INVESTIGATIONS

Pro-lifers have been warning the public that the abortion pill hurts women for years. Here’s why Big Tech and its fact-checkers have much to answer for. 

A massive study published on Monday found that around 11.2% of 154,554 women underwent a “serious adverse event” after taking the abortion pill. This percentage is 22 times higher than the less than 0.5% statistic pushed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that loosened restrictions on the abortion pill during the Biden administration. The Foundation for the Restoration of America commissioned the study. And while this study is not the first to show that over one in ten women who take the pill are seriously harmed, social media platforms and fact-checkers have censored criticism of the abortion pill for years. 

[Story Continues on MRC Free Speech America] 

After having taped on Monday and a small excerpt shown Tuesday about two illegal immigrants being the alleged suspects in her purse having been stolen, Wednesday’s CBS Mornings finally unspooled co-host Tony Dokoupil’s interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and, while the interview itself wasn’t as hostile as, say, ABC’s Terry Moran with President Trump, it had plenty of bias with analysis afterward.

Most notably, there was this from co-host Gayle King:

To make sure things ended on a positive note, Dokoupil quickly interjected that he wanted to “thank the Secretary for bringing us down there” for “an interesting conversation.” King dropped her pathetic high horse bit and admitted Noem “was very candid with you” and “answered everything you asked her.”

Going back to the beginning, Dokoupil started with a largely positive picture for Trump, a rare move in the liberal media:

President Trump won back the White House promising tighter border security and a crackdown on illegal immigration, and those things have happened. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 138,000 people at the southern border illegally in March of last year, and that number fell to 7,000 just a year later, it’s a decrease of about 95 percent in 12 months. Deportation numbers, though, have been slower to change.

The voice-overs started off positive as well with the ATV vehicles convoy to the border that, along with being “shadowed by Mexican forces across the Rio Grande,” they saw “little more than sunshine and dust in a region where federal data shows more than 55,000 people cross the border illegally in just one month under the Biden administration.”

He first asked her about her forward-facing strategy of going on ride-alongs with immigration officials and going down to the El Salvadoran prison CECOT and if those are all meant to convey a message of “self-deport now or this could be you.”

 

 

Next, he posed to her the case of the Honduran illegal immigrant who chose to take her American child with her.

Noem said she rejects the notion the administration deported an American citizen. In a follow-up Dokoupil wondered if this is “hardness” of America on display (click “expand”):

NOEM: I fundamentally disagree with that. I’m sure that these judges will continue to challenge every single thing that this administration does. We have several activist judges across the country that have made claims such as this, but that mother made a choice for her child and wanted to keep her child with her, so —

DOKOUPIL: So, if a relative here in the U.S. wants that child back, and the mother agrees, the child will come back.

NOEM: — yes, absolutely, and that’s the process. You know, this mother gave us documentation and fully said she wanted her child with her, and we honored that.

DOKOUPIL: Is harshness part of the message when it comes to the removal of mothers who have American children?

NOEM: No, I think that with that, with families, we recognize that families can stay together, and so these mothers get the option to take their children with them, which I think is absolutely where President Trump’s heart is.

DOKOUPIL: Should those non-American mothers have that option, or should the American children have a right to stay here?

NOEM: I think the mothers should have the option to have their children with them, and then if those mothers do leave and choose to register and self-deport, them and their children can come back, or if they want to have their child cared for by somebody else in the United States, that’s an option that they can pursue, too.

Following some training footage of Border Patrol special operations forces, Dokoupil insisted to Noem no one is opposed to deporting bad hombres:

Nobody wants would-be terrorists or gang members in the country or violent criminals of any kind. Nobody — nobody forgets or discounts the pain of families who have lost loved ones to those people. How do they know that those people on the flights in the chains are actually terrorists and gang members?

Noem calmly hit back that “[w]e have spent hours and hours building cases against them” with “the victims that speak up that they have perpetuated crimes against.”

Dokoupil continued to belabor the point with the liberal media’s beloved buzzword of “due process.”

The rest the show aired consisted of — wait for it — Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Dokoupil wondered “what have you done…to help facilitate his return to the U.S.” and, if not, why not.

 

 

Back live, Dokoupil claimed unaired portions made him “wonder, actually, about whether there was any softer side to the Secretary and the administration” (click “expand”):

DOKOUPIL: So you can hear what’s tough to discern, because on the one hand, she says it’s President Trump’s decision what to do with Garcia, but on the other hand, she’s saying that they’re listening to the courts, but those statements can’t both be true —

NATE BURLESON: Because there’s some confliction there.

DOKOUPIL: They’re in conflict. Yes, the courts are asking the Trump administration to do some things that they’ve yet to do or yet to talk about doing. So, you know, all of this tough talk made me wonder, actually, about whether there was any softer side to the Secretary and to the administration. I did ask about the role of heart in all of this, and it was interesting what she said.

KING: And she said what?

DOKOUPIL: She said, “There’s heart in all of our immigration conversation. It’s about families and it’s about people,” I followed up by wondering, are we still a welcoming country for legal immigration? And her message was yes, absolutely. The idea that the administration has is they have to get through this tough period now, clean up what they see as a big mess from years gone by, and then the door will open again.

CBS Mornings Plus featured more of the interview. After Dokoupil made sure to reiterate the administration’s 95 percent drop in crossings from the same time last year under Joe Biden, he asked her about comments from the acting director of ICE that he said showed the comparison being made between deportations and delivering Amazon packages. 

Noem disputed this, saying she “wouldn’t do that,” but DHS and its agencies are nonetheless “a professional organization that upholds the law and law enforcement officers and — but we do need to make sure that we don’t want people to be here and be in detention centers for long periods of time.”

Back live, Dokoupil told co-host Adriana Diaz that what the administration wants is “make things feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and insecure for people here illegally or who crossed illegally and here without documentation, because their hope is that they will self-deport rather than wait to get rounded up in some sort of raid.”

Asked what else surprised him among topics that didn’t make the air, Dokoupil opined he was “surpris[ed]” by “the degree to which they realize they don’t have the resources for deportations to find, detain, and then go through the process of pushing people out.”

To see the relevant CBS transcript from April 30, click here (for CBS Mornings) and here (for CBS Mornings Plus).

Just over a year ago, in April 2024, ABC News’s The View announced that they had “stopped asking” President Trump to be on the show and said they had banned election deniers. But what if the moderator of the show was an election denier? During Thursday’s opening segment, Whoopi Goldberg suggested that Trump had rigged the 2024 presidential election.

Bitter about Trump posting on social media bragging about investors predicting he would win the election, and trying to gaslight about the Biden economy, Goldberg scolded Trump and warned him to stop lest someone poke around and discover insider knowledge of his impending victory:

I want to remind people that he took credit for Biden’s economy – BOOMING economy, claiming investors knew he was going to win. I think he should stop saying that because you’re going to make somebody investigate how investigators would know you were going to win. I’m just putting that out there. You know.

What triggered Goldberg’s election denialism was a January 29, 2024 Truth Social from Trump where he bombastically declared in all caps: “THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET BECAUSE MY POLL AGAINST BIDEN ARE SO GOOD THAT INVESTORS ARE PROJECTING THAT I WILL WIN…”

Goldberg asked the rest of the cast how long the American people were going to put up with Trump as president since “the economy was great when he came in.” Joy Behar agreed by writing off average Americans upset at inflation by arguing that all the “every important person in the economy said” Bidenomics were great.

 

 

Further in the segment, Goldberg suggested that Trump “came in with a good [economy]” from Obama during his first term; sentiment shared by an irritated Sunny Hostin, who asserted that Trump had twice “inherited” good economies and tried to falsely give credit to Biden for the post-COVID bounce back:

HOSTIN: I think that Whoopi’s point is very important. Trump inherited Obama’s economy. So, let’s never forget that! And then, he then inherited Biden’s economy. And I know we’re going to have the former president come and talk about his legacy, but I want to mention that his economic legacy historic wage gains, investment in job growth, marred by inflation, of course, but numbers don’t lie. His economy was strong, Trump’s tariffs killed it. The nation’s GDP growth under Biden was impressive; rose at a solid 3.1 percent rate at the end of his term.

BEHAR: Unemployment very low.

HOSTIN: I was going to say, he was the president to oversee monthly job gains for the entirety of his presidency.

“What good has [Trump] done to the economy?! What kind of businessman is that?! A bad one!” Hostin shouted.

Seemingly denying the fact that Trump won the popular vote in 2024, Goldberg suggested that Trump’s economic policies were revenge on the American people. “I think he’s angry at the country because I think he feels that Americans didn’t support him, he feels our allies didn’t support him, and now he’s getting even,” she  

“[T]here’s no other reason to do what he’s doing. It doesn’t make sense to me,” Goldberg proclaimed.

The transcript is below. Click “expand” to read:

ABC’s The View
May 1, 2025
11:03:36 a.m. Eastern

(…)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I want to remind people that he took credit for Biden’s economy – BOOMING economy, claiming investors knew he was going to win. I think he should stop saying that because you’re going to make somebody investigate how investigators would know you were going to win. I’m just putting that out there. You know.

Now, how long are people going to put up with this because, you know, the economy was great when he came in?

SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.

SARA HAINES: Yeah.

JOY BEHAR: That’s what every important person in the economy said, yeah.

GOLDBERG: Everybody was saying, yes. So, I’m not sure. And I don’t know why suddenly now he said we’re going to have billions and billions and billions. You’re going to get billions and now he’s talking about no dolls on the shelf. I don’t know what to do.

(…)

11:06:13 a.m. Eastern

BEHAR: Alyssa, wasn’t that because he had people around who controlled him?

GOLDBERG: And he came in with a good – He came in from Obama’s economy.

[Crosstalk]

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: He had sound economic policy and he had advisers who talked to him about the consequences about across-the-board tariffs. If you want to target some things in China, fine, but work with our European allies, work with our pacific allies. That’s actually how you out China and strengthen America.

BEHAR: Why doesn’t he do that?

[Applause]

HOSTIN: I think that Whoopi’s point is very important. Trump inherited Obama’s economy. So, let’s never forget that! And then, he then inherited Biden’s economy. And I know we’re going to have the former president come and talk about his legacy, but I want to mention that his economic legacy historic wage gains, investment in job growth, marred by inflation, of course, but numbers don’t lie. His economy was strong, Trump’s tariffs killed it. The nation’s GDP growth under Biden was impressive; rose at a solid 3.1 percent rate at the end of his term.

BEHAR: Unemployment very low.

HOSTIN: I was going to say, he was the president to oversee monthly job gains for the entirety of his presidency. And the U.S. – And get this, Donald Trump is supposed to be a builder, right? He’s the best builder ever. Well, the U.S. added 16.6 million jobs during Biden’s presidency, more than any during any four-year term of any previous president. That is what Donald Trump got.

What we got now, especially in his second quarter, stock market demolished, 401(K)s demolished, Department of Education demolished, DOGE demolishing things, federal government jobs gone. What good has he done to the economy?! What kind of businessman is that?! A bad one!

[Applause]

BEHAR: The way you describe it. Sounds like he wants — he’s like a nihilist, some body who wants to destroy everything.  

GOLDBERG: I think he’s angry at the country because I think he feels that Americans didn’t support him, he feels our allies didn’t support him and now he’s getting even. That’s how — because there’s no other reason to do what he’s doing. It doesn’t make sense to me.

(…)

CNN’s host of The Lead, Jake Tapper, tried to shame GOP Rep. Brandon Gill on Wednesday for trying to defund PBS and NPR by claiming, “PBS really helps little kids,” citing himself learning how to read by watching Sesame Street as an example. However, Tapper’s days in school were not complete as Gill informed him that the real issue is PBS’s “left-wing propaganda,” whether that be in its newsrooms or on Tapper’s beloved children’s programming.

Towards the end of their interview, Tapper wondered why Gill thinks PBS is such a big deal, “Speaker Johnson has said he would additionally like to cut funding for public broadcasting, PBS, which does receive some support from the federal government. I just — it’s interesting. I just have to say, on a personal level, I learned to read by watching Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and The Electric Company. That’s literally how I learned to read as a kid. Why do you not think PBS is important?”

 

 

Gill answered the question in two ways. First, he stood up for the basic principle that the government should not be funding media outlets, “One of those that we found, which Republicans and conservatives have talked about for decades, is state-sponsored media in the United States. China and North Korea have state-sponsored media. The United States does not need state-sponsored media. Listen, if Fox News or any other conservative news organization came to me and asked for taxpayer money, I would tell them no.”

Second, Gill brought the attention back to the actual news organization, “I certainly don’t think we should be funding left-wing propaganda outlets, like NPR or PBS. I had a hearing just a couple weeks ago where I got to question the head of NPR and asked her about some of the wild, outrageous things that she had been posting on the internet for the whole world to see, and she had no answer for that. The American people are sick of funding institutions who promote values that they find repugnant, and that’s what we’re doing with NPR and PBS.”

Tapper wasn’t convinced, “Okay. But Sesame Street, I mean, Daniel the Tiger, Wild Kratts, I mean, you have little kids, I know, and I’m sure you, you and your wife can bring them great educational programming. But a lot of kids might not have access to cable, and I didn’t when I was little because cable didn’t exist. But I mean, PBS really helps little kids. I mean, I’m talking specifically about kids learning how to read through Sesame Street in similar programming.”

Of course, Tapper undermined his own argument by illustrating how the media has changed since he was a child, but Gill also informed him Sesame Street isn’t purely a PBS property anymore, “Well, they’ve already spun off Sesame Street to HBO [Max], so that’s not with PBS anymore.”

It should be said that in December, Max announced it would no longer be producing new episodes of the series following the conclusion of its current season, but the point is that Sesame Street could still get picked up by another private entity such as Apple TV+, Amazon, or Netflix. Currently, one can watch Sesame Street on Max for $10 per month nine months before it airs on PBS.

Gill continued, “But what I don’t think the government should be doing is funding these institutions that are radically left-wing and are oftentimes even in their cartoon shows, geared towards young children, promoting far-left ideologies that are not teaching children how to read but are teaching them the trans agenda and other things that large portions of our country do not agree with. Our tax dollars should not be funding institutions and ideologies that are promoting values that many people, including the people of Texas 26, that I represent, find repulsive.”

Between the amount of money it makes from potential streaming partners, its presence at theme parks, and merchandise, Sesame Street will survive. The question for Tapper is why should half of America be forced to subsidize a media organization that acts like it is part of the opposition?

Sign the petition to help us defund another CNN in PBS and NPR at defundpbsnpr.org.

Here is a transcript for the April 30 show:

CNN The Lead with Jake Tapper

4/30/2025

6:10 PM ET

JAKE TAPPER: Speaker Johnson has said he would additionally like to cut funding for public broadcasting, PBS, which does receive some support from the federal government. I just — it’s interesting. I just have to say, on a personal level, I learned to read by watching Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and The Electric Company. That’s literally how I learned to read as a kid. Why do you not think PBS is important?

BRANDON GILL: Well, listen, we were — I’m a member of the DOGE Subcommittee of Oversight. We were tasked with finding waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and highlighting it. And one of those that we found, which Republicans and conservatives have talked about for decades, is state-sponsored media in the United States. China and North Korea have state-sponsored media. The United States does not need state-sponsored media.

Listen, if Fox News or any other conservative news organization came to me and asked for taxpayer money, I would tell them no. And I certainly don’t think we should be funding left-wing propaganda outlets, like NPR or PBS. I had a hearing just a couple weeks ago where I got to question the head of NPR and asked her about some of the wild, outrageous things that she had been posting on the internet for the whole world to see, and she had no answer for that.

The American people are sick of funding institutions who promote values that they find repugnant, and that’s what we’re doing with NPR and PBS. And that’s what we are hopefully soon, via a rescission bill, going to pull those funds back.

TAPPER: Okay. But Sesame Street, I mean, Daniel the Tiger, Wild Kratts, I mean, you have little kids, I know, and I’m sure you, you and your wife can bring them great educational programming. But a lot of kids might not have access to cable, and I didn’t when I was little because cable didn’t exist. But I mean, PBS really helps little kids. I mean, I’m talking specifically about kids learning how to read through Sesame Street in similar programming.

GILL: Well, they’ve already spun off Sesame Street to HBO, so that’s not with PBS anymore. But what I don’t think the government should be doing is funding these institutions that are radically left-wing and are oftentimes even in their cartoon shows, geared towards young children, promoting far-left ideologies that are not teaching children how to read but are teaching them the trans agenda and other things that large portions of our country do not agree with. Our tax dollars should not be funding institutions and ideologies that are promoting values that many people, including the people of Texas 26, that I represent, find repulsive.

TAPPER: All right. Congressman Brandon Gill, thanks so much. Good to see you, sir.