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for the media, as donald trump won more than a dozen states, crushing nikki haley who eked out only a win in vermont. the former president was briefly in a celeb rah rah story mood but soon moved on to what he sees as the dangers facing america. >> they call it super tuesday for a reason. [cheers and applause] this is a big one. we're going to close our borders. we're going to have to deport a lot of people, a lot of bad people, because our country can't live like this, our cities are choking to death. [applause] howard: but then came a sharp pivot by the press saying, yes, trump had an amazingly successful night, but look at all these warning signs he faces in november. and there's even a more fundamental divide among the pundits and prognosticators. the right is more focused on turn's message and what he stands for while the left keeps assailing him as a would-be dictator. >> what most of these people have never if understood is that this really isn't about a trump,

and he himself often a says he's a vessel for the hard working americans who feel forgotten and even tormented by the corrupt d.c. uni-party. >> the project of the republican party is to install a strongman form of government in the united states and get rid of democracy. and that is the project of electing donald trump. >> what we are seeing from donald trump, we're watching history, frankly are. now, he continues to win contest after contest despite opposition from the radical left and what is a politicized and weaponized system, department of justice. >> we could be a dictatorship next year if donald trump is elected and carries through on his threats and carries through on his threats to suspend the constitution. howard: by the next morning, nikki haley was out. >> i said i wanted americans to have their voices heard. i have done that. i have no regrets. howard: the former governor invited trump to reach out to her supporters, but you didn't miss anything.

haley made no endorsement. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." ♪ ♪ howard: ahead, the controversial arizona senate candidate kari lake joins us live. one mini drama from mar-a-lago, msnbc, the only cable network whose super tuesday cover coverage -- coverage a was not anchored by journalists, rachel maddow, the popular liberal was so annoyed by trump's victory speech that she cut away. >> i read an article yesterday where it said this is one of the finest run campaigns that anybody has ever seen. >> yeah, okay. it is a decision that we revisit constantly in terms of the balance between allowing somebody to knowingly lie on your air about things they have ride about before and you can predict they are going to lie

about. howard: in fact, right there trump was citing an nbc news article. not -- her all-liberal panel portrayed the former president's to support possessor as motivated by racial animus and even poked fun at the border crisis. >> they're voting on race. they're voting on this idea of an invasion of brown people over the border, the idea that they can't get whatever job they want, a black person got it. >> i live in virginia. immigration was the number one issue. [laughter] i mean, again, these could change, in -- >> well, virginia does have a border with west virginia. howard: that was too much even for a cnn panel. finish. >> that is a massive in-kind contribution to donald trump's campaign. howard: joining us now to analyze the coverage, cassie smedley, vice president of the company coin. and in los angeles, leslie marshall, the radio talk show host and fox news contributor.

cassie, donald trump mounts this remarkable comeback in the wake of january 6th and impeachment. he blows away the competition, and the media coverage almost instand instantaneously shifts to, yeah, but he can't possibly win in november. what you -- do you make of that? >> that last clip of jen sackty showing how -- jen psaki showing how they continue not to get it because immigration is one of the top issues. howard: absolutely. >> and that's a change because of the direct result of what we've seen from joe biden's policies. so that type of commentary is only going to propel donald trump into the white house. i feel strongly about that. i would also note quickly about the party coming home and coming together, in 2016 donald trump had super tuesday victories and defeats that were much closer than we saw this past tuesday, so i have no concerns about everybody rallying together by election day. howard: okay. now if, leslie, there were warning signs in, for example, the percentage of republican votes that nikki haley got in

certain states and, you know, people telling pollsters, or at least a chunk of them, that they wouldn't vote for trump if he was convicted of a crime. so that's fair game for the press. but with trump sweeping iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, or all but one super tuesday state is, could the media geniuses be underestimating him again? if. >> well, i don't really think it's the media's job is. i think it's poem like me and everyone else on these panels' job to analyze that as political analysts, democratic strategists like myself. and it is not, or you know, media across the board's job to do that. but, you know, as a democrat i'm certainly hearing other things. joe biden has an incredible, you know, primary thus far. and what did i hear the other night? but he lost samoa. you know, really, that's what i hear. he lost samoa or he's too old. it's sort of like, you know, can we get to the policies? and, certainly, immigration is a policy. it is a policy that is a winner right now for republicans and

maybe a losing issue for democrats. but there are many, many more issues. in that being said is, howie, a network is a business. and and you have to know your audiencing whether it's viewers or readers, i mean, the list goes on. howard: right. >> yeah, you carry it, but maybe there is a point that you cut away just depending on time and depending on dollars. howard: i should point out that president biden's essentially running unopposed on if he did lose samoa. cassie, donald trump is facing four indictments, and the media's own conventional wisdom on this has shifted from, oh, this is terrible, he'll never be able to survive is it, to this is actually helping him because many of his supporters view this as the product of a weaponized law enforcement system that is percent cuting the former president. percent cuting the former president. does the press keep missing the mark here? >> well, the polls would say, yes, because you see there's a fox news poll week that showed donald trump the ahead of joe biden --

howard: yeah, by 5 points. >> yeah. howard: it's been tight. >> been tight, but the way that the media's covering i, you'd think joe biden should be running away with this let alone now behind president, former president trump currently. so i do think the more they not just give him oxygen, but continue to downplait, continue to count him out -- downplay it, we saw what happened in 2016. it felt like every day, oh, this is the thing that takes him out, and then he'd go up in the polls or, eventually, into the white house. so i see the same playbook being recycled, and we know the outcome of that. howard: leslie, let me expand on your point about any news organization has to know its audience and so forth. i get that anding of course i get the distinction between straight journal isists and commentators, left, right, center or somewhere in between. but why can't outlets like msnbc, they always seem to be agonizing over this, just i run his speech. after all, he just won 12 states. and then spend the next 23 and a half hours attacking him. i have no problem with the

attack, but they make such a self-righteous point about we're cutting away, we can't possibly pollute our airwaves. >> well, again, their audience is going to get on them and perhaps boycott the advertisers and the list goes on if they carry the whole speech, especially if there's not factual information being given because one could argue that every media outlet should cut away, you know, from anybody if truth not being told because in addition to coverage, you're also supposed to be reporting the facts. and i hear you, you could have it and you could do a fact check, right, you could often a b roll with a fact check along the side which is is something i would choose to do if i were the head of a media network. i'm not and nobody asked me. [laughter] but, you know, again, you know, and also you have to say remember a couple of things we were talking about in 2016 and look and he won, oh, 2020, and and look and he lost. and i believe in 2024 he'll lose

again. but that aside, you know, you have concern we really, i think many networks learned that, i mean, where does it end? and in 2016 it wasn't just victory laps, it was every lap. it was every single appearance. it was every single time he had a rally. and i me there are media outlets out there that are like we're not going to do that again, so i think that weighs into it as well. howard: except that the reason it was done in 2016 was it was good for ratings. so mitch mcconnell, so as everybody now knows is stepping down as senate gop leader after a long time, has now endorsed donald trump. here's senator mcconnell taking a question from a reporter. finish. >> reporter: how do you reconcile your trump endorsement with the fact that you called him tactically and morally responsible for january 6th and, in fact, he insulted you and your wife repeatedly? >> i said i would support the nominee for president even if it were the former president.

howard: cassie, mitch mcconnell and donald trump have been spoken since 2020 when the republican leader accused the president of causing the violence of januaryth. january 6th. and the media reaction is sort of like, yeah, well, he had no choice. but is that true? was mcconnell confronting the fact that this is now a party that i don't want to say he doesn't recognize, but it's very much donald trump's party? >> i would just note for the record that mitch mcconnell endorsed donald trump in 2016 right about the same time. it was once all the other competitorses were out of the race. so this is, for lack of a better word, consistent for him. howard: yeah. and they did work together. yeah. >> of course. the judges and the judicial nominees, huge, huge partnership. but i think that mitch mcconnell by saying, hey, i'm not going to run for leader again of the party is recognizing his time in the party and also where the party wants to move. and i think's fair, because the party is clearly seeing something in donald trump that we need and the least of which

is that it is a departure from joe biden who has been an unmitigated disaster for the country these past three and a half, going with on four years. howard: leslie, trump said in his super tuesday speech -- and you can also respond to that if you want -- that the press is not being fair. now, are the media further eroding their sinking credibility by, with much of the country i should clarify, by refusing to give trump his due when he has major victories? if i mean, this was, has been a remark if bl roll since iowa. >> i didn't see it as people saying that, you know, he didn't have a remarkable victory, you know, at all. i saw it as the same political cycle that we have in every election especially leading up, you know, to a general election. and, you know, the same opinion. the people like me on the left are going to be joe biden good, donald trump bad, and the if other on this panel, joe biden bad, donald trump good, biden's terrible for the country obviously not reading the economic news as of late. but, you know, again, you have a

right to cut away. and at what point that is has to be up to each individual media outlet. but i want to touch quickly, if i can, on mitch if mcconnell. howard: just very briefly. >> yeah. mitch mcconnell has always been a party guy. and i'll tell ya, if my husband were mitch mcconnell, i would have changed the locks after what donald trump said about his wife. howard: all right. >> and -- i've got to jump in. >> he had the opportunity to do that, but he's, you know, a republican through and through to the end. howard: all right. look, you have a lot of self-appointed media guardians saying we must save democracy, but a chunk of the country hears that as we must if elect joe biden. and as we go to break, a big programming announcement. i'll be doing an in-depth interview this week with former president donald trump at mar-a-lago, and we'll bring you that on next sunday's program. when we come back, all those pundits who said states should

kick donald trump off the ballot, even the liberal supreme court justices don't agree with that. ♪ ♪ my magic. just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. aleve. who do you take it for? and for fast topical pain relief, try alevex.

howard: when colorado decided it would be a fine idea to kick donald trump off the ballot, some of the left-leaning pundits applauded. cnn said legal scholars increasingly raise constitutional argument that trump should be barred from presidency. well, it turned out -- >> the colorado supreme court decided that the constitution still matters and replies to donald trump. >> there really is an effort underway to remove donald trump from the presidential ballot. >> colorado is executing its state's rights to decide who should be on their own ballot. this is a slam dunk. if. howard: well,, it turned out to

be a slam dunk for the ore team, a- 0 ruling that colorado and any ore state does not have the power to eradicate a presidential candidate's name from the ballot. elena kagan, sonia sotomayor, ketanji brown jackson agreed that states lack the authority, but that wasn't good enough for the critics. >> the supreme court does it again, handing another major win to donald trump, allowing him to stay on the colorado ballot and is choosing to ugh e near the question at the heart of the cases which is whether trump is an insurrectionist under the 14th amendment. >> a lot of americans out there, their blood is boiling for what donald trump did on january 6th. they just think he's getting let off the hook scot free. >> the truth is, of course, these people don't trust the voter, and they don't much like the voters, at least not the 74 million who voted for trump. today we really saw their anger and their hatred consume them. howard: cassie, the anchors and commentators who said of course colorado and maine and illinois should be able to kick donald

trump off the ballot under section three of the 14th amendment, how do they look now in the wake of this unanimous supreme court ruling? >> silly, unhinged, not cred credible. -- not credible. 9-0, when do you hear that in the -- howard: very rarely. >> that wasn't a end commentary on whether they support donald trump as a candidate, it was just saying the voters have the right to decide at the ballot box who they would choose to be the next president x. this makes no sense. so i thought it was just a really sully reaction -- silly reaction before and after the decision. ow howe that's why we show the contrast. leslie, it's fine to take a contrary position, obviously, but didn't it look anti-democratic for various commentators and pundits to say that americans in the these states shouldn't be able to vote for the candidate of their choice, even some of your liberal media friends were uncomfortable with that. >> look, i was uncomfortable

with it -- howard: yeah. >> and the reason being it's very different if after so many indictments you are found guilty and you are now a convicted criminal. that, to me, would have been very different. obviously, they would be able to use section three with the 14th amendment, so i was surprised when colorado put this forth not just myself, but numerous people on the left felt that the supreme court for decision was predictable. and the supreme court wasn't just about the states having the authority or not to do that, but the ambiguity, if you will, of the specifics or lack thereof of section three of the 14th amendment which they clearly felt that congress should specify more so with legislation. but lastly to your point about democracy, and i think it's actually a good way to phrase it. look, people on my side don't want donald trump to be president again. but i have to say i do believe, at least from what i hear, the majority of my people on my

side, they want him to be beat on the ballot box. and you've got to give the people in every state, colorado, maine, illinois and all the rest, to have the -- the opportunity to make that choice. howard: i couldn't agree more. look at the scotus ruling, cassie. kagan, sotomayor and jackson agreeing with brett kavanaugh, sam alito, clarence thomas at least on the core decision. and so some tv bloviaters are saying, well, that's not good enough for me. they're not pure enough for me was they're not opposing trump's name appearing on these ballots like in colorado? >> yeah. and isn't that typically the case with these the liberal activists? it's never enough. we see that all the time as a conservatives. i see it even when i just go to a kid's birthday party and start talking politics. howard: don't talk politics at a kid's birthday party. that's your first mistake. >> that's true. you talk about democracy being won the ballot, ask and i think leslie's point is a good one that there is this divide between where voters are and

where the people with the soap box in their party. and and i would even give that's on both sides. if joe biden is such a wonderful president and candidate and if all of the data backs that up, then who cares who he's running againsting right? that shouldn't be a problem. and yet they are trying literally every trick in the book to keep democracy off the ballot by keeping the republicans' chosen candidate off the a ballot. howard: yeah. and some haven't given up. congressman jamie raskin is preparing legislation that would give congress the authority to step in and say, no, you're disqualified if a majority which, of course, won't happen in a house republican-controlled house, that is, if a majority if believe that trump, you know, cited an insurrection. so is, leslie, the liberal wing did object to the conservative majority going too far saying they didn't need to get to some of these legal arguments in order to -- remember, as you know, this is a post-civil war statute aimed at con fed the rate officers. -- confederate officers. one thing most justices agreed

on was this: they didn't want one state dictating a result for other states. >> absolutely. and think about the general election that -- one thing that that the general election forget, it's a 50-state race. and the justices spoke to that. you know, part of preserving democracy is preserving our union, and our union is come prized of 50 states. -- comprised. so not living in colorado, like i said, i wasn't surprised about the decision based on that and, you know, other factors that the judges spoke of. but, you know, i live in california, and and i'm sure the rest of the people in places like alabama and mississippi don't want my state to dictate what's going on -- howard: now nows, that is something -- >> feel the same for colorado. howard: -- that is something no one can argue with. ahead, kari lake joins us on her second attempt to win office in ads. but up next, donald trump challenges joe biden to debate. is this a serious offer?

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howard: this debate about debates is for the moment a debate about nothing. it's only march. but when donald trump pulled very close to the nomination after super tuesday, he issued this challenge: anytime, anywhere, anyplace, the debates can be run by the corrupt dnc, and that gave the pundit, well, manager to debate. something to debate. >> joe biden is frightened of donald trump. this is no way joe biden will debate him because he's incapable of debating him. >> it's a damn shame that donald trump won't submit to this because he's such a coward. howard: joining us now, two guys who like to duke it out, kevin corke, senior national correspondent for fox news, and griff jenkins, fox news correspondent and anchor. kevin, donald trump must know that by saying right now he wants to debate biden yesterday, that some detractors might point

out, yeah, didn't you blow off those republican primary debates? >> that's a good point. listen, it goes back to what he'sly was saying earlier -- what leslie was waiting -- saying earlier, sometimes you may to the crowd. donald trump wants to debate joe biden because he thinks he can beat him not just on the facts, but on style points. you know, trump is a political pugilist, he loves to counterpunch. he's going to debate if a debate happens. howard: indeed. griff, is donald trump trolling joe biden here in the sense that he thinks he can overwhelm him in the debate? he does tend to talk a lot in the debates, and he just can't wait to get started? >> absolutely, he's trolling him. if biden refuses to do it, it shows or suggests that he's not up to it. the american people seem to lose if they don't debate, because for the first time in history you would have two presidents on the stage for 90 minutes defending each other's policies. it's never rang true or or.

but here is the thing, in the 2020 debates, remember, they cut the mics with trump and biden, right in the first one was out of control, the second one they cut it. so we might really get some policy debate, dare i say. howard: that would be good. and there's always a debate about whether this is good for the country to see the candidates. on the other hand, it's not unusual for candidates not to debate if they they it's not in their interest. kevin, trump has said before he will not participate in any debate involving the commission on presidential debates which has sponsored these things since 1988. now, no problem. what's going on here? >> yeah, i think he obviously realizes -- he never surprises, right? of course he does. i think he realizes, howie, if he wants to win the argument, if he wants to sway those, listen, i'm not sure i believe in him, but i want the hear what he has to say, you've got to play by the rules, get in the game, take your shot. howard: griff or, half a minute. >> look, i think if you don't get up there and definitively --

joe biden's centerpiece of his campaign is that democracy is at stake, yet you're not willing to stand on a stage for 90 minutes and defend it? it's like superman saying, well, lex luthor's going to end civilization, but i don't have time to fight him. [laughter] now, by the way, trump has a little bit of risk. it could backfire because we saw in the state of the union a fiery joe biden, and the bar could be low for joe biden. if he could take him on for 90 minutes, it might backfire. howard: of course, there's a difference of even fabulous speech giver reading something off a prompter versus responding to journalists' questions. guys, see you in a bit. next on "mediabuzz," a big shake-up in the arizona senate race. republican candidate kari lake is here the talk about her campaign. ♪ ♪ if

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howe the arizona senate race has come into the media spotlight now that one of three contenders has dropped out. kari lake, excuse me, republican

former television anchor and close ally of donald trump, is the likely opponent against democratic congressman reuben guy yea go. kyrsten sinema, who left to -- the democratic party, just downed she's not seeking a second term. >> the only political victories that matter these days are symbol ig. attacking your opponents on social media or cable news. i believe in my approach, but it's not what america wants right now. howard: joining us now from arizona, kari lake, the republican front-runner in the senate race. i'll start with the horse race question. does kyrsten sinema dropping out help you by turning this into a 2-person race, and do you agree with her at least in part about politics being broken? >> yes and yes. [laughter] howard: okay, next question. no, go ahead. >> okay, let's move on. no, let me expound a little bit on that. you know, i think the polling initially was showing she was taking a little more from me. but as we've been watching the trends in the polling, it was

starting to sew she's taking more from guy yea go. we were prepared to go in a 3-person race or toe to toe with radical rubin guy yea go. and i guess now i can fire everything towards rubin. but i respect the courage that kirstin the sinema, senator sinema, showed when she helped to save the filibuster. and for your viewers who don't understand what that means,al although i'm sure they do, you have to have 60 senators -- howard: yeah, it means everything in the senate. >> it means everything. and she showed courage in saving that. and without that, if rubin gallego were to win, the filibuster would be gone, they'd a pack the court with 5-10 additional supreme court justices, and our country would be gone. howard: let me jump in. you've been saying that the you are putting out an olive branch to people who didn't support you when you ran for governor. "the new york times" says you're

mending fences. have some of these conversations been difficult reaching out to people who you were at odds with? >> you know, i don't find it difficult to pick up the phone and call people or meet with people who i don't disagree with or that i don't agree with on everything. that is called being an american who wants to, you know, engage in discourse and solve problems. so i've reached out to a lot of people. and guess what a? it's going wonderfully. so many have not only said, oh, absolutely, do i support you, how can i help. and and that's the attitude we have to have going into the next eight months to save our country. this isn't just a normal election, let's face it. if we get four more years of joe biden or the destructive democrats, i don't know how much longer we can hold on. i'm here in southern arizona a. i've been campaigning across southern arizona the last several days, and i'll tell you what, the people are with us. they are with president trump or, they're with america first policies. i've talked to independents -- howard: we'll see how that works

out. i did want to ask you about this tweet from the other day because it's not of in my alley. there's no salvaging the fake news, you wrote. these propagandists have brainwashed millions of americans for decades. how'd you go as spending a quarter century as a television anchor to having such a harsh view of the news business? >> well, i think it's real obvious. i worked as a fair and honest journalist. i think, howie, you and i probably came up in journalism at the time when we were taught to put the facts out there, tell both sides of the story. if there's three sides, put all three sides in and leave your opinion out. but something really seriously changed over the years and especially e during covid when there was no published fact against the government really taking away our liberties and freedoms. so i walked away from a seven-figure contract in the news. i said i'm not going to be part of pushing propaganda. i'm not going to push half-truths because those are lies. i thought at that point the media had hit rock bottom.

it has has dropped about a hundred floors down since then. i believe the american people are waking up to it, and every day when someone wakes up and realizes that they've been lied to for so long by the news media, they're never going back. they're never going back to being a consumer of that news. howard: there is certainly a credibility problem. now, you took a whack against nikki haley when she dropped out describing the humiliating loss and referring to her by her indian first name. nikki is her middle name. some people were disturbed by that. why go there? >> i think that it's time for her to -- she vowed that when she did step out, she would get behind and back the nominee. and this wasn't just a minor loss for her. these have been historic losses since iowa, since the iowa caucus. we're talking record losses. president trump is winning in historic fast, and she -- fashion, and she backs out and doesn't live up to what she said she would do which is to support the nominee. we've got to get behind our

nominee, president trump, and we have to save our country right now. i like people who live up to what they say they're going to do, and i know that eventually she'll hopefully do that. i wish her nothing but the best. but we have to get behind our president because this is between president trump and joe biden, and the differences in those two could not be more stark. it's open borders with joe biden, it's dangerous streets, it's an economy that's in freefall, it's world war iii with joe biden and just the opposite, secure borders, safe streets, great education for our kids and world peace if with president -- howard: right. obviously, you were controversial in challenging your gubernatorial loss, but rather than looking backwards, you said you didn't want the backing of john mccain and his supporters and family. megyn mccain has rather 'em fatically rejected your outreach effort. is it too late to mend fences on that frontsome. >> that's not what i said. that's e a quote that's been twisted and turn and spun and

reimagined by the fake news media from, you know, two and a half years ago. i think it's never, it's never too late to mend fences. i believe in forgiveness, and i believe that it's important to as ask for forgiveness, and i think that i've done a very good job at doing that. i would love nothing more than to have the support of every single voter in arizona. and i have reached out to the mccains, and and i've asked them, you know, i've asked meghan mccain to sit down and have a cup of coffee or have lunch together. we both are mothers, and as a mother, i'm horrify filed what the future looks like right now for my children. i'm sure that megan mccain feels the same way, that she looks at the future with joe biden and is horrified -- howard: i have to jump -- we only have a minute left, i'm sorry to rush you. in the past, you've been an outspoken opponent of abortion calling it the ultimate sin. but now you've told nbc that arizona's 15-week ban seems reasonable, and and and you told "the new york times" you don't support a national ban. is this an evolution in your

thinking? >> no, you know, i'm not -- i don't get to decide what the law is, you know? if that was decided by governor doug ducey, and i am not running to make those laws. that was made by the legislature. i'm not running for the state legislature, i'm running for a federal office. and so that is the haw that's on the book -- the law that's on the book, and i think that's more reasonable than some of these other laws we're seeing in other states. what we have to do, howie, is concentrate less on how many weeks and what the law is because we're going to have 50 different laws, and we need to focus on giving women more options so they can make a better, more healthy choice, and we can theme realize the buy deof becoming a mother. howard: we're, unfortunately, out of time. let me give you a last sentence here. >> oh, wonderful. well, thanks for having me on. if the people who are out will there, this is a critical race. the road to the white house and the road to the senate majority goes directly through arizona. we're looking great in the polls, but we could use help. if you want to get involved to save our country, go to kari

lake.com, make a donation. thank you so much, howie. howard: thank you, kari lake. after the break, president biden's state of the union. most of the pundits liked it, but how much will voters care? but how much will voters care? if pub. ♪ how could you? and leaves your system fast. by the time you wake up, you're ready to take on the day. try it and feel the difference. mucinex nightshift, it's comeback season.

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howard: most of the media heaped praise if on president biden's state of the union speech which was portrayed as a major challenge for an 81-year-old president. >> now my predecessor, a former

republican president, tells putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. [background sounds] that's a quote. a former president actually said that. bowing down to the russian leader. i think it's outrageous, it's dangerous, and it's unacceptable. >> democrats are breathing a sigh of relief after president biden's fiery state of the union address. >> it was his best speech of his presidency by far. strongest speech and, most importantly for people that were thinking, oh, he's too old, he's too this, he's too that, man, ht more than he got. >> clearly overcompensating from the if normal, everyday joe that can barely string two sentences together. i might call him jacked-up joe, and that's being charitable. he sounded like a hypercaffeinated, angry old man. howard: kevin corke, newspaper headlines: fiery, forceful, if

your face. even some of biden's critics say he was pretty energetic, but do average voters care as much? >> absolutely not. people have bills, have to pay for groceries. have you been system ising lately? put gas in the car? they're not nearly as dialed in as most of us in the beltway are. you either thought he was abraham simpson gelling -- yelling at the clouds, or you thought he was churchillian. i thought he needed -- he did what he needed to do. he could have been a little bit more measured in reaching out to folks who don't necessarily back his policies. howard: yeah. also could have been a little shorter. griff jenkins, biden was up against a growing media narrative supported by a lot of democratic doubters in the polls that he's too old for the job. if the president had mum if bled and stumbled through his speech, wouldn't the media have said it was a failure? >> well, of course. and i think peggy noonan got it right. her heedline was there's life in the old boy yet.

if your goal was to put him out there, if you're the white house aides, to show that he's still got it, i mean, hakeem jeffries was saying he's on fire, smoking joe. howard: yeah. >> if so they accomplished that. but i think to my colleagues' understated, i'm going the take it a little further. joe biden came in on the inauguration, i was out there freezing, listening to it, pledging unity, lecturing us on unity for the last four years. and that was one of, by all mesh measures, one of the most partisan, divisive state of the unions we've ever had. howard: it was a partisan speech. there was some heckling by republicans. let's take a brief look at that. >> the result was a wisconsin partisan bill -- bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we've ever seen. [background sounds] oh, you don't think so? oh, you don't like that bill, huh? that conservatives got together and said was a good bill? i'll be darned, that a ease

amazing. howard: kevin, was that an effective response, a retort to heckling by marjorie taylor greene and others? >> smart play. you always want to try to, again, win your side. and if you get a few others, that's great. i thought what he did really, really well in that instance was he actually engaged which sort of takes some of the pressure off the delivery. of there was a point though this, howie, where he seemed to freeze right before marjorie taylor greene kind of bailed him out. that is exactly what democrats don't want to see, they want to avoid that, which is why he sort of escaped, i think, in this particular circumstance. howard: griff, i'm old fashion ifedded, i remember a time when presidents would be listened to politely by the other party. but it's become a feature. the media a take on these exchangings, i have to say, is very simply that the hecklers are rude. father or untheir -- fair or unfair the? >> well, yes. and everybody remembers joe allson's, you lie -- howard: with barack obama. >> all of a sudden we felt like

a break of decorum, this doesn't feel comfortable. but i think the white house was hoping they would get even more than what they got from people hike marjorie taylor greene because it allowed to show him engaged. however, the most memorable line right now is laken riley being mispronounced. of course, the usc coach's name. and now biden having to walk back the use of the term illega- howard: right. >> which is in the actual law. i mean, we call illegal aliens -- howard: right. it's offensive to the progressive wing of his own party. >> now that's what a everyone's talking about. howard: the speech drew 32 million viewers which is fairly low. most americans didn't see it, but i'm not sure that matters because television has been playing the clips again and again. >> and social media's changed everything. we'll see plenty on shows like this, and i think that helps the white house message get out if they have snippet, it also helps the opposition as well. howard: trump says of the

speech, griff, angry, polarizing, hate-filled and calling biden a psycho. to him, that's counterpunching. >> of course it is and if an punt. but, hey, let's see if we can get them on a debate stage because the image of the president on a teleprompter in the state of the union is far more easier than being on stage -- howard: you guys are obviously rooting for a debate, just like everybody else. our debate has ended, griff jenkins and kevin corke. still to come, a new push to ban tiktok and two football stars turn on the water works. ♪ ♪ (♪) is he? confidently walking 8 long haired dogs and living as if he doesn't have allergies? yeah. fast relief of your worst allergy symptoms, like nasal congestion.

howard: tiktok has urged all its users 18 or over to lobby congress against a new effort to force its chinese owners to sell

the hugely popular app a, and it didn't work. a house panel voted 50-0 to ban tiktok unless there's a sale. tiktok is viewed as a national security threat because of the influence of the chinese communist party. and president trump also tried to wan it -- ban it. trump is now opposing the move sawing it'll give too much power to facebook. joe biden says he'll sign the bill. i think all these mean if girl attacks on alabama senator katie brit for her somewhat awkward response to the state of the union are way over the top. but then there's a story she tells about hearing a mexican woman being sold into sexual slavery for four years. that kidnapping and rescue twapped between 2002 and 2006, and the woman doesn't appear to have ever lived in the u.s. or sought asylum here. britt told "fox news sunday" she was not being misleading about the time adding that human trafficking has gone up you were widen. -- biden. everyone knows that tom

hanks line from a league of their own. >> are you crying? there's no crying! there's no crying in baseball! howard: well, there's plenty of crying in sports these days starting with jason kelce, brother of travis kelce, boyfriend of taylor swift. when jason decided to retire, he held a 40-minute if news conference that began with crying. >> thanks for coming, guys. we'll see how long this lasts. [background sounds] howard: i mean, this thing was a blubber fest from beginning to end. by the time jason wrapped it up, his brother travis was also turning on the tears behind his sunglasses. but wait, the brothers do a podcast together and here come

those tears again. >> i just appreciate you showing me the way and bringing us all on the journey with you with, big guy. howard: "the new york times" says there's a clear message here, it is normal and healthy for men to cry, and i agree. the age when men repressed their emotions should be long gone. isn't there a point when all the a bawling should stop? that's identity for this edition of "mediabuzz." i'm howard kurtz. remember, next sunday we'll bring you the donald trump interview to be conducted this week in florida. and you can subscribe to my daily podcast, "media buzzmeter." join the fun as we riff on the day's top stories. we are back here next sunday, you know the time, 11 eastern. hope to see you then. ♪ ♪ planning to move? join the 6 million families who discovered a smarter, more flexible way to move, with pods. save up to 20% now for a limited time. whether you're moving across town or across the country.

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arthel: president biden looking to