Shepard Smith: America Doesn’t Torture

I'm amused by Nico Pitney's headline, "Shepard Smith Uncensored: "We Are America, We Do Not F**king Torture!" (VIDEO)."  Mostly because it censors Shepard Smith. But the Left's sudden embrace of Smith is interesting, too. It may have begun with this recent Esquire profile. He has always managed to be a part of Fox and apart from it at the same time, ...

Stephanopoulos Conference Calls – Conflict of Interest?

Via Memeorandum, I see that MRC is hammering ABC on a story that I somehow missed: Media Research Center MRC President L. Brent Bozell, III has written a letter to ABC News President David Westin calling on him to publicly address and resolve what appears to be a clear violation of journalistic ethics by ABC’s Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos. Last ...

Gwen Ifill, Pro-Obama Author, Debate Moderator

There's a minor hubbub brewing over the fact that Gwen Ifill, who will once again moderate the vice presidential debate, is publishing a pro-Obama book shortly after the election, apparently unbeknownst to the McCain-Palin campaign. Questions are being raised about the objectivity of Thursday's vice presidential debate moderator after news surfaced that she is releasing a new book promoting Barack Obama ...

Brit Hume Stepping Down at Year End

Brit Hume is going into semi-retirement, Howie Kurtz reports. Brit Hume, a top anchor and executive with Fox News since the channel was launched 12 years ago, plans to step down at year's end. But he won't disappear entirely. Sources familiar with the situation say that Hume, 65, will give up his job as Washington managing editor and anchor of "Special Report." ...

Brit Hume Subject of CIA Investigation

"The CIA will declassify hundreds of pages of long-secret records detailing some of the intelligence agency's worst illegal abuses -- the so-called 'family jewels' documenting a quarter-century of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying, kidnapping and infiltration of leftist groups from the 1950s to the 1970s." Jason Zengerle has found this among many interesting tidbits in the story by Karen ...

Stop The ACLU On Fox Special Report

Stop The ACLU got a brief glimpse of fame on Brit Hume's "Grapevine" segment on "Fox Special Report." He has recorded the moment for posterity.

The Newest Talking Point?

Twice today I have heard a variation of the following: "no war has ever been won by withdrawing." It was used by a commenter at OTB and by Fred Barnes on Special Report with Brit Hume this evening. It has the feel of new political catch phrase. While this phrase may well be true, it strikes me as ...

Brit Hume’s Wife Out as Fox D.C. Bureau Chief

NY Post gossip columnists George Rush and Joanna Molloy report that on-the-job marital squabbling between Brit and Kim Hume have led to the latter's leaving the Fox News Channel. Marital sniping may have led to the departure of Brit Hume's wife, Kim, from Fox News last week. Kim Hume's imminent exit as Fox's D.C. bureau chief was announced Thursday. The buzz ...

Katie Couric’s CBS Debut

Tom Shales has a blistering review of Katie Couric's debut last night as anchor of the "CBS Evening News." He begins: A title change would seem to be in order. Maybe "The CBS Evening No-News." Or "The CBS Evening Magazine." Or "30 Minutes." Better than "30 Minutes II," I guess. Still, that's all unfair. I didn't watch the program but ...

BREAKING: Novak Speaks On Plamegate (Updated with Video)

Bob Novak--who unintentionally kicked off the political melodrama called Plamegate in a now infamous column--is set to reveal the double super secret extent of his involvement in the affair tomorrow in both his column and in interviews on FOX News on both Special Report with Brit Hume and Hannity & Colmes. Here's what we know now via Drudge: BOB ...

Bush Immigration Speech Live Blog

I'll start the live blog at 8 EST or thereabouts. Feel free to link and send a trackback to this post in the meantime if you're doing the same. NZ Bear is keeping a list of those liveblogging as well. Update (1915): AP's Nedra Peckler already has a story written based on the advanced text of the speech. Refreshingly, it's ...

Tony Snow to Be Named White House Spokesman

It's all but official. Conservative pundit Tony Snow will be named White House press secretary, Republican officials said Tuesday night, in the latest move in President Bush's effort to remake his troubled White House. [...] Snow, a Fox News commentator and speech-writer in the White House under Bush's father, has written and spoken frequently about the current president — not always ...

Revolt of the Generals?

That a few retired generals have spoken criticially of SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld continues to gather a surprising amount of attention. The Washington Post's lead editorial today is entitled "The Generals' Revolt" and carries the ominous subhead, "There are many reasons for Donald Rumsfeld to leave. Finger-pointing by retired officers shouldn't be one." The nut 'graph: The president's signal failure ...

Brit Hume’s Interview with Dick Cheney

Howie Kurtz has an interesting look at the decisionmaking that went on by both Vice President Dick Cheney and the Fox News crew that led to the exclusive interview on last night's "Special Report." Brit Hume was in his morning staff meeting at Fox News yesterday when his cell phone rang. It was Dick Cheney. The network's Washington managing editor ...

Cheney Breaks Silence on Hunting Accident

Vice President Cheney finally spoke publically about his weekend shooting incident. Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday accepted full blame for shooting a fellow hunter and defended his decision to not publicly disclose the accident until the following day. He called it "one of the worst days of my life." "I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the ...