All posts tagged "pamela brown"

'No, no, let's look at the facts': CNN host cuts off Trump official in fiery exchange

A Trump administration official got in a fiery back and forth over President Donald Trump's refusal to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, blaming "your radical people."

The heat started after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and CNN anchor Pamela Brown discussed the government shutdown and SNAP benefits and Rollins' claims that "SNAP is a broken program."

"SNAP is full of corruption," Rollins said. "We found 186,000 dead people. We asked for the SNAP data earlier this year. It has never been turned over to the federal government before. We had 29 states turn it over, mostly red states, 21 states said, 'no, thank you.' We're in litigation from just those 29 states. We have found again, almost 200,000 dead people. It's just it's remarkable."

Brown cut off Rollins, saying "but I just want to get back on track here because I understand you're putting the blame on... Democrats."

Rollins tried to defend Trump, who she said didn't believe the shutdown — the longest in U.S. history — would last as long as it did.

Then Brown pointed to the federal judge in Rhode Island who ordered the Trump administration to fund the program.

"That judge in Rhode Island is the largest democrat donor," Rollins claimed.

Brown and Rollins then started to talk over each other, raising their voices.

"No, no, let's look at the facts," Brown interjected.

But Rollins didn't back down.

"And so for you guys and the left and the Democrats and your radical people who say, 'Oh, just move money around, this one judge in Rhode Island is going to completely upend the whole entire Constitution and how we fund these programs in America is truly insane," Rollins said. "And we would lose our country in a second if we allowed one judge in Rhode Island, without question, to say, move that money there, move that money here."

'If I could finish?' Republican gets testy after calling demonstrators anti-semites on CNN

A Republican lawmaker got into a fiery exchange with a CNN anchor, saying "if I could finish" after refusing to answer multiple questions about the government shutdown Monday.

CNN's Pamela Brown interviewed Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), asking her about the ongoing shutdown now in its 20th day and the public response to the Trump administration. Brown specifically pointed to the nearly seven million people attending "No Kings" protests across the U.S. on Saturday, asking McClain if those attendees really "hate America," as McClain and other Republican lawmakers have claimed.

"Well, look at what they're standing for. They're standing for communism. They're standing for anti-semitism. Just take a look at the rallies," McClain said.

McClain also targeted Democrats in her response.

"Republicans are the party of law and order. We don't believe in anti-semitism. Take a look at the speakers that they have at the rally. Take a look at what they're fighting for," she said. "They're fighting to defund the police, defund ICE. They're fighting not for law and order, but they're fighting for the criminals... We stand on the core principles of this great nation, which is capitalism, law and order. And the Democrats clearly don't stand for that."

Brown then asked about how Americans perceive what's happening, asking this:

"And as the shutdown drags on, Republicans and the White House say that they're laying off thousands of federal workers, and that's necessary because of the impact that the shutdown is having on federal spending. But at the same time, President Trump announced a $20 billion bailout to Argentina last week during the shutdown. That's money, of course, from U.S. taxpayers for a foreign country. So what do you say to Americans who are looking at that and saying, wait, how does that square?"

That's when McClain urged people to call their Democratic senators, blaming them and saying "tell them to stop being obstructionists and vote yes to open the government. Number one."

As Brown tried to bring her back to the question, she said, "If I could finish?"

She went on, "Number two is, as you see, the president is making deals around the world. And that's not exactly a bailout. It's more of a loan. So it's not just free money that we're giving away, which is very different than administrations in the past," McClain said, seemingly alluding to a criticism of the Biden administration.

"So if you truly are concerned about this, what I say is let's get the government open. And I implore you to call your Democratic senators and tell them, don't be held hostage by the crazy, Marxist wing of your Democratic party. Let's get back to governing. How democracy should actually work. And that's why Republicans, both in the House and the Senate, are voting yes to open the government. And Democrats are standing in the way."

'Get a job!' Republican wrangles with CNN host over Medicaid cuts

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) claimed Monday that he believed President Donald Trump's spending bill would ultimately pass once it heads back to the House, and that it will include an 80-hour-a-month work requirement for Medicaid recipients.

CNN host Pamela Brown pressed Zinke about how he'll be able to justify the Medicaid work provision to his constituents.

"The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationally, the Senate version of Trump's agenda bill would leave 11.8 million more people without health insurance by the year 2034," Brown began, then asked, "How do Republicans explain this to their constituents?"

Zinke answered, "Well, living paycheck to paycheck is on the premise that you're working. But look, if you're an able-bodied male and you choose to sit on the couch, not work, and you're getting Medicaid, that's taking benefits from someone else who needs it...I would say, look, get a job."

Brown clarified that the Senate version of the bill would limit federal funding, raising concerns that "people are going to lose out on Medicaid coverage as a result."

Zinke said he agreed that states needed to pick up more of the burden, before reverting back to his argument about jobs.

"Remember we had Obamacare that was supposed to be the end-all for insurance. That didn't work. And so a lot of people choose not to work, and they're still getting Medicaid...and look, when the federal government is picking up the tab at little from the states, what's going to happen is you're going to expand, expand, expand. That's why we have the budget."

Brown pushed back, saying, "A small percentage of those receiving Medicaid don't work. And so, you know, a majority work at least part-time when it comes to Medicaid. So, can you say for certain that no one who is eligible for Medicaid who works or works part-time will not be impacted by this? Are you comfortable with that?"

Zinke conceded that if someone is only working "five hours a month, yeah, you're not going to be able to have access to Medicaid."

"But there's reasons, because people are caregivers and that kind of thing," Brown interjected

"The House version, which I understand is going to be pretty close to what the Senate is, that the standard is 80 hours. But look, you could work at a food pantry and get 80 hours," Zinke maintained.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Let me finish!' Republican hits back as CNN host applies pressure on Medicaid

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) acted surprised at CNN host Pamela Brown's follow-up question about a Congressional Budget Office prediction during a discussion about possible Medicaid cuts in Donald Trump's "one big beautiful bill."

Brown began, "10.9 million people, according to the CBO, could lose their health care over the next 10 years if this bill passes. Now, I know you have taken issue in the past about how CBO scores, so I want to get ahead of you on that one."

Scott laughed, saying, "Yes, ma'am! I hear you, Pamela. You're good!"

Brown then asked Scott to "say for certain" if anyone in his home state of South Carolina would lose their health insurance if the bill passes.

"The one thing we know with great certainty is that the CBO has been wrong on tax cuts, and they consistently have been wrong, whether it's in 2017 or, frankly, the 1930s or the 1960s with the Kennedy tax cuts or the 1980s with the Reagan tax —"

Brown interrupted, "I know. I said you would take issue with CBO. But, can you say for certain no one will lose their health insurance?"

"Pamela, let me finish my thought here," Scott said. "This is such an important point. When CBO estimates that something is going to happen...you just can't look at those numbers at face value and say they're going to happen. What we understand without question is when President Trump says he's going to protect Americans on Medicaid, we're going to protect Americans on Medicaid."

He continued, "At home in South Carolina, we believe if you can work, you should work. That's doing the right thing. There is a question about illegal immigration. I believe illegal immigrants should not be in America, therefore they should not be eligible for Medicaid."

Brown stated that undocumented migrants are not eligible for federal Medicaid as a matter of law, but Scott maintained that "millions" have managed to take advantage of the entitlement.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'This is my show!' CNN host fires back at a furious Stephen Miller in interview

CNN's Pamela Brown did her best to wrest back control from White House aide Stephen Miller Friday as he steamrolled her wide-ranging interview.

"Am I going to sit here today and engage in radical hypotheticals?" Miller asked when talking about the executive powers of the president. "This administration has religiously complied with even the most unlawful court orders, but it completely upends the constitutional system to have a single judge in Boston assert the same powers of the president of the United States — is such an offense to democracy."

Miller's voice continued to grow louder as he accused the Biden administration of "trying to throw President Trump in jail, claiming somehow that was what democracy required, when, in fact, the Democrat Party has been waging war against democracy. They should be renamed the Communist Party, and district court judges that are trying to keep millions of illegal aliens here, to steal our, jobs, to steal, our livelihood, to steal our benefits —"

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"Okay, okay, let's keep it on track here," Brown interjected.

"There's nothing more on track than talking about the fact that the constitutional crisis —" but Brown stopped him there.

"Stephen, this is my show. I want to hear what you have to say. I've been respectful of giving you the opportunity, but I also need to jump in because time is of the essence."

Earlier in the interview, Miller accused Brown of building "lazy assumptions" into her questions. When Brown pushed back, Miller proclaimed that it wasn't just CNN, it was the entire media.

Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer slaps down GOP senator as he claims Europe will thank Trump

CNN's Wolf Blitzer slapped down an eyebrow-raising claim made by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) Tuesday as he spoke about President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.

Blitzer began, "One hundred days into President Trump's term, just 41% approve of the job he's doing in our new CNN poll, and just 37% approve of Republicans leading Congress. Are those serious warning signs for your party?"

"It's hard to find the the honey in the rock and the water in the stone in 100 days," Kennedy said, using Biblical references. "But having said that, I think President Trump's done some things right in his first 100 days. He's secured the border. He's been very aggressive in abolishing racial quotas. He's deregulating the economy, getting rid of rules and regulations. He's changed the national conversation about the federal budget.

"Under President Biden, the question was, 'Who needs to pay more in taxes?' Now, thanks to Trump and Musk, I think the question in Washington and elsewhere is, 'What the hell happened to the money?'"

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Kennedy then moved on to Trump's handling of foreign policy.

"The final point I would make, you may find a little strange, but it has to do with Europe. President Trump, as we all know, exists loudly. And his his loud existence has awakened Europe, with respect to its economy and its national defense, national security. We're seeing dramatic changes there. And i think it's possible that a decade from now, the Europeans — they may not say it — but they'll look back and actually thank Trump for awakening them from their economic and national security slumber."

As Kennedy spoke, a furrow-browed Pamela Brown indicated with a hand gesture that Blitzer should handle that assertion.

"We'll see. We'll see how that unfolds, senator," Blitzer responded doubtfully.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

Pro-birth activist mom struggles with squirming baby during live CNN interview

Self-described "pronatalist" mom Simone Collins had some challenges discussing her desire to help the Trump administration promote a new baby boom as she juggled her squirming daughter live on CNN Thursday.

"By the way, Indy's joining us, your child, we should note," said anchor Pamela Brown after asking Simone to explain the movement she and husband Malcolm have embraced.

As Simone started to answer, the baby let out a squeal.

"Oh, my goodness!" Simone exclaimed while shifting the baby.

Simone went on to say that the movement hopes to lift "a lot of regulatory bloat" that makes parents' lives "more difficult, and supporting a culture in which families are accepted."

The Collins's say they've drafted "executive orders" for President Trump to sign regarding pronatalist issues that don't include provisions for things like more medical benefits or parental leave.

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"We haven't seen much evidence that, for example, changing parental leave or providing more medical benefits has an effect ultimately on birth rates," Simone said, as Brown asked if she thought there should be more parental leave.

"I don't, actually, because it has a lot of adverse effects that are not accounted for," Simone said. "It could even cause organizations to discriminate against hiring women because they know that they have to pay for generous parental leave, and they may be more subconsciously likely to promote and select men or women who don't plan on having any kids at all, which would ultimately put parents at more of a disadvantage."

Simone claimed that the answer for working parents who want to have more kids "is allowing for more generous work-from-home policies, which really allow families to both have kids and work really easily without having to choose one path."

Simone said she and Malcolm hope to have as many kids as possible while she can.

"We put our money where our mouth is," Simone said. "I have about a kid a year our. We have four kids — fifth is on the way, and our fifth is five years old. So we want to have as many kids as we can. And because I have to have C-sections, that basically means, until I lose my uterus in a surgery, I'm going to keep having kids."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

Democrats in danger of losing Gen Z voters over latest controversy: analyst

The Democratic National Committee's recent dustup with vice chair David Hogg could be off-putting to the younger generation of voters if they don't tread lightly, according to analysis by CNN.

Anchor Wolf Blitzer introduced a clip of DNC chair Ken Martin Thursday by saying the committee was issuing an ultimatum to Hogg to give up his purported "threat to primary Democrats he deems ineffective, or give up his leadership position."

On the clip, Martin said, "No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger. I have great respect for David Hogg. I think he's an amazing young leader who's done so much already to help move our movement forward. And while...certainly you know, I understand what he's trying to do, as I've said to him, if you want to challenge incumbents, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC."

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Hogg is an outspoken gun control activist who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, that killed 17 students and staff.

CNN Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston said on Thursday's Situation Room said that Hogg was trying to "infiltrate the Party from the inside and try to enact change that he wants to see. Now, I will say he is going to be very unlucky, I would suspect, in his efforts to do so. But this is going to cause the Democratic National Committee a lot of headache, a lot of heartache, over the next four-and-a half months."

Co-anchor Pamela Brown asked that since Hogg represents this new young generation of Democratic leaders, "is there any risk, concern about pushing him out and hurting the Party's outreach to those younger voters that we know Trump surprisingly did well with in 2024?"

Preston said Martin was obviously being very careful when talking about the situation.

"[Martin] was very effusive about him," Preston said. "The DNC wants to make sure that they put this out there as something that is not about David Hogg — that it is just simply about incumbency. And, as he said, if you want to take on an...incumbent Democrat, then do it from outside the party."

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

'Not going to be discussed!' Combative State Dept spokesperson snaps over Ukraine question

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce grew increasingly combative during a CNN interview Wednesday, when she repeatedly refused to answer a question about a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, exclaiming, "That's not what we're going to do here!"

The confrontation began when anchor Pamela Brown asked about the U.S. threat to walk away from peace talks with Russia and Ukraine over the issue of Crimea.

"Most of what you're asking also relies on speculation, relies on maybe an individual report, or rumors, or even gossip," Bruce said before Brown interjected, "What, specifically?"

"All of what you you said is details, maybe regarding what was reported or mused about what may be presented, but that's not what we're going to do here! And that doesn't help the nature of the genuine conversations, the genuine summits, the genuine exchanges between leaders."

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Brown followed up: "What I said is actually what Zelensky himself said, this wasn't just, you know, reporting that's floating around out there by anonymous sources. Zelensky, himself, said that he will not accept Russia controlling Crimea, which is part of the U.S. proposal."

"Let's make something quite clear here," Bruce stated. "This is not going to be discussed on TV, not between you or me. It's not going to be a discussion over TV or television or dinner or anywhere else that these are — President Zelensky, I respect a great deal, and he's going to say what he needs to say. But there's a reason why you do want to be able to sit down and talk. And it's why the secretary is being committed to that constantly for the last 100 days... and it's working because it's not a debate on television."

After Brown asked how long the talks would continue, Bruce snapped "Just a minute!"

"These individuals, what they know in their private conversations through diplomatic negotiations and conversations and meetings is not something that is fair to discuss on television or speculate about or muse about!"

Brown tried again, repeating her question, which drew Bruce's ire.

"I've answered this...I've answered you multiple times!" Bruce exclaimed before the two continued to argue over each other.

Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.