Progressive State Press – newslinkia.com

Bellwether Digest – Week Ending October 16, 2026

pgnewser October 16, 2026

By STAFF

This week’s report covers political, world, culture, market, and sci-tech news from October 9-16

This report contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Reports.

TOP NEWS TAGS

A. GLOBAL OUTLOOK

NINE U.S. BANKS DEBANKED DISSENTERS OF THE PROGRESSIVE ORTHODOXY – Nine major U.S. banks have been found to have debanked Americans for holding views not acceptable to the anti-American ideology of progressivism. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a report exposing the unconstitutional, and possibly criminal actions.

The nine banks listed were: BMO Bank, Capital One, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, PNC Bank, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank. These debankings happened between 2010 and 2025, meaning they continued after Trump took office.

IS TRUMP DONE WITH ZELENSKY? – President Trump has made it clear that Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelensky, is not the man to end the Ukraine War. He has pulled back verbal, and even material support, including scaling back intelligence support for Ukraine. The final straw for Trump came with Zelensky refusing to stop bombing Russian diesel refineries.

To Trump’s recent insistence Ukraine stop bombing Russian diesel refineries, Zelensky responded “The block is out. We’re done.” At home, Zelensky faces numerous allegations of corruption as more and more Ukrainians grow weary of fighting for a country that has no free elections.

OVER HALF A MILLION AMERICANS WERE STALKED BY JACK SMITH – The progressive pit bull special prosecutor Jack Smith was spying on far more than the GOP leadership, including President Trump; he was also spying on over half a million Americans.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley claimed, “This update shows that Jack Smith and the Biden Justice Department collected incredibly invasive donor data — and voter data — beyond what could conceivably be necessary for Smith or his team to fulfill the Special Counsel’s mandate. The new findings further corroborate that Smith and his partisan team aimed to map out the entire Republican Party apparatus.”

BLUE STATES SHOW WHAT’S AT STAKE IN THE 2026 ELECTIONS – While polls continue to show Democrats to be the favorites to win the midterm elections, blue states are showing what progressive rule looks like. Religious liberty is being interpreted in blue states as only being a freedom to worship, not a freedom to outwardly, publicly live out your faith.

From Illinois to New York to California, laws are being passed that are forcing people of faith to participate in abortions, euthanasia, and affirm LGBTQ lifestyles. While “affordability” still appears to be the top issue in this election, “government trust” is a rising issue.

HOUTHI ATTACKS CANNOT BE CONTAINED – The Houthis of Yemen are wreaking havoc on the Red Sea area, and major cities of Saudi Arabia as well. The latest Houthi missile assault struck the Yemeni presidential palace, killing five.

Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister claimed, “Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran.”

LEGAL SHOWDOWN WITH CALIFORNIA OVER ILLEGAL BALLOTS – The Department of Justice is suing the state of California and calling on 20,000 ballots to be frozen to determine whether U.S. citizens are behind the ballots.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced, “State-facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America. If found responsible in a court of law, the State of California will have seriously undermined confidence in our electoral system and violated laws that protect our nation’s representative system of government.”

BURNHAM BLAMES RUSSIA FOR BREXIT – UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has telegraphed his next major move, setting up an election with Brexit on the chopping block. He is leading an international effort to paint Britain’s choice to leave the EU as a Russian-manipulated outcome, justifying a revisiting of the question. He accused Russia of meddling not only with the 2026 vote, but with other European elections as well.
OREGON SCHOOL SHOOTING STOPPED BY AMERICAN GUN OWNER – A shooting at an Oregon high school left three children, aged five, eight, and 1l, along with one teacher, dead. The shooter has been identified as John J. Griffin III. The shooter was stopped by a parent with a concealed carry license, saving many lives, but tragically not all lives.
HARVARD PROFESSORS AND ALUMNI ARE AGAINST HIRING CONSERVATIVES – A recent suggestion by Harvard that it should do more to get conservative professors hired was met with stiff resistance from progressive professors. Over 95% of Harvard’s professors are self-identifying progressives.

Progressive alumni joined in the resistance, with one alumnus claiming, “Even supposing that [silencing] takes place, how would the hiring of conservative faculty act as a countervailing force? Surely such hiring may inhibit viewpoint diversity rather than nurture it.” We will leave that statement represent the mind of the progressive in all its incongruity with reality.

AMERICAN UNDERGRADS BECOMING VIOLENT PROGRESSIVES – A new poll from the Buckley Institute claims 45% of American undergrads support violence against “hate speech.” 30% of self-identifying “conservative” undergrads agreed. 22% of undergrads believe America deserved 9/1. Among those who support violence against “hate speech,” 72% say “hate speech” is a constitutionally-protected free speech.

B. HEADLINES MISSED

AI DEBT LOOMING THREAT ON WORLD ECONOMY – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a warning to global markets about the looming debt in the AI industry. It claims all the major American tech companies are saddled with AI investment bills not met with AI-producing revenues.
ANTHROPIC ANNOUNCES RESTRICTIONS ON BEING MEAN TO ITS AI AGENT, CLAUDE – Anthropic has announced plans to implement a new governance policy for users of its AI agent, Claude. The change of policy would eventually block users from using Claude who are consistently “mean” to Claude.

They claim the rule will be enforced selectively, “only in extreme cases, where users repeatedly act cruelly toward our models, with no discernible purpose.”

CHINA USING AI TO DEFINE “ONLINE HATE” – The People’s Security University of China have developed an AI agent they claim can both identify hate speech (including dog whistling and coding) and the source for the hate. If “successful,” the model is sure to “inspire” similar efforts with like-minded ideologues (mainly progressives).

From bioengineer.og, “Few-shot detection of coded hate speech sits at the intersection of machine learning, computational linguistics, and social science, and this study offers a concrete template for how modern agentic AI techniques can be marshaled against one of its hardest instances.”

CHILD GENDER “THERAPISTS” CONTINUE SHUT-DOWN OPERATIONS UNDER NEW NAMES – When child transgender therapists and operations are shut down from organizations relying on Federal tax dollars, they turn to independent trans zealots to both fund and protect them. The Trump administration is working on identifying shut down operations and following them when they go “independent.”
CHINA ADDS AIR BASE TO “TRAINING” IN LAOS – China has extended its presence in Laos following reports it had set up a training camp inside the country. Now, China appears to have built an air base within Laos as well. Satellite imagery showed Chinese military aircraft leaving from and landing in the region identified as the new air base. Beijing has now claimed the base is to train Laotian pilots to fly Chinese fighters.

C. PEOPLE ADVANCE

SON OF BOLSONARO WINS BRAZIL’S PRESIDENTIAL FIRST ROUND – While his father sits in prison, Flavio Bolsonaro is beating the man who imprisoned him, Lula da Silver, in the first round of Brazil’s Presidential elections. He will face Lula in the final round. Bolsonaro was not the only member of his family to win that night, as four more family members won public office. Two of Flavio’s sons won seats in Brazil’s lower house. The latest polling shows a virtual tie between the two.
ICE UNMASKING STRUCK DOWN BY 9^TH – An effort by progressive California to unmask ICE agents in an effort to help their street fighters locate and terrorize (or worse) ICE agents has been struck down by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals.

From the summary of the ruling, “In sum, if a state law directly regulates the governmental conduct of the United States without congressional authorization, it is void irrespective of whether the regulated activities are essential to federal functions or operations, and irrespective of the degree to which the state law interferes with such functions or operations.”

BRENNAN LAWSUIT DROPPED – Former CIA Director John Brennan will not be able to go forward with his lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit hoped to force the administration to “preserve records” for his potential defense against potential criminal charges. A Federal Judge threw out the “speculative” lawsuit.
CHRISTIAN-ONLY FRANCHISE CONSTITUTIONAL, COURT RULES – The 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a Christian-only auto repair franchise is not a constitutional violation. The company, Christian Brothers Automotive, only allows self-professing Christians to be franchise owners. There are 300 franchises nationwide.
GREENLAND GOLD COMING AMERICA’S WAY – President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social, “Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland! There are Experts that are saying that the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the World and, even more importantly, from a Security Purpose in the Defense and Offense of both the United States of America, and Europe, is second to none. Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our Defense will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived. It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!”

‘I Want Him Here!’ Judge Hauls Trump Official Into Courtroom As Hearing Spirals– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser October 16, 2026

‘I Want Him Here!’ Judge Hauls Trump Official Into Courtroom As Hearing Spirals– crooksandliars.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

A “livid” federal judge summoned one of President Donald Trump’s top park officials into her hearing after testimony that he ordered the weekend cutting of hundreds of golf course trees.

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes called the emergency hearing Monday, held by videoconference, after preservationists and golfers asked her to stop tree cutting at East Potomac Golf Course, court records show.

Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, testified that Frank Lands, the Park Service’s deputy director for operations, told crews to start cutting Saturday, MeidasTouch Network’s Scott MacFarlane reported.

The plaintiffs argue in court papers that the work clears the way for President Donald Trump’s planned overhaul of the course.

“Misstatements are a federal felony,” Reyes told Griess as he was sworn in, according to Inner City Press.

“Who notified them to start on Saturday?” the judge cut in as Griess began answering the same question from a plaintiffs’ lawyer.

“Deputy Director Frank [Lands],” Griess answered.

“Get Mr. [Lands] here,” Reyes replied.

Trump wants more Afrikaner refugees while others are stuck due to his ‘cruel’ policies | US immigration– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser October 16, 2026

Trump wants more Afrikaner refugees while others are stuck due to his ‘cruel’ policies | US immigration– www.theguardian.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Donald Trump plans to once more severely restrict the number of refugees admitted to the US, announcing a limit of just 17,500 people in fiscal year 2027 – and that, again, those let in will be “primarily” white South Africans.

Refugee rights groups are alarmed and infuriated at the decision last month by the US president to exclude almost every other demographic.

They claim the decision will continue to leave thousands of refugees stuck in dangerous situations around the globe, many of whom were already vetted and approved for entry, in favor of a very small quota dominated by Afrikaners, an Afrikaans-speaking white ethnic group descended from Dutch and French colonial settlers to South Africa.

This despite low take-up of US refugee slots by Afrikaners, prompting extraordinary measures from the government to attract them even in the face of apparent disinterest, the Guardian revealed this week, and the greatness of need in other countries.

During his first and second terms, Trump has signed various executive orders and his administration made significant policy decisions to halt nearly all refugee admissions, except for white South Africans. The refugee cap determination, published on 25 September, is just the latest move in undermining legal migration while also changing the demographics of who can come into the country.

US corporate media portrays violent Nicaraguan coup plotter as ‘political prisoner’– thegrayzone.com

pgnewser October 15, 2026

US corporate media portrays violent Nicaraguan coup plotter as ‘political prisoner’– thegrayzone.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

US media and the human rights industry are portraying Jeffrey Jarquin as a heroic freedom fighter tortured and wrongly imprisoned by Nicaragua’s government. It turns out he was an opposition hooligan who destroyed a public university during the violent US-backed 2018 coup attempt.

On 1 October 2026, Jeffrey Isaac Jarquin, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan man, was deported from the United States by ICE and, on arrival in Managua, was immediately sent to prison by Nicaraguan authorities. Reports described him as a “torture victim,” a “political prisoner,” and a “prominent figure in the anti-government protests” that occurred in Nicaragua in 2018. His story was covered in uncritical fashion by the Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, The LA Times and other outlets. It featured on Democracy Now and he received support from the longtime former head of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth.

Not one of the reports, however, investigated Jarquin’s role in those “protests” nor recorded that in November 2018, he was found guilty of various acts of terrorism and sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.

“Tortured” or “torturer”?

Who is Jeffrey Isaac Jarquin, the man being championed by corporate media as a heroic freedom fighter tortured by an authoritarian regime?

In April 2018, protests began in Nicaragua which were part of a U.S.-led and funded coup attempt. Since the protests were ostensibly “student-led,” several universities in Managua were occupied and used as command centers by paid criminals whose financing originated from USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Federal Judge Sides with CNN, Politico, MS NOW in Battle Against White House– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser October 15, 2026

Federal Judge Sides with CNN, Politico, MS NOW in Battle Against White House– www.westernjournal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

A federal judge on Tuesday extended an order that keeps CNN, Politico, and MS NOW inside the White House complex while they fight a ban that President Donald Trump imposed last month.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction late Tuesday. It blocks the administration from yanking the three outlets’ “hard passes” until the lawsuit is decided.

A “hard pass” allows reporters access to White House press areas unaccompanied.

BREAKING: Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction requiring the White House to restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, finding that Trump’s ban likely violated the First and Fifth Amendments. https://t.co/uwB2fUtRXo

— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) October 14, 2026

MS NOW Implores Americans to Protest, Like France, Over Economy– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser October 15, 2026

MS NOW Implores Americans to Protest, Like France, Over Economy– www.newsbusters.org
News Source
EXCERPT:

On Thursday, MS NOW’s Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle actually discussed the “student protests” in France that have turned violent and made it about the state of the economy around the world. MS NOW analyst Ayman Mohyeldin, who no longer has a show on the network, took the discussion of the French protests to implore Americans to protest like the French, which he said they have “unfortunately” not done.

Ruhle was the first to connect French protests to economic problems, as she said, “Like, you can tie all of this together. Enormous economic frustrations that people are feeling.” She added, “We are seeing country after country start to say, this system just don’t work anymore.”

Ruhle tied to the thought to frequent panelist Eddie Glaude: “And it’s actually Eddie who’s been saying to me for years, ‘No, people want to break the system’. And I’m like, ‘No, Eddie, everything is fine.’ And I’m saying that from a very privileged seat. As we’re watching, scores of voters say no to the system, to both parties.”

Thursday’s ‘Money, Power, Politics’ on MS NOW actually discussed the “protests” in France and framed them as being about economic issues, as Ayman Mohyeldin seemed to implore more Americans to protest over the economy, like the violent “protests” in France. pic.twitter.com/XyrrdUvsDd

— Nick (@nspin310) October 15, 2026

BREAKING: Steven Crowder suing CNN, Jubilee, James Talarico over ‘Change My Mind’ townhall event | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser October 15, 2026

BREAKING: Steven Crowder suing CNN, Jubilee, James Talarico over ‘Change My Mind’ townhall event | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

“We need to find out who flagrantly disregarded the trademark, who flagrantly plagiarized, who profited off of it most, and for what degree of time.”

Steven Crowder announced on Thursday that he is suing CNN, digital media company Jubilee, and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico after CNN and Jubilee held an event featuring Talarico on Wednesday that used the format of “Change My Mind,” a video concept Crowder has been using for years.

Crowder announced on his show Thursday, “Well, I guess we should officially announce that we’re suing.” Change My Mind is an active, registered trademark, per Louder with Crowder.

“Maybe Jubilee has generated all of their profit off of a completely unoriginal idea, disguised it, and then the mask came off. Or maybe CNN suggested, well, you know what? Change my mind has more brand familiarity because billions of people have seen the meme and the video,” Crowder said.

“We need to find out who flagrantly disregarded the trademark, who flagrantly plagiarized, who profited off of it most, and for what degree of time.”

Germany couldn’t stop Hitler’s election tactics; can America stop Trump’s? – The Forward

pgnewser October 15, 2026

Germany couldn’t stop Hitler’s election tactics; can America stop Trump’s? – The Forward
News Source

Climate change pushed Earth to its limits in 2026 as certain “vital signs” reach record extremes, report says– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser October 15, 2026

Climate change pushed Earth to its limits in 2026 as certain “vital signs” reach record extremes, report says– www.cbsnews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Climate change pushed the Earth’s environmental system to, and perhaps beyond, its limits in 2026, as several of its “vital signs” reached record extremes, researchers said in a new report on the state of the global climate.

Of the 16 climate markers that researchers consider integral measures of how the Earth is doing, seven are currently at record extremes, while multiple others show evidence of accelerating or abruptly shifting, the report published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal BioScience said.

The markers include greenhouse gases, temperature, glacier mass, oceans, wildfires and the planet’s energy imbalance, which refers to the difference between the amount of energy the Earth absorbs and the amount it radiates back out into the atmosphere.

Researchers warned in the report that the planet’s climate “is moving deeper into uncharted territory.”

“Earth’s life-support systems are being pushed beyond stable limits, with changes unfolding faster than our ability to respond,” the report said. “Across the globe, extreme heat, floods, droughts, storms, and wildfires are no longer rare events but defining features of a changing planet.”

Biden vs Trump Inflation Rates Expose Big Media Bias in Election Coverage– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser October 15, 2026

Biden vs Trump Inflation Rates Expose Big Media Bias in Election Coverage– www.newsbusters.org
News Source
EXCERPT:

The stark difference in media treatment a worse average inflation rate under Biden received vs. the Armageddon-level coverage a retrospectively tamer inflation situation under Trump got was first exposed via an analysis conducted by MRC Business and CNSNews.

Now, just before the midterm elections this November, the tale of two inflation rates just got worse for the furiously spinning partisan journalists who covered them.

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, MRC Business and CNSNews researchers analyzed inflation rates across the seven-month midterm election season span of the Iran War during President Donald Trump’s second year (March 2026—September 2026). For comparison, the data was then juxtaposed to the same timeframe during the midterm election season during President Joe Biden’s second year (March 2022 — September 2022). As MRC previously revealed, the disparity was massive, especially in light of the “transitory” media narrative voters were getting under Biden vs. the doom-and-gloom circling the Trump administration now.

For Trump, the average all-items inflation rate across the time period analyzed was 3.6 percent, and that’s counting the major price fluctuations undergirding the energy market rollercoaster-ride from the Strait of Hormuz conflict. For Biden, across the same time length with no international war, the all-items inflation average was a whopping 8.5 percent.

How Iran made the Houthis into such a problem for the U.S. and its allies– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

How Iran made the Houthis into such a problem for the U.S. and its allies– www.cbsnews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have morphed over the last decade from being a little-known group in northwest Yemen, to Iran’s most potent ally in the region and a central opponent of the United States and its allies across the Middle East.

While Iran’s other proxy forces have been depleted in recent years, the Houthis have taken center stage in the Middle East, offering yet another example of how a smaller, guerrilla-style force that’s dug in on the ground can cause asymmetric damage through hard-to-repel aerial attacks.

In support of their Iranian benefactors, the Houthis launched initial attacks on Israel not long after the U.S. joined the Jewish state in strikes across Iran on Feb. 28, sparking the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s richest nations and a key American ally, is now bearing the brunt of the Houthis’ attacks, which have killed at least 20 people at Saudi airports over the last week. Along with other allied groups, the militants have also attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, helping drive up global energy prices by threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which, like the Strait of Hormuz, is a key maritime chokepoint for oil and gas shipments.

**Irony Alert: NPR CEO Who Said First Amendment is a “Challenge” to Receive ‘First Amendment Award’ * The Gateway Pundit * by Margaret Flavin**– www.thegatewaypundit.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

Irony Alert: NPR CEO Who Said First Amendment is a “Challenge” to Receive ‘First Amendment Award’ * The Gateway Pundit * by Margaret Flavin– www.thegatewaypundit.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

President and CEO of NPR, Katherine Maher/Image: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license./Author: Blossom Ozurumba

In 2025, The Gateway Pundit reported that during a House Oversight DOGE subcommittee hearing, Republicans on the committee grilled NPR CEO Katherine Maher and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) CEO Paula Kerger over their anti-Trump bias and the extreme, woke programming on the stations.

This includes documentaries about transvestites and transitioning, “Racist Trees,” and exposing young children, including toddlers, to so-called educational programming that featured a cross-dressing freak.

Even more embarrassingly, in 2021, when she was the CEO of Wikimedia, she claimed the First Amendment was a “challenge” when it came to efforts to combat “disinformation,” and ‘reverence for the truth’ a ‘distraction.’

Maher stated, “The number one challenge here that we see is, of course, the First Amendment in the United States. [It] is a fairly robust protection of rights and that is a protection of rights both for platforms, which I actually think is very important that platforms have those rights to be able to regulate what kind of content they want on their sites.”

NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher: “Truth is a distraction from getting things done”

Our tax dollars fund this, @DOGE https://t.co/N60gECG3zO

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 24, 2024

A Complete Guide to Trump’s Multi-Snared Election Trap– www.truthdig.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

A Complete Guide to Trump’s Multi-Snared Election Trap– www.truthdig.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Astoria is one of my favorites on the Oregon coast, a small town of around 9,000 people with great restaurants and craft shops. Two of them, a coffee shop and ceramics studio, are owned by a small businessperson, Audrey Long, who’s mailed herself five postcards since August to test the mail. The results have been grim, particularly since Oregon is a 100% vote-by-mail state.

So far, only two of the postcards have arrived, and the first one took more than a month (and Oregon doesn’t even send out ballots until next Wednesday). Across the street from one of her shops, the town’s city hall isn’t getting its mail reliably, either, and the same is true for the tenants of a 40-unit apartment building next door, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is looking into it, his office telling OPB’s reporter, “The timing of these issues is especially concerning.”

At first, I figured this was a one-off, something weird or broken in the Astoria post office. But when I mentioned this on the air Monday of this week, my lines were flooded with calls from states across the nation saying that they’re having similar problems with the mail. The calls have continued every day since.

Yesterday, an American listener who follows us on YouTube from Germany called in to say that his ballot was mailed out on Sept. 19 (the law requires all foreign-resident ballots to go out by then) and he’s tracking it online but it still hasn’t arrived at his home in Mannheim.

Trump’s New White House Press Secretary Has a History of Conspiracy Claims, Including a Nazi Link to the Abortion Pill

pgnewser October 13, 2026

Trump’s New White House Press Secretary Has a History of Conspiracy Claims, Including a Nazi Link to the Abortion Pill
News Source

DOJ Investigating Fox News, CNN, Broadcast Networks for Possible Violations of Federal Law– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

DOJ Investigating Fox News, CNN, Broadcast Networks for Possible Violations of Federal Law– www.westernjournal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

TV networks pictured a refusal to broadcast what President Donald Trump was doing last month as a moment of media solidarity.

The Department of Justice is wondering whether it violated anti-trust laws.

Last month, Fox News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton, who chaired the TV pool covering the White House at the time, ruled that pool coverage would not take place after Trump put CNN, Politico, and MSNOW in time out and banned them from the White House.

CNN is a member of a five-network pool covering Trump that includes ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and Fox News. The pool network shares White House news with other networks.

The ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico has been temporarily put on hold by a court, but now the Justice Department is looking into whether the brief suspension of pool coverage was illegal, according to The New York Times.

On Friday, federal officials demanded information from the networks in the pool, the Times reported, citing sources it did not name.

Justice Department representative Emily Covington said the networks “proudly boycotted covering White House events.”

Do you believe the DOJ’s investigation into media boycotts is warranted?

“Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” Covington wrote.

“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she said.

Although a judge ruled CNN cannot be blocked from covering Trump at the White House, it is blocked from serving as the pool reporter when Trump is on Air Force One.

Trump administration officials continued to block the network from acting as the TV pool when the president travels on Air Force One.

At the time, the pool chair said, due to Trump “preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties,” there would be “no replacement pool put in place,” according to CNN.

After the networks waged war on Trump, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro said Fox should pay for being part of the pack.

“Fox is not real news. It is CNN with better lighting, a fake slogan and a flag graphic. Stop watching its dangerous drivel,” Navarro wrote in an Op-Ed for The Washington Times.

“A network that sells itself to conservatives has blacked out a Republican president and put out a press release about it, arm in arm with CNN. Fox is the more dangerous of the two, because it pretends to wear our colors,” Navarro wrote.

“Fox’s own Trump derangement syndrome is new. Its CEO Suzanne Scott keeps removing the people most willing to honestly cover the MAGA agenda. Lou Dobbs was canceled in February 2021. Tucker Carlson was out in April 2023,” he wrote.

“Maria Bartiromo was gone this month, after she passed her producers’ July 15 text from Fox Business programming up the chain,” he noted. Fox did not want its reporters to cover Trump’s indictment of the 2020 election.

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Paramount’s New Avatar Series Forces LGBT Ideology On Kids– thefederalist.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

Paramount’s New Avatar Series Forces LGBT Ideology On Kids– thefederalist.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Forcing LGBT ideology onto children is not a new phenomenon for Hollywood. So, it wasn’t exactly surprising when Paramount’s latest show for kids attempted to do just that.

On Friday, the company’s Paramount Plus streaming service debuted its new Avatar: Seven Havens series. Set within the Avatar universe, the animated show takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the avatar — who can bend the elements of water, earth, fire, and air — is branded the enemy. The program follows the journey of Pavi and Nisha, twin sisters who discover that they’re twin avatars and must hide their abilities.

Seven Havens is a sequel to The Legend of Korra (2012-2014), which followed the original (and beloved) Avatar: The Last Airbender series (2005-2008). Seven Havens and Korra are rated PG, while The Last Airbender is rated TV-Y7, according to IMDb.

Seven Havens introduces viewers to a variety of new characters in its three-episode premiere. Among these is Jae, a male airbender who serves as a guardsman on the bending force tasked with protecting the city of Ellora, where the series takes place.

The show’s LGBT indoctrination rears its head in the third episode, when viewers learn that Jae is dating his fellow guardsman Datu. In one scene, Jae is escorting Pavi and Nisha back to the city’s compound before he gets abruptly stopped and embraced by Datu. Seeking to protect the girls from potential harm, Jae quickly lies about their true identities before kissing Datu on the cheek as he leaves.

The scene is hardly the first instance in which the Avatar creators have sought to force-feed LGBT ideology to kids.

At the end of Legend of Korra, the avatar of the same name is heavily implied to be in a romantic relationship with her female friend Asami. This relationship was subsequently confirmed in a series of spinoff comics that followed the show’s characters after it ended. Both female characters had previously dated the same male character at different points throughout the series.

The Avatar universe’s continued embrace of “woke” has also crossed into racial territory.

As Douglas Blair reported in these pages, the studio’s most recent Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender movie, a sequel film to the original 2005 series, sidelined the original voice cast in favor of new actors who fit the industry’s “deliberate shift toward race-based casting standards.”

“Studios adopting these standards are responding to narrow ideological pressure elevating identity over performance to the detriment of their products,” Blair wrote. “Established talent is sidelined, creative flexibility is reduced, and audiences are left with weaker performances in the name of a principle they never wanted.”

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood

The Media Had a Total Meltdown Over the Ilhan Omar Raid– townhall.com

pgnewser October 13, 2026

The Media Had a Total Meltdown Over the Ilhan Omar Raid– townhall.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

On Monday, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) home was raided by federal agents. It has to do with her immigration status. Some documents are reportedly out of whack, and the timeline matters because it played a role in her naturalization process. It must be significant since a judge picked by D.C. Democrats signed off on the warrants. And raiding the home of a sitting member of Congress is a high bar, with most judges not wanting such legal tangles coming across their desks.

The media were so mad Monday about this raid, but it’s you people who keep saying no one is above the law. Deal with it:

🚨 WOW! CNN is having a FULL-BLOWN ON-AIR MELTDOWN after Somali Rep. Ilhan Omar got her house raided by DHS Dana Bash: “She’s right! She has been a target of President Trump!” CNN is AGREEING with Omar calling this raid weaponization 🤡 Yet were FULLY ON BOARD with the persecution of Donald J. Trump before the 2024 election AND have practically NOTHING to say about Biden’s FBI tracking Barron as a minor! A judge signed off on this, and it’s in the D.C. AREA. Trump, Mullin, and Blanche can’t unilaterally do this. CNN just worried Omar will finally be deported!

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 12, 2026

IRONY ALERT: MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian complains the DHS-led raid of Ilhan Omar’s home is “a very, very intrusive search” of her “personal property” “Omar is a long-standing opponent of President Trump, has been targeted on the right for a long period of time. She’s a sitting member of Congress with certain privileges around the Speech and Debate Clause.”

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 12, 2026

🚨 NOW: CNN is STUNNED after federal agents raided Somali Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home PRE-DAWN They can’t believe their eyes! 😂 “This is a sitting member of Congress running for reelection!” “It’s so close to an election!” “It is unusual.” ARE THEY SERIOUS? They act like 2024 didn’t happen. CNN is now angry that the DOJ is enforcing the law just because an election is coming…UNBELIEVABLE And they justified the persecution of Donald J. Trump KEEP INVESTIGATING! She’s not above the law!

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 12, 2026

Townhall’s @LarryOConnor absolutely destroys CNN over its coverage of the raid involving Ilhan Omar. Absolutely brutal. https://t.co/dET4jN9OIb

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 12, 2026

CNN’s Jake Tapper had Skye Perryman on to discuss the case, where the latter said it was driven by partisanship, racism, and xenophobia. Nope, nope, and nope. Perryman is a Marc Elias acolyte.

Jake Tapper “analysis” on the Omar story with his guest Skye Perryman. Who is Perryman? The CEO of Marc Elias’ lawfare outfit Democracy Forward. That’s right. So guess how this went: Tapper: “Seems rather vindictive.” Perryman: “Partisan. Racism. Xenophobia.” Tapper: “It doesn’t look like a legitimate law enforcement action.” Legacy Media’s coverage of this story fully explained in less than 40 seconds.

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 13, 2026

Forget that the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign, tracking Susie Wiles’ phone calls and those of other Trump officials. The Jack Smith probes were all politically motivated, so we don’t care that you’re mad. Deal with it. You also can’t do anything about it. Again, a liberal judge okayed the raid.

“Not only did immigration agents raid Ilhan Omar’s home, they did it on Columbus Day.” https://t.co/pSHYALDLiN

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 12, 2026

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.

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Disney and ABC accuse FCC of evading judicial review in license renewal probe

pgnewser October 13, 2026

Disney and ABC accuse FCC of evading judicial review in license renewal probe
News Source

WHIRLED NEWS TONIGHT: ABC News BURIES Ilhan Omar Raid Coverage– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser October 13, 2026

WHIRLED NEWS TONIGHT: ABC News BURIES Ilhan Omar Raid Coverage– www.newsbusters.org
News Source
EXCERPT:

The Elitist Media evening news seemingly had a hard time getting to the early-morning raid on Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s D.C. home pursuant to an ongoing federal investigation. The evening network newscasts reluctantly ran the story, airing it at or halfway down the opening block, some with significant omissions.

ABC seemed reluctant to run the story at all, burying news of the raid at the bottom of A-block:

WATCH: @ABCWorldNews buried reporting on the Ilhan Omar raid, omitted partisan ID, and set up two narrative angles: “weaponization” and “60 days”.

DAVID MUIR: Meantime, back here in the U.S. And with the midterms now just weeks away, the Justice Department sending federal agents… pic.twitter.com/jaRafUZcb8

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) October 13, 2026

ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT

10/12/26

6:46 PM

DAVID MUIR: Meantime, back here in the U.S. And with the midterms now just weeks away, the Justice Department sending federal agents into the home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is up for reelection, a longtime target of President Trump. Here’s Jay O’Brien tonight.

JAY O’BRIEN: Tonight, the extraordinary move from the Justice Department. Just 22 days before the election, federal agents searching the home of a sitting congresswoman, Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, one of President Trump’s most frequent targets.

DONALD TRUMP: I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me. I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DoJ.

O’BRIEN: The Justice Department traditionally avoids taking public steps in political investigations within 60 days of an election. But this morning, before dawn, federal agents arriving at the congresswoman’s D.C. home, where neighbors told us they banged on the door. Federal investigators were here since the early hours of the morning parking a long line of police cars, an evidence van pulling boxes out of the congresswoman’s home. Sources tell ABC News the investigation relates to the congresswoman’s immigration paperwork. The congresswoman came to the U.S. as a Somali refugee in 1995. She became a citizen in 2000 at age 17. Tonight, Omar defiant, calling this “political intimidation” and “an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement”, adding, “I will not be silenced.” David, in the past, President Trump has called for Omar to be investigated, jailed, even deported. And again tonight, the DoJ, breaking with its own tradition, launching that high-profile search of her home just 22 days out from Election Day. David.

MUIR: Jay O’Brien live in D.C. tonight, thanks.

Had a Republican congressman been the subject of such a raid, I’m certain it would be at or near the top of the newscast, as opposed to what ran as ABC’s top story: Selma Blair’s incident on board an LAX-to-JFK Delta flight. It took seven stories after that before getting to the raid. And even then, the story had major issues.

There was no partisan ID mentioned for Omar, no mention of that a federal judge signed the search warrant, and no hint as to why Omar might be under investigation except for a vague sentence about “immigration paperwork.” Instead, correspondent Jay O’Brien served up a heaping dose of weaponization narrative and a breathless recitation of the DoJ’s 60-day precedent as if it were a Constitutional amendment.

CBS didn’t bury the story as deeply on the Evening News, running it fourth. Overall, though, the report is not dissimilar from what ABC coughed up.

WATCH: @CBSEveningNews didn’t bury raid story like ABC but also omitted partisan identifier for Ilhan Omar, played up “political intimidation” and “60 days” angles

TONY DOKOUPIL: Agents carried out a search today at the D.C. home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a frequent… pic.twitter.com/CWk1zrcLh4

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) October 13, 2026

CBS EVENING NEWS

10/12/26

6:37 PM

TONY DOKOUPIL: Agents carried out a search today at the D.C. home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a frequent target of President Trump’s insults. The administration says it was part of a criminal investigation but tonight Omar calls it a “campaign of political intimidation.” And says it was trying to silence her. CBS’s Nicole Sganga on what we’re learning.

NICOLE SGANGA: Federal agents were seen removing boxes of evidence from Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Washington home around 6:00 A.M. Sources tell CBS a years- long probe into Omar involves immigration paperwork that was completed by her late father when she was a child. Omar, a U.S. citizen and the first Somali-American in Congress, called the search “an attempt to target political enemies.” President Trump told reporters he’s not involved in the investigation.

TRUMP: Well, I understand they are looking at her very carefully. I have always found her to be totally crooked personally but that has nothing to do with me.

SGANGA: Trump has regularly leveled false attacks against Omar.

TRUMP: She’s here illegally. She should get the hell out- throw her the hell out.

SGANGA: Omar has said she won’t be silenced.

ILHAN OMAR: The president’s rhetoric, the attacks from him since I’ve gotten into public office from the right wing has always been- un, really, to stop me from being in public service. To intimidate me.

SGANGA: Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal lawyer, was aware of this morning’s search according to sources. The timing’s noteworthy. Omar’s up for reelection in 22 days. Typically, the Justice Department doesn’t pursue members of Congress or candidates within 60 days of an election.

TOM DUPREE: If they are going to do it, they need to have a pretty good reason why it had to be carried out now. We don’t know what that reason was but whatever it was, it was significant to persuade, apparently, the Attorney General himself to authorize this search.

SGANGA: Sources close to the investigation tell CBS News that the search warrant was authorized by a federal judge, but authorities have not yet disclosed exactly what agents were looking for, what specific evidence they recovered, or whether any charges are expected. Tony.

DOKOUPIL: All right, Nicole, thank you.

CBS, like ABC, omitted partisan ID for Omar and devoted significant time to the DoJ 60-day unwritten rule. Likewise, there was the vague reference to immigration. Unlike ABC, CBS noted that a federal judge authorized the warrant.

NBC’s report was significantly different from what was offered by ABC and CBS. Watch below:

WATCH: The only network report on Ilhan Omar raid to note partisan ID, HSI role in executing the warrant, and a fuller scope of the investigation than “immigration paperwork.” pic.twitter.com/ALwibnlxD7

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) October 13, 2026

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

10/12/26

6:37 PM

TOM LLAMAS: We want to head to DC now because of the early morning search of the Washington home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Part of what we’re told is a federal criminal investigation into immigration fraud. And tonight Omar is firing back. Here’s Kelly O’Donnell.

KELLY O’DONNELL: A surprise federal search at the Washington, D.C., home of Minnesota progressive Democrat congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Homeland Security agents carried out a court-approved warrant early today. President Trump reacting.

DONALD TRUMP: I understand they’re looking at it very carefully. I’ve always found it to be totally crooked personally. But that has nothing to do with me.

O’DONNELL: The Department of Justice said today’s search warrant is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. A source familiar with that probe tells NBC News it includes alleged immigration fraud and involves whistleblowers, documents, and witness testimony in a years-long investigation. Omar is a Somali-born Muslim who became a U.S. citizen at 17. Omar responded, “I’m okay. Make no mistake, this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” Specifics in the search warrant remain under seal.

TRUMP: How about Ilhan Omar? She comes from Somalia.

O’DONNELL: Campaigning in Tennessee Saturday, the President suggested action could be coming.

TRUMP: JD Vance and our people are looking at it very strongly.

O’DONNELL: In March, Vance made this accusation.

JD VANCE: We actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.

O’DONNELL: Omar’s office said today. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong.

LLAMAS: Kelly joins us now from the scene of that search. Kelly, do we know if Congresswoman Omar was there this morning during that investigation?

O’DONNELL: Tom, House members are back in their home districts to campaign with three weeks to go before the election. Typically, the Department of Justice does not take overt investigative action against a candidate within 60 days of an election. An official noted a judge signed this warrant. Tom.

LLAMAS: Kelly, thank you.

NBC opened with partisan ID, and with the fact that Homeland Security Investigations is who executed the raid. Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell includes in her reporting that this is a “years-long investigation,” which includes immigration fraud but also “involves whistleblowers, documents, and witness testimony.” The report posted on NBC’s website notes the investigation “deals partly with immigration and fraud, but it goes beyond those things.”

O’Donnell still made sure to include soundbites from Omar and Vice President JD Vance, and mentioned the hallowed 60-day precedent. But NBC viewers got a more balanced view overall of both the raid and what led to it than did viewers of the allegedly MAGA-aligned CBS and Trump-deranged ABC.

Justice Department investigating TV networks over suspension of press pool after Trump media ban– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser October 12, 2026

Justice Department investigating TV networks over suspension of press pool after Trump media ban– www.cbsnews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The Justice Department is investigating whether the major TV networks, including CBS, violated antitrust laws after they briefly suspended the television press pool system in response to President Trump’s decision last month to ban three news organizations from the White House.

“Members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events,” Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington said in a statement provided to CBS News on Saturday. “Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”

It was not immediately clear how the Justice Department was defining the move as a violation of the Sherman Act, which is a longstanding federal law that seeks to prevent monopolistic business behavior and maintain fair competition.

The New York Times was first to report the investigation. CBS News has reached out to the White House and all five networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC — for comment.

In mid-September, Mr. Trump announced that his administration was rescinding the White House credentials of journalists for CNN, MSNOW and Politico over what he alleged was “their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

The White House also sent letters to each of the three news outlets informing them that certain articles they had published on topics including the new White House ballroom, the ongoing war with Iran and the Republican midterm convention were threats to national security and violated standards of “professionalism and decorum” for reporters.

Following the move, the five networks that make up the TV press pool jointly announced that they would be suspending their coverage in solidarity. That suspension occurred at a critical moment in that it coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington.