howie: on the buzz meter. president trump stuns the world by saying he'll meet with kim jong-un and the press is deeply divided. >> the president solves this problem he'll go down as a great president. >> president trump proves the experts wrong again and scores a stunning diplomatic triumph. >> he's horrible at making deals, that's why he ended up $9 billion in debt. now a deal with north korea? >> he couldn't even make a deal

with a porn star. >> this is peace through strength and action. howie: the media are split over the meeting with little rocket man'. the president bucks his party by imposing tariffs. and gary cohn is being treated like and hero. >> this looks like a ship, it's sinking and people are jumping. >> he's telling people how sad he is about working in the white house. >> we can't afford to have people like gary koanl leaving the white house. we have anthony scaramucci, sebastian gorka and a series of rodeo clowns.

howie: the stormy daniels story from a decade ago turns into a hush money story. michael cone rrp received a restraining order to keep her from talking about the agreement. >> there was a payment and we assert it was to silence her. plus a sit-down with jennie willoughby, one of rob porter's ex-wifes. i'm howard kurtz and this is

"mediabuzz." the state department told reporters thursday the u.s. was not going to talk to the kim re jean. but the president said he'll accept north korea's offer to talk. >> the press for two hours is going, this is fantastic, this is amazing. a certain anchor on cnn, fake as hell, cnn, said this is really something. he would go down as a truly great president if this happened. nbc is worse than cnn. then i get up in the morning, same people, they are saying not that big a deal. anybody could have done it. obama could have done it. howie: joining me to analyze the coverage.

gillian turner, mollie hemingway, senior editor at "the federalist" and a fox news contributor. and adrienne elrod. gillian i have heard the meeting shouldn't take place. i haven't heard anybody say the meeting is not a big deal. gillian: the reason the media is all over this because nothing make for a good story other than a nuclear summit. especially when it's between one world leader and one dictator' who have been treating jabs the last year. the administration's tone has changed on north korea the last couple weeks. the media reaction we are seeing is a reflection of that. howie: after so much media

disparagement of the president calling him little rocket man, plus the sanctions, does this cast it in and different light? gillian: it does. the administration has gone from every opportunity reminding the north they have a bigger nuclear button and military capabilities. now president trump is acting like the triangulator-in-chief. there is a dramatic change in tone. it's and reaction of reality. howie: the media says there is a reason no previous president has met with a north korean dictator. mollie: i think they are not understanding a lot of the context of this, saying you

can't legitimize someone like kim and previous presidents would have never done this. previous presidents did things' and didn't achieve anything. i think people on the right who oppose trump are move interventionist than the average republican. i think you are not hearing a lot of the principled realism dominating current foreign policy. howie: few in the press believe donald trump can do this. some are saying will this meeting end up taking place. is the media's scepticism'

justified? >> you are seeing people like aaron burnett who said if this takes place. it's incredible. i think the media will come around to being more open miernlded and different approaches. howie: we are seeing made yag warnings that north koreans are very good at long drawn out negotiations with a lot of promises that don't get fulfilled. is it the roll of the press to point out history which has not been favorable to the u.s.? gillian: yes. i don't see the media commenting on, and this is the thing i thought everybody would jump on at once. president trump ran on a foreign policy program that was in opposition to president obama's

twrawn nuclear deal. i thought the media would jump on him for agreeing to replicate that. he's willing to sit down with a u.s. adversary to negotiate a nuclear deal. mollie: the iran deal is not denuclearization rather than delaying nuclearizationing. gillian: it's similar parameters and the media is not pointing that out. howie: north korea is a rogue regime. the comments that's trump is a madman and' oh, my god, he's going to have a diplomatic effort and sit down with kim

jong-un. mollie: some of that extreme departure is understandable. but they went from being so upset with his rhetoric. then we have peace talks and denuclearization on the table and they are upset with that as well. if north korea said we are willing to talk denuclearization and trump said forget it i think he would have received a lot of criticism. literally no matter what he does he'll be criticized for it. howie: the press is convinced the president has a lone ranger style. is this being framed as president of the united states disregarding the experts and winging it because he's such a great deal maker? adrienne: i think the media is rightfully critical of his

tweets. trying to tweet by diplomacy. that's a serious concern. howie: most of presidents didn't have twitter. maybe it worked. maybe the fire and fury convinced kim that he needed to come to the table. adrienne: it's hard to make sure what makes sense because former presidents did not have success. howie: individual journalists the were called out at last night's pennsylvania rally. president trump: it's 1999, i'm on "meet the press," a show with chuck todd, a sleepy on of a bitch. i'm reading peggy noonan and she

is writing like i'm some kind of neanderthal. gillian: i don't know what it gets him but it's incredibly effective with the folks who are supportive of him. it -- his criticism of the mainstream media works for a lot of republicans, too, though you don't see them coming forth and touting that. this is a president who i think for the republican party is representing a sentiment and feeling about the media that has been bubbling forth for many decade. that's why we don't see folks like speaker paul ryan and senator john mccain come down hard on him for that. howie: really classy, explain

that to your children. hewlett said donald trump only slams those he's afraid of. mollie: people have said it's something revolutionary about him doing it here when he has don't for decades. it shows to a wide audience they still don't understand how donald trump speaks. and they don't get his humor. the media acts so prim and proper. this also the issue that's chuck todd had been hostile to the president of the steel workers union. when donald trump attacks chuck todd who just attacked steel workers they think he'll fight for me. howie: let me point to this

morning, the president tweeting about a "new york times" story saying he'll may bring a new lawyer on to his legal team in the russia investigation. he called that a fake story and accused the "times" of saying he's unhappy with his current lawyer, and it doesn't actually say that. maggie haberman says he's a flunky. adrienne: this is what donald trump does. he attacked chuck, he attacked maggie, this is what he does. howie: maggie haberman tweeted

that the story was confirmed. the reagan library talking about my new book this week. when we come back. the press gives gary cohn a sendoff. jennie willoughby on her issue with rob porter. you can't predict the market, but through good times and bad at t. rowe price we've helped our investors stay confident for over 80 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence.

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ayou know what's not awesome? gig-speed internet. when only certain people can get it. let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello. that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party. howie: michael cohen's rest is -- gary cohn's resignation caused controversy.

is there a scintilla of doubt most of members of the mainstream media side with gary cohn on tariffs on aluminum and steel? mollie: there are no good economic arguments for doing tariffs if you just view it economically. that narrow prism is the only way people in the media are looking at it. the trump administration says it's a national security issue. they think the fundamental issue is whether a country should have steel and aluminum capabilities or not. so broadening out that discussion would help them not be so biased. howie: gary cohn left because of a policy disagreement. well, he wasn't elected. but the press seems to love gary cohn suddenly.

adrienne: the press likes gary cohn because he was a stable figure in the white house. and journalists have relationships with gary cohn as well. howie: if you talk to reporters and feed the beast, it helps with your public image. adrienne: i don't know about that. but he has credibility on economic issues. coming from the stand point that he's leaving because they did have a seminal disagreement. howie: the political headline has the word disaster in it. an unnamed white house official quoted saying with gary:gone from a policy perspective it means disaster. leaks from within the white house also fueling this narrative. gillian: i don't know that i

agree with you guys so much that he has been a beloved figure in the media. i see this turn as more of a departure for the media. i think the reason they are showering him with this love, this is the first time we have seen someone leave the administration because they have a policy difference with the president. i think it's better to chew over than when somebody leaves after a scandal like scaramucci or tom price. it's one thing to say i don't think the president is moving in a direction that's good for the company. howie: cohn did take some heat from the press and criticized the president's remarks after charlottesville. the media often forgets, this is what he promised during the

campaign. i think that the trump administration is viewing this as a bargaining tip. and china is able to get steel into the u.s. in a way that is helping them and hurting us. we need to have that bigger position as well. howie: great to see you all. ahead, the stormy daniels saga is back on the front pages. the on-air humiliation of former trump aide sam nunberg. was he exploited by the cable news anchors? was not an option for us. i am taking the steps to own a home because i want my children to know it's all so that they can have a better life.

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nunberg show. it prompted some sharp criticism of cable news. he was a former campaign aide that was fired. and he decided to tell the world again and again that he had no intention of cooperating. >> if you are going to defy a grand jury are you worried about being held in contempt of court? >> let's see what mr. mueller does. >> are you worried about being arrested? >> i think it would be funny if they arrested me. >> if you are asking my opinion, it sounds like a pain, but he is the special counsel and he has the long arm of the law. howie: why is nunberg saying this? he didn't have to hide his motivation. >> i'm not a fan of donald trump. he treated me like crap.

okay? howie: as the day went on he threw out allegations. >> what do they have? >> i don't know. >> i think some people are worried about you and worried about what usual doing. we just showed the white house doesn't want to comment on this. you are in the eye of the storm. >> hut up. and he criticized sarah huckabee sanders for her physical appearance. >> i smell alcohol on your breath. >> i haven't had a drink. >> it is the talk out there. howie: if he was, the hangover showed up the next day. >> say the networks exploited

the guy who was melting down. but cable news focused on getting the best bookings for their hour. sam nunberg wanted to deliver a message that's news. there was nothing wrong with under viewing him, but he couldn't cooperate some of the wild stuff. she was known to the press as rob porter's ex-wife. now jennie willoughby will be here to talk about a scandal she never sought. the president's lawyer is being accused of trying to buy stormy daniel's silence.

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howie: i spoke to the

president's lawyer about stormy daniels trying to overturn a non-disclosure agreement. cohen was the one who had her sign the agreement. >> the idea an attorney would go off on his own without his client's lawyer and engage in this agreement is ludicrous. >> the story line is a porn star was paid $130,000 by the president's personal lawyer to keep her mouth shut about an affair that took place around the time his son was being born. this is not a good story line for the president. howie howie: cohen told me i committed no crime.

the sole purpose of these negative attacks is an attempt to malign our president and distract from his historic achievements over the past year. in austin, texas, jess tatar love, and emily jashinsky. does the hush money aspect and michael cohen getting this restraining order gets stormy daniels make it war think front-page news? emily: wet allegations first surface -- when the allegations first surfaced, people blinked. but when you are naming him in a lawsuit, then we are talking about front page news. howie: jessica let me read you another comment from my

interview with michael cohen. he says where i have been mistreated is by the talking heads on the various news programs making comments on their opinion and limited knowledge of the event. but the trump white house hasn't been answering questions about this. jessica: michael cohen could help us out and make it clear what happened here. this story went through so many iterations. now we ended up at a place where trump's personal lawyer used his personal email account to do it. if this happened with president obama, the country would be on fire. because president trump was on the cover of playboy and he can talk to howard stern about inappropriate things.

that he would pay hush money right before the election in november. it is insane and it is front page news and there may be legal ramifications and that's why congress is paying attention to it. howie: here is perhaps the most of newsworthy thing he told me. michael cohen said stormy daniels denied the allegations on multiple occasions. mr. trump denied the allegation as well. just because something isn't true it doesn't mean it can't cause you harm and damage. despite claims by the liberal media this was not done for the campaign but for trump personally. he said he did this for his

client and not to influence the campaign. >> there is all these legal details we have to hash out. we have to talk about this in the larger context of the news cycle. bernie sanders had an interesting comment to jake tapper. he says cnn is talking about this, but we had terrorists in the news and shootings in the news, so it's a crowded news cycle. how where he may seek damages over the breaking of this agreement. first she claimed they had an affair, then she let a statement to be released saying no affair. now she is having her lawyer say the opposite as she sues the president. i would like all of it could be looked into. let's be fair to each member of

the cast of characters. credibility is a question here. we know the money transfer was made. and i get it, sometimes people pay people off because it can be damaging, not because it happened. but it's frustrating. howie: we haven't seen the emails and documentation because of the non-disclosure. stormy daniels taped and interview with 60 minutes with anderson cooper. but i don't think cbs can run this unless the none disclosure business is resolved. liberal pundits should remember this is not bill clinton having sex with an intern and lying about it while he was in office. it was a long time ago

consensual affair. >> i don't think it's something we should ignore. if we do ignore it, it's passive acceptance of it. but there are key distinctions. this is a different time. there is so much happening in the news. the media has to keep their viewers in mind. >> i have gotten flack saying don't touch this story. jessica tarlov, emily jashinsky, thanks foe coming by. howie: jennie willoughby is on deck. 'sup, world? it's the box with 30% savings for safe drivers. coming at you with my brand-new vlog. just making some ice in my freezer here. so check back for that follow-up vid. this is my cashew guy bruno. holler at 'em, brun.

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abusive treatment by your ex-husband. it's a period of your life you thought you left behind. it was a year ago i wrote the blowing post that initiated this. it was my therapy and my attempts to help other people who might be in that situation. when the media caught wind of that and they started investigating rob, that's when i got pulled into this. howie: you just wrote a "washington post" op-ed and said they haven't apologized for mishandling the situation. what would you like the president to say? >> anybody suffering from domestic violence, this is a moment for the white house to draw a line in the sand and say this is not okay. after other national crises,

that's what the president is for. rather than doing that, he missed the opportunity to do that. howie: you write that john kelly the chief of staff added insult to injury by describing it as just accusation of a messy divorce. >> what bothers me about that is a larger societal issue that we can put a hierarchy to a view. somehow emotional abuse is something you can overlook and the physical abuse is where you draw the line. howie: you did have the punching of the glass, but emotional abuse is what you feel you went through. >> emotional abuse is where it starts. howie: what kind of backlash have you gotten? you have gone the a lot of hate

mail. >> you have a lot of people concerned i am out for revenge to tear down rob's career and the white house. why would i want to do this? i didn't. i don't. howie: you said you weren't calling him to lose his job. >> no, i trusted the federal bureau of investigation to do their job in determining whether he would be able to stay in that position. it was not my desire to make that decision. howie: was there a lot of vitriol directed at you personally? >> yes. a lot of people questioning my credibility. am i getting paid. has my alimony stopped? >> i put that marriage behind me years ago and did the healing i needed to do. the reason i chose to speak out is i wanted people to not be

able to mischaracterize my words on my blog post. howie: there was a sense that you were pushing a hidden agenda. how much of a problem is it when you go farther and a man's colleagues say -- it's true more generally. he's such a terrific guy at work. he's so talented, he would never do that. the claim must be exaggerated. >> if somebody has the same behaviors they had at home in private, if they are that same way in public they wouldn't have the job they have. people wouldn't want to work with them and people wouldn't be friend with them. there is a duality they are able to maintain which makes it next to impossible for co-workers to believe they could be that different at home. howie: are you reluctant to be labeled a victim forever and

branded that way? >> i don't consider myself a victim. i don't want that to be my label. i cringe that my label now is rob porter's ex-wife because i am so much more than that and i always have been. i hope people suffering an abusive situation can see this is not something that will define you forever. howie: it's not the only thing you have done or are doing. do you want to get out of the spotlight or do you feel compelled to speak out? >> i originally wanted to get out of the spotlight. now that i have had time to dissect it and read the comments and supportive gotten from the domestic violence community i do feel compelled to speak. i wanted to elevate domestic violence to a national stage.

the way the white house handled it is emblematic of how the nation will handle it. howie: do you think journalists were generally fair to you despite the public backlash? >> i think the media was fair in reporting my words. they were reporting generally. but the initiation of this scandal. but i feel the media missed out on an opportunity. they took the security clearance issue, the potential cover-up or whatever the might house may have been doing. they told the story they shot people wanted to hear. and missed the opportunity to tell the story the public needs to hear. that's how we as a society address and shy away from. howie: many women who suffer domestic abuse are reluctant to speak out. if they are not connected to

somebody famous, it's hard. >> even after my blog post has gone public, even after i have gone public, having to relive this experience, people still question and not want to believe me. so what hope does that give someone who is not in the public eye. howie: we appreciate you having the conversation on camera today. bill maher calls out the media for phoney outrage stories.

howie: bill maher went off and manufactured controversies such as supposed outrage that actress jennifer lawyers was

photographed in a promo where all the men are wearing coats and she isn't. >> no wonder fake news resonates so much with trump fans. so much of it is fake. just nonsense to keep you perpetually offend by controversies that aren't controversial and outrages that aren't outrageous. places like the "huffington post" make their money by how many clicks they get. howie: aren't you tired of these stories about twitter is outraged about x. mollie: if you are going to write about outrage, make sure it's somewhat genuine.

howie: this is a promo shoot for the movie "red sparrow" with jennifer lawrence she chose to do. maher says. mollie: she got pushback. she had an instagram post in response to it. a lot of the people in the media don't know how to write about pretty women. they know people like to look at pictures of jennifer lawrence and they don't want to objectify them, so they come up with other reasons. they do like to write about attractive women but they don't want to seem sexist and they need a fig leaf.

you are giving away the secret here. mollie: there is a responsible on people. when you talk about something going viral, it's because readers like to click on it. think about whether you are choosing the most of edifying it. howie: on the frivolous stuff is there such a hunger for clicks that no one can resist in or does this boomerang against one side if it's done too often. poll require's one thing to see a random blog get clicks. but major publications that have parts of their website linking to anything. if we are going to hold ourselves up as being important for civility and good

discussions, we have a responsibility to do what's right. how report echo chamber effect. saying it's really hot, it's going viral. everyone is talking about it because everybody is ginning it up. poll rrl we seem to have a tyranny of outrage. think about ways to cover other things other than shows outraged. howie: it looks like barack obama is getting his own show and joy bay hairs finally sorry for mocking christians. uncertain... but you can feel confident in our investment experience around the world. call us or your advisor... t. rowe price. invest with confidence.

howie: here's an embarrassing correction. the "new york times" created a hypothetical family and said their taxes will likely soar.

it turns out the paper made a mistake and the taxes for mr. an -- formr. and mrs. hypotl decrease by $46. barack obama' and michelle obama are going to have a show on netflix. joy behar was pressured to apologize to mike pence for her crack about him talk to jesus. i'm showered kurtz. continue the conversation on twitter @howardkurtz. check out my facebook page and give us a like. if you want to email us, come at

us. set your dvrs. we'll be back next sunday 11 rrp eastern with the latest buzz. [♪] arthel: the president on the campaign trail celebrating his tax reform and after rivers on aluminum and steel in moon township yesterday. welcome to news *, i'm arthel neville. eric: "i'm eric shawn. saccone is facing a tough race against democratic opponent conor lamb. the president is