McCain: How to get started as a dictator? Suppress free press.

MUNICH - US Senator John McCain, defending the media against the latest attack by President Donald Trump, warned suppressing the free press was "how dictators get started."

The Arizona Republican, a frequent critic of Trump, was responding to a tweet in which Trump accused the media of being “the enemy of the American people.”

The international order established after World War Two was built in part on a free press, McCain said in an excerpt of an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that was released in advance of the full Sunday morning broadcast.

"I hate the press. I hate you especially," he told interviewer Chuck Todd from an international security conference in Munich. "But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."

"If you want to preserve - I'm very serious now - if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started," he continued.

"They get started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power. When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history," McCain said.

McCain’s comments followed Trump’s tweet and came days after the president held a raucous news conference at which he repeatedly criticized news reports about disorder in the White House and leaks of his telephone conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel underscored the importance of a free press at the Munich conference on Saturday, saying, "I have high respect for journalists. We've always had good results, at least in Germany, by relying on mutual respect."

Merkel did not mention Trump specifically, but called freedom of the press "a very significant pillar of democracy."

source: interaksyon.com

Women accuse Trump of groping, forcibly kissing them; Donald denies

Washington, United States - A flood of newly published accusations that Donald Trump groped or inappropriately kissed women rocked the race for the White House Wednesday (Thursday PH time), with the Republican nominee angrily denying the reports and his campaign branding them "character assassination."

Claims by five women, whose accounts were reported by The New York Times, The Palm Beach Post, NBC, People Magazine and Yahoo News, came to light after he said in Sunday's presidential debate with rival Hillary Clinton that he had never kissed women without their consent.

Trump's denial came as he tried to set his campaign back on track after a video recording from 2005 surfaced Friday in which the 70-year-old real estate mogul is heard making lewd boasts about how his celebrity meant he could grope women with impunity.

"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy'."

When he meets beautiful women, he added, "I just start kissing them."

Trump has apologized for the comments, dismissing them as "locker room" banter.

With just 27 days until the November 8 election, and Democrat Clinton in the driver's seat with national polls in her favor, the embattled Republican nominee had sought to get back on the offensive.

But the series of explosive new allegations of sexual misconduct put Trump's behavior with women in the spotlight once again.

'Like an octopus'
Former businesswoman Jessica Leeds, 74, told The New York Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s as they sat next to each other in first class.

About 45 minutes after takeoff, Trump lifted the armrest and began grabbing her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt, she said.

"He was like an octopus," she told the daily. "His hands were everywhere."

"It was an assault," she added.

Rachel Crooks said she was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate company in Trump Tower in 2005 when she encountered Trump outside an elevator in the building one morning.

She introduced herself and shook his hand, but he would not let go. Trump began kissing her cheeks and then "kissed me directly on the mouth," she told the daily.

"It was so inappropriate," Crooks added. "I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that."

"None of this ever took place," Trump angrily told The New York Times, calling the reporter a "disgusting human being."

'I was startled'
Also on Wednesday, the Palm Beach Post published an exclusive on its web site in which Mindy McGillivray, now 36, alleged that Trump grabbed her at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida in early 2003.

"It was pretty close to the center of my butt," she said of the incident that happened as she was working as a photographer's assistant at an event. "I was startled. I jumped."

None of the women reported the incidents to law enforcement.

The New York Times and Palm Beach Post spoke with friends and family of the women, who corroborated their accounts and knew of the incidents before the "hot mic" video was released last week.

Former Miss Utah Temple Taggart McDowell told NBC on Wednesday that Trump kissed her on the lips when she was a 21-year-old contestant in his Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1997.

Asked about last week's leaked tape, she suppressed tears, saying, "I have a daughter now and it's really hard because you think of sending your little daughter out there with men like that who think like that."

More sordid allegations came from Miss Washington 2013, Cassandra Searles. Yahoo News reported that she had called Trump a "misogynist" in a Facebook post, and said in a comment that he had "continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room."

People Magazine also published an account late on Wednesday by a staff writer who said Trump forced himself on her when she interviewed him at his residence at Mar-a-Lago in 2005.

"We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us," Natasha Stoynoff wrote. "I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat."

'Character assassination'
The Trump campaign quickly fired back, calling The New York Times article a political attack and demanding a retraction.

"This entire article is fiction, and for the New York Times to launch a completely false, coordinated character assassination against Mr Trump on a topic like this is dangerous," senior communicators advisor Jason Miller said in a statement.

ABC News reported three senior-level sources as saying Trump is drafting a lawsuit against the newspaper for defamation.

"Your article is reckless, defamatory and constitutes libel per se," Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz wrote in a letter to the daily.

"It is apparent from, among other things, the timing of the article, that it is nothing more than a politically-motivated effort to defeat Mr Trump's candidacy."

Trump traveled to Florida Wednesday for two rallies, where he ramped up his attacks on the 68-year-old Clinton, calling her a criminal who "has to go to jail" for endangering national security by using a private email account while secretary of state.

He also took aim at Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have abandoned him in the wake of the hot mic revelations.

source: interaksyon.com

WATCH | Pretty Fil-Am wows ‘The Voice’ judges with audition

Her father used to be in a Grateful Dead cover band while her mother comes from a political family in Cebu.

So it was just a matter of time before 26-year old Amy Vachal would embrace the spotlight herself. Last Monday, October 5 (Tuesday, Manila time), she did just that at the popular reality talent show “The Voice” when she passed the blind auditions and moved on to the Battle Rounds phase of the competition.

Vachal is a granddaughter of Cebu political kingpin Pablo Garcia and niece of ex-governor and Cebu 3rd District representative Gwendolyn Garcia. The pretty Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter breezed through the Blind Auditions of “The Voice” with a breathtaking rendition of the 1930s classic standard “Dream A Little Dream of Me.”

Her reading of the song, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar, was obviously influenced by the 1968 version of The Mamas & The Papas featuring the late Mama Cass Elliott on vocals.

“There was an effortless beauty to Amy’s audition — in the way she made little tweaks to the classic melody, through her starry-eyed connection to the lyrics, by virtue of her decision to avoid the reality-competition trap of making everything (or anything) about pure bombast,” wrote Michaeal Slezak of TVLine.com in his review of the show.

All four judges were just as mesmerized as three of them turned around for her while a fourth judge expressed regret for not pressing his buzzer.

Adam Levine sounded apologetic for not turning around but pointed out that his team was already full.

“Not only am I sad that I didn’t get to turn for you, but you could win this whole thing,” the Maroon 5 frontman boldly declared.

Gwen Stefani was next to comment and said, “First of all, I don’t have a beautiful Pocahontas, fairy princess, angel-like singer on my team. You’re creative with the way that you’ve performed and you seemed like a real honest artist…“I can really help you on this journey, because I did this already. I feel like we could have such a connection.”

Pharell then asked Amy what she wanted to do and what genre she wished to specialize in. When she replied that she wanted to “blur lines,” citing crooners like Ella (Fitzgerald), Billie (Holliday), Frank (Sinatra) and Sam Cooke, he pitched, “I would be unbelievably appreciative to have the opportunity to aid you in that journey…Let me be the guy that can help you explore that side.”

And finally, there was Blake Shelton who seemed to be the judge who wanted Amy the most and was already exclaiming, “Please, Lord! Please pick me!” even while she was singing.

Comparing Amy to Norah Jones and Colbie Caillat, the country superstar said, “I’m already sad right now, just thinking that I don’t probably seem like the right guy for you. But let me say this, I know that I’m looking at a superstar…I’m so impressed, please pick me”.

In the end, Amy picked Pharell but Shelton was happy she made it on the show and looked forward to the prospect of stealing her in a future episode.

Here in the Philippines, “The Voice” airs every Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:50PM.

Watch Amy Vachal’s sensational blind audition performance in “The Voice” here:

source: interaksyon.com

Jay Leno ‘Tonight Show’ goodbye gets more viewers than first farewell

LOS ANGELES | Jay Leno’s send-off as the host of NBC’s late-night talk show the “Tonight Show” drew 14.6 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research said on Friday, topping the audience that bid adieu to the host when he left the show for the first time in 2009.

Leno’s emotional farewell on Thursday was the comedian’s fourth-largest “Tonight Show” audience since he took the reins from Johnny Carson in 1992.

The finale attracted the same number of viewers who tuned in to watch Leno interview U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, in what was the first ever appearance of a sitting president on a late-night talk show.

Carson, who led the show for 30 years, attracted 42 million viewers for his final show in 1992, in an era when broadcast television commanded far greater audiences than today.

Viewership of the “Tonight Show,” which has been the top-rated late night show under Leno’s guidance since 1995, was also helped on Thursday by NBC’s lead-in coverage of the first day of Winter Olympics.

Leno, 63, was given a star-studded good-bye with comedian-actor Billy Crystal as the featured guest and surprise appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Jack Black, Carol Burnett and Kim Kardashian, among others.

Audiences during Leno’s final week rose to nearly 5 million per episode compared to the season average of 3.9 million.

Guests on the show in the past week included actors Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, comedian Jimmy Fallon, former NBA basketball player Charles Barkley and musical performances from country singers Blake Shelton and Lyle Lovett.

Current “Late Night” host Fallon, 39, will take over for Leno on February 17 as Comcast Corp-owned NBC attempts to transition the show to the younger, under-50 demographic most coveted by advertisers while keeping its grip atop the ratings.

It is not known if Leno will pursue another show in television once his contract with NBC expires in September, but the comedian will tour his stand-up show as he has done in years past.

O’BRIEN’S FINAL JAB

Leno’s highest-rated show drew 22.4 million viewers in 1993, a year into his tenure, and was tied to the finale of the NBC comedy series “Cheers,” which was one of the most-watched TV episodes in U.S. history.

Other notable episodes during Leno’s reign include his first telecast in 1992, which attracted 16.1 million viewers, and 15 million viewers tuned in to watch the show after the 1998 finale of popular sitcom “Seinfeld.”

NBC previously attempted to make the passage to a younger audience in 2009 by slotting Leno into primetime and giving its marquee “Tonight Show” to comedian Conan O’Brien, who had been the host of “Late Night.”

Some 11.9 million people watched Leno’s final show in 2009 before handing off to O’Brien. But the failure of the Leno-O’Brien gambit led NBC to reinstall Leno as “Tonight Show” host after just eight months and forced O’Brien to end his contract with NBC, resulting in a very public, bitter feud.

Leno’s departure aroused congratulations, a wry mention and a jab from his late-night talk show rivals.

O’Brien, who was groomed for Leno’s seat only to be pushed out by the network and the host, said on his TBS cable program that he would allow himself a single joke at Leno’s expense.

“The Olympics start airing tonight on NBC … NBC will finally get to show somebody who is OK with passing the torch.” the comedian quipped.

CBS’ David Letterman, beaten out by Leno for the “Tonight Show” chair in 1992, ultimately straining their friendship, noted that Leno’s 22 years on the show were “remarkable” and congratulated him on a “wonderful run.”

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, who has been highly critical of Leno’s brand of middle-brow humor, the treatment of O’Brien and the handling of his departures, tweeted out a congratulatory note on Twitter.

“Issues aside, 20 years at #1 is a remarkable achievement. Congratulations and best wishes to @jayleno on an incredible run,” the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host wrote.

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Bieber arrested for drag-racing while intoxicated - reports

MIAMI - Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami early Thursday for drag racing while intoxicated, news reports here said, in the pop singer's latest in a series of run-ins with the law.

The local NBC television affiliate in Miami reported that at the time of his arrest, Bieber was driving a rented Lamborghini.

The incident is one in a long line of controversial headlines which have tarnished the once clean-cut image of Bieber, who has sold more than 12 million albums since emerging on the music scene in 2009 as a schoolboy sensation.

Just last week, police searched Bieber's Los Angeles mansion over an egg-throwing attack seized illegal drugs and arrested one of the singer's associates.

The 19-year-old Canadian teen idol was accused by a neighbor of causing thousands of dollars in damage to a neighbor's house after pelting it with eggs.

News reports said that in July, authorities at the US-Canada border confiscated marijuana and drug paraphernalia from one of Bieber's tour buses. He was not on board at the time, media reported.

He also attracted criticism on a recent tour of Australia after allegedly spraying graffiti on a hotel wall.

A tour of South America last year also ran into turbulence, with allegations that he tagged the wall of a Rio de Janeiro hotel and failed to pay a bill in a Buenos Aires nightclub.

Bieber also caused offense by stepping on an Argentine flag thrown onto a stage during a concert. He was also evicted from a luxury hotel in Buenos Aires after a room was damaged.

Over the Christmas holidays, Bieber announced via Twitter that he was "officially retiring."

 source: interaksyon.com

VIDEO: NBC's Jenna Wolfe and Stephanie Gosk Come Out, Expecting Baby Together

It's a great day for Jenna Wolfe. The Today weekend anchor not only came out publicly with her partner of three years, NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, but the couple is expecting their first child!

"This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to us," Wolfe told People. "But I don't want to bring my daughter into a world where I'm not comfortable telling everyone who I am and who her mother is."

"The beauty is that we live in a time where there's no need for secrecy," Gosk added. "This is a spectacular moment for us."



Wolfe, who is carrying the child after undergoing artificial insemination, plans on blogging about her experience as a first-time mother.

Watch Wolfe share her good news on the Today show below.

source: tvguide.com