Latest news with #NewsNight
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
MAGA ‘Shark Tank' Star Slammed Over His Take on ‘Childbearing' Epstein Victims
MAGA businessman Kevin O'Leary got into a heated exchange during a CNN panel after suggesting that the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell just want to 'get on' with their lives. The Shark Tank star was on a roundtable discussing the saga surrounding the convicted sex offenders, with NewsNight host Abby Phillip asking him why President Donald Trump has not ruled out pardoning Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in jail for helping Epstein abuse children for years. 'If any of you cared about the victims, you wouldn't drag these women who are in childbearing years now, some of them now having children, back into the limelight, back into the same story, to expose them again to this hideous outcome,' O'Leary said Tuesday. 'These guys, they don't want you to help them anymore.' Former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross asked O'Leary: 'How do you know that? What are you basing that on? You've spoken to the victims who said that they don't want justice?' O'Leary then admitted that he 'has spoken to no one' but is just being 'pragmatic' regarding what he believes the hundreds of Epstein and Maxwell victims want. 'Don't you think if it was you, you'd rather get on with your life?' O'Leary asked Cross, to which she replied, 'No, if it were me, I would want justice pursued.' The ongoing furor surrounding Epstein, a convicted pedophile who died in custody in 2019, continues to cause headaches for Trump and his team after backtracking on a vow to release all the files related to the disgraced billionaire and denying the existence of a so-called 'client list' implicating powerful figures. Department of Justice lawyers, including one who previously represented Trump, met with Maxwell over two days amid growing pressure to release more details about Epstein's crimes to appease the increasingly restless MAGA base. Maxwell, who is currently appealing her conviction at the Supreme Court, is demanding immunity before testifying before Congress after being subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee. Trump has kept open the possibility of pardoning Maxwell in an apparent bid to convince her to reveal more information about Epstein's crimes. The president has been keen to inform reporters that he is 'allowed' to do so. Elsewhere during the CNN roundtable, Nayyera Haq, a former senior adviser at the State Department under the Obama administration, argued that Trump himself is responsible for the renewed spotlight on Epstein and Maxwell. 'The reason this story exists is because he repeated it through the Biden administration, through his early years, to the point where his Attorney General [Pam Bondi] said that she's going to look at the papers on her desk, they're there right now, she has hundreds of hours of video to release,' Haq said. 'This is all of his own doing, and now he's trying to walk himself out of the hole.'
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
O'Leary: Tariff rebate checks ‘a bad idea'
'Shark Tank' celebrity Kevin O'Leary said it was a 'bad idea' for Congress to consider tariff rebate checks, saying any money raised by higher tariffs should be used to reduce deficits and debt. 'What should be happening now with any extra income is to pay down the national debt,' O'Leary said during a Tuesday appearance on CNN's 'News Night with Abby Phillip.' 'That's the opportunity, because the greatest gift you can give to the future is to pay down the debt, which is just really, really big,' he added. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) introduced a Tuesday bill seeking to provide $600 tariff rebates to almost all Americans and to their dependent children. The funds would be distributed through direct payments, as previously authorized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hawley and others who have discussed rebate checks connected to President Trump's tariff regime have suggested the money could help U.S. consumers dealing with higher prices. Tariffs raise costs for importers, and those costs generally take the form of higher prices unless companies fully swallow their costs. But the national debt is also skyrocketing, in part due to policies backed by Congress and Trump, who just signed tax legislation that extends a number of tax cuts that would add to the debt — depending on how one scores them. O'Leary suggested much remains unknown about Trump's tariffs and their impact on the economy ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline the president imposed for countries to reach deals with the U.S. 'We're still negotiating with these countries because we don't have deals with Mexico, no deals with Canada, India no deal. Europe looks like it's negotiating something here. But the real big momma is China,' O'Leary said. 'And we're just starting the dance with those guys. That's a big deal,' he added. Trump at the beginning of the week reached a deal with the European Union. 'No administration has ever tried to do all this at once. You get the headline number, but you don't have the details,' O'Leary added.
The Hill
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Flake: ‘All of us should be concerned' by Columbia, CBS deals with Trump
Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday said the public should be concerned about the Trump administration's recent settlements with Columbia University and CBS. Columbia on Wednesday agreed to pay $221 million to the Trump administration so it can recoup federal funding, while CBS's parent company, Paramount Global, signed a $16 million settlement with the president earlier this month over editorial content decisions made in former Vice President Harris's interview with '60 Minutes.' 'I think all of us should be concerned where this goes,' Flake said during a Wednesday appearance on CNN's 'NewsNight with Abby Phillip.' 'I wouldn't want Donald Trump, I wouldn't want Joe Biden, I wouldn't want anybody, any president, to be the arbiter of what is truth and what is not, and what universities have to do to be able to attract foreign students or what not,' he added. Columbia's acting university President Claire Shipman said the deal with the Trump administration would allow the school to maintain its independence and restore funding after a period of 'institutional uncertainty.' However, Flake said the White House's influence is becoming overarching with recent agreements seeped in directives at schools, news companies and law firms. 'This has gone too far in many areas, particularly with the law firms, basically telling them they've got to pay up or pony up, or they're going to be investigated or left aside,' Flake told Phillip.
The Hill
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Kevin O'Leary on Colbert's Trump attack: ‘Moron!'
'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary on Tuesday defended President Trump against Stephen Colbert's criticism following CBS's announcement that it would end the 'Late Show' next year. 'Only a moron would tell the president to F off before he gets his check,' O'Leary said during an appearance on CNN's 'NewsNight with Abby Phillip.' Colbert responded to Trump's celebration of his show's end on Monday's episode, after the president said he was glad the comedian was fired and that he has no talent. 'How dare you, sir,' he said. 'Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.'' Other late night show hosts have rallied around Colbert as a champion of political commentary mused with punchlines and witty comebacks. However, O'Leary echoed Trump's deteriorating outlook on 'The Late Show' and its ability to resonate with viewers. The businessman said CBS has lost '$46.2 million' on the more than 30-year-old franchise, calling it 'old' and 'dead.' 'People geometrically are not watching late night TV anymore,' O'Leary told Phillip. He predicted the show would be cut sooner than its expected end date in May 2026. 'So, what's gonna happen now, in my opinion, is tomorrow, CBS — his boss — will fire him, and they will litigate for the next five years his payout,' O'Leary said. 'Get rid of this guy! If I were them, I'd whack this guy tomorrow,' he added. Criticism over the network's decision has mounted following the $16 million settlement between its parent company Paramount Global and Trump over a lawsuit against '60 Minutes' after they aired an interview of former Vice President Harris during the 2024 election. While the company said the decision was due to 'financial' reasons, many seem skeptical. Paramount is also looking to secure a merger deal with entertainment company Skydance, which would require Trump administration approval. Colbert became the host of 'The Late Show' in 2015, taking over from previous host David Letterman.
CNN
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Caught in 4K' Edition
This week's viral jumbotron moment got us thinking: where's the last place you'd want to get caught on camera? The NewsNight panel shares their nightmare scenarios - from Coney Island hot dog contests to sipping seltzers at "Gen Z" bars.
