howie: on the "buzzmeter," the dnc bars fox news from the democratic debates. bret baier, the face of the news division and i will take that on. we'll look at the trump resignation of another communications chief. the president says the sweeping investigations of him, saying the democrats have gone stone cold crazy. >> it's similar to what the

nixon administration said to aide. >> it's not unusual for congress to investigate potential criminal wrongdoing by the president. >> they created an enemies list with the 81 individuals and entities they are going to try to persecute for material on trump. >> it's not specifically what jerry nadler is looking for. the president is right, this is almost literally a witch hunt. howie: 81 trump world targets. legitimate oversight or partisan overreach. gayle king confronts r. kelly about the alleged sexual abuse of young girls and he explodes. the cbs morning host kept

control of a tense and volatile situation. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." even some journalists sympathetic to house democrats are questioning whether they are going too far after jerry nadler demanded information from 81 groups and individuals. the president calling the democrats crazy, signaling his administration might not comply. president trump: the witch hunt continues, and they want to do that instead of getting legislation passed. 81 people and organizations got letters. it's a disgrace to our country. howie: joining us, mollie hemingway. gillian turner, and mo

elleithee, former democratic official who runs georgetown university's department of politics. are most of of the media cheering them on because all investigations of trump are inherently good? mollie: the media was supporting the hostility the agencies had in oversight. you had congress trying to dig into what was happening at the department of justice or the fbi where they were investigating trump or benghazi. and the media supported resistance to that oversight. now you have this fishing expedition of dozens and dozens of people, i didn't see that kind of resistance. >> we talk about the media all the time.

"new york times," jerry nadler, open the most of perilous affront to trump and could form the basis for a future impeachment proceedings. "washington post." the extensive scope, the democrats are seeming to cripple the president rather than a legitimate inquiry. gillian: i know you were hoping we would be dramatic panelists in the vein of r. kelly. i think every administration resents congressional oversight and complains congressional oversight over some of their issues detract from their ability to carry out their policies. but this is as old as the

presidency itself. the push and pull we are seeing between president trump and the congressional overlords. we have seen it with presidents bush and obama. what's different for president trump is the investigation into his personal finances. howie: i covered this going back to the reagan administration. wouldn't the democrats have avoided bad press if they had spaced out these requests? mo: it's interesting one read the two stories, the "new york times" and the "washington post," they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. it represents a fundamental threat to the trump presidency and it could be seen as something that undermines the democratic case and argument. howie: to the extent that

president trump resists these demands and there is precedence for these battles. do you see the press covering it as a typical battle, the kind we have seen before between the executive and legislative branches? mollie: generally speaking people approve of governmental -- oversight of golf at alt --oversight of govel agencies rather than their personal lives. mo: we'll see where it goes. but there are legitimate questions about the president's financial and business dealing that connect directly to some of the other investigations that are going on. his company and business tie to

the russia could be relevant. mo: in america we are supposed to start with the crime then investigate the crime. what's happening here is starting with the individual and investigating the individual. that's a russian, soviet-style method of investigation that we should be careful about. howie: you talked about battles in previous administrations. but president trump took some heat for saying president obama from what they tell me was under a similar kind of thing and didn't give one letter. the trump administration turned over thousands of documents. mollie: over 2 million documents. gillian: it's as american as

apple pie. that's why there is a white house counsel's office to help manage this. howie: the court had to order the white house to turn over documents in the fast and furious investigation. >> no one should talk to this committee. everyone should take the fifth. if everyone takes the fifth the american people will understand this is not a legitimate investigation. howie: i don't think when he was a federal prosecutor would have looked kindly on this. mo: if these folks don't have anything to hide from, then turn it over and go talk to them and make your case and it should go away. mollie: there is a question of

whether the investigation is in good faith. i believe i was the first to reveal that it's nadler's plan to go after the president back in november. i overheard him on an amtrak train. he said that wasn't true. but now we see it was. when we say he's approaching it in bad faith, there is as reason to be sceptical. howie: bill shine leaving at white house communications director and deputy chief of staff after 9 months on the job. there have been reports that the president disagreed with shine on certain issues and was frustrated he wasn't getting

better press. but others say it rehashed the messy departure from fox news. mentioned he's still getting severance payments from fox. mollie: the "new yorker" article was sloppy. there are problems you can have with fox news and bill shine. i have a hard time the president would have wanted to see a departure based on that article. howie: the president has gone through five communications directors. the president who spends so much time talking to journalists every day and executing his own communications strategy on twitter really need a communications director? gillian: i would say he needs a

communications director more than ever before. though that person is not coordinating the president, the job of a communications director coordinates everyone else on the staff. every president needs a communications director. we could argue about whether president trump needs a spokesperson. howie: we'll talk to bret baier about the dnc decision to bar fox news from the dnc debates. mo: when i was at the dnc i don't think i spoke to fox once or put a surrogate on the air. i think that was a mistake i made. i came here not because i love

this company even though this company has been kind and generous to me. i come here because i think the viewers ought to hear a democratic perspective that is not the characterture of what some of the folks on the opinion side say we are. i understand why the dnc made the decision they did. this note working be difficult for democrats. howie: you are on fox all the time. >> the opinion side of fox overshadows the news section. they need to come on so they don't let tucker carlson or sean hannity define what it means to be a democrat. howie: let me get a break here. bret baier weighing in on the dnc decision on the debate.

many pundits are outraged that paul manafort didn't get a longer sentence. president trump says michael cohen despite his testimony did ask for a pardon.

this is moving day with the best in-home wifi experience and millions of wifi hotspots to help you stay connected. and this is moving day with reliable service appointments in a two-hour window so you're up and running in no time. show me decorating shows. this is staying connected with xfinity to make moving... simple. easy. awesome. stay connected while you move with the best wifi experience and two-hour appointment windows. click, call or visit a store today. howie: paul manafort, donald trump's one-time campaign chairman was sentenced to four years in prison. what's stwrieking is the reaction of many pundits who were upset and even outraged. >> paul manafort, the president's campaign manager got four years. that's crazy.

>> the guidelines were 20 years and they were severely reduced by this federal judge. >> i think the sentence was unjust, unreasonable, and unprincipled. howie: as if four years in prison is a slap in the wrist. >> this is a typical type of sentence for the type of crime he committed. it seems the media thinks the justice department exists to punish your opponents. but the thing is, this had nothing to do with russia which is something the judge ema sized -- emphasized on the bench. howie: the judge found there was no collusion with russia. but that's not what the judge said. mo: the judge said this trial, this case had nothing to do with

these allegations. howie: man for the wasn't charged with collusion. mo: it was a stark departure from the sentencing guidelines. i think that caught a lot of people off guard. i heard an increasing number of commentators broaden this and say it's interesting because there are people of color, people who are less well off who have been convicted of crimes that were far left and received bigger sentences. howie: i think it's fair to analyze why he got so much less than bob mueller's office recommended. but some of the people we saw and others seem to have a blood lust.

gillian: a lot of journalists let that blood thirst show, and that's a grave grave mistake. i say don't despair. he has another sentencing coming up in just days and the legal experts say he'll get more time. there is no point in complaining at this point in time. mollie: the special counsel was spun up to investigate collusion by the trump campaign with russia. and we have nothing to support that. howie: the intense coverage of the michael cohen hearings. it turns out he wasn't telling the truth at this point in his testimony. he said he never asked the president for a pardon. lanny davis said he did discuss a pardon with rudy giuliani, the president's personal lawyer.

mollie: the guy who agreed he lied to congress, coming back to give testimony. then lanny davis has a long history of saying things that aren't true and leading people astray. howie: i disagree on that. mollie: okay. there is too much willingness to accept what lanny davis has said. he did not help his client here. he brought him into a situation where he perjured himself. howie: now president trump is saying cohen asked him for a pardon directly and he said no. does all of this tarnish cohen's testimony which resonated through the media echo chamber? mo: you have michael cohen who is an admitted liar, a convicted

liar. one of the least trustworthy people in washington. you look at public opinion polls. they trust him more than they do the president of the united states. whether this will tarnish his testimony could open him up to legal jeopardy. in the court of public opinion, they are all seen as liars right now. mollie: when he turned on the president he started getting favorable coverage. his testimony was the best of the season so far. i agree with mollie. i think this support for cohen is because he turned on the president. howie: thanks so much for coming by this sunday. covington high school student

nick sandmann now about to file suit against cnn, saying the network was even more vicious than the "washington post." r. kelly proclaiming his innocence by ranting and raving in front of the cameras. a closer look at the "new yorker" piece about fox news.

howie: the "new yorker" has been opposed to donald trump since the first day he started his campaign. some of the stories taking on the president, vice president pence and others have been written by jane mayer.

the latest story was seized upon by tom perez from the dnc. >> my concern is not about chris wallace. it's about the people above chris wallace. and most of recently it's been in the new yorker story. at the highest levels of fox news they are not playing straight. howie: a number of journalists have criticized the dnc. there are many prom' meant journalists who have been excellent questioners at previous debates. more than 11,000-word piece never mentioned that fox has a full-fledged news division with journalists like bret baier,

martha maccallum and chris wallace. but not all when the president was going to temporarily retreat on border funding when he was withdrawing troops from syria. >> i think it was a sunning and irresponsible move yesterday. the president blind side his national security advisor, people on the outside who had been advising him. howie: one person who seemed to welcome the decision was jane mayer. she tweeted boom. trump took to twitter. dnc just lost fox news. good. then i think i will do the same

thing with the fake news networks. we'll take a closer look at the new yorker's case against

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howie: let's take a more in-depth look at the dnc's decision to bar fox news from the presidential debates. i sat down with bret baier. welcome. if the dnc had awarded fox a debate, you would have moderated with chris wallace and martha maccallum. how do you feel about the decision? bret: disappointed. we have a record of being fair to democrats, independents, whomever.

i was doing a town hall in michigan with hillary clinton and bernie sanders. both sides said they thought it was fair. chris wallace has been touted as a great general election debate moderator. a lot of praise from both sides. howie: you asked the first question at the first republican debate that was aimed at donald trump. bret: is there anyone on stage who is unwilling tonight to pledge you're support to the eventual nominee of the republican party? mr. trump? howie: this "new yorker" piece said unnamed sources say there was a leak in advance to candidate trump. bret: i don't believe that could be true, looking back. we had a very tight circle on

those questions. there was a lot of backlash. we spent two weeks after that moment defending both outside and inside that we were too tough on donald trump. i don't think just by that first question it seemed like a moment that he was not prepared for in his answer. i can't say definitively. but it's anonymous sources. the former head our network you can't ask. howie: a fox execute which with roger ailes tells me he was furious at the questions he didn't know about ahead of time. the primetime hosts and hosts of "fox and friends" are supportive of trump, but not always. trump does watch a lot of fox. but here is what wasn't included. fox has a full-fledged news

division of which you and i and other reports and anchors are a part. do you feel that's often overlooked? bret: yes. this has been happening since i have been here, 22 years. defending fox. there are two sides. the news side and opinion side. the loudest critics of fox are often people who don't watch. i say watch my show three times, then drop me an email or post or twitter wheat. the people who do say that they, you know, they get it, they think it's fair. howie: you complained on the air about not being able to get an interview with president trump. bret: it took me 600 days. i had to chase him down in singapore to get my first interview. chris wallace was even later than that. listen. there is a disconnect here.

there is a bit. chris said this on the radio earlier this week. there is a bit of fox derangement syndrome with a section of the left. there are a lot of candidates and a lot of people on the democratic party who realize the power of the viewership and the power of the fairness of the news operation. but often they are drowned out by the loud voices on the left side of the party. howie: the report that fox killed the story about stormy daniels. her boss says he made the decision because it wasn't sourced not to protect donald trump.

bret require was a rupert murdoch publication, the "wall street journal" that broke this story. there were other organizations that didn't run with it either, but i wants aware we had anything prior to that. howie: "times" jay carney became a press secretary, and george stephanopoulos, so this is hardly unique to fox news. bret: i'm disconnected from the opinion side. i like to think we have horse blinders on and we let news bubble up on our program. the democrats who come on say that was fair.

tough and fair. i think that's what you would get if you had a debate on fox. howie: it's my job to sometimes criticize what happens on fox. to me this is like saying it's unfair to fox. you don't see long opinion pieces about whether nbc and cnbc criticize trump as crazy, unhinged, dangerous. should the dnc consider that as a standard for awarding debates? bret: i will leave that to them. i agree with you. i think there is a disconnect between how we are treated on the news side and how other open races are treated, given how their opinion in primetime deals with the president. the president tweets out that he may not do general election debates with other networks.

i don't think that helps us either. but there is a point here at which you have to look at fairness. and i understand what the dnc is saying. but it's disappointing that they came to this conclusion considering the fact that add three cycles of trying to get back a democratic debate, we have done them before, i thought this was the year. i'm not surprised by this decision. i do feel the "new yorker" is a fig leaf. it's basically what they wanted to have happen. it just got them there. it's unfortunate. howie: bret baier, thanks very much. ken la corte says the story daniels story he rejected was nine paragraphs with anonymous

stories and no mention of hush money. r. kelly loses it on cbs news.

howie: the challenge for cbs news anchor gayle king was obvious. r. kelly decided to give her the first interview since the sexual harassment charges.

>> i [bleep]. they are trying to kill me. you are killing me. this is not about music. i want to have a relationship with my kid and i can't do it. you don't want to believe the truth. >> i don't want just ranting at the camera. you are playing the victim. >> i am just telling the truth. howie: emily jashinsky, how did gayle king imagine this? emily: particularly well. her so -- her stoicism while hs

ranting and just couldn't keep it in. i figured i had the best way to convince my parents i didn't do anything wrong was to scream and shout as loud as i could. howie: gayle king could have lost control of that interview and mixed it up and become part of the story. emily: and he could have left. howie: i'm struck by the image of him standing and flailing his arms and she is sitting there. emily: i think or stoicism is admirable. she kept it together to get more out of him and ask him more tough questions, rather than sending him running away. she developed a rapport with him and she asked him tough

questions and exposed his childishness on national television. it was well done. howie: she said a lot of people don't believe you and here is why. you are playing the victim. then gayle king interviewed two girlfriend who defended r. kelly. they said they lied to him about being 18. their parents are making charges. then gayle king said r. kelly was coughing loudly in the background to remind the women he was there. emily: these two girls are in a horrible situation. to hear him in the same room coughing in the background. hats off to gayle king. this was well done. howie: television can be very revealing. the camera captures a lot.

i don't know if this was premeditated by r. kelly or it just happened in the moment. emily: the case against r. kelly exposed so nakedly, because he just looked unhinged. howie: if this is how he is in front of the camera. emily: imagine what he's like with these women alone if this is how he's acting on national television. it's good that the nation was exposed to how disgusting it is. prayers for the families who want those girls back. howie: check out my new podcast "media buzzmeter." we hope you will check out and give us a like on the facebook page. i post my columns. continue the conversation on

twitter @howardkurtz. we'll see you back here next sunday, 11 eastern with . . . (danny) let me get this straight.

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it's no wonder walmart offers score! in more locations than any other performance enhancer. unleash your potential in the bedroom, with score!. heather: good morning to you. it is monday, march 11th. this is "fox & friends first." happening right now at 4:00 a.m., border wall battle, president trump ready to ask congress for more than $8 billion for the wall. democrats already threatening another government shutdown. we're live in washington ahead of the new security standoff. we will no longer allow them to rip off the american people. >> i'm not in washington to work for billionaires. >> there's tremendous structural unfairness in our country. heather: hitting the trail, 2020 democratic hopefuls make their pitches across the country. now they're taking aim at the