Tag: mainstream media

Covering for International Abusers, Media Reverse Victim and Offender in Iran

People who study domestic violence have an acronym, DARVO, for the set of tactics abusers use to avoid accountability: Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender.

It’s that last tactic that came to mind while reading news reports of the United States and Israel’s unprovoked and illegal attack on Iran, and the assassination of Ali Khamenei, its leader. US corporate media frequently presented Iran as responsible for the predictably violent consequences of the US/Israeli aggression.

Sometimes the reversal is straightforward, as when an NBC News “analysis” (2/28/26) warned that “Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Threaten an Escalation Across the Region”—as though it is Iran’s response, and not the ongoing attacks by the US and Israel, that poses a threat to the region.

Another NBC analysis (2/28/26), by Richard Engel, more subtly tried to pin the blame on Iran, noting in the headline that “Iran Is Now in Conflict With Pretty Much All of Its Neighbors.” Wrote Engel:

Today Iran has launched drones and missiles not only at Israel, but also at US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq…. It puts Iran in a difficult position, because now it is at conflict with pretty much all of its neighbors.

Pretty much all of its neighbors, that is, except for Turkiye, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Azerbaijan said Iranian drones crashed in its territory on Thursday; Iran denies targeting the country.) And if we’re going to count Jordan as Iran’s “neighbor,” then Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well. Aside from those, though, pretty much all of them.

The point of depicting Iran as “in conflict” with “pretty much all of its neighbors,” of course, is to paint it as the country that no one can get along with. In reality, the countries Iran isn’t getting along with are the ones allowing the US to use them as platforms for launching bombs and missiles at it—behavior that will put a damper on any relationship.

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Whoopi Goldberg Defends Bill Clinton After He Testified He Had ‘No Idea’ About Epstein’s Crimes

ABC’s The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg wasted no time to defend former President Bill Clinton after he testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he had “no idea” about the crimes Jeffrey Epstein had committed despite his close ties to the deceased pedophile.

“You know, say what you want about the Clintons. Have any of the women or has anything in those emails pointed to them as being guilty or having anything to do other than knowing?” Goldberg said on Tuesday while her co-hosts highlighted myriad photos between Bill Clinton, Epstein, and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Goldberg doubled down, saying “But my question is, has he been accused by any of the accusers?”

“Has any of the women come out and said, ‘This is what Bill Clinton did’?” Goldberg continued. The Epstein files don’t include credible accusations from abused women against President Donald Trump, a point Whoopi Goldberg didn’t bother mentioning.

Bill Clinton was a guest on The View on June 5, 2025 along with author James Patterson, promoting their latest book.

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck HUMILIATES The View’s Open-Borders Leftists with Cold Hard Facts — Reminds Them Their Own Audience Needed Security Clearance to Enter

Former The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck detonated a truth bomb on live television, leaving the far-left panel scrambling as she dismantled their open-borders talking points and delivered a blunt defense of strong border security.

The former co-host lectured the panel after the far-left hosts began trashing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and criticizing the administration’s tougher immigration policies.

Instead of going along with the usual script, Hasselbeck delivered a blistering reality check.

Hasselbeck deconstructed the logic of the far-left panel by pointing directly to the people sitting in the studio. In a masterful move, she turned the camera on the audience to illustrate the necessity of vetting and boundaries.

“How many people in the audience here had to go through security to get here? Raise your hand, just be honest,” Hasselbeck challenged. “Otherwise you go to jail, I guess, for illegal trespassing, right? This is an authorized audience. They had to go through security to get through the border to get right here to just hear us talk. We need strong borders more than ever right now.”

The silence from the co-hosts was deafening as Hasselbeck drove the point home: If a daytime talk show requires a “border” to ensure safety, why doesn’t the United States of America?

Elisabeth Hasselbeck:
I think all lives matter to God, and we’re in uncommon times, so we need to have uncommon sense about things like this. Yes, there will be mistakes made, but I think if Kristi Noem were up for promotion right now and she put forward the statistics that zero illegals released into the U.S. for 10 months straight have crossed, that nearly 3 million aliens have left the United States, that we have the lowest murder rate in 125 years, that fentanyl trafficking is down 56% at the border, and that daily encounters have gone down 96%—hang on one second.

We need a strong border, especially now with our current global situation. And I believe that you may say you don’t want border control and you’re against ICE, but I actually don’t believe you in your daily lives. How many people in the audience here had to go through security to get here? Raise your hand. Just be honest. Otherwise you go to jail, I guess, for illegal trespassing, right?

This is an authorized audience. They had to go through security to get through the border to get right here just to hear us talk. We need strong borders more than ever right now.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck:
We are being infiltrated by terrorists.

Sunny Hostin:
But listen, we were not on the border when Renee Goode and Alex Peretti were murdered, and death is not a mistake. That was murder. That was murder.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck:
As were those killed by illegal immigrants. Murder.

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Megyn Kelly Under Fire After Claiming US Service Members ‘Died for Iran or Israel’ — “This Feels Very Much to Me Like it is Clearly Israel’s War”

Megyn Kelly is facing fierce backlash after suggesting that American service members killed in the escalating conflict with Iran “died for Iran or for Israel,” rather than for the United States.

During a recent episode of her show, Kelly questioned the purpose of U.S. involvement, arguing that the war effort appears to be driven by foreign interests rather than American national security.

Megyn Kelly:
Look, there are massive divisions over what we’ve done here, and people are going to change their minds over the coming days and weeks, one way or the other. But my own feeling is that no one should have to die for a foreign country. I don’t think those four service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel.

I understand how this helps Iran perfectly well. I get it. I mean, I hope long term we’ll see. But they seem rather jubilant. Eighty percent of the country does not support the Ayatollah. He was a terrible, terrible man. No one’s crying that he’s dead — no normal person.

But our government’s job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. It’s to look out for us. This feels very much, to me, like it is clearly Israel’s war. Mark Levin wanted it. It’s his war. Ben Shapiro, Lindsey Graham, Miriam Adelson — that’s obvious. They’re the ones who’ve been pushing us into it.

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US Media Mostly Care for Iranians When They Can Be Used to Justify Bombing

The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, propelling the entire region into a predictable cataclysm of unprecedented proportions.

This puts paid to the alleged “peacemaking” project of US President Donald Trump, who was supposed to be keeping the country out of international wars rather than actively seeking to expedite the end of the world.

The attacks put an abrupt end to the negotiations underway between the US and Iran—to the delight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always viewed as anathema anything remotely resembling diplomacy or the pursuit of peace.

‘Trigger Iran to retaliate’

Three days before the joint strikes, a Politico exclusive (2/25/26) reported that “senior advisers” to Trump “would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country.” As per the report, administration officials were “privately arguing that an Israeli attack would trigger Iran to retaliate, helping muster support from American voters for a US strike.”

So much for subsequent US/Israeli attempts to cast the assault as “preemptive” in nature. Indeed, there is nothing at all “preemptive” about forcing Iran to retaliate; this is instead what you would call a deliberate provocation.

Unfortunately for the “senior advisers,” Trump and Netanyahu ultimately opted to pull the trigger simultaneously, thus depriving the US administration of its fabricated casus belli.

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SCATHING: CBS Contributor and Target of an Iranian Assassination Plot Masih Alinejad SHREDS Radical Rep. Ilhan Omar for Sympathizing with Terrorist Regime

Masih Alinejad, the courageous Iranian-American journalist and current CBS News contributor who has survived multiple Tehran-backed assassination plots, took to X to expose the staggering hypocrisy of “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Alinejad, who recently faced her would-be assassins in a New York federal court, did not hold back.

She issued a “letter from an Iranian woman wounded by the regime,” accusing Omar of maintaining a cozy ambiguity toward the Islamic Republic while the regime systematically slaughters its own people.

The heart of Alinejad’s message centered on the tragic story of Sara Saeidi, a 39-year-old mother of two who was executed by the regime while peacefully protesting.

At the time of her death, she was reportedly wearing a sweatshirt that said “MANHATTAN” with an American flag, which some activists claim symbolized her desire for freedom.

Following her death, Iranian authorities allegedly falsified her death certificate, listing the cause of death as a “collision with agricultural machinery” to mask the shooting.

Alinejad’s critique highlights a growing frustration among Iranian dissidents who see far-left U.S. lawmakers as “anti-war” only when it benefits the mullahs in Tehran. She slammed Omar’s “No War With Iran” campaigns as a shield for the regime’s internal massacre of over 30,000 civilians.

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HEROIC: CBS Austin Reporter Caught on Hot Mic Allegedly DEFYING Direct Orders from Higher-Ups to Censor Pro-Trump, Pro-Israel Crowds Following Iran Strikes

A local news reporter in Austin, Texas, was caught on a hot mic allegedly refusing to follow orders from his corporate overlords to bury the truth.

As the world reacts to the decisive joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, the fake news media apparatus is working overtime to suppress the massive wave of public support for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

But at CBS Austin, the narrative hit a major roadblock in the form of reporter Vinny Martorano.

During the live feed staging, Martorano was seen being handed a phone by a crew member, who appeared to relay a directive from higher-ups regarding how to frame the unfolding demonstration at the Texas Capitol last weekend.

CREW MEMBER: [Hands Martorano a phone, likely showing a directive from the newsroom]

VINNY MARTORANO: What does that mean?

CREW MEMBER: It means they don’t want us to focus on this.

MARTORANO: All right. Well, I am.

Despite the clear orders from his “higher-ups” to deemphasize the pro-American, pro-Israel sentiment, Martorano refused to be a puppet for the radical left’s agenda.

Martorano then delivered a balanced report that acknowledged the reality on the ground.

Martorano told the viewers (presumably in the live shot):

All right. There are a lot of mixed opinions across Austin about the joint attack between the United States and Israel against Iran that happened earlier this morning. Some people like this group behind me are thanking Trump and the United States government for following through with this attack against Iran.

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REALLY? Jonathan Capehart of MSNOW Claims ‘The Media Isn’t Necessarily Liberal’ 

Jonathan Capehart of MSNOW appeared on PBS this weekend and claimed, with a straight face, that the media is necessarily liberal.

He was taking part in a discussion about the imminent takeover of CNN by Paramount and was defending CNN’s coverage.

As proof of his claim about the media, he admitted that FOX News, which leans right, is the most-watched cable news network. He failed to point out that FOX is the only right-leaning network in a media sea of progressive spin.

NewsBusters reports:

Reverting to his first instinct, Brooks conceded that new CBS News chief Bari Weiss’s intention to shake things up is not unreasonable, “And I’m a guy who—I don’t know Bari Weiss particularly, but I support what they’re trying to do. I think it’s time to mix up the media. That we got a little too progressive, a little too elite, and if Bari Weiss can change the mind-set, all power to her.”

Flip-flopping again, Brooks lamented, “But if this is being done for lobbying and business, which it sure looks like it is, then that’s the real deterioration in the business we’re in.”

Even that centrist position was too much for Capehart, “Well, I would argue that the media isn’t necessarily liberal, when you look at the fact that the number one cable channel and the number one viewing channel is Fox News Channel.”

Proving that he hasn’t watched CBS since the Weiss takeover, Capehart continued, “This idea that there are liberals out there running around through the media indoctrinating people and changing—you know, setting the narrative, I just think is wrong. I think bringing a Fox-like mentality and demeanor to CBS News and potentially to CNN, I think in the end makes the American people worse off.”

He also added, “Our job as journalists, and I’m speaking specifically of CNN in this case in this deal. Folks turn to CNN for news. They turn to them for just what is happening in the country. And if what’s happening at CBS is bound—could happen at CNN, then our country and our profession will be in worse shape.”

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13-Year-Old Girl Beaten for Not Trashing ICE, Legacy Media Stays Silent

Commentator Britt Hughes described a reported assault at Lucille Umbarger Middle School in Burlington, Washington, involving a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly beaten after being asked whether she supported Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Fair warning, this one’s a little graphic. You ready?” Hughes said while introducing the incident.

“This video was reportedly taken at Lucille Umbarger Middle School in Burlington, Washington, showing a 13 year old girl being beaten in the head after two other girls asked her if she supported ICE and she refused to answer the question,” Hughes said.

According to Hughes, the footage was circulated among students.

“Then the video of it was put on social media and passed around the school,” she said.

Hughes stated that the victim said the confrontation stemmed from a social media post made by her boyfriend.

“The victim said it started because her boyfriend posted on social media that he might want to become an ICE officer one day,” Hughes said.

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There Are ‘Questions’ About Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’—But Don’t Expect AP to Answer Them

It’s not a failsafe test, but it can be a tip off that a journalistic outlet is off its feet when its language falls apart. I give you the Associated Press (2/19/26), describing the actions of a person who rarely strings a coherent sentence together, to hand over billions of US taxpayer dollars to create a global entity. This is the “Board of Peace,” of which Trump has declared himself “Chairman for Life“—because that’s a normal thing—and which Google’s AI describes as “potentially replac[ing] existing international institutions”:

Trump’s vision for the board has morphed since he initiated the group as part of his 20-point peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza. Since the October ceasefire, Trump wants it to have an even more ambitious remit—one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but will also help resolve conflicts around the globe.

If you aren’t staggered by the notion of Donald Trump “resolving conflicts around the globe,” every other word still deserves interrogation: Are completing the genocide and mass dislocation of Palestinian people, and violently converting their historic homeland to a playground resort for wealthy internationals, going to now be labeled by the press as “bringing lasting peace,” and “ending the conflict” in Gaza?

But worry not: AP tells us in bold letters, “There are many questions about how the board will work.” That implies that AP will be asking them, or care about the answers. But given no one who had a real problem with the creation of the board itself is cited in the article on its launch, why would we look to AP for critical eyes going forward?

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