howie: the russian investigation takes two bizarre twists as "the washington post" reveals hillary clinton's campaign and the dnc funded the research that led to the discredited dossier on the kremlin and donald trump. president trump: i understand they paid a tremendous amount of money for the fake dossier. hillary clinton always denied it. >> the democrats hired a foreign agent to dig up dirt on donald trump. it happens all the time in politics, but it seems really seedy. >> we had the democrats paying

for a kremlin designed in part dossier compiled by this steele character. >> it gives every trump ally a huge card to play to say, told you. witch hunt. the mueller investigation is part of the witch hunt, too. howie: the news reports are that the firm was originally hired by a conservative organization. >> these kinds of politics become normalized. and we can't afford that. >> this is far beyond a rebuke. this shows the insanity that's overtaken the republican party. >> people like corker and flake.

fake your other colleagues with you. mitch mcconnell, good-bye. john cornyn, good-bye. howie: mark halperin los -- loss his book deal after sexual harassment charges. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." the unsubstantiated dossier about donald trump, it has been disclosed the hillary clinton and the dnc spent millions on an

opo research outfit to. >> i'm glad we are talking about the dnc on these matters. howie: joining me, joe trippi and emily jashinsky. after months and months of investigation about alleged collusion with the russians. emily: it changes the narrative. it means the media has to broaden the narrative when it comes to russian collusion. on both sides there was an interest in going this route. it changes how we are going to talk about this for the

foreseeable future and it doesn't make the democrats look good. howie: joe, should the media have been more sceptical about this research and who was paying for it? joe: no, i don't think so. i think what the media missed. all campaigns do this. but no campaign sets out to find fake or phoney information. we hire opposition research firms to find true stuff the other side doesn't want voters to do. howie: how many campaigns have somebody talking to kremlin officials? that has given this an entirely different cast. you are rather nonchalant about it. joe: was the kremlin in both campaigns? was it feeding fake information to christopher steele?

was it giving fake information or information to -- in exchange for something? howie: some journalists are saying the democrat lawyer involved lied about the fusion gps. the new york times quoting sources saying hillary clinton didn't know by the. brian fowler said he didn't know about it. is the media going to pursue this question of who knew about the money being spent? >> politico went to they did not tell the truth about who was funding this. and we'll see more digging on what happened at the ""free

beacon."." howie: it was "buzzfeed" that made it public saying they had no way of confirming if the allegations were true. the president tweeted saying it's not coincidental that they are focusing on phoney russia stuff when he's trying to get tax reform. the washington "free beacon" broke the story. a conservative news site if, and fusion gps. it's a partisan news organization but it still does news. emily: what they did was fantastic. they embraced it, saying it's something we did. trump was not the only target of the investigation. one thing the "free beacon"

needs to be more careful of is they were reporting about fusion gps without disclosing they hired fusion gps. howie: there is nothing wrong with hiring a pollster to help with reporting. when you are hiring a firm whose job it is to dig up dirt and you don't disclose that to readers, how is that not a conflict? joe: it is a conflict. we do this for a living, right? but i any the thanks is -- but i think if you are trying to hunt these things down, you go to where they are. if the fact are leading you to something trump until russia. that's where the oppo research firm in russia is going to go.

the question is, fist any of it true. from the campaign point of view, that's what you want. that's what we are hunting down. howie: cnn went wall to wall that robert mueller brought his first indictment except this little detail that we don't know, who is it. the next morning. politico, "washington post" didn't have a story. is it hard to stay away from a story that isn't confirmed when it's all over cable networks? palm there arnetworks. howie: it could be another person.

let me move to the republican in-fighting. steve bannon who was not a household name before the trump campaign. he turned himself into a major news figure working the press. has he become a media and political force? emily: absolutely. he's a media that nip later. he know -- manipulator. that gets back to the president and how the president sets the narrative. howie: do you say that admiringly? emily: it depends on how he's doing it. sometimes the narratives he latches on to are very true and very helpful and there aren't a lot of other people calling them out. howie: joe, you became famous

during the howard dean campaign. is it a mixed blessing when the operative is a bigger media figure than the candidates he's trying to recruit? joe: i think be is a force in the trump campaign. it wasn't as high profile. now he is. it's clear he's even more powerful and he's having a bigger effect. howie: the lead story, republicans target bannon. do steve bannon's efforts to knock off establishment republicans. they want that kind of media treatment? is it as big a deal or do we just like talking and writing

about that. anna: it's obviously very interesting and we are following this on a day-by-day minute by minute * basis. howie: when we come back the war of words between the president and two republican senators. msnbc suspends a stop contributor as more -- a stop contributor. here's to the heroes -- america's small business owners. and here's to the heroes behind the heroes, who use their expertise to keep those businesses covered. and here's to the heroes behind the heroes behind the heroes, who brought us delicious gyros. actually, the gyro hero owns vero's gyros, so he should have been with those first heroes. ha ha! that's better.

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their criticism of president trump. >> it's hard to win a republican primary if you disagree with the president on anything or countenance his behavior which i don't think we ought to normalize. >> republicans need to look themselves in the eye and ask if they have the courage to do what jeff flake and bob corker have done. >> do you think the president is a threat to national security? >> i think there are people around him that work in an effort to contain him. howie: have media organizations largely portrayed bob cork and jeff flake as courageous for their stinging criticism of donald trump? >> i don't think so.

there is a fight here brewing in the republican party and we love nothing more than a cover a good story and a fight. howie: are they saying things journalists and commentators have said publicly and privately. they are saying look at corker and flake. the president doesn't know the issues. emily: i think jeff flake and bob corker are convenient proxies for the media. we don't hear a lot about the democrats. joe: there is tension on the democratic side. this news -- other side of this is if you are a reporter and you are hearing from republicans on this hill behind the scenes, off the record the same exact stuff,

it's fair to convey these people are heroes or courageous for stepping forward. how report way it's -- howie: the way it's frames, barack obama gave us the bad iran deal. and in tennessee they are fighting tax cuts. he called him little bob corker. the president was attacked and he counter punched. does it seem like both sides want this fight? anna: i don't see jeff flake or bob corker shying away from the debate. they are driving the narrative. howie: i have seen stories

saying flake and corker didn't make their harshest criticism until they didn't have anything to lose politically. so they are not so brave after all. emily: i think that's fair. bob corker was in contention for a vp slot and secretary of state. if you are of that mindset you could say that enables the trump phenomenon. now that they are facing tough battles electorally. anna: one of the reasons jeff flake couldn't win reelection is he wrote a whole book about this. howie: some people are saying these two retirements are a win for donald trump. it depends on whether the democrats win those seats or not. could this be seen as trump

taking over the party and people having to leave washington? joe: the party is taken over. these are two wins for him. that's why there is still struggle in the party. 67% of the party. howie: in terms of the coverage is this properly cast? joe: it is being properly cast as a divide. most of coverage has bennett's brave and -- courage has been it's brave and courageous for them to do it. howie: another actress accuses harvey weinstein of rape.

howie: the russia allegations and the media war is heating up. this tory about the democrats and hillary funding the firm that came up with the discredited dossier? does this mean the media is going after the other side, not just republicans. >> they were blaming it on a fictitious creation of fox news even though it started with the "washington post." this shows the fundamental fact that some reporters have abandoned reporting for resisting. fox news has a larger audience and better ratings than msnbc

and cnn combined. howie: cnn has this story there is an indictment that will be announced monday. it could be a small fish or a big deal. what do you make of that endless leak of information. >> you have to look at who leaked sealed grand jury information if that is what happens tomorrow. you have some liberal outlets speculating on what it could be when we don't know. anybody we have seen from the special investigations, they rarely actually ever result in charges or issues related to what their original charter was. usually it's something unrelated. so we just don't know at this point. howie: the identity of the person who allegedly is going to be indicted is a very big deal.

let me move to the internal battle within the republican party. they are both retiring. doesn't that create what the white house would call a distraction from other issues? the president having his big presentation declaring anage on opioids? >> there is always about a dozen lead stories at any given moments coming out of the white house. work on tax reform and repeal of obamacare. i have got faith in the elected leaders on the republican side that when it comes time to vote on something that the president and other republicans have been talking about for a long time, reforming the tax system. howie: you don't buy the

distraction argument. >> if legislation was done on personality and relationship, obamacare would already been repealed because john mccain would have voted with his good friend lindsey graham. howie: do you think mike pence has been covered fairly? you have been saying he knew something or he should have known something somehow to get him involved in that narrative. >> there is always a tendency to draw distinctions between pence and the president. the media is starting to get this, the remarkably close relationship the president and the vice president have. they are in constant communication with each other

and they have become good friends. the vice president is one of the biggest champions for the president's agenda. howie: has the press by and large covered the vice president fairly? >> by and large i would say yes. howie: ahead on "mediabuzz," the president says the media makes him look more uncivil. sexual allegations have rocked the media and a former 90-year-old president. is that whole thing still dragging on? no, i took some pics with the app and... filed a claim, but... you know how they send you money to cover repairs and... they took forever to pay you, right? no, i got paid right away, but... at the very end of it all, my agent... wouldn't even call you back, right? no, she called to see if i was happy. but if i wasn't happy with my claim experience for any reason, they'd give me my money back, no questions asked.

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charges against mark halperin. they say he propositions them for sex and there was unwanted groping. and he kept pushing them to sit on his lap. >> our hearts break for mark and his family because he is our friend. but we fully support nbc's decision here. we want to know more about these stories and we need to know what happened. we are not going to avoid the story just because he is our friend. howie: the story on bill o'reilly has also drawn widespread attention. more than 50 women have accused harvey weinstein of sexual assault and another actress saying he raped her. >> i was sitting on a bed

talking to harvey when he pushed me back and assaulted me. howie: joining us is lynn sherr. she was the first sexual harassment ombudsman person. howie: msnbc suspended him. does all this show how much the culture is changing? lynn: sexual harassment as a criminal thing has only been around for 40 years. i think mark halperin may have been in high school at the time. we have known about this for a long time. but the point is that it changed

in some ways. but the truth is we are talking in many of these cases that goes from sexual abuse to sexual vie lebs and assault, down to only men wearing dirty rain coats were doing. one of mire friend at nbc says sexual harassment is a dignified term for disgusting behavior. howie: halperin put out a second statement saying he offers a profound apology and he went to counseling and hasn't repeated the conduct. some journalists say his actions were an open secret at the time. lynn: i was in a different situation. i was older than mark.

probably more famous than was at the time. and sexual harassment is always an older person, usually a guy with a younger, weaker person. you didn't see any charges of sexual harassment from bill o'reilly against barbara walters it doesn't work that way. it's always somebody underneath them. these rumors were around. the facts were around and people did know about it. but you know as well as i do. why do women not report these things? because they are afraid. because they want a future. and also they think they are to blame. they somehow believe feelsly they are the reason why it happened which is not true. howie: it was painful to see mika brzezinski say what she

did. that he was fired from a new magazine that he was going to launch. did you experience this as a younger journalist? lynn: i never experienced it in terms of pay-for-play. was i propositioned? absolutely. one time i turned in a script around the rim, the u-shaped desk for the evening news and the executive producer said why don't you take off your clothes and come into my office and we'll discuss this. i said nothing. he left, i shoved it off. what are you going to do? i spent an entire lunch and business lunch where nelson

rockefeller, the governor new york had his hand on my leg. i said nothing. i was embarrassed, i was young and didn't know what to say or do. that's what we are dealing with. because of strong women who have been strong enough to come out and talk about it. mark halperin, bill o'reilly, bill cosby. because of them there is safety in number. we are seeing a little bit of sisterhood is powerful. howie: a piece in the "new yorker" on harvey weinstein. daryl hannah. and annabella sciorra says weinstein brutally raped her in his apartment. she slept with a baseball bat for years. weinstein is denying the allegations.

celebrity chef john berks sh. james tovak. do you think the media coverage is make it easier for women to speak out? >> i do. i am doing a piece i forget for which publication of the sexual harassment on wall street and among big law firms. reporters are seeking stories. there is going to be much more of this. we are now in the me generation. stories that used to be too private to tell, too intimate to share with the public. suddenly we are in a period where privacy is gone. i think we'll hear more about this. but every story i did about sexual harassment over the years. somebody always says in it we hope this jury verdict will send a signal that this kind of

behavior will never be toll rated. this was 1983, 1992. i'm hoping now. howie: four women said the former president george h.w. bush pat their bottoms and made a dirty joke. i'm not going to defend it. but your point about lumping everyone together. your thoughts on the bush situation. >> i don't find horny old geezers cute. howie: that's a good sound bite to end on. after the break, ed henry on deck as we look at cnn's report over the mystery target. stay with us. with my moderate to severe crohn's disease

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howie: the story broke friday that robert mueller has his first indictment. >> how serious is this for the trump administration? >> it looks like the dam is starting to break now, anderson. >> we don't know what the charges are or who has been charged or having confirmed it.

we are not saying it. how significant a development is this in the russian investigation? >> it's a landmark development. howie: joining us from new york, ed henry. and here in washington, francesca chambers. ed, what do you make of this. what is the impact when we don't have the crucial mystery who is it? ed: i will say as a form cnner hats off on the reporting. they were ahead of other news organizations saying there would be charges coming. and people should not dismiss that as fake news if on monday indictments may be coming. but here's where i thought it went off the rails. we were watching some of that

coverage. we are trying to match the story friday night. you have david gergen say the dam is break. we don't know who is being charged or what they are being charged with. he brings out money laundering. bottom line is you had paul bernstein saying someone could go to jail for 20 to 30 years. why don't you say 100 years. it could be jay-walking. howie: there were a few mentions on fox. everyone was trying to confirm it, and what is it. that's something we still don't know. francesca: it could be paul manafort, it could be michael flynn. one thing i can tell you is the white house received no indication that it is someone who works at the white house

currently, jared kushner or someone who would be close to the president like don, jr. that's important to go to the sources and ask them, is it this person and getting a response. howie: when someone knows they are going to face charges, they put out a statement. and also who leaked this. there is a lot of back and forth about the president, bob cork, jeff flake and so forth. a reporter asked the president about this notion that maybe he's being a little too aggressive. >> could you be more civil as the leader of this country? president trump: i think the press makes me more uncivil than i am. howie: are the media making a shy, retiring donald trump uncivil. ed: he g goads senators.

but i'm not one of those who says he shouldn't be tweeting. he has the right to speak out. however, i think the president has a point, that i have never seen an entire almost media mob, that no matter what he does, it's wrong, it's crazy, it's uncivil. he's correct in saying that's magnified and connecting it to the indictments from bob mueller. month after month there have not been any charges oar -- any chaf collusion and there is no evidence that any single vote was changed by the russians. howie: the president does sometimes hit people hard on twitter but he's often punching

back on people who attack him. francesca: the question was about dealing with the gold star widow. no one made the president tweet at her. she did go on national television and say he was disrespectful in the television conversation. he said he has the right to counter punch when he felt he was being attacked. but the question is whether he should have done that on twitter and i'm sorry you feel that way. howie: the new issue, the wrecking crew saying trump and his team are dismantling government as we know it. more people want smaller government and fewer regulations. ed: it gets at the swamp and the central part of the president's campaign. i have never seen the media

gathered together to try to take down one with man before. the bottom line is the swamp feels threatens, the insiders feels threatened. this president is shaking things you have and -- and the swamp don't like that. fran rrl he's doing what the american people elected him to do, pull out the red tape. howie: thanks very much for joining us today. after the break, byron york and how he broke the story about oppo research against republicans. ke most of you, i just bought a house. -oh! -very nice. now i'm turning into my dad. i text in full sentences. i refer to every child as chief. this hat was free. what am i supposed to do, not wear it? next thing you know, i'm telling strangers defense wins championships. -well, it does. -right? why is the door open?

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howie: the "free beacon" acknowledged hiring fusion gps, a shady oppo research company. the reporter who broke that story is byron york. how did you finds this out and what is the propriety of a news site digging up dirt on trump and others. byron: i have been covering this larger issue of the dossier quite a bit. when you do that, you try to get in touch with people who knows something about it. and you hope when something happens somebody tells you something. somebody told me something. on the propriety of the "free beacon." this is not the normal practice. they hire investigative

reporters. sometimes the media group will pair up with another organization completely out in the open. let's work with the research firms. howie: at a time the "free beacon" is covering this story. byron: it didn't come out until a subpoena knocked it loose. howie: we invited the founder 20 to come on the show and he declined. we consider it our duty to report verifiable information, not slander. byron: when they were first founded in 2012 they published a

manifesto and called it combat journalism. now on the funding. it was originally found as a 501c4 which is a non-profit. then they went private i believe in 2014. one of the major funders or the major funder is a new york billionaire, paul singer, long-time contributor to republican and conservative cows. was in the never trump cam and eventually supported marco rubio. this came out of the never trump sensibilities that was picking up steam. remember in the fall of 2015. trump had been leading the republican race the whole time. many of the best minds in politics thought he would implode or fall apart. and some gaffe would do him in.

but a number of people began to think what if he doesn't implode? howie: it sounds like it could be said paul singer was using the "free beacon" as a secret con diet to find and distribute material on trump. byron: i mentioned in the article that singer was a major funder of the "free beacon" but the line of causation, i don't have that. howie: til to come, cbs gets a new evening news anchor but very few people notice. how the television world has changed. in the modern world, it pays to switch things up. you can switch and save time. [cars honking] [car accelerating] you can switch and save worry. ♪ you can switch and save hassle.

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howie: the "cbs evening news" is finally getting a new anchor.

jeff glor has been a weekend reporter. he seems like a good solid pick with more of the action moving online. but what's striking is how the era of the evening anchor superstars is over. it's a huge story when katie couric took the cbs anchor chair. the new crew of anchors is competent, workman-like, paid a lot less. but the most of lucrative market is morning television. that's jeff grower. g-l-o-r. let me know what you think on twitter @howard kurtz.

and write to us mediabuzz@foxnews.com. [♪] arthel: washington plays a waiting game as special counsel robert mueller makes a significant step in his russia investigation. the "wall street journal" reports that the investigation has netted its first diment. eric: the investigation into russian interference which includes claims of collusion between trump's campaign and the russians. so far