The land of 10,000 crazies
The Brand Brief 12.3.25: Tim Walz, Sabrina Carpenter, Mark Kelly, Matt Van Epp, the Dell Family, Krystal Ball, and Kristi Noem
Actionable media intel to cut through the noise and keep you ahead: The Brand Brief delivers a daily snapshot of trending stories in 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…
1,646 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (12+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Conservative media driving Minnesota story
New Media Voices: Pete Hegseth vs. Mark Kelly
Leading FOX: Tennessee results and Oklahoma student
Trending and Pouncing: Omar, Ball, and Warner
What the Right is Writing: Tennessee and Minnesota
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
The conservative media ecosystem is carrying the Minnesota COVID-era fraud story. This level of taxpayer fraud is unmatched ($1 billion!!), yet ABC, NBC, and CBS evening news have ignored it. The New York Times played catch-up, and Democrat Gov. Tim Walz was finally questioned about it during Meet the Press Sunday.
The story also lends itself well to the conservative ecosystem with Minnesota’s cast of characters, including Gov. Tim Walz, the Somali community, and Rep. Ilhan Omar. We have conservative media to thank for keeping this important story alive. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 12/2
While the Washington Post claims Sec. of War Pete Hegseth authorized a second strike on a drug boat, the NYT says the second strike was done by Admiral Frank Bradley
Guest Dr. Brian Cox says there was no war crime, since the boat was only damaged but not destroyed after the initial strike
Megyn Kelly criticizes NPR and other outlets for not updating their reporting, guests Rich Lowry and Dr. Cook condemn Sen. Mark Kelly for spreading misinformation
Retired FBI agents claim Kash Patel acts partisan, while his leadership has led to record arrests of violent perpetrators and fentanyl busts
An Afghan national, a former CIA Zero Unit member, killed National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom and shot Ssgt. Andrew Wolfe
The Ben Shapiro Show - 12/2
Shapiro argues the Democrats’ campaign strategy is to create unease among the military while repositioning themselves as moderates
Democrats House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Mark Kelly are accusing Sec. of War Pete Hegseth of violating the Geneva Convention, despite new evidence suggesting otherwise
Shapiro believes Sen. Kelly is trying to boost his national media presence in order to campaign for president in 2028
Thanks to it being an off-year election, affordability fears, and millions spent on ads, the race between Matt Van Epps and Aftyn Behn was close
The Michael Knowles Show - 12/2
Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke says she is grateful for her mother Uma Thurman’s abortion of her sibling
A University of Oklahoma student received a zero on her gender identity paper for citing the Bible, defending traditional roles
A Wall Street Journal report reveals that many UC San Diego students can’t do basic math, Knowles blames this on overreliance on ChatGPT
Knowles encouraged Nashville voters to support Republican candidate Matt Van Epp in the congressional special election
In other news, Sen. Bernie Moreno supports banning dual citizenship, Democrats admit illegal immigrants use welfare, and the FDA says COVID vaccines have caused at least 10 child deaths
Timcast IRL - 12/2
The Timcast team criticizes Candace Owens for falsely claiming TPUSA was involved in Charlie Kirk’s murder, denied a deal with Israel
The panel suggests Owens could be jealous of Erika Kirk, predicts she will lose her defamation suit for “transvestigating” French First Lady Brigitte Macron
The Washington Post falsely accuses Sec. of War Pete Hegseth of committing a war crime, while the NYT confirms he only ordered an initial drug boat strike
Singer Sabrina Carpenter condemns the White House for using her song in a deportation video
Socialist Aftyn Behn loses the TN-7 special election against Republican Matt Van Epps, but the race’s close results signal midterm concerns
While joking about Franklin the Turtle memes, the panel unpacks false allegations about the Pentagon’s new media reporters
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
A look inside the FOX editorial decision-making…
The Five
Sec. of War Pete Hegseth defends his choice to “double tap” the Venezuelan drug boat
CNN, MS Now hosts refuse to accept Trump’s healthy MRI results, claim he has memory issues
Trump reaches a new Truth Social post record, posting more than 150 times in one night
Socialist candidates are popping up across the country, like Aftyn Behn in Nashville and Janeese Lewis George in D.C.
Rosie O’Donnell says her autistic daughter is having violent meltdowns over Trump
FOX & Friends
VP Vance said at the cabinet meeting yesterday that 2026 is when affordability “will really take off,” Trump said they’re not ruling out ground strikes in Venezuela
The GOP manages to hold off a socialist Aftyn Behn win in Nashville during an off-season election
An NYU student was assaulted on the street, assailant under arrest
Murder suspect Brian Walshe’s internet history reveals shocking results, such as “How to stop a body from decomposing”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio confirms work is still needed on the Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal, Putin remains stubborn
An 11-year-old Californian boy was killed in a hit-in-run by an illegal migrant
Camp Mystic plans to reopen in 2026 after 27 campers and counselors died in this year’s Texas flash flood
A University of Oklahoma student says she was targeted for her conservative beliefs after receiving a zero grade on a paper
Following accusations of ignoring fraud, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he “welcomes” an investigation
The Dell Family donates $6.25 billion toward Trump Accounts, which invest $1,000 in the stock market for babies born under the Trump Admin
The National Guard shooting suspect pleads “not guilty” from his hospital bed as the federal government seeks the death penalty
FOX Newsroom
Guest Matt Van Epps celebrates his win against socialist Aftyn Behn, but the close results sends warning signs to the GOP
Sec. of State Marco Rubio says Maduro’s Venezuelan regime is illegitimate
The Trump Admin is set to unveil the Fentanyl Free America strategy
The Dell Family donates billions toward Trump Accounts, which will give babies born under the Trump Admin a headstart at investing
Border Czar Tom Homan says ICE will look to crack down on the Minnesota Twin Cities next, following Somali fraud scheme
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer critiques Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for potentially turning a blind eye to fraud
The escaped Mississippi test monkey has now found a new home at a New Jersey animal sanctuary
Sabrina Carpenter criticizes the White House for using her music in a deportation video
An illegal migrant, deported four times previously, killed a San Diego child in a hit-and-run while playing soccer in the street
The mother of a Texas A&M student who died after a party demands a further investigation into cause of death
A University of Oklahoma professor has been placed on leave after giving a student a zero for her conservative article about gender norms
Trump says in the future, tariff revenue will replace the income tax
Justice Clarence Thomas questions the Democrat-led probe into a pro-life pregnancy center
An NYU student was assaulted on the street by a man with 16 prior arrests
Guest Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs, says less Americans value college degrees the higher tuition becomes
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today: highlights from the conversation on the right and what conservatives are “pouncing” on…
Sen. Mark Warner: “I think, in many ways, the uniformed military may help save us from this President.” [X, Price]
Somali Rep. Ilhan Omar: “[Trump’s] always been racist, bigot, xenophobic, and Islamophobic! He called African nations ‘sh*thole!’” [X, Daugherty]
Ex-MSNBC Host Krystal Ball can’t grasp why minorities join ICE [X, Cohen]
Sec. Kristi Noem: “I looked into Minnesota and their visa fraud. 50% of them are fraudulent, which means that whacko Gov. Walz either is an idiot or did it on purpose! I think he’s both.” [X, Daugherty]
Democrat Jack Reed dismisses smuggling drugs: “Usually, people are not significantly involved...It’s the way they make money.” [X, RNC Research]
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed -candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan- thinks Aftyn Behn’s vision is the future of the Democrat Party. [X, RNC Research]
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent: For 10 months Biden did not have a cabinet meeting. [X, Daugherty]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
Leading FOX News Digital
Republicans win highly contested battle for vacant GOP-held House seat [FOX News]
Americans may soon pay ‘no income tax’ [FOX News]
Trump drops surprise line on Elon Musk after ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ blowup [FOX News]
Top of Breitbart
St. Paul Mayor: Feds Shouldn’t Prosecute Somalis for Flagrant Fraud Schemes [Breitbart]
Sen. Murphy: Hegseth Has to ‘Resign’ or Trump Has to ‘Fire Him’ [Breitbart]
Marlow: Trump, Hegseth Laid a Venezuelan Drug Boat Trap [Breitbart]
Matt Van Epps Wins Special Election for TN Seventh Congressional District [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Trump’s Pardon for Cocaine Juan [WSJ Ed]
Trump Strikes a Good Drug Deal [WSJ Ed]
Billionaire Cash for Kids and Capitalism [WSJ Ed]
No Fire Critics Allowed in Hong Kong [WSJ Ed]
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE NEWS?
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