NPR and PBS in the Hot Seat, and a Rare Protest in Gaza

Summary

The Headlines: Episode Summary Host: Tracy Mumford | Release Date: March 26, 2025

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1. Capitol Hearings on Public Media Bias

Timestamp: 00:02 – 01:49

In today’s political climate, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has taken a firm stand against perceived liberal bias in public media. She has organized a contentious hearing titled “Anti American Airwaves”, targeting the chief executives of NPR and PBS—Catherine Marr and Paula Kerger, respectively. Greene asserts that these networks exhibit a "left-leaning, even to the point of propaganda" stance, particularly in their coverage of high-profile stories such as Hunter Biden's laptop and the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.

Greene's hearing aims to scrutinize the alleged bias, with Marr and Kerger prepared to defend their journalistic integrity and the crucial government funding that sustains their extensive networks, which span from New York to Nome, Alaska. This move comes amid longstanding Republican attempts to slash public media funding, a trend that has intensified this year with bills introduced in Congress aiming to eliminate funding altogether. Notably, Elon Musk has echoed similar sentiments, advocating for federal spending cuts that could impact these media outlets.

In response to administrative pressures, both PBS and NPR have recently adapted to directives from the Trump administration. PBS has closed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, while NPR has revised its diversity hiring practices. Despite these changes, the network executives anticipate a combative atmosphere, drawing parallels to the intense questioning faced by college presidents and Democratic mayors in other hearings led by conservative lawmakers.

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2. Leaked War Plans and Trump Administration Response

Timestamp: 01:49 – 02:34

The episode shifts focus to a significant security lapse involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Earlier this week, a group chat surfaced revealing Hegseth discussing details about an impending attack on Yemen, months before it was to occur. This chat inadvertently included a journalist, raising alarms about the potential leak of sensitive information.

When questioned, Hegseth downplayed the severity of the incident. At 02:20, he stated, “There was no classified information, as I understand it. They used a, a app, if you want to call it an app that a lot of people use, a lot of people in government.” Moreover, he minimized the breach by saying, “They’ve made a big deal out of this because we’ve had two perfect months where Republicans on Capitol Hill followed his lead” (02:23).

However, David Chen counters Hegseth’s claims, emphasizing that “there were no war plans discussed” and “no classified material sent on that thread” (02:27 – 02:34). Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans suggest that the use of a common messaging app like Signal does not constitute a major breach. Contrarily, Democrats are demanding accountability, calling for the resignations of both Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Michael Waltz, who inadvertently included the journalist in the chat.

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3. Conservative Efforts to Reshape the Judiciary

Timestamp: 03:19 – 05:41

The conversation transitions to a broader trend of conservative lawmakers targeting the judiciary at both federal and state levels. David Chen explains that in states like Missouri, legislators are attempting to reduce the number of judges in specific districts to remove judges deemed too liberal. In Utah, proposals are underway to grant lawmakers the authority to evaluate judges currently serving on the bench. Perhaps the most aggressive efforts are seen in Montana, where over 30 bills have been introduced aiming to reshape the state's courts.

Chen elaborates on these strategies, noting that some proposals include unconventional measures, such as using a judge’s facial expressions as evidence of bias, which could lead to disqualifications (04:20). He predicts an increasing appetite among conservative lawmakers to continue challenging and overhauling the judicial system, driven by a belief that the current judiciary is “stacked against conservatives”.

Critics argue that these moves are less about maintaining judicial integrity and more about undermining the judiciary. They contend that by installing biased judges, conservatives are “undermining faith in the judiciary and by extension, the entire government”, creating “a very dangerous precedent” (05:41). This ongoing struggle highlights the deep-seated tensions between different political factions over the direction and impartiality of the judicial branch.

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4. Rare Protest in Gaza Against Hamas

Timestamp: 05:41 – 07:00

In an unusual development, Gaza witnessed a rare protest against the ruling organization, Hamas. Protesters took to the streets, chanting for an end to the ongoing war and demanding that Hamas relinquish control of the territory. This dissent is particularly significant given that Hamas has maintained a stranglehold over Gaza for nearly two decades, often responding to opposition with harsh crackdowns, including arrests and allegations of torture.

One protester was quoted saying, “I want to keep protesting until the bloodshed stops and Hamas leaves” (05:41). While many Gazans attribute the region's extensive death and destruction over the past year and a half to Israeli actions, there is also a recognition of Hamas’s role in igniting the conflict through the October 7 attacks. Despite Israel’s aggressive campaign to dismantle Hamas, the organization continues to command thousands of armed fighters within Gaza, maintaining its grip on the area despite international efforts to eradicate it.

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5. Criminal Trial Over Fake Antique Chairs in France

Timestamp: 07:00 – End

The episode concludes with an intriguing legal case unfolding in France, involving the forgery of antique chairs intended for the Palace of Versailles. The chairs, valued at nearly $3 million, were purported to be authentic Louis XV era pieces. However, they were later discovered to be intricate fakes, leading to a criminal trial against Bill Piot, a renowned 18th-century French chair expert.

Piot admitted that he and a woodworker embarked on a scheme to test the limits of their craftsmanship, ultimately deceiving collectors and institutions alike. The deception was uncovered thanks to a fellow antique dealer who had long harbored suspicions about Piot’s authenticity assurances. This dealer recounted to Vanity Fair, “I knew woodworkers sometimes used melted licorice to give wood an old vintage look. And when I saw some antiques that Piot claimed were authentic, I got real close to them and 'I licked the chair and voila, I could taste the fraud.'”

This case underscores the lengths to which individuals may go to perpetrate fraud in the high-stakes world of antiques, as well as the critical role of expert scrutiny in preserving the integrity of historical artifacts.

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Conclusion

In this episode of The Headlines, Tracy Mumford navigates through a spectrum of pressing issues, from the political tussles over public media bias and judicial reforms to international conflicts and intriguing legal battles in the art world. By presenting detailed analyses and incorporating direct quotes with precise timestamps, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of the current events shaping our world.

Transcript

[Tracy Mumford]

From the New York times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, March 26th. Here's what we're covering today at the Capitol, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has organized a hearing titled Anti American Airwaves, where the chief executives of NPR and PBS will face questions about what Green says is liberal bias at their networks. Green has said that today's hearing will address how public media has covered stories like Hunter Biden's laptop, the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, and other stories that she said were, quote, left leaning, even to the point of propaganda. The network executives, PBS's Paula Kerger and NPR's Catherine Marr, say they're prepared to defend their organization's work and the government funding that helps support it. Any cuts could weaken their networks of TV and radio stations, which stretch from New York to Nome, Alaska. Republicans in Congress have tried to cut back that funding for decades, but the threat has taken on new weight this year. Congressional Republicans have introduced bills that would eliminate public media funding altogether. And Elon Musk has called for something similar as part of his federal spending cuts. Recently, both PBS and NPR have taken steps to comply with new rules from the Trump administration. PBS closed its Diversity, Equity and inclusion office, and NPR has changed how it approaches diversity in hiring. Still, the executives have been preparing for combative questioning from Greene and her colleagues, similar to what college presidents and Democratic mayors have faced at other hearings convened by conservative lawmakers at the White House.

[Pete Hegseth]

There was no classified information, as I understand it. They used a a app, if you want to call it an app that a lot of people use, a lot of people in government.

[Tracy Mumford]

President Trump and his administration are downplaying the leak of sensitive war plans. In a group chat that came to light earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details about an attack on Yemen before it happened. In a chat that seemed to have accidentally included a journalist, Trump implied that the reaction's been overblown.

[Pete Hegseth]

And you know, they've made a big deal out of this because we've had.

[Tracy Mumford]

Two perfect months where Republicans on Capitol Hill followed his lead.

[David Chen]

There were no war plans discussed. There was no classified material sent on that thread.

[Tracy Mumford]

House Speaker Mike Johnson and others implied the chat on signal was not a major breach. Some Democrats, however, have called on Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Michael Waltz, who added the journalist to the chat, to resign. Today on the daily A conversation with the journalist who was in the chat, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic talks with my colleague Rachel Abrams. For the Trump administration, one defining characteristic so far has been its willingness to criticize and question the courts. And the Times has been tracking how that effort to question the validity of a whole other branch of government mirrors a trend that's been building at the state level for years.

[David Chen]

What we've been seeing increasingly around the country is an effort by conservative lawmakers, predominantly in Republican leaning states, to challenge what lawmakers believe are liberal courts. They've been very unhappy with some of the decisions that judges have rendered on hot button issues like abortion and transgender issues. And so they've decided to introduce a whole bunch of legislation in an effort to change both the rules and even change the makeup of the courts.

[Tracy Mumford]

My colleague David Chen covers politics. He's been reporting on several of the conservative led efforts. He says in Missouri, there was a push to reduce the number of judges in a district in order to specifically oust one judge over his supposedly liberal rulings. And in Utah, there was a proposal to give lawmakers the authority to evaluate judges who are on the bench. David says the most aggressive effort has been taking place in Montana, where there have been over 30 proposals for reshaping the state's courts.

[David Chen]

In one attempt, there were a couple of bills that proposed that a judge's facial expressions be viewed as evidence of bias and as a pretext to potentially result in disqualification. Just anything they can do to really disrupt the establishment and remake the judiciary. I think what we're going to see down the road is an increasing appetite by conservative lawmakers to continue challenging the system. They feel that the judiciary system has been stacked against conservatives for too long, and they feel that a big change is necessary to kind of balance things out. Critics, however, say that these conservative lawmakers are just mad that they've been on this judicial losing streak. And so they want to basically change the umpires, change the refs, in order to produce a more desirable result. And they say that that could set a very dangerous precedent because if you install an ump who's biased, then you're really undermining faith in the judiciary and by extension, the entire government.

[Tracy Mumford]

In Gaza yesterday, protesters took to the streets in a rare show of dissent against Hamas. They chanted slogans calling for an end to the war and for Hamas to give up control of the territory. While many people in Gaza blame Israel for the widespread death and destruction over the past year and a half, some also hold Hamas responsible for kicking off the conflict with the October 7 attacks. One protester told the Times that he wants to keep protesting until, quote, the bloodshed stops and Hamas leaves In the almost two decades that Hamas has controlled Gaza, it's cracked down harshly on protesters and has been accused of routinely arresting and torturing its opponents. Despite Israel's aggressive campaign to wipe the group out Hamas, Hamas is still believed to command thousands of armed fighters inside Gaza. And finally, a criminal trial is unfolding in France this week over chairs. The case centers on antiques purchased by the palace of Versailles. The lot was valued at nearly $3 million and was supposed to include two Louis XV era chairs. They were authenticated by the go to 18th century French chair expert, a man who literally wrote a book on the subject. But it turns out they were fakes. The expert, Bill Piot, is now on trial for his role in the scheme. He's admitted that he and a woodworker basically got curious one day about just how good of a fake they could make. Their ruse raked in millions. But Payo was discovered in part by by a fellow antique dealer who'd been raising doubts about him for years. That dealer said the subtle notes of licorice gave it all away. He told Vanity Fair that he knew woodworkers sometimes used melted licorice to give wood an old vintage look. And when he saw some antiques that Piot claimed were authentic, he got real close to them and quote, I licked the chair and voila, I could taste the fraud. Those are the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.