The President's Daily Brief - October 12th, 2022. Media Matters' Owner Creates 51 New Fake News Sites to Entice You to Vote Local

Episode Date: October 12, 2022

It’s October 12th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ Fake News. You’ve been told for years that it’s a problem, a crisis really, with misinformation and disinformation being spread by the Russians or Chinese. Well, turns out that these foreign powers have a new competitor — 51 fake news sites telling you to vote for Democrats. I’ll explain that story. As always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put these two on your radar. First, an update on the possible rail-road strike. One union just voted down the deal negotiated a couple weeks back. That could mean economic trouble ahead.  Second, the Mexican Military has been caught selling weapons and gear to Mexican Cartels. And as always, we’ve got a listener question. Today it’s about Dirty Green Energy and why we’re not talking about hybrid vehicles. ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's October 12th. You're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. First up, fake news. You've been told for years that it's a problem, a crisis, really, with misinformation and disinformation being spread by the Russians or the Chinese. Well, it turns out that these foreign powers have a new competitor, 51 fake news sites telling you to vote for Democrats. I'll explain that. As always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put these two on your radar. First, an update on the possible railroad strike. One union just voted down the deal negotiated a couple weeks back, and that could be in economic trouble ahead. Second, the Mexican military has been caught selling weapons and gear to Mexican cartels.

As always, we've got a listener question. Today, it's about dirty green energy. And why we're not talking about hybrid vehicles? But first, let's get started with today's main brief. We are four weeks away from the midterm elections, and if you're like me, you've already been inundated with unwelcome political ads, things like mailers and robocalls and commercials. And then, of course, there's a different category of political information, news stories. Now, sometimes these stories are legitimate, a scandal about corruption or crime, but sometimes

they're nothing more than a political smear by a reporter or a reporter or. or an editor that has a particular bias and is happy to spread it, either of their own free will or because a campaign has asked them to do it. Now, we use lots of terms to describe this, like fake news or, again, disinformation and misinformation. And I've been speaking about this since the start of the podcast because it's been topic number one for years now in this country. President Trump, as we all know and recall, was accused by Democrats as having won his election because of Russian disinformation. Now, that wasn't true, but it was a well-worn talking point of all of his opponents starting back in 2016. Meanwhile, the CIA and FBI, then and now, have warned that Russia and China and Iran are all three trying to sow doubt and chaos into America through their propaganda, especially in our elections.

In fact, the issue is so serious that, according to people in Washington, D.C., that the Department of Homeland Security announced in April the establishment of the so-called disinformation governance board designed to tackle fake news. Now, at the time, two prominent Democrats added their voices of support, really a chorus of support, especially to regulate big tech companies like Twitter and Facebook to ban disinformation and misinformation. So, for example, President Barack Obama, he said that these tech companies required some, quote, democratic oversight, end quote, and added that each of us has to pick a side. Do we allow our democracy to wither, or do we choose to make it better? Hillary Clinton, for her part, tweeted out a very similar message saying, for too long, she said tech platforms have amplified disinformation and extremism with no accountability. And she went on to applaud. a bill actually in Europe that's designed to address the tech company's spreading of

disinformation so that we might quote bolster global democracy before it's too late end quote oh dear we've got a butt but it appears that perhaps these folks weren't especially honest about their concern so here's how we know late last week the online media outlet axios reported that a network of at least 51 locally branded news sites have popped up online since last year, all serving battleground states like Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. They all have local sounding names like the Milwaukee Metro Times or the Mecklenburg Herald or the Tri-City Record.

And what these local sounding websites do is that they present local news content. In fact, they even write up some short stories about local sports teams. teams. And they also offer up a whole bunch of political news and analysis that only attacks Republicans and provides very favorable coverage to Democrats. And that's because these 51 locally branded news sites aren't local at all. They're run by the same company out of Washington, D.C., called Local Report Inc. that was formed late last year, and it's run by a man named David Brock. Mr. Brock is a well-known Democrat operative and fundraiser and also operates the liberal website Media Matters.

What Mr. Brock has done, based on the report from Axios, is that he's hiring liberal writers, especially from the progressive news organization called American Independent, and they're writing for his 51 local news sites, and when they do, they trash Republicans and they promote Democrats. Now, what's fascinating based on my review and that of my producer is that these websites are also plagiarizing local content, to the point that some of it is just literally cut and pasted from elsewhere about local events. But what's really remarkable, some might say hypocritical, is that Mr. Brock, again, a critical player in Democrat politics, has repeatedly warned about disinformation and misinformation and yet he's doing it himself. in an interview with Dan Rather in November of 2016, as he attacked Donald Trump and his alleged ties to Russia, Mr. Brock said, quote, misinformation is an existential threat to democracy. And what we need to do is in an environment like this, we need to stand up for the facts and ensure that we get a higher quality of journalism going forward.

putting aside the hypocrisy for a moment. Why exactly did Mr. Brock and his fellow progressives start these local fake news sites with such this local focus? Well, I think I know why. A Gallup Knight Foundation poll published back in May shows that Americans' trust in local news remains much, much higher than in national news. So overall, the poll found 44% of Americans

trust local news either a great deal or quite a lot. Meanwhile, only 27% felt the same way about national outlets. In other words, when Americans like you and I look for news that we can trust, we go local. And Mr. Brock knows that, of course. So by all reasonable measures then, he's targeting the one last place that Americans seek for refuge in a world of fake news. Now, to be fair, Mr. Brock and his fellow Democrats are definitely not alone in realizing this fake news opportunity. In 2019, for instance, conservatives were found to be doing something similar in Michigan, establishing dozens of local-sounding media outlets like the Ann Arbor Times and the Lansing Sun. So all in all folks, Mr. Brock and his fellow Democrats are joining some conservatives in places like Michigan,

as they all make fake news a bipartisan effort. and that's pretty important to know as we head into the midterm elections. So with that, let's pivot from facts and data this morning and think about our analysis and opinion. Perhaps most importantly, we should ask, what do we do about this? What can we do about this? But let's actually move a touchback and start with the most obvious, a little bit of the assessment of really what we're seeing here. Folks like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and David Brock had frankly so many other. in D.C. regardless of party, they aren't really worried about misinformation and disinformation.

The issue is whether they get to control it. 51 websites makes that pretty clear. Now, I don't think that this comes as a surprise to most of you. Politics is an information war, a battle for your mind and your heart and your vote, obviously. And in that information war, dirty games get played. Spreading fake news about your political opponent is, after all, as old as time. But this latest effort, when a group manufactures the appearance that something is grassroots or local in nature, in order to give it the credibility because they know that you still give local news credibility, well, that just kind of feels extra gross, doesn't it? Regardless, what do we do about this, my friends? Because I don't want to just sit back and wag our fingers

at other Democrats or Republicans, even though, honestly, that might make us feel a little bit better for a while. So we should be asking, how do we discern truth from fiction? How do we read the news and know what to believe our facts versus opinion? Well, here are four recommendations, a few tricks that I use. First, when you're reading or listening to news, push yourself to go beyond the headline because studies show that usually we don't. Yet generally, there's some really important nuance buried in a story in, say, the 20th paragraph. So keep digging.

Second, be skeptical, even when a story confirms what you already believe to be true. Studies show that we actually love to be right. We love news that makes us feel right. But we should challenge that temptation and keep your healthy skepticism about everything. Third, find media outlets that run the political spectrum. So, for example, conservative outlets that I like to look at include Fox News, Daily Caller, Brightbart, Daily Wire, The Federalist, The First and the Wall Street Journal. Moderate to liberal outlets that I consider, well, those include Reuters and AP, Bloomberg, and Politico.

Occasionally, I'll read or watch leftist outlets like CNN or New York Times or Washington Post because on rare occasion, they can do pretty good work. Finally, embrace the bias, which sounds odd, but allow yourself to enjoy opinion writing, but find those that believe that the world is gray, not black and white. not black and white. We all know the gas bags in today's media. So find voices that leave you thinking, you know, that guy or that gal, they have a bias, but here or she is pretty reasonable. And who knows, you might be listening to that guy right now. All right, coming up, ladies and gentlemen, a closer look at what's on my radar. Two quick briefs for you, one on a possible railroad strike

and the other on the Mexican military. We'll be right back. and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Levato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavatheater.com,

only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. Get the most out of your vehicle with GM genuine parts. and AC Delco original equipment, the only parts designed, engineered, tested, and backed by General Motors. You can find your perfect fit for most makes and models, and choose from three tiers of parts, including GMOE or gold and silver aftermarket parts.

Visit gmparts.com for more information. Welcome back to the PDB. As always, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. Put these two on your radar. First, I have a date for you to put on your calendar, November, 19th. That is when the nation may experience a railroad strike that we dodged just a couple weeks back. And that's because railroad workers from one union just rejected the compromised deal negotiated in mid-September. To refresh our memories on this, America's railroad workers have been in negotiations with railroad companies for a couple years now on a new labor deal. But they couldn't come to an agreement. And because of that, there was a brewing strike that would have started on September 16th.

But union representatives and the companies agreed to a last-minute deal, pushed by Joe Biden and his administration. But the problem with the deal, as I briefed you all on September 16th, is that it didn't really solve salary disputes or, most critically, scheduling issues. And that's because, you see, railroad companies have cut upwards of 30% of their workforce or so over the past five years. And that's put tremendous pressure on the remaining employees to pick up the slack. And that's apparently why, on most, Monday. The first union to vote on the new deal shot it down. The split was about 60% opposed to

40% in favor. Now, two more rail unions are expected to hold ratification votes this week, and forecasters are saying that this downvote is kind of a canary in the coal mine for what's to come. The next unions will likely vote it down too. And if so, that means when the final votes come in on or about November 17th, it'll open the door for a a nationwide strike as early as November 19th. And if that were to happen, it would be a wreck for the economy, around $2 to $3 billion a day in economic losses, new inflationary pressures, just a mess right before the holidays. So hold your hats for late November folks, and I will keep you posted along the way. For our second radar story this morning, the Mexican military

is red-faced as some of its members are confirmed as having sold weapons and gear to the Mexican cartels. And get this, they use their military email to do it. So to understand this story, we have to go back about two weeks ago on September 30th. The Mexican government acknowledged that it had been hacked, a group called Guacamaya hacked into the Mexican Ministry of Defense and stole about four million pages of data, mostly emails. At the time, the president of Mexico downplayed the leaks, saying that the only thing important for the United States, from the data breach was information revealing that he suffers from a condition which can lead to a heart attack. Except the president was lying. There was a lot of very important stuff being found in that

hacked material all about the Mexican military. A military, by the way, that over the past 20 years, you as taxpayers have sent billions of dollars to to help provide training and weapons and equipment. And it's that equipment that the Mexican military was selling to the Mexican cartel. So let's just take a couple of examples. On May 31st of 2019, a Mexican military member identified as Nuevo Commandante with a rank of colonel, sold 2,000 rounds for AK-47s, 5,000 rounds for R15s, and 50 chargers for each. That same commander, by the way, also offered to help a cartel locate an attorney general that the cartel was trying to assassinate.

So the next time that you hear a politician say that we need to work with the Mexican government or the military to root out cartel violence, well, we might want to be very careful about who we choose as partners. And with that, one more thing before I let you go, a listener question today. We'll be right back. Hey, you, feeling hungry? Run the Denny's four. The new attorney. And see the new Masters of the Universe movie.

in theaters June 5th. Who cares about your poops? Ollie does. That's why Ali's science-backed gut health lineup helps support your family's regularity. From daily probiotics to fibergummies, your kiddos will love. Find it all on Ali.com.

That's OLLLY.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Welcome back to the PDB, ladies and gentlemen. One more thing before I let you go.

Sean H from somewhere in America wrote in asking about the dirty green series, a series of course where we talked about the pros and the cons of renewable energy and batteries and electric vehicles. And it's that last category that Sean had a question about, the cars. In short, he wanted to know why aren't we considering hybrid cars, which of course are those that combine an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Well, there was one line in Sean's email that really stood out to me. So here it is. Quote, the biggest bonus of hybrids is that we could use much smaller batteries and stretch our natural resources like cobalt and lithium much, much further.

End quote. So, Sean, you are absolutely right. In fact, the president of Toyota Corporation agrees with you. And I want us to really listen to what I'm about to say. The CEO of Toyota told reporters last month that his company could make eight plug-in hybrids with the same number of batteries from one fully electric vehicle. Those eight plug-in cars would dramatically cut carbon emissions more than the one electric vehicle. And consumers, by the way, are saying that they like this option too.

These vehicles, the hybrids, have actually sold more this year than fully electric vehicles. That's according to data from research firm Motor Intelligence. So, Sean, here's my takeaway. If this debate were really about climate change or decreasing smog or decreasing our reliance on foreign oil, then of course we would be talking about all kinds of things to include hybrids. But we're not talking about those, are we? Not in our media, not amongst our politicians.

Because the dirty green revolution, Sean, is not about climate change or some mogue or oil. As I've argued, it's about advancing a political revolution, using climate change as a pretext to justify socialism or some variant of that. Now, whether or not you believe me when I highlight the words of progressives saying that, well, that's all right, because even if we disagree, well, that's what the PDB is all about, letting you make the call. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes your morning brief. As always, we close out the show, reminding each other of why we are here, talking about our country and our world. It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from John chapter 8, verse 32. And you shall know the truth. And the truth

shall make you free. Good day. Mom, can you tell me a story? Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car. Was she brave? She was tired, mostly. But she went to Carvana.com and found a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required. to find a dragon? Nope, she bought it 100% online, from her bed, actually. Was it scary? Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on... Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.