Saturday night marked an unfathomable turn of events as, minutes after the beginning of dinner being served at the 2026 White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD), a rabid gunman began shooting and attempted to breach the room. What normally serves as the White House Correspondents Association president’s last major act became a nightmare for its current title holder, CBS senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang. But prior to and after the chaos, Jiang kept the audience and viewers abreast of the details and didn’t genuflect or overinflate the importance of this or that group in the Washington Hilton. Rather, she kept the focus on the necessity of everyone’s safety and how one person cannot dictate our lives. While we at NewsBusters never pull our punches when the elite media show us their deep-seated liberal bias on issue after issue and candidate after candidate, Jiang and many others showed their mettle Saturday as people when serious, life-altering moments happen. It seemed like a lifetime ago when, at 8:21 p.m. Eastern, Jiang took the stage for brief opening remarks, thanking the President and the First Lady for attending as well as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt “for everything you and your team does to work with us every day, whether you like it or not.” Here @WHCA President @Weijia Jiang’s full opening remarks at the start of the #WHCD: “Good evening to everyone. President Trump, Madam First Lady, on behalf of the White House Correspondents Association. Thank you for being here. It is meaningful that you are with us tonight. And… pic.twitter.com/VtuRU5PwEC — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 26, 2026 She praised the White House beat without making it seem sanctimonious, acknowledging the reality that covering President Trump is “the biggest story in the world every single day” with “the speed…exhilarating, demanding, and…offer[ing] a crucial public service.” She thanked her CBS News bosses, the WHCA board, past WHCA President Kelly O’Donnell of NBC, “the mentors and other friends who have kept me balanced this year and always, and of course, to my family” who “are my calm and I love you.” Moments later, the shooting shattered the jovial mood and, as the President admitted later, a brutal roasting of the press he had lined up. Roughly 24 minutes after the shots rang out, Jiang returned to the dais with details what had hoped to be a resumption of the evening’s proceedings: CBS's @Weijia Jiang at 858pm Eastern on the #WHCD shooting: "We have an announcement. I know everyone's going to want as many details as possible. And right now, we don't have that. But I can tell you that our program is going to resume momentarily. And we will have more details… pic.twitter.com/lbJ1EyHFYu — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 26, 2026 Jiang made her final address for the evening at 9:39 p.m. Eastern, revealing “law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, and [the President] wanted to emphasize that nobody was hurt”: CBS correspondent and @WHCA President @Weijia Jiang announcing the #WHCD will be postponed following the shooting in the lobby: “This is a room full of reporters, so I know you've already seen the President's tweet -- my apologies, his post on Truth Social. And law enforcement… pic.twitter.com/MNJA0Rj44w — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 26, 2026 Jiang then offered some levity and elicited some genuine laughter in divulging some more news: “He – the President – will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. [LAUGHTER] That is not a joke – and he insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days – [APPLAUSE] – that he wanted to do it tonight. He wanted to continue despite the news, but has to follow security protocol.” Once again, she spoke in awe of her colleagues, but definitely didn’t sound like how some other folks that frequent NewsBusters readers could probably fill in the blank with: I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are. I saw all of you reporting, and that’s what we do. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] So, thank God everybody is safe. And thank you for coming together tonight. We will do this again. Thank you. Prior to President Trump speaking in the White House Briefing Room, Jiang emotionally spoke on the phone during a CBS News Special Report about what was going through her mind when she addressed a shaken room of thousands (and millions watching elsewhere) (click “expand”): Well, what was going through my mind is my seven-year-old daughter was there, my husband was there, my parents were there. And it just is a huge reality check. And I think, you know, on a night where we all came together to celebrate the freedoms in the First Amendment, we also have to think about how fragile they are in this country because, you know, shootings and would-be shootings happen every day and it doesn't matter if it’s, you know, the White House Correspondents Dinner or anywhere else in this country. Nobody should have to feel that way. Nobody should have to feel scared to be anywhere in a public place. And that is not what this country is about, so I think that I was just pretty rattled because we were still waiting for more information and details. (….) This dinner is all about acknowledging how vital the First Amendment is to our democracy. So, every year, the Correspondents Association comes together to do that and honor award winners and scholarship recipients who want to be reporters like us. It’s also a chance for the press and the President to get together in a different context and recognize the important relationship, despite how complicated it might be. So, that’s what we were doing. And unfortunately, you know, this traumatic event unfolded and thank goodness everybody is safe. And that’s the most important thing out of all of this[.] Trump arrived at 10:33 p.m. Eastern and, following extensive remarks forcefully denouncing this attack on the press, himself, his Cabinet, and people inside the room representing every possible political ideology, let Jiang have the first question. “[W]e go to the chief. Madam Chairman, I just want to say you did a fantastic job. What a beautiful evening. And we’re going to reschedule. [APPLAUSE] And after that, it’s very tough for her to ask a killer question. Right. But you have done a fantastic job. Please,” Trump said. President Trump to @WHCA president/CBS correspondent @Weijia Jiang: “We'll do a couple, and then we go to the chief – Madam Chairman, I just want to say you did a fantastic job. What a beautiful evening. And we're going to reschedule. [APPLAUSE] And after that, it's very tough… pic.twitter.com/B5w9csVuNG — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 26, 2026 Jiang still asked a question, focusing on how this was the third time Trump has faced Secret Service agents rushing towards him: As you mentioned, it all happened so quickly and I wonder, especially because unfortunately you have experience with these sorts of threats in that moment when you realize there was a threat and Service agents were telling us to get down. Can you describe what was going through your mind, how you were feeling in that moment? Trump even praised her for the “very good question, actually,” saying “it’s always shocking when something like this happens” and even he “thought it was a tray…going down.” He later said First Lady Melania Trump “was very cognizant, I think, of what happened” and “I think she knew immediately what happened…saying, that’s a bad noise.” Before going to Fox’s Peter Doocy, Trump emphasized both he and Jiang wanted the evening to resume, but understood the security concerns. In Trump fashion, he joked he had “the most inappropriate speech ever made” if the evening had gone on without the chaos and thus “I’ll be very boring next time”: And you wanted to too – you very much wanted to continue it because I don’t like to let these sick people, these thugs, these horrible, horrible people change the fabric of our life, change the course of what we do. So, we held out. You were there. We held out right till the end. But they didn’t want to take a chance. And I understand it was protocol, but we’re going to be doing one hopefully within the next 30 days or sooner. And I am ready, willing and able. And I was all set to really rip it. And I said to my people, this would be the most inappropriate speech ever made if I said – so I’ll have to save it. I don’t know if I can ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight. I think I’m going to be probably very nice. I’ll be very boring the next time, but we’re going to have a great event. And you did a fantastic job. Thank you very much.

During Friday’s Katy Tur Reports, the eponymous MS NOW host asked American Action Forum president Douglas Holtz-Eakins if the Iran war was a ploy to put the economy “into the gutter” to get the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates if the economy was in deep hurt, something she called “cheeky” but a “serious question.” Just 15 minutes later, after she said the crazy thing, she called on the Democratic Party to be the new party of common sense. The first main discussion focused on the drop of the DOJ investigation into Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, which focused on the overrun costs of Federal Reserve construction. The move made new Fed Chair Nominee, Kevin Warsh, likely to become the new chairman after Powell leaves at the end of his term after Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) threatened put up a roadblock if the Powell investigation continued.    MS NOW's Katy Tur asks if the Iran War is a ploy by Trump to get the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. TUR: This is going to sound cheeky, but it's a serious question. Is he trying to drive the economy into the gutter in order to lower interest rates? pic.twitter.com/dKNGSxJh2h — Nick (@nspin310) April 24, 2026   After The Atlantic staff writer and MS NOW analyst Ashley Parker answer to a DOJ question, Tur turned to Holtz-Eakins to ask what she made sure to note was a “serious question”: This is going to sound cheeky, but it's a serious question. Is he trying to drive the economy into the gutter in order to lower interest rates, because the war in Iran is not doing good things for people's economic, personal prosperity? The unserious question continued: “I mean, the stock market's doing well. Yes, but people do not feel good if it keeps going this way. And oil keeps being held hostage on the streets, are we going to be in a position where interest rates will get lowered?” Holtz-Eakins’s answer completely avoided any talk of the Iran war being some sort of ploy, likely because he knew that was nowhere near the truth.   Just 15 minutes after she asked if the Iran War was a conspiracy to hurt the economy for lower interest rates, Tur called on the Democratic Party to become the party of common sense. https://t.co/QzZdvcDRZp pic.twitter.com/4uRVHQ4gqp — Nick (@nspin310) April 24, 2026   Just 15 minutes later, Parker and Lincoln Project member Stuart Stevens were panelists as Tur discussed Trump approval. Some of the panel discussions involved talk of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and how some of his ideas are insane, but others, like a push for healthy food are good and something Dems should not run away from After Parker talked about ICE, economics, and war, Tur had an idea for Democrats: “Yeah. And I wonder, Stu, if the real opportunity for a Democrat here is, or the party itself is to be the party of sanity, to be the party of common sense.” Tur continued as she listed her perfect party of common sense: Donald Trump and Republicans keep talking about common sense. Well, what about the Democrats coming in and saying, we're going to be, you know, sane about our immigration policy, both at the border and internally sane - and also not cruel. Sane about our food supply, saying about keeping Americans healthy. Sane about the economy. Sane about not going to war. Saying about what we tweet or post on Truth Social, just coming out and saying, we're going to promise you that we're going to be more - more down the middle - not down the middle necessarily, but just more sane, more common-sensical.  As she began to lose her thought, she implored to Stevens: “Take it away from me, please.” Tur ask of Democrats not to be insane was overshadowed by her stated conspiracy about the Iran war connection to the Federal Reserve and interest rates. If Tur does not want the party to be crazy, she should not say crazy things herself. The transcript is below. Click "expand": MS NOW’s Katy Tur Reports April 24, 2026 2:21:29 PM Eastern (...) KATY TUR: This is going to sound cheeky, but it's a serious question. Is he trying to drive the economy into the gutter in order to lower interest rates, because the war in Iran is not doing good things for people's economic - personal prosperity? I mean, the stock market's doing well. Yes, but people do not feel good if it keeps going this way, and oil keeps being held hostage on the Straits. Are we going to be in a position where interest rates will get lowered? (...) 2:37:20 PM Eastern TUR: Yeah. And I wonder, Stu, if the real opportunity for a Democrat here is, or the party itself is to be the party of sanity, to be the party of common sense.  Donald Trump and Republicans keep talking about common sense. Well, what about the Democrats coming in and saying, we're going to be, you know, sane about our immigration policy, both at the border and internally sane - and also not cruel. Sane about our food supply, saying about keeping Americans healthy. Sane about the economy. Sane about not going to war. Saying about what we tweet or post on Truth Social, just coming out and saying, we're going to promise you that we're going to be more - more down the middle - not down the middle necessarily, but just more sane, more common-sensical. Take it away from me. STUART STEVENS: Well, you know, back in the day when I worked for -  TUR: Take it away from me, please. (...)

This sounds like a joke. But the PBS News Hour is far softer in interviewing a spokesman for the terrorist group Hezbollah than they are with Israel, which they treat like a terrorist group. Hezbollah flack Wafiq Sada drew softballs from reporter Simona Foltyn on Tuesday, with the assumption that Israel was a malevolent force. On Thursday's News Hour, anchor Geoff Bennett pulled out rhetorical boxing gloves for Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations. Danon received the old “how many deaths are acceptable” push, like Donald Trump got during the Covid pandemic. PBS anchor Geoff Bennett rips into Israel's UN ambassador: “When Israel targets Hezbollah in dense urban areas, as was the case here, how does it determine what level of civilian casualties is considered acceptable?” And: "We know that Hezbollah does indeed embed itself in… pic.twitter.com/wVmD1SFG1R — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) April 25, 2026 The PBS host asked: “When Israel targets Hezbollah in dense urban areas, as was the case here, how does it determine what level of civilian casualties is considered acceptable?” Danon replied: “So, first, we try to minimize civilian casualties, period, unlike Hezbollah, who did exactly the opposite. They target communities.” They hide behind civilians, he said, like Hamas did in Gaza. Bennett acknowledged that, then repeated himself, but harsher: “To your point, we know that Hezbollah does indeed embed itself in civilian areas. So, how many civilian deaths per Hezbollah target is acceptable? Is it five? Is it 10? Is it 300? Or is there no ceiling at all?” PBS’s Foltyn did not ask her Hezbollah guest these questions, and even let him claim “Let us be clear and honest. Hezbollah's ethics and religion prohibits it from killing civilians.” Then it turned really feisty when Bennett relayed the claim that Israel’s targeting journalists for death in Lebanon:   PBS host Geoff Bennett is a callous JERK as he accuses Israel of targeting journalists for death. "What military objective is served by killing reporters?" Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon calls that not just a lie, but a "blood libel," which triggers Bennett into more snide… pic.twitter.com/IVyD9GyhFN — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) April 25, 2026 BENNETT: The Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed yesterday in an Israeli strike. Lebanon's prime minister responded by saying that Israel's targeting of journalists -- and this is a quote -- "is no longer isolated incidents, but has become an established approach." The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented a pattern of journalists killed by Israeli strikes. What military objective is served by killing reporters? DANON: Well, I beg to differ about your question. It's biased. With all due respect, we are not targeting reporters, period. Unfortunately, if you have reporters who are next to Hezbollah terrorists or Hezbollah bunkers or Hezbollah launchers, those incidents happen, and we regret that. But to accuse Israel that we target reporters, you know, that's a blood libel! You know, what are you actually implying, that we gather intelligence -- BENNETT:  Excuse me, sir. Excuse me -- DANON: -- that we gather intelligence -- BENNETT:  I take issue. I take issue. I take issue with that, sir. DANON:  -- and we actually want to kill reporters, and not to kill terrorists of Hezbollah? BENNETT: You say that Israel does not target journalists. Amal Khalil is dead. CPJ has documented a growing pattern of targeted Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where 15 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel since the October 7 attacks. Your government continues to state that Israel does not target journalists. But my question is simple. At what number of dead journalists does that answer become one that the international community can no longer accept? At this point, Bennett is berating the guest as part of an immoral conspiracy to murder journalists. How do you remain calm and civil under this kind of assault? And how does PBS think they are some oasis of calm and rational discourse with this kind of junk? PBS president Paula Kerger goes around calling their network "educating and inspiring," and bringing the country together. What baloney.  Danon remains calm, but indignant, and Bennett keeps aggressively pushing:  DANON: Geoff, it's outrageous. When you say we target journalists, you imply that we have the intention to kill journalists, and that's a lie. You should ask the other questions. Where were those journalists during the time of the attack? Where they were spending their time? Maybe they were next to Hezbollah terrorists, and that's why they were in line of fire, unfortunately. BENNETT: Do you know that to be true? Do you know that to be true? DANON:  I will tell you one thing. BENNETT: Do you know that to be true, sir? DANON: We will focus our efforts -- BENNETT:  I’ll take that as a no. DANON:  -- our abilities, our intelligence, targeting Hezbollah terrorists, period. We are not doing it against civilians and for sure not against reporters. Bennett thanked Danon after all that abuse, and Danon returned the thank you. I think I would have had a different farewell message. "I hope you know you sound like you work for Hezbollah."

MS NOW’s Chris Hayes welcomed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a special town hall edition of All In on Friday to celebrate his first 100 days in office. According to Hayes, all of the worries about Mamdani have been shown to be hysterical, but it helped that he simply declined to mention some of Mamdani’s more radical moments. Hayes began his introduction by gushing, “This was the front page of The New York Post the day Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City. ‘The Red Apple,’ they're good at that. The culmination of one of the most improbable political stories of the Trump age, a grassroots, progressive campaign like no one had ever seen before, with more opposition from Republicans, from a Democratic political dynasty, from the president, from the media that we'd ever seen.”   Chris Hayes did a townhall with Zohran Mamdani yesterday and suggested all the concerns about him are overblown, "The city has not fallen into communism just yet." His first question wasn't much better, "What's the biggest thing you've learned? The biggest realization you've had… pic.twitter.com/OjnMFkXBU5 — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 25, 2026   It helped that the Democratic dynasty was running an alleged sexual harasser who previously put elderly COVID patients in nursing homes, but Hayes rolled right along, “And he won with a laser focus on a core message of making it more affordable for the people who live here. It's been a little over 100 days. The city has not fallen into communism just yet, but he does have a job to do.” After Hayes previewed the evening’s format and introduced Mamdani, he began with a softball, “You know, you were an assembly member, just like the last time, maybe the last time I saw you, actually, and just a few months ago. It's a very different job than this job. What's the biggest thing you've learned? The biggest realization you've had actually being in that position?” Mamdani professed that if he wants to be able to enact his agenda, “That trust starts when you fill in those potholes, because you can't tell someone to trust city government and its ability to deliver free childcare for two-year-olds for the first time in its history, if they can look out the window and see the same pothole unfilled as it was the day before, the week before, the month before, the year before. And so at the same time that we've been pursuing this agenda that would transform the lives of New Yorkers delivering a pathway to universal child care on day eight.” Patting himself on the back, he added, “We've also filled in 102,000 potholes in that same 100-day period. We started to repave more than a thousand miles of roadway. And all of this comes back from a belief that there's no problem too big, no task too small. And we call this pothole politics.” New York City’s surge in pothole repair is almost certainly due to an increase in potholes after the city’s nasty winter and not anything Mamdani’s done differently than his predecessors. However, that question set the tone for the evening. One self-identifying Republican asked how he could trust that all the taxes he has to pay will be worth it, while a small grocery store owner asked why he put one of his government-run stores “right around the corner” if they were meant to deal with food deserts, but those were just two questions over the course of an hour. Mamdani never had to answer for his insane death tax proposal, while Hayes’s earlier comment about not falling into communism “yet” is of little comfort considering that so many of his other tax schemes are still in the proposal stage. One of the biggest concerns about Mamdani was his record on anti-Semitism. Since being elected, Mamdani has condemned both sides after an anti-Semitic mob gathered in front of a synagogue that he alleged violated international law by having B’Nefesh promote immigration to Israel, which is both not true and not how the First Amendment works. He also dined with terrorist supporter Mahmoud Khalil. Neither Hayes nor anyone else cared to ask about that. Here is a transcript for the April 24 show: MS NOW All In With Chris Hayes: All In America: Mayor Mamdani 4/24/2026 8:02 PM ET CHRIS HAYES: This was the front page of The New York Post the day Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City. “The Red Apple,” they're good at that. The culmination of one of the most improbable political stories of the Trump age, a grassroots, progressive campaign like no one had ever seen before, with more opposition from Republicans, from a Democratic political dynasty, from the president, from the media that we'd ever seen. And he won with a laser focus on a core message of making it more affordable for the people who live here. It's been a little over 100 days. The city has not fallen into communism just yet, but he does have a job to do. We've invited an audience of New Yorkers to join us here, some of whom voted for this mayor, some who didn't. Some are supportive of his policies and others are not. But this is New York, so no one is ever going to be shy about sharing an opinion. And the mayor isn't shy about hearing that. Let's welcome now Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Good to see you, Mr. Mayor. ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Thank you for having me. I wore a suit, so I can match your energy. Thank you. HAYES: You know, you were an assembly member, just like the last time, maybe the last time I saw you, actually, and just a few months ago. It's a very different job than this job. What's the biggest thing you've learned? The biggest realization you've had actually being in that position? MAMDANI: You know, I think the biggest thing, first and foremost, is that New Yorkers trust, for all of the big ideas that we have about delivering universal child care, about making the most expensive city in America affordable for working class people who help keep it running. That trust starts when you fill in those potholes, because you can't tell someone to trust city government and its ability to deliver free childcare for two–year-olds for the first time in its history, if they can look out the window and see the same pothole unfilled as it was the day before, the week before, the month before, the year before. And so at the same time that we've been pursuing this agenda that would transform the lives of New Yorkers delivering a pathway to universal child care on day eight. We've also filled in 102,000 potholes in that same 100-day period. We started to repave more than a thousand miles of roadway. And all of this comes back from a belief that there's no problem too big, no task too small. And we call this pothole politics.

How liberal psych ward MS NOW can seriously bet against the U.S. economy in a war with an already decapitated and floundering Iranian regime is a whole new level of brain hurt. MS NOW reporters Julia Jester — talk about an ironic last name — and David Rohde couldn’t help making themselves look utterly foolish with their April 24 headline, “Trump vowed to break Iran. His own economy may break first.” As Jester and Rohde teased, “A race is on to see whose economy breaks first in the war with Iran.” Really, is that why CNBC just reported Thursday that the Iranian economy is currently in “freefall” with inflation projected to hit 68.9 percent on the year? As for the U.S. economy, economist Stephen Slifer praised its “resilience.” This is like watching the 100-meter dash then wondering who’s going to win after Usain Bolt already blazed across the finish line and left his opponents in the dust. The S&P 500 stock index also notched a new record April 24, adding $7.6 trillion in market cap and reflecting a 13.3 percent increase from its low on March 30, according to The Kobeissi Letter. The Nasdaq Composite also hit a fresh all-time high. But if you were reading Jester and Rohde’s anti-Trump drivel, readers would be misled to think that Iran still held all the cards: Who blinks first in the standoff could determine whether the eight-week war ends soon or escalates into something worse. It is a new stage of a conflict that points to prolonged pain for Iranians, Americans and a global economy that is being starved of critical energy supplies. Oppenheimer Asset Management Chief Strategist John Stoltzfus joined CNBC the day Jester and Rohde’s propaganda was published to emphasize the “resilience of the U.S. economy” and how corporate earnings were significantly buoying U.S. markets despite the ongoing Middle East conflict. But in Jester and Rohde’s world, “Iran has the clear advantage when it comes to enduring economic pain, most experts on the global oil trade and Iran’s economy told MS NOW.” Alexa, define “clear advantage.” Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Fellow Miad Maleki recently explained to Fox News Digital that Iran may dry up its “oil storage in as little as two to three weeks, forcing production cuts, while gasoline shortages could hit on a similar timeline due to heavy reliance on imports.” Specifically, Fox News reported, “Combined with an estimated $435 million in daily economic losses, the pressure could spill into the financial system, leaving the regime struggling to pay salaries and raising the risk of renewed unrest.” What kind of “clear advantage” is that, Jester and Rohde?  Rohde has already made a name for himself by foolishly propping up the Iranian war effort as being on par with U.S. military strategy. On April 2, Rohde scare mongered in an X post that “If Iran gains long-term control of the Strait of Hormuz, it will be more powerful than it was before the U.S. and Israel attacked it, oil analyst warns.⁦” If Iran gains long-term control of the Strait of Hormuz, it will be more powerful than it was before the U.S. and Israel attacked it, oil analyst warns.⁦ TY @IanJSherwood https://t.co/WzX3gSfsEX — David Rohde (@RohdeD) April 3, 2026 But on the flip side, Rohde himself attempted to dismiss the threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities as fake news after Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that the Islamist regime was boasting that it was capable of making 11 bombs. “People who were present during the negotiations said that never happened, that the Iranians never made that statement,” Rohde snorted during the March 4 edition of MS Now’s Ana Cabrera Reports. Rohde would end up getting embarrassed just two hours after his appearance when the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi ended up confirming key details of Witkoff’s report. MS NOW, whether it's on TV or the internet, is always there to try and rip Trump apart, no matter how much sense it makes.