When reporters want to uncork righteous editorializing, they label it a "news analysis." That's what happened when NPR media reporter David Folkenflik unleashed his outrage on Thursday morning at Trump demeaning several members of the elitist liberal media.  Morning Edition anchor A Martinez introduced it: "This week brought fresh reminders of what President Trump does when he wants to deflect unwelcome questions from reporters - he insults and attempts to intimidate. In this analysis, NPR's David Folkenflik says the intimidation is meant for media bosses, too." Folkenflik began: When President Trump is confronted by a question he doesn't like, he rarely holds back. On Friday, asked aboard Air Force One whether there was something incriminating about him in the Jeffrey Epstein files, Trump told Bloomberg News' Catherine Lucey, "quiet - quiet, piggy." Trump became, if anything, even more contentious toward another reporter Tuesday at the White House." He called ABC's Mary Bruce a "terrible reporter" from a "fake news" network. FOLKENFLIK: This isn't Trump in his Don Rickles Friars roast insult comic mode. This is Trump trying to silence reporters, just as he's done since he started his first run for office in 2015. Here's what Trump said after Megyn Kelly moderated the first Republican debate for Fox News. TRUMP clip: And she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions. And, you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. FOLKENFLIK: Trump mocked a New York Times reporter's congenital condition. He called a black reporter racist, told a Chinese American reporter she should go ask China about his handling of COVID. In his second term, Trump has gone even harder on the mainstream media, surrounding himself with reporters from sympathetic and even sycophantic outlets. So let's return to that exchange at the White House on Tuesday. Just listen to the way Trump takes issues with Bruce's questions to the two world leaders. TRUMP to Mary Bruce: You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question. FOLKENFLIK: Mary Bruce is not a subordinate. She doesn't work for the president or the prince. She works for ABC News, yet Trump wants deference from her and not just her. Mary Bruce acted like a subordinate for Joe Biden. But that's another issue.  Someone might want to ask Folkenflik a question: where was his outraged "Analysis" in 2022 when President Biden called Fox News reporter Peter Doocy a "stupid son of a bitch"? Try searching NPR.org. There's nothing from the media man. There is, however, pro-Biden/anti-Doocy comedy on their quiz show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, from Muslim comedian guest host Negin Farsad:  NEGIN FARSAD: President Biden said what a stupid son of a bitch about Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. And, yes, it was a breach of decorum. But in Biden's defense, Doocy is a [expletive]… ALZO SLADE: I feel like Joe Biden is that old dude that just can say whatever he feels like saying, and because...Of his age, nobody is going to care. It's like, yeah, just - you know, that's Uncle Joe. Just let him be. Trump's loose talk about how ABC should "lose its license" -- networks don't lose licenses, although their stations could -- cause Folkenflik to fuss about Jimmy Kimmel and the FCC chairman, and how Trump is also intimidating media bosses: "So even as reporters pose tough questions to the president, Trump is asking their bosses a question of his own - with so much at stake, is it worth it?" Nowhere in Folkenflik's foam-flecked "analysis" is their any admission that Trump grants far more access to reporters than Biden. New York Times media reporter Michael Grynbaum worked that into his hostile news story: "Although Mr. Trump routinely denigrates the press, he also fields dozens of questions from White House correspondents over the course of a week, sometimes meeting with journalists several times in one day." Neither man acknowledges how reporters run around using insults like "fascist" and "authoritarian" and so on to describe Trump. It's worse than "piggy." But that's always fair game. 

In the latest media rumblings about Bari Weiss’s tenure thus far as CBS News editor-in-chief, The New York Post dished on the finale of CBS Saturday Morning with Dana Jacobson and Michelle Miller while The Wall Street Journal revealed “a rallying cry” Weiss has clung to thus far in meetings in stating, “I wanna blow this up.” First, the Post’s great Alexandra Steigrad said the final episode of the current Saturday show would air on November 22, but the real news nugget was the fact that “no replacements have been revealed to staffers” with CBS News executives remaining “tight-lipped on who would replace the hosts…or what the vision for the show will be — an information vacuum that has left employees on edge, sources said.” She had one source scoff this was “par for the course” because CBS “has no plans” another insisted something will come to fruition. Steigrad said correspondent Adriana Diaz – who co-hosted the now-deceased CBS Mornings Plus – will fill in next Saturday “but doesn’t appear to be interested” in the full-time gig. Steigrad correctly surmised the first few Saturdays will feature “a carousel of fill-ins” with no “particularly deep bench” to pull from. She said, along with Diaz, correspondents Errol Barnett and Kelly O’Grady have been floated along with CBS Weekend News anchor Jericka Duncan. Of those, O’Grady would best signal a change in tilt and tone. Over at The Journal, Joe Flint and Isabella Simonetti wrote Thursday that Weiss’s developing moniker steps from her deep desire to truly change CBS News away from what it’s been (which we’re pleased to hear and will continue to hold them to account). “Weiss…is working to overhaul the organization’s evening news program, counter what she sees as a left-leaning bias in legacy media and make the newsroom operate more efficiently,” they wrote, adding her “caravan of SUVs and a gaggle of bodyguards” has drawn some eyerolls while others have recognized the threats she faces (and leaving out the fact she’s a prominent Jewish woman in New York City). For those concerned as to whether she’d clash with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, The Journal said they “have developed a working rapport while she sketches out her vision for the future” as Weiss has “spent time with some high profile talent.” After noting prominent departures of CBS News executives not tied to layoffs, they conceded Weiss’s “approach to talent management and operations” has seen both successes and false starts as, along with “played a more active role in booking guests using her professional network” to help the network achieve big gets, she’s sought out talent from rival networks directly even though many options (e.g. Bret Baier) are on long-term deals. “To fans and supporters, her methods represent a needed shake-up for an institution that has become stuck in its ways and is struggling to compete in the ratings,” they noted. Highlighting an email that was met with wide derision for simply asking employees what they do day-to-day, another solicited answers on “how we can make CBS News the most trusted news organization in America and the world.” For a network that has consistently been in third-place for decades on its flagship morning and evening newscasts, one would think “blow it up” is necessary! Along with relitigating the first of two expected rounds of layoffs (including the Chris Livesay vs. Debora Patta hoopla), they shared the latest on possible makeovers at CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News (click “expand”): Weiss is expected to detail a more specific strategy in the coming weeks for the newsroom. But her discussions with colleagues have already given them a sense of what she wants.  One priority is a makeover of the “CBS Evening News,” the longtime third-place newscast, according to people familiar with the situation. That task involves finding a new face for the show. Anchor John Dickerson has already announced his departure and co-anchor Maurice DuBois is also expected to be replaced. (….) “CBS Mornings” is another challenge. Anchor Gayle King’s contract is up early next year and the network might look for a cheaper alternative to her roughly $15 million annual salary, a person familiar with the matter said. 

Following the gangbusters’ September jobs report that vastly eclipsed expectations, CNN hacks are now awkwardly doing the Watusi dance to try and explain around why the Trump economy isn’t the disaster they said it was. The November 20 headline from CNN Business Executive Editor David Goldman, senior economy writer Alicia Wallace, and senior reporter Matt Egan was just chef’s kiss: “Wait, I thought the economy was terrible. What happened?” The authors gruffed over how “Entering this week, the perception of America’s economy was overwhelmingly negative.” But then, CNN’s apparent hopes to bury Trumponomics once and for all backfired. After the economy pumped 119,000 jobs into the market against expectations of a mere 50,000, “and killer earnings from Nvidia and Walmart – all within the span of about 18 hours –” the authors were left questioning, “is it possible the economy is better than anyone thought?”  These three stooges of CNN’s economic coverage, who are all on record spewing out some of the dumbest crapola to smear Trump’s economic agenda this past year, could only bring themselves to eke out a worthless “It’s complicated” as their excuse. Their first objective was to throw a bunch of cold water on the September jobs report: All told, the September job growth is a welcome sign that the labor market wasn’t collapsing heading into the shutdown, but the underlying trends haven’t changed much: It’s still a low-hire, low-fire slog with job growth limited to a handful of industries, leaving few opportunities for those who want jobs. Funnily enough, CNN seems to be taking an outlier interpretation from its fellow liberal colleagues in the media. CNBC senior economics reporter Steve Liesman, who had spent Trump’s first year of his second term lambasting his economic policies, was forced to admit that “[T]his report really bolsters the case of the hawks on the FOMC who have said they do not see serious deterioration in the labor market... A robust report.” ABC News correspondent Alexis Christoforous also noted that “Heading into that historic government shutdown, the job market was healthier than we thought.”  The authors then whipped out another stupid tactic that Goldman employed in a previous propaganda item that NewsBusters ripped apart: the affordability crisis should be blamed on Trump. “President Donald Trump and his administration have been under siege after the government shutdown, benefits cuts and Democratic election sweep earlier this month exposed what many Americans have been experiencing for years: the cost of living is too high, and consumers are increasingly fed up.”  “Under siege?” What the heck does that even mean?  Apparently Goldman hasn’t learned his lesson from the other times NewsBusters called him out for his hypocrisy. He is the same person who ran this insane headline just before the presidential election October 24, 2024 to prop up Biden: “America won the war on inflation. You still think the economy stinks.” So now “affordability” matters to Goldman after he gaslit readers into believing that Americans were just too dumb to realize that Bidenomics conquered the inflation boondoggle just last year? What a joke. So what does this all mean about the current economic outlook? The authors had the answer: “Wall Street basically has no idea.” Wow, such breathtaking news (not)! Reading between the lines shows that CNN really doesn’t have any clue how to explain away why their months of doom-mongering over the Trump economy never panned out. Even Goldman went as far as comparing the stock market under Trump to the “Great Depression” as early as April, just a few months into the president’s second term.  Except the only “Great Depression” is what’s happening now in CNN’s newsrooms full of anti-Trump fanatics despairing that their disaster porn isn’t coming true. Our condolences, guys.

We all know that when it comes to the liberal media, CNN is right up there with putting a leftist stamp on many of the issues they cover. Of course Fox News Channel is nothing like CNN, we all know that, and the differences were on display for all to see on Wednesday night at 9pm ET, when Fox News's Hannity and CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins each covered the same story in very different ways.  On Tuesday, Tim Graham posted our first story on a Democrat video being ignored. He wrote, "Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) is already exploring a run for president, and apparently one way to get Democrat primary voters excited is by suggesting military personnel should rebel against President Trump and refuse to accept his orders. On Tuesday, Slotkin posted a video featuring five other congressional Democrats urging the military to resist Trump 'to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.'" He pointed out that the major TV networks did not cover this on Tuesday. ABC, CBS and NBC all skipped it on their respective nightly newscasts on Wednesday too. (Jorge Bonilla noted they picked it up Thursday night after Trump trashed the video makers for "sedition" and said sedition is punishable by death.)  On Fox News, Sean Hannity led his Wednesday show with the topic. "We begin tonight with what some are calling an attempted coup let by six Democratic lawmakers." Hannity then played a montage of Slotkin and her Dem buddies urging the military and others do disobey orders if they feel they are illegal. "This administration is pitting our uniform military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. You all swore an oath. To protect and defend this constitution. Right now. The threats to our constitution aren't just coming from abroad but right here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders."  Hannity interviewed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who pulled no punches: "I felt like I was watching a propaganda video by one of our enemies trying to recruit the military to become spies, when you see what these men and women were saying about this administration, about this President. And you ask what they did is a crime? I mean, you tell me what it is. You tell me what it is. I mean what is the value? What is the reason for saying what they said, except for to encourage members of our military, to encourage members of our intelligence community to defy a direct command from their superior, and that is wrong."  Meanwhile over on CNN, host Kaitlin Collins began her show by talking about, what else, the Epstein Files. She didn't get around to the Dem video story until 50 minutes into the show. She began by playing a short montage of the video, and then said,  "Now, that video prompted some furious reaction, not just from inside the white White House, but also from the second in command at the Department of Justice this evening." Yes, she was talking about the interview that Hannity had done minutes before on his show, She played a clip and then welcomed in one of the Dems in the video, Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. During the interview, Collins gratuitously noted that Crow got a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. "Obviously, I think is a is a good thing to remind people of." Was she attempting to legitimize his encouraging others to disobey orders? She let him cartoonishly claim that on January 6th, "I was surrounded by the mob that Donald Trump and his minions summoned to beat police officers and try to derail our Constitution." No pushback from Collins, just pathetic.    At least Collins did a segment on this outrageous issue, and a fluffy interview. Her producers watched and decided that a clip from a guest on "Hannity", the competition, was worth playing on their show, which is unusual. But the placement of that segment, and the quality of it compared to Hannity's, speaks volumes about the differences between the two shows, the two networks, and  about the success of one over the other.

Media Research Center founder and President Emeritus Brent Bozell, President Donald Trump's pick to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, advanced to the final stage of the confirmation process Thursday when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to send his nomination to the full chamber. Despite opposition by Democrats, the committee voted for Bozell to receive a final confirmation vote by the full Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority. If confirmed, Bozell will fill the post vacated by former ambassador Reuben Brigety, who resigned in January. Bozell served as president of the Media Research Center from its founding in 1987 until May of this year when he stepped down in order to answer Trump's call to serve in the administration. His son, ForAmerica President David Bozell, now leads the Media Research Center and expressed his excitement about the vote: Super excited for my father @BrentBozell, MRC's Founder and President Emeritus. This morning he was advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the full United States Senate for confirmation as United States Ambassador to South Africa. ???????? — David Bozell ?? (@DavidBozell) November 20, 2025 The final confirmation vote has yet to be scheduled, but is expected to be held before year's end. A simple majority vote, which appears likely, is required to approve the nomination.