On Saturday night, less than 24 hours after the United States and Israel launched attacks inside Iran, as the men and women of our military were facing the dangers associated with those ongoing missions, as well as retaliatory missile attacks from Iran aimed at our military bases throughout he Middle East, the twisted minds at NBC's Saturday Night Live decided it would be a great time to attempt to mock our Commander-In-Chief President Trump, and Pete Hegseth, our Secretary of War.  The attack began immediately, during the cold open, with a voiceover reading of what was flashed on the screen. "Last evening at the very normal time of two in the morning, President Trump informed the nation that we were at war with Iran. And now with some further thoughts, President Trump." Does NBC think secret attacks should happen at 9 am? Next James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump character took the stage, and under the cover of comedy, gave us exactly what you might expect. FAKE TRUMP: Good evening and happy World War III to all who celebrate... It's me, Donald Trump, FIFA Peace Prize winner and Nobel Peace Prize taker... I launched this attack after me and my Board of Peace decided that we were bored of peace... As we all know, Iran has been two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon for like the last 15 years or something. So we had to act now. And we're doing war. War! What is it good for? Distracting from the Epstein files!..  Every Democrat and their affiliated comedians are making Epstein-files wisecracks. They didn't joke when President Clinton went to war in Bosnia right after the Lewinsky impeachment faded away. Clearly, the NBC crew doesn't think about all our service members putting their lives on the line. It's all a joke, and it continued:  FAKE TRUMP: To all my MAGA voters who are upset and saying, this is not what I voted for. Well, you did. Don't you know who I am? I'm me.. Even I don't know what I'm going to do next... People are asking, why attack Iran now? We had to strike in the early hours of Saturday, which has two advantages militarily. One, it's after the stock market closes for the weekend. And two, it's to cause immeasurable fear, rage and chaos in the SNL writers room.... If you thought that was beyond the pale, it was about to get worse. The Trump character brought on their fake-news anchor Colin Jost, badly playing Secretary Hegseth with this line, "..Here's the man I'm going to blame it on when it doesn't work. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth!" When it doesn't work? Again, while our troops were fighting. Jost came out  angry and drinking from a canned beverage. FAKE HEGSETH: All right, cut the track, cut the track!  And relax, this is a Four Loko non-alch (alchohol)  What's up, dill weeds? As you probably heard, "Operation Epic Fury" is under way. And as you could tell from the veins of my neck, I'm pumped! .. They asked for someone to volunteer to oversee this half-baked operation, and I didn't walk, I ran... Trashing the military operation as "half baked"? I guess it wouldn't have mattered if they had seen Trump's Truth Social post the night before. But the worst was yet to come. FAKE PETE: But don't let my confident demeanor fool you, I am scared and I don't know what I'm doing. When he said we were going to blow up the leader of Iran, I thought he was kidding. And now all day long I've been hearing people saying, why did we do this? What's the reason for this war? Oh, yeah, I actually have the reason right here. It's under my chin, let me get it for you. (gives chin flick) Goodfellas..." Then the Trump Character reappeared for this not so veiled, borderline dangerous "joke".  FAKE HEGSETH: Bottom line, all of you should be thanking us. We took out a horrendous, horrible leader who was oppressing his own people -- FAKE TRUMP: But don't get any ideas... Irresponsible to say the least, considering the fears of possible Iran reprisals on U.S. soil, and the recent assassination attempts on Trump. Later on the show's Weekend Update segment, Jost and Michael Che played a clip of Trump from 2011, fearing that Obama would start a war with Iran. Che then weighed in with, "Detractors on CNN are saying that Trump had no authorization for this war. But he actually did. Netanyahu said it was okay. I can't believe our leader can just attack Iran with no vote, no permission from Congress, or anything. I mean what is this Iran?" This is not the first time Che has made controversial remarks about Israel, but last Saturday, all of SNL's attacks on our current war effort were simply inexcusable.

Operation Epic Fury is further exposing many of the structural biases inherent to the Elitist Media. On ABC’s This Week, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) called host George Stephanopoulos out for platforming the Iranian foreign minister and allowing him to spin. Watch as Lankford subtly calls Stephanopoulos out: WATCH: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) ENDS ABC's George Stephanopoulos for platforming the Iranian FM and mostly allowing him to spew propaganda GERGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And we are back now with Republican senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. Senator, thank you for joining us this… pic.twitter.com/zaLl05lH0n — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 1, 2026 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And we are back now with Republican senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. Senator, thank you for joining us this morning you just heard the Iranian foreign minister. He said this attack was unprovoked. How do you respond? JAMES LANKFORD: Yeah, I would hope that Iranian TV is carrying Marco Rubio today, the same as you all just carried the Iranian foreign minister today. We certainly have been provoked on this. this. Just a year ago, we had over 180 attacks from Iran on Americans, either through their proxies or directly from Iran. They continue to be able to fund the attack of ships off the coast of Yemen. Obviously, there are they're funding Hezbollah, the Shia militants. They have continued to be able to attack us now for decades, and that is accelerated. So just because we have blocked their attacks doesn't mean they're not attacking us.  So this becomes the situation where you're shooting at a police officer and telling him you can't fire back unless they hit you. We've continued to be able to block them, find ways to be able to prevent their attacks but they have certainly been attacking us. We ended their nuclear program and they said, we're going to start all over again because they are determined to have a nuclear weapon. And so this is the moment to be able to say, you're going to stop attacking American citizens and you're not going to have a nuclear weapon. Lankford has a point there. Stephanopoulos’ interview of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was a textbook softball interview. And there is zero expectation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will receive the same courtesy from the Khomeinist regime media. There was no moment in the interview in which the viewer felt that Stephanopoulos was pressing hard for answers. In reality, the interview was not much different than what you might see from a Democrat appearing on the show. Semi-soft questions with minimal followup and plenty of time to pontificate in between.  Truth be told, the treatment Araghchi got at ABC was no different than that of the rest of the Elitist Media. And that raises some eyebrows.  One does not recall Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov getting a full or near-full Ginsburg at the outset of the Ukraine conflict. Why does Araghchi? Both are considered the representatives of adversaries to the United States. Could the media’s collective Trump derangement be the difference here? Is Iran the “sympathetic” party this time around because Trump is pushing the launch buttons? Would things be (D)ifferent if it were President Kamala Harris? It sure seems that way.  

A hot mic moment during a live feed of protests, both against and in support of the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, gives us a rare inside glimpse into the political inner workings of a newsroom. In the process, we watched a reporter resist those pressures and…well…report.  Watch as CBS Austin’s Vinny Martorano is told to deemphasize the rally in support of Operation Epic Fury, which he then refuses to do before going live: WATCH: In a Facebook Live stream, Sinclair-owned CBS Austin multimedia journalist @VinnyMartorano refuses his bosses' order to spin and downplay the rally in support of the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. In the video, Martorano is seemingly practicing for a live shot and noting… pic.twitter.com/iHiTCAxehe — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 1, 2026 CREW MEMBER: [Hands Vinny Martorano a phone, likely shows him a text message] VINNY MARTORANO: What does that mean? CREW MEMBER: It means they don't want us to focus on this. MARTORANO: All right. Well, I am. RALLY CHANTS: Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi! (...) MARTORANO (going live): All right. There are a lot of mixed opinions across Austin about the joint attack between the United States and Israel against Iran that happened earlier this morning. Some people like this group behind me are thanking Trump and the United States government for following through with this attack against Iran, while other people across the city say there needs to be more peace in the Middle East.  Martorano defied the command to deemphasize the pro-Epic Fury protest and provided a balanced report from the Texas Capitol. Some were in support of the bombing campaign, some against.  This entire scenario begs the question: how, exactly, was Martorano supposed to downplay the very loud Persian-Americans waving their Lion-and-Sun flags and chanting “THANK YOU BIBI, THANK YOU TRUMP?” How was he supposed to deemphasize the very newsworthy event happening in his immediate vicinity? Better yet: why? The answer to this question comes, again, via Martorano’s reporting. He was at the Capitol to cover a protest in opposition to the strike, a brief video of which which he posted on X: A group of people are protesting at the state capitol against the US’s recent attack in Iran this morning, saying there needs to be peace worldwide wide.@cbsaustin pic.twitter.com/V6924INXRw — Vinny Martorano (@VinnyMartorano) February 28, 2026 A quick inventory of the flags at the protest includes those of: the American communist Party, Cuba, The United States of America, China, Russia, Mexico, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and North Korea. Martorano then posted a brief video of the counterprotest he was told to deemphasize: “Thank you Trump” A large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol are celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning. Some people I spoke with moved to Austin from Iran.@cbsaustin pic.twitter.com/y7frrIrcPy — Vinny Martorano (@VinnyMartorano) February 28, 2026 There was no legitimate reason to deemphasize the celebrations of Operation Epic Fury by those who suffered under the Khomeinist regime, except that it may inadvertently cast President Donald Trump in a favorable light. Martorano, to his credit, rejected the politics and stuck to reporting- a valuable lesson for the news media as a whole.  

When the United States is engaging her enemies, you can always count on her media to parrot enemy propaganda. ABC’s This Week twice cited Khomeinist regime media and unthinkingly echoed its attribution of a school impact to the United States and Israel within its recap of Operation Epic Fury.  The first mention does not directly implicate the United States in the bombing of the school, but nonetheless leaves little to the imagination: 24+ hours after the start of Operation Epic Fury, and ABC News is still pushing the Bombed School Hoax, citing regime media as an authoritative source. pic.twitter.com/GrdfGRuXnQ — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 1, 2026 IAN PANNELL: The mission, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” launched in broad daylight, targeting at least nine Iranian cities and rocking the nation of over 90 million people. Screams of terror as cars and buildings engulfed in flames. One strike hitting an elementary school and killing over 100 people, according to Iranian state media. It is when correspondent Ian Pannell wraps up his live hit that he directly accuses the United States and Israel of bombing the school in Minab, which killed around 150 persons.  WATCH: ABC's Ian Pannell, with no evidence other than Khomeinist regime media reporting, blames the U.S. and Israel for the deadly accidental strike on a school. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And Ian, some Iranian retaliatory strikes have landed in Israel? IAN PANNELL: Yeah, that's… pic.twitter.com/AHnzb4nd5Q — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 1, 2026 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Ian, some Iranian retaliatory strikes have landed in Israel? PANNELL: Yes, that’s right, devastating strike today that landed just outside of Jerusalem in the Beit Shemesh area. Emergency responders are on the scene. They’ve been trying to reach people who were trapped in the debris. They’re saying that eight people have been killed, and that something in the region of around thirty people have been injured.  And I think those numbers are likely to rise. And the death toll from that U.S.-Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Iran, now at least 148. I think, a key reminder for all of us, that this war has very real, very deadly consequences, and often for innocent people. George. After the first mention of the school strike, there was a passing mention of U.S. Central Command stating that they are investigating the strike and affirming that they would never deliberately target a school in this manner, However, there was no such clarifier after the second mention of the school strike. There was no mention whatsoever of Israeli denials of targeting the school. Likewise, there was no mention of reporting that points to the possibility of an Iranian missile misfire. The school in question sits about 650 yards from an IRGC naval base and a misfire is well within the realm of possibility given that the same thing often happened in Gaza. Likewise, these misfires were often blamed on Israel. With so much going on in the early fog of war, there will often be a need to correct early reporting. This is why it is reckless to report with nonexistent certainty that the U.S. and Israel hit the school in Minab, especially when citing the Iranian regime media as a source. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, March 1st, 2026: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to address it all this morning with our ABC News team across the globe. Chief foreign correspondent Ian Pannell starts us off from Tel Aviv. Good morning. Ian. IAN PANNELL: Yes, good morning, George. After killing Iran’s supreme leader yesterday, Israel and the U.S. have continued to hammer Iran with growing deaths both inside Iran and elsewhere in this region. And astonishing, new details now emerging of the first moments of that operation. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PANNELL: This morning, day two of war with Iran, with the U.S. and Israel again striking across the country. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard promising the most intense offensive operation ever, targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Overnight, President Trump responding, saying, “They better not do that. However, because if they do, we’ll hit them with a force that’s never been seen before.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing revenge for the ayatollah’s killing, confirmed by Iranian state TV Saturday night, saying the supreme leader was carrying out his assigned duties in his workplace when he was killed. Across Iran on Sunday, mourners seen gathering to honor Khamenei, as other videos circulating online show people celebrating his death. The 86-year-old cleric had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, targeted in that joint American-Israeli military operation early Saturday, with President Trump announcing Khamenei’s death on social media. Posting, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.” Satellite imagery showing substantial damage to the ayatollah’s compound. Smoke rising from the scene. Israel and the U.S. say many of Iran’s other top leaders have also been killed. Despite achieving one of the key goals of the operation, the president’s insisting American military action in Iran won’t stop now, saying, “the heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of peace throughout the Middle East and indeed, the world.” President Trump released this video early Saturday morning announcing the beginning of the attack on Iran. DONALD TRUMP: Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. PANNELL: The mission, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” launched in broad daylight, targeting at least nine Iranian cities and rocking the nation of over 90 million people. Screams of terror as cars and buildings engulfed in flames. One strike hitting an elementary school and killing over 100 people, according to Iranian state media. The U.S. now investigating and working to verify that report, saying it would never deliberately attack civilians. Iran responding quickly Saturday, sending hundreds of missiles and drones towards various targets across the Middle East, including at least four U.S. military bases in the region. President Trump, in that early morning video, warning American troops would be at risk. TRUMP: The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. PANNELL: As well as saying he wants to protect America, the president revealing maximalist goals, addressing what comes next for the people of Iran, saying, “this is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.” (END VIDEOTAPE) PANNELL: George, we have new reporting from Israeli military officials who say that 40 of Iran’s key leaders, including the head of the IRGC and Ayatollah Khamenei, were killed in the first minutes of the operation. An Israeli official telling me the U.S.-Israeli operation will now expand, taking out more regime targets, state security, military, industrial locations, as well as nuclear and ballistic sites. I asked the official whether it was more realistic now to think of this as a week’s long operation. The official admitting they are prepared for weeks, but they also hope it will be days, and that the death of the ayatollah could radically alter that timeline. George. STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Ian, some Iranian retaliatory strikes have landed in Israel? PANNELL: Yes, that’s right, devastating strike today that landed just outside of Jerusalem in the Beit Shemesh area. Emergency responders are on the scene. They’ve been trying to reach people who were trapped in the debris. They’re saying that eight people have been killed, and that something in the region of around thirty people have been injured. And I think those numbers are likely to rise. And the death toll from that U.S. Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Iran, now at least 148. I think a key reminder for all of us, that this war has very real, very deadly consequences, and often for innocent people. George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Ian Pannell, thanks very much.  

PBS's Washington Week with The Atlantic remains a reliably Democrat-boosting/Republican-bashing political roundtable, but this Friday, the show featured a tiny, overdue peek into an under-covered angle of the sordid Jeffrey Epstein saga, which thus far the media has used as a cudgel against President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. It turns out Democrats have their own hypocritical partisan reasons for not pursuing the Epstein case, according to a story by Sarah Fitzpatrick of The Atlantic magazine, going back to the elitist media's favorite power couple, the Clintons. Guest moderator Vivian Salama of The Atlantic, filling in for their editor Jeffrey Goldberg, tossed to her magazine colleague Fitzpatrick. SHOCKER: On PBS's 'Washington Week with The Atlantic,' they discussed an article they published on how Democrats avoided focus on the Epstein files because the Clintons didn't want it. More senior Democrats like Nancy Pelosi put the kibosh on it. But not any more. pic.twitter.com/jJajlvnNBy — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) March 1, 2026 VIVIAN SALAMA, THE ATLANTIC: Yes. Sarah, you know, you have a great piece out today….one of the things that you've mentioned in passing is that, for years, Democrats didn't pursue the release of these files in part because of that Clinton link. Can you talk a little bit about that and how, as your story talks about, it became a bipartisan issue? SARAH FITZPATRICK, THE ATLANTIC: Absolutely. This is one of the things that I find most fascinating about this story, because all of these files, millions of these files could have been released at any point by a Biden Justice Department, by the first Trump administration. I mean, these have been there for a very long time. But the reason that this is coming out now, I think, is because party leadership had been very, very clear to a rank and file, do not pursue this, in part, I think out of concern about donors, about the Clintons, also for the fact that it was viewed as a distraction versus things like health care. But now, I think what we saw as younger Democrats, to your point, realize that this is a transparency issue. This is a trust in government issue….One of the things that's in my piece is that the Clintons were actively lobbying, calling around on Capitol Hill to Democrats to try and prevent this vote and to kind of influence how this was being done. And I think that really does not -- it just hits the wrong way with Democrats that are already feeling very jaded, given what happened with allegations of a cover-up about Biden's health and Harris’s loss…. ANDREW DESIDERIO, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: It is generational too, because Nancy Pelosi was the one actually behind closed doors, admonishing those younger Democrats for even entertaining the idea of voting to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress…. Not to quibble about a rare media bright side, but the “most fascinating” part about Democratic qualms is 40 paragraphs down in Fitzpatrick’s underlying Atlantic article: Democrats have had their own crisis over the Epstein files: How do they separate themselves from the party’s elder statesmen and wealthy donors who have been revealed to have been close to Epstein? During Joe Biden’s four years in office, the Justice Department did not pursue releasing records related to Epstein and lawmakers did not pursue legislative action. Democrats in Congress told me that their party leadership sought to dissuade them from pursuing the effort in recent months, changing their stance only after feeling public pressure and seeing internal polling.