extraordinary journey. the story of america's preacher who was laid to rest on friday. that's it for today. have a great week. we will see you next "fox news sunday". howie: on the "buzzfeed" the media portray a white house under siege on several front. hope hicks resigns after saying she'd told white lies for the president. >> think about that, the white house communications director admits she lied whatever the color to the public. >> she admits she told a white lie. to me a white lie is the president would like to do the interview it's a nice way of doing no. howie:' jared kushner's security clearance is officially downgrade.

>> we have a rogue son-in-law of the president of the united states with nobody but the special prosecutor and perhaps the president of the united states knows what he has been up to. >> the way the media has been playing it up. either the obama administration lost its security clearance or didn't get security clearance and that wasn't big news back then. >> i think we may see the end of jared and ivanka. >> this is not normal. let's be clear. it is not normal to have a public spat with the attorney general over his independence. >> i agree with what the president said. the president should be telling the attorney general what he wants done. >> they tell me they are worried

about it because they say this has a different feel and he's spiraling, kind of lashing out, out of control. howie: is the press overdramatizing these developments? and why are the purpose dids slamming ivanka trump for challenging a question about her father's accusers. the press remains sceptical over why so few journalists are giving this president credit for challenging the nra. and alec baldwin says he's sick of playing president trump. i'm howard kurtz and this is media buzz live from washington. hope hicks who i first met in the first week of donald trump's

campaign stunned washington by re-signing. a communications director whose voice few americans have heard. president trump: she is a little shy, but she is really talented. hope, say a couple words. >> merry christmas, everyone, and thank you, donald trump. howie: conflicting accounts of what she said on capitol hill. mollie hemingway, and ed henry and capri cafaro. mollie, losing hope, very clever. hope hicks who stayed behind the scenes is being cast by the press as the latest sign of utter chaos at the white house.

molly: there seems to be a cyclical nature to the stories. the press every few weeks or every few months how things are spiraling out of control. a couple of months ago it was donald trump's mental health that was in question. clearly this white house is different from other white house. but i don't think anonymous sources have been serving our journalists very well. not only because they frequently turn out to be false. and also because reporters don't seem to understand this white house and president. howie: a lot of these anonymous sources seem to be in or around the white house. hope's departure came after that closed door testimony where she is alleged to have acknowledged

white lies on the president's behalf. she didn't try to spin it. she just said i'm out of here. ed: the press put a negative spin on something donald trump did? this is the same song playing over and over again. when you played those clips, is it live or mem oorkd or memorex. but to be fair and balanced, the white house is feeding it. there are people inside the white house other fringes of the white house, advisors to the president. some people puff themselves you have and they are not really advisors. but i have never seen a white house where people like to dump on themselves and dump on the

president. howie: others saying gary cohn may quit after the battle on tariffs, h.r. mcmasters. isn't it true that ultimately these are all staff. >> sure. there is no question the media is trying to really i think amplify the issue that there is turnover. they are trying to create this narrative that this rapid turnover is faster than it has been in any other white house. i did a little bit of digging. i consume media from a bunch of different sources. just a cursory research i did, npr headlined, trump containment team loses influence as chaos at the white house gets worse.

cnn, fueling trump's chaos. so it goes on and on. abc news, trump white house in disarray creates openings for u.s. rivals. how where no offense to hope hicks, she has been inning flungs. been -- been very influential. as every staffer is. howie: washington post anonymous officials say it's pure madness at the white house. jared kushner lost his top secret clearance. i wonder if anti-jared sources want to push him out.

molly: if you are going to use anonymous sources it's clear to know how you are being used. there are factions warring against each other at the white house. howie: ne "new york times," president trump is frustrated with mr. curb her. the "new york times" -- mr. kushner. a "new york times" story that curb numbers real estate company got $500 million in loans. no direct connection, no under case he got below end rates. ed: jared kushner rarely speaks. i think what's been going on. there was a leak that came out of nowhere. donald trump on drudge is

running for reelection and brad parscale is going to be the campaign manager. my understanding from people inside trump world, this was clearly leaked by jared kushner. kushner is looking for his way out. six months or a year from now. but they were locking that down, parscale is doing that. and that gives jared a way out. howie: all presidents are running for reelection. capri: i think there has been an intrigue surrounding this power couple and i think there are people inside and outside the white house who don't know what to make of this. howie: they never liked the fact that two members of the

president's family where high-level advisors. capri: they almost want them to fail. ed: the media has been out to get jared and ivanka. howie: let me get to this last point, the president himself stirring the point on twitter. asking the attorney general to investigate potential fisa abuse. why not use justice department hours? disgraceful. i say that's an important story because it goes to the independence of the attorney general. molly: i think it's also a media tweet. by putting it into this tweet

and attacking sessions, which is abnormal for most of presidents, completely non-abnormal for this president. you are forcing people to explain the context, this issue of fisa abuse. the media should be running hard on this story, and they are not. howie: sessions didn't push back. he put out a statement saying he conducted himself with honor and integrity. then you have the leaks that the president is furious with sessions. ed: there was a report that the president said he would replace sessions now but for the fact it would take a year to replace him. it's one thing after another with the media pile-on. when sessions is out there and

you have people from the obama days saying independence from the justice department is so important. they apparently slept through the obama administration. molly: the media have a conflict of interest moving this story. it's a felony to leak hassified information. the media themselves are the men fisheries. howie: imagine how the press would play it if sessions conducted the investigation himself rather than giving it to an i.g. a reminder to our california viewers. i'll be speaking tomorrow at the reagan library at 6:00 p.m. signing copies of my book. when we come back.

the president scolds republican senators for being afraid of the nra. but the president is more interested in debating his personal bravery.

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bullied people into making concessions on gun control. president trump: you know i believe, you don't know until you test it. but i believe i would run in even if i didn't have a weapon. i think most of of the people in this room would have done this, too. >> the most of object joke toughly cowardly man who ever occupied the presidency something not even people who were shot at in combat would have said. howie: it ends up in my view of overshadowing background checks. mollie: it's a dynamic of when the president says something stupid, the media overreacts. there was a story about how he

interest wrupted an armed robbery. howie: a hypothetical comment. mollie: in real life he interrupt an armed robbery. it's so bad that the media has been so involved in pushing gun control. everything we learn about the parkland shooting is a failure of government. the media pushing a disarm narrative is dishonest. capri: that's what happens every time. er time there is a school shooting. i say that as someone who is endorsed by the nra and had a school shooting in my district. howie: when the president said

he was criticizing the deputy sheriffs who did not go in. he said it in front of the cameras and there was an avalanche. i'm struck by the fact you said disarm yourself narrative. the president seemed to be trying to find common ground. but there is less debate about that and less credit to the president for at least appearing to take on this powerful group that backed him. capri: here is what i say coming from the democrat perspective. president trump what he said publicly, i think has given people hope that there is finally going to be some kind of activity surrounding this issue because there hasn't been any coming out of congress. and the white house can't do it alone. they have to do it with

congressional -- howie: the president was talking about dealing with the mentally ill. he said take the guns first. mollie: mike pence is talking about gun violence restraining orders. if you are worried about someone committing violence with a gun, you can get a restraining order. then trump talked and said let's get rid of due process. that's a horrific thing to hear from a president. that's what supports the narrative that he's a tyrant. yet the media who is so quick to speak out. they didn't even notice these violations of the second amendment or constitutional protections. capri: they latched on to the

fact that he said one thing in a public meeting. howie: the president said i met with the nra at another time. the nra makes it look like he's back them up on other things. ed: we all scream for more access to presidents. i did it when i was running a white house correspondents association. he's opening up these negotiations. but it's transparent and open and we are seeing the sausage being made. howie: instead of having to rely on leaks. howie: it makes for good television and we'll see if it makes good policy. the flap over the nbc question to ivanka about the women accusing her father. my name is jeff sheldon,

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howie: a hacker or hackers targeted the "miami herald" creating a bogus fake news story that a middle school faced an attack spreading fear. alex, some hack were created two fake tweets under your name, totally bogus. what do those tweets say? >> the first tweet showed a real tweet i sent but they changed the fluent center saying -- changed the photo in the center, and they asked did you see the shooter, was he white? howie: how realistic did these

tweets look? >> they looked real. they were either photo shopped, and had the blue rare tie on it. it set up an explosion online. people thought it was race baiting and thought it was coming at the story with an agenda. the tweet about the shooter's race took off more than the tweet asking for photos of dead bodies. howie: how do you fight back? a lot of people never find out the tweets are bogus. >> i was trying to get the stories of these victims and survivors out.

every time i opened twitter it was an avalanche of people screaming at me. howie: in the middle of this heartbreaking tragedy. jack dorsey, the founder of twitter said he didn't have a fix for the problem but he might run solutions by you. what was your reaction to that conversation. >> i am interested in the solutions they bring forward. but i respect there is not a scalable solution and i understand twitter doesn't want to censor viewpoint. howie: it's good that founder of the company called you, but they have to find a way to fix this. alex harris, thank you for joining us.

howie: next dave bossie.

howie: ivanka trump was representing our country at the olympics when this question which peter alexander touched off a media frenzy. >> do you believe your father's accusers. >> i think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he affirmatively stated there is no truth to it. i don't think that is a question you would scoter daughters. i believe my father. i know my father. i think i have that right as a daughter to believe my father.

>> message to ivanka trump. you are a presidential advisor, that question is totally fair game. it's not just that she has taken and job with a formal title. she has taken on the issue of me too rrp and women's rights. >> it was a rude question and you know he would never have asked anybody else that question and the only reason he asked her is because she is the daughter of donald trump. howie: cathy areu and kristin tate. kristin, let's start with nbc. was there something out of line with an nbc correspondent asking ivanka trump to weigh in on the women who accused the president of having affairs or sexual harassment. kristin: this is why so many americans hate the media it was

an attempt to embarrass ivanka trump. ivanka made herself a top dwoft official and she cannot exempt herself from tough questions about the president just because the president is her father. i think what's making conservatives angry about this is we rarely see the left being asked questions like this. they were untouchable subjects with hillary clinton. howie: she did answer the question, but kristin says it was and obnoxious question but not an unfair one. cathy: the made what does have the right to ask the big questions. the sad part is we aren't

hearing answers from ivanka like we would like to anymore. but i'm glad the media is still asking the big questions. the clintons did have lots of questions asked. chelsea clinton was asked about her father's behavior in 2016. so they are not ruling out ivanka trump or the trumps in any way. the media is doing what it does best, asking the questions. howie: whether ivanka answered the question or didn't answer the question it was meant to make news. but was it asked because she was the president's daughter? if you had the same situation at the olympics and it had been kellyanne conway would nbc ask that question. or was it because she was the president's daughter? kristin: probably a combination

of both. we all know the media despises the trump administration. 95% of media coverage of trump during the first year of his administration was negative. ivanka is an independent strong woman who caused her own path in a business surrounded by strong men. but because she is the daughter of the most of hated man in modern political history, she is subject to vicious attacks. howie: ivanka trump in the past generally got good press for her career in new york. i wonder what you think underlying this is a kind of a resentment. we talked about jared kushner, too. that they shouldn't be there. they shouldn't have these jobs. but even if you believe that as

a journalist, aren't they entitled to fair coverage. cathy: they are getting fair coverage. if it was anyone else, these people probably would have been kicked out of the white house already. howie: why would ivanka trump have been kirked out of the white house. cathy: they are such a distraction. kristin: you can't get kicked out for being a distraction. cathy: she was selling her dresses on qvc. no one has on that in the history of our politics. here is my father, he's running for president, buy my dress. howie: i understand questions about jared kushner because he's entangled in the russian investigation. ivanka trump becoming a distraction? i think we are seeing here, i

wonder kristin, whether you think there is just sort of an an misananimus following this c. do you think this is driven by press negativity? kristin: yes. the media is probably overblowing the amount of chaos in the white house. trump has a bold, brash personality, he tells it like it is, and that probably does cause conflict in the white house be especially those who are used to the swamp. the heritage foundation found trump accomplished 63% of his agenda goals in the first year.

howie: cathy, do you think the chaos is overdram tightsed? -- over dram dram dramatized. cathy: the media has to report on it. they are telling the facts. howie: great to see you both, cathy and kristin. the press says the white house is being damaged by this bad press. does alec baldwin really want to stop playing the president? whoooo.

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howie: what the press is portraying as a very rocky week for the president, i sat down with dave bossie, president of citizens united and a fax news contributor. cnn says advisors are concerned the president is spiraling. axios is quoting he's in a bad place. somebody is telling these things to journalists.

what is your take? dave: it's unfair for people to be doing that off the record and it's detrimental to our country. it's not factual. you look at what the president is doing and how this country is moving forward on the economy and peace through strength. howie: you are saying the white house is smoothly functioning right now? dave: everybody can have their pun on how this white house should run. washington, d.c. has been broken for a long time. you have a non-politician get elected. somebody who is not part of the establishment. and he's a change agent. that's what got him elected. and he's doing things differently. that disrupts the status quo in washington and makes people uncomfortable. he's got his make america great

again agenda, he made promises and he's keeping them. howie: scaramucci rrp said the following. >> fear and intimidation does not work in a civilian environment. it's messed up. it will be up to the president to figure out if he wants to fix it. howie: fear and intimidation. dave: i think anthony has his opinion. and i do get concerned about the more the -- of the morale of the staff. but this president through this leadership, the economy is now starting to soar. his actions keep that place running because they know, the people inside that building know they are part of what's making america great again.

howie: you worked with hope hicks during the campaign. was her decision to leave spurred by the huge coverage of her house testimony? dave: i'm a huge fan of hope hicks. i believe she is one of the nicest, most of thoughtful and incredibly hard working people i have ever had the pleasure of working beside. she had the president's ear and that's been known for years. i'm glad she has been that person who has been able to be somebody who is close to this president. howie: she is joining the wave of those who are leaving. dave: there is no easy time for somebody like her to leave. whether it's that day or another day it will still be the same coverage of why and when. she'll stay in touch with this president and be part of his orbit but be on the outside.

howie: there has been a wave of negative stories with jared kushner. do you think the press has tonight for jared and ivanka and would like to see him go back to new york. dave: it's so unfair. it seems to be the sport in this town to kill those who come here to work. jared and ivanka come here to serve all americans in those posts they currently hold. helping the president. jared and ivanka are volunteers. they don't take a salary. they take this beating for nothing. howie: the "wall street journal" saying mr. kushner and ivanka have to decide if they would serve themselves and the president better by walking away from their forker white house role. dave: jared is under attack. would it be better for him to

leave? i personally am one who would tell jared if he was listening to me to say, i wouldn't walk away from this. i would say to the president, i serve at your pleasure and i will be here as long as you want me. howie: do you think the press is giving the president enough credit and any credit for at least in some measures challenging the nra? dave: he challenges conventional wisdom. that's what he has always done. howie: why do you think the press has not given his him due in tackling this emotional and controversial issue? >> the democrats even though they say they want a solution. they only want their solution which is to grab the guns. it's similar to the immigration debate. i believe the press is on the democrats' side. i believe the mainstream media

does hold out on those issues towards the democrats' side of it. the immigration issue, the president tried to make concerted effort to try to meet them wasn't the republican orthodoxy, it was something they wanted to get done. they hate this president more than they want to see this country succeed. howie: dave bossie, thanks so much for stopping by. after the break. alec baldwin claims he's fed up mocking donald trump and the president punching back

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[♪] >> no one loves the second amendment and due process more than me. but maybe we just take everyone's guns away.

nobody is aloud to have a gun. not even whites. howie: alec baldwin on snl says it's become agony to play donald trump on "saturday night live." the president didn't like that. an hour after my next guest report on baldwin's jabs tweeted this. alec baldwin whose dying career was saved by playing me on snl now says it was agony for those who were forced too watch. howie: is baldwin being a bit disingenuous when it has brought him so much fame to mock a president he clearly december

pie -- -- he despises.you know,e president's tweets about celebrities because he's trying to make a point. i think this falls in the latter categories. but poll after poll shows the american people don't like this behavior from the president. so you would think he would take that into consideration. but the president's desire to settle scores trumps the polling. howie: i think even people who aren't crazy about the president's tweeting think he has the right to hit back against a guy who hits the

president. i think the american people will give the president some slack on this. >> he usually does have some semblance of a point as to why he's tweet being that. but on the flip side of that,er time he tweets about one of his enemies he gives them an incredible amount of publicity. this works in alec baldwin's favor because a sneak peek is being aired about his talk show. maybe more people will tune in to watch. howie: . . ity omarosa is taking another shot at the president and his white house. >> it's all i had what my word. oh, freedom, i feel like i just

got freed off a plantation. howie: she said because i was black nobody would talk to me at the white house. carley: she is getting serious criticism for using something as serious as slavery to her time at the white house. she created a career and identity off knowing the president. now she has created a new identity of being president trump's number one critic. her main goal is to create as many headlines as possible. howie: plantation slavery was way over the line. still to come, a plea for help from twitter which has been rocked by a whole lot of problems. successful people have one thing in common. they read more.

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howie: fox's executive vice president and executive editor has retired. moody is leaving shortly after his offensive peace on the u.s. olympic committee saying its slogan should be darker, gayer. fox pulled that from their website. twitter has been accused of censorship and political bias. good for dorsey to ask for experts to submit proposals for problems facing twitter. let me know what you think on twitter @howard kurtz.

you want to email us. mediabuzz@foxnews.com. see you next sunday with the latest buzz. hope you will b >> president trump taking criticism and doubling down for tariff plans for steel and aluminum import. >> this is an action to protect our national security and economic security. >> we are asking those very questions, when did you know the dossier was funded by the democratic party. >> oscar is 90 year's old tonight which means he's probably at home watching fox news. >> we are dreamers. ♪ ♪