used to offer health insurance to my employees. my unlimited 2% cash back is more than just a perk, it's our healthcare. can i say it? what's in your wallet? howie: an anonymous official the "new york times" calls a senior official says he's trying to save the administration. >> the paper of record has become the paper of rumor. the times published a column from someone they do not identify. >> they are trying to make the story a media malfeasance story which i found outray just when this op-ed is echoing the

woodward book. >> >> if someone wants to write an op-ed like this, resign and put your name on it. this is just gossip. howie: should the paper have published this anti-trump scream. this as bob woodward's book bombshell portrays the white house as crazy town. president trump: the book is a work of fiction. if you look at woodward's past he had the same problem with other presidents. he likes to get publicity and sell some books. >> i talked to dozens and dozens

of people and have notes and documentation of lots of things. >> bob woodward's book on the trump administration is like nothing we have ever heard. it's like everything we have heard except worse and scarier. >> there are a bunch of people who say the president said these things. >> it's time for the come to say the trump presidency is a national knowledge. >> apparently hundreds of anonymous people painting the trump presidency in a very negative light. howie: are the books undermining the president's credibility.

howie: serena breaks down. ' was the umpire sexist? this is "mediabuzz." what began as a media furor took a serious turn when the ' "new york times" op-ed said trump is unstable and i am norm. his impulsiveness results in half baked and reckless decisions that have to be walked back. president trump responded on "fox and friends." president trump: if the "new york times" has an anonymous editorial, we are doing a great

job. because really what they have done is virtually, it's treason. howie: this official if the person exists, the president says committed treason. sara fischer, and phillipe reines, former state department official. ' the president says he should be investigated by the department of justice. mollie: it's an interesting story that we have someone claiming to have a power unto themselves. this is a person who is not elected. we don't even know which agency he's in, yet he's claiming to be involved in policy make and law

making that the people have no right to know who they are. howie: you said this is a threat to our democracy? mollie: there have been all these allegations saying there is a deep state and hidden bureaucracy engaged in nefarious activity and this person went to the "new york times" and said that's absolutely true. we have accountability for them. when they are secret in a bureaucracy, we have no way to hold them accountable. howie: the "times" editorial page knows who it is, this person is making serious charges, it's news worthy. sara: we'll find out eventually. if the "new york times" was to

publish this knowing it will come out who it is, then they are risking their credibility if it's not a senior official. we heard the "new york times" podcast say the way they use senior officials, it's not directly linked to the president. howie: "times" editors say they are proud they published it. of course, they are, they detest president trump. phillipe: i think any paper would have done it. here is a problem with the deep state. whether it's five minutes for five days from now we'll

know who it is. if you want to call him gutless. he's employing gutless people. there are a lot of problems to this that we won't know until we find out who it is. be careful how hunt for because you night find them. this might be someone 10 feet away from his office. it could be someone he knows. howie: the president called the source gutless. and he has a point. even if you buy into the self-righteousview view that we are saving america from a crazy president. didn't he undermine his own trump by infuriating the president. and undermining the move.

mollie: he said the economy is doing well. national security is well. foreign policy is doing well. it turns out donald trump acts like donald trump in meetings. it seems petty and small compared to the claims everything was going well. why he would do this when nothing new was shared in this op-ed is bizarre. howie: i think by immediately attacking the times and the source the president added rocket fuel. when you were involved in the obama administration you were involved in hunting down someone with a rogue twitter account. >> there was someone who sent about 2,000 tweets hitting much everyone in town, not just democrats and obama, but republicans. it got under people's skin.

a bipartisan team got together and did a osama bin laden'' investigation. and it turns out he was on the nse team. and he was fired. what happens when you find leaks like this. howie: when the president says this could be treason. he demands the "times" turn over the source. what's he talking about? there is no classified information. it's an op-ed attack on the president. is it political betrayal, yes, a firing offense, yes? but where is the national securiti' threat. sara: this is the rhetoric donald trump uses when he wants

to undermine the credibility of what the "new york times" published. mollie: when you have a rogue and unaccountable person thwarting by his own claims the will of the american people. that's a serious threat. the people have a say. they voted for this person and he's the person held accountable. phillipe: a year and a half ago someone was leak the transcripts of his phone calls. howie: the media's guessing who it was, i won't repeat all the names. let me turn to the bob woodward book. many of the same themes about aides trying to restrain the president. the president is an idiot, he's a liar, he's off the rails operating at a 5th or 6th

grade level. i can tell you from my firsthand knowledge that bob woodward is a meticulous reporter. while some trump officials are denying the comments, he says he has hundreds of hours of tapes and transcripts. mollie: i think it claims against bob woodward aren't that he makes up quotes. but he talks to just a certain type of fern who is going to trash the principle. howie: let me read you a tweet from the president about this book talking about some of the senior officials around him. their quotes were made up. a con on the public. woodward is a damn operative? notice timing? you can say a lot of the things about woodward.

his techniques can be controversial and there are often denials about what he reports. but' a dem operative? you can't dismiss that. sara: when woodward came to him, he said the administration took that seriously. they thought this was a credible report. it's fascinating to see the difference in this administration. apparently when bob woodward tried to get donald trump to talk to him, kellyanne conway said i will put in a request. howie: he has a style that leaves room for people to deny. and he's accused of giving more sympathetic treatment to sources who cooperate.

does that undercut the book to some degree? phillipe: the scariest words in d.c. are bob woodward called for you. if they might seem they are torqued up, they happened. he captured the essence of things. i don't think you can attack and assail the book the way the president has. the president has a knack to just shellack people and make stuff up. mollie: the critiques of bob woodward are he doesn't get and complete picture of how he treats people. they are not saying he made anything up, but with john berks lushi,'. howie: we have some real factual

disputes. woodward on cbs said he wouldn't have used the anonymous op-ed writer's charges without more detail. later, serena williams getting hammered for her blowup at the u.s. open. -omar, look. [ thunder rumbles ] omar, check this out. uh, yeah, i was calling to see if you do laser hair removal. for men. notice that my hips are off the ground. [ engine revving ] and then, i'm gonna pike my hips back into downward dog. [ rhythmic tapping ] hey, the rain stopped. -a bad day on the road still beats a good one off it. -tell me about that dental procedure again! -i can still taste it in my mouth! -progressive helps keep you out there.

-i can still taste it in my mouth! too hot to work? nah. this is the gator xuv835. with game-changing heat and air, it's never too anything for anything. for moments that matter, tracfone keeps you connected, for less. ♪ our talk, text and data plans start at $15 a month, no contract. all with nationwide coverage... tracfone. for moments that matter. at priceline, to save you money.ways like mixing and matching airlines to get lower prices on flights. oh, that's how i saved on my trip! oh, for your wedding?! no, my ex-boyfriend's wedding, he's confused. jason! mix and match airlines to save more.

as king midas, i here, you will too.nt. your oil change comes with a tire rotation as well. ooo! i could put that on an airplane banner. our $19.99 oil change also includes a tire rotation. book an appointment online.

i decided that i wanted to go for electrical engineering and you need to go to college for that. if i didn't have internet in the home i would have to give up more time with my kids. which is the main reason i left the military. everybody wants more for their kids, but i feel like with my kids, they measurably get more than i ever got. and i get to do that. i get to provide that for them. howie: president trump has been denouncing book woodward, but he had hah more positive assessment in a call released by the "washington post." president trump: who did you ask about speaking to me. >> about six people.

president trump: nobody told me by the. i would have spoken to you. i am open to you. you have always been fair. but i don't blame you entirely. howie: do you believe president trump didn't nope bob woodward didn't know he was putting in the request. mollie: i don't mean to disrespect him, but i don't think's always telling the truth in these phone calls. howie: there is a lot of stuff in my book, media madness about the staff trying to re-strain or slow walk or end run him. some of this happens in every administration. but what the media loves about this is they can say, aha. mollie: i talk to people who have fights with the president. they characterize it differently. they say they do have battles

and they do fight. at the end of the day the president gets to say which direction it will be and they have to follow it. if you see it as nefarious proof donald trump is urn fit for the presidency or adults with debates. howie: howard bernstein says the trump presidency is a national emergency. but people who try to slow walk policies they don't like' or challenge the boss. fill there are that's a challenge that has to be faced every date. you are talking about someone who says something negative about a third person because they have an ax to grind. howie: do you think they love the infighting and happy to do

it all in. phillipe: books are different animals. when a book is done right, when you spend a lot of time on a topic you are actually more likely to be more accurate. you are not doing the 24/7. howie: they know you are taking the time. phillipe: we have to accept the possibility that bob woodward is right. howie: here is something that has gotten less attention. according to the woodward book, the chief of staff said this. i am the only thing protecting the president from the press. the press is out to get him. i'm determined to stand in the way taking the bullets and take the arrows. sara: this is a fiery thing for him to be saying.

it's something we heard in the past. but john kelly is a reserved guy. so you know he has to mean it if he's going to say it. howie: whether the aides are doing the right thing or wrong thing. it's fair to say president trump is in a position where he has to wonder who he can trust. all these leaks are going on since the day he was sworn in. mollie: the lack of people on his team within the administration. this was a silly move by the anonymous author and the media. the narrative about being unstable just confirmed how much d.c. is a swamp and how much they oppose what the people chose in the last election and how unable they are to deal with the reality of what the people chose. howie: but according to woodward

it includes the chief of staff and the defense secretary, so it's not just trolls. is it a good thing we have that even though the contents are in dispute. phillipe: it will depend on who it is. the woodward book is good. if donald trump woke up last wednesday morning feeling comfortable with people around him, that doesn't make a lot of sense. his lawyer was taping conversations. his closest aides are turning on him legally. and not to mention omarosa. sara: what bob woodward is writing, we have been hearing from people within the trump administration and people outside it. the overall narrative, we have heard it.

phillipe: woodward might have gotten it right. howie: ahead, mike huckabee on an intense week of media criticism of the president, anonymous and otherwise. the serena policy. the press says a sexist power play ruined the u.s. open. (burke) fender-biter. seen it, covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ on the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. it's the final days where all beds are on sale. the queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is now only $899. ends sunday.

plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression.

tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. other side effects include upper respiratory tract infection and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. >> you owe me serena williams says ramos stole the game from her.

in slapping her of three penalties not only robbed her of her chance of coming back. he took the match away from both womens and left her in tears. serena said it was sexist. >> because i'm a woman, you are going to take it away from me? howie: serena's meltdown was painful to watch. but the commentators whacking her should take a look at oh so sensitive umpire who allowed the situation to keep escalating. susan: he let it get out of control. he could have taken the insults the way has from other male players. same refs. this was a different standard.

sally jenkins said the issue for her is she felt the umpire was not going to let a woman talk to him that way. did he feel i am not going to let a woman wave a finger at me for a serious penalty i wouldn't have given to a male player. howie: . she said he abused his authority over a tone of voice. male players have sworn and yelled at the top of their lungs and were never penalized the way serena was. susan: she played a role in this. she smashed her racket. she waved a finger at the umpire. she appeared threatening. she has a habit of throwing

tantrums and threatening line people in the past. howie: a tweet from billy jean king. when a woman is emotional she is hysterical. but when a man is emotional he's outspoken. susan: that's not true. he was ejected from games. howie: the coach gave a signal from the stands that it's illegal. serena said she didn't see it. breaking the racket, he could have let that go. when she'd called him a -- when she called him a thief, she didn't curse, but that's when he called it a game and he made it more about him than the players on the court. susan: the whole ending was so emotional.

it was just a disappointment for everybody. so everybody can point fingers at the ref. but the players are responsible for their own behavior. good sportsmanship on the court. talk about the problem after you get off the court. that's something every player grams with. howie: this was unfair to naomi osaka. she was in tears. he ruined her moment, and he ruined serena's attempted comeback. last year she almost died from complications in childbirth. so do we agree on that point? sara susan: we agree on that point. a player was penalized for changing her shirt, and serena told she couldn't wear certain

outfits. a lot of people, not just chris everett and billy jean, her contemporaries are saying this needs to be looked at how men and women are treated different by the umpires. howie: this treatment has people up in arms, including the press. ahead, the "new yorker" wanted to put steve bannon on the stage until some big hollywood types threatened to boycott event. these digestive issues can start in the colon and may be signs of an imbalance of good bacteria. phillips' colon health caps have this unique combination of probiotics to help replenish good bacteria. get four-in-one symptom defense. also try our delicious new probiotic gummies.

of great savings and service. with such a long history, it's easy to trust geico! thank you todd. it's not just easy. it's-being-a-master-of-hypnotism easy. hey, i got your text- sleep! doug, when i snap my fingers you're going to clean my gutters. ooh i should clean your gutters! great idea. it's not just easy. it's geico easy. todd, you will go make me a frittata.

howie: president trump and the press unleashing some of their harshest language against each other. mike huckabee, a former arkansas governor and presidential candidate and fox news contributor. the media furor over the "new

york times" anonymous op-ed, why shouldn't the times have published this? mike: i think they shouldn't have because to do so gives some type of credibility to a person who doesn't have the guts to stand up and say here i am. if you run for office, you put your name on the ballot. if you are going to undermine the people who have the guts to run for office. tell us who you are so we can evaluate and hold you accountable for your views. this guy is, i think, a gutless coward, guy or girl. he could be a fourth-tier person in montana federal office. howie: the president says that jeff sessions at the justice department should investigate

this secret source. on what ground? what's the criminal offense? political betrayal? certainly a criminal offense. criminal investigation? mike: it depend. is this person also telling things he or she knows of national security? we don't know. howie: that's not what was published. mike: what the president is saying it's serious. it is serious for someone gets a paycheck from the president trump administration to betray the trust of that. give up our paycheck and go out on the streets. howie: that account and the bob woodward book have painted a portrait of top aide, some say they believe in the president, but are working against what they see as some of his worst

impulses. shouldn't we look that there should be some truth to these accounts? mike: donald trump can be vulgar, donald trump can be vain. what a shock, we knew that during the campaign. he wasn't elected to be the nicest guy in washington, d.c. he was elected to drain the swamp and change the economy. he's like a doctor that comes into the room. he's rude to the family perhaps. he's not got the best bedside manner, but by golly he's going to save the patient's life. would you rather have him or a guy who is the nicest guy in the world but his patient die. howie: you are not an enemy of the american people guy and your daughter sarah sanders isn't a

woman who is the enemy of the people. mike: from his perspective when 90% of all the coverage about him is negative, how else should he feel? i can't blame him. howie: he can feel it's unfair. that he doesn't get a fair shake. i want to make sure i get to president trump. he came out and gave a speech harshly critical of his successor and had this to say about fox. >> i complained plenty about fox news. but i never threatened to shut them down or called them enemies of the people. mike: that's not true, he went after james rosen and rosen's parents and the ap.

that was patently false what he just said. and his administration went after conservative pro life and pro israel groups through the irs and the doj. for him to say we never did anything like that. there was a time when he was going to make sure fox news didn't get the same level of access. and to their credit the other white house correspondents came around and supported him. howie: you don't have an objection to the former president speak out? mike: no. howie: your daughter work in an environment where so many people are leaking against the president. mike: it's pretty rough and i hope they can get to the bottom of it. what's amazing, president trump talked about the miracles. the miracle is that president trump is getting a lot of things

done in spite of the fact that he has so many knives from the back. you expect them from the front, you don't expect them from the back. howie: a colorful metaphor on which to close this segment. twitter and alex jones. some accuse the tech company of bias against conservatives.

(music throughout) ♪ motorcycle revving ♪motorcycle revving ♪ motorcycle revving ♪ no matter who rides point, ♪ there are over 10,000 allstate agents riding sweep. ♪♪ and just like tyrone taylor, they know what it takes to help keep you protected. are you in good hands?

howie: twitter ceo jack dorsey and facebook's coo, sheryl sandberg got hammers on capitol hill saying they were biased against conservatives. joining me, steve hilton, author of the book "positive populism." steve, as you know, twitter was the only big social media platform not to ban alex jones. but now it has banned him after he con propertied a cnn reporter and told him he looked like a rat. steve: it is all subjective. the answer is not regulation, but more competition. these platforms have become so

dominant in each of their particular areas. it's important to disclose that my wife is a senior executive at facebook. the problem is no one should be overmighty, not the government, or big unions and not big business and not big tech. we need a two-stage process. a pro-market breakup of these companies. facebook need to be forced to sell whatsapp and android and amazon. these platforms are too powerful. howie: i was going to ask you about the justice department meeting with state attorneys general whether the tech companies are intentionally stifling off the free flow of

idea and stifling competition. you are saying the government needs to step in and break up these companies like they did with standard oil? >> conservatives should be believers in markets and competition. this is a pro market argument. it's not just forcing them to reverse the acquisitions they already made, like google and an droipped and amazon web services, and amazon make their own product and selling them on amazon. all that needs to be broken up. but even then these companies would be too dominant and too powerful. there is a further step. we need to have a pro market regulatory framework where if a company gets too big of a market share in any sector, over 60%, it should be treated like part of the public sector, higher

taxes and more regulation. and only companies that are truly competitive should be free of that regulation and be free of those taxes. that's a pro-market way and you get a better deal for consumers. howie: my favorite part of your bikes when you worked at 10 downing street, you were described as somebody who walked around in his socks. at that house hearing jack dorsey of twitter got criticized for the platform discriminated against conservatives. do you think that's a significant problem and do you think it's a fixable problem and do you think it's a problem government can facial? steve: these are private companies and they are not subject to the requirement to give everyone a voice. but it comes back to the fact they are so dominant.

the whole conversation goes upon facebook or twitter. in the media, our business, there are tons of outlets, hundreds and hundreds of outlets. it doesn't matter if they have a particular view. they talk about algorithms. algorithms are written by people. the people inside those companies are overwhelmingly liberal. of course, that's a concern. the answer is more competition. howie: it' a fascinating debate. steve hilton, great to see you before reading more of your book. still to come. how is the press covering the chaos over the brett kavanaugh hearing. there are multiples on the table: one is cash, three are fha, one is va. so what can you do? she's saying a whole lotta people want to buy this house. but you got this! rocket mortgage by quicken loans makes the complex simple.

understand the details and get approved in as few as eight minutes. by america's largest mortgage lender.

(woman) learned ao play second language. applied to college. applied for a loan. started a business. started a blog. shared a picture. shared a moment. turn your wish list into a checklist. learn more. do more. share more. at home, with internet essentials.

i decided that i wanted to go for electrical engineering and you need to go to college for that. if i didn't have internet in the home i would have to give up more time with my kids. which is the main reason i left the military. everybody wants more for their kids, but i feel like with my kids, they measurably get more than i ever got. and i get to do that. i get to provide that for them.

howie: the bret calf now confirmation hearing immediately turned into a circus as protesters launched a strategy of disruption. on tape. all right. maybe we can get that back. let me know. there were partisan clashes over releasing what had been confidential documents. let's roll. >> it's an exciting day for all of you here, and you are rightly proud of the judge. >> if we cannot be recognized i move to adjourn. >> i urge you to shut the hearing down now. howie: joining us now, the editor of the daily mail.com.

did the press cover this as more of a spectacle? >> it's hard to fault the press for covering this as a spectacle. it was a circus. the democrats planned it this way. there was a conference call and chuck schumer said this is what we are going to do. as long as most of of the news coverage is about the seriousness of it. dailymail.com is. howie: cory booker made a big splash. cory booker threatened to release secret emails even if it meant he would be expelled from the senate.

it was called grandstanding by republicans. it buried the fact that the document were authorized to be released the night before. >> when the document did come out it actually showed that after 9/11 in an internal white house discussion whether there would be racial profiling of people from arab country, brett kavanaugh said we have to be cautious. howie: when he makes a great spectacle saying i am willing to expelled over this, and it turns out he wasn't releasing secret documents. would the coming have been different? it seems a lot of the accounts went easy on this. >> that's true.

go back to sotomayor and kagan. can you imagine jeff sessions saying this is what she did and if he was wrong? oh, man, that would be practically calling for it to be a firing offense in the senate. howie: the "new york times" obtained an unknown email, having to do with roe and whether all the scholars agree. were hill afterrers on the democratic side using leaks to get around that confidentiality? >> of course they were. it's clear democratic staffers were leaking to the "new york times." if you want to leak something, i'm open for business. we all love leaks. but it showed kavanaugh was citing correct supreme court precedent. in the middle of an emotional

debate he was being pretty sober and clear headed and that's why the republicans like him. howie: the "new yorker" thought it would be fun to interview steve bannon until he received back lab from liberals in hollywood like jim carrey saying they wouldn't attend. this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of "mediabuzz." i want to thank our loyal audience. check out my podcast. and subscribe at apple itunes, google play, let's continue the conversation on twitter @howardkurtz.

i respond on facebook. and post a lot of videos. thanks again on anniversary number five. back next sunday with the latest buzz. our talk, text and data plans start at $15 a month, no contract. all with nationwide coverage... tracfone. for moments that matter.

come hok., babe. nasty nighttime heartburn? try new alka-seltzer pm gummies. the only fast, powerful heartburn relief plus melatonin so you can fall asleep quickly. ♪ oh, what a relief it is! as king midas, i here, you will too.nt. your oil change comes with a tire rotation as well. ooo! i could put that on an airplane banner. our $19.99 oil change also includes a tire rotation. book an appointment online.

eric: we tart with a fox news alert. brand-new reaction from vice president mike pence on that scathing "new york times" op-ed piece that was published last week. the vice president says he believes there is a legal basis for investigating the author of that article that was in the "new york times." but first this is a warning for millions of people along the east coast as florence has officially regained hurricane strength. at this moment that storm looks like it could make landfall somewhere along the southeast coast and it is expected to rapidly grow more powerful and reach major hurricane strength. by tomorrow we are covering