If there was any doubt that the Regime Media have fully transitioned back into Resistance Mode, one need look no further than coverage of the Office of Management and Budget’s pullback of its funding freeze memo. Without evidence, ABC and CBS misrepresented the rescission of the memo as a full rescission of the decision to freeze funding for certain government programs.
The most egregious instance of this comes via ABC’s Mary Bruce, former Biden Chief Apple Polisher, who uses a partial and out of context quote in order to misrepresent a complete pullback of the funding freeze:
MARY BRUCE: Still, this morning, The White House was adamant.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: The American people should not be confused about this.
BRUCE: But just hours later, in that two-sentence memo, the administration rescinding the freeze in funding. The White House still insists the president’s plan to root out spending that doesn’t align with his agenda, like diversity, equity and inclusion programs, climate initiatives, and foreign aid will be rigorously implemented.
Note that “will be rigorously implemented” is a citation presented without attribution, in support of Bruce’s presentation of The White House’s position as some sort of weird funds freeze hopium after publishing its rescission of the underlying memo. Had Bruce used the full quote, her premise of a retreat would’ve been blown to bits. And who, you ask, did Bruce deceptively misquote? None other than White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:
This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze.
It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo.
Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction.
The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 29, 2025
Leavitt was crystal clear but Resistance Media does not let facts get in the way of a good narrative: the (fake) narrative being, in this case, the Trump White House taking a rare L after a week and a half of shock and awe. The gross misrepresentation of Leavitt’s quote is, by definition, the fakest of fake news.
The New CBS Evening News was just as fake, but more succinctly fake:
CBS EVENING NEWS
1/29/25
6:38 PM
JOHN DICKERSON: We have an update on Monday’s late-night order from The White House freezing some federal grants and loans. The order led to a lot of confusion and legal challenges, and the President has now rescinded it.
That’s it- that was CBS’s full report on the memo.
NBC included the memo within its D.C. roundup, but reported it with more honesty than anyone else, and all it took was this one line:
GARRETT HAAKE: The White House says the underlying orders freezing funding for DEI, climate, and other targeted programs are still in place.
The difference is that, unlike ABC’s Mary Bruce, Haake didn’t negatively frontload his citation of The White House, or tried to discredit it with partial quotes.
It’s been a little over a week into the Second Trump Administration but the fake news media are back to their old tricks, proving they still don’t understand what happened this past November.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
1/29/25
6:40 PM
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, there’s also breaking news involving President Trump’s move to freeze funding for federal aid programs affecting millions of Americans, after 48 hours of confusion over programs like Head Start and Meals on Wheels, and the Medicaid portal being shut down for a time. Tonight, an about face from The White House. Rescinding that funding freeze. Here’s Mary Bruce.
MARY BRUCE: After 48 hours of chaos and concern that millions of seniors and children would lose aid programs they count on, tonight, a stunning about-face from the Trump administration. Now rescinding its sweeping directive to temporarily freeze trillions of dollars in federal funding that could have had major impacts.
DONALD TRUMP: We are merely looking at parts of the big bureaucracy where there has been tremendous waste and fraud and abuse.
BRUCE: But the president still hasn’t specified what funding exactly he wants to cut. The freeze, designed to follow through on his executive orders to overhaul government spending. But the move immediately sparking questions. The Medicaid portal going down for a time in the confusion, though The White House now saying it wasn’t even supposed to be affected by the freeze, leaving Americans wondering: what comes next? Monsignor Alfred La Pinto from Catholic Charities in New York, one of the organizations that administers Head Start, worried.
MSGR. ALFRED La PINTO: The most immediate threat would be in our child care programs.
BRUCE: Steve Monroe from Virginia, one of the 2.2 million seniors that relies on Meals on Wheels, says he would be devastated.
STEVE MONROE: Doing something to — to stop or cut the organization off is going to hurt thousands of people.
BRUCE: Still, this morning, The White House was adamant.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: The American people should not be confused about this.
BRUCE: But just hours later, in that two-sentence memo, the administration rescinding the freeze in funding. The White House still insists the president’s plan to root out spending that doesn’t align with his agenda, like diversity, equity and inclusion programs, climate initiatives, and foreign aid will be rigorously implemented. But tonight, a federal judge struggling to decipher what The White House’s intention is, vowing to block any kind of funding freeze going forward. This, as more than 2 million federal employees have been given a stark choice via mass email. Resign and be paid until the end of September, or risk losing their jobs. Those interested in the buyout told to respond with the word “Resign” and hit “Send.” Trump confidant Elon Musk, who used strikingly similar methods to slash Twitter’s workforce when he took over the company, calling it “very generous”, and appearing to laugh at the simple instructions. Unions representing federal workers from Forest Service firefighters to V.A. nurses say this isn’t a voluntary buyout but a purge.
FEDERAL EMPLOYEE: They’re scared. They’re scared that they’re not going to have a job. They’re scared that they’re not going to be able to, you know, pay the bills, take care of their families.
BRUCE: And the union is stressing that this could have wide-ranging impacts on everyone from doctors who care for veterans, to firefighters to civilians who work at the Department of Defense, and the union isn’t confident that the administration will be obligated to pay these employees through September if they do resign. Their message to federal workers tonight — do not resign. David.
MUIR: Our Chief White House Correspondent, Mary Bruce.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
1/29/25
6:35 PM
LESTER HOLT: After a day of confusion and criticism The White House reversed course, rescinding that memo freezing some federal assistance. And while the president announced dramatic new plans for Guantanamo Bay. Garrett Haake now, with late details.
GARRETT HAAKE: Tonight after rolling out hundreds of executive orders and actions in his first week, President Trump with a rare walkback. The Office of Management and Budget saying it has rescinded its controversial memo appearing to freeze federal funding for programs across the government. That Monday memo had paused, quote, “grant, loan or federal financial assistance programs that might run counter to the president’s executive orders.”
DONALD TRUMP: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid have not been affected by any action we are taking in any way, shape or form. We are merely looking at parts of the big bureaucracy where there is tremendous waste, fraud, and abuse.
HAAKE: The White House says the underlying orders freezing funding for DEI, climate, and other targeted programs are still in place. But all of it temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
PATTY MURRAY: Their explanations have created no clarity or certainty. (VIDEO SWIPE) There are a lot of programs they are saying won’t be affected. When that is not what organizations across the country are experiencing.
HAAKE: And tonight, another sweeping order amid President Trump’s escalating crackdown on illegal immigration nationwide. He announced the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security will begin prepping the Navy’s Guantanamo Bay facility to hold detained migrants.
TRUMP: We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.
HAAKE: The massive Navy base in Cuba still holds 15 terror detainees and has been used to temporarily house migrants before.
What kind of civilian oversight would there be?
TOM HOMAN: ICE has the highest detention standards in the industry. You can’t find another state, federal, local or city that has higher detention standards than us.
HAAKE: All while the president signed his first bill into law. The bipartisan Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of undocumented migrants accused of theft and violent crimes. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student was murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan migrant who was previously released after he was arrested for shoplifting.
ALLYSON PHILLIPS: There is no amount of change that will bring back our precious Laken. Our hope moving forward is that her life saves lives.
HAAKE: And there’s new fallout tonight from the president’s buyout offer emailed to nearly every federal employee last night, which The White House says could save tens of billions.
TRUMP: We think a very substantial number of people will not show up to work and therefore our government will get smaller and more efficient.
HAAKE: But Democrats urging federal workers not to accept.
TIM KAINE: You don’t have any authority to do this. Do not be fooled by this guy.
HAAKE: Army vet George Buchanan has worked for the VA for nearly 11 years.
What was the reaction when you first saw this email last night?
GEORGE BUCHANAN: Um- a little shocked. I thought it was combative, condescending, insulting, especially as a veteran.
HOLT: Garrett, if we can circle back to that announcement to send detained migrants to Gitmo, it took some at the Pentagon by surprise, we understand.
HAAKE: Yes, Lester. Five Defense officials tell us many people at The Pentagon were caught completely off guard and the military has no current orders or guidance from The White House beyond this brief order from the president. Tonight, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this will require money from Congress, meaning it could take months to fully ramp up. Lester.
HOLT: Okay, Garrett Haake. Thanks.
