OPINION
Premium

Media Outlets Bothered by ICE Agents Helping Airports Return to Normal; Erecting Statues Alter History

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Mar 24, 2026
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Get access to Brad Slager's "Riffed From the Headlines," a daily VIP feature where he looks to bring accountability to the mainstream media. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!

Gilded Reframe – CNN

  • Well, now…that story did not go as planned…

For weeks, the Democrats have been attempting to cause strife at American airports by withholding funding for DHS, leading to mass numbers of agents calling out or outright quitting. One novel solution that has disrupted this ploy has been the move to bring ICE agents in to aid in the shortages.

This led to wild claims that these replacements would end up killing travelers in airports. (Yes…seriously.) Well, now, there has been a major disruption – not in air travel, but in that narrative.

CNN reports that after the arrival of the ICE relief agents, wait times at airports have plummeted significantly, which will cause problems for Democrats' leverage…and for networks wanting to report on the harsh conditions for travelers.

Low-Octane Gaslighting – MS NOW

  • And on this episode of “Admitting Your Stupidity”...

It remains a fascinating dose of obliviousness that pundits come out to admit they are incapable of doing the basics, like obtaining identification. On Morning Joe, this has been the theme this week, and for the latest namesake, Scar-Joe came out and boldly declared his bride, Mika, cannot get a passport.

We are not sure why an overly educated gal such as Mrs. Scarborough is incapable of getting an ID, but apparently, this is the case.

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • Scraping by in the one percentile will not generate sympathy.

In a series on how New Yorkers are surviving in the city, the paper profiles a family that is struggling to get by on $500,000 annually. Among their monthly expenses is $500 eating out and $370 for dog grooming.

They are pushing to have government-funded daycare for their son.

Both Kinds of Standards – CNN

  • This means that replacing them is what sends the wrong message.

At CNN, they seem bothered that the Trump White House has brought out of storage a statue of Christopher Columbus as part of the celebration this summer of the nation’s 250th birthday. This statue was among the scores of monuments taken down during the 2020 Summer of Love riots.

What is a telling blind spot is the outlet stating that putting this statue up is part of “efforts to reshape cultural and historical representations.” Somehow, tearing these statues down was not reshaping things.

Anti-Social Media – THE INDEPENDENTS

  • There is no way this quote will not be used against them.

The two dispatched reporters were at it again, and this episode is sure to come back repeatedly. Chris Cillizza and Chuck Todd were warbling about the political conditions in the country, but what ended up happening was an unintentional commentary on themselves.

While Chuckles was describing the tough political choices facing Americans these days, what he managed to describe was what was being witnessed on this episode.

Reporting on the Mirror – MEIDASTOUCH

  • Hey, at least he wasn’t babbling about January 6.

Yesterday, we covered the comedy surrounding former CBS veteran newsman Scott MacFarlane singing on with Democrat PAC-inspired MeidasTouch. He was said to be disillusioned with the direction Bari Weiss is guiding the news division – so he runs to the hyper-leftist outlet as a result.

We get to see today his first dispatch for his new outlet. MacFarlane reports from the Capitol about…Scott MacFarlane.