How bitterly angry is National Public Radio after it was defunded by President Trump and congressional Republicans? Defunding NPR equals pulling the plug on freedom of speech! Never mind that conservative expression was routinely ignored or squelched on NPR. The headline was “How President Trump has challenged a constitutional foundation -- Here's how Trump has reshaped the country and eroded democratic norms” -- a story that required no less than 19 staffers to report out, but the byline was "NPR Staff." It began: In his first year back in the White House, President Trump has presided over a sweeping expansion of executive power while eroding democratic norms. Many scholars of democracy say that these moves are unprecedented in U.S. history and that Trump has pushed the United States toward authoritarianism. The story was divided into several alleged areas of atrocity committed by the Trump Administration, including “Checks and Balances” and “Rule of Law,” with perhaps the most ridiculous the section labeled “Freedom of Speech and Expression.” It includes such non-censorious things, but apparently Trump "pushing his views" on the federal government, like rooting out DEI ideology, is authoritarian. Democrats can force that ideology into the government -- as if that's not an attempt to "control and change information" -- and Republicans can never reverse it. Trump has targeted freedom of speech, attempting to control and change information — often with misinformation and falsehoods — to push his views into the media, higher education, national museums and the arts. He has intimidated major news outlets, defunded public media and made it increasingly difficult for journalists to report on his government, even threatening to jail reporters who won't identify government sources. The Trump administration has sought to erase parts of American history in the nation's museums, and the State Department was instructed to reject visa applications due to some applicants' alleged roles in "censorship." Then came a set of text boxes listing various, supposedly related issues, most of which were not actually “freedom of speech” related. The first seven items in NPR's 11-item list simply aren’t examples of the federal government squelching free speech or expression. Some are simply denying taxpayer funding to biased sources of news; banning taxpayer funding for discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion programs; denying the privilege of being educated in our country to America- and Israel-haters. PUBLIC MEDIA ATTACKS Trump successfully pressured the Republican-led Congress to take back all $1.1 billion it had approved in subsidies for public broadcasting.  KENNEDY CENTER Trump took over the Kennedy Center, purged longtime staff and Democratic-appointed board members, installed loyalists in top leadership roles and renamed it after himself, adding his name above John F. Kennedy’s on the building — causing legal and public backlash — and major artists canceled future performances in protest of the takeover.    PRIVACY LAWS  The U.S. has imposed visa bans on European individuals accused of leading “censorship” efforts against American tech companies. The EU regards these as retaliatory moves against their stricter internet regulations.  Wait a minute! The Europeans are putting people in jail for tweets they don't like, and Trump is ending "freedom of speech" by objecting?? It continued:  VISA POLICIES The Trump administration has changed U.S. visa policies as they relate to the Israel-Hamas war, considering an applicant’s views on the Palestinian cause and involvement in pro-Palestinian activism, which has led to some visa denials and revocations. DEI In January 2025, Trump issued two executive orders to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government, leaving critics concerned over the government’s role in and commitment to civil rights. Agencies took down websites featuring the accomplishments of people of color, placed employees on leave and, eventually, closed DEI offices. SMITHSONIAN In August 2025, the Trump administration, in an unprecedented move, ordered a sweeping review of Smithsonian Institution content. It changed exhibits and called out works addressing race, immigration and sexuality, fueling fears of political interference in the arts. ACADEMIC FREEDOM Trump targeted academic freedom, demanding that colleges and universities conform to his views on DEI. He demanded detailed racial/gender data on admissions and froze billions of dollars in research grants that he says do not align with his policies. Multimillion-dollar settlements were reached with some that agreed to make changes. Shoddy, biased "reporting" like this reminds us what a good thing it was for NPR to lose its taxpayer funding.

On Monday’s CNN This Morning, CNN Guest and WIRED contributor Garrett Graff praised Minnesota protestors for supposedly being non-violent and said viral videos only showed federal law enforcement being violent. In reality, many other videos have shown protesters being violent, including a riot outside a hotel where federal law enforcement was staying on Sunday night into Monday morning. The segment was a part of CNN ‘Breaking News’ coverage pertaining to the shooting of Alex Pretti and the following unrest. Host Audie Cornish introduced a clip of FBI Director Kash Patel that talked about the need to “quell these riots” amid a trend across the country of “protests turning into violent scenarios and people attacking law enforcement.” Cornish seemed skeptical of Patel’s claims and noted the term “quell riots” stood out to her. Graff responded to Cornish by claiming the Trump Administration hoped to provoke more incidents:  Yeah, absolutely. And I think what you're seeing is this narrative out of DHS, out of the White House, out of the Trump Administration that says that these are cities that are out of control and that - that they're trying to provoke the types of language and incidents that would allow them to turn to the Insurrection Act.   Ignoring the riots in Minneapolis overnight, CNN and WIRED contributor Garrett Graff claims every video from the city shows "only" federal law enforcement "commits all the violence": "And the thing that really strikes me is that at virtually every scene that you can find online… pic.twitter.com/yLgxJFKjQB — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 26, 2026   Graff continued and claimed all Minnesota protests had been peaceful:  And the thing that really strikes me is that at virtually every scene that you can find online in these viral videos, the violence is being done only by the ICE and CBP officers. So, they sort of show up in a peaceful situation and commit all of the violence.  And I think that that's exactly what we saw with the shooting on Saturday, that this was a confrontation that federal officers began, and then in mere seconds, escalated into deadly force.” After Graff’s comments, Cornish asked if protestors were on their own and state leaders were not doing enough due to “fear of the administration.” Graff pushed back and commended ‘courageous’ individuals: I think, actually, Audie, it's not right to say that they're on their own. Because what is so remarkable to me about Minnesota and so many of the other communities where this has happened is how courageous the individual citizens have been. (...) You know, you saw the mass protests in Minneapolis on Friday, unlike anything we have ever seen in a major American city in modern times. And I think many Americans are looking at this and saying that the courage of Minnesotans is contagious across the country. Graff’s comments are out of touch with reality, especially when there are video and photo examples of violence. This includes riots outside hotels with federal law enforcement, an officer having their finger bitten off, and many others scene of violence.    NOW: Hotel tries to barricade front entrance as Anti-ICE Protesters throw snowballs and light fireworks. One person rips the placard off the hotel with a shovel pic.twitter.com/agh7F14Mjn — Oliya Scootercaster

On Monday, PolitiFact’s Maria Briceno and Amy Sherman teamed up to give President Trump and other critics of the Minneapolis unrest a “false” rating for their true claims that at least some of the agitators are paid. This was despite Briceno and Sherman writing in the “if your time is short” section, “Although it’s common for professional community organizers to be involved in protests, reporting by multiple news outlets, statements from people on the ground and experts’ observations show thousands of Minnesotans have been voluntarily protesting” and “Experts in social and political movements told us the majority of protesters aren’t paid, but it’s a common talking point aimed at dismissing the legitimacy of grassroots activism and criticism of the government.” In other words, Briceno and Sherman acknowledge the existence of paid protestors but choose to not factor that into their ranking. At the end of their piece, Briceno and Sherman return to the point, “Minnesotans have been protesting immigration agents in their communities for weeks. Some professional community organizers are involved in the protests but evidence shows a large volunteer protest movement in the Twin Cities. The accusation that protesters are ‘paid’ is a frequent talking point to dismiss the legitimacy of grassroots activism and criticism of the government.” They conclude by warning, “The social media posts we found that claimed to show evidence of paid protesters were either AI-generated, recycled conspiracy theories or unsubstantiated.” The problem for Briceno and Sherman is that they want to pretend that the community organizers they seek to downplay are simply organizing and leading marches of concerned citizens and handing out signs. However, in their 1,400+ word article, they never once mention the St. Paul church storming that led to the eventual arrests of Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly. In 2024, the Wayfinder Foundation paid Armstrong over $250,000, and in 2023, it paid Allen over $140,000. Furthermore, the so-called ICE watchers have gained plenty of media attention, and while most may be volunteers, they still had to be trained by a professional. PolitiFact can try to ignore how the Minneapolis unrest isn’t just a bunch of ordinary people upset at ICE, but in doing so they prove that their “false” ratings should be taken with a pound of salt.  

On Tuesday’s Good Morning America, ABC correspondent Trevor Ault predicted a dangerous future for Minneapolis and suggested more fatal shootings will take place because “more demonstrators” against removing illegal immigrants will “bring weapons” like firearms to confront federal law enforcement and “defend themselves” against those “who could shoot them.” In essence, Ault predicts more deadly confrontations in the Twin Cities, which could lead to what the anti-ICE mob might view as justified killings of federal officials. Here were Ault’s comments in full: ABC's Trevor Ault predicts more Minneapolis protesters will start bringing guns to their confrontations with CBP and ICE and possible use against the agents, claiming fear of their safety... "I mean, anger is the absolutely main emotion that we are seeing, George. They feel like… pic.twitter.com/ztjzwzKoGA — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2026 Earlier in his report, Ault conceded there was hooliganism on the left (although he wouldn’t classify them in any derogatory manner or convey their actions were wrong): After ducking it all day Monday, ABC's Trevor Ault admits on Tuesday's 'Good Morning America' that "a crowd" (read: a mob) has been storming hotels they believe CBP and ICE have been staying pic.twitter.com/wyqKdT3EiO — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2026 He also engaged in predictable moral blackmail against those in favor of immigration enforcement: Notice how ABC would NEVER spill this much airtime (let alone any) for the Angel Moms out there who lost children to illegal immigrant crime White liberals melting down is actual white privilege! pic.twitter.com/4IDDfCyh8u — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2026 Ault had plenty of help from his ABC colleagues. Co-host and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos huffed “the backlash to the Trump administration’s false statements about” Pretti was “grow[ing].” In contrast, NBC’s Today had balance like this from correspondent Morgan Chesky: Once again, NBC's Morgan Chesky brought up -- this time, on Tuesday's 'Today' -- the late-night hooliganism from rioters causing chaos in Minneapolis and attacking another hotel pic.twitter.com/zWG6mwzAES — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2026 Senior White House correspondent Garrett Haake left something out though from his story about a possible government shutdown with Democrats refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security: NBC's Garrett Haake talking about a government shutdown over DHS funding as though Democrats can stop immigration enforcement funding, IGNORING the fact that ICE is already funded thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill through 2029 pic.twitter.com/M8eKOXl8Sn — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2026  

The liberal media that had forever denounced the Second Amendment and had worked hard to chip away at our freedom to keep and bear arms, had obtained a new respect for it as they expressed overt desires for firearms be used against the Trump administration. On Monday, the same day that ABC’s The View wanted to justify bringing guns to confront ICE, CNN host Kasie Hunt used her show The Arena to make the case that what we were seeing in the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota was the kind of “tyranny” the Second Amendment was meant for. Hunt set the tone for how she was going to exploit the death of liberal anti-ICE agitator Alex Pretti. It was clear that Hunt was acting as an activist as she demanded people not look away from an image she was gratuitously flaunting of Pretti the moment before he was shot to death; complete with a theatric tone of voice and dramatic pauses: So, we're going to show you an image of that moment. And again, I'm warning you, I keep warning you, it's disturbing because it is incredibly hard to look at. Though, I will also say that for Alex and for all of us, none of us should look away. So, this is Alex Pretti, a nurse who took care of our veterans who had been helping a woman up off the ground. He's on his knees in the street, seemingly disarmed, a gun aimed at his back, one shot already fired, about to be shot as many as nine times by federal agents [pause] in America. [Pause] In America. Note that the dramatic pauses were meant to suggest that something unthinkable from a despotic regime was happening “[pause] in America. [Pause] In America” like never before. CNN was no stranger to theatrics. During the defamation trial they lost last year, video evidence surfaced of now-former CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt faking a call with Navy veteran Zachary Young and declaring “theater!” after they were done filming. Hunt thought she was being cute when, later in the show, she quoted a tweet from late conservative activist Charlie Kirk about the purpose of the Second Amendment; being meant for a nightmare scenario where the federal government turned on its people. She followed the quote by pointing to Minneapolis as fitting that description: I want to bring back a tweet from Charlie Kirk in 2018. He says this, “The Second Amendment is not for hunting. It is not for self-protection. It is there to ensure that free people can defend themselves if, God forbid, government became tyrannical and turned against its citizens.” And I think a lot of people are pointing to this because, I mean, what we saw in the streets!   CNN's Kasie Hunt suggests people should be pointing guns at the Trump administration because it has become "tyrannical" citing "what we saw on the streets" of Minneapolis: "I want to bring back a tweet from Charlie Kirk in 2018. He says this, 'The Second Amendment is not for… pic.twitter.com/qZq6Z2qnTu — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 26, 2026   The conversation on CNN would touch on the Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting that involved Kyle Rittenhouse. They were suggesting the existence of a hypocrisy on the right by falsely claiming he brought guns to a “protest.” No, Rittenhouse and others brought firearms to private property to protect it from violent riots that had been terrorizing the city after local authorities refused to protect people. Additionally, Rittenhouse fired in self-defense against other citizens, not a government. Another example used by liberals in their attempts at a gotcha argument was the 2020 incident involving Patricia and Mark McCloskey in St. Louis, Missouri. Leftist in the media had claimed the married couple brought guns to a “protest.” Again, no. The McCloskeys stood with firearms on their own property after leftist rioters broke into a private community to accost the residents. Between ABC, CNN, and the liberals online that they were parroting, the left was playing with a fire that they didn’t understand, but with a dangerous intent. Hunt’s comment could fill a similarly ignorant and delusional liberal with the confidence to do something inadvisable, putting themselves and others in a bad situation that they would likely lose in a tragic fashion. Especially at a time when several leftist extremists had already tried to kill several conservatives. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s The Arena January 26, 2026 4:05:50 p.m. Eastern (…) KASIE HUNT: So, we're going to show you an image of that moment. And again, I'm warning you, I keep warning you, it's disturbing because it is incredibly hard to look at. Though, I will also say that for Alex and for all of us, none of us should look away. So, this is Alex Pretti, a nurse who took care of our veterans who had been helping a woman up off the ground. He's on his knees in the street, seemingly disarmed, a gun aimed at his back, one shot already fired, about to be shot as many as nine times by federal agents [pause] in America. [Pause] In America. (…) 4:39:27 p.m. Eastern HUNT: I want to bring back a tweet from Charlie Kirk in 2018. He says this, “The Second Amendment is not for hunting. It is not for self-protection. It is there to ensure that free people can defend themselves if, God forbid, government became tyrannical and turned against its citizens.” And I think a lot of people are pointing to this because, I mean, what we saw in the streets! (…)