IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

I AM A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. And thus, I read with interest and involvement Ashley Ahn’s “F.C.C. Chair Threatens to Revoke Broadcasters’ Licenses Over War Coverage,” The New York Times, March 14, 2026.

I note FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s threat, “Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.” I find this tantamount with a mobster saying, “You gotta nice little shop here and if you don’t come across, you’ll lose it.”

What’s more, Carr had the impunity to share rantings of Trump’s Truth Social post, examples of which I repeat here: “The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (in particular), and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ actually want us to lose the War.” Closing with a flurry Trump wrote, “Fortunately, as proven by our Great and Conclusive Election Win in 2024, the People of our Country understood what is happening far better than the Fake News Media!”

How Mussolini-esque. For once, however, Trump didn’t deny the rather more great and conclusive Biden win in 2020.

Hegseth Bristling at Reality. Ashley Ahn reports, “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a similar vein, delivered a lengthy complaint about CNN’s coverage of the war in the Middle East during a news conference Friday, saying that he looked forward to the news network being controlled by the billionaire David Ellison.”

Yeah, just what we need: another propaganda source to supplement Fox News.

Ahn continues, “Mr. Ellison, who has a friendly relationship with Mr. Trump, is the owner of Paramount Skydance, which is seeking to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. That deal, if it closes, will bring CNN under Mr. Ellison’s purview. He is best known in the journalism world for shaking up leadership at CBS News, where he has installed more conservative journalists.”

Pause here to hear the sounds of Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards, and Walter Cronkite spinning in their graves. 

“Get Used To It.” To me, Jack Tapper, co-host of a Sunday public affairs program, spoke for much of the remaining media—and many of us:  He said, “Let’s be clear: It is the news media’s responsibility to cover this war, not to cheerlead for it…. We’re not going to stop. It doesn’t matter how many times the propaganda campaign that accompanies any war is deployed against us. So, get used to it.”

A Ludicrous Trump Et Al. Today, I’ve assembled other examples along these lines, particularly exhibiting the ludicrousness of Trump and his cohorts. 

“War-a-Largo.” Illustration by Barry Blitt.

Barry Blitt’s insightful illos have appeared earlier here. Would that they continue.

This recent Blitt is spot-on. There’s a short-fingered vulgarian portraying a military hero (despite bone spurs, perhaps mistakenly remembered on his heels, not his head). The driver, understandably smaller-statured and carefully quaffed, is shown with both hands on the wheel, not texting away exact attack times, SignalGate fashion. 

An excellent Blitt.

And Thanks Again, Andy. Andy Borowitz continues to share valuable daily examples of political satire at The Borowitz Report. Recently, he offered “Pete Hegseth’s Private Search History,” the privacy of which is clearly as well kept as “1345: “Trigger Based” F-18 1st Strike Window Starts.”

Here’s a gleaning of my favorites:  “can you obliterate same thing twice” “pete hegseth hot” “pete hegseth sexy” “pete hegseth president” “who is curds” “can you go to prison for war crime” “is kaitlan colins single” “cushion soles to make florsheim shoes not hurt” “manly hand gestures” “how to tell when makeup makes you look like drag queen” “why do some photos make ass look big” “what is straight of hormooz” “do people hate hegseth more than they hated rumsfield” “how to tell if your about 2 b fired” “job openings at fox news”

Gee, it’s nearly the entire list. Thanks, Andy. Keep up your excellent satire. And wasn’t Conan O’Brien’s Oscar comment a hoot! ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026