Podcast #131 - Post Debate Meltdown Fox News Blames the Refs

The folks at Fox News thought they were going to have an easy time with holiday programming last week with stories about pajama wearing travelers, Thanksgiving leftover tips and pre-taped shows filled with recycled segments. In between the holiday fluff the network put most of its focus on segments bashing Democrats, worshiping President Trump and what it called the “Seditious Six.”By mid-day Wednesday the on-air talent at Fox News immediately pivoted to cover a targeted domestic terrorist attack on National Guard troops in Washington D.C.Nearly every talking head at the network immediately blamed Democratic lawmakers for the violence even though there was no evidence that the shooter, an Afghan national, was motivated by left of center politics.Fox News was so lazy in its coverage of the tragedy that the network included a pre-taped episode of The Five for Thanksgiving that made no mention of the attack. That evening it re-aired The Patriot Awards, a Fox Nation special, in place of its regularly scheduled primetime lineup.I was expecting at least episodes of Fox News Live, the breaking news show for the network but the Fox stuck to its original plan for the holiday and decided to only air episodes that included live news coverage mid-day and late night on Thanksgiving. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Last week Fox News hosts twisted themselves into knots to justify Trump’s conflicting actions and statements regarding the Epstein files, New York City’s mayor-elect, and the affordability crisis.No one at the network seemed the least bit concerned that Trump gave the Saudi crown prince a lavish welcome despite his countries relationship with the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans during the September 11th attacks or the Saudi leader’s personal involvement with the murder and dismemberment of a U.S.- based journalist.Fox also downplayed the results of its own poll that showed Trump’s approval ratings plummeting with more Americans frustrated with how he is handling the U.S. economy.Folks at the network know their primary objective is to support the glorious leader and keep loyal viewers tuned into the nonstop outrage fantasy machine that is Fox News. If that means praising a man they have called a dangerous communist for months so be it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

For many Americans the winter holidays can be a treacherous field of emotional land mines triggered by family members who want to lecture them about politics. Say one wrong word and a loved one who is dedicating their lives to consuming as much Fox News as possible might promote a false story they saw on the Murdoch owned propaganda machine.Facts, hyperlinks to solid primary sources and exhaustive investigative reporting won’t help someone who is deeply entrenched in the disinformation pipeline. Trying to correct someone fully committed to the MAGA movement using evidence won’t work.Using words such as brainwashed, cult, propaganda and even lies won’t help you de-radicalize a friend or relative who is obsessed with the thrills of being constantly outraged and angered by a sophisticated media company that has poisoned minds in this country for nearly three decades.What you can do is arm yourself with knowledge, facts and sources that will help keep you calm cool and collected. I don’t encourage fighting with relatives who might have emotional outbursts over their devotion to their glorious leader.A true believer will only free themselves of the MAGA movement when they grow tired of it. It can a long and arduous process before they see the light.I don’t think this newsletter will convince anyone lost to the MAGA cult but it can prevent others from being dragged into it and at least you know you have solid primary sources so you can show anyone what is actually happening with the U.S. economy.I can’t get to everything as this newsletter would be hundreds of pages but I will go over some of his more egregious lies and misstatements. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Last week Fox News minimized the blue wave of Democratic wins across the country to a ripple of stale water in a plastic kiddie pool. According to the folks at Fox Americans still loved and adored the glorious leader, Democrats were expected to win anyway and the Republican Party ran a bunch of poor candidates.The only thing the network conceded was that Trump could improve his messaging on the economy. The term ‘referendum’ appeared 20 times in the transcripts from last week. Each example was some form of “this election was not a referendum on Trump.”As Martha MacCallum put it on the night of the election, “It’s the economy, stupid, ends up being the simple story of a lot of elections.”Jesse Watters responded by lying about inflation while Brian Kilmeade claimed Trump just needed more time to let his policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill work their magic for the U.S. economy.Laura Ingraham barely kept it together as she predicted the fall of New York City under the Marxist, socialist, communist takeover of the charming millennial Muslim Zorhan Mamdani. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

The past week on Fox was wonky - the network spent most of its focus praising Trump during his visit to Asia and promoting Turning Point USA, the nonprofit co-created by the late Charlie Kirk. The network also trashed the Democratic Party while it aggressively promoted Republican gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.The only topic worth debunking was the network’s misrepresentation of the SNAP program (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program) that helps feed nearly 42 million Americans.Since Trump’s political resurrection Fox News has promoted the president and the Republican Party as champions for working class Americans. Trump is portrayed as a warrior for lower income Americans who are struggling with outsourced jobs, shuttered factories, lower wages and ever-increasing costs for just about everything.During his last campaign for president Trump promised to lower prices on groceries, housing, healthcare, electricity and gasoline. He emotionally whipped up his crowds like a preacher promising that his divine powers would make all their problems go away.He alone could fix it. So far most of his base still believes that the magic will happen and Fox News is more than happy to feed their delusions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast covers Fox & Friends, The Five, Special Report with Bret Baier, and then all of the primetime shows with an extra hour of election night coverage. It did NOT go well for Republican candidates in several races. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Last week Fox News presented the record-breaking No Kings protests as an epic failure filled with deluded geriatric fools, antifascist activists were presented as dangerous terrorists while Trump’s complete destruction of an entire wing of the White House was celebrated.As usual Trump’s failure to seek permission to radically change historic federal property was seen as a sign of strength not a reckless lack of impulse control.The East Wing of the White House was just like the list of women who Trump causally sexually assaulted without a second thought. Several women described incidents where Trump, a total stranger to them, walked up and grabbed their body parts or forcibly kissed them without even a hint of consent.To Trump nearly everything and every person is something he can bully and dominate. The only exception seems to be cruel despots whom he admires.Fox New is more than happy to fuel his narcissistic abuse. Trump is the center of the universe and the rest of us, including the folks at Fox, are placed on this planet to fuel is pathology. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

The folks at Fox News started the week by airing live coverage of Trump’s rambling speech at the Israeli Knesset as he celebrated what he claimed would be a lasting peace and transformation of the Middle East. Within 48 hours the network cheered Trump’s plans for regime change in Venezuela that could include a full-scale military invasion.Other major stories last week included fear mongering about the ‘No Kings’ protests, the impending communist takeover of New York City, roving gangs of Antifa activists and cities destroyed by migrant crime.The network also dedicated multiple segments over a series of three days to what it felt was George Stephanopoulos’ egregious insult to Vice President J.D. Vance.There’s no consistency of thought on Fox News except the constant trashing of any Democrat and the minority party. The network will pivot on a dime to mirror the whims of the madman they helped put in the White House.Fox also spent a lot of time and energy on promoting the Republican candidates for governor in New Jersey and Virginia. The network also repeatedly trashed Zohran Mamdani the leading candidate for New York City mayor. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

The folks at Fox News promoted Donald J. Trump as both an unflinching authoritarian who openly defied state governments and a peacemaker who ended a 3000-year conflict with the snap of his fingers.When their glorious leader did not win the coveted Nobel Peace Prize his servants at Fox News predictably went into a full emotional meltdown meant for an audience of one - the contest was rigged, the judges were woke, it was a meaningless prize, even Norwegians have Trump derangement syndrome, Alfred Nobel was a monster anyway, and people all over the world will demand that Trump get the prize next year.Of course the Israel-Hamas war was not 3000 years old and Trump is more of a fascist than pacifist. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Last week the folks on Fox invented a political rivalry, promoted a blatant lie about the U.S. healthcare system and trotted out what looked like a phony Antifa whistleblower. The network also blamed most of the problems in the United States on the most marginalized group in the country - undocumented immigrants.When reality doesn’t line up with the Fox News agenda the network creates its own dystopian fairy tale complete with menacing masked characters, wildly misleading statistics and tired xenophobic tropes.Trump’s use of federal law enforcement in three American cities - Memphis, Chicago and Portland, Oregon was seen as something to be celebrated and championed. Never mind that most wealthy industrialized countries would never think to use their military in a law enforcement role. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe