week's program, i used pretty strong language to slam "the new york times" for swallowing hamas propaganda with that initial headline, israelis kill hundreds in hospital, palestinians say, which was flatly untrue. the day after the show, the times essentially apologized saying in an editor's note the paper relied too heavily on claims by hamas and did not make clear those claims could not be legally verified. times' editors should have taken more care and been more explicit sit about what information could be verified. i give the paper credit, but the damage, the enflaming of the region, cannot be undone. and cnn has now run a correction to its first story blaming israel for the hospital explosion which was caused by an errant islamic jihad rocket. as israel conducts its second incursion into gaza, the hamas terrorists have now released two israeli hostages, an 85-year-old woman and a 79-year-old woman. just think about that for a minute, amid all the rush of other war news. of course, we're happy about their release, but what kind of savagery does it take to capture an elderly grandmother and hold her as a bargaining chip? this is nothing short of sick. when she was first captured, she said she was beaten with sticks. >> translator: to tell you the truth, i've been through hell. they kidnapped me, laid me on my side on a motorbike and rammed into the -- in gaza. they blew out the fence. there's no difference between young or old, men or women. it was very, very painful. howard: just devastating. and their elderly husbands are still being held hostage along with 227 others including americans. the media have to be supremely careful about covering these releases without being manipulated by hamas. i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." ♪ ♪ howard: the media are still solidly behind israel, but there is disagreement about the humanitarian crisis in gaza. >> now, rather than being held accountable and quickly for their barbaric murder of civilians and the torture of women and children, hamas is using hostages to win propaganda points and stall an invasion. >> the bombing is creating a humanitarian disaster in gaza is. it seems that netanyahu is under some pressure to conduct a very, very violent campaign. >> the way hamas fights is they will put civilians in a situation where they're going to be harmed. this is a question that hamas has to answer, not israel. >> hamas could release all their hostages right away. it is incredible to me though that, you know, wounded hostages, infants, toddlers, people with severe medical conditions are still being held. howard: joining us now to analyze coverage, robby soave, senior ed editor at reason magazine, and in new york, liz claman host of "the claman countdown" on fox business network airing at three eastern. robby, are the media losing sight of the fact that a the terrorists released these few hostages to create the illusion of humanitarian reasons? >> yeah, absolutely. one of the hostages describing her conditions as more favorable or kinder, and i'm, like, they're still holding her husband hostage. howard: yeah. >> what she says might be taken with a grain of salt. she might be afraid that they could retaliate, so let's, honestly, not stick a camera in this poor traumatized person's face at all. and, yes, you called out the coverage for being one-sided and just for believing, for totally believing talking points from a terrorist group. and i think this week has been maybe a little bit better than the week before having to do with the hospital incident in terms of media coverage, but at lot of mistakes have been made. howard: well, i think if the woman wants to speak, she should be allowed to speak and, obviously, she has to watch her remarks. liz, so naturally there's a celebratory mood when a couple of people are released like these two elderly women. and, by the way, this terrorist group is still holding 32 the 2s including families and children. >> yes. but let me just take on robby for one second here. i think, yes, there have been missteps with the press particularly, as you said, the missouri times. but if we -- "the new york times." if we look at the media coverage so far, you have seen some of the bravest war correspondent coverage, and look at what some in the media have done. the minute the atrocities, the murders were reported after october 7th, fox and cnn, i'm pointing those two out in particular, poured resources into the region and began covering this immediately at great risk to the correspondents. fox's trey yingst, steve harrigan, mike tobin, greg palkot, c america n's -- ncc's anderson cooper, erin burr innocent, in the middle of the night they're doing their shows, getting hostage release interviews, and i think it's important to put that on. and i think that the world does need to see through the press the disgusting atrocities -- just read peggy noonan's column today in the "wall street journal," op-ed page, it's no holds barred. she describes the most horrifying details because the world needs to see this. instead of listening to hamas saying, oh, look at us, we're freedom fighters. howard: there's absolutely no question that from many, many muse organizations, a although it's been difficult to get into gaza and a number of foreign journalists have been killed, but that they have exhibited incredible bravery and reporting, so i'm glad you pointed that out. many media reports say president biden has repeatedly urged bibi netanyahu to delay or limit the ground invasion. not sure if this is it, but to allow more time for hostage negotiations and because u.s. officials didn't think the israelis were ready. but the white house officials are like, oh, no, we're not telling them what to do. >> i don't thinkst the totally inappropriate for us to tell them what to do. we've supported israel for decades, we've given this country more money than any other country on earth. we're continuing to the support them. the american taxpayers have been asked to be very generous when it comes to the security of many other missions -- howard: and we don't want a wider war. >> we don't want to be more involved. i think daves, frankly -- conservatives, frankly, think that's fine that we should have some say over how this money is spent and make sure it's not going to get us into the kind of conflict that leery no one, liberals, conservatives, no one wants to repeat iraq or libya or any of that. howard: yeah, right. >> so, yes, if cooler heads can prevail, that's fine. howard: liz, we've been through a couple of cycles where israeli military officials droppingly hint that a ground invasion is imminent. the coverage ramps up and then it doesn't happen. i wonder if the press is being used here to throw hamas off guard. >> that's a little simplistic, to say that. i mean, the press is reporting in realtime, i believe, and the realtime is not what the israeli military is going to do to make sure that it's on the media's timeline. again, i do believe that as they cover each and every part of this it develops, and to that end, you know, i think what's often missed in the press, howie, through all of this especially as we get further out from the initial horrors of october 7th is that hamas is a government. israel left the gaza strip in 2006, handed the keys over, and the palestinians elected hamas. so this is a government basically making the distinct decision to roll in across people's borders, it was a calculated decision by a government to the cross the border, invade, slaughter, rape civilians of another country. so any country would fight back against that. that's understandable. i agree with robby, i think that every u.s. dollar no matter where it goes, including to the palestinian territories, should be marked and looked at very closely. but the israelis have a are good track record of using it exactly for what they say they're going to use it for, and right now that is to wipe out hamas. howard: of course, a lot of people do forget that israel voluntarily withdrew from gaza, but also since then there have been no more elections. it's been a dictatorship. white house press secretary karine jean-pierre has taken a lot of media flak for this exchange. let's roll it. >> what is the level of concern right now about the potential rise of anti-semitism in light of everything that's going on in. >> look, we have not seen any credible threats. but, look, muslim and those perceive ised to be muslim have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks. howe she answered the question about anti-semitism in terms of islamophobia. was that tone deaf? >> certainly, because -- and that juxtaposition made it sound like there hasn't been a rise in anti-semitism. actually, liberal groups have been trying to -- that there has been a rise in anti-semitism and that it's trump's fault. so this is the difference, right, when it can be credibly tied to left-wing advances particularly on college campus, then it's downplayed. you could just look at senator bernie sanders had a perfectly benign tweet about the anniversary of the synagogue violence -- howard: pittsburgh. >> yeah, just saying this was terrible, obviously, and we should be worried about anti-semitism, that's all. read the ponces to that. it's his -- responses to that. it's left-wing people saying how dare you say this right now, how dare you. it's outside owes. -- old yous, horrifying. howard: liz, why do you think there's merely unanimous support in congress for aid to israel, but there is a pretty deep split in the republican party about giving aid to the ukraine which biden is trying to tie together in his proposed package? >> that's sort of where the press hasn't gotten to the root of that issue. conservatives, republicans, two two of one are very, very supportive of money going to ukraine to fight the russians and to send a message that russia cannot invade, and it is extraordinarily important for western democracy, the u.k. is involved, the european union, and we remember what happened pre-world war ii. that said, the more pro-trump republicans in there for some reason are against this, and i say for some reason because since when have republicans been against or concerned about overspending on defense, and since when have republicans thought it was a bad idea to send a message to russia or china? because make no mistake, this money sends a message to china that you try anything like that in taiwan, and you'll get the same response. howard: right. robby, just briefly, you kind of went viral on another podcast -- [laughter] and so i ask, on the subject of israel, it's hard to cover this with anything other than emotion because of the gravity of what's happening. >> the topic brings out the worst in a lot of people, it brings out a lot of emotion. it's the reason it's one of the most acrimonious debate subjects on college campuses, because it is a difficult issue and there's competing claims for territory of land. and there has been mistreatment of people on both sides, and there have been policies that i think ought to have been different. but, obviously, in the wake of a horrific terrorist attack where people were shot in their home, at the bus station, in cars, people abducted at a music festival and still being held, it's my belief that that needs to be condemned in the strongest terms without equivocation. howard: ahead, how house republicans finally picked a speaker, but when we come back, the backlash against colleges that have been silent on hamas while students celebrate the terror attackses. ♪ ♪ miralax works naturally with the water in your body to help you go... ...free your gut. and your mood will follow. for 8 grams of fiber, try new mirafiber gummies. it's easy to get lost in investment research. introducing j.p. morgan personal advisors. hey david. connect with an advisor to create your personalized plan. let's find the right investments for your goals okay, great. j.p. morgan wealth management. ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ ( ♪ ) with the push of a button, constant contact's ai tools help you know what to say, even when you don't. hi! constant contact. helping the small stand tall. howard: there is a growing media and political backlash against anti-israel protests on amajor college campuses. former governor jon huntsman called reprehensible, a new low. silence is anti-semitism. and cut off his foundation's donations to the university of pennsylvania. when harvard refusedded to condemn the hamas afrosty, larry summers called the pro-gaza stance morally unconscionable. and here's what billionaire leon cooperman, a columbia graduate, told liz claman. >> the real shame is i've given to columbia probably about $50 million over many years, and i'll give my giving to other organizations. liz: wow, that is a big statement. howard: liz, the the reaction from leon cooperman, who also told you that students have s for brains, in ending donations, that seems to be an increasingly common story. >> there is a donor revolt right now. when they see that the leadership at these universities somehow has become can cotton mouthed in the sight, full sight, of blatant anti-semitism, you know, let's be clear about leon cooperman, he is the son of polish-jewish immigrants when came to this country. bronx, he wrote a book called from bronx to wall street, and he spent, like, two chapters dedicated to columbia and crediting columbia for helping him give him a shot at becoming a sell made billionaire. so -- self-made billionaire. so let's just focus on the students having s for brains, let's just focus on that, he handed an unmarked map of a map of the middle east, kids could no sooner pull out gaza is or israel than they could recrete a pass -- recite a passage from shakespeare. the president of columbia has somehow been unable or unwilling to decry a professor named joseph mossad, a tenured professor and, by the way, a columbia graduate, who called the attacksen -- on israel, he called them innovative and awesome. howard: awesome, right. >> -- quote, handicraft it's an outrage. and where are the university presidents? so leon says no more money. howard: robby, how did we get to the point where so many student thes at it -- elite schools are cheering the barbaric atoesestieses of hamas many -- atrocities of hamas? >> it's been going on for a long time, is so i'm frankly, with respect to the donors, what did you think was happening? i've been warning, i've been writing about the antics of activism on college campuses for a very long time. i've written a book on it, others have. others have pointedded out the illiberal schism of -- illiberalism of student activists. harvard was just sues for racism against asian students that it had been practicing in admissions the same way it used to do to jewish students. these institutions for a long time have been left wing, hostile to the american project, inculcating bad values in young people and have not been a good subject for donations, frankly. so i'm glad people are waking up, but it's not new at all. howard: liz, just briefly, a number of republican candidates including donald trump say any foreign national here on a student visa who supports hamas should be deported. now, while i'm sort of sympathetic the that, count it raise -- doesn't it raise serious free speech questions. >> >> yeah, but it's like what's happening on campus. they can see shades of gray on free speech, but they can't see black and white and speak out against anti-semitism. and regarding the president of columbia or these other universities, that suggests that they are not leaders. but to what's happening in washington, d.c., there are a couple of republican congressmen who have actually put out a letter to the state department, i believe. there's a law, howie, called the immigration and nationality act where student visas can be disqualified if they endorse or espouse terrorist views. when you are cheering on hamas, you are endorsing and espousing terrorist views. howard: got it. >> now, is it free speech to stick up for the pal sip january civilians and say they need more humanitarian aid? yes. you don't deport somebody for that. but these are students cheering on something that is a total anathema to american values of democracy, and it seems pretty darn easy. howard: right. robby, you know, back in 2020 these universities that now say they have to be neutral certainly denounced the murder of george floyd and backed black lives matter. >> for sure. and i think they deserve a lot of criticism. but i do want to be careful, i don't trust the federal government to decide whose views are too extreme and what makes them a terrorist. many conservatives are frustrated about how trump supporters have been treated by the weaponization of the federal bureaucracy, so i would not be incrooned to -- inclined the government more power to say, oh, this student said something with we object to, back to wherever you came from. that seems to be patriot act, sort of post-9/11 fervor is. we did a lot of free speech similarities, problems, we regretted it, so let's be careful there. howard: yeah. and, of course, it might be opinions on something else. liz claman and robby soave, thanks so much for joining us. next on "mediabuzz," few people have heard of mike johnson, but the media are already portraying him as an extreme conservative. stay with us. ♪ my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. f-r-e-e. e-x-a-m. oh. yeah. free exam. at america's best, you get a free, quality eye exam when you buy two pairs of glasses starting at just $79.95. the exam alone is worth at least fifty-nine bucks. who wouldn't like to save that? two pairs and a free exam starting at just $79.95. book an exam today at americasbest.com. howard: three weeks of republican chaos is finally over after the party's third nominee as house speaker, tom emmer, pulledded out just four hours later, its fourth nominee, little known louisiana congressman mike johnson won the job without a single dissenting vote. >> the hour is late, the crisis is great, and america, we hear you. >> 92% rating from the american conservative union, 92% rating from the nra, backed by former president donald trump. johnson is a huge proponent of decentralizing our federal government. >> i hope they send him out on the campaign trail, because his views on abortion are way outside the mainstream of republican political thought. his views on democracy, again to the right of republican voters. his views on foreign policy, to the right of the republican voter. what were they thinking? >> mike johnson! i've never heard of him. [laughter] he's from louisiana. we had to google him. apparently, everyone likes him, okay? nice glasses, good voice is, well dressed. we're going to give him a shot. >> now, with speaker mike johnson, they've got the real, pure thing. a coup organizer, the full backing of donald trump himself. howard: joining us now from charlottesville, olivia beavers who covers congress for "politico." how -- how did this obscure back bencher win the speaker's job when the three previous nominees were shot down? >> howie, it's actually just as you laid out, he was obscure. he's someone that republicans knew pretty widely. he was in leadership in the number seven position, and he used to be chairman of the republican study committee which is basically the largest republican group on capitol hill. and so he's had relations for a long time, but he's been strategic in terms of how he's sort of positioned himself for a moment hike this. he was never running against other colleagues like tom emmer and steve scalise, so he didn't sort of have some of these underlying bad blood feuds. howard: yeah. >> and he's be