Donald Trump and maga Republicans are controlling main stream media following the tyrants evil instruction manual

Dear  Friends,  Once you begin surrendering to Trump, he always wants more. You can’t appease a tyrant.

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they depress.

Producer Alicia Hastey departed CBS News Wednesday, saying the kind of work she came to do was “increasingly becoming impossible,” as stories were now evaluated “not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”

Echo essay published by Robert Reich in Substack.

Whose ideological expectations was Hastey referring to❓ Would it be impertinent for me to suggest it’s the sociopath in the Oval Office❓

Hastey’s criticism came a little over two weeks after Bari Weiss, the anti-“woke” opinion journalist who became editor-in-chief CBS’s News, unveiled her “21st century” vision at a town hall meeting. Weiss told producers and staff they were free to leave if they didn’t like it.

Since then, at least six out of CBS Evening News’s twenty producers have accepted buyouts.

At that town hall meeting Weiss also named a bunch of new contributors — including the anti-aging influencer Peter Attia. 

In the latest tranche of Epstein Files, Attia appears over 1,700 times, including an email in which he tells Epstein that “p—y is, indeed, low carb.”

In a missive to the newsroom, Weiss declared that “We love America” should be a guiding principle for the relaunch of the CBS Evening News.

Meanwhile, Weiss has replaced Evening News anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois with Tony Dokoupil — who was best known for hassling the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates for his “extremist” belief that apartheid is morally wrong.

In one of his first broadcasts, Dokoupil accepted without question Israel’s justification for violating the terms of the ceasefire when it killed three journalists in Gaza, reporting only that “Israel said it was targeting a group operating a drone affiliated with Hamas.”

Weiss faced blowback in December when she shelved a “60 Minutes” report about Venezuelans being deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, hours before it was set to air.

Sharyn Alfonsi, a long-standing “60 Minutes” correspondent who reported the segment, had accused CBS News of pulling it for “political” reasons. “Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” she wrote in a note to the CBS News Team. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”

The segment later aired on January 8, drawing in over 5 million viewers.

The story CBS posted about Ms. Renee Good’s killing in Minneapolis reported that “The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Ms. Renee Good last week in Minneapolis, Jonathan Ross, suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the incident, according to two U.S. officials briefed on his medical condition.”

No identifiable source was given for CBS’s assertion of “internal bleeding.” A CBS News staffer reported “huge internal concern” that the source was an anonymous leak by the Trump administration meant for an outlet they could trust to run it, no questions asked.

Weiss doesn’t exactly report to Donald Trump, of course. Trump runs CBS News the way he runs Venezuela — with a widely-understood threat that he’ll wreak havoc if it doesn’t do what he wants.

As Trump told Dokoupil recently in a rambling nearly 13-minute interview, if Kamala Harris had won the presidential election in 2024, “you probably wouldn’t have a job right now.”

Perhaps CBS News didn’t edit Dokoupil’s rambling interview with Trump because, moments after it ended, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt conveyed Trump’s threat that “‘if it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off.’”

You see the way Trump now controls CBS News? Dokoupil is Bari Weiss’s newly-minted anchor. Bari Weiss is David Ellison’s newly-minted head of CBS News. David Ellison is his father’s (Larry Ellison) newly-minted head of Paramount, which is the new owner of CBS. Larry Ellison is a pal of Trump’s, who contributes to Trump’s super PAC. And Trump? He has the power to take the prized Warner Bros Discovery out of the clutches of Netflix and deliver it to Ellison.

Among David Ellison’s first moves at CBS was to gut DEI policies, appoint right-wing hack Kenneth R. Weinstein to a new “ombudsman” role, and appoint Weiss.

I’m old enough to remember when CBS News would never have surrendered to a demagogic president. But, that was when CBS News — the home of Edward R. Murrow (who also revealed to America the danger of Joe McCarthy) and Walter Cronkite — was independent of the rest of CBS. And when the top management of CBS felt they had responsibilities to the American public that transcended making money for CBS’s investors.


America can survive without a “60 Minutes” it can trust, just as we can survive without trustworthy editorial pages of the Washington Post, that Jeff Bezos censored and whose newsroom he just gutted.

But, at some point, as Trump continues to repress criticism of him and his regime, American democracy is compromised beyond repair.

In contrast to Trump's suck-up of CBS News, the courageous CBS News’s Edward R. Murrow, from April 13, 1954  HERE.  https://youtu.be/z6j6iTN7Tkw

Donald Trump continues to be assessed by medical professionals because his bizarre behavior "cannot be considered normal"

Echo opinion about Donald Trump's mental health and his deteriorating cognitive symptoms published in the News-Press, a Florida newspaper. 

An urgent need to understand Trump's mentality | Opinion

Do his characteristics indicate a mental disorder, and if so, how serious is it? by Morton Tavel, MD

Almost everyone understands that Donald Trump displays thought processes that cannot be considered normal. 

(For example, Donald Trump said he did not know the person who he pardoned❗"I do not know the man I pardoned," was made by Donald Trump in a November 2025 interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes regarding his pardon of cryptocurrency tycoon Changpeng Zhao (also known as "CZ").   In fact, Zhao, the founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, pleaded guilty in 2023, to violating anti-money laundering laws and served a four-month prison sentence. U.S. government prosecutors stated that he had caused significant harm to U.S. national security by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars through his platform.)

Simple failings such as incessant lying, oversensitive responses to humor, and exaggeration of self-worth, all raise the question whether these characteristics indicate a mental disorder, and if so, how serious is it?

For these answers, we can seek the opinions of recognized mental health experts, i.e. psychiatrists and psychologists. An excellent source of this information can be found in the book, “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” which presents the opinions of 27 nationally recognized psychiatrists and psychologists, edited by Brandy X. Lee, M.D. forensic psychiatrist, published in 2017, and later updated in 2024 under a new name, “The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” later increased to include the opinions of 40 such professionals. Also, from a closer perspective, Trump’s own niece, Mary Trump, a credentialed clinical psychologist, emphatically presented parallel conclusions in her book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.”

Although a previous psychiatric doctrine prevented the publication of opinions about subjects not personally examined by the experts (the “Goldwater Rule”), this restriction has now been lifted in view of the widespread public knowledge already available about Trump’s statements and behavior. 

Explaining this recent decision, the“the physician, to whom life-and-death situations are entrusted, is expected to know when it is appropriate to act, and only in an emergency should a physician breach the trust of confidentiality and intervene without consent. We believe that such an emergency now exists.”

Following is a summary of these experts’ opinions:

First: All contributors opined that Trump is seriously mentally deranged, primarily considered to be a “psychopathic personality disorder,” often termed “toxic narcissism.” Adding further to his impairment, they expressed the strong likelihood that he is manifesting an early form of dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease). After careful study of his many statements and behavior, they concluded that he shows a mental decline greater than that of normal aging, further asserting that often this condition advances by an average 15% to 20% within one year, and 50% will develop into full-scale dementia over the next four years.

In order to quantify the seriousness of Trump’s mental disorder, the psychiatrists used a “psychopathic check list,” generally used to grade the severity of impairments, which was applied to evaluate Trump.

This assessment included a wide variety of factors such as egocentricity, pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, lack of empathy, impulsiveness, sexual infidelity, and several others. As a frame of reference, the average score for someone in the general population is 5, with an average for felons in a maximum-security prison setting, 22. A score of 30 or more places one into serious mental disorder, and Trump was found to exceed this level by the experts, falling in the range of 34. The authors concluded that “Trump’s is a life destined to inflict harm and suffering on others. With the support of thousands of studies on his condition, we have to warn that Donald Trump, because of his hard-wired and immutable traits, is more dangerous than even his harshest critics exclaim.”

Perhaps the most revealing statement about Trump can be found in a chapter written by psychiatrist L. Dodes, MD, entitled “Donald Trump, Like Hitler, is a Psychopath.” Dodes warns that “this constitutes the most dangerous of all mental disorders, since it is the only psychological condition in which behaving in a morally reprehensible way is an essential part of its nature.”

Manifestations of this disorder include the intentional creation of harm to others without guilt or remorse, for personal gain or self-gratification, which includes the sadistic pleasure of wreaking revenge against imagined enemies. Psychopaths cannot be reasoned out of their beliefs or their behavior, because they are unable to comprehend that others have value, or the concept of questioning themselves. The fact that Donald Trump has the most dangerous form of this disorder has two long-term consequences: It means that he is never going to stop intentionally harming others for his personal benefit, and it means that he will become worse over time. With his use of the ‘Big Lie’ technique, attacks on minorities and immigrants, and claims that only he can save America, Trump has shown that he is following the very same plan as that of Hitler and other truly evil dictators in human history, including lawbreaking, lying, cheating, and the absence of conscience.”

Given all these facts, how could the average person understand and react to Trump❓ A common mistake is to assume that he is “sane,” that is, possessing human qualities common to all, such as the ability to listen to reason and draw conclusions from cogent facts, and to modify his/her behavior accordingly. Donald Trump possesses none of these qualities, and we should not be misled by this erroneous interpretation.

But what can we, as a population, do about Trump’s current posses
sion of the levers of power❓

If Donald Trump continues on a course of obvious mental deterioration, (Alzheimer’s, etc.), or that of a more serious mental disorder, this should provide enough impetus to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would require his removal after initiation by his own Cabinet, which, at present, seems unlikely. Another, third impeachment, also is currently unlikely at least until the next election in 2026. But in any event, the majority of enlightened voters of either party could, with a great majority, elect a legislative body able to limit Trump’s destructive behavior until he leaves office.

Finally, I advise everyone to read the books referred to above.
Morton Tavel, MD, FACP, of Fort Myers, is professor emeritus, Indiana University School of Medicine, authored over 145 research publications, editorials, book reviews and a medical textbook. 

Donald Trump and maga Republicans cannot censor South Park creators with lawsuits: Protect Freedom of Speech

Echo opinion published in the Los Angeles Times by Lorraine Ali

‘South Park’ season opener puts Trump in bed with Satan and has Paramount on its knees

“South Park” wasted no time putting its very existence on the line, again. On Wednesday, the Comedy Central series kicked off its 27th season with a searing indictment of  DonaldTrump and its network’s parent company, Paramount. 

Paramount recently paid the president $16 million toward his future library rather than fighting a lawsuit Trump brought against “60 Minutes” (Paramount is also a parent company of CBS).

It was also announced last week that “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which airs on Paramount-owned CBS, was being canceled. Colbert is one of the most prominent political satirists in America, and from his pulpit has been a relentless critic of MAGA policy and Trump. Like the payout over the “60 Minutes” lawsuit, Colbert’s cancellation comes just as Paramount is seeking federal approval of an $8-billion merger with Skydance Media.

“South Park” couldn’t have returned at a better time.

The episode, titled “Sermon on the Mount,” opens with Cartman discovering his favorite radio station, NPR, has been canceled. Making fun of its wokeness was part of his identity, and now he’s lost and angry. 

“The government can’t cancel a show!” he laments before dropping a self-referential joke about “South Park’s” own vulnerability. “I mean, what show are they going to cancel next?”

Paramount might be tempted to cancel “South Park” after Wednesday night’s damning premiere, when the show repeatedly lampooned the company’s costly capitulation to Trump. 

And Paramount earlier this week announced a $1.5 billion deal with “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for streaming rights on Paramount+ over the next five years.

The new season continues to plumb the horrifying depths of 2025 when Cartman finds that his school is demanding students accept the presence of Jesus, literally. 

Stan is called to the principal’s office for not letting Jesus sit with his group in the cafeteria at lunch, even though there were no empty seats. There’s always room for the Lord, he’s told.

The townspeople become angry. They don’t want religion forced on their kids at school, but newscasts make their plight seem hopeless. “More protests today as the president pushes harder for Christianity in our schools. The president stated earlier today that the spirit of Jesus is important to our country and he will sue anyone who doesn’t agree with him.”

The truly wicked satire begins when they cut to Trump at the White House. He’s the only character whose head is an actual photo rather than a drawing, and the president’s image is deftly manipulated to reflect the many faces of the real man: pouting, grimacing, smiling, leering and pouting, again.

He repeatedly demands that everyone relax while he threatens to destroy them. He argues with Canada’s prime minister over tariffs (“You don’t want me to bomb you like I did Iraq,” says Trump. “I thought you just bombed Iran,” the PM replies. “Iran. Iraq. What the hell’s the difference❓”). 😮😳😏😉😅

Trump also lies naked in bed with Satan, revealing his minuscule manhood. Disgusted, the devil rebuffs the president’s advances and says, “I can’t even see anything, it’s so small.”

Satan is also perturbed that some rando on Insta keeps commenting about sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s client list.

“Epstein, are we still talking about that?” Trump says.

“Are you on the list or not?” Satan asks. “It’s weird that when it comes up you just keep telling everyone to relax.”

Then we jump to a segment of “60 Minutes” where the beleaguered show’s hosts mumble in terror for fear of another lawsuit as the show’s signature stopwatch sound is set to the image of a ticking time bomb. They refer to the president as “a great man” who “is probably watching” before cutting to their reporter who is covering the protests against Trump in South Park, Colorado.

Jesus touches down to address his flock under the guise of fulfilling Trump’s wish to bring Christianity back into public schools. But he’s really there to warn the crowd, and does so in a whisper. “I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.”

“The president’s suing you❓” a protester asks.

Jesus, through clenched teeth, explains: “The guy can do what he wants now that someone backed down. ... You guys see what’s happened to CBS❓ Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? … All of you, shut the f— up or South Park is over❗”

The town ends up being sued by Trump, and they, like Paramount, cave. They pay him off, but are also required to sing his praises as part of the settlement.

The episode ends with a pro-Trump ad by the town. It’s a realistic deepfake video of the president trekking through the desert heat in a show of loyalty to his supporters. He strips naked and once again we’re reminded that it’s not just his hands that are small.

That wail you just heard❓ It’s coming from the White House. A new lawsuit is born. 😱

Pope Francis interview with Norah O'Donnell - Texas border action considered "sheer madness"

In his first in-depth interview with a U.S. broadcast network, Pope Francis addressed a wide range of topics, including the war in Ukraine, antisemitism, and U.S. immigration policy.

Catholic News Service (CNS) by Daniel Payne*.

A portion of the full interview, on CBS, aired Sunday  on the network’s flagship magazine program, “60 Minutes.”

In the segment, the pope answered questions from “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell through a translator. CNA translated Pope Francis’ answers below from the original Spanish.

“[The threat is] not just in Gaza. Think of Ukraine. Many kids from Ukraine come here. You know something? That those children don’t know how to smile? I’ll say something to them [mimics smile]… They have forgotten how to smile. And that is very painful.”

On wars in Ukraine and elsewhere:  “Please, warring countries, all of them, stop. Stop the war. Seek to negotiate. Strive for peace. A negotiated peace is always better than an endless war.”

On growing antisemitism in the U.S. amid the Israel-Hamas war:
“All ideology is bad. And antisemitism is an ideology, and it is bad. Any ‘anti’ is always bad. You can criticize one government or the other, the government of Israel, the Palestinian government. You can criticize all you want, but not ‘anti’ a people. Neither anti-Palestinian nor antisemitic. No. … I pray a lot for peace. And also suggest, ‘Please, stop. Negotiate.’”

On immigration: “Migration is something that makes a country grow. [To O’Donnell:] They say that you Irish migrated and brought the whiskey, and that the Italians migrated and brought the mafia… [laugh] It’s a joke. Don’t take it badly. But, migrants sometimes suffer a lot. They suffer a lot.”

On Texas state effort to revoke registration of migrant-serving Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas:  “That is madness. Sheer madness. ❗To close the border and leave them there, that is madness. The migrant has to be received. Then you see how you are going to deal with him. Maybe you have to send him back, I don’t know, but each case ought to be considered humanely.”

On the “globalization of indifference”:  “Do you want me to state it plainly? People wash their hands! There are so many Pontius Pilates on the loose out there… who see what is happening, the wars, the injustice, the crimes… ‘That’s OK, that’s OK’ and wash their hands. It’s indifference. That is what happens when the heart hardens… and becomes indifferent. Please, we have to get our hearts to feel again. We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such dramas of humanity. The globalization of indifference is a very ugly disease. Very ugly.”

On sexual abuse cases in the Church: “[The Church] must continue working. Unfortunately, the tragedy of the abuses is enormous. And against this, an upright conscience and not only to not permit it but to put in place the conditions so that it does not happen. … It cannot be tolerated. When there is a case of a consecrated man or woman who abuses, the full force of the law falls upon them. In this there has been a great deal of progress.”

On the Vatican’s controversial Fiducia Supplicans document allowing for limited pastoral blessings of same-sex couples:
“What I allowed was not to bless the union. That cannot be done because that is not a sacrament. I cannot. The Lord made it that way. But to bless each person, yes. The blessing is for everyone. For everyone. To bless a homosexual-type union, however, goes against the law; the natural law, the law of the Church. But to bless each person, why not? The blessing is for all. Some people were scandalized by this. But why? For everyone! Everyone!”

When asked about criticisms from “conservative” bishops in the United States: “You use the adjective ‘conservatives.’ That is to say, a conservative is one who sticks to something and does not want to see anything else. It is a suicidal attitude. Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to take into account situations from the past, but another is to be closed inside a dogmatic box.”

On gestational surrogacy, which is forbidden by the Catholic Church: “In regard to surrogate motherhood, in the strictest technical sense of the term, no, it cannot happen. Sometimes surrogacy has become a business, and that is very bad. It is very bad. ... The other hope is adoption. I would say that in each case the situation should be clearly considered, considered medically and then morally. I believe in these cases there is a general rule, but you have to go into each case in particular to assess the situation, as long as the moral principle is not skirted.”

On giving hope to others as the pope: “You have to be open to everything. The Church is like that: Everyone, everyone, everyone. ‘That so-and-so is a sinner…?’ Me too, I am a sinner. Everyone! The Gospel is for everyone. If the Church places a customs officer at the door, that is no longer the church of Christ. Everyone.”

When asked what gives him hope: “Everything. You see tragedies, but you also see so many beautiful things. You see heroic mothers, heroic men, men who have hopes and dreams, women who look to the future. That gives me a lot of hope. People want to live. People forge ahead. And people are fundamentally good. We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart is good.”

*Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. 

Fake Republican Wisconsin elector admits fear from Trumpists

Echo report published in the Wisconsin Morning Sentinel:

MADISON, Wisconsin - The former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, in a new interview, claims he sent to the Congress the paperwork he signed, posing as an elector for Donald Trump following the former president's 2020, election loss, out of fear for his safety from the candidate's supporters.

Andrew Hitt, who was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during the 2020, election, offered the explanation for his participation in a scheme designed by Trump and his allies to stay in power after losing reelection during an episode of CBS' "60 Minutes" that will air Sunday evening.

In a clip provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by "60 Minutes," Hitt says he was scared of what Trump supporters would do to him or his family if he did not sign the paperwork and courts later overturned President Joe Biden's victory in Wisconsin.

"... If I didn't do that, and the court did throw out those votes, it would have been solely my fault that Trump wouldn't have won Wisconsin," Hitt told "60 Minutes" correspondent Anderson Cooper. "Can you imagine the repercussions on myself, my family if it was me, Andrew Hitt, who prevented Donald Trump from winning Wisconsin?"

But by the time Hitt and nine other Republicans met in the state Capitol to sign the paperwork claiming to be electors for Trump, the state Supreme Court had already confirmed Biden's win and federal judges had tossed lawsuits seeking to overturn Trump's loss. An appeal of one of the federal rulings was filed the morning of the day the Republicans met in the state Capitol to sign the false paperwork but the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago later upheld the decision to toss Trump's lawsuit, according to federal court records. An appeal of that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court was later rejected by the justices in March 2021.

Biden beat Trump by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Trump sought recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, which confirmed Biden's win. Trump sued and the state Supreme Court upheld the results on a 4-3 vote on December 14, 2020.

At the same time, the fake Trump electors gathered in another part of the Capitol to fill out the paperwork claiming Trump had won. They submitted their filings to Congress, the National Archives, a federal judge and then-Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette.

Less than an hour later, Democrats met in the state Capitol to cast the state's 10 electoral votes for Biden.

At the time, the fake electors said they held the meeting to ensure the state's electoral votes were cast for Trump if a court later determined he was the true winner of the state.

Andrew Hitt tells Anderson Cooper 'it was not a safe time'

When asked by Cooper if he was scared of Trump supporters in Wisconsin, Hitt said "it was not a safe time."

"If my lawyer is right, and the whole reason Trump loses Wisconsin is because of me, I would be scared to death," Hitt said.

During a February 2022 deposition with the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Hitt testified he was concerned about his physical safety while signing the paperwork.

"There was just a general concern about — about safety. And ... how we were going to keep everybody safe if somebody wanted to disrupt something or if there was a protest that would occur," Hitt said, according to the deposition transcript.

"I also, throughout this time, got several phone calls to my office that my secretary relayed to me demanding to know my exact location ... I never verified, but I got a lot of threatening emails, quite frankly, from both sides of the political aisle. And so it was a volatile time, and our electors were worried, and so was I."

In text messages released as part of the final report from January 6 committee, Hitt relayed concerns about the fake elector plan to the party's executive director before the paperwork was signed.

“I am def concerned about their inquiry,” Hitt texted the state GOP's executive director Mark Jefferson when he learned of the plot that followed Trump's 2020 election loss. “I hope they are not planning on asking us to do anything like try and say we are only the proper electors.”

“These guys are up to no good and its (sic) gonna fail miserably,” he texted a colleague on Dec. 12, 2020, after receiving a message about discussing the fake elector plan with Trump attorney Rudy Guiliani.

In another exchange, Hitt said he would not side with Trump "if he goes after our guys," referring to Trump's criticism of Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia in the weeks following the 2020 presidential election.

Hitt also texted Jefferson, "Tomorrow is going to be wild," after discussing which of three rooms in the Capitol to hide in with Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell to avoid media scrutiny of the paperwork signing because both Hitt and Spindell were public figures.

Republicans in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Nevada also signed documents purporting to be electors. Republicans in New Mexico and Pennsylvania filled out paperwork saying they should be considered electors if courts found Trump had won their states.

Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges in July against the 16 Republicans in that state who acted as fake electors for Trump, accusing them of submitting false certificates that confirmed they were legitimate electors, despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.

Trump has been indicted over his actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, insurrection — charges that focus heavily on the fake elector strategy.

In Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul is reportedly investigating the fake Trump elector scheme but Kaul has not discussed the alleged probe nor confirmed its existence.

CNN reported in December that Kenneth Chesebro, a Wisconsin native and former campaign attorney for Trump, was helping investigators in at least four states, including Wisconsin, who are probing the scheme to overturn the 2020, election

Hitt and the other false electors also recently settled a civil lawsuit filed by Biden's real 2020, electors. As part of the settlement, the 10 Republicans acknowledged their actions were part of an attempt to overturn an election and agreed not to serve as electors for Trump in the future or participate in the transmission of such documents again, among other terms.

In the statement released by the false Trump electors, the Republicans wrote they met in the Wisconsin State Capitol to sign paperwork falsely claiming to be electors to be "in compliance with requests from the Trump campaign and Republican Party of Wisconsin."

"The Elector Defendants took the foregoing action because they were told that it was necessary to preserve their electoral votes in the event a court challenge may later change the outcome of the election in Wisconsin. That document was then used as part of an attempt to improperly overturn the 2020 presidential election results," the Republicans wrote.

Hitt also has said he believes the group of Republicans were tricked by the Trump campaign to participate in the scheme and pledged not to vote for Trump in 2024.

Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.

Election security is supported with paper ballots

Chris Krebs, was the director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Scott Pelley: Let me ask for your reaction to some of the vote fraud that the president and his team have been alleging. Votes tabulated in foreign countries.

Chris Krebs: So all votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America. I don't-- I don't understand this claim. All votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America. Period.

Scott Pelley: Voting machines corrupted by mysterious actors in Venezuela?

Chris Krebs: So again, there's no evidence that any machine that I'm aware of has been manipulated by a foreign power. Period.

Support election security with paper ballots! 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/30/cybersecurity-202-chris-krebs-fiercely-defends-election-while-president-trumps-attacks-it-get-weirder/

US election security official fired by Trump slams ‘farcical’ claims of voter fraud in interview.

Chris Krebs said he stands by his assessment that the 2020 election was "the most secure in American history".

Krebs was sacked after repeatedly striking down the president’s conspiracy theories surrounding his loss.

Chris Krebs was not “necessarily surprised” when President
Donald Trump fired him in a tweet. (!Fired for doing his job!)

But, in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” (Scott Pelley) the former elections security official said he stands by his assessment that the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history.”

Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security, was fired on November 17 after repeatedly striking down the president’s conspiracy theories surrounding his loss.

In an interview airing in full on Sunday, (November 29, 2020) Krebs described the claims being circulated by Trump and his allies as “farcical.”

“The proof is in the ballots,” Krebs said. “The recounts are consistent with the initial count and, to me, that’s further evidence – that’s confirmation – that the systems used in the 2020 election performed as expected, and the American people should have 100 per cent confidence in their vote.”

Scott Pelley, 60 Minutes transcript with Chris Krebs:

Though the transition has begun, Donald Trump remains largely holed up in the White House tweeting false accusations of a rigged election from behind a crumbling wall of lawsuits. No legal challenge, no recount, no audit has changed the outcome in any state. Mr. Trump's claim that millions of votes were deleted or switched is denied by the official he chose to secure the nation's election systems. Christopher Krebs called the 2020 vote "the most secure in American history" which promptly got him fired. Tonight, in his first interview since he was dismissed, Krebs tells us why he believes the vote was accurate and why saying otherwise puts the country in danger.

Chris Krebs: I have confidence in the security of this election because I know the work that we've done for four years in support of our state and local partners. I know the work that the intelligence community has done, the Department of Defense has done, that the FBI has done, that my team has done. I know that these systems are more secure. I know based on what we have seen that any attacks on the election were not successful.

Two years ago, Donald Trump put Christopher Krebs in charge of the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Krebs, a lifelong Republican, was confirmed unanimously by the Senate.

His agency, known by its acronym, "CISA" helps secure computer systems anywhere that a security breach could be catastrophic, nuclear power plants for example, and the election hardware in all 50 states.

Scott Pelley: Why are you speaking to us?

Chris Krebs: I'm not a public servant anymore, but I feel I still got some public service left in me. And, you know, it's hard once you take that oath to uphold and defend the constitution from threats foreign and domestic, it's hard to walk away from that. And if I can reinforce or confirm for one person that the vote was secure, the election was secure, then I feel like I've done my job.

Krebs, who's 43, worked on cybersecurity in the Bush administration, became director of cybersecurity policy at Microsoft and joined the Trump Department of Homeland Security in 2017. His priority was to stop anyone from repeating Russia's 2016, election hacking and disinformation.

Chris Krebs: So we spent something on the order of three and a half years of gaming out every possible scenario for how a foreign actor could interfere with an election. Countless, countless scenarios.

Scott Pelley: So back in 2017, as you're looking ahead to the election in 2018 and then ultimately the election in 2020, you have a to-do list. And the to-do list includes what?

Chris Krebs: Paper ballots. Paper ballots give you the ability to audit, to go back and check the tape and make sure that you got the count right. And that's really one of the keys to success for a secure 2020 election. 95% of the ballots cast in the 2020 election had a paper record associated with it. Compared to 2016, about 82%.

Scott Pelley: And with a paper record, you can go back and verify what the machine is saying by physically counting the paper?

Chris Krebs: That gives you the ability to prove that there was no malicious algorithm or hacked software that adjusted the tally of the vote, and just look at what happened in Georgia. Georgia has machines that tabulate the vote. They then held a hand recount and the outcome was consistent with the machine vote.

Scott Pelley: And that tells you what?

Chris Krebs: That tells you that there was no manipulation of the vote on the machine count side. And so that pretty thoroughly, in my opinion, debunks some of these sensational claims out there-- that I've called nonsense and a hoax, that there is some hacking of these election vendors and their software and their systems across the country. It's-- it's just-- it's nonsense.

Before the election, as the president called mail-in ballots a fraud, Krebs' team released a report highlighting the safeguards built into mail-in voting. His agency knocked down rumors and exposed an Iranian plot to intimidate voters. On Election Day, November 3, Krebs assembled a team in his command center to defend the vote.

Chris Krebs: We had the Department of Defense Cyber Command. We had the National Security Agency. We had the FBI. We had the Secret Service. We also had representatives from the Election Assistance Commission, which is the federal independent agency that supports the actual administration of elections. We had representatives from some of the-- vendors, the election equipment vendors. And they're critical because they're the ones out there that know what's going on on the ground if there's any sort of issue with some of their systems. And we had representatives from state and local governments.

Scott Pelley: How did the day go?

Chris Krebs: It was quiet. And there was no indication or evidence that there was any sort of hacking or compromise of election systems on, before or after November 3rd.

And yet, this was the president, November 5.

Donald Trump on November 5: And this is a case where they're trying to steal an election, they're trying to rig an election.

Nine days after Election Day, Mr. Trump tweeted falsely that machines from Dominion Voting Systems deleted millions of votes. Krebs couldn't remain silent. His agency and its election security partners answered with a public statement.

Scott Pelley: To quote from the November 12th statement that CISA and its partners put out, "The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history. There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes or changed votes or was in any way compromised."

Since he was fired, about a dozen Republican senators have vouched for Krebs' work.

Scott Pelley: The president's essentially saying in that tweet that you did a lousy job, that you and your team blew it, and allowed massive fraud, all across the country.

Chris Krebs: We did a good job. We did it right. I'd do it a thousand times over.

Still, the president's lawyers have filed at least a dozen suits and spun conjecture without evidence.

Rudy Giuliani on November 19: And you should be more astounded by the fact that our votes are counted in Germany and in Spain...

Scott Pelley: As you watched Rudy Giuliani's news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, what were you thinking?

Chris Krebs: It was upsetting because what I saw was a apparent attempt to undermine confidence in the election, to confuse people, to scare people. It's not me, it's not just CISA. It's the tens of thousands of election workers out there that had been working nonstop, 18-hour days, for months. They're getting death threats for trying to carry out one of our core democratic institutions, an election. And that was, again, to me, a press conference that I just-- it didn't make sense. What it was actively doing was undermining democracy. And that's dangerous.

Scott Pelley: Let me ask for your reaction to some of the vote fraud that the president and his team have been alleging. Votes tabulated in foreign countries.

Chris Krebs: So all votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America. I don't-- I don't understand this claim. All votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America. Period.

Scott Pelley: Voting machines corrupted by mysterious actors in Venezuela.

Chris Krebs: So again, there's no evidence that any machine that I'm aware of has been manipulated by a foreign power. Period.

Scott Pelley: Communist money from China and Cuba used to influence the election.

Chris Krebs: Look, I think these-- we can go on and on with all the farcical claims that-- alleging-- interference in the 2020, election, but the proof is in the ballots. The recounts are consistent with the initial count, and to me, that's further evidence, that's confirmation that the systems used in the 2020 election performed as expected, and the American people should have 100% confidence in their vote.

Scott Pelley: In a news conference a lawyer who was representing the president at the time, Sidney Powell, said specifically that the Dominion Company's voting machines, quote…

Sidney Powell on November 19: It can set and run an algorithm that probably ran all over the country to take a certain percentage of votes from President Trump and flip them to President Biden.

Chris Krebs: Votes were cast in Georgia, for instance, again, on paper. They were counted by a machine. They were subsequently recounted by hand. The outcomes of that count were consistent. If there was an algorithm that was flipping votes or changing votes, it didn't work. I think the more likely explanation, though, is that there is no algorithm, that the systems performed as intended. That the series of security controls before, during, and after an election protected those systems from any sort of misbehavior.

Most elections are run by each state's secretary of state. But not one of them, Democrat or Republican has reported ballot rigging that would change the election. Some are paying a price for integrity.

Chris Krebs: And it's, in my view, a travesty what's happening right now with all these death threats to election officials, to secretaries of state. I want everybody to look at Secretary Boockvar in Pennsylvania, Secretary Benson in Michigan, Secretary Cegavske in Nevada, Secretary Hobbs in Arizona. All strong women that are standing up, that are under attack from all sides, and they're defending democracy. They're doin' their jobs. Look at-- look at Secretary Raffensperger in Georgia, lifelong Republican. He put country before party in his holding a free and fair election in that state. There are some real heroes out there. There are some real patriots.

At the Capitol, the stage is going up for Inauguration Day, January 20. Well before that, on December 14 the presidential electors will cast their ballots—which should settle the election. Christopher Krebs told us it's ironic that the disruption and disinformation he feared from abroad came, instead, from Pennsylvania Avenue.

Scott Pelley: The president says you're dead wrong about election security, and to him you say what?

Chris Krebs: There is no foreign power that is flipping votes. There's no domestic actor flipping votes. I did it right. We did it right. This was a secure election.

Chris Krebs: Yeah, I stand by that.

Scott Pelley: Trump tweeted after that statement, quote, "The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud." Do you remember what the president said at the end of that tweet?

Chris Krebs: Oh, I was terminated? Is that-- yes. I recall that.

Scott Pelley: Were you surprised?

Chris Krebs: I don't know if I was necessarily surprised. It's not how I wanted to go out. I think I-- the thing that upsets me the most about that is I didn't get a s-- chance-- to say goodbye to my team. And I'd worked with them for three and a half years, in the trenches. Building an agency, putting CISA on the national stage. And I love that team. And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, so that's what I'm most upset about.

Bob Woodward's magnifying glass- Donald Trump is incapable of understanding truth

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-bob-woodward-rage-60-minutes-2020-09-13/

Bob Woodward puts a historic magnifying glass over the "real Donald Trump" and exposes his failed leadership and moral incapacity. "...Donald Trump is the wrong man for the job."

60-Minutes: Donald Trump's conversations with Bob Woodward about coronavirus, Black Lives Matter and nuclear war

In taped conversations with a Washington Post journalist, Donald Trump said he wanted to downplay the severity of the coronavirus. And the recordings reveal Trump's view on how close the United States came to nuclear war with North Korea. Scott Pelley reports.

Reporting from the Washington Post's Bob Woodward says that Donald Trump was bluntly warned in January, about the threat of coronavirus but chose to downplay the danger in public. 

Woodward's new book, "Rage," is his latest work in a 50-year career investigating American presidents. His first investigation, reported with Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. For "Rage," Donald Trump agreed to 18 recorded interviews. 

Many, which you're about to hear, started with the words of the White House operator, "Mr. Woodward? The president." 

Trump called, sometimes late at night, to talk about 'Black Lives Matter,' the threat of nuclear war, and about the dire warning he received during an intelligence briefing this past January.

Why did Donald Trump speak to Bob Woodward?

Bob Woodward: On January 28th, of this year, before the coronavirur was on anyone's radar, the national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, told the president, "This virus will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency."

Scott Pelley: What was the president's reaction?

Bob Woodward: His head popped up and he asked questions.

Donald Trump's questions, in the January 28 meeting, exposed a difference of opinion. Beth Sanner, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said the virus might be no worse than SARS in 2003, when there were only eight known infections in the U.S..

Bob Woodward author of Rage

But, Bob Woodward says, Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, who had been a reporter in China, told Trump his unofficial Chinese contacts had raised a grave warning. 

Bob Woodward: Pottinger said his contacts in China told him "This is going to be like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed 675,000 people in this country." It was a stunning moment in the Trump presidency and, I think, in American history. Because he then went on to publicly dismiss the virus. And he knew that this was a pandemic coming.

Scott Pelley: And this is January 28th?

Bob Woodward: Yes.

The next day, the White House announced a coronavirus task force. This was Mr. Trump, January 30, two days after the warning.

Donald Trump during January 30 public speech: We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. And those people are all recuperating successfully. But we're working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it's going to have a very good ending for us. So that I can assure you.

Chinese officials were concealing what they knew about COVID-19.

On January 31, the president restricted travel from China. The next week, in a phone call, Mr. Trump told Woodward what he'd been learning about the virus. This was February 7.

President Trump during February 7 phone call with Bob Woodward: It goes through air, Bob. That's always tougher than the touch. You know, the touch, you don't have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that's how it's passed.
And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than your, you know, your even your strenuous flus. This is deadly stuff.

Three weeks after that call, the president said this to the public.

Donald Trump, during February 26, White House press conference: It's a little like the regular flu that we have flu shots for. And we'll essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner. Yeah, go ahead...

Scott Pelley: In that February 7th interview, it's clear that the president knows what the stakes are. But he's not sharing that with the public at that time.

Bob Woodward: Yes. This is the tragedy. the president of the United States has a duty to warn. The public will understand that. But if they get the feeling that they're not getting the truth, then you're going down the path of deceit and cover up.

Scott Pelley: Did the president ever disclose to you why he wasn't telling the public what the stakes were with the coronavirus?
Bob Woodward: So in March, I asked exactly that question. You know, what's going on. And the president said:

Donald Trump during March 19, phone call with Bob Woodward: 

Well, I think Bob really to be honest with you–

Bob Woodward: Sure, I want you to be.
President Trump: –I wanted to, I wanted to always play it down, I still like playing it down–

Donald Trump: –because I don't want to create a panic.

Bob Woodward: I think he did not understand the American public. And he said, "Well, I don't wanna create a panic." We know, from history, when the public is told the truth, they organize. "We have a problem. We're going to step up." And Trump thought, "Oh, well, they'll panic." When there's a crisis, when the president, particularly, knows something, it's time to tell the public in some form. He failed.

Scott Pelley: You write, in the book, that, "The president's handling of the virus reflects his instincts, habits, and style." What are those?
Bob Woodward: Denial. Making up his own facts.

At age 77, Bob Woodward has fact-checked nine presidents. "Rage" is his 20th book. It's published by Simon and Schuster, part of ViacomCBS.

Bob Woodward: The title, "Rage," comes from him. He said he brings out rage in people. And he doesn't know whether that's a positive or a negative or a good thing or a bad thing. And also, it describes a condition in the country now. There's a lot of rage out there.

His interviews for "Rage" started in the Oval Office, then continued for months in phone calls, many 'out of the blue' from Mr. Trump.

Bob Woodward: Yes. I mean, you have an audiotape of this, where they come on. "Mr. Woodward, the president."

White House Operator during February 7, phone call with Bob Woodward: "Mr. Woodward, the President." 

Donald Trump: Hi Bob.
Bob Woodward: President Trump, how are you?
Donald Trump: Hi. How are you?
Bob Woodward: …I'm turning my recorder on here as I always do.
Donald Trump: Okay.

Bob Woodward: It started in December 2019, before the virus was on anyone's radar. So, we were talking a lot about North Korea.

In Trump's first year, North Korea tested its first intercontinental missile. Woodward says the president gave Defense Secretary James Mattis authority to shoot down any North Korean missile aimed at the United States. North Korea dominated their earliest interviews

Bob Woodward: I think the public did not realize, and Trump told me, repeatedly. He said, "You don't know how close we were to war."

Instead, North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un offered to meet. They did, three times. Woodward has more than two dozen letters exchanged in their diplomatic courtship.

Bob Woodward: Kim says to Trump, "Our meetings, our relationship, is out of a fantasy film." He says, "There is a magical force between us." "Even now, I cannot forget that moment of history, when I firmly held your Excellency's hand as the whole world watched."

Scott Pelley: Did the CIA have a look at Kim's letters?

Bob Woodward: Yes.

Scott Pelley: And what did they make of them?

Bob Woodward: They never figured out who was writing them. But the analysts concluded that they're masterpieces. Because they are appealing to Trump's sense of grandiosity.

Woodward's interviews took a sharp turn, May 25, after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police Officers. The Black Lives Matter movement reignited.

President Trump during June 22 phone call with Bob Woodward: 

I got it.
Bob Woodward:: Do you think there is systematic or institutional racism in this country?

President Trump: Well, I think there is everywhere, I think probably less here than most places, or less here than many places.

Bob Woodward:: Okay, but is it here, in a way that it has an impact on people's lives?

President Trump: I think it is and it's unfortunate. But I think it is.

Woodward asked Mr. Trump if a privileged life left him out of touch.

Bob Woodward during June 19 phone call with Donald Trump: …And do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave, to a certain extent, as it put me – and I think lots of White, privileged people – in a cave and that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly, Black people feel in this country? Do you see?

President Trump: No. You, you really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you, wow. No, I don't feel that at all.

Bob Woodward: He was ridiculing me for reflecting what the whole movement, after George Floyd, is.

By the time of their final interviews, in August, Mr. Trump had become the leader of the one nation suffering the most from the virus. The president came to this conclusion.

Bob Woodward during August 14, phone call with President Trump: You and I--

Donald Trump: --Nothing more could have been done. Nothing more could have been done.

Bob Woodward: "Nothing more could have been done" (?). Does he remember what he told me, back in February, about, it's more deadly than the flu? I mean it almost took my breath away, that there was such certainty, when he was absolutely wrong about the issue that defines the position of this country right now.

This past week, the Washington Post published Woodward's calls with the president, and Woodward was criticized for not reporting, back in February, what Mr. Trump had said about the virus being deadly. Woodward says he didn't know, at the time, whether (or not) Trump was right. In our interview, we asked about another controversy—contained in the last line of the book.

Scott Pelley: It might disappoint some of your fans that you reach an editorial conclusion at the end of this book, something that reporters are not supposed to do.

Bob Woodward: Yes. I say the president is the wrong man for the job.

Scott Pelley: But, you're known as the reporter who doesn't put his thumb on the scale. And yet, at the end of this book, you do just that.

Bob Woodward: It's a conclusion based on evidence, overwhelming evidence, that he could not rise to the occasion with the virus and tell the truth. And one of the things that President Trump told me, "In the presidency, there's always dynamite behind the door." "The real dynamite is President Trump. He is the dynamite."

Donald Trump's final call came too late. He asked Woodward to include the August peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, but "Rage" was already off to the press. 

Woodward took the opportunity to level with the president.

Bob Woodward: And I said, "It's a tough book. There are going to be things that you are not gonna like, judgments that I made." And he, at the end, said, "Well, I didn't get you on this book. Maybe I'll get you on the next one."

Donald Trump during August 14, phone call with Bob Woodward: …but it looks like I don't have it on this book, but we'll get you sometime later, I guess. 

Bob Woodward: It's tough, sir. Thank you very much. 

Scott Pelley: And after you told the president that it was, in your words, a tough book, what did he do?

Bob Woodward: An hour and a half later, he tweeted out that the Bob Woodward book is gonna be fake.

Produced by Aaron Weisz. Associate producer, Ian Flickinger. Edited by Warren Lustig. 

What Putin knows about evil ISIS and how will he help to destroy them?

Although the French government announced the destruction of an evil ISIS training camp in Syria, the intelligence for this successful air attack had to have been received from highly reliable sources. I suggest this air strike was given a path to success because Russia was fully complicit in allowing it to happen. In other words, Russia's President Putin, obviously, allowed evil ISIS to conduct training in Syria, but then, he decided to destroy it.  

France did the job.

In fact, Putin admitted in an excellent 60 Minutes interview, with Charlie Rose, that his government knows everything about what's going on in the Ukraine because of his network of informants. Well, in my opinion, Putin's "network" of informants extends beyond the Ukraine. It's evident Russia knows all about what's going on in Syria, as well as in the Ukraine and other countries, too.  

It's difficult to believe this successful ISIS destruction would've happened without Russia's knowledge and, supposedly, support.

PARIS — Six French jet fighters targeted and destroyed an Islamic State training camp in eastern Syria, President Francois Hollande said Sunday, making good on a promise to go after the group that the president has said is planning attacks against several countries, including France.

The airstrikes were the first in Syria by France as it expands its mission against IS.

“The camp was totally destroyed,” Hollande said Sunday after arriving at the United Nations, before the start of a major development summit and the U.N. General Assembly bringing together world leaders.

“We’re sure there were no casualties” among civilians, he added.

The French president’s office announced the strikes, without details, in a statement hours earlier.

“Our nation will strike each time our national security is at stake,” the statement said.

Hollande told reporters the strikes on the training camp, and others to come, were aimed at “protecting our territory, cutting short terrorist actions, acting in legitimate defense.”

Hollande said more strikes “could take place in the coming weeks if necessary.” The targets were identified in earlier French reconnaissance flights and with information provided by the U.S.-led coalition.

JACQUES BRINON/AP
French President Francois Hollande ordered an airstrike against Islamic State militants Sunday morning as national defense. (What nation or team of informants led to this specific strike?)

France has carried out 215 airstrikes against ISIS extremists in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition since last year, the Defense Ministry said earlier this month. 

But it previously held back on engaging in Syria, citing concern over playing into Assad’s hand and the need for such action to be covered by international law. (Putin has no respect for international law.)

Officials now evoke “legitimate defense” as spelled out in the U.N. Charter to support strikes in Syria.

France has already been attacked by extremists claiming ties to ISIS. Hollande, who has ruled out sending ground troops into Syria, has cited “proof” of plans for attacks on France and the growing danger to Syrian civilians, with a large chunk of the population fleeing in a massive exodus.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France was going after ISIS “sanctuaries where those who want to hit France are trained.”

The goal of the strikes is to “slow, break, stop if possible the penetration of Daesh,” Gen. Vincent Desportes said on the iTele TV station, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

During the Charlie Rose interview, Vladimir Putin used charm to try to disarm the questions he didn't particularly like, but it didn't work. Although Putin spoke knowledgeably during the interview, he also didn't tell us anything we don't already know. 

To end, Putin knows a lot about what's going on in Syria with President Assad and evil ISIS. When Putin decides it's time for Assad to go, the evil Syrian dictator will be gone. Assad, who's disastrous leadership has been responsible for the evacuation of half of his nation's population, will eventually wind up with a mysterious illness, or some other unforeseen mishap.

When Putin appeared on 60 Minutes, he was showing the world that he is in charge of what's going on in Syria. If America wants ISIS destroyed, then Putin is likely the evil dictator to do the job by calling on his network of intelligence.  

Quite likely, it's not coincidental to have Putin appear on 60 Minutes, the day before his scheduled speech at the United Nations in New York City, on Monday September 28, while France announced the destruction of an ISIS training camp in Syria.  

Leadership in the media spotlight - General John F. Campbell

57-year-old John Campbell is one of the youngest four-star generals in the Army and serving his third tour in Afghanistan.

CBS broadcast journalist Lara Logan tested the patience, but in so doing, demonstrated the leadership of American four star General John F. Campbell, during a January 4th, 60 Minutes television interview.  

Ms. Logan appeared to over reach in her interview with U.S. Army General John F. Campbell, who is the Commander, of International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces-Afghanistan.

General John F. Campbell

My blogger message to Ms. Logan is this:  If your intention is to create the news, then go to the source of the stories, rather than put a four star general on media trial. Your power driven statements to General Campbell were fishing for a "gottcha" response.  As a result, your questioning served to demonstrate the patience and leadership traits of a competent American General.  Certainly, the stoic General Campbell is a man I would put in charge of the entire War on Terror, because he didn't even blink in the face of your high pressure interview.  

In other words, Ms. Logan, your questions (or, rather, the statements you made that intended to be questions) should be addressed to the Commander in Chief. For your information, it's the President who creates the news. General Campbell is in charge of enforcing the strategy created by the Commander in Chief.

Just loved the interview snip where General Campbell challenged Ms. Logan by responding, "...and your question is...?".

Moreover, when Ms. Logan was provided with a fantastic electric light flight overview of the once dark, Kabul, Afghanistan, to demonstrate progress made by the US intervention, she had to include how most of the nation is still without electricity. Well, as a matter of fact, lots of places in the world don't have electricity. She missed the point of the fly over, which was to demonstrate how a poor nation like Afghanistan can fight back against terrorism by having electricity supplied to the major capital city.  

I probably wouldn't be so critical of Ms. Logan's conversation with General Campbell, if she didn't appear to be "cute" when conducting a parallel segment with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Her demeanor with Ghani was not consistent with the affect she presented to General Campbell.

A transcript of this 60 Minutes interview with General Campbell:

Ending America's longest war:  Lara Logan reports from Afghanistan on the future of the country as the U.S.-led coalition draws down its forces.

Navigating the end of the longest war in American history is the job of General John Campbell, the last four-star general of the war.

His mission is making sure that after the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, the Afghan Security Forces do not go the way of Iraq, where territory that was fought over and won by the U.S., at great cost, was lost because the Iraqi military wasn't strong enough to hold the enemy back.

Could the same thing happen in Afghanistan? The U.S. combat mission officially ended on December 31st, but in a sign the Afghans need more time, the U.S. agreed to still play a limited role on the battlefield. Under Gen. Campbell's command, American forces will fly combat operations for Afghan troops when needed and U.S. Special Operations Forces will continue to hunt down al Qaeda with their Afghan counterparts. But, after 13 years of fighting, the war as Americans have known it is over.

America's longest war is being reduced to dust and rubble. You can see it at Bagram Airfield...half the base is gone. Barracks, where soldiers slept, torn down. Bunkers bulldozed into piles of sandbags.

Equipment and vehicles shipped out at a relentless pace and close to 300 U.S. bases shut down to meet the deadlines set by President Obama. Much of what is left now belongs to the Afghans.

Gen. John Campbell: We've been at this for 13 years, been a lot of blood, sweat, tears. But I've seen some good progress, as well.

57-year-old John Campbell is one of the youngest four-star generals in the Army and this is his third tour in Afghanistan.

To show us what billions of dollars in foreign aid has done to make Kabul more modern, he flew us over the city just hours after we arrived. This was among the darkest capitals in the world when the U.S. got here. Now, the ancient city is ablaze with light.

Gen. John Campbell: This is a perspective people don't get. Kabul at night here. The lights.

Lara Logan: When I came into Kabul for the first time with the Afghan forces, when they took the city from the Taliban in 2001, there wasn't a single light--

Gen. John Campbell: Just take a look at the highway lights.

Kabul Afghanistan at night

"We've been at this for 13 years, been a lot of blood, sweat, tears. But I've seen some good progress, as well."

(Logan)....But millions of people across Afghanistan are still without power and the lack of security threatens whatever progress has been made.

Last year was the deadliest of the war: more than 5,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen killed.

At this memorial down south in Kandahar, Gen. Campbell paid tribute to some of their fallen. Afghan Major General Abdul Hamid was at his side. He lost close to 200 of his men this past year.

Lara Logan: You believe that the Afghan security forces, particularly the Afghan National Army, doesn't get the credit it deserves.

Gen. John Campbell: It's the number one respected institution in Afghanistan. Couple years ago, I probably wouldn't have said that, but today it is. They've taken this fight on, they've gotten 'em through two very, very tough fighting seasons and the last one predominantly all on their own.

Lara Logan: The Afghan government can't afford to pay for them. The Afghan army, the police, the air force, they're all paid for by the U.S. and its allies. Casualty rates -- they're dying in huge numbers. Unsustainable, according to your deputy. The attrition rate's another area of concern.

Gen. John Campbell: Yeah, I mean, there's challenges. They know that the army they have today probably will not be the size several years from now. They just can't afford that. The casualties you brought up, you have to take a look and put that in context. So, in fighting season 14, their operational tempo was at least four times greater so you expect probably casualties to go up a little bit.

Leading the fight...Afghanistan's elite Special Operations units. The Defense Department released this video, which shows Afghan commandos on a nighttime clearing operation. At the height of the fighting season this past summer, they carried out over 150 missions every month. Eight years ago, these forces didn't exist.

Gen. Campbell flew us out to their main training facility in the high desert on the southern edge of Kabul, where they allowed us a rare opportunity to see some of these soldiers up close.

They have their own wing of specialized pilots and on this training exercise, the Afghan commandos showed how they would assault an enemy compound. While they operate mostly on their own, they still rely heavily on the U.S. in areas like intelligence and logistics. And there are fears over what will happen when the Americans withdraw, heightened by the collapse of U.S. trained forces in Iraq.

Gen. John Campbell: There is a lot more talk, from many of the senior leaders I deal with on the Afghan Security Forces, about Iraq and Syria and what's going on, and saying, "Hey, the coalition left Iraq, and a couple years later, look what happened. Don't let that happen to us here in Afghanistan."

Lara Logan: The U.S. significantly underestimated the risks of withdrawing completely from Iraq. Do you face any of the same risks here?

Gen. John Campbell: The fundamental difference is that the senior leadership, both on the military side and in the government, want the coalition. They want the U.S. to stay here.

Lara Logan: But do we share any of the same risks?

Gen. John Campbell: There'll still continue to be threats here in Afghanistan that will try to dictate that is it not stable. So absolutely.

Gen. Campbell has to weigh those risks against his orders to end this war for Americans. Here, he was pinning medals on some of the soldiers he was sending home. Under President Obama's mandate, U.S. troops are now down to about 10,000. There'll be half of that in a year. And, in December 2016, the U.S. mission is supposed to be over.

Lara Logan: You're operating on the president's timeline here. How much wiggle room do you have?

Gen. John Campbell: As any commander gets on the ground, he has to make an assessment and then provide his best military advice with senior leadership. So I'm constantly making those assessments.

Lara Logan: So you don't feel boxed in?

Gen. John Campbell: Well, I-- I feel like-- you know, I'm a four-star general, I'm not sure what you mean by "boxed in." If it means boxed in on the number of people I can have here and the timeline I'm on, again, if the administration just wanted somebody to come here and say, "Hey, you're not gonna make any changes, you're gonna do X," then they wouldn't need a leader that had the experience. They wouldn't have picked me.

Julie's comment:

Thank you General Campbell.  If I were the Commander in Chief, you'd be my choice to lead the World War on Terror, because I have confidence you could win it for us, once and for all.