Three Things You Need to Know - September 14, 2017

ESPN Has Made Its Choice

It’s your First Amendment right to call the President a white supremacist if you want to.

ESPN host Jemele Hill took to Twitter this week and called President Trump a “white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.”

She didn’t back down from there. In fact, she doubled down:

ESPN neither fired nor suspended her. They gave her a very mild slap on the wrist.

That’s interesting given ESPN’s history in handling these types of cases. Both Doug Adler and Anthony Federico were fired for ridiculous comments that were taken wildly out of context.

Curt Schilling was actually fired for doing the exact same thing. He made a political comment on social media.

But here’s the difference. Schilling’s comment didn’t fit the progressive narrative. Hill’s did.

This, of course, has everyone yelling "double standard!" But actually, ESPN has been pretty consistent here. They’ve chosen their audience, and they’re giving their tribe exactly what they think they want.

All media is going through massive disruption right now. It’s caused ESPN to lose over 13 million subscribers over the past couple of years. That forced the company to lay off over 100 employees just a few months ago.

The entire industry is scrambling to find their niche. We are at the precipice of massive change and ESPN is just one of many companies attempting to find an identity.

ESPN has made it abundantly clear. They’ve made their choice. They’ve found their audience. They’re just giving their tribe what they want.

Now we have a choice. Watch ESPN or change the channel to Fox Sports.

Update on the DACA Deal

Donald Trump promised to make deals.

The president had a dinner meeting last night where he apparently struck a deal with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi --- again.

His supporters are furious and the White House is starting to walk it back.

The deal reportedly “enshrines the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security.”

The deal does not include funding for the wall.

So Democrats achieve their policy goal of turning DACA into law.

And Republicans get --- what exactly?

A commitment from Democrats to work on a border security package. Right.

Positive side-note: if we’re going to live by DACA, it’s better that Congress passes it into law than it being an executive program.

But back to the deal made --- two things are true:

1. Making a deal isn’t bad if you get something good out of it.

2. Trump got nothing good out of this deal.

Democrats will always promise to “work on a border security package” they also will always do nothing.

A good deal would have included real immigration reforms or real border enforcement or something --- anything.

Look at it from the Democrats' angle --- if Trump reverses himself, they get to call him cruel and paint him as the bad guy trying to hurt these young adults affected by DACA.

If he keeps his word, they get their policy goal and the GOP gets a promise to work together.

Someone got played and it wasn’t Chuck or Nancy.

Why Is Berkeley Bracing?

When it comes to feeling offended, we choose whether or not we’re going to indulge that feeling.

Tonight, Ben Shapiro will speak at UC Berkeley. Shapiro speaks at colleges all the time, without all the ruckus, so his appearance at Berkeley would probably go unnoticed by most of the country if it wasn’t for headlines like this in the LA Times:

“Berkeley braces for right-wing talk show host Ben Shapiro’s visit.”

UC Berkeley will have a perimeter closed off outside the building where the oh-so-intimidating Shapiro is speaking. The university will also have counseling services available for students because they’re “deeply concerned about the impact some speakers may have on individuals’ sense of safety and belonging.”

If a student gets their feelings hurt by Shapiro’s speech, it will be because the student chooses to get their feelings hurt.

If protesters turn violent and set fires, it won’t be Shapiro’s fault. It will be because protesters choose to lash out. Don’t they have anything better to do, like their class assignments or something?

The Left fails to understand a fundamental thing about how to deal with a person or group they don’t like: the more they fret about said person or group, the more attention they draw to them. Growing up, they must not have had the mom who told them that if they ignore the younger brother pestering them, he’ll eventually stop. We can choose not to engage.

It’s not like Shapiro, Ann Coulter or Steve Bannon are pining to speak at the University of Nebraska or something. They’re going where the attention is. If Berkeley students hate these speakers so much, the best way to get rid of them would be to stay home. Don’t protest. Just ignore them.

But they won’t do that because they actually like the conflict and chaos.

Choosing to be offended is good for business.

MORE 3 THINGS

POLL: What DARK government secrets will Trump uncover?

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Will the dark secrets of the Deep State finally see the light of day? Or will they slip back into darkness, as they have many times before?

The Trump administration is gearing up to fulfill one of Trump's most anticipated campaign promises: to make the contents of the JFK files, along with other Deep State secrets, available to the public. Kash Patel, who has promised to publicize the highly anticipated files, is expected to be confirmed next week as Trump's director of the FBI. Moreover, the House Oversight Committee created a new task force headed by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna called "Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets," which is tasked with investigating and declassifying information on the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations, UFOs, the Epstein list, COVID's origins, and 9/11. This all comes after the FBI found 2,400 "new" records relating to the assassination of President Kennedy following Trump's executive order to release the files.

Glenn discussed this topic with the cast of the Patrick Bet David podcast. Glenn expressed his confidence in Trump's radical transparency—on the condition that Kash Patel is confirmed. The cast was not as optimistic, expressing some doubt about whether Trump will actually unveil all that he has promised. But what do you think? What files are likely to see the light of day? And what files will continue to linger in the dark? Let us know in the poll below

Do you think the JFK, RFK, and MLK files will be unveiled?

Do you think the 9/11 files will be unveiled?

Do you think the COVID files will be unveiled?

Do you think the UFO files will be unveiled?

Do you think the Epstein list will be unveiled?

Transgender opera in Colombia? 10 SHOCKING ways USAID spent your tax dollars.

MANDEL NGAN / Contributor | Getty Images

The government has been doing what with our tax money!?

Under the determined eye of Elon Musk, DOGE has rooted out the corruption that permeates USAID, and it turns out that it's worse than we thought. Glenn recently read a list of atrocious causes that were funded by USAID, and the list was as long as it was shocking.

Since the January consumer index report was published today, one thing is clear: eggs are bearing the brunt of inflation. That's why we illustrated the extent of USAID's wasteful spending of YOUR taxpayer dollars by comparing it to the price of eggs. How many eggs could the American people have bought with their tax dollars that were given to a "transgender opera" in Colombia or indoctrinating Sri Lankans with woke gender ideology? The truth will shock you:

1. A “transgender opera” in Colombia

USAID spent $47,000 on a transgender opera in Colombia. That's over 135,000 eggs.

2. Sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala

$2 million was spent funding sex changes along with whatever "LGBT activism" means. That equates to over 5.7 million eggs!

3. Teaching Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid binary-gendered language

USAID forked over $7.9 million to combat the "gender binary" in Sri Lankan journalism. That could have bought nearly 23 million eggs.

4. Tourism in Egypt

$6 million (or just over 17 million eggs) was spent to fund tourism in Egypt. If only someone had thought to build some impressive landmarks...

5. A new "Sesame Street" show in Iraq

USAID spent $20 million to create a new Sesame Street show in Iraq. That's just short of 58 million eggs...

6. Helping the BBC value the diversity of Libyan society

$2.1 million was sent to the BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation) to help them value the diversity of Libyan society (whatever that means). That could have bought over 6 million eggs.

7. Meals for a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda

$10 million worth of USAID-funded meals went to an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group. That comes up to be just shy of 29 million eggs.

8. Promoting inclusion in Vietnam 

A combined $19.3 million was sent to two separate inclusion groups in Vietnam inclusion groups in Vietnam (why where they separated? Not very inclusive of them). That's over 55 million eggs.

9. Promoting DEI in Serbia's workplaces

USAID sent $1.5 million (4.3 million eggs) to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

10. Funding EcoHealth Alliance, tied to the Wuhan Institute of Virology's "bat research"

EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs that funded the Wuhan lab's bat virus research, received $5 million from USAID, which is equivalent to 14.5 million eggs.

The bottom line...

So, how much damage was done?

In total, approximately $73.8 million was wasted on the items on this list. That comes out to be 213 million eggs. Keep in mind that these are just the items on this list, there are many, many more that DOGE has uncovered and will uncover in the coming days. Case in point: that's a lot of eggs.

POLL: Should Trump stop producing pennies?

SAUL LOEB / Contributor, Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

On Sunday, February 9th, President Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to halt the production of pennies. It costs the mint three cents to produce every penny, which Trump deemed wasteful. However, critics argue that axing the pennies will be compensated by ramping up nickel production, which costs 13 cents per coin.

In other news, President Trump promised on Truth Social that he would be reversing a Biden-era policy that mandated the use of paper straws throughout the federal government. From potentially slashing entire agencies to saying farewell to pennies and paper straws, Trump is hounding after wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

But what do you think? Was Trump right to put an end to pennies? And should plastic straws make a comeback? Let us know in the poll below:

Should Trump stop the production of pennies? 

Do you agree with Trump's reversal of the plastic straw ban?

Was this the most PATRIOTIC Super Bowl yet?

CHANDAN KHANNA / Contributor | Getty Images

The 2025 Super Bowl demonstrated Trump’s vision of a new America.

On Sunday, February 9th, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the biggest sporting event of the year. But this wasn't just a victory for Eagles fans. For those watching, it became apparent that American culture has changed, the zeitgeist has shifted, and America has become cool again. While remnants of woke culture lingered, they felt out of step next to the parade of American Flags and patriotic messaging that dominated the national event. The message was clear: America is back.

Everybody knows that the commercials are the best part of any Super Bowl, and last night's game was no exception. As Glenn has pointed out, while some of the ads still carried woke messages (like Nike's), many more captured the newly kindled patriotism felt nationwide. Here are four of the best commercials from last Sunday that make this the most patriotic Super Bowl yet:

1. Rocket: "Own the Dream"

This touching commercial by the financial services company, Rocket, states "Everyone deserves a shot at the American dream," while showing images of people returning home and building families. The ad included a cover of John Denver's iconic song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and featured an in-stadium sing-along, live from the Super Bowl.

2. Secret Service: "A History of Protection"

Donald Trump made history by being the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, which required the efforts of hundreds of Secret Service agents to ensure his safety. The Secret Service boasted of this feat during their minute-long commercial, which lauded American values and achievements and featured iconic American imagery.

3. Brad Pitt: "Huddle Up"

The Super Bowl introduction celebrated snapshots of American achievement accompanied with a powerful commentary about unity narrated by Brad Pitt. The message is clear: Americans can achieve great things when we work together. The ad conjures up American ideals such as hard work, ingenuity, self-sacrifice, and teamwork.

4. Jeep: "Big Game"

Movie star Harrison Ford appeared in Jeep's Super Bowl commercial to promote freedom and to remind us that "freedom isn't free." Ford treks through the mountains while ruminating on what freedom means in America and the opportunities and responsibilities that come with it.