sunday. have a great week. chris will be back next week. we will see you next fox news sunday. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ president trump is battling back against thunderous condemnation from the media on the left, the media and the right over his press conference with vladimir putin after he tried to clarify his remarks. >> you have been watching one of the most disgraceful levels of american president at a summit in front of a russian leader that i've ever seen. >> he has gone from snarling alpha dog in brussels, blasting our allies to vladimir putin's lapdog in helsinki. >> i would say his performance today will live in infamy as much as the pearl harbor attack. >> plenty of attention paid to a steady stream of criticism

though hardly unanimous. >> that just made it disgusting. that made his performance disgusting. that's how i feel. it's not a right or less than, it's just wrong. >> to appease russia in favor, in disfavor to our intelligence community shocked me. >> according to the abusively by his press, the sky is literally falling. the world, as you know it is over and the president of you the american people, duly elected, is a traitor in the pocket of vladimir putin and russia. >> to some of the attacks go too far? why do they say they are waging war. are the own advisers hurting him with damaging news after helsinki. we have an exclusive interview with sean spicer. plus the president hits back that michael cohen was secretly taping him. one case a possible payment involving karen mcdougall. does that justify this latest media explosion?

this is media buzz. >> perhaps the biggest media firestorm of the trump presidency started after this question. >> my first question is who do you believe. >> dan coats came to me and they said they think it's russia. i have vladimir putin who just said it's not russia. i will say this, i don't see any reason why it would be. i have great confidence in my intelligence people, but i will tell you vladimir putin was extremely strong and powerful in houston i'll. >> the next day in what they dubbed the do over he tried to clarify his remarks. >> i came back and i said what is going on? what's the big deal.

i got a transcript that i reviewed and a key sentence in my remarks i said the word would instead of what it. i said why it wouldn't be russian. >> most of the reaction ranged from skepticism to mockery. >> how stupid does he think we are? the presidents excuse for his embarrassing press conference where he sided with vladimir putin over his own intelligence chief does not add up. >> this is one of those times where his denial all but confirms what he said. >> that's the hostage taper the president buckled to criticism. we don't know what he's saying, that's exactly what happened. he buckled. this is politics after all. >> joining us to analyze the coverage, liz from foxbusiness, the host of count down to the closing bell. jessica is research director

and also a fox news contributor. liz, let's start with this media explosion. it was perhaps the most intense level of moral condemnation we've seen in his whole presidency. do you think it's been fair? >> i have to say that initially, when you look at all of the attacks, it was a real pylon but from every side, you even showed some of the fox news journalist here and some of the pundits here and when you've got the friendliest, so-called the friendliest because each takes a different perspective on things and that's always been the case even well before president trump and when you see the fox news journalist for almost two a person coming out and condemning or at least criticizing how the president had handled the, you've got to ask yourself, the president called the other side fake media. are we now the fake news media? it just did not strike a positive chord considering what happened. >> that was exactly what i was

ask you. putting that aside for a moment, wall street journal editorial page, personal and national embarrassment, they said congress had censured the president pretty becomes harder to paint this is the liberal media run amok. >> absolutely. whatever the president does there certain people who will stand behind him. we had newt gingrich coming out thing this was the worst day of his residency and most serious mistake. everybody was kind of an agreement. he said what are we fake news media now it was just a bad day. there was no other way to spin it. the publicity was not good and it couldn't have been. >> at the same time do you think some of the liberal criticism went a little too far they can. this to pearl harbor, kristallnacht, others declared

trump to be a traitor even before the press conference. >> trader has been thrown around since he assumed office. it is a lot to stomach to see him standing there next to vladimir putin who we know is a murderous, thug, dictator and not only say i'm not sure what he did but acquitted kate on everything and give him far more credit than he is due and make him seemed like the big guy in the room. like for the big dogs in the room wher we are the exceptional nation. >> i get that you are critical but does treason and a traitor go too far. >> there are definitions of these things but i think it's more than a botched press conference but we talk about impeachment, you can't just throw that around. what are you going to impeach him on? what are the reasons to call him a traitor? we have definitions. yes i think we go too far but as liz pointed out these are both sides of the aisle. everyone is ashamed of that.

>> saying it was stacked against them from the get-go, he was the dealer. i think that was the problem. a two-hour closed-door meeting was his choice. and then suddenly a picture surfaced of milani trump reading vladimir putin because the russian pool somehow got a hold of that. that doesn't seem to be the narrative that we got of him sticking up for the american side. >> i still think that went too far and i think when people hear words like treason in the media, a lot of people who are on his side are less likely to listen to any of it. >> it turns him off. at one point he said why do the clarification but when he did the clear face clear clarification they said things like a hostage take. why can he say he misspoke

without all of this he didn't mean it, he's not being sincere. >> i think it's because he waited so long to do it. if he would've set i meant to say wouldn't. he gave two interviews on this channel and didn't mention that once. if he had did that then people might be more likely to believe him but it was a last-ditch effort. >> let me ask about dan coats. it was a spectacle of him being interviewed in aspen, learning while the cameras were rolling that they had invited him to washington this fall and he had some couch criticism. >> did you have any idea of what happened in that meeting. >> i don't know what happened in that meeting. if you asked me how that had to be conducted i would've suggested in a different way but that's not my role. >> you have administration

officials saying he had gone rogue. this president doesn't necessarily consult his advisers. >> that's because it's true. you can't get a more honest moment than him hearing that and him saying what because i think that's what all of us were thinking especially with the midterm election coming up. how does that benefit you to have them here in the white house. it's not the economy, it's not healthcare but it does matter. the problem is not the 27 hours, the problem is it's a lie. he speaks english. he knows the difference between wood and wouldn't. >> on what basis are you declaring that he's lying when he said he didn't mean to say what he said. >> the number of times he has said before and where he has said russia had meddled in the election but overwhelmingly came down on the side --

>> coats then put out the statement that it was mischaracterized and i know they meant to be critical. i do want to ask you about some of these leaks. people from behind the curtain of anonymity, we gave them an opportunity be tough vladimir putin but he ignored it. this is a total disgrace. he lost his mind. should the le the press let people say that without their names being attached. >> howard you and i have a comfortable position as members of the american press where we expect we can say or report what we want. it's our duty but when the president's inner circle are some of the people dropping the time on the president, do you hide that? i can't tell people how often

how often we've had dimes dropped by the inner circle. if we told you who they were, you would be surprised for their close and supportive of the president but goes back to this confusion. people make mistakes. people are allowed to misspeak. they absolutely are but why is it so difficult every time he's out there talking about one person, vladimir putin or standing next to him that he suddenly can't do the mr. gerber chartier down that wall. nobody after that that i didn't know what reagan meant to i'm not saying i don't think they should report these i'm just saying they're cheap shot by people who are supposed to be on his side. abc cecilia asking a question, take a look. >> is russia still targeting the u.s.? >> no, you don't believe that to be the case?

>> sarah huckabee sanders said he wasn't saying no to the question, he was saying no i'm not taking any questions at this meeting. trump suggests rush is no longer targeting the u.s. >> i think the media coverage might have been overblown. when i watch that video you have to have the subtitles on and it's hard to hear. it does look like he could've been saying no, no, no repeatedly but it sounds like the washington post will jump on that. given what the new cycle was at that time, of course everyone will jump on that. >> i thought it was ambiguous. >> i have a tweet for you. up at the supplement train. there were many. we picked this one. they wanted so badly to see a major confrontation with russia, even one that coul lead to war.

the hate the fact that i'll probably have a good relationship with vladimir putin. >> the media likes fighting and fist fighting but not that. >> you could see that with the north korea coverage as well. everyone was giving him his due credit but also saying we need to be careful about what's going on. we even had our own john roberts push back and say am i the fakeness media? in my the anomie of the people? that's what the rhetoric does. >> 's policy versus behavior, two totally different things. their toughest when it comes to sanctions. he's been unbelievably strong. these sanctions have really hurt russia. >> a real gap. have got to get a break but i do want to put up a new yorker cover for this week. there finding new ways to kill

off the president, they do it almost every week. had sean spicer dealing with the all-out from helsinki. when we come back, michael cohen, secretly taping his former boss donald trump about a former playboy model. is that a media bombshell or not so much.

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one of the times reporter said this. raise question as to why the trump campaign, when the wall street journal asked about these payments, asked about ami were told by the campaign we know nothing about this. the president obviously did know something about it a monthid earlier. >> there was virtually wall-to-wall cable news coverage as soon as that story hit. does the story deserve that heavy coverage. >> it kind of has everything. it has, deceit, some not surprised got so much coverage. i don't know it's really going to change anyone's mind. i actually think most people do believe cheated on his wife. i think the people who support the presidency this as the fake news media being mean are trying to create problems. they look and say they like what the president is doing in this country and they don't really care about the story.

>> and what rudy giuliani and confirming the story said was that this was a possible payment although it didn't happen run by david becker for buying the story and killing it for $150,000 and he said he does nothing wrong but the problem is the end of the pacampaign you had him telling the wall street journal that he didn't know anything about that. >> that's also how the stormy daniels story went. it's a familiar pattern. he's absolutely correct for the infidelity is baked in and we all heard the "access hollywood" tape and 62 million people said okay, i think i'm in a vote for them and that's their business. i think it did deserve the coverage because michael cohen's plot line here is important. obviously this is about the michael cohen investigation. but he is the keeper of many

of donald trump secret so if there are more tapes that matters and if it was campaign finance violation that matters. that's where this could legally be a problem for this president. >> let me share some of my reporting. they are convinced that this tape was preemptively leaked by the trump side for a journalist believe that as well to take the sting out of it. it does make : look bad. it's also clear that he's trying to work his way through to challengers to figure out whether or nothi to cooperate and reach some kind of deal. at the same time, as he has distanced himself from the president, in at least one interview, to own up to some of the things he did that maybe he's not proud of and that he takes a different view and get that behind him. let me put up for you, liz, you can expect he would tweet about the spread the key thing is the second sentence where he says inconceivable thatd a

lawyer. the news is your favorite president did nothing wrong. >> number one, not illegal in the state-of-the-art credit is a one-party audiotape system or rollover only one person have to know. i know in massachusetts where i worked in boston, to party at the time i was there. both sides had to know. this can be actually explained in certain cases when you look at the law and judge napolitano would probably say the same thing is a most like taking notes. what's more interesting is both sides are leaking or revealing things to different members of the media to advance their side. the media is being used in many cases. get it, is that your representation, is itta important to you to reveal it? of course if you have it you want to get out there. the question begins rudy giuliani saying it's a exculpatory. that's a little surprising. lanny davis tweeting that

trumps tweet was false. that's also the opinion of an aggregate but at the same time you say michael cohen is an important player and this is sort of playing out with a lot of leaks. i think the new york times try was accurate but what it means is open to immediate debate. >> absolutely. going back, i think it would be better off the president trump would just not talk about the stuff at all because the media loves the story and the more he tweets, the more the media will keep covering it. this isn't over yet. i think we will see more of this kind of thing. >> same thing was stormy. i get a lot of reaction online like you clowns of the press, who cares he was a celebrity businessman but ultimately it goes to veracity because of his denials and that's a political problem. >> it is. >> it would be first anybody else. it happens not be with this

president. >> i just mean when they were elected there was no "access hollywood" tape when he got elected. yes the media loves that but the russian story is a lot more important. i have seen some criticism that i think is smart about losing interest in the helsinki plot line for the playboy plot line. it matters a lot left to voters. >> but it is a lot sexier. >> yes, by definition. >> ahead sean spicer and what he got wrong and right as press secretary. but first, one news anchor spoke her mind about what happened inn helsinki. trish regan is here.

fox news anchors spoke out

forcefully was trish regan. >> he should have defended us. he should have defended his own intelligence community, or just don't take the meeting. >> joining us now is trish regan who hosted the intel report on foxbusiness 2:00 p.m. eastern. you've often been supportive of him on regulatory policies and other policies and taking on his press coverage. when you strongly criticized him over the press conference, you felt strongly. >> i did. howie, i think with me it's pretty much what you see is what you get. i wear my heart on my sleeve. if i like something you will know it and if i don't like something you'll know that too. i did not like what i saw in helsinki. i was surprised and i reacted in real-time. it's what we need to do. too often journalists, especially these days, they, things with such a bias against this president.

it's not as though they're reacting in real-time, they have their own agenda and i approach my job every day and my agenda is what's best for the country. if we have an economic policy to increase jobs and wages that's good. if we have policies to make a stronger internationally, that's good. i call it like i see it. when he does well you know i believe he's doing well but when he has a misstep like that t, and that's being kind calling it a misstep, i have to say something. >> some don't take any criticism. what kind of reaction have you gotten online. >> mixed. from a lot of his followers, the base they wanted to come to me and hear something reassuring.

i have to call it like i see it. >> it comes with the territory. >> oh my goodness. trish, you've deserted us, no g no, i'm not on anyone's side, i'm on the side of what is right for our country. i am on the viewers side. it becomes sort of a religion. i think with people, they want thisi president to succeed. what is your reaction when people say even journalists at fox are criticizing trump on this. >> a lot of people said it's

really courageous of you. i said how is it creators? i'm just doing my job. i go to work every day and i try to think independently enough that i can call it like i see it. it just means i am doing what i signed up to do and that's to be fair and honest, and now you know when it comes out with a big piece of economic policy, when i say it's good, it really is. >> let me get you in on michael cohen secretly taping trump with payoffs involving a former playboy model. stis that a story that's now pushing aside other stories? >> and certainly pushing aside the whole helsinki story because this could happen, when you think of the new cycle, it's absolutely -- >> we all go crazy over something and then something else pops and becomes wall-to-wall. it doesn't matterr if it's more important, it just becomes the

new shoddy object. >> when people said do you think the story has links and will it be his undoing, the reality is there willre be something else tomorrow. this president makes a lot of news and media loves to cover him. it's so great to see you. >> ahead on media buzz, why do they think it's okay for facebook to host holocaust deniers? but first sean spicer and media bias and what he learned from the white house.

howie: one of the biggest casualties of trump's administration is sean spicer. he has now written a book called

"the briefing." sean spice were, welcome. president trump has drawn criticism across the media landscape for the putin press conference. was the press right that it was an egregious mistake? sean: i think even the president acknowledged he fumbled the words. there is a degree in the intensity they go after him. he acknowledged and clarified his words. i'm glad he did. i have heard him say before this isn't the first time he made it clear what russia's role has been in the election. howie: i want to talk about the intent. this is not just the liberal media. conservatives, people of on fox news, newt gingrich saying it many the most of serious mistake of his presidency.

sean, i get and i glad he clarified it. before it wasn't like there wasn't any history to this. he has said before that russia was involved in meddling. and so i get it. but i think part of the reason a lot of them pile on was because there was this fury from the media that a lot of folks felt they had to react to. i think they could have come out sooner and made it clear if that wasn't his intention, if the media reacted immediately they could have made this go away if there had been a quicker response. howie: you gone it with megyn kelly. she said why can't you admit donald trump sometimes struggles with the truth. do you dispute the fact that the president sometimes -- sean: here is what i think.

you, me and probably everybody have made mistakes and said things we regret or turned out to be false or we misspeak. with this president the desire to constantly go after him. i don't remember any of those questions coming up. after benghazi, there was no questioning of going after does president trump. they didn't temperature treat the story with the same veracity. it was a story, but hardly in terms of people leaving that administration, none of them were held together the same way we are. howie: friday rudy giuliani confirmed the "new york times" report that michael cohen the president's personal lawyer secretly recorded the president. and it was about the payment that was allegedly made to

"playboy" model karen mcdougal. is the media explosion over this justified? sean: i don't know. the reason i say that is we don't know all the facts. it's an unconfirmed report and cohen isn't talking. howie: it was confirmed by rudy giuliani. sean: it's a betrayal of trust, the idea you are secretly recording people of on matters of business like that when you work for them. i think that's the bigger story. howie: when you were named press secretary, you wrote, i knew in my heart i was better qualified to be communications secretary. why were you not better suited for press secretary? sean: i don't think i could have anticipated the intensity and the scriewt any that job involved. i looked at that job in the

traditional sense like ari fleischer, dana perino. a lot of people who have had it. i have done hundreds of media hits and briefed people for years. but there was a new found intensity and scrutiny on this candidate, this president, this white house i couldn't have anticipated. howie: as you have write, the first day. the president saw the coverage of the inaugural crowd an sent you out. >> attempts to lessen the enthusiasm for the inauguration are shameful and wrong. >> the president got sworn in. he starts off with a flurry of executive orders and executive actions. i want to know show the mayor what people he's hard at work fulfilling the promises he made. and the media instead of focusing on those policies they

say he falsely took out a bust of martin luther king. and how many people were standing on the mall. there was an overall frustration from the people who say really? we have an historic campaign and that's what seems to be so much of the focus of the media. howie: you scolded the press and you say i should have lowered the temperature and not so body questioned the media's motives. i made a bad first impression and it was the beginning of the end. sean: the die was tas off the bat. my mom and my wife out of a sense of unconditional love were the only two people who were supportive of me that afternoon. and i don't even think either

one of them thought it did a good job. i think they just love me. howie: more with sean spicer including whether he may become a talk show host. ahh... summer is coming.

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with the free audible app, your stories go wherever you do. and for just $14.95 a month you get a credit, good for any audiobook. if you don't like it exchange it any time. no questions asked. you can also roll your credits to the next month if you don't use them. so take audible with you this summer... on the road... on the trail... or to the beach. start a 30-day trial and your first audiobook is free. cancel anytime, and your books are yours to keep forever. no matter where you go this summer make it better with audible. text summer10 to 500500 to start listening today. howie: more now of my conversation in washington with sean spicer. you say two cnn reporters were

among those trying to become cable stars by generating fake controversy and outrage. why fake? sean: it's not about a question. it's about creating and antic in the briefing room. jumping up and down and screaming. my point was this. those folks had went in briefing word quite often. suddenly they jump up and down and make a spectacle of themselves and suddenly they find themselves with cable contracts. not because of the great reporting or led an investigation. that's what we have done. we started to reward antics, not good journalism. howie: you have some myself things to say about maggie hayward of the "new york times." but you say a therapist could have made a fortune with the

amount of time you spent tangling with her. sean: maggie and i during my tenure would often -- she would write a story i didn't was fair. she didn't think me up responses were. we would spend 20 minutes talking about how we were talking to each other instead of focused on the issues. like a lot of reporters there i have respect for people who are tenacious and tough and make sure they are well sourced. i don't faulty journalism for tough stories. but the question is are they trying to get it right or be first to get a click. with all due respect to maggie, i don't agree with every story she writes. but i think her and jennifer jacobs. i hope that people who read "the briefing" walk away from -- there is some constructive stuff on both sides.

i say this is how we could do a better job. and i talk about how journalists could do a better job. we need good journalists and a healthy and robust press corp. howie: you were a dogged trump defender, constantly fighting with the media, aren't you more of a partisan warrior than a common ground guy? sean: i'm a huge partisan warrior but that's the point. a lot of the stories i tell in "the briefing," we can have civil and respectful discussions but totally disagree on policy. howie: you were ridicule rid --e ridiculed on snl. and you were acost in a store. is this hard on your family? >> i think so.

i have a partner of a wife and i think it hurts when you see somebody you love be attacked. with melissa mccartney, some of it was funny, and in cases where it was funny, when you screw up and you step tonight, she is a talented actor and she did some funny stuff and i can laugh at it. i don't blame her. it's not like she was a writer. she was a writer and did it well for the most of part. but i don't think people fully appreciate the impact it has on the families and loved ones. i had no idea. you talk about it from day one. you bring up the apple store. all of these instances when i took the job i didn't realize you would have this kind of notoriety.

save a few people on capitol hill, no one ever recognized me. i i think a lot of press secretaries would say political junkies know who they are. but could live a normal life. i think that changed under donald trump. howie: after the break. two feisty conservatives get an apology from facebook. mark zuckerberg tries to clarify his comments about hole

. .

howie: mark zuckerberg stepped in it when he was asked how facebook handles people who are holocaust deniers. >> i find that deeply offensive.

but at the end of the day i don't believe our platform should take that down because i think there are things that different people get wrong either -- i don't think they are intentionally getting it wrong. howie: they just happen to believe 67 million jews weren't killed by the nazis. it prompted zuckerberg who is jewish to say he didn't mean to say it didn't happen. he needs to abandon the fiction that facebook is a public utility where anybody can post lies and disinformation and it's not his problem. he runs a media company that has to take responsibility for its content. diamond and silk have been complaining of unfair treatment.

now a vp at facebook said they are right. she says we apologized to them at the time and i would like to extend my personal apology. >> when we were going through our issues, we were back and forth. nobody could give us an answer. howie: facebook didn't censure them. but they were sent a letter saying their panel was dangerous. roseanne goes off the rails.

howie: the network made it official with a one-sentence statement.

fox has parted ways with kimberly guilfoyle. she has been considered for a job in the trump white house. and the situation became more complicated when she started dating donald trump, jr. guilfoyle views this move as a rare opportunity. she is about to join the trump pac and plans to hit the campaign trail with don, jr. to campaign for the mid-terms. i wish kimberly all the best. "usa today" has dropped a conservative columnist for an insanely harsh tweet. asking if his daughters are ugly like him and suggesting they

party with a sex offender. she says she was responding to his attacks, but slamming his kid, please. roseanne says she was fired because she voted for donald trump, and that is not allowed in hollywood. and there was this rant and youtube. i'those [bleep] lies. god damn it. howie: it's kind of sad. i hope she gets help soon. media buzz meter. we spend the day kicking around the five most of important or buzzy stories. you can subscribe on apple itunes or google play. let's continue the conversation on twitter @howardkurtz. we hope you will like our facebook page. daily columns by me.

and we can have what i think is a good dialogue. rob: all right, monday july 23rd, "fox & friends first", happening at 4:00 a.m., fox news alert caught on mora. moment a gunman leashes bullets to busy streets in toronto. innocent victims shot one by one. >> terror is not being ruled out to try to figure out the man in black who he was and why he did it. reigniting fierce debate over 2015 survey lanes. rob: brand-new republicans that you only see at fox news that will bring bombshell