Hannity Wants Armed Guards Surrounding Schools & Shopping Malls

Fox News pundit Sean Hannity

Fox News pundit Sean Hannity says the answer to gun violence is to have retired police, secret service or military service members surround schools and shopping malls.

“I’d like to see the perimeter of every school in America surrounded, secured by retired police — which you are — retired Secret Service — which you are — military, and I want guys to donate 15 hours," Hannity told guest Dan Bongino last night. "I think we could cover every school, every hour, every day. Add a metal detector, and I think we’re going to have safer schools.

"Have one armed guard on every floor of every school, all over every mall, the perimeter, and inside every hall of every mall," he explained. "Now, that gives us an instant response opportunity that we normally wouldn’t have.”

Presidential adviser Sean Hannity: "I'd like to see the perimeter of every school in America surrounded, secured by retired police ... have one armed guard on every floor of every school, all over every mall, the perimeter and inside every hall of every mall." pic.twitter.com/Renh47IiBY

— Brendan Karet 🚮 (@bad_takes) August 6, 2019

welcome to Sean Hannity's America.

you head to the mall to buy overpriced garbage at Best Buy, and spend the next 30 to 40 minutes wondering if the jumpy retired cop will hear a balloon pop and start mag dumping into the crowd

— Brendan Karet 🚮 (@bad_takes) August 6, 2019

News Round-Up: December 13, 2018

Austin Wolf

Some news items you might have missed:

• Austin Wolf celebrates getting his Instagram account back online (above). #HappyDanceTime

• The New York City subway attacker who sucker punched a woman he believed to be lesbian has been arrested. His victim suffered a fractured spine due to his attack.

• Janet Jackson is headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Radiohead, Def Leppard, Roxy Music, and the Zombies. Nicks becomes the first woman to be inducted twice having been honored previously as part of Fleetwood Mac.

We did it u guys 💜 Thank U for all your love and support. #RockHall2019 pic.twitter.com/1APrRJdmTv

— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) December 13, 2018

• Fox News host & Donald Trump superfan, Sean Hannity, was caught deleting past tweets that showed his connections to the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, just hours before Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday.

• CBS News reports that Donald Trump is considering his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to be his third Chief of Staff.

• Tony Award winner and current Golden Globe nominee Billy Porter dropped a few holiday tracks on Soundcloud just in time for Christmas. The collection - "A Billy Porter Christmas" - can be found here.

Check out his smooth, soulful "Christmas Time Is Here" below.

Fox News Campaigns With Donald Trump

(screen capture)

After Fox News pundit Sean Hannity specifically said that he would not appear onstage with Donald Trump at a campaign rally last night:

In spite of reports, I will be doing a live show from Cape Girardeau and interviewing President Trump before the rally. To be clear, I will not be on stage campaigning with the President. I am covering final rally for my show. Something I have done in every election in the past.

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 5, 2018

Sean Hannity then did this:

Sean Hannity and Judge Jeanine stumped for President Trump, prompting comparisons between Fox News and the state-run media normally seen in authoritarian regimes. pic.twitter.com/tgwjEAcbu5

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) November 6, 2018

That's odd. Fox News insisted that Hannity would not be a guest speaker at Trump's rally tonight...and yet... pic.twitter.com/Mok0QWg3rE

— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) November 6, 2018

While onstage, Hannity made a point to gesture to the press covering the event, including cameras for Fox News and declared, "Fake news."

Fellow Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro also showed up to trumpet the Trumpster.

Fox News wasn't happy:

Fox chides Hannity and Pirro for participating in last night’s Trump rally: "Fox News does not condone any talent participating in campaign events. … This was an unfortunate distraction and has been addressed.”

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) November 6, 2018

Donald Trump & Sean Hannity's Nightly Pillow Chat

New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi has done a deep dive into the more-frequent-than-you'd guess telephone chat between Donald Trump and Fox News pundit Sean Hannity.

It's like they're best girl-friends who have to talk to each other every night before bed.

Their chats begin casually, with How are yous and What’s going ons. On some days, they speak multiple times, with one calling the other to inform him of the latest developments. White House staff are aware that the calls happen, thanks to the president entering a room and announcing, “I just hung up with Hannity,” or referring to what Hannity said during their conversations, or even ringing Hannity up from his desk in their presence.

On the phone, he and the president alternate between the “witch hunt!” and gabbing like old girlfriends about media gossip and whose show sucks and who’s getting killed in the ratings and who’s winning (Hannity, and therefore Trump) and sports and Kanye West, all of it sprinkled with a staccato fuck … fucking … fucked … fucker. “He’s not a systematic thinker at all. He’s not an ideologue,” one person who knows both men said of Hannity. “He gives tactical advice versus strategic advice.”

[snip]

“Hannity was always someone where, if you were a Republican and you went on his show, it would be the easiest interview possible,” a person who worked on the campaign of one of Trump’s Republican-primary rivals told me. “It was legitimately impossible to get jammed up by Sean Hannity. It wasn’t even something you’d consider. It was the softball of softball interviews.”

Fox News' Sean Hannity Hired Trump Lawyer To Investigate Left-Wing Groups Calling For Boycott Of His Show

Fox News personality Sean Hannity

Earlier today, a federal judge ordered Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen to reveal who his clients were in order to determine what materials seized from his office and home last week might be protected by attorney/client privilege.

In addition to Donald Trump and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy (whom Cohen handled a $1.3 million "hush money" payout), Cohen's legal team revealed the 3rd client was none other than Fox News host Sean Hannity.

From Media Matters:

Cohen’s lawyers had acknowledged that Cohen had three legal clients since 2017 in a filing in federal court related to legal issues surrounding documents the FBI obtained by raiding his office, home, and hotel room last week. Two clients — Trump and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy — were publicly known. Attorneys for Cohen had argued that the identity of the third should remain secret. But Judge Kimba Wood rejected that argument, forcing Cohen’s lawyer to reveal his work for Hannity.

Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reported on MSNBC soon after that Hannity hired Cohen “to help defend him against left-wing groups that were calling for boycotts,” an apparent reference to Media Matters’ well-publicized campaign to get advertisers to stop supporting Hannity’s program. Sherman added that Hannity may have hired “other lawyers and/or private investigators” as part of the effort.

During the many segments Hannity has devoted to defending Cohen on Fox News, not once has he ever divulged that he had paid Cohen for legal advice.

.@gabrielsherman reports that Sean Hannity hired Michael Cohen to defend him against the @mmfa advertiser boycott pic.twitter.com/UswIjnhN8M

— Media Matters (@mmfa) April 16, 2018

I guess I should double-check with my employers but I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to accept valuable services for free from people I cover. https://t.co/nl9F6cEWDK

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) April 16, 2018

Shocker - Sean Hannity Revealed As Client Of Beleaguered Trump Attorney Michael Cohen

In open court today, a federal judge ordered Donald Trump's lawyer to reveal a 3rd "mystery" client apart from Trump and an RNC donor who Cohen helped facilitate a $1.3 million payoff to a former Playboy playmate who became pregnant during their affair.

It turns out that the mystery client is Fox News' Sean Hannity.

That would be the same Sean Hannity who has railed against the cases against Michael Cohen for months and NEVER disclosed he had a legal relationship with Cohen. That would not be illegal but seriously unethical.

Cohen says he attempted to keep Hannity's name private due to attorney/client privilege. But on his radio show today, Hannity says he was never an actual "client" of Cohen's, and never received or paid an invoice.

What comes up now is whether or not there IS an attorney/client relationship with Hannity? If not, then any conversations between the two men would not be covered by attorney/client privilege.

Also, Cohen's work for his other two clients was covering up possible sex scandals? What did he do for Hannity?

Lots of questions to be answered here. More info here.

One has to wonder: was Cohen a "fixer" for Hannity?

CNN's Jake Tapper had the best lead-in ever...

.@jaketapper: The judge forced Michael Cohen to admit in court he has a third client. And the third client is Sean Hannity.

Go home 2018, you’re drunk. https://t.co/7McUZSjki8 pic.twitter.com/rXkx91hxCI

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 16, 2018

Michael Cohen has never represented me in any matter. I never retained him, received an invoice, or paid legal fees. I have occasionally had brief discussions with him about legal questions about which I wanted his input and perspective.

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 16, 2018

I assumed those conversations were confidential, but to be absolutely clear they never involved any matter between me and a third-party.

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 16, 2018

Fox has serious questions to answer about why Hannity was allowed to rant on the Cohen raid without disclosing this. Did they not know?https://t.co/Ku3H3hdjGx

— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) April 16, 2018

Why doesn’t @FoxNews have a conflict of interest policy requiring Hannity to disclose his personal interest in the Cohen search when commenting on it? https://t.co/ydgpAcGDVo

— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) April 16, 2018

The fact that Sean Hannity has been railing against the FBI's investigation of Michael Cohen without disclosing that Michael Cohen IS HIS LAWYER is wildly unethical, and also perfectly on-brand for a Fox News host https://t.co/5aJQt3Sqh7

— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) April 16, 2018

Cohen's 3 clients:
#1. Trump: Cohen negotiated a $130k payoff to Stormy.
#2. Broidy: Cohen a $1.6m payoff for a playmate to get an abortion.
#3. Hannity.

So the only question is who did @seanhannity fuck and pay off?

— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) April 16, 2018

I'm sure Sean Hannity sought legal advice from Michael Cohen for something completely innocuous (eyes roll around in sockets like a slot machine and come up two cherries).

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) April 16, 2018

The closest Sean Hannity will ever get to a Pulitzer: pic.twitter.com/WjKHUpYflz

— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) April 16, 2018

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Beats Fox News' Hannity As "Most Watched Cable News Host"

The cable news wars are heating up as MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show beat Fox News's Hannity with a best-ever 3.058 million viewers compared to Hannity's 3 million.

Even better news for MSNBC - Maddow scored an average 671K viewers in the much-prized 25-54 demographic in the 9PM ET slot. Hannity averaged only 616K viewers.

Third place CNN garnered only 382K viewers in the 25-54 demo.

MSNBC was the only cable news network to increase viewership over the same period in 2017. MSNBC saw a 30% increase while both CNN and Fox News saw declines in their audience.

MSNBC's prime lineup was up 8% from March 2017 numbers, while both Fox (down 18%) and CNN (down 16%) saw big drop-offs when accounting for year-over-year.

I think it's undeniable that "The Resistance" remains strong since Trump's inauguration and that accounts for much of the increased appetite for MSNBC's programming.

(source)

Conservatives Go Into Full Meltdown Mode Over Trump Signing $1.3 Trillion Spending Bill

Fox News host Sean Hannity

Conservative pundits lost their minds yesterday over the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill Donald Trump signed into law.

Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter both had their own public meltdowns.

Hannity took to the air blaming Republicans for the bill:

“I personally wish the President vetoed this bill, made them stay in Washington. Make them keep their promises. What happened to the Republican party––whatever happened to the party that believed in fiscal responsibility? We now need a revitalized second party, Republican party. They need to go back to their core principles. If they don’t by November, they will have nobody to blame but themselves if they lose. It won’t be Donald Trump’s fault.”

And Coulter personally trolled Trump saying he will be impeached before another spending bill comes up.

In fighting is funny.

Watch Hannity below.

Threatened veto NOT over the 'F-- You' on the Wall -- but over the DREAMERS. Can I sign up with Mueller? https://t.co/CbWleAUE1C

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 23, 2018

GOP is going to get wiped out in midterms and I'm not even going to say, "Too bad." https://t.co/mvdqI8GeCw

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 23, 2018

GOOD GOD! Will @realDonaldTrump talk about ANYTHING but defense spending???? Per Obama: The 1980s called & they want their foreign policy back.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 23, 2018

“ I will never sign another bill like this again”

Yeah, because you’ll be impeached.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 23, 2018

Fox News' Shepard Smith: "Our Opinion Programming Is There Strictly To Be Entertaining"

Fox News' Shepard Smith

File this under "Infighting is funny."

Fox News' Shepard Smith told TIME Magazine recently that Fox News' evening opinion shows are meant to be "entertaining," not "news."

Via The Hill:

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith says opinion programming on his network doesn't "really have rules" and exists "strictly to be entertaining," in an interview published Thursday.

"Some of our opinion programming is there strictly to be entertaining," Smith told Time Magazine's Daniel D'Addario in a piece titled, "Shep Smith Has the Hardest Job on Fox News."

“We serve different masters," Smith, 54, added when discussing the difference between the opinion side of Fox News, including shows such as "The Sean Hannity Show," and the network's news division. "We work for different reporting chains, we have different rules. They don’t really have rules on the opinion side. They can say whatever they want. If it’s their opinion."

The interview comes as the network announced today it is re-signing the veteran anchor to a multiyear contract as Fox's chief news anchor and managing editor of breaking news.

And then Sean Hannity slapped back on Twitter:

While Shep is a friend with political views I do not share, and great at breaking news, he is clueless about what we do every day. Hannity breaks news daily-Warrant on a Trump assoc, the unmasking scandal, leaking intel, Fisa abuse, HRC lawbreaking, dossier and more REAL NEWS! 9p https://t.co/zJpnnyFTtP

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) March 16, 2018

However, Hannity has pointedly said many times in the past that he is NOT a journalist, he's a pundit. So - which is it, Sean?

Nutjob Fox News pundit Laura Ingraham also chimed in:

Always liked Shep, but his comments were inconsiderate & inaccurate. The hard working team at the Ingraham Angle does real reporting, develops impt sources and scores big interviews. Very proud of them. https://t.co/3aR1EHAK3Z

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 16, 2018

Attorney For One Of Roy Moore's Accusers Turns Down Sean Hannity In Epic Style

Sean Hannity

A producer for Fox News' Sean Hannity program reached out to one of Roy Moore's accusers to invite the woman on his show to discuss the many allegations of sexual misconduct by Moore.

As many of you know, Hannity has had Moore himself on his show wherein he gave Moore the most softball interview of his life.

The lawyer for Gloria Deason totally called the booker at Fox News out for the ridiculous invite.

This is how it's done, kids.

"Thank you for the invite. Please tell Sean Hannity that I would never submit a survivor of abuse to the inevitable on-camera bullying and persecution by him. Mr. Hannity chose to believe and support Roy Moore immediately after learning about the numerous accusations against him describing sexual assault, child molestation and harassment.

"Mr. Hannity has belittled, defamed and engaged in an on-air campaign against the victims of Mr. Moore. He is totally uninterested in discovering the truth. He gave Mr. Moore a lazy, softball interview which his own panel did not find credible. In fact, the panel mocked Mr. Moore over his inconsistencies and lies.

"It is laughable to assume that Mr. Hannity is capable of conducting a fair and balanced interview. He is not known for journalistic integrity. He is merely seeking an opportunity to publicly attack and further defame Mr. Moore's vulnerable victims.

"Well that's not happening. Not on my watch.

"Respectfully, Paula Cobia - Attorney for Gloria Deason"

Boom!

Click image to enlarge

Roy Moore Feels "Harassed," Mitch McConnell Promises Expulsion, Sean Hannity Backtracks After Losing Advertisers

Roy Moore

The twisted, sordid tale of Roy Moore, twice removed from office as Alabama Supreme Court Justice and currently the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, has not been a smooth ride of late.

After several women have come forward accusing Moore of sexual misconduct in the late 70s/early 80s, over a dozen folks in Alabama have spoken out saying they remember him being "banned" from the local mall for allegedly trolling for teen girls to date.

The attention is hurting Moore's poll numbers and he's now complaining that he's being "harassed" by the media.

Speaking of the media, Fox News' Sean Hannity learned the hard way that folks don't like to see alleged child molesters defended.

After standing up for Moore last week, which was perceived as attacking the women who came forward, Hannity's advertisers began jumping ship in a big way. So much so that last night, Hannity reversed course regarding Moore saying the Alabama judge has "24 hours to prove he didn't sexually assault teenage girls."

Hannity gives Roy Moore 24 hours to prove he didn't sexually assault teenage girls. pic.twitter.com/39RHPDmNcy

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) November 15, 2017

And finally, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not only called for Moore to "step aside" in his race for the Senate, he's now promised to begin expulsion proceedings should Moore win his Senate race.

From Politico:

It’s an outcome that senior Republicans say privately is all but unavoidable after the embattled Senate hopeful was accused of sexual misconduct, including with a 14-year-old girl. The former Alabama Supreme Court justice is refusing to leave the race.

McConnell initially outlined his thinking at his weekly leadership meeting earlier this week. The Kentucky Republican said if Moore is elected, he expects a senator to file an ethics complaint against Moore, according to multiple sources. That process would eventually lead to a vote on expelling him.

Twitter Fight: Sen. Ben Sasse & Fox News' Sean Hannity

Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska

After Donald Trump called for possible actions to be taken against networks like NBC and CNN for what he calls "fake news," Sen. Ben Sasse took to Twitter to remind the president that a free press is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

“Disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write,” wrote the president.

“No president should play with censoring news they dislike,” Sasse fired back.

And thus began a Twitter feud between Sasse and conservative Fox News douche / Trump butt boy Sean Hannity.

File this under "infighting is fun."

Mr. President:
Are you recanting of the Oath you took on Jan. 20 to preserve, protect, and defend the 1st Amendment? pic.twitter.com/XLB7QXM3bQ

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 12, 2017

One of the biggest mistakes in my career was supporting @BenSasse Just useless. https://t.co/bYReWFdfKO

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) October 12, 2017

Sorry, Sean -- you changed, not me. Some of us still believe in the Constitution. No President should play with censoring news they dislike. https://t.co/ZBEMNSF7nz

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 12, 2017

Question for conservatives:
What will you wish you had said now if someday a President Elizabeth Warren talks about censoring Fox News?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 12, 2017

Fox News Apologizes For Fake Reporting On Death Of DNC Staffer Seth Rich

Sean Hannity

Fox News has finally issued an apology for pushing a false story about the death of DNC staffer Seth Rich last summer.

On May 16, a story was posted on the Fox News website on the investigation into the 2016 murder of DNC Staffer Seth Rich. The article was not initially subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting. Upon appropriate review, the article was found not to meet those standards and has since been removed.

We will continue to investigate this story and will provide updates as warranted.

Sean Hannity has made the story his current obsession. In doing so, many feel he's using his airtime with this story to deflect from President Trump's ongoing FBI investigation.

But in perpetuating the story, he's basically terrorizing the Rich family.

The Rich family wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post today about their loss and ongoing tragedy.

The op-ed read in part:

Still, conservative news outlets and commentators continue, day after painful day, to peddle discredited conspiracy theories that Seth was killed after having provided WikiLeaks with emails from the DNC. Those theories, which some reporters have since retracted, are baseless, and they are unspeakably cruel.

Seth’s death has been turned into a political football. Every day we wake up to new headlines, new lies, new factual errors, new people approaching us to take advantage of us and Seth’s legacy. It just won’t stop. The amount of pain and anguish this has caused us is unbearable. With every conspiratorial flare-up, we are forced to relive Seth’s murder and a small piece of us dies as more of Seth’s memory is torn away from us.

Earlier today, Media Matters issued a call to action asking folks to reach out to Hannity's advertisers about his terrible behavior.

Hannity is now freaking out:

IMPORTANT! Mediamatters is trying to silence me, get me fired, pressure my advertising on radio & TV. Liberal Fascism. I need your help!!

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 23, 2017

I said publicly over and over to the Rich Family they are in my thoughts and prayers. I m trying to find the truth as the Mom Dad bro asked https://t.co/op11hVRlWW

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 23, 2017

@seanhannity FOX NEWS retracted all their statements about Seth Rich. Stop the madness already & issue an apology, you coward.

— 👉 #FireHannity 👈 (@williamlegate) May 23, 2017

@seanhannity Where do I go to donate to Mediamatters?

— James J. Gutierrez (@jamesjgutierrez) May 23, 2017

Dude! Your EMPLOYERS retracted your shit story. Sounds like @foxnews is trying to fire @seanhannity so @mmfa can take the week off pic.twitter.com/s71RaXqpLo

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) May 23, 2017

Could Sean Hannity Be The Next High Profile Fox News Host To Leave?

Sean Hannity

Could Sean Hannity be the next to exit Fox News?

In the aftermath of the resignation of Fox News co-president Bill Shine officially on Monday, the media is getting hints Hannity could get out.

From The Daily Beast:

Shine was Hannity’s long-time ally whom he personally recommended the network hire two decades ago to produce Hannity & Colmes. In recent days, Hannity warned it would be the “total end” of Fox News should Shine leave, and he rallied conservative activists to back him up.

Initially, insiders said, Hannity’s army of lawyers had hoped to discuss with Fox ways of protecting his 8-year-old primetime show, amid fears that Lachlan and James Murdoch—fresh off the ousting of Bill O’Reilly—were looking to push the network away from hard-right politics.

However, with Shine’s departure on Monday, one source told The Daily Beast, there’s no reason for Hannity to stay.

“The network now belongs to the Murdoch sons,” another Fox insider said after learning that Shine was gone.

One insider speculates that the negotiations could end this week and Hannity might be out by Friday. Another said his final show could even be tonight or Tuesday evening, given Shine’s Monday resignation.

Fox News, however, said in a statement speaking on behalf of Hannity and the network: “This is completely untrue.”

There are rumors that Hannity has a “key man clause” in his Fox News contract that allows him to leave the conservative network at any time.

Should he leave, Hannity would be following several high profile hosts at Fox News including Bill O’Reilly and Megyn Kelly.

Ted Koppel Schools Sean Hannity On Responsible Journalism

On CBS Sunday Morning, veteran journalist Ted Koppel schools Fox News' Sean Hannity on the responsibilities of journalism.

In the first clip, Hannity explains that shows like his have become the "editorial" pages of America.

Koppel shoots back, "I'm against the editorial pages taking over from the front pages."

Thank you @CBSSunday & Ted Koppel. The "editorial page" of circus shows like Sean Hannity have become the economic engine of networks pic.twitter.com/xODk9xVzaa

— RiotWomenn (@riotwomennn) March 26, 2017

In this second clip, Koppel is even more direct.

Hannity: You think we're (political opinion shows) bad for America?

Koppel (to his face): Yeah.

The Ted Koppel interview clip that Sean Hannity needs to watch on repeat. Ted Koppel is correct. You, Sean Hannity, are bad for America pic.twitter.com/Yp9XaKCMzE

— RiotWomenn (@riotwomennn) March 26, 2017

Here's the full segment. Well worth watching.

Fox News' Sean Hannity Tops "Best Paid New Yorkers In TV News" At $29 Million Salary

According to the New York Observer, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity is the highest-paid New Yorker in TV news.

Via The Hill:

Hannity, a conservative commentator and Donald Trump backer, makes a $29 million annual salary when combining his afternoon syndicated radio program and primetime opinion show on Fox News. Hannity, 55, has been with the network since its inception in 1996.

NBC's Matt Lauer came in second, with annual pay of $22 million. The 59-year-old Lauer will be celebrating his 20th year as co-host of the "Today" show next year.

Fox's Bill O'Reilly finished third, taking home $18 million this year. In addition to hosting "The O'Reilly Factor," the 67-year-old also has written or co-authored 15 best-selling books. His contract expires with the network in 2017.

Rounding out the top 10 in order were ABC's Robin Roberts, Fox's Megyn Kelly, CNN's Anderson Cooper, Fox's Shepard Smith, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir.

Note: The New York Observer is owned by Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.

That Kushner would stroke the Fox News host's ego after a campaign where Hannity was one of the Trumpster's biggest supporters is no surprise.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

News Round-Up: October 25, 2016

Pita Taufatofua

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Tonagan Olympian Pita Taufatofua is still dancing in our dreams.

• Sen. Marco Rubio booed off the stage by Hispanic crowd at a campaign stop in Orlando, Florida.

• Professional d*ck Sean Hannity promises to fly Obama and family to Kenya on the condition they "can't come back."

• The Cook Political Report predicts Democrats will regain control of the U.S. Senate by picking up 5-7 seats this election cycle.

• In a blow to the RNC, the Trump campaign says it's done with high-dollar fundraising events. "We've kind of wound down."

• The Real O'Neals "Kenny" gets ready to celebrate his first Halloween as an openly gay teen - "The Gay Super Bowl!"

Sean Hannity: Trump Doesn't Need To Win Debates To Win The White House

Fox News' Sean Hannity has a new perspective on the presidential debates: Donald Trump doesn't have to win the debates.

See, in this brilliant approach, Hannity prescribes that Trump just needs to let Trump be Trump, because the Trumpiest wins. And Hillary isn't Trump. She merely has all those facts and figures at her finger tips.

Fox News Memo to Hosts: Online Debate Polls Do Not Meet Our "Editorial Standards"

Sean Hannity (L), Donald Trump (R)

Dana Blanton, vice president of public-opinion research for Fox News, dashed off a memo yesterday instructing employees that unscientific "online polls" like the ones featured on Drudge and TIME "do not meet our editorial standards."

I'm guessing the real news here is: Fox News hosts have editorial standards?

From Business Insider:

"As most of the publications themselves clearly state, the sample obviously can't be representative of the electorate because they only reflect the views of those Internet users who have chosen to participate," Blanton wrote.

As the Fox News executive pointed out, users who participate in such polls must have internet access, be online at the time of the poll, be fans of the website in question, and self-select to participate.

"Another problem — we know some campaigns/groups of supporters encourage people to vote in online polls and flood the results," she wrote. "These quickie click items do not meet our editorial standards."

At least three Fox News hosts cited unscientific online polls in the hours after Monday night's presidential debate to suggest Donald Trump emerged as the winner of the political showdown.

Trump had come out ahead in a slew of unscientific polls, or polls in which the sample of participants did not accurately reflect the sample of viewers who watched the debate. Such polls are almost always discounted by professional pollsters and analysts.

The only scientific survey conducted in the debate's immediate aftermath was the CNN/ORC instant poll, which showed that viewers thought Hillary Clinton handily defeated Trump. Respondents to a Morning Consult poll released Wednesday also said, 49% to 26%, that Clinton bested Trump in the debate.

Some Fox News hosts, like Sean Hannity and Brian Kilmeade, continued to tout the unscientific surveys in spite of the network memo.

It was discovered yesterday that over 70 of these unscientific "online polls" were swamped in a coordinated effort by pro-Trump trolls.

Video: Sean Hannity Loves Donald Trump

Could Sean Hannity's head be any farther up Donald Trump's ass? How does he breathe?
It reminds me of the song from the Streisand film "Yentl:"

"Look at how he looks her, will someone ever look at me that way?" in longing, forlorn voice.

Sean Hannity is a HUGE Donald Trump fan: https://t.co/9vDiJT0yHA pic.twitter.com/rROb7Ey3a1

— Media Matters (@mmfa) August 25, 2016

(via Media Matters)