Decoding Fox News (private feed for johnmclaughlin48@gmail.com)

Podcast #190 - The Epstein Files, Groceries and the Commie Mamdani - Fox Will Say Anything to Try to Save Trump

Last week Fox News hosts twisted themselves into knots to justify Trump’s conflicting actions and statements regarding the Epstein files, New York City’s mayor-elect, and the affordability crisis.No one at the network seemed the least bit concerned that Trump gave the Saudi crown prince a lavish welcome despite his countries relationship with the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans during the September 11th attacks or the Saudi leader’s personal involvement with the murder and dismemberment of a U.S.- based journalist.Fox also downplayed the results of its own poll that showed Trump’s approval ratings plummeting with more Americans frustrated with how he is handling the U.S. economy.Folks at the network know their primary objective is to support the glorious leader and keep loyal viewers tuned into the nonstop outrage fantasy machine that is Fox News. If that means praising a man they have called a dangerous communist for months so be it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast #189 - A Thanksgiving Primer to Help you Deal with Your Fox Loving Relatives

For many Americans the winter holidays can be a treacherous field of emotional land mines triggered by family members who want to lecture them about politics. Say one wrong word and a loved one who is dedicating their lives to consuming as much Fox News as possible might promote a false story they saw on the Murdoch owned propaganda machine.Facts, hyperlinks to solid primary sources and exhaustive investigative reporting won’t help someone who is deeply entrenched in the disinformation pipeline. Trying to correct someone fully committed to the MAGA movement using evidence won’t work.Using words such as brainwashed, cult, propaganda and even lies won’t help you de-radicalize a friend or relative who is obsessed with the thrills of being constantly outraged and angered by a sophisticated media company that has poisoned minds in this country for nearly three decades.What you can do is arm yourself with knowledge, facts and sources that will help keep you calm cool and collected. I don’t encourage fighting with relatives who might have emotional outbursts over their devotion to their glorious leader.A true believer will only free themselves of the MAGA movement when they grow tired of it. It can a long and arduous process before they see the light.I don’t think this newsletter will convince anyone lost to the MAGA cult but it can prevent others from being dragged into it and at least you know you have solid primary sources so you can show anyone what is actually happening with the U.S. economy.I can’t get to everything as this newsletter would be hundreds of pages but I will go over some of his more egregious lies and misstatements. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast #188 - Pay No Attention to the Last Election! - Everyone Loves the Glorious Leader!

Last week Fox News minimized the blue wave of Democratic wins across the country to a ripple of stale water in a plastic kiddie pool. According to the folks at Fox Americans still loved and adored the glorious leader, Democrats were expected to win anyway and the Republican Party ran a bunch of poor candidates.The only thing the network conceded was that Trump could improve his messaging on the economy. The term ‘referendum’ appeared 20 times in the transcripts from last week. Each example was some form of “this election was not a referendum on Trump.”As Martha MacCallum put it on the night of the election, “It’s the economy, stupid, ends up being the simple story of a lot of elections.”Jesse Watters responded by lying about inflation while Brian Kilmeade claimed Trump just needed more time to let his policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill work their magic for the U.S. economy.Laura Ingraham barely kept it together as she predicted the fall of New York City under the Marxist, socialist, communist takeover of the charming millennial Muslim Zorhan Mamdani. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast #187 - Let SNAP Freeloaders Eat Cake!

The past week on Fox was wonky - the network spent most of its focus praising Trump during his visit to Asia and promoting Turning Point USA, the nonprofit co-created by the late Charlie Kirk. The network also trashed the Democratic Party while it aggressively promoted Republican gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.The only topic worth debunking was the network’s misrepresentation of the SNAP program (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program) that helps feed nearly 42 million Americans.Since Trump’s political resurrection Fox News has promoted the president and the Republican Party as champions for working class Americans. Trump is portrayed as a warrior for lower income Americans who are struggling with outsourced jobs, shuttered factories, lower wages and ever-increasing costs for just about everything.During his last campaign for president Trump promised to lower prices on groceries, housing, healthcare, electricity and gasoline. He emotionally whipped up his crowds like a preacher promising that his divine powers would make all their problems go away.He alone could fix it. So far most of his base still believes that the magic will happen and Fox News is more than happy to feed their delusions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Bonus Podcast - How Fox News Covered the Off Year Elections (The Disaster for Republicans)

This podcast covers Fox & Friends, The Five, Special Report with Bret Baier, and then all of the primetime shows with an extra hour of election night coverage. It did NOT go well for Republican candidates in several races. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe