but that one call got her a tow and rental... ...paid her claim... ...and we even pulled a few strings. making it easy to make things right: that's what we're made for. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. get a quote today. ♪. howie: the media have a new heroine. her name is liz cheney. if you cover the bush administration, you remember the animosity journalists had against dick cheney especially the iraq war. kind of head snapping to see anyone with praise with that name. her she is in rhetorical war with donald trump. getting strange new respect from the press. house republicans with strong backing from trump plan to dump cheney from her number three

leadership post and she essentially abandoned the fight. critics say cheney is stubborn but taking the stand on principles. she says the 2020 election was not stolen. putting her ad oughts with many trump voters. this has become a litmus test in the party and media are lacer is focused on cheney. this is all a proxy war for the gop future. reminds me of mitt romney, john bolton, michael cohn who got awful press in the past until pundits cast them as leading voices in the trump resistance. i'm howard kurtz. this is "media buzz". ♪. howie: what minority leader kevin mccarthy is any indication, house republican aren't exactly hiding their determination to push congresswoman cheney out of the leadership. >> i have heard from members

concerned about her ability to carry out the job as conference chair, to carry out the message. howie: that mess can was even blunted when mccarthy was caught on a hot mic saying she has real problems. i had it with her. i have lost confidence. media casting this as far broader debate whether republicans other than a few aligned with liz are telling the truth about what happened in 2020. >> they throw of all people liz cheney, a conservative's conservative, throw her right under the bus, to appease a disgraced, twice impeached, one-term insurrection inspiring former president. >> she detests former president trump and all of his supporters. i will say it straight. she thinks many if not all of them are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic or just plain dumb. >> what is clear what is left of the conservative movement, that was once based on principles and

democracy has been completely snuffed out. liz cheney felt like she was the last flickering light. >> this is not a massive fight between conservatives and moderates. i think it's a fight with liz chin ney. she continued to trash the gop and talk about january 6th over and over and over. howie: joining us now to analyze the coverage in new york, kat timpf co-host of gutfeld and mara. most of the media no question are siding with liz cheney or what she has to say is on principle or attacking donald trump. >> the second one. i saw, it has been interesting, when i saw "new york times" piece by maureen dowd. the first sentence i miss torturing list cheney. went on to call her a valkryie amid happen links. wasn't coply mentry. talk about the big lie, your dad's lie, iraq war, so on, so

forth. if we could have seen in 2014 maureen dowd would be using valkyrie, symbol of wisdom in norse mythology who decides who lives and dies in battle i would have not believed that. howie: some people are still settling scores. mara, as journalists contrast liz cheney's opinion, donald trump's opinion, could not be more different than what happened in the 2020 election. is this a gift to anti-trump pundits who may be tired of talking about joe biden and policy? >> well maybe. there is not as much interesting. apostasy is always much more to talk about. strange new respect angle happens every time someone breaks with therthodoxy of their party especially with donald trump but, and although the liberal pundits might have a field day with this, this is a huge important story because the republican is being asked, liz

chain cheney won't stop asking the question whether or not they believe the 2020 election was legitimate and joe biden won it legitimately. if you have a party of whose vast majority doesn't believe that, it is pretty hard to see how we can proceed with the stable democracy. howie: let me give in care fairness in quotes from etch side. in "washington post" op-ed, liz cheney doubled, tripled down, trump is saying i'm rightful president and president biden is legitimate. the question now whether we will join trump's crusade to delegitimize and undo the legal out come of the 2020 election. the guardian is calling liz cheney a martyr. even if you think as a journalist she is standing up, doing this at substantial risk to her own career, aren't republicans in the house entitled to have somebody in a leadership who agrees with most of their conference? >> yes, absolutely but the main

thing here is, i remember we were all asking ourselves this question, what happens when trump's not in office? have things really changed so much that they're not going to be same anymore. stuff like this is pointing yeah, because he is not even allowed on social media right now. he is not out there speaking all the time but at the same time he is still the focal point of so many conversations and this rift particularly in the gop where obviously anytime you break from your party it will be a huge news story. people will be talking about it. but there is this unique sort of passion. it is just crazy. i think there is something so unique about anything when it comes to donald trump, eastern though it has been months since he has been in office. howie: yeah. trump has put out many statements about all this. here is one of them we can put up part of it. writing the fake news media, that sounds familiar working in close conjunction with big tech and radical left democrats is doing everything they can to

perpetuate the term the big lie. he says this reminds him of mueller, mueller, russia, russia people. impeachment hoax number one, impeachment number two. isn't the former president droving this debate as much as liz cheney. >> absolutely. his metric of success has always been how much he can dominate the media narratives, how many clicks and eyeballs that is it what he wants to do. as far as him being on social media, there is nothing stopping donald trump from summoning a group of cameras to mar-a-lago or bedminster anytime he wants. he can be on television every day if he wants. he wants to perpetuate what i believe is a lie. it is false, that he actually won the 2020 election, sometimes he says in a landslide. he is asking every republican to choose whether they're with him

on that or not. howie: right. that part is i think beyond dispute. just moments ago on "sunday morning futures" kevin mccarthy came out and formally endorsed elise stefanik, congresswoman from new york to take cheney's number three post. has a more moderate voting record than cheney. she is embracing the trump position on this. some in the conservative media are not siding with donald trump on this. for example, "the wall street journal" editorial page. the election wasn't stolen yet mr. trump wants a endorsement of his stolen claim to be litmus test. "national review," the republican party is so under the thumb of trump, consistently acknowledging reality about the election disqualifies somebody from leadership. this reminds me of 2020 some of these same outlets on the right broke with the president. >> yes, absolutely. we can see some of the consequences for the republican party. if you look for example, what

happened in georgia. if you're saying hay elections, not legitimate, rigged, this and that people will be less inclined to go out and vote. if this narrative keeps continuing that could be a problem that the gop continues to have. howie: right. president biden got asked about this. reporter said what do you think of house republicans moving to kick liz cheney out of the leadership, here is what he had to say. >> we need a two party system. it is not healthy to have a one party system. and i think the republicans are further away from trying to figure out who they are and what they stand for than i thought they would be at this point. howie: so, mara, like joe biden the media are trying to make this into a much larger debate about the republican party, not just about liz cheney obviously. not just about kevin mccarthy. about all the house members who after the riot at the capitol on january 6th, were not, voted not to accept, at least in certain states the electoral college results. news outlets want to put them

all, you're all perpetuating the big lie. i wonder if you think there is any, oh, shall we say liberal bias in that because it makes the gop look bad if you accept that premise? >> sure. i think two things can be true at the same time. the republican party is going through an identity crisis but also it's not in shambles. it has tremendous does advantages, structural advantages otherwise going into the 2022 election cycle. i don't think it's a party falling apart but it's a party trying to figure out what it stands for and on that i think that is just a huge story. we're all going to be covering it for the next couple years. of course it is legitimate that they can have whoever they want as conference chair in the house but it is also really important whether they believe the democracy means sometimes your side loses an election. howie: you know, kat, it seems to me that she is, liz cheney not only getting positive press for example, now she is on her way out from leadership,

"washington post" quoting political sources she is too stubborn, too ornery, why does she keep bringing this up? the other you mentioned the maureen dowd column in "the new york times," fighting her last war in the bush administration, when she worked in the bush state department all about iraq. it's a classic washington knife fight seems to me. >> another piece in "the new york times" if she was really upset about this she wouldn't mention that could negatively impact her career. it is interesting to write about things that happened that are unexpected or that we've never seen before because obviously that she is going to get flak from the republican party, donald trump months later is still this, he wants it to be a litmus test and a lot of people are on board with it being a litmus test. it is really, really insane to see. she doesn't really have super fans on either side, right? because again, look i'm still no span of her foreign policy

myself. a lot of people remember the cheney family all sorts of those things, but it is great to talk about things outside of party lines i think sometimes and have those conversations. we can have productive, reasoned conversations when we take party politics out of it. howie: just briefly, mara, if donald trump wants to keep talking about 2020 as opposed to 2022 when republicans have a good shot taking over the house, and liz cheney does, isn't it also true, you think the media will keep this storyline going for months and months, that it won't flame out once that change is made in the house gop leadership? >> yeah. i think that donald trump is always going to be clickbait for the media. whatever he says, the more outrageous it is, the more it will be covered disproportionately. so yes, i think that is going to keep going. howie: he is the most important, influential voice in the republican party even as a former president. that part is beyond debate. let me get a break. a frank luntz focus group is fed up with the media pandemic

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howie: it was hardly a shock when facebook's oversight board of global luminaries upheld the decision banning donald trump an criticized mark zuckerberg of violating its own rules making the ban indefinite. the media treated the rule as though the fate of western civilization was at stake. >> i don't understand how you ban president trump, former president, let the president of iran, china, all kinds of people and ban the american president who half of america wants to hear from? >> he is former president of the united states. he is not being silenced.

these are private companies and think want to moderate what kind of content they put on their platform. howie: now trump said in his statement what facebook, twitter and google have done is a total disgrace and an embarassment to our country. free speech has been taken away from the president of the united states because the radical left lunatics are afraid of the truth because the truth will come out anyway. kat timpf can anybody be surprised facebook is still banning trump after this oversight board essentially essential punted the whole thing back to mark zuckerberg? >> they sure did. this was mark zuckerberg's whole idea. like when you're a kid you ask your mom, i don't know, ask your father. what the board did is father said, go ask your mom, right? there was a great piece in the "washington times" is a that i had, mark zuckerberg tried to punt this and yeah, they punted it right back. he wants to avoid being responsible for this because he doesn't want conservatives to be mad, trump supporters to be mad.

he doesn't want liberals or democrats to be mad. he had the opportunity, this is what the board did, board decided. now he doesn't get that chance. howie: mara liasson, six months facebook is posed to reconsider and facebook can finesse this at that point in time. >> this private company has tremendous power. many people say it has too much power. once again we are aware of this. mark zuckerberg has to decide what he wants to do. he is not the government. there is no law that says he has to let anyone speak on his mat form but he can't pretend there is a total unfettered free speech on his platform. this is a fundamental debate about whether the social media companies are public utilities, they're a highway that needs to be regulated by the government, or they're a private chat room that happens to be gigantic.

howie: days when they were a private chat room or place just to look for states i think is long gone. the most powerful media companies around. >> but zuckerberg still acts like he is. howie: michael mcconnell said oversight chairman board, private companies is no first amendment issue. it is very much of a free speech issue. kat, based on media coverage is this one more piece of evidence, glaring evidence in the view of many conservatives that facebook is biased to the left? that silicon valley is biased to left? in this congress republicans cannot do anything about this decision? >> yes, in the eyes of conservatives it absolutely is. you see it as another example of bias. it is one of many examples, right? so important to distinguish between free speech in the constitutional sense you're free to say anything you want without government punishment. and then the cultural view of free speech, canceling people, basically, blocking them from the platforms. both are important obviously the

constitutional when it is critical. but really i think this is really further gives a lot of these people ammunition. i always believe including culturally the answer to speech you don't like is more speech, not less of it. than trumps comes out in other ways, statements see look, i'm the victim. they are not letting me speak. they have never done this before. it is suspended indefinitely and energizes the base further. howie: it derives the former president of a fund-raising platform. mara, this board has no powers. "the atlantic" describe i had at as potempkin court. zuckerberg doesn't answer any of its questions. is it appearance of accountability there is a court? >> i don't think this is appearance of accountability. this isn't the supreme court. this is facebook. people hired by facebook talking to facebook. i don't think there is any accountability at all. mark zuckerberg has to decide

what he wants to do. i know he didn't want to decide that because he is going to have to. howie: right. twitter is not reconsidering its ban, trump started this new blog call it, t.j. t desk, people don't like what he says on twitter. twitter deleted that blog, saying you can't have this on twitter, it is a way of getting around the decision. there is a lot of animosity here toward these companies which used to be so popular, their ceo's used to be so popular. they have to come to grips with the fact they have all this power. mara, as you said maybe too much power. kat, mara, thanks for giving us part of your sunday. >> anytime. howie: up next, the latest on the trump doj having obtained the phone records of three "washington post" reporters. later, why was there such an uproar over elon musk doing

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♪. howie: the trump justice department secretly obtained the phone records of three "washington post" reporters from 2017 as part of a leak investigation. a move approved by former attorney general bill barr. this was about russia. the three reporters, greg miller, adam antos, written a story based on u.s. classified intelligence intercepts involving then senator jeff sessions having a postelection conversation with russian ambassador sergei kislyak. it is illegal to leak such information. the justice department says it followed the procedures. the targets of the investigations are not news media recipients rather than those access information who provided media, failed to protect it as lawfully required. acting post-editor cameron barr, says the paper is deeply troubled by this use of government power. joining us mike emanuel, chief

washington correspondent. the trump first administration is not the first administration to go after reporters leaked investigations. this was approved by bill barr, involved reporting of the russia probe aimed at president trump, his inner circle it could of course be viewed as political. >> we all remember the russia probe was a very sensitive topic with president trump and his senior team. it was meeting with campaign advisor jeff sessions who went on to become the attorney general when the articles were published. he was attorney general of the united states, and a couple weeks later he would announce crack down on a culture of leaking. so he was not lying about that. clearly he was serious about going after the leakers. i'm not going to defend whether folks should leak classified information or not but as journalist you tell your sources hey, i will protect you. i'm not giving up your name for anything, big brother reaches over you, goes through your call records, has phone numbers,

length of time of the calls, it probably doesn't take long for the justice department to figure out with whom you're speaking, who might have had access to the classified information. as a reporter you feel like you're pretty much naked. your call records are out there. the government is going through them. howie: from a journalist point of view it is pretty chilling. no opportunity for appeal. you don't find out it happens until much, much later. i was highly critical of the time when the obama justice department secretly obtained phone records from reporters from fox news and the ap, classified or sensitive information having to do with korea, north korea. any news organization or journalistic critic that slams trump and barr over this particular leak investigation shouldn't they have to include barack obama and eric holder in that criticism? >> one one hers. i was here at the time when our former colleague james rosen had records obtain i had by the government.

they obtained personal emails, not fox news emails. personal emails. folks here at fox didn't like it one bit. why it is not surprising at all the folks down the street at "the washington post" are equally unhappy about the treatment their reporters received for 2017 stories that they did about contact, alleged contact between the russian ambassador and then campaign advisor for the trump campaign jeff sessions. bottom line, if you like the first amendment, you don't like hearing stories about this kind of stuff. howie: right. supposed to be done only in rare instances. biden justice department is defending this following procedures. the records that were seized involved those few months early 2017 but the decision was made by bill barr during the 2020 campaign. at the same time we're talking here about sensitive, classified u.s. intelligence intercepts so since such leaking can be illegal not for reporters but

people working forge government. could that justify obtaining the phone records? no that is the point the justice department is making. this is highly sensitive u.s. classified information. it is not punishing the reporters but going after the ghost officials who are to protect sensitive classified information in their roles that they have access to this sensitive of america's secrets. they defend their actions saying that they're going after the leakers because next time it could be even more sensitive leak. so, it makes presidents crazy from both parties, sensitive leaks. certainly remember from past presidents and clearly that continues today when they're trying to get to the bottom line who is leaking america's secrets and how big after secret it may be. howie: right. i think we have to find out more about this particular case whether it was justified, that understandably journalists very upset as you pointed out. mike emanuel, thanks for your reporting this sunday. >> thanks, howie. howie: next on "mediabuzz,"

conservatives are furious about the facebook report and. jedediah bee law -- bila is on deck.

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to our ancestors and each other. michael: find their stories. gigi: at ancestry. hooh. that spin class was brutal. well you can try using the buick's massaging seat. oohh yeah, that's nice. can i use apple carplay to put some music on? sure, it's wireless. pick something we all like. ok. hold on. what's your buick's wi-fi password? “buickenvision2021.” oh, you should pick something stronger. that's really predictable. that's a really tight spot. don't worry. i used to hate parallel parking. [all together] me too. - hey. - you really outdid yourself. yes, we did. the all-new buick envision. an suv built around you... all of you. ♪. howie: big tech have way too much power? a focus of increasingly fierce media debate now that facebook is keeping its ban on donald trump. joining us from new york, jedediah bila, cohost of

"fox & friends weekend." most of the media is folk positive about the decision to keep president trump's ban. it is so all powerful they get to unilaterally decide what is acceptable speech. >> when they make the decisions there is a arbitrary nature to them. people sit back say, all right, if donald trump is banned because he is accuse of inciting violence, being accused praising rioters at the time of the insurrection, what about all the other people allowed to exist on there? people in prominent political positions celebrities or otherwise? they are just regular people. that is essentially what the oversight board came back and said. you need not to be so arbitrary in your decision making. people need to know for sure that these decisions aren't made for political purposes, that they're not agenda driven. these companies are big. that is how people see their news, howie. people go on twitter. howie: i know. >> they scroll through. if you're deciding what i can or cannot see, if you're deciding

who can or cannot have a voice there you're essentially brainwashing the public at large and in-- trin nating them. this is the information you're allowed to have. this information over here you are not allowed to see. you can't exist like that. howie: anger is only on the right. liz warren is one of the democrats want to break up facebook. there is the counterargument, these are private companies, they can do whatever they want, kick off whatever they want, it ignores the fact that these are the most powerful media companies in the world. they pretty much control digital dialogue these day. >> they control a lot. they have a lot of power. you know, not only are they getting us addicted to apps, you as you know i was here talking about it. i wrote a whole book about that. howie: i know. >> yes, they are really involved in censoring some thought as opposed to others. i know elizabeth warren, some on the left will say break up the companies, let's have the government get involved, let's have the government play a role. i understand the argument these are private companies, essentially they can make these

decisions but these private companies have to realize, if they are arbitrarily doing these things. if they can't justify what they are doing, this is a blanket reason, these are policies, if you violate them, i don't care who you are, you will be thrown off, instead some people are subject to those, those rules and other people that are not. howie: right. >> you're going to have people leaving the apps. you will have people condemning the apps. you have a lot of people leave tweeter when this happened to president trump. they felt it was arbitrary. no consequence one way or the other. howie: bet me move on to bill and melinda gates announcing their divorce. this is not just a divorce story because of the fine work of the gates 50 billion-dollar foundation. "new york times" had a zillion piece. there is online snark about it, even though not a tabloid mess even though as it was with jeff bezos divorce. why do you think there is so much curiosity about the breakup of the marriage? >> first of all it's a lot of

money. people say, it is a lot of cash, billions upon billions of dollars where this money will go. they have three children together. there is lot of questions, each child would get $10 million regardless. there is lot of curiosity what inheritance will look like. they were viewed as a philanthropic power couple. there was no indications anything wrong with the marriage. no public hiccups. no infidelity. so it is shocking to viewers. howie: i had a chance to meet both of them at gates foundation in seattle years ago, they seemed like a perfect couple. leads to a washington headline, if bill and melinda gates can't make a marriage work, what is the hope for rest of us seems to be theme? >> people say they have all of this money. working together as part of a foundation. they're doing charitable work. they obviously share a world view how will i make it work? i don't have all of those things. i don't have access to all the privilege, all the money t causes people to self-reflect on their own life.

everyone knows divorce rates are super high around 50% t makes people think about their own lives. remember, you feel like you get to knows these people, right? they're out in the public eye. they're public figures. you feel like living your life with celebrities and reality tv stars. that is the way that the american culture is right now. people feel very plugged into their lives whether they want to or not. howie: it is illusion in many instances. elon musk doing "saturday night live" last night. he of course is the tesla guy, the spacex guy. he is a genius. also he is very eccentric. gets himself in lot of trouble on twitter. look at clip from his monologue. >> i reinvented electric cars and sending people to mars on a rocket ship. [applause] did you think i was also going to be a chill normal dude? [laughter] howie: not a normal dude. why was there such a media storm over musk doing "snl," to the point where nbc cast members had to be assured they didn't have

to appear if they didn't want to? >> he is a billionaire for one. there was a lot of talk about, there was a tweet by another cast member i think screen shot of a bernie sanders tweet that had criticized wealth gap in the country. he said some things very controversial about the coronavirus causing a pandemic lockdowns he said, at one point were fascist. he made statements, inaccurate statements about the virus last year. he is a conversal figure. a guy who has a lot of money. the think about it though, he is a funny guy. we learned that. sometimes these figures that are not actors that are not typical celebrities that come from the business community, that you don't really know that other side to them, well, they want to being surprisingly very good. i think it was refreshing, agree with him or not, what he said about covid or what not. howie: right. >> people will be pleasantly surprised by the appearance. howie: "snl" ratings down 50%

since the election. getting controversy. >> they got it. howie: delivered. always great to see you. thanks for joining us this sunday. >> bye. howie: after the break, are the media hyping bad covid news for ratings? frank luntz has troubling focus group findings in a moment. righ, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ ♪ ♪ aging is a journey. you can't always know what's ahead. since 1995, seniors have opened their doors to right at home for personalized care.

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♪ howie: slowing pace of covid vaccinations has naturally been a big story of the media.

as we see in the frank luntz focus group there is sharp criticism of this issue and the overall pandemic. >> how do you evaluate the media's handling of covid-19? >> mistrust. >> why? >> because all they kept reporting is all the deaths, not how vaccine can work. to heal. >> they don't ever tell all the stories of all the people that recover from it. they want to tell you about all the people that died from it. i just find they there is a lot of fear-mongering in the media. >> ratings seeking. doing stories that will get ratings. just trying to get that nielsen share in. howie: joining us now on a rather shake if i feed from london, frank luntz, veteran republican pollster. one woman told you the coverage was good that provided information about such things as cdc guidance. why the conviction of many focus

group people that the media are hyping tragedy and death? >> a lot is the feeling covid has been politicized. this goes back before the election. if you're a trump voter you think it was used to defeat the former president. if you are a biden voter you think trump was not honest with the american people. both sides think the partisan nature is causing a divide in this country with a public health crisis. second, all they see from places like "new york times," "l.a. times," is the negativity. that is what they think they see, that just another death and suffering. not about people who recover. howie, the key element right now is whether or not the press is talking about a light at the end of the tunnel. whether or not they're talking about the masks coming off. whether social distancing is ending and whether we are moving any further close, any closer i should say to a return to normal. howie: let me jump in here because when 580,000 americans

have died from covid-19, that is undeniable part of the story. so i don't fully get the criticism that people in my business are doing this for ratings. maybe at the beginning of the pandemic when it was a new, scary and chilling story but the topic is inevitably a bit after downer. doesn't exactly make people rush to tune in to news. >> i agree with that. i agree with that analysis. it is something that i tried to say to president trump voters in these focus groups. in the end it is based on medical sighens, research that went into it, thousands, tens of thousands of tests. the fact is, this is something you learned from the foundation that the work we're doing, consequences of the virus today, in may of 2021 are so much worse than even the worst case consequence of the vaccine. the public needs to understand that but it is up to the press. the way the press should box it and talk about the covid-19 facts. the media, the television should

give the, a positive element not just the death count because that is what will get more people vaccinated. howie: here is a classic example. "the new york times" this past week had a huge story, an inu wednesday story, when vaccinations dropping, experts say america can't reach herd immunity not in the foreseeable future, perhaps not ever. three days later the times had another story, turning the corner, u.s. covid outlook reaches hopeful point. states not reporting deaths on certain days. what are readers supposed to think? >> you should print both of those stories at same time and both are accurate. our polling shows that. you have to tell both stories at same time. this is not time to beat up on trump what he did or did not do or trump voters because they're skeptical because they have concerns. embrace it. people have the right to ask questions.

they have the right to their thoughts but in the end the decision to get the vaccine is just not for themselves, it is also for the people they love. in the end we hope they make the right decision. howie: the biden white house is announcing new tactics now that the vaccination rate has dropped 27% by some estimates, getting it to doctors offices, mobile medical units. no criticism of that. perhaps this should have been anticipated. obviously everybody is scrambling. you're working to convince more conservatives to get vaccinated. president is out there giving speeches. anthony fauci is out there on television shows. it doesn't seem to be having a an impact. >> it has to come from your doctor. tell you my dream. you say this is insane. i want donald trump and joe biden to film a commercial together. trump complimenting biden getting vaccines out, biden complimenting trump on "operation warp speed." two of them turning to their own doctors and let them deliver the message. it will not come from

washington. not come from government, not come from celebrities. it has to come from your own doctor, one of the key findings we learned. howie: in half a minute, the reason for that is a distrust of politicians and political leaders, polarization you mentioned earlier, there is more trust in local doctors? there are problems getting the vaccine to local doctors because of storage issues and how much of this has to be shipped. just briefly? >> yes, it is medical science. in the end stop demonization and focus on education. if we do that, we'll get over the 75% mark. if we don't, we won't reach herd immunity. howie: would be unbelievable shame that we have these life-saving vaccines developed almost in miraculous amount of time. yet there are hardcore people who don't want to take them, are entitled to their individual decisions. as you pointed out, many others pointed out, if they don't do it hurts the whole country. frank luntz traveling the world apparently. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. howie: still to come, "new york times" top editor on

botching the rudy giuliani story. the washington magazine where staffers are protest having to come back to the office and much more. stay with us. time for ache and burn! over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. those probably won't touch me. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. xiidra,... ...noooo! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda- approved non-steroid treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra, wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. talk to an eye doctor about xiidra. i prefer you didn't. xiidra. not today, dry eye. if these beautiful idaho potato recipes are just side dishes,

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he used to have gum problems. now, he uses therabreath, with clinically-proven ingredients, and his gum problems have vanished. (magic twinkling) (audience gasps) this is kate. she always wanted her smile to shine. - now, she uses a capful of therabreath (gargles) to give her the healthy, sparkly smile, (sighs contentedly) she always wanted. (crowd cheers) - therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. - [narrator] at walmart, target and other fine stores. ♪. howie: in the fallout over that colossal mistake involving rudy giuliani, first the washington post, then "the new york times," nbc all having to correct a false allegation that the fbi warned the ex-mayor that russian intelligence was targeting him, one editor has to his credit gone on the record. "times" executive editor told the post, we weren't rigorous enough. we tend to drop our guard when we get beat are trying to catch up. we need to grill sources more to understand exactly what they're confirming. we discussed it, corrected it, we need to do better.

good for bacqet. "the washington post" editor wouldn't talk to his own reporter. giuliani may have been late to reply because federal investigators seized his phones. one of the most gritty tabloids is trashing the likely new owner. tribune company negotiating a sale of the paper, "chicago tribune," "baltimore sun," others, global capital, larry mcshane called a notorious hedge fund known for decimating newspapers like "the denver post" before picking the bones for profit. as he points out tribune fired half the newsroom three years ago. the staff is is down to 100. these are tough times for newspapers. why other than rich guys, only hedge funds are buying them, too often bleeding them dry. the news which ran the classic headline, ford to city, drop dead. is trying to avoid death by strangulation.

washington post editors created a whole lot of confusion with a memo to staffers what staffers can and can't do at public gathering. attending a pride he will abrasion, one for juneteenth that is okay. not protests or partisan activities. fine to join a celebration at black lives matter plaza but not a protest. are those similar. they can't hold a sign, attend a parade, wear a hat opposing a politician or policy. can wave american flag or t-shirt or rainbow hat. what if you wear a rainbow hat at a pride protest. i'm for reporters joining activities but sounds like you need a lawyer. at "washington post" magazine she expects staffers to return full time. kathy merrill said in an "washington post" op-ed they need to be there to help their colleagues. here is what she wrote. some employees middle east like

to continue to work from home and pop in only when necessary that presents executives with a tempting economic option the employees might not like. what would the option be? turning them into contractors which merrill said would cost them, came out and said it, their health an retirement benefits. the entire staff essentially went on strike, posting the same message on twitter. we are dismayed by cathy merrill's public threat to our livelihoods. we will not be publishing today. this is a difficult transition for companies across america, not just the media. making not so subtle threats against your employees is really heavy-handed. merrill later backed off saying she won't change her employees status. i'm quote i'm sorry if the op-ed made it appear like anything else. online protests sometimes work. that is it for this edition of "mediabuzz." i'm howard kurtz. happy mother's day to all the moms out there and people celebrating their mothers on this special day. like our facebook page, post my

daily column among other things. continue the conversation on twitter @howard kurtz. i don't have to encourage some of you. check out my podcast. subscribe at apple itunes, google podcast or on your amazon device. we're back here next sunday 11 eastern. see you then with the latest buzz. aliens are real, alright. there's just too much evidence. kill weeds not the lawn with roundup for lawns products. . . .

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50% off on america's most reliable 5g network. eric: well, just breaking, some stunning news from the world of horse racing. the horse that won the kentucky derby just eight days ago, medina spirit, a colt that rose to the top of the heat, he's reportedly failed a post race drug test. he beat 12 to one odds to win. he could be stripped of the derby title and the winning purse if disqualified. it depends on the results of another sample. hello, welcome to "fox news live" and happy mother's day. i'm eric shawn. hi, jackie. >> i'm jacqui heinrich in for arthel neville. another failed drug