Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid into legacy media outlets after data compiled by The Media Research Center (MRC) revealed that he had received 100% negative coverage from the three major networks: ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News.
Hegseth responded to the report with a post on X showing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-network-trump-coverage-92-negative-in-first-100-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tone of his coverage</a> compared to that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) adviser Elon Musk — who received 89% negative coverage and 96% negative coverage, respectively.
&#8220;In case you wonder what we — and President Trump — are up against. 100% NEGATIVE coverage from so-call[ed] &#8216;mainstream&#8217; press in the first 100 days. PERFECT SCORE,&#8221; Hegseth quipped. &#8220;(Come on @RobertKennedyJr &amp; @elonmusk, you guys can do better!)&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In case you wonder what we — and President Trump — are up against.
100% NEGATIVE coverage from so-call “mainstream” press in the first 100 days. PERFECT SCORE.
(Come on <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RobertKennedyJr</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> , you guys can do better!) <a href="https://t.co/uYi2ebI0RG">pic.twitter.com/uYi2ebI0RG</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1917535623709155730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hegseth offered a guess as to why the coverage was so overwhelmingly negative when he spoke at Wednesday&#8217;s cabinet meeting, where he told the president and other members of the administration, &#8220;We’re controversial because we’re OVER the target!&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> presented <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> with all the accomplishments that the DOD have achieved in the last 100 days:
&#8220;I think we’re controversial because we’re OVER the target!&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/GnznUoK1UE">pic.twitter.com/GnznUoK1UE</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1917608013684261369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hegseth laid out a number of things that the military had already improved since the Trump administration began — and noted that recruitment numbers were setting records — suggesting that the military&#8217;s response to Hegseth was far more positive than the media&#8217;s.
The data compiled by MRC covered the time frame from January 20 to April 9 and excluded comments made by expressly partisan guests, only including evaluative statements made by people who were expected to be nonpartisan: anchors, reporters, and experts. In addition to finding that Hegseth&#8217;s coverage — beginning even before he was confirmed as Defense Secretary — was 100% negative, the same data revealed that coverage of President Donald Trump was 92% negative. Based on the same criteria, coverage of former President Joe Biden — during the first several months of his presidency in 2021 — was 59% positive.

Pete Hegseth

‘PERFECT SCORE!’: Pete Hegseth Obliterates Legacy Media Over New Study On Bias

Donald Trump

Media

Media Bias

Media Research Center

Politics

CNN host Abby Phillip shared a post highlighting the recent ratings logged by her show, &#8220;CNN NewsNight&#8221; — and her critics quickly pointed out that what truly made her show a standout on the cable news network was her regular inclusion of popular Republican commentator Scott Jennings.
Phillip posted an excerpt from a CNN public relations release showing that her broadcast was the network&#8217;s top performer in the coveted 25-54 age demographic for three months running — and that her audience was growing. She said (emphasis hers), &#8220;NewsNight with Abby Phillip continues to be a standout performer for CNN, ranking as the network’s most watched program among P25-54 for the third consecutive month. Further, NewsNight grew by impressive, double-digit margins year-over-year among both demos.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;NewsNight with Abby Phillip continues to be a standout performer for CNN, ranking as the network’s most watched program among P25-54 for the third consecutive month. Further, NewsNight grew by impressive, double-digit margins year-over-year among both demos.&#8221;…
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) <a href="https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1917377118951952871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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But critics responded to her post, arguing that it was Jennings — who often employs a Jim Halpern (&#8220;The Office&#8221;) style camera stare to great effect — and his sharp but civil commentary that was really bringing in the viewers for whom she was taking credit.
&#8220;Thanks solely to @ScottJenningsKY,&#8221; Tomi Lahren posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thanks solely to <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a>
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomiLahren/status/1917410286644125816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Two words: Scott and Jennings,&#8221; another said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Two words: Scott and Jennings
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisStigall/status/1917620491650507108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Great job, @ScottJenningsKY! You’ve driven the ratings up on this show significantly!&#8221; Matt Boyle added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Great job <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a> ! You’ve driven the ratings up on this show significantly! <a href="https://t.co/Iyf66mAE9h">https://t.co/Iyf66mAE9h</a>
— Matthew Boyle (@mboyle1) <a href="https://twitter.com/mboyle1/status/1917569344059630039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Our audience knows exactly why and his name is Scaaaaahhht Jennings,&#8221; Chicks on the Right posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our audience knows exactly why and his name is Scaaaaahhht Jennings. <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottJenningsKY</a> <a href="https://t.co/SoRb4mbNAz">https://t.co/SoRb4mbNAz</a>
— Chicks On The Right (@chicksonright) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicksonright/status/1917583657901998272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I wonder why, um&#8230; what&#8217;s your name again? <a href="https://t.co/0BmfHmIglO">https://t.co/0BmfHmIglO</a> <a href="https://t.co/7RIPWjXseu">pic.twitter.com/7RIPWjXseu</a>
— 𝕯ug (@DugShrugged) <a href="https://twitter.com/DugShrugged/status/1917569914707058709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even popular liberal radio host Charlamagne tha God admitted that he was a fan of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlamagne-tha-god-admits-hes-a-fan-of-one-cnn-republican" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOP commentator</a>, saying, &#8220;I wish they had more people like Scott Jennings though. Because I feel like Scott Jennings really, really does take it serious, even though he holds his side down. I think a lot of times, they have Republicans on here who are just there just to throw grenades, just to cause the conflict. But Scott actually — I think Scott actually gives a f*** a little bit, you know what I mean? A lot of bit actually.&#8221;

Scott Jennings

CNN Host Touts Network’s Best Show — Gets Reminded Viewers Aren’t Watching For Her

CNN Host Touts Network’s Best Show — Gets Reminded Viewers Aren't Watching For Her

Ratings

According to data compiled by the Media Research Center, 92% of the major network media coverage — throughout the first 100 days of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term — has been negative.
The MRC looked at coverage across the three major broadcast companies — ABC, CBS, and NBC — and set aside comments made by expressly partisan guests, whether they were in support of or opposition to the Trump administration. Instead, they only recorded &#8220;evaluative comments&#8221; made by those whose role with the networks suggests they are to behave in a non-partisan fashion: anchors, reporters, and experts.
This is the same rubric by which MRC graded the bias of networks covering former President Joe Biden in 2021 and of networks covering Trump during his first term in 2017 — and based on the data, Trump&#8217;s coverage has been even more negative during his second term than it was during his first.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING STUDY: The Trump-hating media gives President Trump 92% negative coverage in his first 100 days in office. <a href="https://t.co/fr3XUB8eWS">https://t.co/fr3XUB8eWS</a>
— MRC NewsBusters (@newsbusters) <a href="https://twitter.com/newsbusters/status/1916820547415003383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;MRC analysts tallied 1,841 explicitly evaluative statements about  President Trump and his Trump administration, of which 1,698 (92.2%) were negative vs. a mere 143 (7.8%) which were positive,&#8221; the report stated, noting that the data were pulled from some 899 stories about President Trump or his administration that aired during evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC between January 20 and April 9.
The biggest takeaway, according to the report, was the dramatic shift from the 59% positive coverage the same three networks offered former President Biden.
Another change of note was the focus on policies rather than Trump&#8217;s personality, which drove the 89% negative coverage Trump received in 2017. Major story topics included tariffs (361 minutes of coverage), the Department Of Government Efficiency (310 minutes) and illegal immigration (233 minutes) — and all showcased networks that stood in opposition to Trump&#8217;s positions and policies on those issues.
The data also pointed to a disparity between the way the public views President Trump and his policies — particularly with regard to illegal immigration, where <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-pollster-admits-most-americans-side-with-trump-on-illegals-want-them-all-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent polling</a> indicates the majority of Americans largely favor Trump&#8217;s deportation plan. Despite that, the legacy networks&#8217; messaging on the issue of illegal immigration has been 93% negative.
Trump fared better than a few associated with his administration, however. Elon Musk and DOGE saw 96% negative coverage, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&#8217;s coverage was 100% negative.

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Major Network Trump Coverage 92% Negative In First 100 Days

ABC News

CBS News

NBC News

Untitled design (20)

Trump’s First 100 Days: A Study In ‘Fake News,’ Hoaxes, And Misleading Headlines

Fake News

Mainstream Media

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it&#8217;s &#8220;about time&#8221; that the legacy media admitted to being part of &#8220;one of the greatest cover-ups&#8221; due to their reluctance to report on President Joe Biden&#8217;s mental acuity.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mary Margaret Olohan asked Leavitt for a response to Axios reporter Alex Thompson, who criticized how journalists dealt with the last administration, as Thompson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql6nYEgVjjo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner for his <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/07/22/biden-kamala-harris-election-chances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> on Biden&#8217;s declining cognitive state.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Can you comment on&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexThomp</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/axios?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@axios</a> &#8220;remarks &amp; whether you agree with that assessment&#8221;
White House press sec. Karoline Leavitt: &#8220;I do agree with that assessment from Alex Thompson&#8221; at WHCA dinner. &#8220;Millions of Americans watched our mentally incompetent president struggle &#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/117g944k7w">pic.twitter.com/117g944k7w</a>
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1916844994339405836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Alex Thompson said at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And I&#8217;m going to read his quote, ‘President Biden’s decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of the party, is capable of deception. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story, and some people trust us less because of it.’ Can you comment on those remarks and whether you agree with that assessment?” Olohan asked.
&#8220;I do agree with that assessment from Alex Thompson, who I understand won an award for writing a story months and perhaps years after the American people already knew that story to be true. Millions of Americans watched our mentally incompetent president struggle with his day-to-day duties of this office,&#8221; Leavitt replied. &#8220;We watched our country be ran into the ground as a result, and nobody in the media wanted to write about that [or] talk about it. There were many, many reporters, I will say, right-leaning reporters who did talk about that, who didn&#8217;t get awards, didn&#8217;t get coverage.&#8221;
She continued: &#8220;In fact, they were lambasted for their coverage and I remember being on President Trump&#8217;s campaign talking about Joe Biden&#8217;s clear mental incompetence and being accused by people in this room of manufacturing deepfake videos, trying to persuade the public into not believing what they saw with their own eyes for many years and I think it&#8217;s about time the legacy media finally admits that was one of the greatest cover ups and scandals that ever took place in American history and certainly it did contribute to the decline in the trust that Americans have for the legacy media&#8230;which, by the way, is why we&#8217;ve made many changes to this briefing room in this White House. It&#8217;s long overdue.&#8221;
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, the White House has made several changes in the press room, including making space for &#8220;new media” journalists and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-will-decide-which-reporters-get-briefing-room-seats-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking control</a> of the seating chart.

Former President Joe Biden

‘One Of The Greatest Cover-Ups’: Leavitt Rips Legacy Media For Burying Biden’s Decline

Executive

Joe Biden

Karoline Leavitt

White House

Help us, George Clooney … you’re our only hope!”
No one actually shared that plea with the Oscar-winner, but he’s been assuming someone did for a while. Over the course of four decades, the 63-year-old went from the mulleted handyman on “The Facts of Life” to an award-winning actor, director and film producer.
Clooney has every right and intention of using his celebrity gravitas. That’s despite the 2024 election proving voters no longer hold stars in high regard. At least at the ballot box.
Plenty of people listened to Clooney last summer, a time when his unofficial Save America tour kicked off. He took to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/opinion/joe-biden-democratic-nominee.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pages</a> of The New York Times to call for President Joe Biden to end his rematch against President Donald Trump.
Clooney’s Op/Ed, and his choice of platform, rocked the Democratic establishment. Clooney shared how the Biden he once knew was no more, and that it was time for a younger Democrat to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-clooney-joins-chorus-of-stars-telling-biden-its-time-to-drop-out-of-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take the fight to Trump</a>.
<blockquote>It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal‘ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.</blockquote>
Breaking News from 2021, right? Except it came on the heels of Biden’s disastrous June 27 presidential debate and endless videos revealing the leader’s rickety health.
When Biden eventually stepped aside ( maybe pushed?), Clooney looked like a Democratic soothsayer.
As a result, the star’s ego grew three sizes. and we’re now getting a good dose of it  during Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” press tour.
<div id="attachment_912251" style="width: 933px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912251" class="size-large wp-image-912251" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-923x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 6: Signage during a press event announcing the cast of the play based on the 2005 film &quot;Good Night, And Good Luck&quot; on Broadway at The Wintergarden Theatre on February 6, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)" width="923" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-923x576.jpg 923w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-300x187.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-768x479.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px" />Bruce Glikas/WireImage</div>
The actor <a href="https://playbill.com/production/good-night-and-good-luck-broadway-winter-garden-theatre-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought</a> his 2005 film of the same name to the Great White Way earlier this month. His never-ending publicity for the show, along with the production itself, has given Clooney even more opportunities to lecture reg’lar Americans on The Way Things Ought to Be.
Let’s start with the show, a love letter to journalist Edward R. Murrow during his ‘50s-era battles with Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Their clashes mattered then, and now, and the play (and film) justly honor that.
Except Clooney backloads the production with a clip brigade that touches on everything from the silly to the surreal. It’s meant to remind us why the Fourth Estate matters, even though the clips include video of Elon Musk raising his arm in a manner that some of the far-Left dubbed Nazi-adjacent.
A real journalist wouldn’t suggest the billionaire’s awkward gesture was anything but an awkward hand gesture. Nor would he use that clip as an example of something noteworthy in modern times.
A better example? A shot of a burning Tesla?
<div id="attachment_912255" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912255" class="size-large wp-image-912255" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: George Clooney celebrates on stage with cast during curtain call for &quot;Good Night, And Good Luck&quot; Broadway Opening Night at Winter Garden Theatre on April 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Valerie Terranova/WireImage)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Valerie Terranova/WireImage</div>
Clooney has used every media interview to remind us why journalism matters now – more than ever – in the era of Trump.
Here he is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQOvlx8g7fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genuflecting</a> to the Fourth Estate:
<blockquote>It’s a subject matter that is very close to our hearts, which is what [the press] does. Telling the truth and holding truth to power. It’s a play we’re very excited to do.</blockquote>
He wagged his perfectly manicured finger at us anew during a chat with CBS about the Broadway show. Once again, he <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-clooney-broadway-journalism-60-minutes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended modern journalists:</a>
<blockquote>Governments don&#8217;t like the freedom of the press. They never have,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that goes for whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever side you&#8217;re on. They don&#8217;t like the press.</blockquote>
<a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/alex-christy/2025/02/19/clooney-colbert-urge-journalists-stand-right-side-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He played the same note</a> during a chat with the far-Left “Late Show” on CBS:
<blockquote>We have had this issue where power, kind of, hates the fourth estate. They hate journalism and my father’s an anchorman and news man and we’ve always believed in the idea of when the other three estates: the judiciary branch and the executive branch, when they all fail you, you need that fourth estate, right.</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_912281" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912281" class="size-large wp-image-912281" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: YouTube/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. George Clooney." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: YouTube/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. George Clooney.</div>
He’s right. So where was it during the last four years? Not only did brave, truth-telling journalists ignore President Biden’s mental decline, some actively covered it up. Remember the brief “cheap fakes” era of media damage control?
Biden’s mental decline was like his son’s missing laptop. Nothing to see here. Move along.
That’s journalism at its worst, and Clooney was part of that cover-up. Clooney palled around with President Biden during a June 2024 fundraiser, something he alluded to in that New York Times open letter. He saw Biden’s sorry state and said nothing for weeks until Biden’s poll numbers sank too low to ignore.
Is that what the son of a truth-telling journalist would do? Of course not.
Yet here he was thumping his chest about his play, the state of modern journalism, and his role in boosting both as if he had done nothing wrong.
It took a member of the “new media” to set Clooney straight about his cover-up.
“That’s not journalism, George. That’s cowardice, followed by naked partisanship,” said Megyn Kelly on her self-titled <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eD8glSeIKs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> about his actions.
Clooney remains both handsome and charismatic, and he effortlessly embraced his first major role on Broadway. That’s not easy. He might try putting his partisan blinders on the shelf the next time he waxes philosophical on journalism.
We’ve seen the very worst of it over the past decade, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is just theater.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

George Clooney Announces The Complete Broadway Cast Of “Good Night, And Good Luck”

Exit Stage Left: The Ego And Amnesia Of George Clooney

actors

Broadway

Democrats

Entertainment

George Clooney

Leftists

Legacy Media

Theater

Attorney General Pam Bondi announces a lawsuit against Maine for defying President Donald Trump’s transgender athlete ban. A new report exposes glaring bias in media coverage of two illegal immigrants. And, new studies have thrown into doubt everything we thought we knew about ADHD.
It’s Thursday, April 17, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
&nbsp;
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doj-sues-maine-adhd-study-revelations-4-17-25/id1576594336?i=1000703850045" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
&nbsp;
<h1>Trump DOJ Sues Maine</h1>
<div id="attachment_908933" style="width: 845px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-908933" class="size-large wp-image-908933" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-835x576.jpg" alt="" width="835" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-835x576.jpg 835w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-300x207.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-768x530.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Janet-Mills-Stank-Face-2048x1413.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 835px) 100vw, 835px" />(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: After a months-long standoff, the Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against Maine’s Department of Education over its transgender sports policies.
The suit says that Maine is “openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law” by allowing males to compete in girls&#8217; sports. It says girls are being displaced from podiums, losing opportunities for advancement to regional and national competitions, and missing out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition.
In a press conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Maine officials, notably Democratic Governor Janet Mills, forced their hand.  “We don’t want to be suing people, we want them to comply with the law, and that’s what we’re doing. We have given [every] opportunity over and over again. The Department of Education, HHS, they went and sat down with them in person, multiple meetings, and got nowhere.”
Minnesota and California have also apparently been put &#8220;on notice,&#8221; and other states are in talks with the federal government to resolve issues with Title IX enforcement.
Governor Mills issued a statement shortly after the suit was announced. She criticized the Trump administration for the “unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law.” Mills also accused the administration of “politically motivated investigations” into Maine that had “predetermined” outcomes.
&nbsp;
<h1>Media Bias In Coverage Of Illegal Immigrants</h1>
<div id="attachment_908935" style="width: 788px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-908935" class="size-large wp-image-908935" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-778x576.jpg" alt="" width="778" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-778x576.jpg 778w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Media-Bias-Comedic-Graphic-2048x1517.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px" />(Photo by designer491 via Getty Images)</div>
Topline:  A new report exposes glaring bias in the media coverage of two illegal immigrants in Maryland — one deported by the Trump administration and the other convicted of murdering a mother of five.
The study by the Media Research Center found major bias from legacy media outlets. The group found that while the outlets devoted ample coverage to an illegal immigrant deported from Maryland by the Trump administration, they completely ignored the conviction of an illegal immigrant for the brutal rape and murder of a Maryland mother of five.
The MRC report analyzed media bias in the coverage of two people: Maryland mother Rachel Morin, whose illegal immigrant rapist and murderer was just convicted on Monday, and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant with alleged ties to MS-13.
“We have added up about 65 minutes on ABC, CBS and NBC devoted to the guy they call “the Maryland man,’” Tim Graham, Executive Editor and Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center, told Morning Wire. &#8220;He&#8217;s an illegal alien who&#8217;s been living in Maryland for a decade, but he was deported. The Trump administration said this was an error, but they didn&#8217;t really wanna fix it. Compare that to the trial that just went on in Maryland with Rachel Morin, a mother of five who was murdered by an illegal alien… you have 65 minutes on the illegal alien mistakenly deported; you have zero seconds on the Rachel Morin trial.”
Graham argued that the main factor in network news coverage was whether a particular story helped or hurt President Trump. “They didn&#8217;t wanna talk about Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray. [Rachel Morin]. When you have illegal immigrants rape a woman, or in Nungaray&#8217;s case, a 12-year-old girl, and then murder them, you can&#8217;t say, well, we only, you know, we don&#8217;t cover. You&#8217;re not gonna say that it&#8217;s a matter of who is the rapist and the murderer. That somehow turns it into a zero second story.”
&nbsp;
<h1> ADHD Study</h1>
<div id="attachment_908937" style="width: 880px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-908937" class="size-large wp-image-908937" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-870x576.jpg" alt="" width="870" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-870x576.jpg 870w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/ADHD-2048x1356.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px" />(Photo by Gam1983 via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: New research on ADHD is raising questions about how doctors are diagnosing and treating Americans, particularly children.
For years, scientists have believed that a biomarker – like a specific gene – could lead to a direct diagnosis of ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But research now suggests that’s false, and that ADHD is just a collection of symptoms that can be subjective and arbitrarily diagnosed. Children and adults can temporarily experience these symptoms – they can come and go – and they’re largely associated with your environment.
Additionally, children who were put on ADHD medications – which is some version of amphetamine – were found to only have short-term relief of symptoms. Compared to kids with no intervention at all, there was no difference long-term. Studies have shown that long-term use of such medications is <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2811812">associated</a> with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly hypertension and arterial disease. It can also stunt growth, which is particularly concerning since so many children are put on these medicines. Kids who took ADHD meds were<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/magazine/adhd-medication-treatment-research.html"> found to be shorter</a> than those never on the medications – and they never made up for the growth loss, according to longer-term data. 
Numbers from the CDC show that 7 million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. Boys are more frequently diagnosed than girls, by almost a 2:1 ratio. In fact, 21% of all 14-year-old boys and 23% of 17-year-old boys have been given an ADHD diagnosis. Additionally, a growing number of adults are on these medications – the largest increase in first-time diagnosis is actually with people 30 to 44 years old.
“Fifteen percent of American youth are now on Adderall or some other ADHD medication,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cpac/reel/DFbGwY3PtMm/?api=1%2F&amp;hl=bg">said</a> during his confirmation hearing. “Even higher percentages are on SSRIs and benzos. We are not just overmedicating our children, we are overmedicating our entire population.”
New <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/magazine/adhd-medication-treatment-research.html">research</a> shows that a busier schedule – or times of higher “environmental demand” – can actually alleviate symptoms of ADHD. The New York Times report noted that jobs or college courses that were demanding and interesting helped reduce ADHD symptoms. Other anecdotal evidence found that people who say they experienced ADHD symptoms felt relief when they found a way to channel it in a field they found interesting or excelled at, which tracks with the latest research. Further, addressing general over-reliance on medications for kids, RFK is looking at how our technological habits impact our overall health, as well as physical activity and nutrition.

Janet Mills and Donald Trump

Morning Brief: DOJ Sues Maine Over Trans Policies, Media Runs Cover For Illegals & The ADHD Scam

Immigration

Maine

Morning Wire

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Title IX

Women's sports

Trust in the news media has dropped so far that after people watch Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” they check their wrist to make sure she hasn’t stolen their watch. A new Gallup poll shows that 53% of Americans believe journalists are two-faced, lying dirtbags who have sunk so low they could walk under a snake’s belly with a top hat on. 36% say they couldn’t do it with a top hat but probably could with a derby or maybe a fedora. The remaining 11% say they watched the news just last night and think journalists are great, or maybe that was “Matlock” and they mean lawyers.
The White House Correspondents Association — or White House Correspondents Ass, for short — became concerned over the media’s falling popularity after White House Smokeshow Karoline Leavitt announced that, from now on, new media reporters would get front row seats at press briefings, while legacy reporters would be required to stand in the corner and repeat, “I will not lie about the president,” 400 times before they can ask a question, and even then can only ask it silently in their minds. 
The President of the White House Correspondents ASS Mr. Schmuckface McLowlife protested Miss Leavitt’s decision and said he would do anything to be allowed to sit close to her again or just to have a garment that still smelled of her perfume. Miss Leavitt responded, “Get the hell away from me, you creep,” which Mr. McLowlife took as a good sign, since at least she acknowledged his existence.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show</a></h3>
In an attempt to win back the good will of the public, journalists have hired a new spokesman, the accomplished hypnotist Swami Origami Umami, who is so excited to make the journalists’ case that he’s taken a pay cut from his former job of running the three card monte game off the top of a cardboard box outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan.
The Daily Wire interviewed Swami Umami, and we’re pleased to publish the transcript of that Q and A.
Q: Swami Umami, after the news media actively covered up Joe Biden’s dementia, why should anyone trust them ever again?
A: Concentrate on the tip of my finger. Listen to the sound of my voice. Sleep now. And when I snap my finger, you will awake knowing that the news media was dogged in bringing the truth to the American public. Here’s a new book by Jake Tapper that explains how he and other intrepid journalists uncovered Biden’s dementia. Would Jake Tapper write such a book if it weren’t true? Of course not.
Q: Yes, I guess Jake really did try to find out… No, wait, wait, that’s ridiculous. He lied like a dog, so did the rest of the press corps. And what about the Russian Collusion hoax? The news media held up the country for two years with that garbage even though they knew it was a psy-op by the Clinton campaign in league with a corrupt FBI and CIA.
A: Think of a rippling lagoon beneath a gently whispering waterfall. Imagine the steady plashing of the water as you drift into a peaceful trance. Now look: The New York Times and the Washington Post won Pulitzer Prizes for their work on Russian Collusion. Repeat after me: The Pulitzer Prize is very prestigious. They wouldn’t give it to newspapers who were perpetrating a hoax out of political malice. 
Q: Yes, of course, they don’t just give Pulitzer Prizes for… no, no, no, no. This is nonsense. The Pulitzer is just as corrupt as the Times and the Post. And what about how the media covered COVID. They made a hero out of Anthony Fauci while he was covering up his own role in the deaths of millions, then demonized far better doctors who were trying to get out the truth.
A: Look at my watch, swinging back and forth on its chain. The media battled Right-wing misinformation to bring Americans the truth about COVID.
Q: Yes, yes, I see now. Our news media is totally honest and has been doing a great job. Thank you, Swami Umami.
A: You’re welcome. Now, just relax. Let go of all your freedoms. And quack like a duck.
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan
Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fourth installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613165536?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_thcv_3&amp;storeType=ebooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Woman Underground.</a>” His most recent nonfiction release is “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Cain-Finding-Literature-Darkness/dp/0310368340/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=nMYjR&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&amp;pf_rd_p=bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&amp;pf_rd_r=133-8344803-2786917&amp;pd_rd_wg=7a8J3&amp;pd_rd_r=5791ea0f-6d96-4732-9d6a-3a4e6b348bb5&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness.</a>” (May 2025, Zondervan/HarperCollins).

Old fashioned psychiatrist swinging pocket watch for hypnosis

Journalists Hire Hypnotist To Convince Public They’re Not Lying Dirtbags

Humor

journalists

Opinion

Satire

White House Correspondents Association

Late-Night TV may never be the same.
HBO’s John Oliver, host of “Last Week Tonight,” is facing a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/01/media/healthcare-exec-sues-john-oliver-for-defamation-over-toilet-hygiene-rant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new defamation lawsuit</a> from health care executive Dr. Brian Morley who claims the comedian slurred him “for ratings and profits.” 
In an April 2024 telecast, Oliver played an alleged audio clip of Morley at an administrative hearing <a href="https://ew.com/john-oliver-sued-by-healthcare-official-he-called-out-on-last-week-tonight-11708201" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, “People have bowel movements every day where they don’t completely clean themselves and we don’t fuss over [them] too much. People are allowed to be dirty … You know, I would allow him to be a little dirty for a couple of days.”
Oliver’s immediate on-air response: “F*** that doctor with a rusty canoe! I hope he gets tetanus of the balls.”
Morley’s lawyer claims the recording was altered by the program.
Suing comedians for telling the wrong jokes seems an uphill legal battle at best. The First Amendment allows for plenty of creative embellishments, although Oliver’s comments proved highly specific and potentially damaging to the doctor’s reputation.
The courts will have the final say on the matter.
Should Dr. Morley emerge victorious it could have a much larger impact. Yes, “Last Week Tonight” would take a sizable hit, but consider the big picture.
What if other satirical comics have to watch what they say moving forward? Will they require fact-checkers on set? Should Stephen Colbert run his anti-Republican rants by CBS Legal before hitting the stage each night?
Comedians have considerable leeway when it comes to political satire as opposed to everyday citizens. Those wide guardrails matter, allowing for satirists to skewer elected officials without fear of political ramifications.
How far is too far, though? Thanks to the sorry state of modern late night TV, the question matters more than ever.
<div id="attachment_903043" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-903043" class="size-large wp-image-903043" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2176959872-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - OCTOBER 8: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Vice President Kamala Harris during Tuesday's October 8, 2024 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2176959872-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2176959872-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2176959872-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2176959872.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
The hosts in question, however, bend the truth so regularly it’s often unrecognizable. It’s not a bug but a feature. Yes, Legacy Media outlets warp reality in damning ways, too. The list of Fake News narratives continues to grow in the Age of Trump.
Colbert and co. often walk in lockstep with their journalist pals.
Look no further than the Russian Collusion Hoax™. Yes, the media fed that narrative beast for far too long, but late-night hosts parroted even the most extreme collusion talking points while assuming they had the goods on President Donald Trump.
They didn’t.
CBS’s Colbert hit the lowest low when he called President Donald Trump Vladimir Putin’s <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/you-cant-say-television-colbert-edition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BLEEP holster.</a> in one incendiary monologue. He also played up the Fake News story known to many as the Trump “pee-pee tape.”
The litigious world leader could have had something to say about that.
Colbert and fellow far-Left host Jimmy Kimmel also defended President Joe Biden from accusations, later confirmed, that he was suffering from dementia-like conditions during the 2024 presidential campaign. Both comedians had seen Biden up close during separate fundraising events.
They must have witnessed his diminished state firsthand. They didn’t share what they saw with their audiences, and Kimmel took that a step further. He used his “Jimmy Kimmel Live” bully pulpit to call anyone who said Biden froze up during his <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1140442/joe-biden-freezing-video-fundraiser-jimmy-kimmel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundraising effort a liar</a>.
The projection was strong that night.
Other hosts have taken the media’s warped baton and run with it. Take the host of NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” The “Saturday Night Live” alum skewered President Trump in 2017 for <a href="https://time.com/4705083/seth-meyers-trump-meals-on-wheels-budget-cuts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gutting</a> the “Meals on Wheels” program.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fake-news-did-trump-just-kill-meals-wheels-not-ben-shapiro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Except Trump didn’t.</a>
Meyers also played down the rampant violence spreading in Portland in 2020, as did some press outlets, in ways that felt like propaganda, not satire. And he wasn’t alone.
<div id="attachment_903053" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-903053" class="size-large wp-image-903053" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1248172738-864x576.jpg" alt="LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 1405 -- Pictured: (l-r) Comedian John Oliver during an interview with host Seth Meyers on March 13, 2023 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1248172738-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1248172738-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1248172738-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1248172738.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images</div>
Oliver also downplayed the ongoing violence swirling around parts of Portland, <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/john-oliver-media-portland-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serving up this epic distortion</a>.
“Protests had been mostly peaceful there… it’s about one block that was actually starting to see fewer confrontations between protesters and police before federal agents moved in.”
Fake News? It’s beyond debate. But is it worth suing over? That’s where the conversation gets sticky.
What about late-night alum Amber Ruffin? She briefly hosted an ill-fated talk show on Peacock and has written for “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Ruffin recently cited the serially debunked <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amber-ruffin-dropped-white-house-correspondents-dinner-response_n_67eb51c2e4b0ff137ab490b4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Very Fine People” hoax</a> anew during a late-night chat to smite President Trump.
Said hoax claims Trump praised Neo Nazis following a 2017 Charlottesville rally which left one woman dead. The lie proved so brazen even Snopes called it out (albeit several years after the lie gained cultural ground).
It’s not just late-night comedy, of course. Comedians use their considerable platforms to spread lies that could be seen as libelous.
Take <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-burr-goes-full-ahole?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Ben+Shapiro&amp;title=Bill+Burr+Goes+Full+A**hole&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Burr</a>, who insinuated Kyle Rittenhouse was a White Supremacist during his Netflix special “Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill.”
<div id="attachment_903055" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-903055" class="size-large wp-image-903055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1428254659-720x576.jpg" alt="BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Comedian Bill Burr performs at the Bob Golub Stand-up For Deaf, Hard Of Hearing Fundraiser at Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant Burbank on September 27, 2022 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)" width="720" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1428254659-720x576.jpg 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1428254659-300x240.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1428254659-768x614.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1428254659.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images</div>
Rittenhouse shot three people, killing two and injuring one during a 2020 fracas tied to the BLM protests. A court of law found him innocent, agreeing with his self-defense explanation. Elements of the press and the Left insisted his actions were racist, even though his victims were white and they couldn’t pin any racially-charged comments to the young man.
Burr picked up that false narrative, saying Rittenhouse was a <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/bill-burr-kyle-rittenhouse-white-supremacist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White Supremacist.</a>
“You gotta drop me off like two blocks away so my other racist friends don’t see my mommy drove me,” he cracked in the special, channeling Rittenhouse.
Comedians have more leeway when it comes to politicians, but no one elected Rittenhouse to elected office.
There’s a better solution here, one that doesn’t require legal challenges for First Amendment squabbles. A healthy, robust press would let viewers know that much of what’s said on late-night TV just isn’t true.
Journalists routinely regurgitate late-night jokes. They do the same with “Saturday Night Live” skits. That’s all well and good, but that practice is hollow if it doesn’t include fact checking when appropriate.
If comedians knew they’ve be held accountable for twisting the truth into so many pretzels, they might crack smarter gags that actually speak truth to power.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

76th Primetime Emmy Awards – Show

The People Versus John Oliver: The Murky Ethics Of Modern Comedy

Comedy

John Oliver

Lawsuit

President Trump

U.S. Politics

Woke Culture

Republican lawmakers grilled PBS and NPR executives on Wednesday in a fiery congressional hearing, where NPR&#8217;s chief executive admitted the organization made mistakes in its coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story and faced accusations of institutional liberal bias.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who organized the hearing titled &#8220;Anti-American Airwaves,&#8221; slammed PBS and NPR as &#8220;radical left-wing echo chambers&#8221; that publish biased news reports with government subsidies and LGBTQ programming intent on “grooming children,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/media/pbs-npr-congress-hearing-republicans.html">reported</a>.
NPR chief executive Katherine Maher and PBS chief executive Paula Kerger were brought in for questioning by Greene as the chairwoman of the new Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
Katherine Maher, who became CEO of NPR last year, backtracked on her organization&#8217;s coverup of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 campaign prior to her tenure.
&#8220;Our current editorial leadership thinks that was a mistake, as do I,&#8221; Maher testified, facing tough questioning from Republican lawmakers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The old tweets are coming out to haunt the NPR CEO: &quot;Why did you call President Trump a &#39;fascist&#39; and a &#39;deranged racist sociopath&#39; in 2020?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ggcpPCSvzi">pic.twitter.com/ggcpPCSvzi</a>
&mdash; Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1904935282358751593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) revealed 2020 tweets from Maher describing President Trump as a &#8220;racist&#8221; and &#8220;sociopath,” which Maher says she now regrets.
When pressed on the tweets by Rep. Greene, Maher expressed regret, saying, &#8220;They represented a time where I was reflecting on something that the president had said rather than who he is.&#8221;
These admissions came as Rep. James Comer (R-KY) stated, &#8220;I don&#8217;t even recognize NPR anymore,&#8221; adding that while he relied on public radio for news growing up in rural Kentucky, he now likens it to &#8220;propaganda.&#8221;
Former NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner, who resigned after publishing an essay critical of the network&#8217;s leftward shift, was referenced by Republican lawmakers as further evidence of the outlet’s bias.
In a text message to The New York Times, he wrote that he believes the organization should &#8220;openly acknowledge and embrace its progressive orientation&#8221; and decline federal support, contradicting Maher’s claims of NPR’s supposed objectivity.
PBS CEO Paula Kerger defended her network, arguing that “there’s nothing more American than PBS&#8221; and describing it as a crucial source of accurate information and educational programming for millions of Americans.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a government-funded company, <a href="https://cpb.org/pressroom/CPB-Statement-Congress-Approval-Continued-Funding-Public-Media">received</a> $535 million from the government this year, with millions of dollars going directly to NPR and PBS.
Representative William Timmons (R-SC) pressed PBS&#8217;s Kerger about a digital segment titled &#8220;Drag Queen Story Hour,&#8221; which featured drag performers reading to children. Kerger responded that the segment never aired on PBS television and was removed after being &#8220;mistakenly added&#8221; to the network&#8217;s website.
Representative Greene pointed to a photograph of drag performer Lil Miss Hot Mess featured in PBS programming, calling the entertainer a &#8220;monster&#8221; and accusing the network of using &#8220;taxpayer funds to push some of the most radical left positions.&#8221;
Kerger rejected these characterizations and defended PBS programming as educational and appropriate for its audiences.

Public Media CEOs Testify To House Committee On Government Reform

‘Anti-American Airwaves’: GOP Lawmakers Grill NPR Execs Over ‘Institutional Bias’

Congress

Marjorie Taylor Greene

National Public Radio (NPR)

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has pushed back on a Democrat claim that it had closed Social Security offices in Georgia.
The official X account for DOGE said that it had not closed any “field sites” in Georgia or anywhere else, but that it had closed 5 “permanent remote hearing sites” since the hearings were now being held virtually.
“This post is inaccurate. [Social Security] is not closing any field sites in Georgia or elsewhere,” DOGE wrote on X. “The confusion likely arises from the closure of 5 permanent remote hearing sites (PRSs)—single rooms within field sites used for hearings. Since most hearings are now virtual, these PRSs are unnecessary. Field sites remain open, and Social Security has no plans to close any public-facing sites nationwide.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This post is inaccurate. <a href="https://twitter.com/SocialSecurity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SocialSecurity</a> is not closing any field sites in Georgia or elsewhere.
The confusion likely arises from the closure of 5 permanent remote hearing sites (PRSs)—single rooms within field sites used for hearings. Since most hearings are now virtual, these… <a href="https://t.co/1rphXmw2Qu">https://t.co/1rphXmw2Qu</a>
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOGE/status/1902919699853348996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DOGE posted in response to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who claimed on Wednesday that DOGE “closed 5 social security offices in GA a couple weeks ago” and was telling Georgia seniors “they can&#8217;t use the phone to claim benefits either.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DOGE closed 5 social security offices in GA a couple weeks ago. Now, they’re telling Georgia seniors they can&#8217;t use the phone to claim benefits either.
Let&#8217;s call this what it is: An intentional attempt to stop folks from claiming benefits they&#8217;ve EARNED. I will fight this. <a href="https://t.co/6Ih22YJABr">pic.twitter.com/6Ih22YJABr</a>
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorWarnock/status/1902451222751178798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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It isn’t the first time Democrats and their media counterparts have provided false information about DOGE’s actions regarding Social Security. Earlier this month, media outlets and Democrats claimed that DOGE had cut telephone services at the Social Security Administration (SSA). In reality, the Trump administration sought to protect seniors and other Social Security beneficiaries by making it more difficult for fraudsters to change bank account information over the phone.
“SSA continuously investigates and analyzes potential threats to strengthen and secure our programs and protect people who receive benefits,” the administration <a href="https://blog.ssa.gov/correcting-the-record-about-social-security-direct-deposit-and-telephone-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on its website. “Approximately 40 percent of Social Security direct deposit fraud is associated with someone calling SSA to change direct deposit bank information. SSA’s current protocol of simply asking identifying questions by telephone is no longer enough to prevent fraud.”
Those needing to change their bank account information will now have to use two-factor authentication through the Social Security website, or go to a local SSA office to prove their identity.
This didn’t stop outlets like The Washington Post from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/12/social-security-phone-doge-elderly-disabled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming</a> it had caused a change in administration policy. The Post wrote an inaccurate story claiming DOGE was cutting telephone services, the SSA corrected the misinformation, and then the Post claimed a victory.
“The Social Security Administration late Wednesday abandoned plans it was considering to end phone service for millions of Americans filing retirement and disability claims after The Washington Post reported that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service team was weighing the change to root out alleged fraud,” the Post wrote.

Elon Musk

DOGE Corrects Misinformation About Social Security Offices Closing In Georgia

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Social Security

U.S.

A board member for the media company that owns POLITICO derided an article the outlet published from the Associated Press as “one-sided Hamas support.”
Martin Varsavsky, a board member of Berlin-based media company Axel Springer, took to X on Tuesday to criticize the AP piece published by POLITICO that cited Hamas&#8217; death toll numbers even though they have lied about the count repeatedly.
“I am on the board of Axel Springer that owns Político. I consider this article one sided Hamas support,” Varsavsky said. “It fails to mention that the airstrikes were aimed at eliminating top Hamas military and thar Israel was successful at doing so. It also quotes casualty figures given by Hamas that are not believed to be accurate.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I am on the board of Axel Springer that owns Político. I consider this article one sided Hamas support. It fails to mention that the airstrikes were aimed at eliminating top Hamas military and thar Israel was successful at doing so. It also quotes casualty figures given by Hamas… <a href="https://t.co/TDWcfCaHYQ">https://t.co/TDWcfCaHYQ</a>
— Martin Varsavsky (@martinvars) <a href="https://twitter.com/martinvars/status/1901895051510272183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The AP article posted on POLITICO’s website cited Gaza Health Ministry officials claiming Israeli airstrikes killed at least 200 people and included a photo of a man holding a child with blood coming out of her nose.
The Gaza Health Ministry is notorious for lying about the number of casualties, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-run-gaza-health-ministry-cited-by-legacy-media-has-history-of-lying-about-civilian-casualties" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The false statistics designed to inflate the number of casualties caused by Israel have been known for at least a decade, with a U.S. News &amp; World Report opinion piece highlighting the issue back in 2014.
“Hamas lies systematically, instructing civilians to misinform the foreign press. It lies habitually, with a formidable record of mendacity from previous conflicts. And it lies guiltlessly, convinced that the objectives of ‘resistance’ supersede quaint notions of truth-telling,” Oren Kessler wrote at the time.
In August 2024, about 80 media outlets had to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eighty-media-outlets-issue-correction-on-ap-story-that-inflated-gaza-civilian-death-toll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issue a correction</a> to an AP story that falsely claimed that more than 40,000 civilians had been killed in the Israel-Hamas war that started after Hamas terrorists committed a massacre against Israelis on October 7, 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry claims more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, but it never said all 40,000 were civilians.
Israel estimates that more than 17,000 of those killed in the war were Hamas terrorists.
Even though the Gaza Health Ministry is known to inflate the number of casualties, media outlets continue to cite them to frame Israel as unnecessarily aggressive. The AP story criticized by Varsavksy noted in the 11th paragraph that Israel “was striking Hamas’ military, leaders and infrastructure” in the attacks, citing an Israeli official. Prior to that, the outlet described wounded Palestinians, including a crying little girl. It also provided Hamas’ perspective on the attacks while minimizing Israel’s.
The AP also reported that the “White House sought to blame Hamas for the renewed fighting” in the 9th paragraph. As National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the outlet, Hamas “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.” Several paragraphs earlier, the AP let Hamas blame Israel for ending the ceasefire.
The Associated Press once shared an office building with Hamas in Gaza, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/associated-press-laments-loss-of-gaza-bureau-which-shared-office-space-with-terrorist-organization-hamas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. That building was destroyed in 2021.
The AP noted at the time that all of its employees and freelancers were able to evacuate the building safely, thanks to the Israeli military calling ahead to warn them of the strike, as it does when targeting civilian buildings. The reason Israel targets those civilian structures is because Hamas and Palestinian authorities hide intelligence operations, weapons, and other important assets in these buildings, claiming victimhood after they’re destroyed.

Hamas Terrorists

Board Member Of POLITICO Ownership Group Deems Article ‘One-Sided Hamas Support’

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