Get access to Brad Slager's "Riffed From the Headlines," a daily VIP feature where he looks to bring accountability to the mainstream media. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Gilded Reframe – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Yes, go ahead and run that exposé NOW, I’m sure the Bidens won’t mind as much
Get this – The New York Times has made the discovery that Hunter Biden was, in fact, acting as a foreign agent as far back as the Obama administration.
So – and we want to get this correct – the Republicans investigating this and the conservative media who covered it were actually accurate all this time?!
Because we at Townhall Media have some recollections about our being called fake news, conspiracists, and baseless propagandists operating without evidence when it came to reporting on the famous oil painting artist Hunter Biden being involved with inappropriate foreign payment schemes.
Recommended
Huh, how about this rather convenient turn of eventful reporting.
"The @nytimes has found evidence suggesting that the former president's son was acting as a foreign agent as early as the Obama administration."@JonathanTurley details how the Biden corruption story just got airtime… from the last place you'd expect 🧵 pic.twitter.com/4pH8wXI47k
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 6, 2025
News Avoidance Syndrome – VARIOUS OUTLETS
You seem more interested in their message than their backers — though they sound rather ignorant about their message.
Over the weekend, there were more anti-Trump and anti-Elon Musk protests, and the press was dutiful in the reporting of those coming out to…agree with the press. (Note the Right to Life March was given scant coverage, but we digress.)
What was the big takeaway from these gatherings was the very artificial nature of it all. People showed with pre-printed signs, regurgitated forgetful chants, and basically appeared oblivious to what they were supposedly angry about. This is due to how much of this was ginned up and people were paid and bussed into areas to gather in “organic” outrage.
GPS—7,498 mobile devices.
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) April 6, 2025
Organizers are claiming 30,000. CBS states a vague ‘thousands’.
92% having attended 5 or more Kamala Harris rallies, antifa/blm, pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian protests.
For more insight into what data we also look at in addition to GPS location data… https://t.co/DZIjtO2l2e
This pre-fab protester explains what was involved for her to be paid to come out this weekend: no red/MAGA gear, march for three hours, take a test following to prove your liberal bonafides, and bring your own sign for a bonus. She earned $110 for her heartfelt efforts.
This lady explains what you had to do as a paid protestor on April 5th.
— Brandon (@LibOrNormal) April 7, 2025
By what she's saying, I don't even think she's a liberal!
👇 pic.twitter.com/1jTQpowaNz
Our favorites were this elderly trio holding up a curious sign and were more than eager to appear on camera. Watch with amusement when asked what their sign actually meant and all three of them look confused and turn toward each other for help – then one remembers he had been given prepared notes to explain what he is protesting.
They have no clue why they are there, and they have no clue what their signs even mean. pic.twitter.com/BxtiskoD3t
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 6, 2025
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
Maybe we should have spelled it as “memorand-dumb.”
The press has been in full scale hysteria mode over tariffs this weekend (given the “Signal Scandal” died a rapid death.) One of the preferred talking points was to criticize the administration over the fact they imposed tariffs on territories we do not trade with, such as the Heard Islands which has no real residents and is mostly populated by penguins.
Tapper: "Why are you putting import tariffs on islands that are entirely populated by penguins?"
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 6, 2025
The Agriculture Secretary dismissed the question with a "whatever." pic.twitter.com/Ym93XuNokv
Jake, Mr. Stelter, and others in the press are apparently incapable of doing a modicum of research into why there would be a reason for doing so, beyond Trump officials throwing a dart at a map.
Margaret Brennan kept her record of indolent interview questions on “Face the Nation” intact when she challenged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on “The Penguin Tariffs.” She, once again, comes off looking like the ill-prepared partisan she has proven herself to be.
Of course there’s a good reason why Trump included the penguin islands on his tariff list, and of course the left pretends not to understand. pic.twitter.com/AQmwCIs7c9
— JKash 🍊MAGA Queen (@JKash000) April 6, 2025
Pre-Written Field Reports – NBC NEWS
Seriously, Kristen, just a small amount of research will avoid lapsing into Brennan territory.
On “Meet The Press,” Kristen Welker was also in full bore doom cycle mode regarding tariffs, and in speaking to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, she was completely shredded by his calm repeating of facts.
As she tries to set the table with all manner of hyperbolic claims, he undoes everything with a very simple phrase: “Well, Kristen, what I like is data.”
He then proceeded to spool forth with data on tariffs from Trump’s first term that dissolved all of Kristen’s claims.
Scott Bessent brings the facts on tariffs during President Trump's first term on Meet the Press: Households saw real net wages go up, while prices increased just 0.7% and the country took in tens of billions of dollars in new revenue.pic.twitter.com/J3txrt2HXs
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) April 6, 2025
Stealth Story Evolution – DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD
Not to heap scorn in an unfair fashion, but aren’t movies your primary area of expertise?
In a confounding dose of errant tribute being paid, the entertainment outlet Deadline looked to honor the passing of Val Kilmer by highlighting some of his most iconic roles in an article and promoted it on its social media page.
It is a bit of a curiosity that so many people overlook the fact that Kilmer played “Batman” for one film, but that does not excuse the fact that in the image used for its tribute they posted a shot of the character positioned behind the Batmobile – when played by Michael Keaton.
That time when @Deadline "honored" Val Kilmer by posting the wrong Batman image. pic.twitter.com/pR8uxpTVbp
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) April 6, 2025
Anti-Social Media – SPORTSNET
Maybe if he can explain what any of his views have to do with his career achievement we could begin a conversation.
Over the weekend, there was a significant dose of sports history achieved in the NHL when Alexander Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record. Making this all the more impressive is that Ovi passed The Great One while playing the exact same number of games.
Ovechkin tied the record Friday evening and then hit the new mark Sunday while playing in New York, but over at Sportsnet, Kristina Rutherford felt the need to inject the global conflicts with Russia and the “controversial” decision by Gretzky to align himself as a Donald Trump supporter as issues that needed to be addressed.
The desperation is apparent in trying to insist hockey fans are wrestling with celebrating this achievement while weighing the geopolitical issues at the same time. Allow this hockey fan to say this is utter horse crap. Just look at the example Rutherford included in her lengthy screed, where Ovechkin and his best friend Niklas Backstrom have a pledge to not discuss the Ukraine conflict. That decision probably applies to 99% of hockey fans.
As Alex Ovechkin closes in on Wayne Gretzky’s goals record, fans are faced with a decision: how to balance celebrating history with the accompanying political baggage. @KrRutherford explores. https://t.co/FJNBGPPvxi
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 4, 2025
Newseum Installation – VARIETY
Did you even ponder this one, just a little bit?
When blindly repeating the PR from a studio in obedient fashion, you are bound to end up looking foolish eventually.
We have a new Installation for the #Newseum
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) April 7, 2025
Yes, yes - he ''LIKELY'' would love it...save for the fact he is dead.
and has been for 2,000 years.
Which slightly predates motion pictures.
He was also...blind.
Otherwise, solid PR gang. https://t.co/nOmktNHXB4 pic.twitter.com/B67Ymj9gZ6