NPR and PBS Grilled on Bias, Signal Story's Latest Details, Crockett Doubles Down: AM Update 3/27

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly.
It's Thursday, March 27th, 2025. And this is your AM update.
He said he found 87 registered Democrats, zero Republicans. Is that accurate? We do not track the numbers or the voter registration.
Heads of publicly funded outlets, NPR and PBS called to Capitol Hill to answer for their left wing political bias. well I, I don't know about downplaying.
The press upplays it. I think it's all a witch hunt.
That's all. I think it's a witch hunt.
The Atlantic Magazine's Signal messaging story dominates left-wing media for the third day, with reaction falling mostly along party lines. And Democrat Congresswoman from Texas, Jasmine Crockett, under fire for mocking Texas Governor Greg Abbott's disability.
All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. So many people these days are focusing on getting healthy.
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That's weheartnutrition.com, code MEGAN. Heads of NPR and PBS testifying in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Wednesday.
Both outlets receiving a mix of direct and indirect funding from the federal government. NPR reporting 8% of its 2022 budget coming from the publicly funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, another 6% from federal, state, and local governments.
PBS says 14% of its operating budget comes from the feds. Republicans have long criticized both outlets for what they say is intense media bias against the right.
GOP lawmakers' frustrations targeted mostly at NPR in the hearing. Last year, 25-year NPR veteran Uri Berliner confirming the left-wing NPR bias in a free press essay titled, I've Been at NPR for 25 Years, Here's How We Lost America's Trust.
Mr. Berliner writing, quote, Today, those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online find the distilled worldview of a very small segment of the U.S.
population. Republican Congressman from Ohio Jim Jordan questioning NPR CEO Catherine Marr on some of Mr.
Berliner's claims. In the D.C.
area, editorial positions at NPR, he said he found 87 registered Democrats, zero Republicans. Is that accurate? We do not track the numbers or the voter registration, but I find that.
Was award-winning journalist who worked 25 years at NPR, Mr. Berliner, was he lying when he wrote that? I am not presuming such.
I just don't have, we don't track that information about our journalist. One wonders why Ms.
Marr, if she finds this possibility so concerning, never bothered to check it out. A month after Mr.
Berliner's essay, NPR implemented an additional editorial review process involving a final check by six editors, none of whom appears to be right-leaning. Ms.
Marr herself has a long history of expressing controversial opinions. Most written knowledge today has been written by white, colonial, European, North American men.
And so one of the things that we're really focused on is how do we think about correcting the record? The number one challenge here that we see is, of course, the First Amendment in the United States. In 2016, Ms.
Maher tweeting, quote, airline business class demographics are such a pet peeve of mine. In the lounge and on the plane, usually more than 80% male, usually white.
After Joe Biden's win in November 2020, Ms. Maher tweeting, I can't stop crying with relief.
Many similar examples remain on her X feed and were the subject of some questioning on Wednesday. Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy? I don't believe that, sir.
You tweeted that in reference to a book you were reading at the time, apparently, The Case for Reparations. I don't think I've ever read that book, sir.
You tweeted about it. You said you took a day off to fully read The Case for Reparations.
You put that on Twitter in January of 2020. Apologies, I don't recall that I did.
Do you think that white people should pay reparations? I have never said that, sir. Yes, you did.
You said it in January of 2020. You tweeted, yes, the North.
Yes, all of us. Yes, America.
Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations.
Yes, on this day. Why did you call President Trump a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath in 2020? Congressman, I appreciate the opportunity to address this.
I regret those tweets. I would not tweet them again today.
Republican lawmakers also calling out uneven NPR coverage of investigations into the Trump and Biden presidencies. And in 2020, unfortunately, NPR's managing editor for news refused to cover the story and he branded it a, quote, waste of time.
How many times did you all interview Adam Schiff about the Russia collusion? I'm sorry, sir. I don't have that number.
It was 25 times. You know how many times NPR interviewed chairman of this committee, oversight committee, Jamie Comer, about the Biden impeachment inquiry for the Hunter Biden tax evasion and illicit business dealings of the Biden family? I'm sorry, sir, I don't know.
I believe that's zero, so it's 25 to zero. The Hunter Biden laptop story, which was later verified as completely true, suppressed by the media in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election.
NPR did not acknowledge the laptop's authenticity until 17 months later. Democrats on the committee mocking and condemning the hearing.
Is Elmo now or has he ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States? Yes or no? No. Madam Chair, if shame was still a thing, this hearing would be shameful.
My Republican colleagues don't want to talk about the corporate waste, fraud and abuse because those corporations fund the Republicans campaigns. So instead, they want to shut down educational programming for kids.
Side note, Sesame Street was sold to HBO back in 2015. Chairman of the committee, Marjorie Taylor Greene, concluding the hearing, saying she will refer NPR and PBS to the Doge team for funding cuts.
President Trump expressing

support for the idea on Tuesday. Would you be interested in defunding and taking away taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS? Well, I would love to do that.
I think it's very unfair. It's been very biased with the whole group.
The kind of money that's being wasted and it's a a very biased view. You know that better than anybody.
And I'd be honored to see it end. Reaction to The Atlantic magazine's big bombshell that its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was copied on alleged war plans by top intel and defense officials falling mostly along party lines.
The Atlantic, releasing the details of what it initially referred to as, quote, war plans, now slightly softened to say, quote, attack plans. The newly revealed messages show Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth texting the group on the Signal app, a timeline of the administration's planned attack on the Houthi rebels.
Press Secretary Caroline Levitt fielding multiple questions in a tense White House briefing. We have said all along that no classified material was sent on this messaging thread.
What is it about what Pete Hegseth wrote that makes you say this is not classified? Well, it's not just me saying that, Peter. It's the Secretary of defense himself.
Why aren't launch times on a mission strike classified? Again, I would defer you to the secretary of defense's statement. President Trump dismissing concerns about the security lapse.
It's something that is not a big deal other than you want to find out who did it and how they did it because you don't want to happen in the future.

You can't have that happen. Well, I don't know about downplay.
The press upplays it. I think

it's all a witch hunt. That's all.
I think it's a witch hunt. Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

who was in the group chat, weighing in on the controversy from a tour of the Caribbean,

appearing to distance himself from the matter. Someone made a big mistake and added a journalist.

Just speaking for my role,

I contributed to it twice. I identified my point of contact, which is my chief of staff,

and then later on, I think three hours after the White House's official

announcements had been made, I congratulated the members of the team.

A left-wing federal watchdog group called American Oversight now suing the Trump administration, saying their use of signal is a violation of the Federal Records Act. The case randomly assigned to U.S.
District Judge James Bosberg, the same judge who issued a nationwide injunction against the Trump administration on its invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected Venezuelan gang members. The signal controversy dominating the questions in a Wednesday House Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe defending their participation in the chat.
What was shared today reflects the fact that I was not directly involved with that part of the signal chat. Those messages were revealed today and revealed that I did not transmit classified information.
Democrats on the committee repeatedly admonishing the intel officials. You know, the idea that this information, if it was presented to our committee, would not be classified.
Y'all know is a lie. That's ridiculous.
This is classified information. This is classified information.
Secretary Hegseth, who undoubtedly transmitted classified, sensitive operational information via this chain, must resign immediately. Democrat Congressman from California, Jimmy Gomez, questioning Secretary Hegseth's sobriety.
To your knowledge, do you know whether Pete Hegseth

had been drinking before he leaked classified information? You know, no, I'm going to answer

that. I think that's an offensive line of questioning.
The answer is no. This was a

question that's on the top of minds of every American. He stood in front of a podium in Europe

holding a drink. So, of course, we want to know if his performance is compromised.
The congressman referencing a quickly debunked claim from a left-wing media troll after a February NATO press conference. A still image at the time showed Secretary Hegseth appearing to sip a brown liquid from a glass in a room full of people, which sparked

speculation by one troll of alcohol consumption. However, video of the incident revealing the

glass was actually filled with clear water, its color simply distorted in one still shot

by the appearance of Hegseth's hand behind it. Congressman Gomez trying to smear the

defense secretary as crafting military actions while drunk with zero evidence. Coming up, Democrat Congresswoman from Texas, Jasmine Crockett, under fire for calling wheelchair-bound Texas Governor Greg Abbott Governor Hot Wheels.
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Democrat Congresswoman from Texas Jasmine Crockett under fire for making particularly nasty comments about Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his disability. Congresswoman Crockett over the weekend speaking at a human rights campaign event.
You know, the human rights campaign that fights for equality for all, especially for, quote, the most marginalized. Y'all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there.
Come on now. And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot ass mess, honey.
The audience laughed. In 1984, an oak tree fell on the then 26-year-old Mr.
Abbott, paralyzing him from the waist down. It was seemingly all leading disability advocacy groups could do to begrudgingly express mild criticism of Ms.
Crockett's remarks. Josie Bizak, director at the United Spinal Association, saying, quote, Representative Crockett has a history of protecting the programs and rights of people with disabilities, and that's wonderful.
At the same time, the stigma is real. Disability rights advocate Emily Ladow telling Politico, quote, right now we're in really tenuous times where you don't want to make a foe out of someone who is otherwise a friend, like Crockett clearly is, but we cannot hold one side to account and not the other.
Congresswoman Crockett on Tuesday in damage control mode posting to X to X, I wasn't thinking about the governor's condition. I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.
Fox News' Jackie Henrich asking the congresswoman on Wednesday if she would like to apologize. The Washington Free Beacon reporting Ms.
Crockett previously liked multiple social media posts referring to Abbott as hot wheels before the governor's migrant busing initiative even began. Governor Abbott responding to Ms.
Crockett's statements on Hannity. This is another day and another disaster by the Democrats.
The reality is they have no vision, no policy. They have nothing to sell but hate.
And Americans are not buying it. It's one reason why Texas is going to remain red.
Ms. Crockett going viral several times in recent weeks for using aggressive language to discuss political opponents.
Earlier this week, she told the Dallas Morning News Democrats need to punch harder to win elections. I think that you punch.
I think you punch. I think you're okay with punching.
It's Ted Cruz. I mean, like this dude has to be knocked over the head like hard.
Right. Like there is no niceties with him.
Miss Crockett, a vocal supporter of the Tesla takedown group last week, saying in a live stream. On March 29th, it's my birthday and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down.
There have been dozens of attacks against Tesla facilities across the nation in recent weeks involving Molotov cocktails and other acts of vandalism. On Monday, three incendiary devices discovered at a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas.
There is no evidence linking Crockett's remarks to recent attacks. There is, however, evidence of Ms.
Crockett dramatically changing her manner of speaking from just a few years ago to now. Take a listen to her in 2022.
You know, no one could have told me that when I went down to Austin, now looks like a little bit over a year ago, that I would be running for Congress. It's just not what my plan was.
But what I've always decided is that I would step up when there was a need. And more recently.
I just want to run it back, though, to the very beginning. So let me tell you something.
Y'all don't know what white privilege looks like, but I'm going to show you a little bit of something. We in these hot ass Texas streets, honey.
That you want to shut down everybody

that is not Fox News is bullshit. We need to stop playing.
Well, that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly.
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