The Free Press
It’s Wednesday, March 26. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Coming up: Netflix’s new hit show demonizes young men. Columbia’s interim president tells the White House one thing and her staff another. Somebody’s selling the First Lady’s wedding dress on eBay. And more.
But first: Will NPR finally bite the bullet?
Later today, a DOGE subcommittee headed by MAGA firebrand Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene will grill the CEOs of NPR and PBS about their alleged left-wing bias, and whether they still deserve federal funding.
None of this is new; the GOP has been trying to cut off their funding for decades. But as Free Press contributor Uri Berliner points out, “Each of the attacks floundered when the broadcasters rallied enough bipartisan support to save rural public radio or Sesame Street.”
Uri would know. He worked as an NPR editor for 25 years before writing a damning essay for The Free Press last April about how NPR had lost its way. The broadcaster always had a liberal bent, but Uri wrote that when he joined, there was a culture of curiosity and open-mindedness. But after the 2016 election, all of that changed. Uri detailed how NPR embraced the Russiagate conspiracy, refused to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story, botched its Covid coverage, and became obsessed with racial politics following the death of George Floyd. Uri’s story went viral, driving headlines all over the country. NPR suspended him, but he was on his way out the door anyway. Enough was enough.
And now, Congress might be about to say the same. Which, says Uri, shouldn’t be the death knell for NPR.
On the contrary, Uri explains how shedding its dependence on federal money could be exactly what NPR needs—and it shouldn’t even wait for Republicans to bring it to a vote. By turning down federal funding, NPR could liberate itself from congressional scrutiny and embrace its progressive leanings.
Read Uri’s column: “NPR Should Refuse to Take Federal Funds.”
Don’t Bet Against Bibi
Since Saturday, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets against Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government. As Houthi missiles fly overhead, the protesters, unhappy with the resumption of the war in Gaza—now in its eighteenth month—want a deal with Hamas to return the remaining hostages. They’re also upset over what many view as antidemocratic moves from Bibi’s government, including an alleged plan to stack the judiciary with his supporters and the firing of Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet—Israel’s equivalent to the FBI. Bar says his firing was politically motivated, and it took place just one month after Israel’s attorney general—now also in the process of dismissal—ordered Shin Bet to investigate officials in Netanyahu’s office over alleged financial ties to Qatar.
Long story short, things don’t look good for Netanyahu. Is this finally the end for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister?
Today in The Free Press, Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, says: Don’t hold your breath. After all, Netanyahu has been here before.
“He could paper his office walls with his political obituaries,” Oren writes.
Read his essay, “Michael Oren: How Does Bibi Survive?”
Did Columbia’s President Lie to the White House?
Earlier this month, The Free Press was the first to report on the Trump administration’s plan to withhold $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, claiming it had failed to confront antisemitism on its campus. The administration provided a list of changes that Columbia would have to make in order to get the money back, which the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, agreed to. Now, our own Maya Sulkin reports that in a private meeting, Armstrong told the faculty that, contrary to her public statements, Columbia plans to ignore most of the White House’s demands.
Read Maya’s full report: “Columbia President Says One Thing to Trump Admin—and Another in Private.”
Not Everyone Has Forgiven Mike Waltz
Trump is standing by his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, after Waltz mistakenly allowed Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg into a group chat discussing attack plans on Yemeni rebels. Waltz, said the president, was a good man who has “learned his lesson.”
But not everyone in Trump World is so forgiving. In his newest column for The Free Press, Eli Lake explains how some on the MAGA right abhor Waltz and are hoping that the “Signalgate” fiasco will give them their chance to get the national security adviser out of the White House. Waltz’s sin, in their eyes, is that he is too representative of the old Republican Party. And besides, he had a journalist Trump supporters love to hate—one critic described Goldberg as “a dead-end neocon war pimp”—on his speed dial.
Read “A Signal Screwup—and What It Means.”
New Netflix Show Attacks Young Men
On March 13, Netflix released a new drama series called Adolescence, about a 13-year-old English boy who murders his female classmate after being influenced by so-called “incel culture.” The show was a massive hit, reaching number one on the streaming service just one day after its debut. Critics were also impressed: The show has a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and its creators have been invited to discuss “online safety” with MPs in British Parliament.
But it’s also proven controversial. The show’s co-creator, Stephen Graham, said that he was inspired to create the show after reading about the murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam, who was stabbed to death by then–17-year-old Hassan Sentamu two years ago in South London. Sentamu is black, and many have argued that reimagining the murderer as a white boy from Northern England plays into elite liberal narratives that caricature young white men, particularly those from the working class, as violent bigots.
But today, Free Press reporter Madeleine Kearns writes that the real problem with Adolescence “isn’t that white boys are the villains. It’s that the four-episode series demonizes masculinity in general.”
Read: “ ‘Adolescence’ Does a Disservice to Young Men.”
After the White House received blowback for its planned diplomatic trip to Greenland—Usha Vance and Michael Waltz were scheduled to visit the country—they upped the ante, with J.D. Vance now confirmed to travel as well. Officials in Greenland and Denmark quickly called the move “aggressive.” Vance said he wanted to “just check out what’s going on with the security there of Greenland.” Meanwhile, the prime minister of Denmark said that the U.S.’s diplomatic mission was “unacceptable.”
Ukraine and Russia agreed to the terms of a limited ceasefire that spells an end to fighting in the Black Sea. The agreement also set the stage for negotiations to stop strikes on energy facilities in both countries. The terms were settled after three days of negotiations held in Saudi Arabia.
Yesterday, two American academic groups—the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)—filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of fostering “a climate of repression” on campuses. The lawsuit alleges that the government is deliberately suppressing freedom of speech by detaining and trying to deport noncitizens who have protested against Israel on campus. This comes just one day after another lawsuit was filed against the administration by Yunseo Chung, a South Korea–born Columbia student and permanent resident who has lived in the United States since the age of seven. ICE officials are attempting to arrest Chung and said her lawful permanent status was being revoked after she participated in protests against Israel at Columbia.
Democrats grilled Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nominee to head the Social Security Administration, at his confirmation hearing yesterday, amid Elon Musk’s criticisms of the agency and his efforts to downsize it. Senate Democrats questioned whether he agreed with Elon’s assertion that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme (he wouldn’t answer directly), and asked whether Bisignano would “stand up” to Elon if he came for Social Security benefits. Bisignano continually reiterated that if confirmed, he would report to the president—not Musk. Unlike Elon, Trump has refrained from criticizing Social Security, and has repeatedly reassured seniors that their benefits will not be cut.
Are you a recently engaged MAGA woman who loves thrifting but isn’t frugal—like, even a little? If so, you’re in great luck. A woman is selling Melania Trump’s Christian Dior couture wedding dress on eBay for a cool $45,000. The seller claims to have bought the dress from the First Lady in 2010 for $70,000 through a mutual friend, so apparently this is a steal. So ladies, if you’ve ever wanted to buy a single piece of used clothing for the price of a mid-market SUV, now’s the time!
Uri Berliner's argument that NPR should refuse federal funds "so that it could follow its progressive leanings" angered me. I was impressed by Berliner's earlier account - except for his apparent partisanship when it came to Israel. Unless his piece is just ironic -I hope not, the issue is too serious - the point is that NPR is part of Public Radio and TV - and it should live up that responsibility. That means that its biased coverage was inappropriate and counterproductive to its own values. It lost conservative and moderate viewers and provoked conservatives that a publicly supported service, valuable as it was, was flagrantly partisan in its coverage. Trump's margin and that giving Republican control of Congress was not that large. NPR and PBS News under Judy Woodruff may have been the difference in electing Trump
two American academic groups—the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)—filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of fostering “a climate of repression” on campuses.
While I can understand this point of view, i certainly do not believe their position is altruistic because, unless I missed it, these same academic groups did not file similar lawsuits against this and other Universities nor groups involved in the encampments last year which certainly repressed free speech on this and other campuses across the country.