CNN anchor forced to walk back JD Vance swipe after intense backlash
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar appears to be walking back her swipe against Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance, insisting he “served honorably” after facing backlash for suggesting he embellished his military service.
“Informed observers connected to politics or the military, myself included, have noted that the Trump campaign is ‘swiftboating’ Tim Walz. Attacks on JD Vance’s service are also offensive,” Keilar began a monologue on Friday. “JD Vance served honorably in Iraq, a combat zone where anything can happen and frequently does. As he said in his book, he was, quote, ‘lucky to escape any real fighting.’ That doesn’t make his service less than. ‘Lucky,’ he says. And luck is often what makes the difference in a combat zone or even a training mission. That today is not your day.”
“In a country where so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability, it should be an asset,” she continued. “And despite our recent years as a country at war, many service members haven’t seen combat. That doesn’t make them or their service less admirable, or less necessary. Nor does retiring from the National Guard after 24 years. These kinds of attacks from the left or the right diminish the service of so many others who have served honorably, who sacrifice time away from family, who put themselves in harm’s way because the military is made largely of JD Vances and Tim Walzs.”
VANCE FIRES BACK AT ‘DISGUSTING’ CNN ANCHOR SUGGESTING HIS MILITARY SERVICE WAS EMBELLISHED AMID WALZ DISPUTE
The liberal anchor marveled that “there are two veterans on these presidential tickets,” something that has been absent in recent presidential elections.
“They have unique insight into what America’s men and women in the armed forces and their families have been through and need. And shouldn’t that be the focus?” Keilar asked. “This is a presidential race for commander-in-chief. And so often, that candidate or the running mate has never personally served even as they vie to make decisions about sending people into dangerous situations.”
“The fact that this year they do matters to a lot of people. It matters to me. In a family where we’re raising two boys who idolize their dad’s military service, two boys who are significantly more likely to serve because their dad did,” she added. “And if they choose that path, it matters to have someone at the table who knows what that sacrifice means.”
JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF ‘LYING’ ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: ‘STOLEN VALOR GARBAGE’
On Thursday, Keilar speculated that Vance “may be an imperfect messenger” to criticize Walz.
“Because we have, as you introduced him, as a combat correspondent, which was what [Vance’s] title was,” Keilar told her CNN colleague Dana Bash. “But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist, someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title ‘combat correspondent’ kind of gives you a different impression. So he may be the imperfect messenger on that.”
Vance knocked Keilar and CNN on social media.
“Brianna this is disgusting, and you and your entire network should be ashamed of yourselves,” Vance wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “When I got the call to go to Iraq, I went. Tim Walz said he carried a gun in a war. Did he? No. It was a lie.”
Vance told reporters Wednesday, “I served in a combat zone. I never said that I saw a firefight myself, but I’ve always told the truth about my Marine Corps service. That’s the difference.”
CNN did not respond to Fox News Digital’s previous request for comment.
Critics have put a spotlight on an old video incidentally shared by the Harris campaign of Walz pushing for gun control, telling voters, “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.”
Ret. Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Behrends, who said he was a member of Walz’s battalion, blasted the governor’s comments.
“To most people, that would mean that he was actually in combat, carrying a weapon in a combat zone and getting combat pay and in a dangerous and hostile environment where he is getting shot at,” Behrends told the “Ingraham Angle” on Wednesday.
CNN FACT-CHECKS TIM WALZ ABOUT ‘ABSOLUTELY FALSE’ CLAIM HE CARRIED WEAPONS ‘IN WAR’
A CNN correspondent even fact-checked Walz on Wednesday, declaring that “there is no evidence that at any time Gov. Walz was in a position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was.”
Walz was never in an active war zone. He mobilized with the Minnesota National Guard to Italy on Aug. 3, 2003, to support Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Minnesota Guard. The battalion supported security missions at various locations in Europe and Turkey, according to the Guard, and Walz was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, until returning to Minnesota in 2004. He did not deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Vance’s opponent has been at the center of a brewing controversy since he joined the Democratic ticket. Walz, who served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years, repeatedly referred to himself as a “retired command sergeant major,” which is not accurate.
According to the Minnesota National Guard, while Walz served as command sergeant major, “He retired as a Master Sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.”
On Thursday, the Harris campaign changed the language in Walz’s bio on their website after the dust-up. The biography initially said Walz was a “retired Command Sergeant Major,” but was then updated to say he “served as a command sergeant major.”
Walz has also faced criticism over the timing of his retirement from military service over allegations that he did so earlier than he planned to dodge deployment to Iraq.
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Tom Schilling, a veteran who also said he served in the same battalion as Walz, said he “ditched” his soldiers before they were deployed to Iraq in 2005.
“We all did what we were supposed to do, we did the right thing,” Schilling said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” Wednesday. “It’s dishonorable what he did. He left somebody else up to take over his spot. He just ditched us.”
The Harris campaign released a statement saying, “In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”
Walz ‘misspoke’ about his ‘war’ experience in viral gun control clip, Harris HQ reportedly says
Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose military service has come under heavy scrutiny, “misspoke” in a 2018 video where he is heard talking about his handling of weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said Friday.
“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way,” the Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children,” the spokesperson added.
I SERVED WITH TIM WALZ AS A REPUBLICAN IN THE HOUSE. HE’LL BE A GOOD VICE PRESIDENT
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris campaign and the campaign of former President Trump.
The 2018 video clip shows Walz discussing gun control and referring to his own military background.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” Walz said in the clip, which was posted by Harris’ campaign on Tuesday.
Republicans, led by vice presidential candidate JD Vance, have criticized Walz’s military service. Walz served 24 years in the National Guard but never deployed to a war zone. In 2003, he deployed with his unit to Vicenza, Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for the war in Afghanistan.
He retired in 2005, several months before the unit deployed to Iraq.
Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, has accused Walz of “stolen valor.”
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“I wonder Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?” Vance said at an event in Michigan. “What was this weapon you carried into war? What bothers me about Tim Walz is this stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not.”
“I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did,” he added.
FBI officials share key intel with Trump about his ‘strikingly intelligent’ would-be assassin
FBI officials sat down with former President Trump last week to reveal an increasingly complex portrait of the Republican nominee for president’s shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
On Aug. 1, federal agents shared new information with Trump that they had uncovered about his would-be assassin since the July 13 shooting at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, sources told ABC News.
The FBI said in the meeting it believes Crooks was “strikingly intelligent” but likely had an undiagnosed disorder.
The 20-year-old scored higher than 1500 on his SAT pre-college exam. The average score in the U.S. is 1050, according to the College Board.
FUMING POLICE OFFICER SAYS HE TOLD SECRET SERVICE TO SECURE TRUMP SHOOTER BUILDING DAYS BEFORE RALLY: BODYCAM
Citing loved ones and ex-classmates, the FBI revealed Crooks “would routinely sway back and forth while standing at the bus stop.”
The agency said that despite his, at times, odd behavior, Crooks was never diagnosed with any disorder.
The FBI reportedly told Trump that Crooks’ motive was still unknown as of last week.
Crooks worked at an assisted-living center and lived with his parents at the time of the attack.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: PENNSYLVANIA POLICE RELEASE BODYCAM FROM DEADLY BUTLER RALLY
In the weeks leading up to Crooks’ premeditated attack, he searched online for both Democratic and Republican politicians, along with the upcoming Democratic National Convention and “depressive disorder.”
Sources said that in the nearly 90-minute interview between Trump and a top official from the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, the former president asked the majority of the questions.
The FBI described the sit-down meeting with Trump as a “standard victim interview.”
Beyond questions about Crooks and how he managed to travel undetected to the top of a nearby building with an AR-15-style rifle, Trump reportedly wanted to know whether authorities had uncovered any foreign connection to Crooks’s attack.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY
Sources told the outlet they were able to access three foreign email accounts used by Crooks because his passwords were stored on his computer, but they found no indications that anyone else was involved in the attack.
The information gleaned from the foreign email accounts shared information about Crooks’ weapon and ammunition purchases but failed to shed light on what drove Crooks’ to attempt to assassinate the former president.
The newly released information continues to paint a complex picture of Crooks as lead investigators still cannot definitively determine what motivated the 20-year-old to open fire on Trump during the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
Former peers who have spoken out since he was shot dead by Secret Service agents have characterized the Pennsylvania resident as a quiet loner.
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Jason Kohler, who attended the same high school as Crooks, described him to Fox News as an “outcast” who was always alone and “bullied every day.”
Julianna Grooms, who graduated one year after Crooks, said he dressed in camouflage or hunting attire and interacted awkwardly.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Harris again takes on anti-Israel agitators seeking to disrupt rally speech
Once again, former Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted at a rally by anti-Israel protesters.
While the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was attempting to talk about her newly chosen running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Friday evening, chants from protesters somewhere in the crowd broke out.
They were at first drowned out by the approximately 15,000-person crowd’s chants of “USA! USA!” but as they continued to protest, Harris chose to address them.
“Here’s the thing. We are all in here together,” she said at Glendale’s Desert Diamond Arena, “because we love our country. We’re here to fight for our democracy, which includes respecting the voices that I think that we are hearing from.”
KAMALA HARRIS SHUTS DOWN ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS DURING CAMPAIGN SPEECH IN MICHIGAN: ‘I’M SPEAKING’
She added, “And let me just say this on the topic of what I think I’m hearing over there. Let me just speak to that for a moment, and then I’m going to get back to the business at hand. So, let me say, I have been clear. Now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the hostage deal done. Now is the time. And the president and I are working around the clock every day to get that ceasefire deal done and bring the hostages home. So, I respect your voices, but we are here to now talk about this race in 2024.”
Around four or five protesters were removed from the rally.
Her address to the protesters comes two days after she received praise and criticism when she told protesters: “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
While some criticized her clapback shown in a clip that circulated on social media, the 59-year-old had actually affirmed their right to protest at first.
ANTI-ISRAEL VOTERS WARN HARRIS WON’T GET THEIR VOTE WITHOUT A CEASE-FIRE: ‘THIS IS OUR LEVERAGE’
“I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now,” she first told the demonstrators who chanted: “Kamala, Kamala you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide.”
But when they refused to stop, she became less patient.
She also briefly met with supporters from the Uncommitted National Movement, which has been urging President Biden to support a cease-fire by voting uncommitted in the primaries, before her rally in Detroit.
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“Michigan voters want to support you, but we need a policy that will save lives in Gaza right now,” the co-founder of the group told Harris during the meeting, according to NBC News. “I meet with community members every day in Michigan who are losing tens and hundreds of family members in Gaza. Right now, we need an arms embargo.”
Biden was also frequently interrupted by anti-Israel protesters while he was still running for president.
Suspected serial killer finally caught nearly 50 years after string of ‘horrific’ murders
A suspected serial killer has been charged with the murders of three women in Southern California nearly 50 years ago.
Kimberly Fritz, 18, Velvet Sanchez, 31, and Lorraine Rodriguez, 21, were all strangled to death in 1977, but investigators ran out of leads at the time.
“While believing these three crimes were indeed connected, leads ran cold, and detectives were unable to identify who was responsible for these horrific murders,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said at a press conference this week.
Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, who worked as a long-haul truck driver at the time, was linked to the murders when his DNA matched the crime scenes after being uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database, last year.
TEXAS MAN ARRESTED IN 1982 COLD CASE MURDERS OF MOTHER, YOUNG DAUGHTER DIES BEFORE TRIAL
Alexander was extradited from North Carolina Tuesday, where he was in custody and charged with a murder there in 1992.
The California victims were all murdered between the end of May 1977 and December 1977.
“These murders may have occurred 47 years ago, but the investigators with the Ventura County DA’s office, the investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit, officers and detectives with Port Hueneme and Oxnard never gave up. They never gave up seeking justice for these three victims and loved ones and their families,” Nasarenko said.
“Just because the case has gone cold does not mean it should ever be forgotten.”
All three women were sex workers and frequented a shopping center and motels in the LA area that were known for prostitution at the time, officials said.
Alexander is being held without bail.
FAMED CALIFORNIA KIDNAPPING HOAXER SHERRI PAPINI BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO SCHOOLMATE’S 1998 DISAPPEARANCE
Officials said they believe he could be a suspect in other unsolved murders in California and other states while he was working as a truck driver from the 1970s until the 1990s.
“We believe there may be additional victims both locally and in other states,” Nasarenko said. “This is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to pursue all leads that become available. This is not in any way closed.”
He was arrested in North Carolina in 2022 for the 1992 killing of Nona Cobb, 29.
Alexander grew up in Oxnard, California, where Sanchez was killed in September 1977, and he moved back to the area in the 1970s.
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“For Warren Luther Alexander, once a fugitive from justice, the day of reckoning in Ventura County has finally arrived,” Nasarenko said.
Details emerge about how sick track phenom Noah Lyles really was when he won medal
The “Noah Lyles COVID race” had a new revelation Friday when his coach said the sprinter competed in the men’s 200-meter final with a 102-degree fever.
Lyles fell short of his goal to win gold and break the world record in the event Thursday, finishing with the bronze and collapsing on the track shortly after the race.
Lyles was taken away by medical personnel, and NBC later revealed Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier, finding out from his “distraught” mother. USA Track and Field confirmed the positive case to the BBC.
Lyles’ coach, Lance Brauman, said the 27-year-old track and field star clinched the bronze despite racing with the 102-degree fever. Lyles even achieved a personal best of 19.31, the third-fastest time ever.
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“To get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn’t too bad,” Brauman said.
“I mean, he was sick. People are going to say whatever they want, and that’s fine, but the dude was sick.”
Lyles is also known to suffer from asthma and announced Thursday his Olympic run is over. He pulled out of the men’s 4×100-meter relay on Friday.
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST LETSILE TEBOGO TAKES DIG AT ‘ARROGANT’ AND ‘LOUD’ NOAH LYLES AFTER 200M FINAL
Despite falling short of his gold medal goal in the 200 meters, Lyles still walked away with a gold medal in the 100-meter final, which historically was never his strongest event. It was the first gold for the U.S. in the event since 2004. Lyles has said he made it a bigger point to prioritize the 100-meter final dating back to 2022 as a way to step out of his comfort zone and improve his 200-meter time.
He previously admitted that the first 100 meters was the weakest part of his 200-meter sprint before 2023, and he was able to increase his speed in the event through physiotherapy balance training, which involves exercises that balance the core and leg muscles.
These exercises can improve stability and, in Lyles’ case, ensure that his muscles and ligaments are aligned to create the fastest possible movements and not compensate for any imbalances.
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Now that his run at the Paris Olympics is over, and Lyles was able to salvage his first Olympic gold in the 100 meters, he will go home feeling proud of himself, especially after being disappointed with just earning a bronze medal in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“I’d definitely say it’s taken its toll, for sure, but I’ve never been more proud of myself for being able to come out here and get a bronze medal. Last Olympics, I was very disappointed. This time, I couldn’t be more proud,” he told NBC Thursday.
Reporter identifies his network, Deion Sanders immediately shuts him down and moves on
Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders had a tense moment during a news conference Friday.
After a reporter identified himself and revealed his affiliation with CBS Sports, Sanders quickly shut him down before he could ask the coach a question. Sanders explained that his issue stemmed from something the media outlet was responsible for in the past, although he did not specify what CBS had done.
“CBS, I’m not doing nothing with CBS,” Sanders said. “Next question. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. It’s above that. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. I’ve got love for you. I appreciate and respect you. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. They know what they did.”
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The reporter noted that he worked with the local affiliate in Denver and was not on any national assignment for the network. But the clarification did not seem to make Sanders more receptive.
SHEDEUR SANDERS SAYS COLORADO IS ‘EVERYBODY’S SUPER BOWL’
“You are who you are. CBS is CBS,” Sanders said. “Ain’t got nothing to do with you. I respect you. That’s why I told you that. I’m looking you in the eye as a man. I respect you. I got love for you. But what they did was foul.”
While it remains unclear what Sanders was referencing during the exchange, CBS Sports recently slotted him in what could have been viewed as an unfavorable position in a publication that ranked coaches.
The Buffaloes coach was listed as the second-worst coach in the Big 12 Conference entering the 2024 season.
“Sanders’ first season as an FBS coach started with a bang but ended with six straight losses. He’s generated buzz and excitement by talking a big game and collecting strong transfer talent. But the foundation has cracks — see the offensive line for one example — as the Buffaloes transition to the Big 12 and face another tough schedule,” the story, published last month, noted.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was listed in the final spot in the rankings.
It is also possible Sanders was referring to a meme that recently surfaced on social media that made light of a video the Colorado football program released. The original video showed Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing a pass from one angle before the video changed to another angle of a player catching a pass for a touchdown.
The video drew more than 14 million views as of Friday. However, the manner in which the video was edited prompted some to question its authenticity. Several edited versions of the video began circulating on the internet, with some mocking the “Darts Only” caption.
CBS Sports eventually compiled a list of some of the posts that poked fun at Colorado’s initial video.
Sanders also took issue with The Denver Post during Friday’s press conference. One of the newspaper’s columnists informed Sanders he was interested in asking him a football-related question, but Coach Prime made it clear he was not fond of something that was previously written.
“You don’t like us, man. Why do you do this to yourself?” Sanders asked. “No, I’m serious. Why do you do this? Like you know you don’t. Like, why do you do this?”
The Pro Football Hall of Famer continued, pushing for an explanation about apparent wrongdoings.
“It would be hard for me to really engage in someone I don’t like or someone I don’t like. I’m just asking why? Like why? What did I do?” Sanders repeated.
The columnist responded by telling the coach that he “didn’t do anything.”
“You’ve gotta pay bills, man. You didn’t do anything. It’s not about that. This is a football question,” he said.
The columnist then again tried to ask a question, but Sanders continued his line of questioning.
“But why? I’m asking you why? … You want me to answer you, so why? … You’re always under attack. Like what did we do to you?” Sanders said.
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Sanders eventually agreed to discuss the matter with the columnist in a private setting at a later date.
“No, we’ll talk about that when we talk about that. I’ll talk about that with you,” Sanders said.
Colorado makes its debut as a member of the Big 12 Conference Aug. 29 when it takes on North Dakota State.