The third dreadful assassination attempt against President Trump was an opportunity to assess where we stand on the question of political violence. In this decade, the media has demonstrated a profound double standard. The horrible riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was a four-year obsession for the liberal media, and supposedly smart people compared it to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 – as in January 6 was “worse than” the other disasters. But the George Floyd riots in 2020 were presented dishonestly as peaceful protests. We all remember reporters standing in front of fires saying it was “peaceful,” or “not unruly.” The tens of people who died were barely mentioned.  When President Trump was shot in the ear in 2024, CBS anchor Margaret Brennan complained that Trump didn't urge his supporters to calm down their commentary: “This was a traumatic event, no doubt for him, but I did notice there was no call for lowering the temperature, condemning all political violence.” Even worse, the network newscasts remained highly negative for Trump in the first few days after he was shot. Political violence is a great example of how the news media – one seeking to reflect the “mainstream” – could display what could be called a nonpartisan bias, choosing to stand for civic goals regardless of party. Rioting – from anyone – could draw negative coverage. Property destruction – by anyone – is a negative. Because these practices can cause a cycle of vengeance. You burn down my house, I burn down yours. It's not "mostly peaceful" to you when it's your house. Empathy is entirely missing. The New York Times is championing "micro-looting," as NPR promoted a book called In Defense of Looting. They don't seem to consider how they would like it if you looted their buildings.  A nonpartisan bias would be great in this moment, if journalists decided to oppose gerrymandering, regardless of which party is doing it (or both). Instead, we witnessed a pile of outraged stories over Trump pushing redistricting in Texas, and then fairly positive coverage of Gov. Gavin Newsom pushing for more redistricting in already-gerrymandered California. In recent weeks, we’ve had near radio silence as they drew a ridiculously gerrymandered map and put it on the ballot in Virginia. One could conclude that all of this gerrymandering will cancel out. But you could still discourage the practice. A nonpartisan bias could be employed in “fact checking,” where it could be discouraged when you compare our elected president to a genocidal maniac like Adolf Hitler. If it’s wrong for Trump to call Kamala Harris a “communist,” then it should be wrong to call Trump a “fascist.” But that’s not the world we live in now.  We know why this notion is the furthest thing from today’s media hive mind. They’re constantly getting a torrent of outrage from all of their Democrat and leftist friends – the only people whose opinion they really value – that any notion of nonpartisanship is viciously attacked as a “permission structure for fascism.” Bari Weiss making the slightest noise about aiming news at the “center” at CBS is seen as lying prostrate in front of Trump.  The Left clearly needs the tone of the news to be frantically negative all the time, to feed their highly agitated base -- and hopefully keep them motivated to vote against Trump. But this tone is exactly why half the country thinks the national news is fake.

Federal authorities raided over 20 locations across Minnesota, in connection with an ongoing investigation into massive public assistance fraud. The story should have run across all three major broadcast network evening newscasts but only made it to air on one. The Elitist Media does not like this story. Watch the report in its entirety, as aired on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026: WATCH: @NBCNightlyNews had the sole report on the Minnesota fraud raids across the broadcast network evening news dial. TOM LLAMAS: In Minnesota tonight, federal and state agents executing more than 20 search warrants at businesses across the Twin Cities, raids linked to a… pic.twitter.com/OcLVyFyn48 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 29, 2026 TOM LLAMAS: In Minnesota tonight, federal and state agents executing more than 20 search warrants at businesses across the Twin Cities, raids linked to a growing fraud scandal that has reached the steps of The White House. Maggie Vespa has been following this one for us and has this story. MAGGIE VESPA: Tonight, new raids rocking Minnesota, with video showing federal and state authorities executing more than 20 search warrants at sites across the Twin Cities, including autism centers, child care facilities and at least one senior center. All, federal authorities say, tied to allegations of widespread welfare fraud within Minnesota’s large Somali community.  NICK SHIRLEY: It’s just a simple question: where are the children at? VESPA: Allegations reignited by this viral video posted four months ago by a right-wing influencer claiming multiple Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota were fraudulently collecting state subsidies while sitting empty. But according to the state agency in charge, those centers were operating “as expected.” Today’s raids marking the boldest move yet by a White House fraud task force led by Vice President Vance. JD VANCE: You have families who need these services, who are unable to get them, because people are getting rich off of fraud schemes. VESPA: The Trump administration repeatedly citing the fraud allegations as cause for launching high-profile immigration raids in Minneapolis earlier this year, during which at least two U.S. citizens were shot and killed. Governor Tim Walz denouncing the ICE operations but applauding today’s raids. And the Minnesota Department of Human Services saying they're “fed up” with people taking advantage of the system. LLAMAS: And Maggie, you’re at one of the centers raided today. You just talked to an employee there. What’d they tell you? VESPA: Yeah Tom, that’s right. She just came to this door behind me, she told me she's been turning parents away all day, and that the owner right now isn’t here to comment. It’s worth noting we reached out to him as well as two other centers. So far, no response. We also mentioned Governor Walz in that piece. He dropped his reelection bid amid this fraud scandal. He’s set to give his final State of the State tonight. Tom. LLAMAS: Maggie Vespa for us. Maggie, we thank you.  The Elitist Media were originally a day late and a dollar short on covering the fraud story, even though these allegations were practically public knowledge. NBC’s Maggie Vespa admits as much when she cites the fraud allegations (Feeding Our Future, initially) as part of the basis for launching Operation Metro Surge. On the other hand NBC covered the fraud raids, which is more than can be said for ABC and CBS.  Instead, ABC chose to cover a roller coaster mishap, and a New York City-area apartment fire. CBS chose to cover a string of Boston bank robberies. CBS’s non-coverage of the raids is particularly baffling, because they had already done some reporting on fraud scandals both in Minnesota and in California.  As is often the case, though, we are reminded that were it not for double standards, there would be none at all.  

NPR has not stopped its journalistic habit of downplaying Jewish suffering and endangerment, even after Public Editor Kelly McBride faulted her outlet earlier this month for failing to provide a platform for the intended victims of an attempt to blow up a Michigan synagogue. NPR did travel to the terrorist’s hometown in Lebanon for a sympathetic story. A story posted this Sunday from national correspondent Adrian Florido, “Alleged Colorado attacker’s family released after nearly a year in detention,” has a similarly shaped hole at its heart. The second paragraph attempted to explain why a family of five from Egypt had been held in ICE detention for 10 months before being repatriated (before a judge intervened). But there was a big piece missing, at least initially. ICE had been trying to expel them ever since El Gamal's husband, in a high profile case in June 2025, was charged with attempted murder for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Colorado protesters who'd gathered in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza – an attack his family said it knew nothing about. It wasn’t just “attempted murder” in Boulder. Weeks afterward, an 82-year-old woman died of injuries suffered in the attack, resulting in Mohammed Soliman being charged with first-degree murder. There was little emphasis on the fact that this supposedly sympathetic family (Hayam El Gamal and her five children) have been residing in the country on expired tourist visas, the parents having tried and failed to apply for political asylum, thus keeping her children traumatized under supposedly harsh detention conditions. Though they are free to go home to Egypt, the mother has refused voluntary deportation and has applied again for political asylum. Back home in Colorado on Saturday, two days after their release, El Gamal and her children reported to an ICE office for a required check-in. There, ICE detained them again, told them they were being deported to Egypt, and rushed them onto a plane, their lawyers said. "They were horrified," one of their lawyers, Chris Godshall-Bennett, said. Florido, tasked with “covering race and identity in America” and an alum of NPR’s race-based Code Switch podcast, failed to flesh out the outrage of a family of an accused terrorist demanding to stay in the United States, instead taking the media’s typical heart-tugging route, posting a drawing by one of El Gamal’s kids above the caption, “A drawing by one of the El Gamal children, who are currently in ICE detention.” Florido worked hard to make the family sympathetic. After the attack, Soliman was charged with federal hate crimes and state attempted murder charges. He remains in custody. The Trump administration said it would investigate whether his family knew anything about his alleged plans for the attack. But El Gamal was never charged with any crimes related to it. Nor were any of their five children, who range in age from 5 to 18. El Gamal has since divorced Soliman, and the family submitted a second asylum application while in detention. In a recent interview from the Texas detention center before they were ordered released, El Gamal's oldest daughter, Habiba, described to NPR how her mother's health had deteriorated and the entire family's growing desperation over their 10 months in custody. She called herself "completely broken."…. On late Monday afternoon, the day after the original version was posted, this “clarification,” which should have been featured high in the story, was tacked on the end: Clarification: While Mohammad Soliman was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder that charge was changed to first degree murder after Karen Diamond, one of the victims of his alleged June 2025 attack, died of her wounds.

On Tuesday afternoon, CNN and MS NOW swooned over King Charles III’s speech to a Joint Session of Congress, choosing not to focus on the historical lessons and shared values that kept the West alive (although its current state is debatable), but on the moments regarding climate change, checks and balances, NATO, and Ukraine to name a few the left has declared outright jabs at President Trump. The two networks trumpeted Charles as a “headmaster” delivering an “extremely political” but “vivid” “masterclass” with a set of values “in complete opposition” that were “batted for” embattled Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. CNN led the way in its proverbial weak knees over the moments Charles III seemed to be voicing disagreement with President Trump. The Lead and State of the Union host Jake Tapper — a virulent Trump hater — almost immediately remarked afterward: “[T]here were some items in that speech that I think it’s fair to say were included that, you know, are — I wouldn’t call them zingers against President Trump — but points of disagreement.” Political director David Chalian gushed Charles “did not hide from” the anti-Trump jabs “at all” and instead gave “a speech that was putting democratic values, the rule of law, the power of alliances, even a specific on the support of Ukraine’s defense” on display “in complete opposition” to the White House. “King Charles doesn’t come in here itching for a fight on it...It’s not that he was trying to get in a fight with President Trump, but he couldn’t have seized the opportunity more to really stand clear on the importance of these things with a value system underneath it that is in contrast to a lot of what Donald Trump has been presenting on the world stage as it comes to these alliances,” he gleefully added. WATCH: CNN was giddy over King Charles III’s speech and the instances when he took veiled shots at Donald Trump and MAGA... CNN’s Jake Tapper: “There were some items in that speech that I think it's fair to say were included that, you know, are I wouldn't call them zingers… pic.twitter.com/xVoIyjiMly — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 CNN special correspondent and Swamp denizen Jamie Gangel focused on the nods to one of the King’s passions, climate change. Always ready to get his juices flowing by making everything about attacking Trump, Tapper went to CNN International host and chief Royal correspondent Max Foster by highlighting past comments Trump has made about the state of the British military (click the X post to see the full transcript): CNN’s Jake Tapper on King Charles III’s speech to Congress: “I also couldn’t help but notice that in the wake of President Trump referring to the royal Navy as — as having just a bunch of toys, King Charles talked about the immense pride he feels for the Royal Navy.” Max Foster:… pic.twitter.com/UdOvIdpvGv — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 CNN royal historian Kate Williams offered reaction from back in the U.K. that “many commentators have been surprised by King Charles’s speech because, for a monarch, this was an extremely political speech” and how much he implicitly defended Starmer: CNN Royal historian Kate Williams on King Charles III’s speech before Congress: “I think many commentators have been surprised by King Charles’s speech because, for a monarch, this was an extremely political speech. We saw Charles encouraging President Trump to safeguard nature,… pic.twitter.com/35du9mhbD4 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 Later, international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson closed out the special coverage by concurring with Williams that the King gave a “very political speech...getting to his core issues, be it on the climate, be it on democracy, but also this sort of sense of shared responsibility...of what we do today affects our children” on matters such as Ukraine. Pivoting over to MS NOW, weekday afternoon host Katy Tur declared the King “did sneak in some sharp lines for the United States, stuff that needs to be heard, he believes, right now” about isolationism and NATO MS NOW contributor, liberal presidential historian, and former Biden speechwriter Jon Meacham was in a state of ebullience. He declared Charles III delivered a “masterclass” speech as though he were “a headmaster speak[ing] to a school...remind[ing] us of what matters, of what’s important, of what has endured, not simply because it is old, but because it is true and has been of utility.” Meacham claimed ignorance as to “whether this smooths over immediate diplomatic relations, but I do know that read even not even particularly carefully here” as “a king reminding a democracy and a republic of what matters.” Presidential historian/Biden speechwriter Jon Meacham celebrates King Charles III’s “masterclass” speech as “like having a headmaster speak to a school” having “to remind us of what matters” and warning against “nationalism” because it’s a “perilous” path.... “It’s sort of like… pic.twitter.com/JpFgnWV95N — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 The woke historian continued to spin his valentine for the King’s “elegant,” “thoughtful,” and “vivid...warning and inspiration” to reject “a populist, isolationist, nationalistic moment.” In other words, Meacham claimed the King called on Americans to reject Trump and his movement (click “expand”): He said, our words matter. Our deeds matter. As you pointed out, don’t look inward. Remember that there are checks on executive power. Note the climate. This is a kind of masterclass in how a non — how — how someone not tied to the minute-to-minute political realities, popular politics — this is what this thoughtful man believes is important across the Atlantic. And I think that it’s a vivid and elegant in many ways, warning and inspiration as well, about not losing ourselves in a populist, isolationist, nationalistic moment. One final point here. There’s a difference between nationalism and patriotism, alright? Nationalism is an allegiance to your own kind. Patriotism is an allegiance to a creed. And he very — the King very deftly laid out the roots of the American creed, which is comes grows out of both a biblical understanding of human equality and also came through the British Isles. Magna Carta, the Declaration of Rights in 1688 and 89 informed what happened here in the late 18th century. And what we can’t do is lose that in the 21st. And I think that was his central warning, is that this is perilous. These things are fragile, and they require our attention. Newsweek’s Jack Royston said “this very speech was written to reflect Britain’s strategic priorities” “batt[ing] for Keir Starmer” including “seven or eight points that Charles has wandered into that are potential zones of conflict with Trump,” such as Europe, NATO, Ukraine, Iran, Trump’s tough rhetoric, and a suspended tech trade deal to name a few. Tur’s second post-speech block concerned the Magna Carta as she and New York Times correspondent/Resistance keyboard warrior Peter Baker marveled at Republicans cheering the ancient document: MS NOW’s Katy Tur and NYT’s Peter Baker are struck by how Republicans stood and applauded King Charles III talking about the Magna Carta and checks and balances when they’ve “done very little to check” Donald Trump... pic.twitter.com/INpwHIOieb — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 Baker boasted “it’s rather striking to have a King remind us of what democracy is all about, but that’s what he was doing, and I think, of course, it’s only read in the context of today, a moment when the question of executive power and whether there are in fact, checks and balances on it, is so animating our — our national conversation right now.” Tur finally went to former longtime BBC journalist Jon Sopel  On MS NOW, former longtime BBC News journalist Jon Sopel says the King’s speech was proof there’s, “among the British public,” a feeling of “sadness” that the King has “to deliver those messages that, in another era, would have seemed utterly unremarkable about checks and… pic.twitter.com/bcFleKteUa — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 Over on the broadcast network side, NBC covered it in a Special Report. Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas observed there was “a maybe not-so-subtle message” to President Trump “when he said ‘America’s words carry weight and meaning and they have since the independence the actions of this great nation matter even more.’” Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles agreed, saying “I don’t see how you could not interpret it as such,” and that those lines drew “hush, almost gasp you would describe from the Democratic side,” so it “clearly resonated” with them: NBC’s Tom Llamas: “I wonder, Ryan, if [King Charles III] was sending a subtle message — a maybe not-so-subtle message — to our President in he said ‘America's words carry weight and meaning and they have since the independence the actions of this great nation matter even more.’”… pic.twitter.com/tEJ2bBpjzm — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 28, 2026 “And there were multiple opportunities for him to use his subtle nature to drive home a point,” Nobles continued. ABC also broke in as well and, surprisingly, they didn’t wade in the same waters as the others did in celebrating the progressive moments. These excerpts were the closest they came to punditry, but even this was simply restating back what he told Congress (click “expand”): DAVID MUIR: The King did not shy away from some heavy issues. At one point in the speech, talking about how leadership of this country and back home leadership, not above the law, not should always be subject to questions referencing the Magna Carta, the foundation of law, and pointing out that the Supreme Court over many decades has pointed back to the early findings and words of Magna Carta, talking about how power should be held to account. He talked about the war in Ukraine and about NATO’s influence in the world, and that just as NATO was there for the United States after 9/11, that we must be there to support Ukraine through this conflict with Russia. He talked about climate, the natural wonders of the United States as we approach this 250th birthday, saying they are not just the natural wonders, they are also the foundation that allows us to have an economy and to have prosperity, and that they too must be protected. (....)      MUIR: [A]gain, taking note there of the room, the bipartisan support for the King, the standing ovations, even with him addressing some of the some of the most challenging issues of these times. JAMES LONGMAN: Yeah, David, I think it goes to show it’s not what you say. It’s often how you say it. And the message that Charles gave, it’s been received there in the sort of sense of unity. But I mean, he did not shy away from some pretty pointed messages. I mean, talking about the importance of NATO, the fact that it was the United States that triggered Article V after 9/11. I recall Donald Trump denigrating allied veterans, joking about how they didn’t perhaps fight as hard. That was a British veiled reference to that. On Ukraine, we know that this is a divisive issue in the United States. Support for Ukraine is falling away. He was clear Ukraine needs to be supported. He — he quoted the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the man that Donald Trump has spent months denigrating — he actually just used the same words. The British government put the prime minister’s words in the King’s mouth to repeat. To say that this is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last 80 years. The King showed today what monarchy can do[.] To see the relevant transcripts from April 28, click here (for ABC), here (for CNN), here (for MS NOW), and here (for NBC).

The horrid White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting was, as is to be reasonably expected, top of mind across the Sunday show dial and on the minds of the respective hosts. For some of their guests, it was an opportunity to weave partisan talking points into concern over the shooting and its aftermath. Such was the case for U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) who, while on CBS’s Face the Nation, took a question from Margaret Brennan on the need for Democrats to dial down their rhetoric and used it as the basis for his defense of the recently-indicted Southern Poverty Law Center: WATCH: CBS's Margaret Brennan allows Rep. Jamie Raskin to use the WHCD shooting as a means with which to mischaracterize the SPLC indictment, wherein the organization funded "right-wing" violence it would later "combat." Pay attention to the "or-" when Raskin describes the SPLC's… pic.twitter.com/5jLpXYqTY4 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 26, 2026 MARGARET BRENNAN: The President, I want to make sure that I recognize what he said because we don't hear him speak this way very often. He said “I ask all Americans to recommit with their hearts to resolve our difference peacefully”, and he talked about being unified with members of the press. JAMIE RASKIN: Yes. Well, that certainly -- that's a new message from him. That's great. He had called the press, of course, “the enemy of the people” and he’s been engaged in a lot of lawsuits against your profession. Yes. We are going into this politically charged midterm season. There will be campaigning around the country with lawmakers out there. BRENNAN: Well, we’re- Yes. We are going into this politically charged midterm season. There’s going to be campaigning around the country with lawmakers out there. Does something change? He said this. Does something change? Demo- does Democratic language need to change, as well? RASKIN: Well- we have said all along that we need every politician in the country, every leader in the country, every citizen in the country denouncing political violence across the board regardless of where it's coming from. BRENNAN: Yeah. RASKIN: So, you know, I find this a welcome change in rhetoric, but what happened last week- they brought a lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose whole purpose is to or- investigate violent right-wing extremism in the country and now they're prosecuting them for having used undercover agents which, of course, the FBI uses and the government uses all the time. BRENNAN: Understood. And there is across party lines some political violence, way too much of it right now and actually, Speaker Emerita Pelosi on this program said to me recently that she thought the threat or the concern about violence or threats to your family is what is hurting recruitment of people to run for office- particularly mothers, particularly women. Are you seeing that? That people are afraid to even join public life because of this?  RASKIN: Sure. Anybody who’s thinking about running for office undoubtedly thinks about that. Anybody who’s thinking about running for President undoubtedly thinks about that. And those people have the most protection with the Secret Service, and other people don't have the same kind of protections. So look, we have to rediscover the great American tradition of non-violence and Dr. King and the civilizing movements have always opposed violence, versus the violent groups that have used violence historically beginning with the Ku Klux Klan in order to terrorize other people. BRENNAN: Congressman Raskin, thank you for joining us, and we’re glad you were able to do so. RASKIN: You bet. BRENNAN: We’ll be right back.  Brennan never did push back on Raskin’s multiple sophistries. Instead to her next question on whether the current climate of political violence is dissuading people from running for office, before ending the interview.  Raskin shamelessly lied about the SPLC indictment by framing it as being solely about the use of confidential informants. It was not. As first reported by CBS, the SPLC was indicted on fraud charges for, among other things, funding events such as the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and then using the events they funded in donor appeals.  And do take notice of what sure appears to be a Freudian slip by Raskin, who checked himself before fully saying it: …but what happened last week- they brought a lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose whole purpose is to or- investigate violent right-wing extremism in the country…  What did the “or” mean there? Organize? The SPLC’s actions as enumerated in the indictment sure seem to indicate that, and it is unfortunate that Brennan let Raskin push these points unchallenged. And while it is good and proper that Brennan ask Raskin about Democrats’ rhetoric, it is unfortunate that this question seems to be out of her alignment with her beliefs as expressed in her editorial to close out the show: WATCH: In an editorial to close out this week's "Face the Nation," CBS's Margaret Brennan reflexively blames the Second Amendment for the WHCD shooting, as opposed to the violent rhetoric emanating from the left. MARGARET BRENANN: A night to celebrate the First Amendment,… pic.twitter.com/N1dcMw4nC0 — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 26, 2026 MARGARET BRENANN: A night to celebrate the First Amendment, abruptly ended by a gunman permitted by the Second Amendment to own those weapons. Gun violence is not new in America, but the threat of violence is now a cost of public life. It permeates our politics. Last month, Supreme Court justice Roberts publicly appealed for personal attacks on judges to stop. U.S. Marshals report there were 564 threats last year, and nearly 15,000 against lawmakers, staff and their families according to U.S. Capitol Police.  Multiple Trump Cabinet members now live on military bases for their own protection. No such fortress for the federal and state officials who face growing number of threats in communities across the country. There’s a marked increase in harassment and threats of physical violence to journalists in the U.S. from the very public they are working to inform. As the nation wonders how to keep the next gunman out, let's also reflect on how we let this hate in, how we stop it from corroding our democracy, and how we grasp on to our civility before we lose it. It is easy to blame the Second Amendment for the shooting. This editorial, however, absolves from responsibility those who have abused the First Amendment in order to gin deranged individuals up into committing unspeakable acts of violence against those with whom they disagree. This is part of what the SPLC sought to accomplish through its campaign of fraud, and what so many others across multiple institutions do on a regular basis.  An unfortunate missed opportunity by Brennan.