the expectation level. >> if i was so powerful obama wouldn't be president, and wouldn't have been elected. i want to get to the hillary question when we get back. a major announcement from comedy central about jon stewart, that, and more, on this busy news night on "hannity."

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and i haven't been a frequent target, like this. >> here is that moment that i was just telling you about off the air, neon, stewart. >> sean hannity is disgusted. he is disgusted at the new york governor's intollance but how? >> sean, we know you're mad at us you have every right to be. occupy wall street, governor cuomo, that weird smell. new york made some changes stay. ♪ [ music ] ♪♪.

♪ [ music ] ♪ >> oh, boy. that was a mild attack against me. >> do you want us to do a jon stewart meet something >> no. when you do the same job 16 years and a show where it's pretty much the same over and over again you change variables, i think jon produced a movie last year, "rose water". he got that bug and realized i want to do other things now. he's 52 years old, that is not young. >> i'm 52. >> you look younger. >> i think he's got a good gig. i think joe may be right. when you do anything for a while sh you want to think about doing other things

>> he has 15 businesses. >> it does feel a little bit abrupt. right? maybe that is because we didn't know it's coming but i'm curious to know if there is any behind the scenes incidents. >> i shouldn't bring this up. why is hillary clinton's bosnia different than brian williams? do you think this is going to impact how people view sniper fire comment? . >> i don't think it's going to make a big difference by 2016. b, and you and i talked about this, we hold our politicians to different standards. it makes you crazy this idea you're using news anchors to higher standards but presidential? we expect our politicians to embellish a little bit. they're advocates. they're taking a position. news people obama admittedly lied about gay marriage. >> straight news people are supposed to be simp ply telling

you what happened. >> quickly, 15 seconds. why is he wrong? >> it's not the only time hillary clinton lied we remember a book tour -- >> that is different. >> saying hillary was named after her -- >> we need ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ great rates for great rides. geico motorcycle see how much you could save. ♪ by 1914 the dodge brothers quit the ford motor company and set out on their own. they believed in more, than the assembly line. they believed driving was a holy endeavor.

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suspending brian williams? let us know what you think. we're out of time. thank you for being with us. we'll see you back here tomorrow night. thanks for joining us. we all hoped it was not true. but tonight our hearts are broken with confirmation that 26-year-old american aide worker kayla mueller held hostage by isis is dead. not able to determine how or when she died. i don't for one second blame anyone but isis. i know you are right there with me. last friday isis claimed she was killed by jordanian air strike. the white house says there is no evidence to support that claim. her friends and family speaking about the loss of the aide worker who gave her life helping others. >> i'm not yet sure how to live in a world without kayla, but i do know that we are all living in a better world because of her. >> so what more do we know about the death of kayla? pentagon