Three Americans are on their way home from North Korea. The three men, Kim Hak Song, Kim Dong Chul and Tony Kim, had been detained as hostages for "espionage" and "hostile acts." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leaders Tuesday to coordinate their release. His trip, we now know, was successful.
I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018
If you were tuned into CNN when the report broke, you may have missed it.
The incredible news was not enough to stop the network's exclusive interview with Stormy Daniels's hot shot attorney Michael Avenatti. For five minutes, instead of offering viewers details on the hostage release, CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota asked Avenatti all about his client's lawsuit against President Trump, while Avenatti offered his personal opinion of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. The network had a small breaking news box in the corner to note the North Korea news, but Avenatti got most of the attention.
Camerota asked Avenatti about reports a U.S. company tied to a Russian oligarch paid $500,000 to Cohen. Did the lawyer use that money to pay Ms. Daniels?
"That may be the case," Avenatti, said. He then called on Cohen to release the bank statements and let people "decide whether there was anything improper" about the payments.
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Finally, the anchors got around to North Korea.
"In the midst of all this, there is big, breaking news," anchor Chris Cuomo told viewers.
Yeah, thanks Chris.
"This is breaking news and important news," White House correspondent Abby Phillips said, 10 minutes after the fact.
Once they reported on the hostage release, the anchors did at least note that this is "a major victory for this administration, for this president, and a major victory for the U.S."
"Trump deserves kudos for this," Cuomo similarly acknowledged.
Clearly, the release of the hostages was a part of the Trump administration's demands ahead of the planned summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, scheduled for later this month or June. North Korea has also halted missile tests.
The hostages will touch down in America at 2:00 a.m. ET, Trump noted. Hopefully by then CNN will have fixed its programming schedule.
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