Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is taking a major swipe at Scott Pelley, saying the fired "60 Minutes" correspondent is totally detached from reality.
Carr ripped Scott in a social media post, calling him out for criticizing the new CBS leadership and his dismissal from the popular newsmagazine show.
One of the reasons why trust in media is so low is because many legacy journalists are completely out of touch.
You could not get away with that behavior at any run of the mill job. It is revealing to see how blind some are to that.
@BrendanCarrFCC
After CBS showed him the door after 37 years with the network, Scott told The New York Times he didn't think for a moment he would be fired ... even though things got really heated between him and new CBS brass.
In his X post, the FCC bigwig references the NYT interview, branding Scott's statements as "completely out of touch." He says Scott's behavior would not be tolerated at any run of the mill job.
Google now has an AI program to sell just like everybody else in tech -- but its own top dog is still giving a blaring warning to society regardless ... saying we need to brace for impact.
Sundar Pichai said as much Sunday on "60 Minutes," where he sat down for an interview and offered startling insights into the rapidly evolving technology that's taking Silicon Valley -- and the rest of the world -- by storm ... which is only going to get more jarring, he says.
Check out this snippet from the chat ... where Pichai is asked if he thinks society is ready for what's ahead. He's pretty frank, saying ... no, not really. But, there's some optimism too.
SP goes on to explain that while he doesn't think everyone's quite prepared to deal with how advanced artificial intelligence/machine learning already is and where it's headed -- he does note that the concerns about AI have been widespread and frequent early and often.
To him ... that means everyday folks can see the dangers ahead of time, and he hopes that'll spur some to act in our best interest -- namely, elected officials who pass laws on this stuff.
Ironically enough, Google was sorta plugging their own AI tech on "60 Minutes" here ... including Bard -- which is their answer to Microsoft's ChatGPT -- albeit, with seemingly more guardrails in place, for now, than what the competition is rolling out ... aka, smart robots.
Listen to this AI generated song featuring Drake & The Weeknd.
It goes so damn hard.
It's by "Ghostwriter977" on TikTok and it's blowing up on socials + streaming platforms.
UMG, which controls around 1/3 of the global music market, has already asked streaming platforms to ban… pic.twitter.com/roz2EfI48M
Pichai says Google's got other stuff they're tinkering with in this department -- but he promises to do so with humanity in mind ... while also calling on mass regulation of AI.
BTW, this issue goes way beyond just tech ... it's already starting to affect the music industry -- including big artists like Drake and others. It's bound to all come to a head in due time.
Prince Harry says he was so distraught over the death of his mother -- Princess Diana -- that he resorted to heavy drinking and taking drugs -- including cocaine -- to deal with all the grief.
Harry made the stunning admission to Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" Sunday night as part of the Duke of Sussex's media blitz for his controversial memoir titled, "Spare," which is out tomorrow.
As for the relationship between Harry and his immediate family, it seems fully ruptured. Harry says he would like to clear the air and resume a familial relationship, but based on the public allegations he's made over the last 6 months, it seems like wishful thinking.
Anderson set the stage, asking Harry if he blamed the paparazzi for their alleged role in the 1997 car crash that claimed Diana's life in Paris when he was only 12.
Harry responded, "Yeah, I mean, it was obvious to us as kids the British press' part in our mother's misery and I had a lot of anger inside of me that luckily, I never expressed to anybody."
He continued ... "But I resorted to drinking heavily. Because I wanted to numb the feeling, or I wanted to distract myself from how … whatever I was thinking. And I would, you know, resort to drugs as well."
In a voiceover, Anderson noted Harry smoked weed and ingested cocaine because the prince felt "hopeless" and "lost" in his late 20's.
Harry then revealed he was unable to cry over his mom's death due to the burden he felt, so he tried experimental treatments using hallucinogenic mushrooms and other psychedelics.
"I would never recommend people to do this recreationally," Harry said. "But doing it with the right people if you are suffering from a huge amount of loss, grief or trauma, then these things have a way of working as a medicine."
He added that the treatments wiped away the idea "that I needed to cry to prove to my mother that I missed her when, in fact, all she wanted was for me to be happy."
To close the painful chapter, Harry said he reviewed the police file containing images showing cameramen snapping photos of Diana lying dead in the car.
He also visited the accident scene to confirm his belief that the paps chasing Diana caused the deadly collision -- instead of his mom's chauffeur, whom the police said was to blame because he had been drinking.
The Duke of Sussex was railing on the British news media, telling "60 Minutes" how racist they were toward Meghan, and then turned things on himself, saying he too may have harbored racist feelings before meeting his wife.
Harry told Anderson Cooper, "I had no idea the British press were so bigoted. Hell, I was probably bigoted before the relationship with Meghan."
He went on to say there was a rocky right of passage for other female members of the royal family, but adding race into the equation was a whole different thing.
Harry said he had no idea news outlets would react to Meghan the way they did.
As for how Meghan changed him, he said, "Put it this way. I didn't see what I now see."
Harry has made allegations of racism against other royals, telling Oprah a senior member of his family worried about the color of Archie's skin ... though he did not specifically say who.
The publicity push comes as a rollup to his memoir, "Spare," in which he has a laundry list of grievances against the royals, including violence at the hands of his brother.
Liz Cheney has done a 180 on gay marriage -- an issue that fractured her family given that her sister is gay -- and she flatly says ... she was wrong to oppose it.
The Wyoming congresswoman did the about-face during her interview on "60 Minutes" Sunday night ... and it stunned Leslie Stahl.
Liz's sister, Mary, is married to a woman, and although their father, former Veep Dick Cheney, came out in support of gay marriage, Liz dug her heels in and opposed it.
Cheney's reshaped view is stunning, as she said, "Freedom means freedom for everybody."
Cheney's in trouble in her home district in Wyoming, in large part because she wouldn't buy into Donald Trump's false claims the 2020 Presidential election was stolen. She sure seems undaunted ... and confident she'll win reelection.
Rep. Cheney says anyone who votes against her in 2022 ... is voting against the Constitution.
Cheney goes on to say Trump "doesn't believe in the rule of law" and unlike many of her GOP colleagues, she's openly rebuked the Jan. 6 insurrection.
BTW, win or lose in Wyoming ... it's rumored Cheney will challenge Trump in 2024 in the presidential race, because she's not a big fan of President Biden either.
Sen. Marco Rubio says it's time to start talking about UFOs seriously in this country -- especially on Capitol Hill -- because he says ... frankly, they're a threat.
The legislator from Florida -- who headed up the Senate intelligence committee just last year -- spoke openly on the taboo subject ... saying despite the snickering that still goes on, he wants answers on unexplained aerial phenomena.
In Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview, Rubio said regardless of what these things may or may not be ... they pose a serious risk to our national security, seeing how they're constantly being spotted floating in and around our air space without any explanation. To Rubio, that's a problem that needs addressing.
“Imagine a technology that can… fly 13,000 miles an hour, that can evade radar… has no obvious signs of propulsion, no wings, no control surfaces… That’s precisely what we’re seeing,” says the former head of the Pentagon’s UFO investigation program. https://t.co/gaYglDoDGIpic.twitter.com/TToSqJqaAT
That's exactly why the Senator demanded a report on UFOs/UAEs from the Pentagon that's expected to be published in about a month, which he says should shed light on everything the Defense Dept. knows about UFOs, making that knowledge public for the first time.
The timing seems right ... especially as Uncle Sam has slowly, but surely, confirmed different sightings and videos that have surfaced in recent years -- documenting strange, lightning-quick aircrafts that nobody seems able to identify or pin down.
“I don't know who's building it, who's got the technology, who's got the brains. But there's something out there that was better than our airplane,” says fmr. Navy pilot David Fravor about his experience with a UFO off the Pacific coast in 2004. https://t.co/fSMVvwynzcpic.twitter.com/aDDIPg3TJq
"60 Minutes" also talked to a federal contractor named Luis Elizondo, who was hired to work on this exact issue for several years, and who touched on what sorta technology we're talking about that he says he's seen and studied with his own 2 eyes.
There was even a first-hand account from Naval pilots who claim they saw a UFO up close, in-person in 2004 -- alleging it was as big as their own jet, and that it disappeared before their eyes.
That seems to jibe with other videos that have leaked of late ... which seem to show UFOs darting across the screen and vanishing into plain sight, or simply descending into water.
Apparently, these sightings off the coasts of our nation have been taking place for a good long while now ... but it wasn't until recently that military members were encouraged to report them and talk about them openly.
Keith Ellison -- the Attorney General of Minnesota responsible for leading the way to Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict -- says he felt many emotions after the ex-Minneapolis cop was convicted of George Floyd's murder ... including compassion.
The lead prosecutor in Chauvin’s trial admitted on "60 Minutes" Sunday night that he "felt a little bad" for the defendant afterward ... something he says stems from spending 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer.
Ellison says above all though, he felt gratitude, humility and a sense of satisfaction for holding Chauvin accountable for what he did. He adds that Chauvin definitely deserved to be convicted ... but Ellison wants to remind people that everyone in this process is a human being.
The Minnesota AG also gave his thoughts on how the judge should sentence Chauvin, and says he believes this wasn't a hate crime but rather a crime perpetuated by social norms ... and a lack of accountability.
He says of Chauvin ... "I think that if he looks at history, he has every reason to believe that he would never be held accountable … so history was on his side."
As you know ... Chauvin was convicted on all 3 counts he was facing -- second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter -- and is facing up to 40 years in prison. His sentencing date is set for June 16.
Nancy Pelosi is clearly still dealing with the trauma of the deadly Capitol breach ... and also seems to be fed up talking about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Speaker Pelosi appeared on "60 Minutes" Sunday to talk about the deadly insurrection last week, and got emotional -- appearing to hold back tears -- as she blamed President Trump for what she calls a "terrible violation" of the legislative branch of the U.S. government.
Pelosi also got worked up -- in a much different way -- when Lesley Stahl asked her about AOC complaining she and other Democratic honchos are excluding the younger generation of representatives from leadership roles.
Her response is telling ... and Stahl clearly noticed.
As we've reported ... it seems some of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol had far worse intentions than just walking around and putting their feet up on desks -- like Richard Barnett did in Pelosi's office -- so it's understandable why she's shaken up and wants Trump to pay for it. As AOC herself said, the insurrectionists may well have murdered half the members of Congress if they had their way.
Pelosi issued an ultimatum Sunday to Vice President Mike Pence, vowing to move forward with impeaching Trump if the VP doesn't invoke the 25th amendment to remove him from office STAT.
Barack Obama laid it all out on the table for "60 Minutes" -- offering advice to President Trump, dishing on how we can overcome systemic racism ... and giving rare insight into how pissed Michelle was at him for pushing for the presidency.
44 gave a wide-ranging interview to CBS's Scott Pelley, and the first order of business was Trump's refusal to concede the election ... despite a clear and decisive win for Joe Biden. Barack was asked what he might tell the sitting President in a time like this, and his answer was both meaningful and heartfelt ... this, to someone who by all accounts hates his guts.
Barack says if Trump wants at all to be remembered in any sort of favorable light -- even at this point -- the best thing to do is bow out gracefully and help Biden transition easily ... just like almost all administrations before him. Not only is it tradition -- it's the right thing to do, in BO's eyes anyway.
44 was also asked about systemic racism and police brutality -- specifically, about George Floyd and what he made of the video and the aftermath that followed. First, Barack said he had seen the clip -- which broke his heart. At the same time though, he also says he was heartened to see how many people, regardless of race or party, came out to decry Floyd's death and call it what it was ... murder.
As for what to do about police shootings on African-Americans, Obama said the issue will require more than just looking at how cops and police forces run -- although he said that needs to be reexamined and restructured as well.
In his mind, the police should be looking to get to the root of poverty, inequality and other issues in communities instead of just trying to "keep a lid on things," which he says so many officers in this country are trained to do. He also says that responsibility is on all of us, from the top down -- which extends to corporate America.
Lastly, Obama got brutally honest about how his political ambitions affected his family life -- especially as it pertains to his wife, Michelle, who told him she did NOT want him to run for President ... this according to Barack himself, as told in his new book, "A Promised Land."
Check out the clip to hear what she said to him -- it's clear the former First Lady wasn't totally on board with the White House stint, even after they'd won it. It also says a lot about Michelle's grace in general -- the fact we never saw this side in public speaks volumes.
Barack Obama is ripping Donald Trump and Republicans for continuing to make baseless claims of a fraudulent election ... he says it's a very slippery slope.
The former president broke his silence on Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud in an interview with "60 Minutes," telling Scott Pelley he's troubled by the large number of Republicans going along with Trump's claims and humoring him.
Obama says Republicans are not only trying to delegitimize president-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration, but also democracy in general.
What's more, Obama says what Trump and the GOP are doing is putting America on "a dangerous path."
As you know, Trump is refusing to concede the election ... and Obama shares what he thinks is behind Trump's refusal to admit Biden won.
President Trump just released video of his failed "60 Minutes" interview where he just walked out and never came back, and when Lesley Stahl challenged Mike Pence as to why the Prez walked out and didn't get an answer, she said they insulted her show.
Mike Pence tried to steamroll through Lesley's questions over Trump's abrupt departure, but she wasn't getting answers. As she put it, she got a bunch of campaign speeches from Trump and Pence, and that clearly frustrated her.
As you probably know by now, Trump felt the interview was an ambush, and he walked out in the middle. He accused Stahl of bias, claiming all Joe Biden gets are "softball questions."
What's unclear ... what's "60 Minutes" gonna do on Sunday? We're pretty certain the interviews will air, especially with all the publicity surrounding them. The fact that Trump released the footage only adds to the intrigue.
11:16 AM PT -- Trump just clarified his criticism of Dr. Fauci ... and compared him to Bob Hope in the process.
UPDATE
DT tweeted Monday after his press call, "Dr.Tony Fauci says we don’t allow him to do television, and yet I saw him last night on @60Minutes, and he seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope. All I ask of Tony is that he make better decisions. He said “no masks & let China in”. Also, Bad arm!"
UPDATE
UPDATE
He also suggested Fauci ditch his Washing Nationals face-covering ... suggesting it wasn't up to snuff as far as protection goes, and again referring to what he calls "perhaps the worst pitch in the history of Baseball!"
UPDATE
Man ... POTUS is really hung up on that, isn't he?
President Trump is taking the gloves off against his top COVID-19 specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and throwing his expertise out the window ... this after the doc, arguably, went on the attack on "60 Minutes."
"People are tired of covid," the president said. "People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots... Fauci's a nice guy, he's been here for 500 years...wonderful sage telling us..."
POTUS had a press phone conference Monday, and let the insults fly against Fauci ... who he suggested was one of many "idiots" advising the White House and the public on the pandemic. He even said people were tired of hearing the guy ... plain and simple.
Reporters on the call said Trump called each of Dr. Fauci's media appearances a "bomb," but mused that firing him would cause more political fallout ... especially this close to the election. He also sarcastically referred to Fauci as a "wonderful sage" who's been around for "500 years."
Trump clearly feels it's time for Fauci to go, as he added ... "People are tired of COVID ... People are tried of hearing Fauci and all these idiots."
There's been tension between Trump and Fauci for months, but as for why Trump's going all out now -- blame it on "60 Minutes," perhaps.
.@realDonaldTrump disparages Dr. Fauci on campaign call, says people are tired of hearing from him and “all these idiots.” “He’s been here for 500 years,” Trump says and muses about firing him if it weren’t for negative press If he did. “Fauci’s a disaster.”
Dr. Fauci did a thorough segment on that show Sunday and touched on a number of things COVID-related -- including a claim the White House had restricted him in recent months from doing more interviews to get the word out about the virus.
Fauci also talked about Trump's positive diagnosis, and how there seemed to be a war on science and authority ... which he implied had been sparked by the President while in office.
President Trump's painting featuring him with Grand Old Party presidents set the internet ablaze during his "60 Minutes" interview -- but it also lined the painter's wallet with cash.
During 45's interview Sunday night, a lot of people noticed Trump had hung up a fantasy painting on a wall somewhere in the White House. It shows Trump drinking what appears to be a non-alcoholic beverage with guys like Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, the Bushes, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt and other Republican presidents ... who all got booze nearby.
Many art aficionados mocked 45's vanity and called the painting "tacky" and "trashy" -- and also ridiculously and slimmingly flattering. There are, however, fans ... 'cause Missouri-based artist Andy Thomas tells us business has been booming in the 24 hours since his artwork aired on TV.
Andy says he and his wife woke up Monday morning with 25 new orders for prints of his "Republican Club" painting. They typically get only 3 orders a day. He tells us 60 additional orders came rolling in an hour later.
Time magazine reports on a new painting in the White House. It shows pres. Trump drinking a Diet Coke with Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and other republican presidents.
It isn't just the GOP boys getting love -- Andy says prints of another painting he did depicting Obama and famous Democratic presidents have been flying off his digital shelves from his website.
BTW ... the Trump painting and others range from $59 to $1,700.
Donald Trump revealed on "60 Minutes" ... he had to mock Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a Mississippi rally in order to get the necessary votes to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.
It was a stunning revelation ... Lesley Stahl grilled Trump like a cheeseburger over the now infamous campaign rally ... where Trump suggested Dr. Ford was a liar, to the delight of thousands who cackled their approval.
Stahl reminded the Prez Ford had told Senators the worst part of her high school encounter was the laughter by her assailants, and what she heard from the Mississippi crowd was laughter. Watch Trump's reaction to Stahl as he shrugs off the criticism.
Trump confessed, "Had we not made that speech we would not have won." As you know, the margin of victory was razor thin.
Mario Batali is reportedly being investigated by the NYPD for sexual misconduct after a woman came forward on '60 Minutes' to claim he'd sexually assaulted her.
Anderson Cooper spoke to a handful of women Sunday, one of whom anonymously said Batali had possibly drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005 after waking up at the Spotted Pig with semen on her leg. The woman, who was an employee of his at the time, says she was getting romantic with Batali prior to blacking out the night before.
The woman says she went to the hospital to get a rape kit done, but never filed a police report.
Other women claimed Batali had inappropriately touched them under his employ, and that they'd once seen him sexually assault at least one other woman, who was either unconscious or semi-conscious, at the Spotted Pig. That woman refused to talk to '60 Minutes.'
Batali issued a strong denial to CBS, saying he vehemently denied sexually assaulting the woman who did speak. It's unclear if he was asked about about the alleged second sexual assault, or the alleged inappropriate touching. That said ... he did issue an apology for his behavior last year.
'60 Minutes' says the NYPD confirmed there was an active criminal investigation into Batali's alleged misconduct.
Donald Trump is keeping mum on whether he watched Stormy Daniels' explosive interview ... but he's sure she has no proof to back up her claims.
Trump's Deputy Press Secretary, Raj Shah, got a barrage of questions about Stormy's "60 Minutes" sit-down where she detailed her alleged tryst with Trump, and the overall theme was ... inconsistent. Shah came up with multiple ways to say 45 thinks Stormy is consistently inconsistent about their alleged affair -- including her signing statements denying it outright.
Shah also said the Prez doesn't believe Stormy was threatened in Las Vegas to keep quiet about him ... and especially not by anyone on his behalf. Even further, he insists she has no one to corroborate that bombshell allegation.
As for the $130,000 "hush money" payment made to Stormy by Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, Shah says "false charges are settled out of court all the time."