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Right-wing news network faceplants as bid to suck up to Trump with big name hire blows up

Feb 16, 2026Far Left

An attempt to curry favor with Donald Trump and his administration is off to a rough start for right-wing network Nexstar as the hiring of a former Fox News personality looks like a failed experiment.According to Oliver Darcy's "Status" newsletter, Nexstar's flagship news network NewsNation is undergoing significant programming changes to align with Trump administration preferences. The network has shifted from presenting itself as an unbiased news alternative toward more ideologically conservative content to assist in it's multi-billion effort to merge with Tegna.NewsNation recently hired former Fox News personality Katie Pavlich as a marquee prime time host, with one network insider admitting, "A lot of people within the network believe that the network has gone hard right to appeal to Trump and [FCC commissioner] Brendan Carr.” Status reporter Natalie Korach noted that Pavlich "has largely delivered exactly the kind of programming her critics anticipated: reliably Trump-friendly and conservative commentary-heavy." However, the strategy has fallen flat with current NewsNation viewers.Pavlich's program performance has been more than disappointing. From January 19 through February 11, "Katie Pavlich Tonight" averaged 107,000 total viewers and 17,000 in the advertiser-targeted 25-54 demographic — approximately 24% below NewsNation's prime time average of 140,000 viewers.A high-profile exclusive Trump interview on Pavlich's second broadcast drew only 75,000 total viewers, significantly under-performing typical Fox News viewership which is in the millions nightly without presidential interviews.Despite NewsNation's shift toward conservative programming, the strategy has not improved overall network performance. Nielsen data shows NewsNation's total-day audience averaging 68,000 viewers in early 2026, is essentially flat compared to previous periods. The network experienced an 18% year-over-year decline among adults 25-54, dropping to just 9,000 viewers in that demographic.Insiders characterized the Pavlich programming as "pro-Trump garbage," reflecting viewer dissatisfaction with the network's editorial direction.You can read more here. - YouTube youtu.be

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Trump announces new pardons after privately weighing "Diddy" clemency, sources said

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Trump announces new pardons after privately weighing "Diddy" clemency, sources said

The four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore collectively issued over 1,100 pardons. President Trump, who is visiting there tonight, has outdone them all and is now adding more. Nancy Cordes reports.

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'Total disaster' at Trump's fair as scorching heat leaves 7 on 'advanced life support'

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'Total disaster' at Trump's fair as scorching heat leaves 7 on 'advanced life support'

A reporter braving a blistering heat wave at President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair described chaos at the event as paramedics raced to save attendees, with seven said to be on "advanced life support" in the hospital.Julian Andreone of Drop Site News was on the ground Friday at the fair detailing what he called a "hectic" scene."It really is hectic. It's chaotic. It's a total disaster," Andreone said. "They haven't planned for this at all."As Andreone recorded the conditions, multiple people ran past carrying cold water to help their loved ones who had fainted. During one 71-second clip, Andreone recorded two people racing past him and an ambulance arriving separately with a siren blaring."People are profusely sweating and need water," he said.Andreone reported in an X update that "7 people are on advanced life support in the hospital."In another clip from the event, Andreone points to another person lying down in the back of an EMS truck making its way across the lawn. The event had already been temporarily shut down earlier in the day as the record heat gripped Washington, with organizers planning to reopen at 5 p.m.Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll noted on X that Washington, D.C., would be warmer than "99 percent of the planet on Friday.""Only parts of Africa's Sahara Desert, the Middle East, China's Gobi Desert and a few spots in the Desert Southwest will be hotter," Noll noted.The conditions have driven attendees to desperate measures, with one Trump supporter earlier dunking herself in a baptismal pool to escape the heat.The post caught Andreone's eye."Great time for a poorly planned and shoddily constructed fair in a wide open field with no shade," he quipped.His account matched what reporters found on the ground: a largely deserted fairground baking in triple-digit heat.Update: 7 people are on advanced life support in the hospital. Here’s a brief snippet of some of our Drop Site reporting from the ground, showing medical staff rushing to get people water and EMS crews driving around, one with a patient in the back on a gurney. https://t.co/PWu358OlbW pic.twitter.com/ItPx4W6yqE— Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) July 3, 2026

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Trump, ballot seizures and a ‘declaration’: Gavin Newsom teases tiresome July 4 address to the state

New York Post

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Trump, ballot seizures and a ‘declaration’: Gavin Newsom teases tiresome July 4 address to the state

"You’re gonna want to tune in tomorrow!" his press office said.

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'Not mentally well': MAGA suspects Trump sabotaged by liberals armed with weather machines

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'Not mentally well': MAGA suspects Trump sabotaged by liberals armed with weather machines

Kylie Jane Kremer, the activist listed as the permit holder for the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the Capitol attack, has floated a new theory about Washington's summer heat: it's sabotage.In a post on X, Kremer claimed someone with an "extreme case" of Trump derangement syndrome "geoengineered" the weather in D.C. She pointed to the cold at Trump's inauguration as proof of the same plot."I’m telling y’all that someone with an extreme case of TDS geoengineered this weather in DC. Same way they geoengineered Trump’s inauguration to be one of the coldest in U.S. history. People with TDS hate Trump more than they love America," she wrote on X.Her post came in response to Washington Post meteorologist and reporter Ben Noll, who noted the nation's capital would be "hotter than 99 percent of the planet on Friday.""Only parts of Africa's Sahara Desert, the Middle East, China's Gobi Desert and a few spots in the Desert Southwest will be hotter," he wrote on X.Forecasters called the inauguration D.C.'s coldest in decades, and the ceremony was moved indoors. But whether progressives with weather machines were responsible is another matter. And the internet didn't spare her. Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger wrote that people pushing the theory are "not mentally well," while internet commentator Damin Toell reminded followers that Kremer was also a key figure in the 2020 "stop the steal" movement. Writer Joe Flood noted that a woman who helped host the Jan. 6 rally now believes liberals control the weather.Julian Andreone of Drop Site News leaned into the joke, sarcastically agreeing that July heat in D.C. is "very suspicious." Climate advocate Benji Backer flagged the contradiction."Climate change can’t be real but this can be. Got it. Trying to catch up," he joked.The claim echoes a pattern among MAGA figures, including Marjorie Taylor Greene's flood conspiracy theory and her bill to ban "weather modification" after the deadly Texas floods. Even fellow Republicans have stepped in to debunk the weather-control claims. Meteorologists have said cloud seeding cannot produce disasters.

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'God is angry': Internet bemused as Mother Nature comes for Trump's Mount Rushmore speech

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'God is angry': Internet bemused as Mother Nature comes for Trump's Mount Rushmore speech

Severe weather threatened to put a damper on Friday on President Donald Trump's plans to speak near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, prompting amusement from internet critics who said it seemingly indicated "god is angry."Trump was flying to South Dakota as part of a broader July 4 and America-250 trip, planning to visit the iconic American landmark for an Independence Day fireworks celebration. But Mother Nature, it seems, had other plans. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect until 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time for the area, with quarter size hail that could damage vehicles reported by the National Weather Service. "Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from windows. This storm is capable of producing large hail," an alert on the weather service read.The weather alert forced Fox News to scramble, with host Bret Baier telling viewers they had breaking news."They just said there is severe weather on the way. In fact, they said hail could be coming, and they are urging everybody to get inside," said Baier, adding: "We're going to get to shelter."The setback prompted mockery from onlookers, with Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of the progressive MeidasTouch news outlet, quipping on X, "God is angry."Dan Koh, a Massachusetts Democrat running for Congress, chimed in on X, "Considering Trump wants to cut the National Park Service budget by 40% and Mount Rushmore has a $57m repair backlog, you better run."The progressive influencer account known as Polly Sigh added: "Calamitous weather seems to follow Trump around these days. Mother Nature is so over him."Writer Joe Flood joked, "damn antifa!"Trump has had mixed luck with weather in recent weeks, with scorching temperatures and rain derailing his Great American State Fair.Fox at Mount Rushmore: They just said there is severe weather on the way. In fact, they said hail could be coming and they are urging everybody to get inside. We're going to get to shelter. pic.twitter.com/hyfc0nPghU— Acyn (@Acyn) July 3, 2026

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‘The second-most good-looking president’: Trump entertains on Usha Vance’s program

WorldNetDaily

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‘The second-most good-looking president’: Trump entertains on Usha Vance’s program

Videotaped Oval Office interview delves into children's books about former commanders in chief

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The Last Refuge

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President Trump Reads “Presidents Play”

President Donald Trump welcomes Second Lady Usha Vance into the Oval Office for a reading of Presidents Play, a storybook of Presidents’ activities while serving in the office. . Posted in Big Government, Celebrations, Education, Freedom 250, President Trump The post President Trump Reads “Presidents Play” appeared first on The Last Refuge.

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Raw Story

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'Demon in human skin!' Fox News host loses it as Dem threatens to upend Texas Senate race

A Fox News host uncorked a bizarre on-air tirade against Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, calling him a "demon in human skin."Emily Compagno appeared to lose her composure on Friday's edition of "Outnumbered" while discussing Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative now in a statistical tie with embattled Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Compagno was reacting to a conservative PAC attack ad featuring Talarico calling the American flag a "complicated" symbol for many Americans."Every single voter [in Texas] needs to understand exactly who they would vote into office, which is an anti-business, anti-commerce, anti-capitalist, anti-Texas Texan," Compagno railed.She then escalated sharply."This person is a demon in human skin, and they need to make sure he does not go anywhere — to the nation's capital, where he can actually do some real damage other than his horrible words that he keeps spewing," she said.A Talarico spokesman responded that the campaign could confirm the candidate is "in fact a human, and not a demon in human skin."The outburst lands as the race tightens into a genuine toss-up. A New York Times/Siena survey released Monday found Paxton and Talarico deadlocked at 47 percent among likely voters, with Talarico leading 58-31 among independents and 61-29 among Hispanic voters.Paxton defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in a May 26 primary runoff after President Donald Trump threw his backing to the state's scandal-plagued attorney general. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 before being acquitted by the state Senate, and he has faced years of criminal securities fraud allegations and accusations of abusing his office.Trump himself has appeared unsettled by Talarico's rise. In a Truth Social post after the runoff, the president refused to use the Democrat's name, instead branding him "Alfred E. Neuman" and "the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen."On "Outnumbered," Compagno added that Talarico's past remarks were "patently disqualifying for any American senator."Compagno on Talarico: This person is a demon in human skin pic.twitter.com/BM5nohCvxT— Acyn (@Acyn) July 3, 2026

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Right-wing news network faceplants as bid to suck up to Trump with big name hire blows up

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Right-wing news network faceplants as bid to suck up to Trump with big name hire blows up

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