MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.  Top Stories: Special Report: 634 Left vs. 41 Right — While Trump Fights Iran, Big Four News Apps Attack Trump STUDY: War Coverage 88% Negative: High on Price Hikes, Thin on Threat of Terrorist State The View DEMANDS You Stop Blaming Violence on Liberals, Claims Trump Is a Dictator Supreme Court Upholds Decision Ending Louisiana’s Race-Based Gerrymandering   Special Report: 634 Left vs. 41 Right — While Trump Fights Iran, Big Four News Apps Attack Trump Big Four news apps (Apple News, Google News, MSN, Yahoo News) ran 634 left-leaning stories versus only 41 right-leaning ones on the Iran conflict, shutting out conservative perspectives to under 5 percent of coverage. Aggregators promoted sensational, negative headlines that attacked Trump and the successful U.S. military campaign while downplaying the destruction of Iranian military capabilities and leadership. This one-sided curation by platforms reaching over 550 million monthly visits undermined the Trump administration during active operations and amplified left-driven narratives on the war. STUDY: War Coverage 88% Negative: High on Price Hikes, Thin on Threat of Terrorist State A Media Research Center study of ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news found 88 percent of evaluative statements about the Iran War were negative, with ABC at 93 percent and CBS at 92 percent. Coverage heavily emphasized domestic gas price hikes and economic pain while giving little attention to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, terrorism support, or U.S. military successes against the regime. The networks focused on casualty counts, congressional opposition, and public discontent but downplayed the strategic threats posed by Iran and the rationale for preventing a nuclear-armed terrorist state. The View DEMANDS You Stop Blaming Violence on Liberals, Claims Trump Is a Dictator Whoopi Goldberg shouted down criticism of left-wing rhetoric, demanding people stop linking it to assassination attempts on Trump and Republicans. Joy Behar insisted Trump alone caused all division in America and joined Goldberg in claiming his White House ballroom proves he plans to stay in office like a dictator. The hosts pushed inflammatory accusations and dismissed counterpoints while showing hypocrisy on political violence and rhetoric. Supreme Court Upholds Decision Ending Louisiana’s Race-Based Gerrymandering The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Louisiana's 2024 redistricting, which created an additional majority-Black district based on race, violated the Equal Protection Clause. The Court held that the Voting Rights Act does not require adding minority districts and does not justify intentional race-based map drawing outside narrow exceptions. This decision strengthens challenges to race-based gerrymandering nationwide and affirms that states may draw districts for partisan reasons but not primarily on race.

Every so often, Comedy Central invites an outsider to The Daily Show to allow them to host one segment while they rant on a topic of their choosing in a segment they call “In My Opinion,” and Wednesday it was comedian Mo Amer’s turn. Amer chose to go after what he considered to be Islamophobia in right-wing America, but while he accused other people of using “lazy tropes” to justify bombing people, it was actually him who was lazily analyzing the situation. Amer began his conclusion by trying to argue that Muslims and Christians aren’t that different, “And that brings me to my final critique. Islamophobes, do your research! Because I have, and here it is. Muslims invented algebra, hospitals, universities, the camera, even algorithms, just to name a few! And if you right-wing Christians dislike Middle Eastern people and eating with your hands and teaching people about kindness, I have terrible news for you about Jesus.”   Mo Amer stopped by The Daily Show because Americans don't like Muslims or something, "So stop using lazy tropes to divide people so you can bomb other countries, creating even more refugees, making you more upset at Muslims in America being doctors or engineers, lawyers, or… pic.twitter.com/xyvKBZBuXy — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 30, 2026   He added, “He was Middle Eastern! From Palestine. Spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language. And handed people bread with his hands! And by the way, most Muslims aren't even Arab. And most Arab-Americans are actually Christians! And while we're at it—Muslims also believe in Jesus Christ, he's mentioned in the Quran, which has an entire chapter named after his mother, Mary, and we also believe in the virgin birth.” Jesus was from Judea, but Amer kept rolling, “So stop using lazy tropes to divide people so you can bomb other countries, creating even more refugees, making you more upset at Muslims in America being doctors or engineers, lawyers, or selling you street meat out of delicious halal carts!” Ironically, Amer’s point about most Muslims not being Arab actually undermines his point. If conservatives were the caricatures he is trying to portray, American foreign policy would look very different. Amer is of Palestinian ancestry but grew up in Kuwait until his family fled when Saddam Hussein invaded in 1990. It was the United States, led by a Republican president, that liberated Kuwait while Saddam’s only friend in the world at the time was Yasser Arafat. As a response, Kuwait expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after war. So, who is using “lazy tropes” now? Here is a transcript for the April 29 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 4/29/2026 11:21 PM ET MO AMER: And that brings me to my final critique. Islamophobes, do your research! Because I have, and here it is. Muslims invented algebra, hospitals, universities, the camera, even algorithms, just to name a few! And if you right-wing Christians dislike Middle Eastern people and eating with your hands and teaching people about kindness, I have terrible news for you about Jesus. He was Middle Eastern! From Palestine. Spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language. And handed people bread with his hands! And by the way, most Muslims aren't even Arab. And most Arab-Americans are actually Christians! And while we're at it—Muslims also believe in Jesus Christ, he's mentioned in the Quran, which has an entire chapter named after his mother, Mary, and we also believe in the virgin birth. So stop using lazy tropes to divide people so you can bomb other countries, creating even more refugees, making you more upset at Muslims in America being doctors or engineers, lawyers, or selling you street meat out of delicious halal carts!

EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sent the media into a frenzy after comparing their anti-American smears to the Pharisees’ plot against Jesus. His point wasn’t far off, but he left out a key piece: the Big Four News Apps amplified that same narrative. The Media Research Center found that since the day after the Iranian conflict began, Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News have launched a 50-day barrage targeting President Donald Trump and U.S. military operations against the Islamic regime with 634 articles from left-leaning outlets compared to a paltry 41 articles from right-leaning outlets. For example, Google News promoted a story from The New York Times headlined, “Trump’s Iran Threats Look Like Self-Incrimination for Potential War Crimes.” Despite the unprecedented success of the U.S.-led action, the news aggregators’ curation of stories ensured that most Iran coverage in its top 20 morning editions from March 1 through April 19 came from left-leaning outlets, often using sensational, negative and fear-driven framing that undercut the United States and undermined the Trump administration’s efforts to win the war. MRC’s Findings:  The Big Four News Apps all but shut out right-leaning coverage of the Iran conflict, restricting it to under 5% of total stories on the war (897) from AllSides-rated outlets, as left-leaning and other outlets dominated the narrative. Outlets like CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, CBS, The Guardian, NBC, The Washington Post and even Al Jazeera, Bloomberg and Salon enjoyed prominent placements. Apple News: 232 stories — just 2 right-leaning vs. 143 left-leaning Google News: 371 stories — 10 right-leaning vs. 284 left-leaning Microsoft’s MSN: 136 stories — 22 right-leaning vs. 67 left-leaning Yahoo News: 157 stories — 7 right-leaning vs. 139 left-leaning The Big Four News Apps’ coverage distorted major developments in the conflict, portraying the Trump administration as unprepared. The stories rarely included in their headlines a mention of the unparalleled success of the military action, including the complete destruction of the Iranian military capabilities and the elimination of its top command. In response to these findings, MRC President David Bozell said: “We’re looking at one of the most effective military campaigns in modern history, Iran’s navy crippled, its air force grounded, its leadership dismantled, yet the Big Four News Apps, alongside the elitist media, are working overtime to undermine President Trump. It should outrage every American that Trump and Secretary Hegseth are fighting an information war at home while preventing Iran’s regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” How the Big Four News Apps Tilted Iran War Coverage Left, Suppressing the Right  Hegseth has long rebuked the elitist media for unfairly smearing the administration and peddling attacks against the military. The barrage has been relentless, ranging from false accusations about U.S. strikes on drug-trafficking vessels to distorted reporting on internal personnel matters and wartime casualties. Trust in media is collapsing, perhaps thanks at least in part to the Big Four News Apps. The MRC has long documented persistent bias across these platforms, which wield outsized influence over how Americans consume news.  Drawing more than 550 million visits each month, Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News act as powerful gatekeepers, amplifying the left’s agenda-driven narratives while largely sidelining conservative perspectives. This pattern of bias has played out across major political fights, from spinning the issue of border security and covering up for California’s hospice fraud to hiding scandals connected to Democratic officials. This time, the Big Four News Apps’ focus has turned to the U.S. armed conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran. In total, MRC identified approximately 897 stories related to the U.S.-Iran conflict. Of those, more than 70% came from left-leaning sources, while fewer than 5% came from their right-leaning counterparts. The imbalance, including the suppression of center outlets, meant millions of Americans who access news on their phones, computers and digital devices were largely exposed to one-sided coverage of one of the most consequential geopolitical conflicts of the modern era. Hegseth has been sounding the alarm on this for years. In his bestselling book, The War on Warrior, he laid out what he sees as a sustained cultural campaign against the U.S. military, driven in large part by the same elitist media institutions shaping public perception. Those outlets now enjoy prominent placement across the Big Four News Apps. Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News have promoted some centrist and, to a very limited extent, right-leaning outlets within their top 20 selections, including Fox News. Still, the overall presence of center and right-leaning voices is relatively small in the broader dataset compared to the volume of elitist media outlets and wire services, most of which skew their reporting to the left. In coverage of the Iran conflict, the Big Four News Apps promoted the following outlets the most: Reuters — 81 Yahoo-owned sites — 76 CNN — 67 The Associated Press —  66 The Wall Street Journal —  55 The New York Times —  45 CBS News — 44 The Guardian —  40 Fox News — 38 NBC News — 33 The Washington Post —  32 Al Jazeera — 27 Bloomberg — 26 BBC — 22 Apple News-owned pages —  22 Salon — 19 The Hill — 18 CNBC — 18 Axios — 18 Newsweek —  18 NPR — 16 ABC News —  15 Politico — 14 For Iran war coverage in particular, the Big Four News Apps did not promote the following outlets a single time over 50 days: the New York Post, The Daily Wire, The Washington Times, The Federalist, American Spectator, American Thinker, National Review, Washington Examiner and Washington Free Beacon, to name a few.  MRC found that many of the headlines and sources elevated by the digital news gatekeepers reflected consistent partisan framing, often aligning with narratives more commonly associated with Democratic talking points than neutral, fact-based reporting. For instance, on April 16, Google News featured The Atlantic to explain the Trump administration’s rationale for its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The piece by The Atlantic, however, offered little in the way of explanation and instead tore into the administration’s move. By contrast, several other outlets covering the same development were excluded. The New York Post, American Thinker and Hot Air all had strong analyses to explain what The Atlantic purported to address, but failed. This pattern spans nearly every major aspect of the conflict. Coverage from right-leaning sources is virtually nonexistent across the Big Four News Apps. Instead, coverage on Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News — including oil prices, inflation, national security developments and broader international implications — was shaped by a predominantly left-leaning media ecosystem. The Big Four News Apps’ Coverage Distorted Major Developments in the Iran Conflict Some of the headlines promoted across the Big Four News Apps painted an apocalyptic view of the conflict by emphasizing terror alerts in the U.S., while other headlines painted the Trump administration as unprepared or unhinged. On Apple News: “Democrats grow bolder on talk about removing Trump from office after his Iran threats,” by Associated Press, promoted April 10. “US faces elevated terrorism threats against backdrop of Iran war and cuts at FBI, Justice Department,” by The Associated Press, promoted March 15. “Iran war puts many in US on high alert, but synagogue attack shows limits,” by Reuters, promoted both March 14 and March 15. On Google News: “‘Whole region is going to burn’: Iran's ‘living hell’ warning to US amid Donald Trump's threats of striking power plants,” by the Hindustan Times, promoted April 6. “Trump Humiliated by Allied Pilot Who Downed $100 Million Worth of U.S. Jets,” by The Daily Beast, promoted March 5. “How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War,” by The New York Times, promoted March 11. On Microsoft’s MSN:  “Trump’s Chances of Being Removed by 25th Amendment Climb,” by Newsweek, promoted April 6. “Pete Hegseth’s panicky, angry, weirdly religious Iran war briefing was painful to watch,” by The Independent, promoted April 17. “'Disgusting and evil.' Trump faces MAGA backlash on Iran,” by USA Today, promoted March 3. On Yahoo News: “Trump’s new plan for Iran doomed to backfire,” by Salon, promoted March 5. “Trump’s misguided ‘Christian’ war is anything but,” by Salon, promoted March 8. “You Can Smell It Now: The Trump Presidency Is in Total Free Fall,” by The New Republic, promoted April 6. “No One Is Intimidated by Trump Anymore,” by The New Republic, promoted April 7. MRC found the Big Four News Apps flooded users with alarmist headlines warning of soaring oil prices and economic fallout, amplifying the 88% negative war coverage that MRC also observed across the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC from March 15 and April 15. Headline after headline directly tied rising gas prices and inflation to the Iran conflict, reinforcing a narrative of immediate crisis for American consumers. MRC Vice President of Free Speech America Dan Schneider elucidated the point, stating, “Confusion around the world's most one-sided battle is fueled by tech giants spreading anti-Trump propaganda. Secretary Hegseth commands the world's greatest military, yet the Big Four News Apps and media push the Democrat narrative instead of acknowledging our troops' success in eliminating threats. ” On Apple News: “Trump says Iran war is ‘very complete, pretty much’ as economic toll rises,” by The Guardian, promoted on March 10. “‘Outrageous': Sky-high gas prices are changing the way Americans live,” by USA Today, promoted April 1. “Gas prices eclipse $4 a gallon in the US, the highest since 2022,” by The Associated Press, promoted April 1. “March inflation report to offer first glimpse of Iran war's economic impact,” by NBC News, promoted April 10. On Google News: “Massive war price tag could be a massive problem for GOP leaders,” by Politico, promoted March 6. “Trump’s Hormuz Deadline Lays Bare Scant Options,” by Bloomberg News, promoted April 7. “Trump’s War in Iran, and Rising Gas Prices, Collide With Midterm Agenda,” by The New York Times, promoted March 10. “What the Iran war could mean for gas prices, flights and your wallet,” by The Washington Post, promoted March 12. “Oil is back above $100 despite Trump’s comments on ending the war,” by CNN, promoted March 24. “Oil Market Set for Tumultuous Week as Kharg Attack Raises Stakes,” by Bloomberg, promoted March 15. On MSN:  “Nobel economist Paul Krugman says the Iran war could be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for a fragile US economy,” Business Insider, promoted March 5. “The fog of war is coming from inside the White House—and it cost oil markets $84 million in 10 minutes,” by Fortune, promoted March 12. “It was supposed to be another boom year for the economy. March changed everything,” Business Insider, promoted March 30. “Something is different about Trump’s $1 trillion war on Iran and its stress on the national debt, Harvard Kennedy scholar says,” by Fortune, promoted April 18. On Yahoo News: “America's average gas price saw its largest single-day jump in 4 years,” by Business Insider, promoted March 4. “5 Everyday Items That Will Become More Expensive If the Iran Conflict Continues,” by Yahoo Finance, promoted March 4. “Why the Iran war could make everything, not just oil, more expensive,” by Salon, promoted March 30. “Are We on the Brink of a Global Debt Crisis?” by The New Republic, promoted April 6. The Big Four News Apps Pushed Stories Rarely Including US Military Successes in Headlines Another theme MRC identified was the consistent portrayal of Iran as muscular and defiant, even after the Trump administration and Israel annihilated much of its top leadership and severely degraded its military capabilities. Put together, these headlines read like outright cheerleading for a regime infamous for human rights abuses, threats against Western civilization and its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons. “Never before has the U.S. military been so effective,” said Schneider. “It is a spectacular military campaign, but you wouldn’t know it if you’ve been getting your news from these digital propagandists.” On Apple News: “Iran’s Supreme Leader Stays Off Camera to Issue Defiant Statement,” by The Wall Street Journal, promoted March 13. “Iran Worries Talks Might Be a Trap,” by The Wall Street Journal, promoted March 24. “Iran Vows to Escalate Attacks as Trump Hails Progress in War,” by Bloomberg, promoted March 5. On Google News: “Trump’s Iran Threats Look Like Self-Incrimination for Potential War Crimes,” by The New York Times, promoted April 8. “To Open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump Wants to Blockade Iran. Experts Are Skeptical.” by The New York Times, promoted April 13. “Iran warns U.S. troops will be ‘set on fire’ if Americans launch ground operation,” by CBS News, promoted March 30. “Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely,” by The Conversation, promoted March 1. “Iran war updates: Trump vows hard strikes; Tehran says will not surrender,” by Al Jazeera, promoted March 7. “The Most Dangerous Man,” [referring to Mojtaba Khamenei] by The Atlantic, promoted on March 9. On MSN “Iran sends first significant message of de-escalation, but with a major caveat,” by CNN, promoted March 8. “Iran gives Trump an ultimatum on JD Vance,” by The Daily Beast, promoted March 25. On Yahoo News: “Defiant message from Iran as vessels attempting to cross Hormuz report gunfire,” by Reuters, promoted April 18. “Iran doubles down on closing Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire nears expiration,” by Politico, promoted April 19. Recommendations Fairer, more balanced coverage: The Big Four News Apps should integrate quality journalism from more right-leaning sources into their platforms to ensure a diverse range of perspectives is available to their audiences. Unlike what Google News did, pushing The Atlantic to explain Trump’s reasoning for the “blockade” of Iran, the digital news gatekeeper could have turned to right-leaning outlets that wrote the story instead, like the American Thinker, HotAir or the New York Post. This approach would not only help mitigate bias but also enrich the diversity of news content provided, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of current events among users. Transparency: News aggregators should implement greater transparency in the algorithms and editorial decisions used for curating news content. These algorithms should be audited regularly by independent third parties to ensure that they are not suppressing content from either end of the ideological spectrum. Public reports on these audits would increase accountability and provide insights into how content is selected and displayed.  Respond to the FTC: To address public concerns and demonstrate accountability, it is crucial for Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, to respond promptly and transparently to the FTC's letter regarding Apple News. A thoughtful response could include outlining steps Apple is taking to address any identified issues, thereby reinforcing public trust and demonstrating leadership in promoting a diverse media landscape.  Methodology: During the time period March 1, 2026 - April 19, 2026, MRC researchers examined the top 20 stories featured on Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News each day in the mornings at approximately 8:30 AM ET. MRC researchers used the AllSides media bias ratings, which categorize an outlet as “left,” “lean left,” “center,” “lean right” or “right” to determine the overall bias presented by the Big Four News Apps and analyzed the results. MRC searched the specific keywords in the data sets, in addition to a manual review in search of Iran-related stories. Those keywords were: Gas, Hezbollah, Hormuz, Iran, Iranian, Iraq, Israel, Jet, Khamenei, Kharg, Lebanon, Middle East, Middle East War, Mideast, Oil, Pentagon, Strait, Tanker, Tehran and War.

The die-hard Trump haters at the PBS News Hour rushed to the defense of their First Amendment hero Jimmy Kimmel by turning on Tuesday night to CNN's Brian Stelter again for liberal talking points. No conservative was invited, and there were no questions about Kimmel making wisecracks about President Trump dying. Remember, on Monday, PBS was outraged Trump planned to go "very hard" in mocking the press at the Correspondents Dinner. Some speech is much more precious than others to them. The FCC said it would investigate the licenses of eight ABC-owned TV stations. Anchor Geoff Bennett explained: “The FCC says the review of the licenses is tied to Disney's DEI initiatives, but it's widely seen as retaliation in the ongoing battle between President Trump and ABC and its late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.” Bennett first asked: “So, the FCC says the timing of this license review coming within 24 hours of President Trump criticizing Kimmel is coincidental. How credible is that claim, given the sequence of events?” Stelter replied: “Well, I don't know any legal experts or FCC experts who believe that claim.” PBS @NewsHour rushes to the defense of that 1st Amendment hero Jimmy Kimmel by turning to CNN's Brian Stelter for liberal talking points. "Normally, gosh, when we cover political leaders trying to silence a comedian, we're usually talking about authoritarian regimes. But, right… pic.twitter.com/hb6VjgsIUl — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) April 29, 2026 Okay. But let’s recall that if there were conservatives allowed on this show to rebut, they’d note Stelter’s view of the First Amendment has included loose talk of removing the Fox News Channel from cable systems. Five years ago on his old CNN show Reliable Sources, he proposed limiting Fox News as "harm reduction," and said “reducing a liar’s reach is not the same as censoring freedom of speech.” Bennett and PBS think merely taking away their taxpayer subsidies was a First Amendment travesty. Stelter quoted the lone Democrat on the FCC, Anna Gomez claiming this was "the most egregious action the FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date." Bennett’s next question: "The last time the FCC revoked a broadcast license related to a station's programming was in 1969. There was a station in Jackson, Mississippi, which defended segregation on the air. What are the realistic outcomes here? Are we talking fines, conditions on licenses, or something more severe?” Stelter said “I think the process is mostly the punishment here….And, by the way, this might not just be about Kimmel or about DEI programs, for that matter. In this building is the ABC daytime talk show The View. And FCC officials have also been scrutinizing The View over alleged equal time violations.” And again, a conservative rebuttal of Stelter would note that ABC completely violates the spirit of equal-time principles with both Kimmel’s show and The View -- just like PBS. The actual equal-time rules now only apply to candidates for office within 90 days of an election. Liberals only scream “First Amendment” about their own speech while they refuse to allow rebuttals. Bennett’s last question: "And how are other broadcasters watching all of this, Brian, based on your reporting?" Stelter said it could have a "chilling effect" on "mainstream media." That's what they preposterously call themselves, the "mainstream." But I am heartened to say that, when we have seen these other First Amendment stress tests in America during Trump 2.0, America has been passing the test, maybe not with A-plus grade. But remember last September, when Kimmel was briefly pulled off the air when there was another controversy? And then he was brought back less than a week later. That's an example of Disney recognizing that it has to defend its stars and defend the right of comedians and, yes, journalists too, to speak freely. Normally, gosh, when we cover political leaders trying to silence a comedian, we're usually talking about authoritarian regimes. But, right now, it's happening here in America. PBS loved that hot take so much they tweeted it out:  A conservative on PBS would say the Left sounds like authoritarians when you dare to say that there is no actual "climate emergency," or that transgenderism is a delusion, or denounce the authoritarianism of Covid lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Is the First Amendment glorious on those dissents?

The Elitist Media Evening News hid a major story from the American public on Wednesday night, by failing to report on the indictment of 10 senior officials from the Mexican state of Sinaloa- home of the major drug cartel once headed by “El Chapo” Guzman. This omitted story has major ramifications on both sides of the border and with regard to our national security. The only over-the-air national evening newscast to carry the indictment was PBS News Hour. Here is that brief in its entirety, as aired on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026: WATCH: PBS News Hour was the only over-the-air national evening newscast (English-language) to cover the DoJ indictment of senior Sinaloa officials including the governor, who is a member of President Sheinbaum's MORENA party. AMNA NAWAZ: The Justice Department is charging 10… pic.twitter.com/mOurFj3O6N — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 30, 2026 AMNA NAWAZ: The Justice Department is charging 10 current and former Mexican officials with conspiring with a powerful cartel to import drugs into the U.S. Among those named in today's indictment is Sinaloa state governor Rubén Rocha. He's accused of protecting Sinaloa cartel members in exchange for bribes and political support, which he denies. Rocha is a member of the political party led by President Claudia Sheinbaum. She has said her government is cracking down on corruption, though President Trump has insisted that more needs to be done. None of those charged today are currently in custody. It’s a wee bit more than “ten government officials” including the governor, though, Per Fox News: The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York claims officials took millions in bribes from the "Chapitos" faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, allowed the cartel to operate with total impunity and helped transform the region into the global epicenter of the deadly narcotics trade. In a public statement, Mexico's SRE confirmed the U.S. Embassy in Mexico received the extradition requests Tuesday night. However, after a legal review, the Mexican government said the U.S. documents "do not have evidentiary elements" to determine the officials are responsible for the alleged crimes. You have a major indictment, and the Mexican government is pushing back. The allegations are eye-watering. Per the indictment: As alleged, the defendants have been most closely aligned with the faction of the Cartel run by the sons of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, a/k/a “El Chapo,” the Cartel’s notorious former leader, who are themselves known collectively as the “Chapitos.”  The defendants have operated at all levels of government and law enforcement in Sinaloa and each abused their positions of trust and authority to help facilitate the Chapitos’ operations.  For example, ROCHA MOYA was elected Governor of Sinaloa, a position he has held since on or about November 1, 2021, after the Chapitos allegedly helped him get elected by, among other things, kidnapping and intimidating his rivals.  In exchange, both before and after he became Governor, ROCHA MOYA allegedly attended meetings with the Chapitos, at which he promised to protect the Chapitos as they distributed massive quantities of drugs to the United States and, as Governor, ROCHA MOYA has allowed the Chapitos to operate with impunity in Sinaloa.  Similarly, the other defendants have directly and repeatedly helped the Chapitos in exchange for massive drug-fueled bribes.  For example, ZAAVEDRA, who is the Deputy Attorney General for the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office, has received approximately $11,000 U.S. dollars each month from the Chapitos and, in exchange, has protected Chapitos members from arrest and informed the Chapitos of planned U.S.-backed law enforcement operations. Certain of the defendants are also alleged to have themselves directly participated in the Cartel’s campaign of violence and retribution.  For example, MILLAN, a high-level commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police, allegedly received more than approximately $1,600 U.S. dollars each month from the Chapitos.  In exchange, MILLAN gave the Chapitos unfettered access to the Culiacan Municipal Police and used officers from the police force to help the Chapitos maintain their control over Culiacan, including through arrests, kidnappings, and murder.  In or about October 2023, MILLAN allegedly helped the Chapitos kidnap a DEA confidential source and the source’s relative, who the Chapitos then had tortured and killed, because the source was suspected of providing information to the Government in connection with this investigation. It isn’t just the governor that appears to be compromised, but the state’s deputy attorney general and senior police commanders. Given what has been published about cartel activity within the United States and their potential collaboration with malign foreign actors, how is this not an A-block story?  What happens when the U.S. seeks extradition of the governor? Does the Mexican government continue to push back? Do they hand him over and risk him singing like a canary and potentially revealing the extent to which the current and prior administrations are/were compromised by the cartels? A proper media would be asking these questions. Instead, they will likely feign surprise and blame President Trump if the U.S. escalates its efforts to secure the suspects. It staggers the mind that NONE of the Big Three networks bothered with the story. The networks universally covered Queen Camilla hanging out with Sarah Jessica Parker, the unruly passenger that opened the hatch on a United flight, and Ed Sheeran’s shingles. But they had zero time for a major national security story. Many such cases, unfortunately.