“A pious drinking game”
The Brand Brief 1.13.26: The New York Times, Scott Adams, Renee Good, Glenn Youngkin, Riley Gaines, Tom Homan, Ilhan Omar, American cars, and Iranian massacre
Actionable media intel to keep you ahead: The Brand Brief delivers a daily snapshot of the conservative media ecosystem - FOX News, podcasts, and more. | Brought to you by On Brand Strategies | Written by Carly Moran and Nathan Brand
📣 Driving the Conversation…
1,656 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (13+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Faith in conservative media
New Media Voices: MN shooting footage discussion continues
Leading FOX: Protecting girls sports plays on the high court
Trending and Pouncing: Anti-ICE protests
What the Right is Writing: Protests and Mamdani
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
One of the widest gulfs between conservative and legacy media is religion, particularly Christianity.
Just this week, Vanity Fair ran an absurd piece about a traditional D.C. church, likening communion to a “pious drinking game.” Meanwhile, The New York Times profiled a Texas Democrat today who described God as “non-binary” and a so-called “Biblical case” for abortion.
On the other side of that divide sits conservative media. Its cultural emphasis has enabled many Christian conservative voices to thrive, including Allie Beth Stuckey and Matt Walsh. In his later years, Charlie Kirk was more of a preacher than a pundit. The Daily Wire recently added another faith-focused Catholic host, Matt Fradd. Scott Adams, who passed away today, shared a final message about accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And FOX News has been running a package this week about the faith of NFL quarterbacks.
While legacy media failed to speak to religious viewers, conservative media has provided a place for millions of faith-filled Americans. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 1/12
Kelly argues the ICE officer rightly feared for his life in the shooting of Renee Good based on newly released body cam footage, condemns “Karen Intifada” protests and says most ICE arrests have been of sex offenders and other violent criminals
Mark Geragos and Matt Murphy, MK True Crime hosts, join the show to discuss West Wing actor Timothy Busfield’s arrest on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse
Busfield’s wife Melissa Gilbert has previously attacked Kelly for her coverage of the Epstein files
Kelly says Hollywood is focusing on the wrong issues, referencing the politicization of the Golden Globes, and says the industry instead needs to look inward at its child exploitation issues
The Ben Shapiro Show - 1/12
Shapiro contrasts Golden Globes attendees wearing “ICE Out” pins and mocking Barry Weiss while completely ignoring anti-regime protests in Iran
Based on video footage, Shapiro says Renee Good is being treated by revisionists as an innocent victim, much like George Floyd
ICE protesters have been trained to obstruct agents in swarms, encouraged by politicians like Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, while Border Czar Tom Homan warns impeding is illegal
For two weeks now, Iranian protesters have been killed by their own government and cut off from internet, Trump considers interceding
Shapiro criticizes the DOJ’s investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, citing it as politically motivated
At the end of the episode, Shapiro promotes Pints with Aquinas joining The Daily Wire host of shows
The Michael Knowles Show - 1/12
Knowles says liberal media pundits have shifted the narrative on Renee Good from being murdered in a parked vehicle, to her “barely hitting” the ICE officer
Based on new video footage, Knowles says Good is to blame, as well as her partner for encouraging her to drive away and Democrat politicians for bolstering anti-ICE rhetoric
Knowles describes Trump as a “conservative imperialist,” saying he could unite neoconservatives for his geopolitical wins with paleoconservatives for his Monroe Doctrine focus on the border
Trump announces a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10%, and bans institutional investors like BlackRock from buying up single-family homes
Outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin endorses VP J.D. Vance for president in 2028
Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” - 1/12
Stuckey says women like Renee Good have a misplaced motherly instinct that they apply to politics or work instead of their families, while also being guilty of toxic empathy
Toxic empathy, she explains, is a misplaced form of care that remains silent on certain victims that don’t fit a preconceived narrative, such as Laken Riley or cops killed during riots
Referencing Romans 13, Stuckey argues the Bible is in favor of order, saying the fall of Babel is an example of the chaos of open borders
After Party with Emily Jashinsky - 1/12
Blake Neff, producer of the Charlie Kirk Show, joins Jashinsky to discuss how the protests for Renee Good are rapidly devolving into targeted violence toward ICE
During the politically performative Golden Globes, Polymarket accurately guessed 26/27 of its predictions for the night
Celebrities like Billy Bob Thornton have recently criticized other actors and musicians for lecturing the public, while Whitney Cummings says she’s had to reflect on her past reflexively progressive views
Amherst College is pressuring the Washington Free Beacon to blur students’ faces in a video of a mock-sex performance during campus orientation
A record number of Americans identify as independent, while Gen Z at a majority identifies as 56% independent
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and state AG Keith Ellison say Minnesota will sue the Dept. of Homeland Security
Portland’s police chief cries while admitting the suspects in a shooting had ties to Tren de Aragua, not wanting DHS to be correct
Trump says Iran is “starting to cross red lines” after the regime kills hundreds of protesters in the streets
Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren envisions a big tent party that allows for socialism in her speech at the National Press Club on Monday
The Golden Globes featured anti-ICE pins, politicized speeches
Gen Z says the new “Karen” name is now “Jessica”
FOX & Friends
The Supreme Court will hear the case today to uphold the 29 red states’ bans on biological men playing in women’s sports, guest student athlete Madison Kenyon shares her story of having to compete against a man
Trump expresses concerns over the Supreme Court potentially ruling against tariffs
ICE protests are devolving into riots across Minneapolis as agents get attacked by mobs, guest former ICE Director Jonathan Fahey says Minnesota doesn’t have legal standing to sue DHS
Trump will visit Ford’s Detroit headquarters today to discuss the future of the American auto industry
An Ohio man who allegedly murdered his ex-wife and her new partner could face upgraded charges
Protests intensify across Iran as citizens are killed in the streets, internet is shut down by the regime
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said on the Rufo & Lomez podcast that 10% of the U.S. budget gets stolen by fraud each year
Trump plans to host the Venezuelan opposition leader later this week
The United Kingdom considers banning the X app for deepfakes
Trump denies any involvement in the DOJ’s investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Brian Kilmeade continues his tour of the Wiesbaden military base
The GOP says it is looking to focus on affordability for midterms
FOX Newsroom
Guest Riley Gaines addresses the Supreme Court case on women’s sports today, as FOX plays live audio of oral arguments
Guest Border Czar Tom Homan responds to Minnesota and Illinois suing the Trump administration for ICE deployments
Trump announces a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran, says “help is on its way” to regime protesters, as many as 3,000 killed
Trump visits Detroit today to tour Ford headquarters, give a speech on affordability and American manufacturing
An Ohio double-murder suspect makes his first court appearance today
Guests former Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir and former Clinton advisor Mark Penn respond to the growth in Americans identifying as independents
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
Susan Chatzky, wife of NY Democrat House candidate…deemed the Bible “f*cking stupid,” appeared to joke about President Trump’s death and suggested that young White men be deported or imprisoned. [X, Daily Caller]
Anti-ICE protestors in TN lie about being runover by law enforcement [X, LibsOfTikTok]
Ilhan Omar: “She’s sitting in her car… peacefully waving cars to get by.” Reality: she blocked the road for over 3 minutes, was dancing in the driver’s seat as she honked her horn, and accelerated towards an agent. [X, Libs of TikTok]
The Hill’s The Movement: MAGA debates embracing American imperialism
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Supreme Court hears arguments over trans athletes in girls’ sports [FOX News]
Iran plans execution of protester as Trump weighs bombing [FOX News]
Bill Clinton scheduled to appear before Oversight Committee [FOX News]
Breitbart
Trump Affordability Win: Deportations Drive Down Rents [Breitbart]
Ilhan Omar: ICE Officer Committed a ‘Clear Murder’-- It was an ‘Execution’ [Breitbart]
Trump Denounces Antisemites in the GOP: ‘I Think We Don’t Like Them’ [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Lawfare for Dummies, Monetary Edition [WSJ Ed]
Seattle Reverts to Progressive Form [WSJ Ed]
Iran’s Regime Massacres Its Own People [WSJ Ed]
Britain Really Dislikes Elon Musk [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
NYC mogul John Catsimatidis left with ‘tears in my eyes’ amid escalating bitter breakup with ‘brother’ Rudy Giuliani [NYP]
LA Starbucks worker who gave cop ‘offensive’ cup with pig fired — as company gives bizarre explanation [NYP]
Rep. Andy Barr stays on top with $6.4M campaign war chest for Senate race to replace Mitch McConnell [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Zohran Mamdani’s Father Calls Columbia’s Anti-Semitism Task Force a ‘Prosecutorial Agency’ That Acts Like British Imperial Colonizers [WFB]
NEED HELP NAVIGATING CONSERVATIVE MEDIA?
On Brand Strategies would love to help you navigate the conservative media ecosystem. Learn more at OnBrandStrategies.com, or connect with Nathan (Nathan@OnBrandStrategies.com) and Carly (Carly@OnBrandStrategies.com).
