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Politico Rigged a Focus Group to Slam the President, and The Athletic Is Busy Baiting Tennis Players

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jan 23, 2026
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Border-line Obsession – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • This makes it the second time they have used this "bait" canard.

The news networks have been awash with the story of ICE agents "detaining" a 5-year-old boy. From the second we saw the first headline, we were sure this was complete fable-crafting, and we were dead-on correct.

The ACTUAL story was that an illegal alien was pulled over, and he got out of his vehicle and fled, abandoning his son. As agents pursued the target, one stayed back to supervise the child.

As one account has adroitly noted, this means ICE has cared for more children than Somali daycare centers.

DHS put out a notification of the realities of this episode, but it has not deterred the media from running with their fanciful version of events.

Gilded Reframe – MS NOW

  • "They are not the worst of the worst; they are simply very bad, so let them go!"

On Morning Joe, they had a field report from Maine, where ICE has been conducting apprehensions, and there is a shift in the overriding narrative that DHS has not been focusing on illegal alien criminals enough. Correspondent Josh Einiger was on the scene covering some detentions, and he noted that DHS released information about some detainees. According to Einiger, he says they should not have been apprehended, because according to him…these were people already convicted and adjudicated of crimes.

Sooooo…would that not mean they were criminals, and illegals, and had been granted due process – you know, all of the very things the media has been barking needed to apply for people to be deported?

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – POLITICO

  • Well, this manufactured and minuscule group CERTAINLY represents the entire thought process of all conservatives.

Politico has a jarring report that exposes a massive rift forming in MAGA circles and all of President Trump's supporters!

According to a study commissioned by the outlet, they have proof that the young Trump voters do NOT want JD Vance to run for the presidency in 2028. They have indisputable proof!

That is, if you do not read past the headline of their piece. They are basing this claim on a focus group of Trump voters who have expressed their dismissive attitude about the vice president running. Now for the disqualifying reality:

In a focus group of nine young men who supported Trump in 2024, conducted Monday by Longwell Partners and shared with POLITICO, they showed tepid enthusiasm about the vice president and suggested he is too bridled by the baggage of Trump’s second term.

Nine people. This wave of discontent is based solely on…NINE people. Making this all the more worthy of the recycle bin, Longwell Partners is headed by Sarah Longwell, the co-founder and publisher of the disturbed and emotionally-corrupted outlet The Bulwark.

Let's just say the results here are less than suspect. The term "worthless" springs to mind.

DNC PR Firm - POLITICO

  • He must have been hired due to his contacts list, right?

Do not expect anything in the form of improved perspectives from this news outlet. Politico has recently announced that it has hired Evan Hollander as the site's new Communications Chief.

You do not know him by name, but just take notice, he is a former House operative for the Democrats, sporting a resume with four years as the executive director of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and previously had been communications director for Democrats in the House Appropriations Committee.

But beyond that, and his history of scorching President Trump, we can be sure he will oversee neutral and unbiased non-partisan content at the news outlet.

Pre-Written Field Reports – THE ATHLETIC

  • It's a long tournament, Owen; you are bound to get one player to slam the country.

The Australian Open is taking place right now, and a noticeable trend has emerged at the post-match press conferences. No fewer than three players so far have been challenged with questions about how they feel playing under the banner of the United States in these trying times.

Now lest you fall under the belief that the entirety of the foreign press is under this operation, let us disabuse you of that belief.

All of these questions have been delivered by Owen Lewis, a Canadian journalist working for The New York Times-acquired sports portal, The Athletic.

To their credit, so far, not one of the players has taken Owens' bait, as they look rather disgusted with having political venom dredged up at an athletic event.