Playbook’s blindspot revealed
The Brand Brief 1.9.26: Politico Playbook, Jacob Frey, Institutional investors, MAHA food pyramid, Luigi Mangione, ICE, Abdul El-Sayed, Renee Nicole Good, and JD Vance
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…
1,502 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (11+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Inside Politico Playbook
New Media Voices: Conservatives line up behind ICE officer
Leading FOX: JD Vance vs Minnesota Dems and the media
Trending and Pouncing: On the ground from MN protests
What the Right is Writing: The Donroe Doctrine
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
It is always instructive to glimpse inside newsroom decision-making, and DC just got a rare look at how Politico Playbook aggregates the news (h/t Sean Spicer for catching this).
Conservatives weren’t shocked to learn that Playbook relies heavily on legacy outlets and left-wing outlets like Vox and The Atlantic. Of the 32 publications they monitor, only three lean right: FOX News, National Review, and the WSJ Editorial page.
This gap is exactly why The Brand Brief exists. Millions of Americans rely on conservative media every day, and ignoring it means missing the story. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 1/8
Kelly argues the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who allegedly attempted to hit an ICE agent with her car, was justified
In a previous incident, the same officer had been dragged 100+ yards during a June 2025 arrest attempt, which likely added to his reasons for pulling the trigger
Kelly’s panel of attorneys and former law enforcement say the video footage of the shooting meets the Graham v. Connor standard
Panelist Dave Aronberg says the issue isn’t clear cut, but all agree Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz’s rhetoric has been inflammatory
The Ben Shapiro Show - 1/8
Shapiro examines video footage of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, says it was justified due to her accelerating toward the officer
Shapiro condemns Frey and Walz for demonizing ICE, for encouraging protests as a patriotic duty
Since the shooting, hundreds of protesters have clashed with ICE on the ground, distracting from the Somali fraud case
Shapiro questions the effectiveness of Trump’s call to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes
The Daily Wire announces a new documentary highlighting the 88-minute capture of Nicolas Maduro
The Matt Walsh Show - 1/8
Walsh defends the ICE agent shooting as self-defense, referencing the driver accelerating her vehicle
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz encourages civil war-esque rhetoric, saying he has the National Guard prepared for confrontation if necessary
Walsh makes fun of NYC housing official Cea Weaver, who views private property as tied to white supremacy yet her mother owns a $1.4 million home
Trump announces a ban on large institutional investors from purchasing up single-family homes, Walsh says it will protect the American dream
The comet Object 3I/ATLAS is the third to pass by Earth from outside our solar system
The Louder with Crowder Show - 1/8
Crowder says the decision to shoot Renee Nicole Good was justified, as she was accelerating and the officer had limited time to react
Attacks on ICE agents surged by 1,150% in 2025, and the officer may have been dragged by another vehicle back in June
Crowder contrasts law and order, necessary for liberty, to the consequences of rioting as seen in 2020
The PBD Podcast - 1/9
As the Iranian regime collapses, anywhere between 50 to hundreds of people have been slaughtered in the street, Ali Khamenei cuts off internet, panel debates Tucker Carlson’s support of Qatar
Bet-David, in the wake of the capture of Venezuela, and talks about Cuba and Greenland, explains the history of the Monroe Doctrine
VP JD Vance expresses disgust over how corporate media has covered the Minneapolis shooting, Bet-David says he’d have fired on the car, panel compares the riots to general societal decline such as theft in stores
Guest actor Rob Schneider reacts to Jimmy Kimmel pushing a theory that Trump invaded Venezuela to distract from the Epstein Files, compares to his experience as a conservative in Hollywood, expresses his concerns over trans kids
Bet-David and his panel thank Trump for banning institutional investors from purchasing single-family-homes
The panel shames LA Mayor Karen Bass for refusing to take the blame for the Palisades fire, even one year later
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
VP JD Vance says he feels bad for the woman who got shot by ICE, because he feels she’s a victim of left-wing rhetoric, earlier said the dumbest Democrat candidate will win their presidential primary
Democrats at Minnesota fraud hearing ask unrelated questions relating to Trump, George Santos
New MAHA food pyramid flips the previous one upside down, prioritizing protein and a limited whole grain diet
Gen Z and Millennial men are avoiding dates with women, some saying out of fear of being posted and shamed online
FOX & Friends
Guest Energy Sec. Chris Wright addresses Trump’s meeting with oil execs today on Venezuelan resources, guest Sen. Ted Cruz says the Cuban regime cannot survive without Venezuelan oil
Police break up protest barriers in Minneapolis, New York Post reports woman shot was an “ICE Watch Warrior,” DHS says the state agency has no jurisdiction over the case
Luigi Mangione is due in court today, facing four separate federal charges
Trump pushes dominance over the Western Hemisphere with the “Donroe Doctrine”
VP JD Vance announces a new assistant AG position focused on fighting federal-level fraud schemes
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NY Gov. Kathy Hochul announce a “free” childcare plan for the city that would cost $1.7B this year alone
The Supreme Court is expected to take up cases relating to laws banning biological men from competing in women’s sports
FOX Newsroom
A border patrol agent fired defensive shots into a car in Portland, driver may be a member of Tren de Aragua
Officials believe the Minnesota woman shot by ICE was a part of a resistance training program, guest DHS Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin reports on schools closed in Minneapolis due to ICE presence, Gov. Tim Walz places National Guard on standby
Accused United Healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione has a cult following, is due in court
Trump meets with oil execs today to discuss Venezuelan resources
The December jobs report and fourth quarter GDP results has led to a boost in the stock market
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
A woman at the makeshift memorial for Renee Good told me it felt wrong for her to be there. Because she’s a white woman with a lot of “privilege.” “I feel like white tears are not always helpful or necessary.” [X, Stoll]
Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis [X, Alpha News]
Venezuelans who fled to America are sending Maduro prison mail, trolling their former dictator with memes. [X, Polymarket]
Nick Shirley goes inside Somali grocery store, exposing foreign wiring businesses [X, Nick Shirley]
Trump: “We are gonna start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico.“ [X, Daily Caller]
This guy is an Oregon State Senator and he can barely even speak English. [X, Daugherty]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump cancels ‘second wave of attacks’ against Venezuela [FOX News]
Wife of anti-ICE ‘agitator’ said shooting was ‘my fault’ in video [FOX News]
Trump explains the ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ plans for governorship of Venezuela [FOX News]
Breitbart
House Dem: Shutting Down Government Over ICE Should ‘Be on the Table’ [Breitbart]
Democrats Use ICE Shooting to Push 2026 Election Theme: Trump Is Chaos! [Breitbart]
‘Stoking the Grievance Industry’: Leftists Mobilize After ICE Shooting [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
The ICE Shooting in Minneapolis [WSJ Ed]
The Trump-Warren Housing Condominium [WSJ Ed]
Welfare Grift From Minnesota to Mississippi [WSJ Ed]
Birmingham, U.K., Makes Trump’s Point [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Here’s who’s really behind the Minneapolis ICE resistance movement [NYP]
Renee Nicole Good was Minneapolis ‘ICE Watch’ ‘warrior’ who trained to resist feds before shooting [NYP]
Car attacks on ICE agents spiked by more than 3,200% in a year, DHS reveals after Minnesota shooting [NYP]
Calif.’s proposed billionaire tax has Silicon Valley titans fleeing for Florida — where they’re on the prowl for grand homes [NYP]
Notoriously fraudulent NY health program lost $1.2 billion to scammers and middlemen: ‘Minnesota multiplied by 10’ [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Identified Himself as an Egyptian Citizen When He Became a Columbia Professor. Now His Campaign Says He ‘Made a Mistake.’ [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).
