Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Jon Voight Hits Back On Robert De Niro Comments

Robert De Niro delivered a blunt criticism of Donald Trump in a video released on Saturday. De Niro didn’t hold back as he called Trump a slew of names and seriously questioned his presidential fitness.

While many people tend to agree with De Niro, fellow actor Jon Voight responded by attacking him Trump-style in a series of tweets.

I am so ashamed of my fellow actor Bobby DeNiro’s rant against Donald Trump. What foul words he used against a presidential nominee. cont’d

— Jon Voight (@jonvoight) October 8, 2016

Voight continued by defending Trump and said that he didn’t know of too many men who hadn’t expressed similar sentiments toward women.

‘Bobby’ responded, saying “Voight is a nice guy but he’s delusional” in an interview following the presidential debate. De Niro urged Americans to get out and vote. “It’s imperative that you vote, it’s a very serious situation.”

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After the first presidential debate broke records as the most watched debate in U.S. history, expectations for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s second showdown at Washington University in St. Louis were high. Here are five of the most buzzworthy moments from the second presidential debate:

 You Know They Had to Talk About The Tape

Going into the second debate, we knew Trump was going to be confronted with questions about the 2005  recording where he was heard speaking vulgarly about women with then “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush. CNN’s Anderson Cooper wasted no time bringing it up saying, “You’ve bragged that you sexually assaulted women,”  before asking the Republican nominee to explain his actions. Trump responded by saying repeatedly that it was just ” locker room talk” and deflected the conversation to ISIS, Clinton’s emails, and Bill’s past discretions.

Clinton responded by saying that the video and Trump’s attacks against the Khan family, a Hispanic federal judge, President Obama, and a reporter with a physical disability definitively show that he’s not fit to be president. “He owes the president an apology. He owes our country an apology.”

That video represents exactly who Donald Trump is.

-Hillary Clinton.#debate

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) October 10, 2016

More Sniffling

Like the first debate, viewers continued to be distracted by Trump’s constant sniffling. While the source of his nasal woes is still unclear, people couldn’t help but speculate about the cause.

#Debate: @realDonaldTrump seems a lot more calm, although his sniffling hasn’t gone away.

— Melissa Mecija (@10NewsMecija) October 10, 2016

Is Trump going to blame the sniffling on his mic again? #debate

— Anthony De Rosa (@Anthony) October 10, 2016

symptoms of cocaine abuse

1. dry mouth
2. sniffling
3. rambling incoherently #debate

— Hutch Harris (@thethermals) October 10, 2016

Trump Threatens to Put Clinton in Jail

When addressing Clinton, Trump said that if he wins, “I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation,” in response to her private email server use while serving as Secretary of State. Clinton responded by saying viewers should fact check his falsehoods, and that it’s a good thing Trump isn’t in charge of our nation’s laws. “Because you’d be in jail,” shot back Trump, followed by cheers from the audience.

Excuse me, Moderators

It’s not unusual to see presidential candidates interrupt the moderator to get their points across, but this time it was excessive. Trump accused the moderators of teaming up against him and favoriting Clinton.  “It’s one-on-three,” muttered Trump. In fact, ABC’s Martha Raddatz had just asked Clinton about her emails. “We brought up the emails,” Cooper responded.

The Candidates Had to Say Something Nice About Each Other!

After attacking each other’s policies, personal lives, and scandals for an hour and a half, the candidates were asked to close out the debate by naming one positive thing they respect about one another.

Clinton went first, saying that she admires Trump’s children. Trump closed out the debate saying, “She doesn’t quit, she doesn’t give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is. She is a fighter.”

Aww maybe there is hope that they can one day be friends. Or not.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper Grills Florida Attorney General

Anderson Cooper got up in Florida AG Pam Bondi’s face about her perceived hypocrisy following the Orlando shooting. Bondi certainly had her feathers ruffled and was very much unable to explain herself when Cooper asked why she claimed to be a champion for gay and lesbians even though her Twitter feed was littered with posts supporting animal rights, and she argued against gay marriage in court. Woof!

.@andersoncooper grills Florida AG Pam Bondi over gay rights record https://t.co/KYvuZ7srCP https://t.co/pGTkx0KVkN

— CNN (@CNN) June 14, 2016

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When Anderson Cooper came to speak at George Washington University, he had to adjust the timing of the event. Due to a change in scheduling, the event previously scheduled for the morning was shifted to the evening. What was the early morning emergency that caused Mr. Cooper to change his plans? An interview with Melania Trump.

When interviewer Frank Sesno, the Dean of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs and former CNN correspondent, asked about Cooper’s time with Mrs. Trump, Cooper told the audience that she was “cautious” and “lovely,” but that the interview would certainly not be a news-making revelation. At the event, Sesno’s questions for Cooper discussed the media’s role in the presidential election, asked him to reflect on some video clips, and later turned to his personal life.

Image courtesy of Sean Simon for Law Street Media

As for CNN’s coverage of the presidential elections, Cooper defended the media’s role in the primaries several times during the event, saying that Trump is hyper-aware of the media and that he is the only candidate willing to be interviewed so often. When criticized for giving Trump excessive airtime on CNN, Cooper argued that a presidential run as unorthodox as Trump’s is worthy of attention—that it points to a very real wave of anger and distrust in the American public.

Pushed further on the issue of the media’s role in elections, he argued that much of the onus is on the viewers. Today we have unprecedented access to information through the internet, and each person has the ability to become educated on a topic in a matter of minutes. He could make an hour long documentary on healthcare in America, but it’s not worth the time and effort if no one watches.

Then came time to review some video from Cooper’s career at CNN. Sesno showed some clips to Cooper and the audience, asking for more background on Cooper’s decisions as an anchor and interviewer. One clip was an interview with Senator Mary Landrieu in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, in which he hears platitudes from the senator. Cooper expresses the anguish of the people of New Orleans, forcing her to face the horror of the natural disaster. After watching the clip Cooper elaborated on his thought process, adding that he had seen a family left dead in their flooded home just the day before his interview, an image that haunted him as he spoke with the Senator.

When asking about his interactions with the presidential candidates, Sesno presented a clip that showed one of Hillary Clinton’s shortcomings—a sort of tone-deafness. The video, taken from the February 3 Democratic Town Hall, shows Hillary not-so-deftly addressing her high-priced speeches to Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms. Sesno highlighted Cooper’s decision to demand a real answer for the large fees, rather than being content with a stock response.

At the end of the event, Cooper began talking about his personal life, giving the audience a look at a side of him rarely revealed on CNN. Cooper’s older brother committed suicide at the age of 23, and his father died when he was 10 years old. He told the audience that he felt so much grief and pain that he needed to find a surrounding that reflected that feeling in order to make sense of it. That was why, after graduating from Yale, Cooper took a camera and some friends to travel to the most war-torn parts of the world. He remembers sleeping on a roof in Somalia, exploring with very little money while trying to find connection in distant and foreign cultures.

The event Cooper spoke at was sponsored by Allied in Pride, a student organization at George Washington University dedicated to LGBTQ issues, and so Cooper also opened up about his identity as well. Although he was not publicly “out” for many years, he told the audience that he has always been openly gay in his professional life, and in no uncertain terms that being gay is one of the greatest blessings of his life.

Being the great-great-great-grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, Cooper has had a cushy and privileged upbringing. Without also being gay, Cooper thinks he may not have been aware of his privilege, and the discrimination that others go through daily. His sexual orientation gave him more perspective on life, leading him to be more of an observer than an active participant. “Being gay has taught me empathy, and empathy has made me a better reporter,” he said.

Cooper ended his talk by answering questions from the audience. He took the opportunity to sum up his own reporting modus operandi. He wants to confront his interviewee with the facts, rather than his opinion. He’s not interested in voicing how he feels, but rather to get an understanding of how the other person operates, and to understand the essence of their positions.

Cooper warned that fame can be “gangrenous” and told the audience that if you become obsessed with your own image, you lose integrity as a journalist. At an event was co-hosted by GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs, that warning should be well-heeded by aspiring journalists.

Sean Simon

Sean Simon is an Editorial News Senior Fellow at Law Street, and a senior at The George Washington University, studying Communications and Psychology. In his spare time, he loves exploring D.C. restaurants, solving crossword puzzles, and watching sad foreign films. Contact Sean at SSimon@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Today, Wayne LaPierre, the CEO and Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, released a video in which he challenged President Barack Obama to a debate. This comes on the heels of executive orders released by Obama in which the president expanded background checks, emphasized that anyone who sells guns needs a license, and called for a beefing of up gun law enforcements, among other facets. After releasing information about the executive order, Obama participated in a town hall on guns with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and criticized the NRA for not attending, saying: “And by the way, there’s a reason why the NRA is not here. They’re just down the street. And since this is the main reason they exist, you’d think they’d be prepared to have a debate with…a president.” Today’s video from LaPierre appears to be in response to both that comment and the executive orders; watch it for yourself:

In the video, LaPierre invites Obama to join him in a one-on-one, one-hour debate, with a moderator that they have both agreed upon, and without any “pre-screened questions”–the NRA alleges that CNN only offered them pre-screened questions for the town hall with Obama, and that’s why it chose not to participate.

I get that Obama basically invited a debate with LaPierre when he called the NRA out for not attending the CNN town hall, but I don’t think he should take LaPierre up on this offer, and here’s why: the NRA does not deserve that kind of respect, particularly not after this video.

The NRA has relatively high levels of support, that’s for sure. In a Gallup poll conducted in October 2015, the NRA was viewed as favorable by 58 percent of Americans. The NRA sees particularly high favorability among gun owners, with 78 percent viewing the NRA favorably. While it’s unclear how high gun ownership is in the United States–a recent National Opinion Research Center (NORC) poll puts the percentage of American households that have a gun at 31 percent–it’s clear that guns are, for many, a part of daily American life.

Yet despite the fact that the NRA has relatively high levels of support, so do the kinds of actions Obama is advocating for in the executive orders. For example, 85 percent of Americans are in favor of conducting background checks on those buying guns. Another 79 percent want laws that prevent people who are deemed mentally ill from buying guns, and 70 percent want a database that tracks gun sales. The things that Obama is advocating can’t be considered extreme unless you want to say that 85 percent of Americans are extreme–yet the NRA goes so far as to make claims that Obama “wants to destroy the NRA before the election, so that Hillary can destroy the Second Amendment after it.” The NRA is clearly using fear-mongering to rally support.

Part of me would love to see a showdown between LaPierre and Obama. But at the same time, LaPierre should not be given the national platform to have that conversation unless he’s willing to use facts instead of scare tactics–and this video makes me doubt that.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post President Obama Shouldn’t Debate Wayne LaPierre: Here’s Why appeared first on Law Street.

Last night was the first Democratic debate of the 2016 primary elections. Unlike the Republican field, which had to be split into two parts in order to accommodate the insanely large group, the Democrats have a small collection of political veterans vying for the nomination. There’s Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner; Bernie Sanders, the surprise challenger; Martin O’Malley, the other normal candidate that everyone keeps forgetting; Lincoln Chaffee, the weird metric system guy from Rhode Island; and Jim Webb, who probably exists.

In a lot of ways the Democratic debate felt a little flat, and a little too early. While there were some really great moments of legitimate and important discourse, the Democratic field is just a bit more subdued and unified on a lot of key issues than its Republican foil. But, that didn’t keep some funny, wtf, and badass moments from sticking out. In fact, here are the top five moments from last night’s Democratic debate.

Best Shot on Donald Trump: Martin O’Malley

Donald Trump, the inexplicable Republican frontrunner, received a pretty sharp jab from O’Malley, who called Trump “that carnival barker in the Republican party…”

Given the flashiness and “look-at-me” attitude that Trump has used to gain supporters, this classification isn’t that far off, and made a powerful point about his attitude toward immigrants.

Best One Word Answer: Hillary Clinton

It wasn’t surprising, but one of the biggest criticisms against Hillary Clinton to stick so far–the kerfuffle over her emails while she was Secretary of State–was a point of contention at last night’s debate. Lincoln Chaffee made a not-so-veiled reference to the email scandal, saying “I think we need somebody with the best and ethical standards as our next president. That’s how I feel.” Clinton was asked if she wanted to respond, and her answer was short, sweet, and made it clear she was tired of political grandstanding over the issue: “No.”

Second Most Uncomfortable Moment: Lincoln Chafee and Anderson Cooper

Cooper, who was by all accounts, a strong and fair moderator, went after Lincoln Chafee on his earliest Senate vote–the Glass-Steagall Act. Chafee gave a weird answer: it was his first vote after being appointed to his recently deceased father’s spot. Cooper followed up–asking if he wasn’t defending his vote because he was saying he didn’t understand what he was voting for. That led to really awkward exchange, that certainly could have been handled better by Chafee.

It also wasn’t the only moment where Chafee struggled to defend his record as a Senator–questions about his vote for the Patriot Act also seemingly tripped him up.

Most Uncomfortable Moment: Jim Webb’s Enemy

Jim Webb, who served during the Vietnam War, was asked what enemy he’s the most proud to have made. While his competition gave fun predictable answers such as Republicans and the NRA, Webb focused on his military experience, saying the enemy he’s most proud of making was “enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to.” While Webb was an incredibly impressive and heroic soldier, sans important context and with awkward delivery, the entire thing came across very strangely.

Best Moment Overall: Bernie Sanders and Clinton’s Emails

Sanders said exactly what we were all thinking the umpteenth time that Hillary’s emails came up last night: enough is enough. It’s time to talk about the real issues. And he was damn right.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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