Today’s read: 3 min 43 sec

Good morning. The amount of conservatives in journalism continues to shrink. Just last year, a study found that only 3.4 percent of American journalists identify as Republicans, whereas 36.4 percent identify as Democrats. The homogeneity has turned America’s largest newsrooms into echo chambers, lacking the will to create principled journalism.

- Ari David, Founder

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GEOPOLITICS

Hamas claims they do not have 40 live hostages to release in a new deal

What’s happening: Hamas rejected another hostage deal during negotiations in Cairo, Egypt.

Context: The new round of negotiations began after President Joe Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire.”

The details: The first phase of the deal would include a six-week ceasefire, thousands of Gazans allowed to return to North Gaza, and the release of more than 700 Palestinian terrorists — including 100 who are serving life sentences for murder — in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages. The second phase would include talks to end the war.

Disturbing: Hamas said it did not have 40 women, children, or elderly hostages who were still alive.
Response: Israel said Hamas should make up the difference with men and soldiers so that a total of 40 live hostages are released. Hamas demanded Israel release an even greater number of terrorists — likely moving the number upwards of 900.
Still: Despite these considerations, Hamas ultimately rejected the deal, saying it “didn't meet any of the demands of our people and our resistance.”

Leverage: Consistent Hamas rejection of ceasefire proposals has raised questions about whether they are serious about reaching one. They may have judged they have the best chance to survive without a hostage deal.

Why it matters: U.S. pressure on Israel to declare a ceasefire and end the war has ramped up in recent months. Hamas can see which way the wind is blowing, allowing them to make steeper demands. Ultimately, missteps by the U.S. and Israel may end up leaving Hamas in power and hostages still in captivity.

—J.E.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

✍️ MTG’s letter escalates her crusade against Speaker Johnson. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) just released her rebuke of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after filing a motion to vacate his seat last month. Greene accused Johnson of funding Democrat priorities like the “trans agenda” and the “deadly border invasion.” The attacks on Mike Johnson illustrate the impossible role of leading a party with a razor-thin majority, often necessitating major compromise to get anything done.

🇵🇸 Over 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested in the U.S. Senate. A group of protesters stormed a Senate cafeteria on Tuesday yelling "Senate can't eat until Gaza eats,” and "Children are starving in Gaza.” As vocal anti-Israel protests persist from hard-left progressives, a growing number of Democrat lawmakers are routing this pressure onto Israel by calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

🚫 Arizona is set to outlaw nearly all abortions. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old law that would impose harsh penalties on abortion providers, banning almost all abortions except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. This bombshell decision is causing a firestorm in Arizona, drawing criticism from both sides of the political aisle, as it may support the approval of a potential ballot measure to enshrine abortion in the state constitution.

🇮🇱 Netanyahu and Gallant are sending mixed signals to the U.S. After Benjamin Netanyahu publicly stated that Israel had set a date for an invasion of Rafah, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Israel had not set a date. The U.S. has been working behind the scenes proposing “alternative” ways to operate in Rafah. Still, it seems the Israelis are determined to carry out their military operation while trying to keep the Americans happy.

WHAT WE’RE HEARING

Arizona Senate candidates Kari Lake (R), and Ruben Gallego (D) both came out against the AZ Supreme Court outlawing nearly all abortions in the state.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said there wasn’t evidence of Israel committing genocide in Gaza during a hearing repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is requesting documents and records from five social media giants, the DOJ, and the FBI regarding Big Tech’s interactions with the Executive Branch.

MEDIA

Journalists denounce liberal bias in their own organizations

What happened: Uri Berliner, NPR’s senior business editor, said the organization has lost the “trust” of Americans due to overt left-wing bias. The 25-year employee called for more “viewpoint diversity” among staff in an article for the Free Press.

Ideological bubble: “There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed,” Berliner wrote.

Criticism: Berliner offers somewhat of a mea culpa, reflecting on NPR’s fixation on the now-debunked Russiagate story and its quick dismissal of the COVID lab-leak theory. He credits the death of George Floyd as a major turning point in the newsroom’s hard-left turn.

The audience: By 2023, NPR’s audience had shifted from somewhat left-leaning to 67 percent liberal and 11 percent conservative.

Why it matters: Polling shows dismally low trust in the media among Americans, especially conservatives. But the backlash isn’t just from the outside — seasoned journalists, conservative and liberal, are calling out the decline in fair, honest news coverage.

In 2019: After leaving CBS News the year prior, journalist Lara Logan complained of a widespread “departure” from objective reporting to left-wing narratives during Donald Trump’s presidency.
In 2020: Free Press founder Bari Weiss left the New York Times opinion section, describing an office environment that silenced opposing views. Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of the Intercept, resigned from the left-leaning publication because he felt it suppressed criticism of President Joe Biden in line with “liberal orthodoxy.”
In recent months: Two former New York Times opinion editors wrote lengthy personal essays about the paper’s ideological bias. They resigned in 2020 over backlash to an op-ed calling for military force against Black Lives Matter rioters, which employees said should never have been published.

—H.C.

A MESSAGE FROM HILLSDALE COLLEGE

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The Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” roadblock

What’s happening: The United States is urging the Palestinian Authority to reform its “Pay for Slay” program…

Note: This is a preview of our latest 🌎 Geopolitics 101 newsletter from Saturday.

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OUR QUESTION TO YOU

📊 Are you easily influenced by the media?

Poll results will be in tomorrow's newsletter.

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Is DEI another word for ‘racism'?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (574)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (17)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (11)

❝

👍 Yes: “Discrimination with good intentions is still discrimination.” — Lea

👍 Yes: “DEI treats people differently based on their race. By definition, that is racism.” — E.W.

🤔 Unsure: “‘Reverse racism’ is probably more accurate.” — Ray

🤔 Unsure: “First, we’d have to define racism.” — Erin

602 votes

IN THE LOOP

The U.N. Security Council agreed to consider a Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership.
NPR’s Washington D.C. newsroom has 87 registered Democrats on their editorial staff and zero Republicans.
Seven Republican attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against President Biden over his new plan to forgive student loans.
The parents of a teenage school shooter in Michigan were sentenced to at least a decade in prison on counts of unintentional homicide.
The most clicked link in our last newsletter was the son of a Hamas founder calling pro-Palestine protesters “useful idiots.”