howie: saturation coverage as mike flynn pleads guilty to lying to the fbi. >> why has the white house told you so many lies about this story. >> are aren't that's more dots after michael flynn. the dots go to kushner then the president. >> hyperbolic response by the media. just jump straight to the gallows for trump. howie: abc suspends brian ross.

nbc dumps matt lauer, their biggest star, over allegations of sexual misconduct. >> i'm heartbroken. he's my dear dear friend and partner. fan i'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward and told her story. >> the stories we heard is that matt was a philanderer. i never heard a story that he was a predator. howie: did the nbc executives know about the numerous rumors. an important journalism story as "the washington post" expose a sting. how an undercover plot to trick

the paper into running phoney allegations of race and sexual allegations against roy moore was foiled. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." abc's chief correspondent brian ross quoting an unnamed confidant said this about flynn. >> he's prepared to testify that candidate trump told him to make contact with the russians. howie: that was flat wrong. ross admit the conversation happened during the transition. shelby holshelby holliday, and e

hemingway. brian ross says he holds people accountable so he should be held accountable. it was a mistake and a correction. >> it was a major mistake and moved markets. the tweet was seen 25,000 times before it was deleted from abc. this has given the president something to seize on. it's creating a side show for the president temporarily. but it does not change the focus of the investigation. howie: the dow dropped 350 points. the president congratulated abc for suspending by ross. mollie: brian ross has been the

source of many fake stories. he claimed saddam hussein was behind the a an anthrax attacksn new york and that was wrong. >> this is a place where i agree with mollie. he has sources i do not think coming from the national security world when i was cia spokesperson. he routinely ran stories that were not accurate. this is a big screw-up and this was a big screw-up. howie: he has also broken stories that were true. but there has been a big gap in the interpretation/speculation about what this means or doesn't mean for the president.

mollie: the media will make a huge claim and there is a cycle that's been repeated. it's big news that mike flynn pled guilty. that's a big deal that something happened here. but in general we have a story we are supposed to believe that there was collusion and what we learned was there was diplomatic ground work being laid by an incoming administration. howie: organizations insisted this was not fake news and the president called it a witch hunt. >> the reason the public knows what mike flynn has done is because reporters have gone with the story.

every time they come out, the president says these are fake news. this vindicates a lot of that. it's fair for experts and commentators in the media to be analyzing the guilty plea and what it means for the administration. mollie: that was an illegal leak about mike flynn. he was doing something completely legal. >> he lied to the fbi. lying to the fbi was not legal. mollie: this is a big part of the story, whether the intelligence apparatus were doing thing properly or not. >> i think some trump -- i don't want to say liberals and conservatives. some trump haters have acted

like the flynn guilty plea, boom it's over. trump lovers say this proves nothing. this vindicates trump and the investigation is over. in reality non-of those things are true. howie: the president feels sorry for mike flynn is the white house view. and having contact with russia during a transition when they are trying to feel out foreign policy, there is nothing wrong with that. the president on a tweet storm continuing this morning saying that -- flynn lies to the fbi, his life is destroyed. not crooked hillary. how do you not report when he's bringing up his defeated

opponent. mollie: the substance of what he says is worth covering. he let go the chief investigator on the hillary email probe. everyone around her was granted immunity. so the fbi's credibility is in play here. howie: taking this agent off the investigation -- mollie: congressional investigators have been asking for months what happened. they stonewalled and obstructed what happened there. then they leaked this to the media which would suggest they are not being very good. >> so this would have to be connected to other dots.

otherwise it's a simple earning are you plea. >> this is not normal behavior. if mike flynn reached out to the russians about those sanctions on election hacking. howie: which the white house denies. maria: then that is a problem. it may not be criminal, but any other administration did that, you would be furious about that. mollie: you have the media willfully receiving this talking point that russia interfered with the election with the help of the incoming trump administration. imposing sanctions can be part of that. our media is not able to take a step back and think critically

about what they are seeing. maria: the media will always report significant intelligence. howie: a intelligence report that president trump called several leaders to ask them to wrap up their probe. that's unusual. matt lauer was fired by nbc for allegations of misconduct. the president on twitter talking about wow, matt lauer was fired for inappropriate behavior. shelby: the president said this week tweeting about "time" asking him to be cover man of the year. he called for a ban on cnn, he

called nbc fake news practitioners. most of of his tweets have been about the media and slamming the media. mollie: he's going after former colleagues. i think he feels a certain level of hypocrisy how they covered his access hollywood tape. i think he likes to highlight that hypocrisy. howie: you feel not only does he have resentment towards nbc having worked there but you say he's implying there is a double standard on allegations against him. but nbc fired matt lauer pretty quickly. maria: donald trump became president. he should not be tweeting about allegations of sexual misconduct.

howie: another tweet from the president of the united states. now matt lauer is gone, will they terminate the president of msnbc. and terminate joe scarborough. >> he's calling for an investigation of something we do have the facts on. there was a woman working in joe scarborough's office. she fell, hit her head and she passed away. trump is suggesting somehow joe scarborough murdered this young woman. howie: it was investigated. and mika brzezinski said the president crossed a line in

trying to intimidate the press. mollie: we have a responsibility as americans not to be passing on fake news. and think about whether you are adding heat or light to a conversation. he did not do that to this case. it's sad because it works. maria: it seems surprising he tweeted this, but given what happened this week, looking back, it makes sense. howie: when we come back. a flood of leak stories as a pundit questioning the president's mental health. excuse me a minute... hi dad. no. don't try to get up.

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[♪] howie: top newspapers quoting unnamed sources saying president trump is suggesting the infamous "access hollywood" tape may have been doctored. pundits are calling it crazy talk. >> the president of the united states seems to be losing his grip on reality. >> did he at some point start believing in the fake reality that he creates? >> questioning president trump's mental fitness for office has become a vicious obsession of the left. howie: also the "new york post" saying the president still questions barack obama's birth certificate. what do you make of this intensified media chatter. mollie: we heard this in january and we heard it a few months later. it seems to be a campaign to

undermine the president rather than analysis. it's a campaign based on anonymous leaks. in general it's people who haven't accepted the reality of donald trump wishing the election who are make this claim. nobody should be he central waiting other people's mental health. howie: if the president is saying things privately that contradict -- people know it's his voice. he apologized for the "access hollywood" tape and said it was him. maria: these are fair questions to ask, is he fully aware or coming to grip with the russia investigation. does he really understand the severity much things. it is a very sensitive issue. we can't evaluate someone's

mental health from far away on television. but i think there are fair questions to ask. how the presidency, what's happening in this country. how you see -- how he sees policy issues. howie: one of those questioning the media's coverage is republican senator lindsey graham. and take a listen to what he said as presidential candidate in 2016. >> what concerns me about the american press is this endless attempt to label the guy as some kind of kook, not fit to be president. i am not going to try to get into the mind of donald trump. i think he's a kook, i think he's crazy. i think he's unfit for office. shelby: those back-to-back clips

say it all. there is a lot of hypocrisy. people have questioned donald trump's mental state since the beginning of the election. donald trump tries to craft his own reality. and donald trump likes to joke around. the big nugget of this story is the leaks. are the people inside the white house leaking this information because they are genuinely worried about his mental state? not that those jokes would be appropriate. howie: retweeting anti-muslim videos from a far right group that upset theresa may. harassment on the hill. john conyers lose support as one of his accusers goes before the

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and vomiting. ask your healthcare professional if it's time for a change to trintellix. howie: pundits have been pushing for the resignation of john conyers in the midst of numerous charges of sexual harassment. >> it was violating my body. propositioning me, inviting me to hotels with the guys discussing business, and proposition me for sex. he has touched me in different ways, and it was very uncomfortable and very unprofessional. howie: the house leader dropped her support for her embattled

colleague. >> i pray for the congressman and his family and wish him well. but he should resign. howie: how important was marianne brown. she got the settlement with taxpayer money. how important was it for her to go on the show? >> i think the real reason behind it is this is washington politics colliding with the outcry and demand for us to deal with sexual harassment issues. things are different now. so it was pushed forward by marion brown. howie: you can see her on television rather than print.

do you think the media has been as aggressive with john conyers, especially with respect to the way they were with roy moore. >> they are chasing down democrats to find out why there is a different standard. we saw big media people go down quickly, but on capitol hill they stick around. we have several cases turning around. there has been no immediate exodus of those accused. the media has done a good job of pointing out there is a different standard. howie: half a dozen accusers against al franken. he's drawing critical coverage. but do you think the press has been more restrained with the

former snl star? >> the detroit news has a great story that parses out the difference why al franken and not john conyers being able to stay around in congress. he's being accused of groping. conyers is the power of harassment. marion brown said she believes he enjoyed creating a negative atmosphere for women in his office. howie: the media are making the distinction, they may see a racial aspect here as opposed to franken. >> they talked about who is accusing conyers. franken is white and he's not being asked to leave. but there are other people being a -- accused.

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misconduct. >> how do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation they have behaved badly. >> we are all trying to process it. you know. deal with it. along with you folks as well. howie: some past "today show" skits looking creepy in retrospect. >> drink it in, ladies. >> again, matt, really? >> get it while it lasts. howie: "variety" reported that matt lauer gave a woman a sex toy and scolded herd when she did not respond. >> our sources say several employees at the "today show"

knew. howie: joining us now from new york, lynn sherrer and. andy lack loved lauer out the door very quickly. >> nbc is adamant saying on monday night they got word of an accuser and that is what prompted the swift action. now in media circles a number of outlets have been looking into lauer's behavior the last two months. it's hard to believe they have didn't know this was out there. but they claim it wasn't until they were presented with a hard

evidence acueser coming forward they were able to go to lauer and say is there truth here. howie: lauer said there are no words to express my apology. some of what is said about me is untrue and mischaracterized, but there is enough truth to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. jeff zucker, a friend of lauer's for 25 years, once produced the "today show." your thoughts about that. >> this kind of upheaval is very, very painful. but the real shock is that they didn't know. the real shock is that they didn't expose him sooner. this is a man who was treating the workplace like a brothel.

and it was known. i heard the buzz for a long time just as i heard it about charlie rose before he was outed. just as i heard it about so many other people. i think the shock is that they didn't know sooner. it's a news organization. howie: with charlie rose many people said they didn't know. matt, i said nbc at least knew for weeks based on my reporting that the news organizations were pursuing these allegations instead of acting all shocked to hear about this complaint. now nbc news is reporting that they asked lauer for weeks whether he engaged in inappropriate conduct with staffers and lauer denied it. >> it depends on what they ask.

if you hear someone is reporting around a star like matt lauer. you may say what's going on here? is there something we should know about. and maybe you give your $25 million a year star the benefit of the doubt if he denies it. but they were given hard evidence from an accuser. >> but it wouldn't have just been buzz and media circles if someone set up an atmosphere where someone could have come forward sooner. you need to be proactive in these cases. by the way, howie, i worked for a guy at channel 2 news who had one of those buttons that shut the door. it's the creepiest thing in the world.

but it didn't lock it. howie: especially with a $25 million a year anchor. mika brzezinski said she heard the rumors about matt lauer. joe scarborough said it was just about philandering. >> there is a difference. the point is not just to say there will never be romance and sex in the workplace unless like the vice president a married man always has his wife with him. the difference is what's appropriate, what's inappropriate and what's repeated and what is not reciprocated. howie, the law hasn't changed much. sexual harassment has been against the law since the

1970s. the on thing that changed is our tolerance of this behavior. howie: you wrote a piece entitled "all men are not pigs." you had two of the three networks fire their anchors. now that it's happened at abc, cbs, nbc and elsewhere, it's being described as a societal problem. >> i think the culture itself has changed over the past few months in the wake of the harvey weinstein scandal. this is a complete realignment of the morning news programs. but it's coming at a time when there is upheaval everywhere. fox news was out on its own. there was a culture that roger

ailes created that permeated a lot. no one is saying andy look at nb lack isperpetuating the cult. >> not just nbc. i worked at abc news, i worked at the associated press. the number of emails i have gotten the past few weeks from women saying, oh manage the sigh of relief some of the guys we worked with are having now that they are retired. howie: minnesota public radio firing garrison keillor. and russell i a russell simmonsn

after an allegation of rape. coming up, how "the washington post" exposed a scam involving utterly false charges of rape and abortion against roy moore. hi...so i just got off the phone with our allstate agent, and i know that we have accident forgiveness. so the incredibly minor accident that i had tonight- four weeks without the car. okay, yup. good night. with accident forgiveness your rates won't go up just because of an accident. switching to allstate is worth it.

howie: "the washington post" was approached by a woman who made

inflammatory charges against roy moore saying the candidate i am presenting night her when she was 15 and drove her to have an abortion. >> it says that you are moving to new york. and that you accepted a job to work in the conservative media movement. is that a lie? and it's at the liberal msn? howie: a post reporter going into the offices of prong veritas. they specialize in stings designed to embarrass liberal news outlets. howie: joining us from new york,

roy hoffman. how did the "washington post" handle these explosive and fake allegations trying to trap the "post" reporters to say incriminating things about roy moore that could be captured on videotape. >> they have been transparent about how they uncovered her identity and pursued this story. and then when mr. o'keefe was exposed he put out videos of other "post" reporters in candid settings being very professional and being a little critical of their editorial side for being overly critical of the president. if this is an attempt to show bias on the part of the "washington post," it backfired

spectacularly. howie: he said the news side is trying to call bull when there is bull and give him credit when there is credit. you say james o'he keefe based this -- james o'keefe based this on an assumption how the mainstream media worked and they would rush into print with a half-baked allegation. >> i can only imagine the ignorance and malice on the part of o'keefe and his colleagues. they assumed it would get through. you can only assume that would work based on your notion these people are acting in very bad faith. similarly, these videos of "post" reporters undercover were only on the assumption of

ignorance. the audience might not know reporters have a conflicting relationship. it's your job to explain to the readers there is a difference between the reporters and the editorial. howie: it was originally off the record with the executive editor of the "post." you would something in commentary that caught my eye. you said tragically con there are media activists are becoming the partisan creatures they once worked to combat. >> the assumption is that your effort is to create an audience of media consumers who cannot be fooled by bias.

when activists act like mr. o'keefe did to exploit ignorance, when you are actively trying to court that ignorance to advance an agenda, you become the partisan creature you once vowed to expose. howie: in this case the "post" did the right thing. they looked into it and found out it just wasn't true. after the break, a big victory for the republicans as the senate passes a huge tax cut bill and the president accuses the "new york times" of out and out lobbying against it.

>> this is going to cost me a fortune. this is not good for me. >> no matter how you slice this thing, the gop tax plan is going to be a big boon for the wealthy and specifically the trump family. howie: donald trump tweeted this. the failing "new york times" has become virtual lobbyists with regard to our massive tax cut bill. a whole bunch of news stories saying this tax cut is tilted towards the wealthy and some middle class families will pay more. is there an underlying feeling of opposition to the contours of this bill?

shel -- shelby: the editorial board at the "new york times" tweeted out the numbers. howie: the opinion side, they can oppose the tax bill all they want. but suggesting call your senator. they take position on everything. but it's a little unseemly. shelby: now the bills have to be reconciled. so it's hard to say how it will end up. howie: there has been a steady drum beat that this doesn't help the middle class which at odds with the administration's argument that it does. shelby: i do think there is an argument that it does help the middle class. but it also helped wealthy americans.

so there are a number of arguments to be made. but it's too early, we don't have the final bill reconciled by the house and senate. >> is the legitimate reporting, has it been balanced by a look at what the positive impact might be? >> there is not much positive news coverage, but that tends to be the case. there was a lot of negative coverage, a lot of discussing how things would be changed negatively. people reading news want to know how these bills impact them. the "wall street journal" has covered it fairly. this did cause a lot of uproar. it's up to the viewer to decide if it's appropriate. when the "new york times" started tweeting out the phone numbers of senators, a lot of people said you are moving into

the realm of activism and lobbying. and that's different from what most of editorial boards do. the editorial board said it's to advocate policies we agree with and against policies we don't. howie: this raises questions how this adds a trillion to the debt when the obama administration doubled the nation's debt. shelby holliday, great to see you. shelby: super fun being here. howie: sean hannity make its cover of "time" magazine but not exactly in the way you want. s. if he'd taken tylenol, he'd be stopping for more pills right now. only aleve has the strength to stop tough pain

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times" magazine. but he was less than pleased with the cover shot after a 3-hour photo shoot. sean: here is what the "new york" magazine chose of me as a cover shot. could you pick a worse picture? here are three of the images. they all suck. howie: i thought the article was pretty fair. but those unflattering photos give ammunition to those who say the "new york times" wants to create and caricature of a fox news conservative. i hope you like our facebook page. i post my daily columns every day. write to us, mediabuzz @fox

news.com. 's we are back next week 11:00 a.m. eastern. see you then. eric: a fox news alert. we are after he waiting president trump's son-in-law and a representative, jared kushner, to speak out. he is appearing at saban forum. the administration is considering moving the u.s. each bassy to jerusalem. welcome to "america's news headquarters." i'm eric shawn. th