The barbell strategy
The Brand Brief 3.11.26: Marc Andreessen, CNN, Joe Rogan, Lindsey Graham, Rachel Maddow, Tom Cotton, Gavin Newsom, and Joy Behar
Actionable media intel: 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…
1,595 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (12+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: What’s in your media diet?
New Media Voices: Iran and Lindsey Graham
Leading FOX: Iran, New York, and Kentucky
Trending: NYC and Seattle
What the Right is Writing: New York City and Joy Behar
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
You can learn a lot about a person from their media diet.
A fascinating convo broke out online this week when a16z’s Marc Andreessen posted about his information diet. He summarized it as the “Barbell Strategy” - a heavy mix of X and old books.
But what fills the space in between the classics and breaking news? Newsletters - particularly those written by experts in their respective fields. Andreessen’s media diet tracks with what Pew found (and we wrote about last week).
What’s in your media diet?- NRB
What do you think of The Brand Brief? Let us know.
🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 3/10
Kelly argues Sen. Lindsey Graham’s vocal role in Iran deviates from Trump’s original messaging, says public sentiment is against the war and could harm the GOP in midterms as oil prices rise
She says a girl’s school in Iran may have been bombed by the US military, officials deny this
A prison guard involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s case had suspicious financial activity and search histories prior to his death
Jim Fitzgerald, Will Geddes, and James Hamilton, security experts, discuss if a wifi jammer was used in the Nancy Guthrie case, and her neighbor’s supposed encounter with FBI agents
The Ben Shapiro Show - 3/10
Shapiro says there’s no proof the Iran War will last for years, saying it’s only been 12 days, the new leader Mojtaba Khamenei is already ill
He says oil prices are already dropping to below $90 a barrel as the US military escorts oil tankers
Shapiro highlights recent successes like destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and sinking 46 ships
He blames “horseshoe right isolationists” like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and members of the media for spreading misinformation
In other news, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani continues to comfort Muslims rather than terror victims, and James Talarico spreads lies about Christianity
The Matt Walsh Show - 3/10
Walsh criticizes Sen. Lindsey Graham for calling for his own constituents to go to fight in the Middle East
He compares the dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail to the dangers of mass migration
Walsh critiques protester Walter Masterson’s response to the NYC bombing attempt
He says commentator David French praised James Talarico, raising concerns about his alignment with traditional Christian values.
The Dan Bongino Show - 3/10
Bongino discusses the importance of grassroots mobilization for the upcoming midterm elections, expresses skepticism towards the repeated media predictions of World War III
He highlights a concerning trend of left-leaning groups infiltrating the judicial system, which poses risks for fair trials and jury selections
Bongino points to a poll indicating Trump is more popular than prominent Democrats
He criticizes how CNN reported on the attempted NYC terror attack
Timcast IRL - 3/10
Polling shows most Americans oppose the war with Iran, after Joe Rogan’s comments about feeling betrayed by the war went viral given Trump’s “no more wars” campaign messaging.
The panel discusses Iran’s threats to disrupt oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, its uranium enrichment program, and its funding of proxy groups like Hamas and the Houthis
The panel argues Sen. Lindsey Graham’s attempt at lumping isolationism in with antisemitism is dangerous, alienates voters
CNN deleted a post that sympathetically framed two teenagers arrested in NYC for throwing homemade bombs inspired by ISIS
The team argues whether 38 states with laws restricting government contractors from boycotting Israel goes against freedom of speech
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
MS Now’s Rachel Maddow is trying to revive the Russiagate hoax, Stephen Colbert makes jokes about Iran’s serious threats to the US, Whoopi Goldberg claims the military is sending soldiers to their deaths
CNN is under fire for a headline claiming the NYC bombing suspects happened to just become terrorists, the panel shames Democrats for keeping DHS shut down as sleeper cells awaken across the US
After Kamala Harris got political at Jesse Jackson’s funeral, Democrats are looking for an offramp from her 2028 interests
A former Biden advisor said at a hearing that they were told to make “maps more queer”
FOX & Friends
A tornado ripped through Illinois last night in a string of midwestern spring storms
The U.S. destroys 16 mine-laying ships, guest Interior Sec. Doug Burgum says gas prices will lower following the grand opening of a $300 billion oil refinery in Brownsville, TX
Six Iranian women’s soccer players are granted asylum in Australia
Former Iranian hostage Kevin Hermening is interviewed on his run for Congress
TSA absences have doubled during the DHS shutdown
Following the attempted bombing earlier this week, a mysterious package near the NYC mansion caused an evacuation today, hero Chief Aaron Andrews says he did what all cops do
A man has been detained after crashing his van into the White House gate
Steve Doocy interviews Vanilla Ice at his mansion
President Trump is expected to focus on the economy during his visits to Kentucky and Ohio today
A family is suing OpenAI, claiming it knew about the Canadian school shooting in advance
Daily Wire podcaster Isabel Brown is interviewed on the degradation of American families through media
A 19-year-old pilot made an emergency landing on a Florida street
FOX Newsroom
Sen. Tom Cotton reacts to multiple Iranian ships bombed at a key Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani says they’ve hit multiple drone factories, more than 40k Americans returned from Middle East by State Dept.
More than 10 midwestern states have been ravaged by tornadoes this week
California gas price averages reach $5.33 a gallon, Chevron calls out Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat strategist Melissa Derosa reacts, European IEA releases 400M barrels of emergency oil reserves
CNN deletes a tweet that made it sound like the NYC bombers were two teens out for a fun day in the city
Six Iranian women’s soccer players are granted asylum by Australia
Adam Klotz hikes Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in a snow storm
New footage shows a NYC terror suspect buying a fuse at a Pennsylvania fireworks shop at the start of the month
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
CNN’s Abby Phillip claims that the attempted NYC bombing was “an attempted terror attack against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.” [X, Price]
Core inflation just came in at its lowest level in nearly four years at just 2.5% for February, holding steady from last month. [X, Daugherty]
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announces that his family is leaving Seattle for Florida the same day Democrats passed an income tax on Washington state [X, Hoffman]
A man who shoved an 83 year old and another man onto subway tracks in NYC is a Honduran illegal. Richard Williams is unlikely to survive [X, End Wokeness]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Hezbollah, Iran unleash coordinated cluster bomb strikes on Israel in major escalation [FOX News]
Iran deploys ruthless special force to shield supreme leader’s son after Tehran hit [FOX News]
GOP shifts tone as Iran conflict hits gas pumps [FOX News]
Breitbart
British Govt. Plan to Scrap Jury Trials Clears First Hurdle [Breitbart]
Behar: Trump’s 2nd Term Is a ‘Reign of Terror,’ He’s Created ‘Misery’ [Breitbart]
Brendan Carr: Trump Is ‘Fundamentally Reshaping’ the Media Landscape [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Elizabeth Warren’s Housing Coup [WSJ Ed]
The Talking Filibuster Is a Mirage [WSJ Ed]
The Nuclear Job in Iran Isn’t Finished [WSJ Ed]
Hong Kong’s Economic Spy Front [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Cornyn calls on Republicans to change filibuster rules to pass SAVE America Act, reopen DHS [NYP]
Hero NYPD chief who went viral after chasing down Gracie Mansion bomb suspects speaks out [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
‘Decolonial Organizing Lessons from Gaza’s Warrior Mujahideen’: Union Theological Seminary, A Columbia Affiliate, To Host Talk From ‘Activist-Scholar’ Banned By Columbia for Endorsing Hamas [WFB]
Washington Reporter
Trump administration eager to confront “genuinely insane” House Democrat on anti-Semitism [Reporter]
NEED HELP NAVIGATING CONSERVATIVE MEDIA?
On Brand Strategies can assist you in getting booked on shows, placing op-eds, and navigating the conservative media. Learn more at OnBrandStrategies.com.