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Why CNN's Harry Enten Predicts 'Melania' Will Bomb At Box Office Next Weekend

First Lady Melania Trump's eponymous film is slated to be released in theaters this weekend. But the film is likely to bomb at the box office, according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten.

In a Tuesday segment on CNN's OutFront, Enten told host Erin Burnett that there were multiple signs that Melania was going to perform poorly on its opening weekend. He noted that prediction markets show that a majority of bettors believe the documentary will gave a score of less than 20 percent on popular film review site Rotten Tomatoes.

"That's not good, Erin. That's not good, being below 20 percent," Enten said. "... And why is it why do they feel that the odds might not be so hot to trot? Well, it comes back to the fact that's the same reason that we don't think that it's going to necessarily be selling out a whole heck of a lot of tickets. Why? Because what's the projection for opening weekend for Melania? It's just one to five million dollars, which is again, not so great."

Enten compared the box office projection to the first lady's film with that of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the current highest-grossing documentary of all time. Adjusted for inflation, Moore's film topped $41 million in its opening weekend, dwarfing projections for Melania.

The CNN analyst underscored his argument by pointing to Amazon's staggering production costs for the film. When accounting for the $40 million Amazon paid Melania Trump for the exclusive rights to the movie, and the $35 million spent on advertising the film, the Jeff Bezos-owned media giant stands to lose tens of millions of dollars on the project.

"And one would think, given their marketing savvy, perhaps they were aware of that," Burnett quipped, before Enten chimed in and noted that Bezos was still making money hand-over-fist with President Donald Trump back in the White House.

"The film Melania might not be doing so hot to trot come this weekend, but Jeff Bezos is doing quite well," he said. "... His wealth —booyah! — up $35 billion since early November of 2024. I think there are some people who might see a connection between that and the money being spent. I'm not necessarily making that connection, but some people certainly are."

'It's A Tsunami!' CNN Analyst Says Democratic Lead Dooms GOP In Midterm

CNN data analyst Harry Enten reports Democrats are enjoying a rare double-digit lead ahead of the midterms that is all but guaranteeing them control of the House after November.

“Take a look at party identification — those who identify as Democrats or Republicans — and look at the margin that Democrats have now versus where it was a year ago,” said Enten, referring to young adults in the "Gen Z" cohort between the ages of 18 and 29. “It goes from plus six points in 2024 to plus 20 points [in 2025].”

Enten said this is the generation that’s becoming a bigger size of the electorate with each year, and they are moving not just away from the Republican party but specially away from President Donald Trump.

“This is not just about party identification,” said Enten. “I mean, look at the hard results on the ground. Look at Trump's net approval rating among Generation Z and compare it where we were at the beginning of 2025.”

In 2024, Trump had Generation Z’s approval by plus ten points, and had made gains among Generation Z going from 2020 to 2024.

“Now he is 32 points underwater,” said Enten. “That is a 42-point swing in less than a year. So, what we're seeing in party identification isn't just staying there. It's moving over and affecting how Generation Z feels about the president himself.”

“It's a stampede,” said CNN host Erin Burnett. “It's a tsunami!”

“It’s huge,” agreed Enten, “but I'll tell you something you don't know: Why is party ID so important? I mentioned that Democrats gained amongst them overall on party ID. If in fact their lead, which they currently have, holds until the midterm election — I went back and looked at every single midterm election since 1982, when Democrats hold the lead on party identification, they go on, in fact, to gain House seats.”

“They only need to gain a few house seats in order to gain control,” said Enten. “So, at this point, the Democrats lead on party identification bode very, very well for the midterm elections 100 percent of the time since 1982.”

' This Is Who He Is': Trump Niece Accuses President Of 'Stoking' Violence

Mary Trump — the niece of President Donald Trump — recently said her uncle plays a significant role in the escalation of political violence in the United States.

During a Thursday interview with former CNN host Jim Acosta, Mary Trump agreed with Acosta when he said that Trump was incapable of being a "consoler-in-chief" in the wake of the murder of 31 year-old MAGA activist Charlie Kirk. She said her uncle was "pouring gasoline on a raging fire" by singularly blaming the political left for Kirk's death.

"He will never change. He's been the same person for decades. And quite frankly, he's been rewarded for being this person. So it's a fool's errand to suggest that he will ever change."

Acosta reminded viewers that despite Trump's promise to find and prosecute the person responsible for shooting Kirk, he said nothing about the death of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) when she was assassinated by a far-right activist in June. And he lamented that Trump didn't call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) after Hortman's shooting, saying it would have been a "waste of time."

Mary Trump agreed with Acosta, and went on to argue that the media was so far absolving the president for his role in exacerbating political divisions in the U.S.. She argued that her uncle was engaging in a "slippery slope" of suggesting that Democrats should be "targeted" in the wake of Kirk's murder.

"I see people still giving him the benefit of the doubt, and it is mystifying to me. Because how much more evidence do we need really, that this is who he is and this kind of behavior benefits him?" She said. "Just as the divisiveness — he is largely responsible for stoking in this country over the last decade — benefits him and protects him."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Trump Biographer: President Worrying Over Epstein Files Release

President Donald Trump's administration is becoming increasingly worried about the ramifications of Congress reviewing documents relating to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein.

That's according to New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, who reported on the administration's nervousness over the partial release of some of the Epstein files in a Thursday appearance on CNN. Haberman told host Brianna Keilar that Trump's photo-op with law enforcement in Washington D.C. on Thursday night could be viewed as an attempt to distract the media from Friday's release of documents to the House Oversight Committee.

"He is mindful. It is in the back of his mind to try to keep Epstein out of the news," she said. "I think we don't quite know what this is going to look like tomorrow, but he, absolutely, and certainly a lot of his advisers, were happy that Epstein has not been front-and-center as an issue for the last few weeks."

As PBS reported earlier this week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning on releasing some of the estimated 100,000 pages of Epstein-related files to the Oversight Committee in response to a recent subpoena. The administration has so far not said what would be in the initial release of documents, and it remains unclear whether the committee will make those files publicly available following its review.

ABC News has reported that some of the unreleased evidence categorized by the FBI includes logbooks of visitors to Epstein's "Little Saint James" Island (which housed his private compound) and "a document with names," which could be the rumored "Epstein list" that Attorney General Pam Bondi has publicly insisted does not exist.

When Keilar asked Haberman how the Trump administration was preparing for eventual media coverage surrounding the new documents, the Times reporter said the DOJ knew unfavorable coverage was "sort of baked in for them." Haberman added that the "big question" of whether to share the files with the public still remains open.

"Do they ever turn these files over publicly, which they clearly have the ability to do and just have chosen not to do it, and instead have looked for judges to release grand jury testimony?" Haberman said. "The judges have said [the grand jury records] don't contain some kind of a smoking gun."

"They know what's coming and they have their talking points," she added. "It's just that it's not a topic that any of them enjoy."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

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Smart. Sharp. Funny. Fearless

Why CNN's Harry Enten Predicts 'Melania' Will Bomb At Box Office Next Weekend

'It's A Tsunami!' CNN Analyst Says Democratic Lead Dooms GOP In Midterm

' This Is Who He Is': Trump Niece Accuses President Of 'Stoking' Violence

Trump Biographer: President Worrying Over Epstein Files Release

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