was steal sales from the future rather than lead to a new production. as always real clunkers are the folks in congress who dreamed this up. thanks, we hope to see you closed captioning services, inc. health care reform . health care reform stumbles in washington. success of our military in afghanistan in question. our president's focus is on copenhagen, oprah and his olympic-sized sales pitch. >> we want them in chicago. >> are the media paying attention?

john: i'm john scott fox news watch is on right now. this week the debate over health care heated up. no clear end in sight. democratic congressman made headlines with his show-and-tell on the topic. a burning question over u.s. troop deployment in afghanistan and whether or not we can succeed there. and the possible nuclear threat posed by iran dominated the world's stage. all this as the president and mrs. obama jetted off to denmark for a sales pitch to win the olympics for their

hometown of chicago is >> we can make it, if we try that's not just the american dream is the olympic spirit. it is the essence of the olympic spirit. that's why we see so much of ourselves in these games. that's why we want them in chicago. john: that presidential plea went nowhere. the international olympic committee chose rio. we know the result now, jim. was the press playing along? were they supportive of the president's move? >> i think the press was -- katie couric said oprah and the president were the dreamteam going there. i think they were drinking their own kool-aid and they've now discovered the rest of the world doesn't idolize the president as much as the mainstream media. john: i don't think it has been done before. >> remember the king of spain, prime minister of spain, prime minister of japan,

president of brazil they are all there. don't forget tony blair played a key role for london in getting the olympics. >> and spain was a super power several hunt years ago. >> that's what was required. the idea that it was distracting him i thought was a little much. >> cal is this something like pardoning the thanksgiving turkey and receiving the bowl of shamrocks from irish prime minister? something that every president has to do every four years? >> real story is not the diminished credibility of the president, it's the diminished credibility of oprah! if oprah can't deliver what is the future of the planet this proves again the president is over exposed when you take the office and prestige of the presidency of the united states down to lobbying for a city like chicago especially, and you lose, the iranians are going to be looking at this.

the republicans are going to be looking at this. part of the weakness. >> a little over don't you think? >> he would have been criticized if he hadn't gone. >> i don't know that he would have been criticized if he hadn't gone. what the press did point out there's a lot of cronyism in chicago. a lot of obama's buddies were going to benefit from land deals and the like that was all over the chick papers of the national press did not -- over the chicago papers. the national press did not pay attention to that story. >> right now only half americans say that he prove of the job he's doing, 50%. 42% disapprove. are those ratings reflective of the way the press is treating the president? >> i think that the argument that he's demythologizing the office of the presidency by being on letterman and going to copenhagen whatever the substance of that argument is, this probably contributing to

a certain amount of over exposure. maybe -- i think what is reflected in the polls health care, afghanistan, ongoing violence in iraq. i don't think because went to cope hag again his polls are going to plummet. >> i think unemployment say variable here. i worked in the reagan administration when unemployment went to almost 11% and reagan's approval rating went into the low 30s. obama is at 50, one reason is according to the media research center the coverage of president reagan's unemployment in 1982 versus obama's unemployment in 2009 is 13-1 more negative for reagan back then. mrc, gainer cheeky enough to track down charlie gibson's coverage of unemployment going so high back 27 years ago and comparing it to what charlie gibson did he was at the

white house now obviously anchoring abc news in 1982 all bad news for reagan in 2009 all good news for obama, mostly good news. >> he who lives by the media dies by the media the time for the president to go on television to advance policy or persuade the public of something. the president doesn't have a plan for afghanistan he has to think about it. he doesn't have a health care plan this is a congressional plan or several versions of it. he didn't really have a plan to bring the olympics to chicago other than the force of his personality, which didn't work. we are seeing a diminished power right before our eyes, because he doesn't have anything other than his personality. >> one other burning issue this week, iran many look at new numbers from our new poll out this week. 69% of americans do not think the president is being tough enough on iran. only 16% say they think he's handling the situation right. 6% say he's being too tough.

again, the same question, juan is the press coverage he's receiving on iran reflective of what the american people seem to think? >> i think poll numbers reflect the american people's impatience with iran. in the sense that iran has been lying and continues to lie. there's been a shift with iran making concessions. the how does that get played? the international press at the end of the week was saying iran is really taking a tell back and coming into the international community. newspapers in the united states on the other hand were much more cautious in their coverage. we'll see where this goes. when you look at these numbers going back to our previous story that is so interesting is a plurality of americans said they disapproved of the president going to copenhagen for the olympics. i didn't see it as a big deal, apparently, i was out of step. >> time for a break. first, you want to be a fly on the wall during our breaks we keep cameras rolling, you

might catch cal thomas breaking out in song or some serious discussion. >> up next, police bust a cbs news producer trying to extort money from david letterman. the light night comic makes a shocking admission. >> fugitive filmmaker roman polanski, back in the news. >> o' >> announcer: fame news director and wanted criminal, roman polanski, nabbed for raping a 13-year-old. celebrities and the liberal meadia -- media cry foul, ignoring the crime. >> congress cuts funding and big business cuts ties now some in the press painting acorn as the victim. really? all mention, on news watch. i'm gunna do another one of my sleep studies.

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. >> i know it wasn't rape-rape. >> child molest, maybe?

>> i don't believe it was rape-rape. >> okay. comedienne whoopi told -- goldberg on the view telling us her view on the charges on roman polanski. it didn't stop there other celebrities have come to his defense. >> we came to honor roman polanski as a great artist but under these sudden and arcane circumstances we can only think of him today as a human being. we hope today this latest order will be dropped. it is based on a three decade old case ha is all but dead except for a minor technicality. >> hollywood big shots joined in, including woody allen, there's a role model and martin scorsese among others showing their support for the filmmaker. juan if polanski were a gym teacher or truck driver would he be getting the same kind of

treatment from these hollywood big shots? >> obviously not. i think behind this his brilliance excuses the crime. >> which he pled guilty to. >> there have been documentaries saying there was improper behavior by prosecutors trying to influence the judge. i think there's a great deal of credit to be given to the american newspaper reporters this week, "los angeles times", "new york times" who went out and actually said, roman poland , under wrong assumptions got this 13-year-old from her parents saying he was going to take photos, the girl wanted a career in acting. gave her champagne, alcohol and quaaludes and persisted in his sexual attempts to engage her, before raping her. what you just heard from whoopi goldberg is someone who hasn't look at what happened. she say it wasn't rape-rape. there is no way to interpret

this, once you see the facts as anything but, not only rape but rape of an adolescent. >> maybe she looked back and doesn't care because she thinks people of a certain hollywood pay grade are -- >> the argument is you are brilliant, you are excused -- >> backlash on this, since the petition in of supporting polanski circulated by harvey weinstein and all of this, the backlash against all of that, hollywood circling the wagons has been swift and loud, juan is right, the morning times, the "l.a. times", every one has pointed out and recounted the facts of the case. that speaks for itself. >> you wouldn't want any of these people as a character witness at your trial. woody allen as you pointed out not a paragon of virtue, he married his adopted daughter that he adopted with mia farrow. you got whoopi goldberg who i wish would define the difference between rape-rape

and just rape, i don't get that who according to her publicist has had six abortions. these are not the kind of people you want to show up and make good statements about yourself. >> she did issue clarification on the view the next year about her it wasn't rape-rape statement. >> fact that these are women saying is most disappointing. you are on a national television show and you know is going to be a topic find out the facts before you shoot your mouth off. >> there were some in the press who went the other way and pointed out that polanski has had such a tough life his mother died in a concentration camp. his wife and unborn child murdered by the manson family. does that excuse any of this behavior? >> it is interesting context for sure it doesn't excuse the crime. he's had a -- an intense life including winning an oscar a few years ago for a movie

about a holocaust. debra winger saying the whole art world will go to -- will suffer if somebody guess to jail for committing a crime that says a lot about the art world. >> thursday night comedian david letterman admitted to affairs with women on his own staff. here's what said in a weird monologue. >> i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. i feel like i need to protect these people. certainly protect my family. i need protect myself. hope to protect my job and the friends, everybody that has been very supportive through this. and i don't plan to say much more about this on this particular topic. so thank you for letting me bend your ear. >> yeah, after that we found out this producer for the cbs news program "48 hours" had been arrest and charged with trying to extort two million

dollars from letterman for having done some of the things that he admitted. have you soon a wearer moment in television? >> i'm sure the audience thought this was some elaborate -- >> yeah they were laughing. >> it goes to show the difference between the elites and the public on these things this is an unbelieve able soap opera to come. obviously, every one of these women is going to getacketr down a iewedntvind maybe sell her story. >> if you are on letterman's staff and the big guy comes and says hey, how about it? it just -- >> well, you know i don't that i men having sex with subordinates or affairs with subordinates unusual we see it all the name politics. but i do think there's a question of, he's in a position of power over these women. was there some sort of quit pro quo or hostile work --

some sort of quid pro quo or hostile work environment? >> you can imagine there will be questions raised. we know it was a crime against david letterman. i haven't heard any complaints from the women. apparently the producer was going out with a woman who had sex with letterman. >> apparently we will never know because letterman said he has said the last he's going to say. >> i doubt it. >> we'll know >> it is a weird story. much more ahead. but first, if you come across a story that you think shows media bias, e-mail us at news watch uh-oh fox -- watch at fox news.com. can scandal building and allys falling acorn's future leaks -- looks dim. >> we want our money back.

>> he's back, michael moore's love story. is the media afraid of this movie menace? answers next on news watch

your business is a performing artist. you are a performing

artist, which you are. a little play on words. you're a performing artist. stop saying prostitute. >> got it. >> just one of the many clips from a couple of freelance journal lists who exposed problems at acorn the association of community organizations for reform now. since these first aired acorn has lost all kinds of funding, backing and support from government and private sectors. now some in the media are defending acorn. take a look at this from a recent u.s.a. today front page story titled: for acorn controversy now a matter of survival that was the headline in the body of the piece acorn received about 53 million dollars in federal funds since 1994 has long been a target of conservatives because of ties to democrats. tax increase after aggressive voter registration and get out the vote efforts for president obama last year. i might point out attacks

increased after a couple of acorn employees were seen in what seemed to be promoting prostitution in those undercover videos. >> what u.s.a. today said was right attacks increased once it was seen or thought to be seen they were engaged in fraudulently registered voters to the benefit of democrats. it has escalated given these videos. not only has the u.s. res voted to end their connection, census bureau, everybody is running in the other direction. >> and they got 53 million dollars in federal funds for various of acorn. a little murky, juan was talking about it during the break. murky has to where the money goes and comes from. >> there's a double standard with the way media covers liberal groups promoting policies they agree with and conservative groups that are promoting policies they disagree with in the 80s there was an outfit called the legal services corporation, i'm sure it is still around styled to

help poor people conservatives tried to get them to fund it a lot of money going out to a lot of places the conservatives thought the government had no business helping to promote that didn't go anywhere the media was support as they are of the goals and objectives of acorn. a conservative group the media approach is different. >> why do some think acorn has been aictim of media coverage? >> for the reason cal said they sympathize with acorn. >> one of those doing the picking, would be john fund all over acorn for years on -- he wrote a book on voter fraud. he told me the other day, there's a lot more coming. >> let me say quickly before you go i think a number of people, in terms of journalistic effort if they wanted to focus on fraud should go after brachwater

these wall street barners. when you look at acorn that's why people think wait a minute they say are trying to help poor people get a house! are we put you go enough journalistic resources into scandal that pays off in large measure 53 million over 14 years is a margin of error for federal -- it is the weekend are you ready for for slanted cinema? first we had al gore giving us his inconvenient truth and the media couldn't get enough of that comedian turned political observer bill mayer blessed us with another film getting high marriages from the left and the same from michael moore's latest. >> we are here to get the money back from the american people. >> you can't come in >> can you take the bag there, fill it up? i got more bags, 10 billion

probably won't fit in here. we want our money back! >> michael moore is back. his latest film, capita a vestory,n iters now what about t reviews? >> according to rotten tomaeshey'vebe posi on this issue i'm with michael moore. i think the bailout was atrocity i think the scandal they gave themselves more in bonuses than they earned in profits and all their profits came from us taxpayers. chae moe ng toet y o omone goldman sachs, however jokingly, i'm all for it. >> i think it is rather hypocritical for him to say that he hates capitalism while pocketing the profits on it and a good number of hamburgers and popcorn from the concession stands. >> i'm with jim, this of all of them you would think most would be in agreement with. his reviews are always mixed. >> we have to take another break.

new work, new jersey gets unwant -- newark, new jers getste national atntion. newattln late night conan fires a shot is >> peop t health care prram wo consist of a bus ticket out of nu work. >> a big city mayor mayor res back. >>'mffll puttingu the newark, new jersey airport no-fly list. over the leading spray it cles conditions you wood, leather,ven grane butul sne ma'am, can help you withing?nyth [ chuckles ] [ female announcer ] swiffest & shine.

a new battle began on late night television. it all started when conan o'brien took a shot at the city of newark, new jersey. >> the mayor of newark, newa jersey wants to set up a a citywide program to improvey newark residents' health.a that's good. progra maybe healthcare program which consists of a bus ticket out os newark. ticke >> not only am i mayor off c largest city, but a mayor of the city with one of thes largest airports in thuned states. according to the powerscc investedn me by the people ofve the city of newark i'm puttingu you on the newark, new jersey,

airport no fly list. >> banned from flying into newark airport. so mayor>> booker i apologize. i do. i truth is, i love newark, new jersey. it is one of america's great cities. i guess newark that's all. a beautiful waterfront.at [ laughter ] a thriving art scene. exciting regional cuisine, four star lodging.laug and world class live theater. and mayor booker you think your can keep me out of newark by o banning me from newark airporti nice try. there are other ways for me tor get to your city. your c i can navigate the sewer systew because everyone knows that ale sewer pipes lead to newark. >> we can'top