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George Washington University
Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, creator and host of Planet Forward; former Washington, DC Bureau Chief for CNN
PROFILE
Frank Sesno
Guest
FROM Frank Sesno
To the Point
Wonks or shills: Who are we listening to on cable news? Paid political commentators are also partisans and even campaign operatives -- at the same time. Is there a conflict? Photo by Tim Pierce Partisan aides from the political past, failed candidates -- even staffers in current campaigns -- are on the payrolls of cable news networks. CNN recently cut ties with long-time commentator Donna Brazile , who's also the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee. Frank Sesno, Director of the School of Media at George Washington University, is a former White House correspondent and anchor for that same cable news network,CNN.
To the Point
All Trump All the Time Broadcast and cable networks are breaking the rules for news coverage of a presidential campaign. No other candidate could just call on the phone and get on the air to hold forth before details of the terror attacks in Belgium had been reported. Donald Trump has received almost $2 billion worth of free media coverage, building audience share and driving ad revenue through the roof. No presidential candidate has received so much free time as the former reality star – and he is almost never called to account. Broadcast executives are unapologetic about the advantage it gives him over his competition. Is real journalism being sacrificed for the bottom line?
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.