Broadcast Networks Prioritize Viewership Over Information Sharing
Legacy media has been shilling for fascism because it's good for business
Welcome to The News Lede, a newsletter that provides an unvarnished overview of what’s happening in the news with a touch of satire. It’s here where you’ll find independent journalism meets civic engagement advocacy.
Broadcast Networks Prioritize Viewership Over Information Sharing
For weeks, news coverage of the Presidential candidates has been disproportianately lopsided in favor of the GOP nominee and in opposition to the incumbent Democratic President. And it’s only gotten worse following the failed assassination attempt on the wannabe dictator.
The national broadcast networks and legacy national news outlets have been working overtime to sideline on-air critics of Donald Trump to make room for coverage that whitewashes his reputation, while publishing stories that quote Trump and his allies as good-faith actors who are trustworthy sources. Coverage of the Republican National Convention has been equally inexcusable as once-reputable news outlets omit facts and spread lies being fed by the Republican Party from the convention floor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This display of moral bankruptcy is shameful on its face, but it’s even more malicious that news outlets are choosing to glorify fascism because it’s *checks notes* good for ratings. Yes, news outlets are fawning over Donald Trump and tanking President Biden because they value attention over doing their job, which is to inform the public.
This week, we have seen news outlets repeat the Trump campaign’s lies without question, including that the RNC will be centered around “unity” and that Donald Trump is now the “unity candidate.” But there has been no messaging from any speaker that unites the broad public and Donald Trump hasn’t even given his speech yet.
The central message out of the RNC is that the party is at war with all who are not with them. This means that the calls for unity by Republicans isn’t meant for everyone. It’s a call-to-action in a very *wink-nudge* way for the Republican Party to unite together against everyone else. They’ve turned it into a tribalistic message.
And yet, there has been no push back about what party members really mean when they say “unity.” Because giving out signs that say “mass deportations now,” portraying MAGA leader as a victim of political persecution and leading chants that say “fight!,” and screaming from the podium about Democrats being the reason for all this nation’s problems has nothing to do with unity. Nor is inviting bad actors like Paul Manafort, Peter Navarro, Rudy Giuliani, Matt Gaetz, and others to attend.
Meanwhile… Biden’s age!
The bottom line is the media industry, which is owned by billionaires and private equity, has a financial interest in manipulating the narrative to keep the public’s attention. My question to audiences is: Where and when will we draw the line?
JD Vance is Also a Useful Idiot for Leonard Leo
It turns out that Ohio Senator JD Vance has deeper ties to Leonard Leo than he’s publicly let on. In 2021, Trump’s VP running mate gave a closed-door speech at an event by Leo’s Teneo Network, an invitation-only group of young conservatives, which is part of the legal racketeering boss’ dark money network.
Instead of his usual focus on the legal and judicial field, Leo uses this group to expand his influence in finance, media, government, and Silicon Valley. In an internal video, Leo shares that Teneo identifies and cultivates conservative leaders in “other areas of American culture and American life where things are really messed up right now.” Wealthy members include elected officials such as Vance who joined in 2018, pro athletes, financial executives, and media figures.
ProPublica and Documented obtained a video recording of Vance’s 30-minute speech, which was centered around the core MAGA and Christian Nationalist issue we all know and hate, the “culture wars.” Much of what he said isn’t surprising, including portraying virulent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a “nonconventional” person who speaks the truth. What is alarming is that Vance evoked political retribution against Democratic officials, which is now a central part of Trump’s campaign. This underscores that Project 2025, which is the bedrock of Trump’s agenda, and Trump’s fascistic rhetoric about weaponizing the justice system against his political opponents, has been a key message in private. The silver lining is that now that Americans are aware of Project 2025 and are horrified by it, even Vance is distancing himself from the agenda.
Biden to Announce Initiative on Reining in the Supreme Court
President Biden is reportedly finalizing plans to overhaul the Supreme Court, which is now broadly considered an illegitimate, ideologically partisan institution. Potential proposals include calling on Congress to establish term limits and an enforceable ethics code, as well as a constitutional amendment to eliminate immunity for U.S. presidents and other officeholders. Any proposed reform would require Congressional action in both chambers. As the election approaches, may this be a reminder that the Supreme Court is also on the ballot in November.
Federalist Society-packed Courts Block President Biden’s Studen Loan Forgiveness
President Joe Biden may have Covid, but he’s still working hard to help the American people. On Thursday, Biden announced another round of student loan debt forgiveness that will cancel $1.2B in student loan debt for 35K public-sector workers including teachers, nurses, and firefighters. The President is issuing this relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which his administration expanded to make more individuals eligible for such benefits.
This latest batch of cancellations brings the president’s efforts to more than $168B in debt erased for nearly 4.8M Americans.
The President is facing strong opposition by the Republican Party and wealthy special interests who have mounted challenges to stop the effort. In other words, Republicans are fighting to keep Americans in debt. There are two legal challenges brought by several Republican-controlled states that are focused on the SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) program. They argue that the Biden administration overstepped its authority when it implemented the repayment plan and that the program is unconstitutional.
Also on Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the program in its entirety. This includes the program’s provisions that lowers payments, offers subsidies to prevent interest accrual, and automated income recertification. The federal appeals court’s order goes beyond the Missouri court’s injunction, which only blocked the program’s ability to forgive student loans, and may impact pending SAVE applications. The 8th Circuit is responsible for blocking Biden’s first student debt cancellation plan.
There is an appeal of another lawsuit with the Supreme Court, which is expected to make a decision soon. That lawsuit stems from the GOP’s appeal of an order by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a motion filed yesterday, the Biden administration argued that blocking or reversing any portion of the SAVE plan could cause “widespread harm” to borrowers. They wrote, “the Department and its servicers would have to reprogram their systems, retrain their staff, and recalculate monthly payments,” which would result in weeks or months of delays and unnecessary issues for millions of borrowers.
The Republican Party Loses Effort to Disenfranchise Nevada Voters
On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda Du dismissed a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign that sought to prohibit Nevada from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. I reported yesterday that the “election integrity” legal campaign to sue states is funded by both Leonard Leo’s and Charles Koch’s dark money networks. Nevada is one of the target battleground states wealthy Trump allies aim to “deliver to Trump.”
The lawsuit was filed in May alleging that the state’s deadline for mail-in ballots, which is 4 days after Election Day, is unconstitutional. They also claimed that the rule gave Democrats an unfair electoral advantage and diluted Republican votes. Note: The Nevada legislature passed the law in 2021, making it one of 19 states that allows ballots to be counted post-Election Day as long as the envelopes are postmarked before the end of Election Day.
The judge ruled that the GOP failed to show they are disadvantaged by the deadline and that they lacked standing to sue. Du wrote, "The causal link between counting mail ballots received after Election Day in Nevada and organizational plaintiffs’ alleged electoral injuries is too speculative to support standing.”
The ADF is behind the lawsuits upending Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students
Last week, 2 Federalist Society-installed U.S. District Judges Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo and Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth—both out of the Northern District of Texas—blocked the Biden administration from enforcing the U.S. Department of Education’s rule that extends anti-discrimination protections under Title IX to LGBTQ students. The preliminary injunctions issued by both ideological politicians in robes means the rule is prohibited in the state of Texas and in the Carroll Independent School District, which encompasses Southlake, an enclave taken over by Christian Nationalists outside Dallas-Fort Worth.
So it should not shock you that the Alliance Defending Freedom is behind the lawsuits filed in 14 Republican controlled states to disenfranchise LGBTQ students. The DOE issued the new rule on April 19, which clarified that Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination in schools and colleges that receive federal funding also includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In May, the ADF filed numerous lawsuits, including on behalf of Carroll ISD, alleging the revisions to Title IX "attacks the rights and freedom of girls in the state of Texas." The rule hasn’t even gone into effect yet, which wasn’t to begin until August 1.
Kacsmaryk’s fantastical far-right ideology was on full display as he stated that Title IX’s text was written to prevent discrimination against women in public and higher education, but the new rule would force Texas schools to no longer separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on biological sex.
On Wednesday, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld another Federalist Society-installed federal judge’s order blocking the DOE’s rule in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. That Leo-owned judge is U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves who claimed that the DOE would turn Title IX on its head by redefining ‘sex’ to include ‘gender identity,’ therefore the department’s interpretation conflicts with the plain language and exceeds its authority.” The 3-judge panel on the 6th Circuit agreed. The ADF’s lawsuits are still ongoing as it aims to permanently prevent this rule from going into effect.
Authorities Charge Former Syrian Torture Chief with Immigration Fraud
On Wednesday, U.S. authorities announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested a former high-ranking Syrian military official for immigration fraud. A criminal complaint filed on July 9 reveals that Samir Ousman al-Sheikh claimed on his U.S. visa and citizenship applications that he had not persecuted anyone (either directly or indirectly) and was never involved in killing or trying to kill anyone in Syria. But al-Sheikh oversaw the notorious Adra Prison from 2005 to 2008 under Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in which human rights abuses have been widely reported. The DHS detained al-Sheikh last week at Los Angeles International Airport who has lived incognito in Los Angeles since 2020. Investigators are considering additional charges.
The complaint reveals that al-Sheikh persecuted political dissidents and ordered the execution of prisoners while he served as chief of the prison and brigadier general. Investigators interviewed 5 former inmates who described being hanged by their arms from the ceiling, severely beaten by electrical cables, and witnessing other prisoners being branded by hot rods. One inmate described how guards broke his back.
The U.S. has an unregistered foreign agent problem
The 31-page indictment charges Sue Mi Terry with 2 counts of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. It states, “At the direction of ROK (Republic of Korea) government officials, Terry advocated ROK policy positions, including in published articles and during media appearances, disclosed nonpublic US government information to ROK intelligence officers, and facilitated access for ROK government officials to US government officials.”
This hush-hush side hustle allegedly began in 2013. In exchange for her services, the South Korean government offered to conceal the origin of the $37K payment by depositing it into a designated “gift” account at the Council on Foreign Relations, the think tank that employs Terry. She was also gifted a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, and dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants.
In a 2023 voluntary interview with the FBI, Terry admitted that she was a “source” for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Court documents reveal that, in June 2022, Terry attended an off-the-record North Korea policy briefing with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Following that briefing, Terry passed “detailed handwritten notes” to her handler.
Terry, a U.S. expert on North Korea, served as the Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the White House National Security Council under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. She cut her teeth as a senior analyst for the CIA from 2001-2008.
Another Trump Ally Convicted of Defrauding People
On Tuesday, a New York jury convicted Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s business partner, Guo Wengui, of operating a 5-year racketeering enterprise that defrauded people. Wengui, also known as Mikes Kwok, gained a huge online following for his open criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, which resulted in him escaping China in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown. The billionaire could have lived well in his new luxury apartment overlooking Central Park, but he decided to go into business with Donald Trump’s inner circle and become a far-right grifter. He even became a member of Mar-a-Lago and planned to overthrow the Chinese government as part of a 2020 joint initiative with Steven Bannon.
Prosecutors said that beginning in 2018 through 2023, hundreds of thousands of individuals invested more than $1B into Wengui’s companies, including GTV Media Group Inc., Himalaya Farm Alliance, and the Himalaya Exchange. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finkel told the jury in closing arguments that the defendant used social media to “trick his followers into giving him money” and told them “I’m rich. I’ll take care of you.” He then used the money to live lavishly. Items he purchased include a $1.1M tortoise-shell jewelry box, a $1M chandelier, $36K mattresses, a $40K coffee table, and a $250K antique rug.
The trial also revealed that Wengui created a “blacklist” of his enemies whom he doxxed. When the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated him, he organized protests against the agency, claiming that it had been infiltrated by China’s Communist Party. Also, when a judge appointed a bankruptcy trustee to represent his creditors, he directed his followers to protest outside the trustee’s family home, as well as outside a family member’s elementary school.