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ohn McCain’s vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin was not invited to attend his memorial or funeral services, reported NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell. MSNBC booking producers Jesse Rodriguez and Michael Del Mouro first reported on O’Donnell’s scoop, tweeting, “NBC’s @KellyO reports: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has not been invited to attend memorial services for John McCain” and “No invitation has yet been extended to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to attend McCain’s memorial services, sources tell NBC’s @KellyO.”

If you’re confused by President Trump’s reluctance to celebrate the life of Sen. John McCain, it’s because Trump knows something you don’t: his base. The Red Hats And Talk Radio wing of American politics has long had a problematic relationship with the Arizona senator. And by “problematic,” I mean, they hated his guts. For years, McCain was the poster child of the kind of Republicanism they loathed, the kind of Republicanism that eventually led many of these voters to turn to Trump in the first place. And if he were still with us, McCain would say “You’re damn right.” New...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Palin’s interview did not make the final cut of the show, which also features segments with O.J. Simpson and former Democratic congressman Barney Frank. Such a decision was hinted at by Showtime president of programming Gary Levine earlier this month after he said that Cohen has a “very high bar” for what makes the final cut.....News that Palin may be involved in the show emerged last month after she revealed that Cohen had duped her by posing as a disabled veteran eager to discuss issues facing the country. “Cohen pretended to be a disabled veteran...

Flags across the country were lowered this weekend to mark the death of Arizona Sen. John McCain on Saturday from brain cancer. Early Monday morning, however, flags at the White House had been returned to their usual position, prompting figurative gasps from Washington journalists and Trump critics. ... In fact, however, the White House’s decision to raise the flag on Monday morning was in exact accordance to the country’s official guidelines for flying the flag at half-staff. The nonbinding U.S. Flag Code, adopted in 1942, dictates that when a member of Congress dies, the flag should be lowered “on the...

Amid glowing tributes to the life and career of Arizona Senator John McCain on Monday, MSNBC took time to use the Republican lawmaker’s passing to trash his 2008 vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, labeling McCain’s selection of the then-Alaska governor as his “biggest political mistake.” “McCain made some controversial decisions, some much-criticized decisions. One of those decisions was who he chose to run with in 2008, Sarah Palin,” proclaimed anchor Katy Tur early in the 2:00 p.m. ET hour. She then recited a column from Washington Post Associate Editor David Ignatius making that case: The anti-Washington rage embodied by...

John McCain passed away Saturday night at the age of 81 after a battle with brain cancer but that did not stop him from taking one last shot at President Trump from beyond the grave. McCain’s farewell message to the nation was read aloud in Phoenix on Monday afternoon by Rick Davis, a former campaign manager for McCain.

The flags at the White House, which were lowered over the weekend to mark the death of Sen. John McCain, are back at full-staff. The flags at the U.S. Capitol, meanwhile, remained at half-staff on Monday to honor the Arizona Republican, who died Saturday of brain cancer. […] U.S. Flag Code states that flags be lowered “on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress.” After Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died in 2009, President Barack Obama ordered flags at the White House be flown at half-staff for five days. …

Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate, called her former running mate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a “maverick and a fighter” in a statement after his death Saturday afternoon. “Today we lost an American original. Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs. John never took the easy path in life — and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self,” she said. “John McCain was my friend. I will remember the good times. My family and I send prayers for Cindy and the...

The party of Donald Trump began almost 10 years ago to the day, when John McCain tapped Sarah Palin to join his ticket. “She’s not from these parts and she’s not from Washington, but when you get to know her, you’re going to be as impressed as I am,” McCain said when he announced his decision. “She’s got the grit, integrity, the good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today.” Even though McCain and Palin were bested by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Palin inspired a slew of copycats, unleashing...

US Senator John McCain of Arizona is dead at 81. McCain was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. He was the son and grandson of US Navy Admirals and.... The public controversy surrounding Senator McCain began... McCain linked to jihadist militants fighting civil wars in Libya and Syria..... Russia is warning of another chemical attack incident in Syria. A spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday that jihadist militants, aided by British intelligence, intend to stage the chemical incident to justify another American, British, French attack on Syrian government facilities...... Italian prosecutors in Sicily are investigating Interior Minister Matteo...

I'm very happy, very happy today to spend my birthday with you and to make an historic announcement in Dayton, a city built on hard, honest work of good people. Like the entire industrial Midwest, Dayton has contributed much to the prosperity and progress of America. And now in these tough, changing times, after all you've done for our country, you want your government to understand what you're going through, to stand on your side and fight for you. And that's what I intend to do. That's why I'm running for president, to fight for you, to make government stand...

If you're one of the many American progressives cheering on the performance of your new political rock star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, look around: Many of the people cheering with you are Republicans. Ocasio-Cortez's 14-point victory over 10-term incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley was certainly impressive. Her performance since then? Not so much. The GOP have branded her a gaffe machine, Democrats on Capitol Hill her urging her "to do things differently," and her stumbling media appearances have sparked references to the "P" word: "Palin." Yes, it's that bad. There's a lot to like about the bold, outspoken battler from the Bronx who,...

This week marks Andrea Mitchell’s 40th anniversary at NBC News, and the network has been filled with tributes to her. But when it comes to gushing, it will be hard to top Willie Geist’s effort, which aired during Mitchell’s MSNBC show today: “You are one of a very small handful of icons in our business, about whom a young journalist thinks: I can’t even believe I work in the same news division where she works. It always has been a privilege, and that awe has never gone away.” The tribute ended with a still shot of Mitchell warmly holding hands...

Plunging drilling costs have sparked an explosion of production out of the Permian Basin of West Texas. In fact, Texas is pumping so much oil that it will surpass OPEC members Iran and Iraq next year, HSBC predicted in a recent report. If it were a country, Texas would be the world’s No. 3 oil producer, behind only Russia and Saudi Arabia, the investment bank said. “It’s remarkable. The Permian is nothing less than a blessing for the global economy,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, a consulting firm… “The industry cracked the code on fracking,” said McNally....

Oscar Wilde once quipped that “there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” Having generated a lot of chatter recently, Sacha Baron Cohen and Showtime may take The Importance of Being Earnest author’s words as some cold comfort today. They may have to. Because, for all the hoopla around the debut of Cohen’s Who Is America? series, the 10 PM satire offering attracted a pretty meager viewership on July 15, at least on the small screen. Just 327,000 sets of eyeballs tuned in to the premium cabler on...

Showtime and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen rebuffed former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's claim that she was "duped" into a prank interview for the British actor's new series. The network said in a statement on Monday that Baron Cohen conducted the interview for his new show "Who is America?" dressed as one of his new characters, Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., Ph.D. But contrary to Palin's claim that the character was intended to be a disabled vet, Showtime said that the show's premiere on Sunday proved that wasn't the case. "There has been widespread misinformation over the past week about...

Duped Sarah Palin says Sacha Baron Cohen told her Chelsea Clinton was a recipient of a government-funded sex change

SNIP Palin appeared on ABC's “Good Morning America” on Friday to talk about the interview Baron Cohen staged for his new Showtime satirical series “Who is America?” The former governor of Alaska told host Robin Roberts that Baron Cohen showed her “propaganda” about sex changes and transgender people and claimed that Chelsea Clinton was the “recipient of a government-funded sex change.” “It got worse and worse and worse as the minutes went on in this bizarre, really embarrassing, humiliating interview,” Palin said. “It mocked middle class Americans, it mocked our values, it mocked the disabled.” Palin said she had had...

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin slammed what appeared to be a response from British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who’s on the defensive after apparently posing as a disabled military veteran for a prank interview. “Another list of unfunny lies, this time typewritten for all to see; a pathetic attempt to punk not just my daughter and me again, but now the public,” Palin wrote on Facebook Thursday. “Thank God people are wise to Hollywood’s BS & said, ‘Enough.’” Palin was responding to a tweet sent from the Twitter account of “Billy Wayne Ruddick,” the fictional character Cohan plays in his...

Sarah Palin is calling on Sacha Baron Cohen to donate all the profits from his upcoming Showtime series to military veterans’ groups after saying she was duped into an interview with the comedian when he pretended to be a wounded warrior. The Daily Mail reports that the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee said she unknowingly participated in an interview for what turned out to be Cohen’s just-announced satirical series, “Who is America?” “This ‘legit opportunity’ to honor American Vets and contribute to a ‘legit Showtime historical documentary’ was requested of me via a speakers bureau,” Palin said. Palin, 54, says...