What slows, but never stops
The Brand Brief 11.26.25: Thanksgiving, James Comey, Somalians, Eric Swalwell, Sean Duffy, Aftyn Behn, and Mamdani
Actionable media intel to keep you ahead: The Brand Brief delivers a daily snapshot of what’s trending 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…
1,353 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (11+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: News does slow occasionally
New Media Voices: James Comey, Letitia James, and Candace Owens
Leading FOX: Seditious Six, costs of Thanksgiving, and Nigerians
Trending and Pouncing: Somalians and protests
What the Right is Writing: Swalwell, Comey, and ICE
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
News cycles don’t stop. Clippers don’t quit. Feeds don’t end. But they do slow down.
Even for those of us who love following the news - particularly conservative media - it’s time to take a breath. We’re thankful for every one of you who reads and shares this newsletter. We’re especially grateful to those who have filled out our survey (not too late to weigh in).
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the time with friends and family. We’ll be back on Monday! - NRB
You’re receiving an early access version of The Brand Brief. I would love to hear your feedback - survey here. Thank you!
🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 11/25
A Clinton-appointed judge dismisses indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and former NY AG Letitia James
Guests Dave Aronberg and Mike Davis debate the statute the judge used to dismiss the case, predict reversal on appeal but with delays
New evidence reveals Letitia James declined tax deductions on her Virginia property, IRS filings
Guest Benny Johnson criticises Jen Psaki for complaining about the press being soft on Trump after lying for years about Biden’s health
Johnson and Kelly also cover left-wing attacks on Erika Kirk, Jennifer Lopez’s revealing outfits in her 50s, and Thanksgiving politics
The Michael Knowles Show - 11/25
A federal judge dismisses the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and former NY AG Letitia James by a technicality
Democrat congressional candidate Aftyn Behn prioritized transphobia over school shooting victims, says she hates Nashville
121 House Dems and nine Senate Dems filed an amicus brief supporting men in women’s sports in upcoming Supreme Court cases
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent compares isolated price increases vs the overall economy to knowing your arm’s weight but not your body’s
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mandani is called hypocritical for meeting amicably with President Trump in the Oval Office
315 Catholic Nigerian school children in total have been captured this year
The Brett Cooper Show - 11/25
Democrat candidate Aftyn Behn running in the TN-7 district says she hates Nashville, claims she was conceived at a George Strait concert
After the Covenant School shooting, Behn advocated for a “trans bill of rights” instead of focusing on the murdered children
Behn calls Tennessee “god forsaken” after returning from a trip to Europe after Trump was elected, advocates for defunding the police
Cooper warns that GOP opponent Matt Van Epps is relying too heavily on Trump endorsements than on pushing voter turnout
Timcast IRL - 11/25
Candace Owens says her show will be off-air for a week, claiming French President Macron has an assassination plot against her
The Timcast team says Owens is grifting for views while fracturing the conservative movement
Tim condemns other conservative influencers for their paid promotions of gambling sites, Indian interests, and promoting infighting
The hosts discuss whispers of a return to Bush-era neoconservatism and TPUSA’s fight to restore their movement after Charlie Kirk’s assassination
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
A look inside the FOX editorial decision-making…
The Five
The FBI demands the Seditious Six senators meet for interrogation
AOC claims Trump is mentally ill for calling the senators treasonous
Tennessee congressional candidate can’t answer for her previous tweets advocating for burning down police stations
ICE protesters clog up Home Depot lines to “buy ice scrapers”
The Department of Transportation encourages travelers to dress appropriately at airports
FOX & Friends
The FBI seeks meetings with the six Democrat senators who filmed the “resist illegal orders” video
The father of the teen killed on a Carnival cruise ship is set to appear in court today
Four more suspects have been detained in the Louvre heist case
High electricity costs overwhelm middle class Americans’ pockets
U.S. cancer diagnoses reach a record high, the question is why
The FAA expects record-breaking air travel this year
Trump says progress is being made in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Kremlin demands “no concessions on key issues”
Guest Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat, slams the mayor’s lax crime policy
A transgender (male to female) powerlifter loses their title after failing to disclose their biological sex
Fewer Americans donate to charity compared to 20 years ago
Trump touted falling prices while pardoning turkeys yesterday
The website Character.AI is banning minors over mental health fears
FOX Newsroom
Midwest travelers brace for heavy winter storms
Trump says the economy is improving during his turkey pardoning
Illinois Gov. Pritzker is looking into changing the state’s cashless bail law after numerous violent repeat offender cases
Treasurer Scott Bessent says Mamdani is the true leader of the Democrats
Retail experts predicts consumers will spend less this year due to sustained inflation
24 abducted Nigerian schoolgirls have been released
More than 75% of childless women are liberal, per a NORC general social survey
Trump sends foreign policy officials to Russia and Ukraine to finalize peace talks this week
Guest former Speaker Kevin McCarthy talks about Tennessee Democrat candidate Aftyn Behn’s wild comments on police, abortion, race
A transgender woman powerlifter loses their title after failing to disclose biological male status
The Tempe Tavern raid near Arizona State University ends in 249 arrests for fake IDs, underage drinking
Transportation Sec. Duffy encourages travelers to bring civility back to airports and to dress accordingly
The NYT defends an illegal immigrant who stole a Minnesota man’s identity to get away with killing an elderly man with his car
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today: highlights from the conversation on the right and what conservatives are “pouncing” on…
Somalians in Minnesota committed fraud and stole our tax dollars and a left-wing judge just decided to toss out the jury’s guilty verdict. [X, Libs of TikTok]
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick: …being in the country illegally is a civil issue...and we will not enforce civil law. [X, Daugherty]
Bill O’Reilly: I’m disappointed with Senator Mark Kelly. I think that he made a huge mistake by getting involved with this ridiculous charade. [X, Cohen]
Protesters block cars from getting to LAX airport. [X, Seedorff]
Judge Scott McAfee has officially dismissed the Fulton County criminal prosecution of President Trump and all of his co-defendants. [X, Price]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
Leading FOX News Digital
Rep. Eric Swalwell says the military can be a ‘check’ on President Trump to ‘save us.’ [FOX News]
Federal judge rules ICE agents in Colorado may only arrest illegal immigrants likely to flee [FOX News]
NYC Council welcomes new mayor with bill that would dramatically raise salaries for city officials [FOX News]
Top of Breitbart
U.N. Predicts Unprecedented Hunger in Nigeria for 2026 as Christian Genocide Continues [Breitbart]
Clinton-Appointed Judge Dismisses Comey Indictment [Breitbart]
X Labels Account Locations, Revealing MAGA Division Is Pushed by Foreigners [Breitbart]
Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego Trashes His Own Party in Leaked Texts [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Chris Ruddy’s Paean to TV Regulation [WSJ Ed]
Did President Trump Pardon Actual Voter Fraud? [WSJ Ed]
Trump Takes On the Muslim Brotherhood [WSJ Ed]
The Desolate Wilderness [WSJ Ed]
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE NEWS?
On Brand Strategies would love to help you craft your message, drive a news cycle, or navigate the world of new media and conservative press. Learn more at OnBrandStrategies.com.
Say hello by reaching out to Nathan (@NathanBrandWA on X or Nathan@OnBrandStrategies.com) and Carly (@realCarlyMoran on X or Carly@OnBrandStrategies.com).
