Reuters photographer kicked out of impeachment hearing for allegedly taking pictures of Democrats' note

Reuters photographer kicked out of impeachment hearing for allegedly taking pictures of Democrats' notes

by Mike Brest

| December 12, 2019 05:10 PM

Print this article

Current Time 0:04

Duration 1:00

Daily Headlines: December 12

Sign up for News from Washington Examiner

A Reuters photographer was asked to leave the House Judiciary Committee's hearing after allegedly taking pictures of documents on Thursday afternoon. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz addressed the situation when he sought recognition from Chairman Jerry Nadler on Thursday afternoon. "Before I make my point, during the break, a Reuters photographer, Josh Roberts, approached the dais and took pictures of the notes [on] the desks of several of my Democratic colleagues. We noticed that, announced it to staff," Gaetz stated. "That photographer has been removed. I would just say, no member, Republican or Democrat, should be subject to that." He added, "We ought to have the opportunity to take our notes, participate in debate, and have a fair discussion substantively, though."

The photographer was caught snapping photos of notes left on the dais during the committee's break. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana highlighted the incident on social media, tweeting, "SPOTTED: While we were on the House floor voting, @CNN's live feed caught press photographing documents on @JudiciaryGOP desks #impeachmentDebate."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/reuters-photographer-kicked-out-of-impeachment-hearing-for-allegedly-taking-pictures-of-democrats-notes

https://twitter.com/RepMikeJohnson/status/1205217433969147906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1205217433969147906&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Freuters-photographer-kicked-out-of-impeachment-hearing-for-allegedly-taking-pictures-of-democrats-notes

'Stood up to confirm history': Senate passes bill recognizing Armenian genocide

The Senate unanimously passed a bill recognizing the Turkish genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in the early 20th-century, a move that will anger Turkey. The bill, which had been blocked three times prior to a request from the White House, recognizes and condemns the slaughter of a century-old massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. The legislation was previously approved in the House by a 405-11 vote and is a rebuke to NATO ally Turkey, which has long lobbied for the killings not to be referred to as a genocide. Between 1915 and 1923, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians died. The bipartisan legislation was co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. The resolution passed on its fourth go-around. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, and David Purdue of Georgia, all blocked passage of the bill at White House urging, but said they were no longer willing to do so.

Turkey has pulled its ambassadors from the United States over votes recognizing the genocide at just the committee levels in 2007 and 2010. The backing of the bill by the entirety of Congress is expected to create blowback from Turkey, whose relationship with the U.S. is already on the rocks after its invasion of Syria and attacks against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces. “By passing my Armenian Genocide resolution, the Senate finally stood up to confirm history. What happened from 1915 to 1923 was — most assuredly — genocide. There is no other word for it. There is no euphemism. There is no avoiding it,” Menendez said emotionally on the Senate floor after its passage. “To overlook human suffering is not who we are as a people. It is not what we stand for as a nation. We are better than that, and our foreign policy should always reflect this,” the New Jersey Democrat added.

Fahrettin Altun, Turkish communications director, said over Twitter that the vote would damage the relationship between the two countries. He called the vote a “shameful calculation.” “History will note these resolutions as irresponsible and irrational actions by some members of the U.S. Congress against Turkey,” Altun said. “They will go down in history as the responsible party for causing a long-lasting damage between two nations.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/stood-up-to-confirm-history-senate-passes-bill-recognizing-armenian-genocide

House recognizes and rebukes Armenian genocide in bipartisan vote

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house-recognizes-and-rebukes-armenian-genocide-in-bipartisan-vote

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Eric Bolling's efforts to overtake his former network Fox News

Just over two years after Eric Bolling parted with Fox News amid sexual harassment allegations, he is taking on his old network with a new show airing nationwide on competitor Sinclair. Bolling's show America This Week, airing on nearly 200 local television stations in almost 100 markets, launched in April after executive chairman David Smith asked the former Fox anchor to go on a town hall tour around the United States discussing the opioid epidemic, an issue close to him after his son's overdose death at 19. Bolling's town halls gained attention for his prominent guests, which included first lady Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and several cabinet members.

After the town halls, Smith and Bolling, 56, began discussing a potential show. Bolling, who was a commodities trader and later brought that experience to CNBC where he launched Fast Money in 2006, decided he wanted it to be as if "you took [Sean] Hannity added [Bill] O'Reilly and divided it by two," he told the Washington Examiner. The former Fox host described the success of his show, which has featured recent interviews with President Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, as proof that there is an "appetite for national news at the local level." America This Week gets more viewers than the cable news networks when comparing the aggregate number of viewers who are watching his show from each of the stations airing it with the competing programming on CNN, MSNBC, and even Fox News, according to Nielsen Media Research. Bolling's show also dominates in the 25-54 key age demographic.

Bolling, a former minor league third baseman, pointed to the vast popularity of local news compared to cable news as an advantage that he was capitalizing on. "I think that's why I get so many great guests from the political worlds. I'm talking literally to people who don't have a strong opinion necessarily or haven't made up their mind on whether they like Trump or hate Trump. If they knew they're completely a Democrat and going to vote Democrat, they be subscribing to CNN or MSNBC. If they knew they're going to be straight up a Republican ticket, they'd likely to go to Fox," he explained. He theorized that the decline in television viewership with younger audiences was happening at a slower rate for local news because Sinclair is provided in basic television packages while cable costs extra.

Bolling highlighted a segment on his show that tends to see viewership dip as one of his favorites. Every week, he brings on a straight news reporter, typically from an outlet that leans left, for "Balls and Strikes." During the segment, Bolling quizzes the reporter without asking for or wanting their opinion. He explained that America This Week initially had difficulties booking reporters because they were skeptical about being kept away from opinion, but he has now hosted reporters from Time, Washington Post, and Politico. While it wasn't generating buzz among viewers, he said he was "going to keep it in the show for now unless it becomes a problem."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/exclusive-inside-eric-bollings-efforts-to-overtake-his-former-network-fox-news

Boris Johnson on course for large majority and Brexit mandate: Exit poll

Boris Johnson is on course to win 368 seats in Britain's election, according to an exit poll by U.K. broadcasters, potentially giving his Conservative Party a majority of 86, above what many pundits predicted. It means Johnson would likely be able to deliver on his promise to take Britain out of the European Union. Johnson all but declared victory, urging supporters to enjoy the night. "I hope you enjoy a celebration tonight," he said in an email to party members. "You powered this campaign. We couldn't have done it without you."

Conservative Party insiders said the forecast was way ahead of expectations. “That’s a lot better than anyone expected," said one insider. "People here are happy but are being cautious because exit polls have been wrong before. "Champagne corks are not going to be popping anytime soon, but, if the result is anywhere close to this, then it will be a very good night and we can get on with Brexit.”

The BBC/Sky/ITV poll predicted that Johnson's party would win 42 more seats than the 326 needed for an absolute majority in the House of Commons, putting him on course for the largest margin for a Conservative leader since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. As well as Johnson, the other big winners look likely to be Scottish Nationalists who are on course to pick up an extra 20 seats. That means the S.N.P. could win 55 of the 59 seats north of the border, strengthening their demand for another referendum on independence. Labour is predicted to lose 52 seats overall, leaving it with 191 MPs, while the Scottish National Party will finish with 55, the Liberal Democrats with 13, and Nigel Farage's Brexit Party with none.

The result suggests Johnson's message of public spending coupled with a Brexit push resonated with blue-collar voters who backed leaving the European Union but have seen politicians in London locked in three years of wrangling. The election pitted Johnson's promise to get Brexit done against Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, which had shifted to the left. The prediction means a long night for the Labour Party and its supporters. Labour peer Stewart Wood, a former adviser to Ed Miliband, tweeted: "For 30 years, the conventional wisdom was that the Tory Party would be mortally split by the national question of EU membership. Turned out that it is the Labour Party that suffered the most."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/boris-johnson-on-course-for-big-majority-exit-poll