Podcast Summary: Media Exposed with Adam Weiss

Podcast: Real America’s Voice (via iHeartPodcasts)
Episode: Media Exposed with Adam Weiss – December 7, 2025
Release Date: December 8, 2025

Overview

This episode of "Media Exposed" with Adam Weiss takes listeners on a deep dive into the latest controversies and biases in mainstream and alternative media, focusing on political coverage, media access in the Pentagon, targeted narratives around political personalities (especially Trump vs. Biden), and journalism’s evolving standards. With guests from media and political commentary—including David Zier, Gabrielle Cacio, Ed Woodson, and Thomas English—Adam dissects sensational media dynamics, the Pentagon press shakeup, election coverage, and the cultural spectacle of a scandalous media memoir. The tone is skeptical of mainstream outlets, critical of perceived left-leaning media bias, and often combative in defense of what the hosts frame as “honest” reporting.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Media’s Partisan Coverage of Elections

• Stephen Colbert’s Interview with Mickey Sherrill (NJ Governor-Elect)
  • Noted for effusive media praise of Democratic winners, contrasting with negative portrayals of Republicans.
  • Adam Weiss: “They turn the Democratic candidates into stars overnight… We don’t get such pleasure. They turn us into… evil boogeymans.” (05:03)
• Analysis of Tennessee Special Election
  • Media wanted a GOP loss for narrative, but Republican Matt Van Epps won (albeit by a reduced margin).
  • Adam Weiss: “Running from Trump is how you lose. Running with Trump is how you win.” [Clip played: 10:16]

2. Pentagon Press Corps Shakeup

• Legacy Media vs. ‘New Media’
  • Major press shake-up at the Pentagon: legacy outlets refused government-mandated disclosure forms and lost access; alternative and right-leaning media gained ground.
  • David Zier: “The legacy media has also been coming out and blasting the new media that was there… But I gotta tell you, we asked tough questions down there.” (12:40)
  • Gabrielle Cacio (ex-Pentagon reporter): “I was the very first person to come in at the Pentagon as new media… there are people who have been there for at least 20 years.” (20:20)
  • Coverage of this shift sparks debate about government control, transparency, and fairness in credentialing.
  • Adam Weiss: “The government institutions deciding which journalists get to hold to accountability and which ones don’t. If that’s the way it’s supposed to be in this democracy, this moment may signal a turning point.” (18:44)

3. Controversial U.S. Military Strike and Media Ethics

• Boat Strike in International Waters
  • Debate over legality—potential war crime versus justified defense.
  • Adam Weiss: “Law of armed conflict says survivors have to be rescued, they can’t be killed.” (23:03)
  • David Zier: “Narco terrorist is not a legal term. It’s a political term. And using that political term does not justify labeled terrorists by the administration.” (24:17)
  • Gabrielle Cacio contextualizes U.S.-Venezuela operations: “The US Government hasn’t been necessarily transparent in the operations. …Now we’re seeing it being public facing as of just recently.” (25:07)

4. Trump Health Narratives vs. Biden Health Narratives

• Media Double Standards on Presidential Health
  • Outlets obsess over Trump’s normal MRI; treat Biden’s frequent gaffes or stumbles as off-limits or ‘misinformation.’
  • Adam Weiss: “The left treats Trump and the media’s medical disclose as comedy fodder while avoiding any real discussions of Biden’s health for five years. Isn’t this silly?” (34:29)
  • Notable montage of Trump dismissing double standards; Biden’s gaffes and sluggishness omitted from mainstream narratives.
  • Ed Woodson: “We heard for years during the first Trump administration… 24th Amendment! …Interesting we didn’t hear anything about the 25th Amendment during the Biden administration.” (37:36)
  • Adam Weiss: “Biden and his doctor hid [his prostate cancer] from the American people… Another scandal.” (41:33)

5. The Olivia Nuzzi Media Scandal and Book Release

• Book: “American Canto” by Elizabeth Olivia Nuzzi
  • Explores allegations of unethical relationships, mostly focused on her own experiences.
  • The media buzzes about Nuzzi’s personal escapades, while alternative media ridicules the self-importance and double standards.
  • Thomas English (Daily Caller): “It’s the most purple prose, onanistic, self-congratulatory nonsense… an attempt to salvage a disgraced career.” (48:06)
  • Debate on media’s protection of its own versus consequences for conservatives:
    Adam Weiss: “If you reverse the situation… They’d be kicked into the curb so fast… But somehow the legacy media celebrates behavior. Wrong.” (50:00)
  • Thomas English: “She should be unemployable after this. But the fact is… the left protects its own and also elevates mediocrity.” (57:00)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Media Bias and ‘Star-Making’:

  • “They turn the Democratic candidates into stars overnight… We don’t get such pleasure… they turn us into evil boogeymans.”
    • Adam Weiss (05:03)

• On Alternative Media Entering the Pentagon:

  • “The legacy media… blasting the new media that was there, including Real America’s Voice, that we’re all a bunch of Trump sycophants and hacks. But I gotta tell you, we asked tough questions down there.”
    • David Zier (12:40)

• On War Crimes and Changing Rules:

  • “Narco terrorist is not a legal term. It’s a political term. And using that political term does not justify labeled terrorists by the administration.”
    • David Zier (24:17)

• On Double Standards Covering Presidential Health:

  • “The left treats Trump and the media’s medical disclose as comedy fodder while avoiding any real discussions of Biden’s health for five years. Isn’t this silly?”

    • Adam Weiss (34:29)

  • “It’s amazing that this guy [Trump] does the things he does… almost daily press conferences… Biden, how he was shielded from the media and he never gave any press conferences at all.”

    • Ed Woodson (45:13)

• On Olivia Nuzzi and Media Self-Celebration:

  • “It’s the most purple prose, onanistic, self-congratulatory nonsense that you have ever read.”
    • Thomas English (48:06)
  • “She should be unemployable after this. But…the left protects its own and it also elevates mediocrity.”
    • Thomas English (57:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 02:57 | Show overview of topics by Adam Weiss | | 05:03 - 08:49 | Critique of Stephen Colbert’s interview, election bias | | 09:42 - 11:57 | Tennessee special election and MAGA mobilization | | 12:40 - 14:24 | Pentagon’s new media access & alternative press | | 18:44 - 22:26 | Pentagon shakeup, Gabby Cacio’s experience | | 23:03 - 28:16 | U.S. boat strike: war crime allegations, legal analysis | | 34:29 - 38:39 | Trump’s MRI, media double standards, health narratives | | 41:33 - 45:13 | Comparison of Trump vs. Biden health coverage | | 46:29 - 57:28 | Olivia Nuzzi book scandal, ethics, media in-crowd |

Guest Highlights

• David Zier (Host, Breaking Point): Insight into Pentagon media changes, election analysis, and narrative framing.
• Gabrielle Cacio (Ex-Pentagon correspondent, White House official): Firsthand experience with Pentagon press shifts, new vs. legacy media, security protocols.
• Ed Woodson (Political Commentator): Critique of presidential health coverage; reflections on double standards between Biden and Trump.
• Thomas English (Editor, Daily Caller): Dissects Olivia Nuzzi’s book, media elite, double standards on ethics scandals.

Tone and Language

The episode’s hosts and guests maintain a critical, sometimes sardonic tone when discussing legacy media, often using humor or sarcasm to highlight what they view as hypocrisy, bias, or incompetence among establishment outlets. Quotes are direct, spirited, and sometimes dismissive of progressive or mainstream media positions.

This summary omits advertisements, promotions, and repeated sponsor messages, focusing solely on substantive discussions and key moments for an informed, concise overview of the episode.