The Dysfunctional Media Nominations: Dangerous Footwear, Deadly Coats, and Trendy Teen Truants

Brad Slager

"It is time again for a new round of nominations for nefarious news nonsense! In recognizing the unprofessional press, journalistic sloth, and the deserved media mockery, we nominate these efforts in a variety of categories for end-of-the-year honors. To commemorate the legacy of muckraking reporting and shoe-leather investigation, we have created The Golden Remington Awards. 

"Our trophy honors the olden days when hard-scrabble hacks committed actual journalism and hammered out dispatches on those hefty word-smith devices. We compile some of the most fractured examples of journalism, nominating them for the un-coveted dishonor of our un-distinguished trophy, The Remmys.

"Here is the latest batch of nominees for consideration, gathered for the end of the calendar when we will be handing out trophies to the most un-impressive acts of journalism throughout the past year!" . . .   Full article...   Case in point below.

"Distinguished Explanatory Reporting"

• Rachel Traisman – National Public Radio

When Nick Shirley made national news by reporting on the fraud in Minnesota, the national media were upset. Not over the revelations, but because he was doing the work they refused to do, and that exposed their graft. So disproving him - rather than, you know, investigating the fraud - was the required reaction.

In one desperate attempt at NPR, they tried to show how he is not a reputable source by his allegedly making baseless claims. They say he suggested he was targeted by opponents without any proof. Only, Traisman provided the very proof, in her very next sentence.

•  "I'm attacked every time I do my job," he said, without citing specifics. "When I leave my house to go to work, I'm violently assaulted. I've been bear-sprayed and beaten down. I've been almost killed." 

Related in that this is one way the above become as is.  Columbia Journalism Review Smears Cowboy State Daily As ‘Dehumanizing’ For Accurate Pronoun Use

“Cowboy State Daily has been criticized by LGBTQ rights organization Wyoming Equality for deadnaming and using phrases like ‘biological males/females’ to refer to trans people,” CJR reported. “One Cowboy State Daily columnist wrote they ‘draw the line’ when someone “born with male genitalia and a masculine endocrine system tries to impose himself in a women’s [sic] world.”

If It's Tuesday This Must Be the Belgian Stabber

 Mark Steyn  

"It's all like this in the New England - members of the House of Lords, mayors of upscale boroughs adjacent to Windsor, the welfare department in Oldham, senior police officers in every English constabulary... But, according to Emily Maitlis, if you're obsessed about it it's only because you're racist:"

"JUST IN: Two Alabama women and their children were attacked on a train in Brussels, Belgium for being American

"The attacker reportedly approached them with a knife and asked if they were American, when they confirmed, he threatened to kiII them. pic.twitter.com/cD7Ybhxtsk

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 13, 2026

"The train is filled with both Flemings and Walloons, but, in a rare display of comity, both seem, objectively, to be on the side of the knifeperson. Perhaps the State Department could arrange for any American tourist in Europe to be issued with his own Vance-sized Milano motorcade. On current debt levels, the difference would be entirely marginal." . . .

"It is much worse. One aspect of the inquiry whose scale I was not previously aware of is that, while the gangs are local (to Rotherham, Rochdale, Oldham, Telford, Banbury, Oxford, etc), the network of cooperative Pakistani rape clans is national, like fraternal relations between geographically delineated underworld mobs in Chicago. So a girl who's gotten used to being raped in, say, Birmingham wakes up and realises she's been loaned to another gang in Blackpool." . . .

The shallow AOC lost in Munich

"She highlights the concerning fact that the entire Democrat party is no longer a serious political organization with serious people."

Rich Terrell

Silvio Canto, Jr. - American Thinker  . . . "Come forward 20 years and replace Bush with Trump, and you have AOC, a woman who can’t speak two sentences without bashing The Orange Man. Let’s check out AOC in Munich:

Read her words here... Then when she finished, we felt unburdened by what has been.

 . . . "The lady was lost in Munich. This is a member of the US House, and she couldn’t utter a thoughtful idea about Taiwan. She is one of the 435 votes in the US House who will vote on the military budget, and she is lost explaining what her position is. She is also talked about as a potential presidential candidate, and she is lost when she has to discuss a complicated foreign policy issue. My guess is that she’d do no better if the topic were Ukraine or anything else.

"And that’s the problem with the Democrats. It’s all about bashing Trump. They can’t handle an issue unless it’s to tell us how much they hate Trump. Whatever happened to serious Democrats? I guess that they are gone with the wind or too scared of a primary.

Sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie search 'understands' interest in son-in-law Tommaso Cioni

Argus Hamilton commented: "Fox News reported a glove was found on a road near the Guthrie home adding to the endless number of clues for pundits and armchair detectives to analyze on the air. Cable news coverage has been non-stop day and night for 12 days. I now know why Elvis shot his television sets from time to time."

 NY Post  

“People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts,” the sheriff said. “I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible … because that’s just really nasty stuff.”

. . . “I understand the pundits are out there. They’re gonna say, well, he’s the last one to see her alive. We understand that stuff,” Nanos continued. “But, my goodness, you’re putting a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent. And more important than that, he’s family.”

"Cioni was the subject of early speculation connected to the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom’s, largely because he was the last known person to see the 84-year-old before she was reported missing on Feb. 1.

"Nancy had met Annie and Cioni for dinner and games on the night of Jan. 31, and the latter reportedly dropped her off at her Tucson, Ariz., home around 9:48 p.m. that Saturday night." . . .

More...  

More good reasons for being careful what you publicly pronounce:  Thomas Massie Accuses Four Random, Innocent Men of Being Pedophiles and Sex Traffickers, Because Their Names Appeared in Epstein Files

..."Khanna and Massie now claim it’s not their fault.  If the DOJ had just redacted the names of the innocent men, there never would have been a problem.  Except, that’s the problem… They were innocent and their names were redacted because they were innocent; but that wasn’t good enough for Massie and Khanna who used the redactions as evidence of a cover-up, and when the redactions were forcibly removed, Massie and Khanna now claim the names should have been redacted.

Inquisitor Massie: We should dunk her, if she floats, she is a witch, if she drowns, she is innocent!"... 

 More...

I might add: DNA Recovered From Glove Could Break Open Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Case – RedState

UPDATE: Guthrie Case Escalates, Multiple DTMZ receive yet ANOTHER note from ex-con claiming to know Nancy Guthrie is 'south of the border': Live updates

 Multiple Detained After SWAT Raid, Range Rover Covered in a Tarp

Trump's warning to Nancy Guthrie's abductors as cops hunt down DNA | Daily Mail Online   

Speaking to the New York Post on Monday, the president said the 84-year-old's captors would face 'the most severe' consequences if Today star Savannah's mother is found dead.

When asked if he meant the death penalty, Trump said: 'The most, yeah - that's true.' The state of Arizona has the death penalty. 

‘Wonder Years’ star Danica McKellar says one thing kept her from losing herself as a child in Hollywood

 NY Post  

“ 'We have the choice about what we put out there in the world, and there’s a lot of stuff out there in the real world that is pretty negative,” she said about her work with Great American Family and faith and family-based programming."

The actress earned a math degree from UCLA and
writes math books, which helped keep her grounded.

"Danica McKellar credits finding balance in her life for keeping her centered during her heyday as a child actress.

"When speaking with Fox News Digital at the 33rd Annual Movieguide Awards, the 51-year-old actress shared how she managed to avoid the devastating downfall experienced by many child stars when they get older.

McKellar Math - Math books for every age

“Focusing on education,” she said. “When I got done with ‘The Wonder Years,’ I graduated from high school within a couple months, went to UCLA, got a degree in mathematics, and that’s why I write math books in addition to continuing to be an actress.”

"The actress has written many math books, including “Math Doesn’t Suck,” which focuses on middle school level math, “Kiss My Math,” for those looking for help with pre-algebra, and more advanced books such as “Hot X: : Algebra Exposed” and “Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape.”

"McKellar was only 12 years old when she was cast as Winnie in “The Wonder Years,” and says her parents played a huge role in keeping her grounded through the course of the show.

“ 'I had no idea really the magnitude of the show,” she explained. “I was wandering back to school, going back and forth between school and set, and so it wasn’t like I was caught up in the Hollywood scene at all—it’s just the opposite.” . . .More...

More here: Danica McKellar Books

UPDATED: How Do They Come Up With So Many Stupid Democrats?

 Derek Hunter; Townhall  

"So, it’s not that the party produces idiots, although it certainly is a magnet for them, it’s that it attracts horrible people who are awful to the children, women, animals, plant life and everything else that is not them . . ."

You have to hand it to Democrats, no matter how many times you are certain they can’t do something – be more corrupt, act sleazier, hate the country more, be idiots – they find a way to exceed what anyone thought was possible. In a sick way, it’s an accomplishment – a perverse one, but an accomplishment nonetheless. It’s enough to make you wonder if there is some sort of performance enhancing drug that lowers the bar to the point that you’d need a shove not to clear it." . . .

. . . "In Munich, this intellectual leader of the left was asked a simple question about whether or not the United States would come to the aid of Taiwan if China invaded, as they are desperate to do. This not-ready-for-prime-time-person responded with what could easily be described as an attempt to make Joe Biden look like a genius and Kamala Harris come off like a great orator. 

"AOC answered, “Um...you know...I think that uh...this is...such a, ya know, I think that...this is a um...This is, of course, a, uh, a very longstanding, um, policy of the United States, uh, and, I think, what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.”

"Can you believe Jeopardy hasn’t called yet?

"How does a political party produce someone so, um…articulate and special? How does a political party, that same political party, produce a series of “victims” of a child sex predator – who was a proud member of that same political party – who became entangled with that predator not when they were children, but when they were adults? Can’t they even stage a photo-op properly?" . . . More...

Disapproval of Democrats in Congress Ticks Upward—New Poll - Newsweek

Dumbest Democrat Ever Delivers Cringe Worthy Performance In Front Of Congress

Trump didn’t declare defeat in Minneapolis; he switched to a smarter strategy

 Andrea Widburg - American Thinker  "What he did was take a pragmatic look at the current board and adjust the pieces so that he can win the midterm."

"The result of this new policy is that, with detentions now functioning smoothly in Minnesota, the media and other Democrats have lost their most important headlines and their potential for new martyrs." AW

. . . "Significantly, Trump understands that the most powerful force in America today isn’t the government; it’s the media. This is true even though several outlets are in financial trouble and the public despises them all.

"I’ve written before about ordinary Americans’ cognitive dissonance, so I won’t belabor the point. Suffice it to say that, even though Americans know the media is lying and even though the media is losing audience, the combined weight of search engines, AI, and news apps makes sure that only leftist headlines reach the average American.

"Trump doesn’t deny the obvious: The media have won the narrative in Minneapolis. While we know that ICE agents who were hit by cars and threatened by violent men with guns were fully within their rights to shoot to kill, most Americans know what the headlines blare: “Trump’s out-of-control Gestapo killing ordinary nurses and mommies.”

"A clear-eyed Trump recognizes that these headlines have turned the population against ICE’s efforts, even as the public still wants illegal aliens gone.

"Considering all these factors, what’s Trump to do? The one thing he can’t do is double down on ICE enforcement in Minneapolis, which will only dig more deeply the polling hole that he and the Republicans find themselves in on an issue the public actually supports. Moreover, it’s a given that, if Trump pushes harder with ICE, the left’s useful idiots will invariably do something to get killed, and Trump’s signature issue will become even less popular.

"So, instead of going in harder, Trump is going in smarter. He’s appointed Tom Homan, a steady, calm man, to handle the tinderbox, instead of the flashy Kristi Noem. (Even if Noem made the right decisions about how to approach Minneapolis—and I don’t know if she did—the media have so successfully painted her as a showboating, fascist Barbie doll, with too much makeup, too much hair, and clothes that are too tight, that Trump cannot save her.)" . . .

More...

Expelling Sharia-Adherent Muslims is Not Unconstitutional

"As the saying goes, the Constitution is not a suicide pact, and there are several Supreme Court decisions and statutes protecting America from Sharia law."

Ted Noel - American Thinker 

"Prohibition.—No court shall enforce a judgment, decree, or arbitration decision if it relies, in whole or in part, on Shari’a or any foreign law that violates the constitutional rights of any party. It’s not complicated."

"George Mason University Law Professor Ilya Somin has posted a missive declaring that the “Preserving a Sharia-free America Act” is “manifestly unconstitutional.” We all need a deep breath after that last sentence. It was a mouthful. And Professor Somin is dead wrong.

"As Justice Jackson noted in 1949, “The Constitution is not a suicide pact.” His key point in Terminiello v. Chicago was that the Supreme Court had gone too far in removing restraints on rioters who attacked policemen. It was essential to “temper [the Court’s] doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom.” “The choice is not between order and liberty. It is between liberty with order and anarchy without either.”

"Justice Jackson was prescient. And he wasn’t just a prophet of the current riots over law enforcement. The presence of doctrinaire Muslims in the US is a direct threat to our existence as a nation of laws. Sharia is the “legal” manifestation of that threat. Students of Islam will point out that “Sharia is not Sharia,” by which they mean there’s not a single, fixed monolithic code of laws—but that’s part of the problem, because it means that Sharia is a theocratic system of laws that depends on the interpretation of the Imam in a specific neighborhood. 

"We see this sort of divergence simply by looking at the news. The Kingdom of Jordan is Islamic, but it is restrained in enforcing religious laws. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Iran, where, at last count, nearly 40,000 people have been executed for the “crime” of protesting against the Islamic tribal barbarians that rule what could be a wealthy and free country. However, once we get past AI’s reticence to list key issues common to all core Sharia interpretations, a few stand out, and they are completely at odds with American law and values.

"The simplest and most direct is the subjugation of women. They are not allowed to choose their own clothes to wear in public. They are not allowed to have a public opinion. And this runs directly contrary to the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Of course, should a wife dare to cross one of these lines, her husband is bound to physically correct (beat) her. But this is to be done in a “kindly” way. Right. Domestic violence laws be damned." . . .  More...

Ted Noel is a retired physician who posts on social media as Doctor Ted.

Epstein survivor breaks down in tears as she recounts thinking she was 'going to die' . . .

 . . . "while being assaulted on Lolita Express jet while women who recruited her 'laughed' | Daily Mail Online

New photos show former president Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein's
 long-time friend Ghislaine Maxwell on board the billionaire's private jet,
 dubbed the 'Lolita Express', in 2002

"A Jeffrey Epstein survivor broke down in tears as she recounted how she thought she was going to die while being assaulted on the paedophile's private jet. 

Juliette Bryant said the billionaire began 'forcibly touching me in between my legs' within seconds of his 'Lolita Express' taking off. 

Women working for the financier who had recruited the then 20-year-old aspiring model were on board the Boeing 727–100 and laughed as she was attacked, she said. 

In an emotional interview with Sky News, Juliette broke down as she told how she 'just freaked out and I suddenly realised... these people might kill me'. 

'I suddenly realised I had to be nice and friendly as I realised I was in great danger,' she said.

Juliette added: 'He [Epstein] patted the chair next to him... and then I went and sat there. It was such a confusing situation for a young person to be in,' she said, before adding: 'I was really petrified.'     

She first met and was recruited by Epstein in Cape Town in September 2002 when he was touring South Africa with Bill Clinton. 

Within three weeks, she was flown from South Africa's southern coast to New York and thought 'my dreams were all coming true' after he offered to launch her modelling career.

Swalwell Tries to Challenge Greg Gutfeld for Poking Fun at Lame Gym Videos, Embarrasses Himself Instead

  RedState   "The House is in recess now, but that hasn't stopped silly Democrats like Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from lame attacks on Republicans and President Donald Trump. It's all they know how to do since, as former Democratic operative Dan Turrentine noted, they don't have any agenda." . . . 

"Here’s a deal for [Gutfeld]. (Never heard of him til he spent 8 mins criticizing what I bench press) *The deal: if tough guy benches more than me for 10 reps I’ll leave Congress. If not, he leaves Fox News. I’ll give Greg 48 hrs to accept, then I’m calling him GUTLESSfeld"

. . . "The funny thing is he had a chance to "lower costs" for the American people, but he voted against the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that helped preserve tax cuts for Americans. Instead, he's doing things like this video. 

Swalwell was roundly mocked on X. Fox's Greg Gutfeld had a little fun with him, as our sister site Twitchy reported. Gutfeld said Swalwell's videos gave "the ick."

"That mocking upset Swalwell, who then decided to embarrass himself more. 

"Not only is Gutfeld more successful at his job and on the issues, where it counts, but Swalwell isn't aware of Gutfeld's physical history. While Gutfeld is older than Swalwell, he used to lift. He has a bodybuilding history. 
"I have no doubt Gutfeld would have creamed Swalwell at the same age, and maybe he would now as well. Swalwell may not want Gutfeld to take up that bet. " . . .More...

Eric Swalwell Challenges Greg Gutfeld to Bench Press Duel—Loser Quits Their Job - LateNighter

Eric Swalwell's 'cringe' workout video mocked for benching light weight Accommodation; San Jose News   . . . "Conservative podcaster Eric Matheny mocked the weight Swalwell was lifting as well.

" 'It's not a flex for a 43-year-old man to bench press what a 14-year-old freshman football player does. What is up with these phony attempts of masculinity? Do Swalwell and Tim Walz use the same PR guy?' " . . .

Eric Swalwell's Workout Video Sparks Funny Online Jokes! | US Newsper   "California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell has recently found himself at the center of an online storm after posting a workout video that has gone viral. The video, which showcases his exercise routine, features Swalwell bench pressing what many consider to be light weights. This has led to a wave of mockery and ridicule from social media users." . . .

Bad Bunny Brought Political Divisiveness to the Super Bowl

  The Punching Bag Post 

"Those on the left were effusively generous in their praise of the Bad Bunny halftime show. MS NOW’s resident propagandist, Nicole Wallace, gave the show her best panty-wetting praise."

"On his Saturday morning show, CNN’s Michael Smerconish expressed his hope that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would not bring political controversy and division to the Super Bowl. Smerconish said that the Super Bowl may be the most unifying event we have in America – noting that tens of millions of folks from all backgrounds would be watching For Smerconish, the Super Bowl represented and electronic common ground.

"As far as Smerconish went, he was right. People watching were bonded by a love of the American sport – even if they were fans of different teams. In fact, many have pleaded in the past to keep divisive political expressions out of all sports – and other venues not related to politics.

"Bad Bunny did not use the halftime program to express hardcore political views – and yet political controversy raged in the show’s aftermath. That is because Smerconish missed the salient point. In selecting a politically controversial personality to headline the halftime show, the NFL guaranteed a political reaction. It was built in. Bad Bunny had already established himself as a controversial political partisan during the Grammy Awards.

"The fact that choosing Bad Bunny guaranteed controversy, Turning Point USA responded by producing an “alternative” halftime program with popular entertainer favored by folks on the right. It did not prove to be the alternative they had hoped for. Bad Bunny attracted more than 180 million viewers compared to 12 million for the alternative — which was a great show with great talent regardless.

"Bad Bunny’s performance as an entertainer was judged along political lines. It could not have been otherwise. The MAGA right was harshly critical. President Trump said it was “absolutely terrible.” “One of the worst, EVER!” Booking Bad Bunny was such a bad decision that there are calls for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to resign.

"It is not the first time the NFL has been accused of engaging in woke policies and actions. In the past, various players have disrespected the National Anthem by refusing to stand, kneeling or turning their backs –although that did not happen at the 2026 Super Bowl.

"Those on the left were effusively generous in their praise of the Bad Bunny halftime show. MS NOW’s resident propagandist, Nicole Wallace, gave the show her best panty-wetting praise. “It was awesome, even if you didn’t understand a word …” For Wallace, it was the best performance … ever.

"Both Trump and Wallace are wrong. It was not the worst musical program ever – but it was not nearly the best. It was okay. The fair criticism came from those not driven by political purpose. Some fairly criticized the format — produced for television, not the folks in the stands – and the fact that it was almost exclusively in Spanish. Only Lady Gaga offered some English lyrics. (As an iconic American event, I personally believe that criticism has some justification.)" . . .  More...

Trump, Beware—These ‘Unforced Errors’ Could Hand Democrats a Midterm Win

Victor Davis Hanson

We’ve never seen politics like this, and you can win the midterms even though you’re an incumbent president. And don’t make errors that don’t need to be made.

"Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson. There’s about nine months left into the midterm elections in November. And how should we envision this with the current administration, its chances of retaining control of the House or Senate?

"Well, I think the best simile is that there’s a pathway over the mountains, like a pass, but on one side there’s a shear drop, and the other, there’s, on the right side, there is ample room, if you travel close to the mountains and not get near the precipice.

"Now, what is the precipice? There is a pathway to save the Republican Congress and thereby to save the Trump counterrevolution. We saw what the alternative was under Joe Biden, but it’ll be much worse in 2028 if a Kamala Harris wins and has a Democratic Congress waiting for her, which she could have, at least at the beginning of it in November.

"So, what do we have to look at? What are the perils that you’ll fall over the cliff as you go on the pass to the midterm? The first is these unforced errors. I don’t want to get into who did it or whose fault it is. I’m just suggesting that when you say Rob Reiner after his death, you say something untoward, I’m talking in a strict political sense now, it’s not  good.

"Why? Because to repeat the Trump success in 2024, you must do three things. You must win black males at 26%. You must win Hispanic males about 55% and get them out to vote. And you must win or come break even with independents. That’s in addition to getting your base out.

"But if you make fun of Rob Reiner after he’s dead and not say, you know, not honor the old Latin warning [de mortuis nil nisi bonum], don’t say anything bad, don’t say anything unless it’s good about the dead, then you’re going to offend whom? The independents.

"And so, this week we had this strange little meme or video that President Donald Trump was sort of the Lion King, and all of his enemies were various animals that inhabit the jungle. And I think Joe Biden was an ape and all that. But there was the Obamas portrayed as primates." . . .  Trump, Beware—These ‘Unforced Errors’ Could Hand Democrats a Midterm Win

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior contributor for The Daily Signal, is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and host of "The Victor Davis Hanson Show."