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.

Within hours of the announcement that the United States and Israel had began bombing Iran, the liberal media has been on a mission to portray the attacks as unconstitutional, and President Trump as having no legitimate reasons for launching the attack. CNN quickly turned to Democrats to share their anti-Trump messaging. CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins interviewed Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), one of the six Democrats to make a video encouraging military service members to disobey unlawful orders, although they couldn't define any. She underlined for viewers that Crow was a former paratrooper and Army Ranger. Crow had been on her show The Source, the night before, and spoke out strongly against any action against Iran, so she knew exactly where he stood when she asked, "What is your reaction to what you've seen play out so far?" CROW: Here we go again, Kaitlan, you know, this president apparently has learned nothing from the 20-plus years of war, the trillions of dollars that Americans, mainly the working class, spent. The thousands of working class kids lives...We are spending billions of dollars on this operation and it's not putting groceries on your table, it's not helping you buy a home it's not helping you send a kid to school. This is not what Americans want...Don't get me wrong, I am for American strength in the wise use of American power, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the American military to protect Americans in our interests. But I just don't see at all how this is what Americans want. And of course, as a member of Congress, I'm going to stand up and say enough is enough. What a great time for a journalist to let her guest and audience hear some of what the President said in his Truth Social video earlier that morning, spelling out why the attack was necessary including: TRUMP: For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. Among the regime's very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran's proxies carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel. In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole. Many died. Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. The regime's proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines. It's been mass terror, and we're not going to put up with it any longer. Instead, Collins set up her softball toss to Crow with this clip of Trump. TRUMP VIDEO: ..My administration is taking every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission.  COLLINS: Do you fear that that could happen as a result of this? CROW: ..I'm just damn furious... The man's a five-time draft dodger. He's an elite...I went to war. I fought with working class kids. They're the ones that do the fighting and dying. And how amazing of Donald Trump to say, you know, that often happens in war, and that's a cost he's willing to take. Great for him. It's not his kids, it's not his family, it's not his billionaire donors who are having to go off and do it. It's kids in towns across the country that have to pick up the guns, jump into the planes and helicopters and get it done. And it's kids that are sitting there at military bases in Bahrain, like your videos showing now, who are sitting in bunkers right now because Donald Trump is willing to take a chance with their lives. This is everything that's wrong with our national security infrastructure and our policies, right? A journalist might have pointed out to Crow that it would be rare for a president to be sending his kids to war, and that Donald Trump isn't unique among politicians. He received 5 deferments during the Vietnam War, as did Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton reportedly did his best to avoid serving. Barack Obama never served. But Collins did not bring any context to Crow's hot take. Instead, she tossed another softball: "So you want to see a congressional vote on this?" She later asked Crow if he believes the U.S. is at war with Iran, he said "I do think this was an act of war, and I think it was unconstitutional." One more time...a journalist could have pointed out that Congress has not declared war since World War ll. She could point out how many times Obama launched drone attacks and other military actions without a vote of Congress. Need I say, she did not. But she served her purpose.

You’ve heard of Optimist International, the global service organization. If there were a “Pessimist International,” MS NOW military analyst Barry McCaffrey could be kicked out of it — for being too darn negative. Caution is warranted when predicting U.S. success in foreign military operations. Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq remain sobering reminders. But appearing on MS NOW’s continuing Iran coverage last night, retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey — Bill Clinton’s former drug czar — took pessimism to new heights. In roughly two minutes, McCaffrey declared success in key American objectives in Iran “unlikely” four separate times — and added a “not likely” for good measure. To be sure, McCaffrey began by acknowledging what he called a “stunning military assault” that achieved “tactical surprise,” noting that the U.S. and Israel possess “massive superiority” capabilities over Iran’s weakened defenses, and that senior Iranian leadership figures had apparently been eliminated. But when discussion turned from tactics to outcomes, the drumbeat of improbability began. On regime change, McCaffrey said it was “unlikely to happen.” The prospect of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard cracking? “Also unlikely to succeed.” The idea that Tehran could be forced into a solid non-proliferation agreement? “I think [that] is unlikely.” Permanent cessation of Iran’s nuclear ambitions? “It’s unlikely they’ll achieve” it. And, for emphasis, regime change was “probably not likely to happen.” Five separate predictions of failure in a single exchange. Barry McCaffrey — the Cassandra of military analysts! “Unlikely, Unlikely, Unlikely”: MS NOW’s McCaffrey Predicts Failure In Iran pic.twitter.com/My0NMMGpV5 — Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) March 1, 2026 Prudence is one thing. But before events have fully unfolded — and before the stated objectives have had time to play out — MS NOW viewers were treated to a sweeping forecast of failure across the board. For those watching at home, the message was unmistakable: whatever the administration hopes to achieve in Iran, success is — in McCaffrey’s word — unlikely. Here's the transcript. MS NOW 2/28/26 6:04 pm ET ARI MELBER: General Barry McCaffrey, retired four-star Army general, MSNOW military analyst. Let me start with you, General McCaffrey. Your view of these strikes by the U.S. and Israel, based on at least what we publicly know, and the unusual but perhaps accurate claims by the president in announcing that he says Khameini is dead.  BARRY MCCAFFREY: Well, it's a stunning military assault which achieved tactical surprise. More than 500 targets have been hit. The Israelis and the U.S. Air Force have massive superiority over the Iranian defense capacities, which is weakened by the 12-day war eight months ago.  The Iranian regime is fragile. They've murdered more than 7,000 of their own people. They're widely despised. We have apparently succeeded in eliminating a lot of the Iranian senior leadership.  The problem which jumps out at you is, the president did this by decree, by whim, without consultation with Congress, without any attempt to gain the support of the American people. And finally, in the direct contradiction of the views of our allies. Not just the European Union, but also the Arab allies in the region, seven of which have now been struck Iranian retaliation.  So we're embarked on an unknown path. Their key is they're trying to bring down a regime. So we're embarked on an unknown path. They're trying to bring down a regime — unlikely to happen unless the Iranian Revolutionary Guard cracks — 150,000 brutal people. And also unlikely to succeed unless we see an uprising among the people, which have been traumatized in the last a year or so. Tough situation for the United States and the Iranians.  MELBER: General, what is the understood objective of this operation?  MCCAFFREY: Well, I think the regime change, the Trump team probably thinks is desirable, but probably not likely to happen. I think they're going to, they think they're going to force them back to the table and get a solid agreement to no nuclear proliferation, which I think is unlikely, primarily because the Iranians have been after this for 30 years and spent billions of dollars on it, and they think it's the key to their survival in the region.  So, you can't stop nuclear arms production unless you have international inspectors on the ground. That's the key. Airstrikes, as devastating as it can be, doesn't kill the nuclear scientists. They get the production means, and those can be reproduced. So without a diplomatic engagement, without the reward of lifting economic sanctions, without the fear of devastating U.S. and Israeli action, it's unlikely they'll achieve the cessation, permanent, of Iran's attempt to get a nuclear weapon.  I think the other thing is, what we're seeing is at least mouthing the thought that this is a humanitarian goal to free the Iranian people, who deserve to be free of this despotic regime, to be blunt.