Vance Slip, FCC Robocall Tools, and a White House Press Access Dispute Make Headlines This Week
Vance Slip, FCC Robocall Tools, and a White House Press Access Dispute Make Headlines This Week

National

Vance Slip, FCC Robocall Tools, and a White House Press Access Dispute Make Headlines This Week

A roundup of the week’s political news includes Vice President JD Vance’s verbal slip at a North Carolina rally, new FCC tools to fight robocalls and scam texts, an airport confrontation involving journalist Nick Shirley over fraud reporting in California and Minnesota, and a dispute over White House press credentialing for a Trump-Xi dinner.

Vice President JD Vance drew attention this week after misspeaking during a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, for GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley. Vance told the crowd he had accidentally referred to the “far-left” as the “fart left.” He quickly addressed the slip himself, telling the audience, “I usually don’t misspeak. But I just called them the ‘fart left,’ not the ‘far-left.’ I promise that was an accident. So to the fake news who will accuse me of bad language, I promise I did not mean to call them the ‘fart left.’ I meant to call them the ‘far-left.'”

Separately, the Federal Communications Commission announced new consumer guides aimed at helping people block robocalls and scam text messages. The materials are split by smartphone platform, covering both iPhone and Android devices, and by carrier, with separate instructions for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The FCC is advising consumers to use both a device guide and a carrier guide together, rather than relying on just one, to make sure all available call- and text-blocking protections are active. For example, an Android user on Verizon would need to follow both the Android instructions and the Verizon instructions to get full coverage.

Investigative journalist Nick Shirley was confronted at an airport by a man who told him “shame on you” over his reporting. According to an account of the exchange, Shirley and other independent journalists have uncovered fraud in California, Minnesota, and other states, reporting that has since prompted congressional hearings. When Shirley asked the man why he should be ashamed and which specific fraud findings he objected to, the man did not provide an answer beyond repeating “You know!”

In Washington, questions arose this week over why CNN and MS NOW were not granted access to a White House dinner Thursday honoring a meeting between former President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The White House said the event required advance credentialing, noting in a public statement, “This is a pre-credentialed event,” and pushing back on the idea that media outlets are entitled to attend every White House function without prior arrangement. The dinner’s guest list reportedly included a large number of dignitaries and high-profile attendees, which the White House cited as part of the reasoning for the credentialing requirement.

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