This week, President @realDonaldTrump took a page directly out of George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984.
Speaking at the VFW convention on Tuesday, Trump ordered the assembled crowd, "Just stick with us, don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."
It was his final, most essential command.
A few hours later, Trump's most loyal supporters would be put to the test when CNN aired a surreptitiously recorded conversation between the president and his former attorney/fixer discussing a secret hush money payment—a payment that Trump had previously denied knowledge of.
The same thing would play out on Thursday, when CNN broke the news that Michael Cohen is prepared to tell the special counsel investigating collusion and obstruction that Trump had foreknowledge of the infamous Trump Tower treason meeting.
Meanwhile, Trump's new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, quickly sought to cast doubt on that claim—arguing that Cohen is, and has always been, a liar.
But don't quote him on that.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Sen. Rob Portman (R-PH); Former Trump Campaign Aide Sam Nunberg; Roundtable: TBA.
Face The Nation: Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); Rudy Giuliani (9/11); Roundtable: Anne Gearan (Washington Post), Ed O'Keefe (CBS News), Shannon Pettypiece (Bloomberg News) & Salena Zito (New York Post).
This Week: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK); Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM); Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH); Legal Analyst Dan Abrams & Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R); Roundtable: Rick Klein (ABC News), Dan Balz (Washington Post), Mara Gay (New York Times) & Mary Jordan (Washington Post).
Fox News Sunday: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; Rudy Giuliani (9/11); Roundtable: Jonah Goldberg (National Review), Former National Security Council Member Gillian Turner, Jonathan Swan (Axios) & Georgetown University Prof. Mo Elleithee.
State of the Union: Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow; Former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu (D); Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci; Roundtable: Republican Strategist Amanda Carpenter, Nina Turner (Our Revolution), Republican Strategist David Urban & Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: an interview with a former undercover FBI agent who infiltrated Al Qaeda (preview).
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday: Writer/Director Judd Apatow; Actor Jace Norman; Pop Band OneRepublic.
Tuesday: Actor Paul Giamatti; Pro Wrestler Ronda Rousey.
Wednesday: Actor Ewan McGregor; Rapper Rick Ross.
Thursday: Actress Chloe Grace Moretz; Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait.
Friday: Director Rob Reiner.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: Andrea Mitchell (NBC News); Tuesday: Singer-Songwriter Skylar Grey; Wednesday: Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul; Thursday: Rapper A$AP Rocky.
Elsewhere...
Loud Dobbs took an unscientific survey of Diamond and Silk and found that Republicans are gonna take control of California.
Some people may look to university polls, cable news personalities or politicos to predict election outcomes, but Lou Dobbs looks to YouTube sensations Diamond and Silk.
The Fox Business Network host spoke Thursday with the duo, also known as Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, two pro-Trump social media stars who skyrocketed to fame while embroiled in censorship and demonetization battles with Facebook and YouTube.
Offering her predictions on the potential for GOP candidates to secure midterm elections, Hardaway said she was convinced the West Coast wouldn’t be riding a blue wave.
"We was just in California, Palm Springs, California, and the president has a lot of support there in California. I believe we can make California red. I really do. Around the country people are motivated. He has galvanized our country, and people are on the Trump train. I believe that we're going to do well in these congressional races."
"Diamond and Silk from your lips to God's ears, we'll take that as the definitive and authoritative forecast," he concluded.
Meanwhile...
Roseanne Barr had trouble controlling her mouth.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night, the actress issued another personal apology to former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett ― then, seconds later, mocked Jarrett's appearance.
"I'm so sorry that you thought I was racist and that you thought my tweet was racist, because it wasn't. It was political," Barr told Hannity, addressing Jarrett.
Barr also apologized for "the misunderstanding" that her "ill-worded" post caused, and claimed she "never meant to hurt anybody or say anything negative about an entire race of people which I think 30 years of my work can attest to."
But she then insulted Jarrett's appearance:
"Plus I'd tell her she's gotta get a new haircut, I mean seriously, she needs a new haircut."
Ambein Best.
– Trix
