What drives the fraud convo
The Brand Brief 5.13.26: JD Vance, Spencer Pratt, Karen Bass, Tiger Woods, Blake Lively, Stephen Colbert, and John Fetterman
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…
1,446 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (10+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Fraud in focus
New Media Voices: China, pharmaceuticals, and redistricting
Leading FOX: China and Los Angeles
Trending: Marco Rubio and Spencer Pratt
What the Right is Writing: Fraud, energy, and the 51st state
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
Government fraud has long been a staple of conservative media coverage, but the issue was supercharged by Nick Shirley’s videos in December. Now Vance is carrying the administration's torch.
Shirley didn’t happen by chance; the environment was primed for it. The biggest recent factor has been Elon Musk; from his work with DOGE to his relentless posting on X, Musk has fixed a national spotlight on government waste, fraud, and abuse. X clips drive the conservative news cycle, and no one is more prolific at posting them than Elon Musk himself. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Ben Shapiro Show - 5/12
Ahead of President Trump’s visit, Shapiro asserts China is actively engaging in extensive espionage, intellectual property theft, and infiltration of American academic and political institutions
He says the U.S. is economically vulnerable due to its dependence on Chinese debt and internal divisions, exacerbated by the welfare state and conspiracism
Shapiro says China’s “War on Faith” and its export of digital authoritarianism is exemplified by platforms like TikTok
He discusses Iran’s alliance with Pakistan, and U.S. Treasury sanctions targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ oil sales to China
Shapiro criticizes legacy institutions and the UN for their facilitation of “replacement migration,” advocates for the U.S. to recognize it is “at war”
The Isabel Brown Show - 5/12
Brown criticizes the mainstream media for falsely portraying HHS Sec. RFK, Jr. as anti-science for questioning antidepressant medications, arguing that Kennedy is actually trying to help Gen Z escape lifelong dependence on SSRIs
She argues selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are massively overprescribed to young people
Brown shares several alarming personal accounts, including Ella Emhoff’s decade-long SSRI use starting at age 11
She says pharmaceutical companies, like Eli Lilly, have knowingly concealed the severe and permanent side effects, such as chemical castration, emotional numbness, and altered fetal brain development in babies exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy
Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec - 5/12
Posobiec says President Trump’s strategic trip to China will work to reshape trade imbalances, technology theft, and ownership of U.S. assets
He criticizes China’s ascension to the World Trade Organization, advocating for aggressive measures to protect U.S. manufacturing, technology, and prevent Chinese acquisition of farmland
He highlights the impact of the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck on fuel prices, supports the immediate suspension of the federal gas tax
Posobiec criticizes Wall Street banks and large institutional investors for driving up housing costs by buying single-family homes, advocating for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to protect first-time home buyers
Reflecting on the ongoing war in Ukraine, he criticizes Barack Obama’s “reset” with Russia
Timcast IRL - 5/12
Despite their initial skepticism, the panel celebrates the Supreme Court redistricting decisions favoring Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama
Pool expresses concern over mass immigration, arguing policies like the Hart-Celler Act have failed to promote cultural assimilation
He critiques the rise of authoritarianism through US government surveillance, the threat of foreign influence, and calls for banning dual citizenship for public officials
The panel explores the ongoing “info war,” suggesting Big Tech algorithms exacerbate societal divisions
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
The panel cites the shooting in Massachusetts, a multi-offender killing an elderly man; former victim of Rhamell Burke said “maybe I don’t want to put another black man in jail”
Democrat Sen. Warnock says they’re still trying to determine a party strategy for talking to men, Sen. John Fetterman says his party focuses too much on saying “F— Trump”
Incumbent Karen Bass and Nithya Raman pull out of the next LA mayoral debate after Spencer Pratt destroyed them in the first one
A group of late night comedians team up during Stephen Colbert’s final days on air
FOX & Friends
President Trump lands in China, says the Beijing trip will focus on trade more than Iran, travels with more than a dozen CEOs, former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema gives her thoughts on the AI cold war, Sen. Bernie Moreno expresses concerns about foreign surveillance in American cars
Officials identify the Frontier Airlines suicide victim as a homeless man with multiple criminal convictions, including attempted murder
In the Senate primaries, Cindy Burbank wins the Nebraska Democrat race, while incumbent Shelly Moore Capito wins the West Virginia Republican race
Democrat California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra crashes out when asked real questions during an interview with local station KTLA
A Loudon County, VA student is under investigation for allegedly filming students of the opposite sex in the bathroom
LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman calls her opponent Spencer Pratt “mini Trump”
Prosecutors have been granted access to Tiger Woods’ prescription drug history in his DUI case
A judge denies Blake Lively’s request to submit additional briefs
Speaker Mike Johnson is interviewed over the battle to fund ICE, border patrol
The University of Nebraska quarantine director is interviewed on the procedures to keep the Hantavirus contained
Chase for Business CEO Ben Walter talks about inflation reaching its highest point in three years, shares American Dream Initiative
House Republicans host a vigil on the steps of the Capitol in honor of National Police Week
FOX Newsroom
President Trump arrives at his two-day China summit, expected to discuss Taiwan weapon sales as the Iran deal remains on “life support”
Two illegal immigrants committed a deadly shooting in Dallas, TX
Whistleblower Paul Erdman III testifies live on COVID-19 coverups before Congress today, says CIA hid the lab origins of the pandemic
Speaker Mike Johnson joined Fox & Friends to talk about redistricting’s effects on winning the midterm elections
Sec. of State Marco Rubio goes viral for copying Nicolas Maduro’s Nike tech suit look aboard Air Force One
Americans from the Hantavirus cruise ship are quarantining in Nebraska
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
@POTUS proceeds down the red carpet in Beijing — briefly giving his signature fist pump to the assembled Military Honor Guard and Chinese youth flag wavers. [X, Rapid Response 47]
TN Speaker of the House just stripped every Democrat lawmaker who acted like thugs and trashed the chamber during redistricting of ALL their committee assignments. [X, Eagleman]
LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt says it was surreal to meet Mayor Karen Bass because it was the first time he had been near a real-life monster. “This is out of a scary movie!” [X, Rugg]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump heads to Beijing for high-stakes Xi talks [FOX News]
Minnesota fraud issues go from bad to worse [FOX News]
Manufacturer fleeing Dem-run state after nearly 50 years [FOX News]
Breitbart
Feds Indict Indian Company and Crewman for Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster [Breitbart]
VA Dems Seek Supreme Court’s Help over VA Supreme Court [Breitbart]
Doug Burgum: ‘Energy Island’ California’s Policies Increase National Costs [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Jerome Powell’s Inflation Legacy for Kevin Warsh [WSJ Ed]
The 51st State of Venezuela [WSJ Ed]
The ‘Civic Life’ Success at UNC [WSJ Ed]
Keir Starmer Steels Himself [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Bucks billionaire’s alleged blackmailer has deep ties to China — and a politically connected benefactor [NYP]
‘AI babies’ are being conceived in ‘previously impossible’ ways — all about the new IVF tech [NYP]
Nancy Guthrie’s close friend rages about probe, begs for answers as investigation hits 100 day mark [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
‘It’s Hamas Propaganda’: New York Times Writer Nicholas Kristof’s ‘Sexual Violence’ Column Caps a Career of Corrections, Retractions, and Apologies Going Back 25 Years [WFB]
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