If you’re looking for a case study in how the mainstream media constructs a narrative out of thin air to protect their preferred ideological allies, look no further than CNN’s recent coverage of an attempted IED attack in New York City.
On Tuesday night, Abby Phillip and Ana Navarro didn&#8217;t just report the news; they performed a masterclass in obfuscation, deliberately mischaracterizing a terrorist act to frame it as a story of Muslim victimhood.
The facts, which CNN seemingly finds inconvenient, are these: two Pennsylvania teenagers, who reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, traveled to New York to detonate homemade bombs. Their target wasn&#8217;t a person, but a crowd of protesters. Yet, in the hands of Abby Phillip, this became an &#8220;attempted terror attack against New York’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani.&#8221;
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BREAKING: Abby Phillips says the IED attack was an “attempted terror attack against NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”
The suspects yelled “Allahu Akbar” and pledged allegiance to ISIS.
CNN deleted a tweet and issued a retraction this morning. They never learn. <a href="https://t.co/AvsQCUnhP5">pic.twitter.com/AvsQCUnhP5</a>
&mdash; Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2031599889201713289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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By framing the attack as one directed at Mamdani — who identifies as Muslim — Phillip and Navarro attempted to pivot the conversation away from radical Islamic terrorism and toward their favorite hobby horse: Republican &#8220;bigotry.&#8221; Phillip used the false premise of an attack on Mamdani to grill guests about comments made by GOP Congressmen Andy Ogles and Randy Fine, effectively using a near-tragedy caused by ISIS sympathizers to scold Republicans for being mean.
Ana Navarro, never one to let a factual error get in the way of a partisan jab, doubled down on the lie. After she declared, “What I find ironic is, so supposedly some of these comments are as a result of the attempt against Mayor Mamdani in New York,” Republican Joe Borelli correctly pointed out that the attackers were targeting protesters, not Mamdani.
Navarro stubbornly insisted, &#8220;It was at his house,&#8221; as if proximity to a building constitutes a targeted assassination attempt. The goal was transparent: if they could convince the audience that Mamdani was the target, they could claim that any criticism of radicalism is actually an incitement to violence against Muslim officials.
Phillip offered an apology on Wednesday morning:
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I want to correct something I said last night. The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS inspired attackers was thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and not specifically targeted at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead…
&mdash; Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) <a href="https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/2031708815469486172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This gaslighting followed a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/see-it-cnn-quietly-deletes-tone-deaf-take-on-suspected-isis-terrorists?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=SEE+IT%3A+CNN+Quietly+Deletes+Tone-Deaf+Take+On+Suspected+ISIS+Terrorists&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">humiliating retreat</a> by CNN earlier that day. The network had deleted a tweet that described the terrorists as &#8220;Pennsylvania teenagers&#8221; whose &#8220;lives would drastically change&#8221; after a &#8220;normal day&#8221; ended in arrests for throwing bombs. It was a pathetic attempt to infantilize ISIS-pledging terrorists, portraying them as wayward youths who stumbled into a felony.
Phillip and Navarro’s performance was a cynical attempt to gain sympathy for Mamdani by painting him as a target of the very radicalism the media spent all morning trying to downplay. It is a perfect circle of media dishonesty: first, humanize the terrorists; then, when that fails, lie about the target to cast your political opponents as the real villains.

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CNN Hit With One-Two Punch In Single Day Over ISIS Bomb Plot Coverage

bombing

ISIS

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

The FBI is reportedly looking at an attempted bombing in New York City as a potential act of terror after at least one of the suspects — who wielded a homemade bomb at a protest outside Gracie Mansion the day before — claimed that he had been inspired by ISIS.
NBC News correspondent Tom Winter reported on Sunday that one of the suspects referenced ISIS directly in statements to law enforcement after his apprehension, prompting the terror probe.
CNN reported that both suspects admitted to being &#8220;inspired by ISIS,&#8221; but said that officials do not believe that there is a connection between the New York City attack and the military action unfolding in Iran.
WATCH:
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Emir Balat and Ibrahim Nikk, the two NYC terrorists who hurled an IED at protestors were reportedly inspired by ISIS. <a href="https://t.co/gPiNeC0FoM">pic.twitter.com/gPiNeC0FoM</a>
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMHern/status/2030735447656222986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Law enforcement sources [are] also telling us that the two suspects that were arrested in relation to those explosive devices have admitted to being inspired by ISIS,&#8221; correspondent Gloria Pazmino reported.
According to a report published Sunday by CBS News, the FBI&#8217;s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken over the investigation into Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19 — both of whom live in Pennsylvania — after a lab in Quantico confirmed that what appeared to homemade bombs were not &#8220;hoax devices&#8221; but deadly Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using components that have been seen in previous terror attacks.
The devices, two sources told CBS, contained sports drink bottles filled with explosives that were set inside glass jars packed with nails, bolts, and screws. The explosives were connected to a firework described as an &#8220;M-80-type&#8221; with a fuse.
The sources said that the explosive material inside was called triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, which is a white powder made from two readily available household chemicals: acetone and hydrogen peroxide.
Multiple reports suggest that the investigation is also likely to probe the recent travels of the suspects, both of whom have made extended visits to Istanbul in the last two years. Balat stayed in the Turkish city for months, from early May of 2025 to late August of the same year. Kayumi also traveled to Istanbul, but only stayed for a few weeks in July and August of 2024. He also traveled to Saudi Arabia in March of 2024.
Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin also reported that &#8220;New York City IED suspect Emir Balat’s parents are both from Turkey &amp; were naturalized into US citizens in 2017, while Ibrahim Kayumi’s parents are both from Afghanistan. Mom naturalized in 2009, dad naturalized in 2004.&#8221;
New York City&#8217;s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdani-breaks-silence-after-nypd-confirms-bomb-was-used-in-terror-attempt">issued a statement</a> about the attack on Sunday, which had taken place as competing protests played out in front of Gracie Mansion.
Mamdani specifically named January 6th defendant Jake Lang — who led a protest of about 20 people — and referred to him as a &#8220;white supremacist,&#8221; saying his demonstration was &#8220;rooted in bigotry and racism&#8221; and was not welcome in New York City.
While he condemned the violent act that followed, he did not mention the names of the terror suspects or their potential inspiration. Instead, he said simply, &#8220;The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.&#8221;

Right-Wing Activists Protest Against New York Mayor Mamdani Outside Gracie Mansion

FBI Opens Terror Probe After Homemade Bombs In NYC Linked To ISIS

Media

Politics

Terrorism

FBI agents and airport police worked together to investigate after an unspecified threat caused officials to evacuate sections of Kansas City International Airport in Missouri on Sunday morning.
According to multiple <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/08/us-news/kansas-city-international-airport-evacuated-over-threat-as-fbi-cops-swarm-terminal/">reports</a>, hundreds of passengers were evacuated onto the tarmac as investigators closed one terminal, out of &#8220;an abundance of caution,&#8221; and diverted several flights, leaving others — who landed after the threat was received — stranded on the taxiway until they were given the all-clear.
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🚨 BREAKING: Kansas City International Airport is being EVACUATED of all travelers and workers due to a “SERIOUS INCIDENT”
Initial reports are of a credible bomb threat to the airport.
All planes have been halted and a sweep is underway <a href="https://t.co/QOZWFSa8bL">pic.twitter.com/QOZWFSa8bL</a>
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2030700520403247258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The threat, according to reports, came in at 11:50 a.m. local time and prompted an immediate and complete evacuation of the terminal. Flights did not resume until after 2 p.m. In the interim, airport police and FBI agents conducted sweeps of the terminal.
Passenger Logan Hawley told <a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/kc-aviation-department-aware-of-situation-at-kansas-city-international-airport">reporters</a> that he had been preparing to board a flight to Texas when law enforcement swarmed the terminal: &#8220;Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there.&#8221;
Highway traffic near the airport also faced delays as the Missouri Department of Transportation confirmed temporary road closures at Interstate 29 northbound to Interstate 435 eastbound and the KCI exit ramp.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the all-clear shortly after 2 p.m. CST, <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/2030723386511425750">posting</a> on X that the airport would be returning to business as usual. He did not give any details as to the nature of the threat or its resolution.
&#8220;The security incident at @Fly_KansasCity is now clear and normal operations are resuming,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I want to thank law enforcement including the @FBI for their timely response. The safety of passengers, airport staff, and crew members is always our number one priority @FAANews.&#8221;

Screenshot courtesy of @NickSortor

Bomb Threat Triggers Shutdown At Major U.S. Airport, Forces Passengers Onto Tarmac

Air Travel

Kansas City

New York City&#8217;s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke his silence on Sunday, one full day after protesters shouting &#8220;Allahu Akbar&#8221; tossed two homemade devices into a crowd, after the New York Police Department&#8217;s bomb squad confirmed that the devices were, in fact, lethal.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch issued a <a href="https://x.com/NYPDPC/status/2030695186410463401">statement</a> on Sunday declaring that the first device had been determined to be a lethal improvised explosive device (IED), and that further studies would be done to determine whether the same could be said of the second device.
&#8220;The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb,&#8221; Tisch stated. &#8220;It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.&#8221;
Tisch said that the second device was still under investigation, and that &#8220;further analysis&#8221; was necessary.
&#8220;Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter,&#8221; Tisch continued. &#8220;The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force. I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.&#8221;
Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani also released a <a href="https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2030704552765263946">statement</a> attempting to split the blame between the suspected bombers and the protesters they&#8217;d targeted.
&#8220;Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,&#8221; Mamdani complained. &#8220;Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.&#8221;
&#8220;What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day. My administration is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.&#8221;
There were two simultaneous and oppositional protests taking place in front of Gracie Mansion — one, led by January 6th defendant Jake Lang, was titled &#8220;Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer&#8221; and drew a crowd of less than two dozen. The second protest, which drew over 100, was labeled &#8220;Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate.&#8221;
The two groups clashed despite being separated by law enforcement, resulting in one from Lang&#8217;s protest being arrested for using pepper spray against protesters from the other group. Tensions escalated further when Balat and Kayumi were arrested in connection with the homemade bombs.

US-POLITICS-DEMONSTRATION

Mamdani Breaks Silence After NYPD Confirms Bomb Was Used In Terror Attempt

Islamists

WASHINGTON—The suspect arrested last October with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-who-targeted-supreme-court-justices-with-explosives-arraigned-in-dc-court">more than 100 explosive devices</a> outside of St. Matthew’s Cathedral ahead of the annual Red Mass that marked the start of the Supreme Court term was back in court on Tuesday. 
Louis Geri appeared in D.C. Superior Court for a status hearing. During the hearing, the court addressed a potential resolution between the prosecution and the defense. Initially, Geri was set to appear back in court on February 5, but was rescheduled to a later date at the apparent request of Geri. After February 5 was mentioned, Geri whispered to his attorney. After the two discussed, his attorney said Louis “doesn’t want to come back until there’s a resolution.” D.C. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro acknowledged Geri’s request. 
Previously, Geri’s defense rejected a plea deal offered by the prosecution. Due to a judge caseload transfer, Geri’s case was reassigned from Judge Heide Herrmann to Judge Di Toro. Geri faces charges of one count of Unlawful Manufacture or Possession of  Weapon of Mass Destruction and False Report of a Weapon of Mass Destruction. 
Geri was apprehended after stepping outside his tent to urinate on October 5 of last year. His tent, which allegedly contained the explosives, was set up on the steps of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/crime/court-documents-give-insight-arrest-man-molotov-coctails-outside-dc-cathedral/65-a8db0416-0ce8-42a7-934a-1e84a4828a5b">according</a> to WUSA9. Authorities <a href="https://eaccess.dccourts.gov/eaccess/search.page.3.1?x=IGWQXnhkXfdw23D7wILJbHXmSW75pj1pCysMq7pwvjW14loRdrX2QrZD528XkwKiXbnDekXPF*4Pp8t52jcGzUpVuauGXvd9c6WZN8FE3opp2fTIkseP5epTZMbdG81OG9heL8vJ8ueuO-oFZyr5X6WLNoGF25MSM7bt2TCUAa4">say</a> he had gathered materials for the devices in Arkansas and was aware “that multiple public figures would likely attend” the event and that the “potential for damage was incredibly high.” 
Due to security concerns at the time, Supreme Court justices did not attend the Red Mass, which is an annual event held by the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, wherein the parish prays for the High Court at the beginning of a new term.
On Tuesday, Judge Di Toro granted a mutual continuance, indicating that both sides agreed to delay proceedings while assessing if the case could be resolved without a trial. The court is set to reconvene on February 19 to discuss the case’s next steps.

Louis Geri

Suspect Who Targeted Supreme Court Mass With Hundreds Of Explosives Back In Court

Alleged Supreme Court Mass Bomber Back In Court

explosives

St. Matthew’s Cathedral