THE COUNTDOWN TO SUPER BOWL 59 IS IN FULL SWING. WE’RE 12 DAYS AWAY FROM WHAT MANY CONSIDER AN UNOFFICIAL NATIONAL HOLIDAY. AFTER ALL, ACCORDING TO THE ‘WORKFORCE INSTITUTE” BETWEEN 15-20 MILLION PEOPLE CALL IN SICK FOR WORK THE MONDAY AFTER, ALMOST 6 PERCENT OF AMERICA. SO, LET’S BREAK DOWN WHAT TO EXPECT IN NEW ORLEANS THIS YEAR.

THE MATCHUP IS FAMILIAR. THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT 17 AND 2, HAVE BEEN IN THE SUPER BOWL AMAZINGLY, 5 OF THE LAST 6 YEARS. THEY’LL TAKE ON THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WITH A 17-3 RECORD, WHO ARE MAKING THEIR 4TH APPEARANCE OVERALL.
IT’S A REMATCH OF SUPER BOWL 57 WON BY THE CHIEFS 38-35 ON A FIELD GOAL IN THE FINAL SECONDS.

“THERE’S NO MORE IMPORTANT GAME THAN THE ONE WE’RE GOING TO PLAY IN AND WE NEED THAT JOINT EFFORT. THE OTHER TEAM WE’RE PLAYING, THE EAGLES, THEY ARE THERE FOR A REASON AND IT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND WORK AND GET A NICE PLAN TOGETHER FOR THIS GROUP .”

KICK OFF IS 630P EASTERN AT CAESAR’S SUPERDOME. THE STADIUM HAS HOSTED 7 PREVIOUS SUPER BOWLS, THE LAST IN 2013. THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HAS HOSTED 8 TOTAL SUPER BOWLS, TIED WITH MIAMI FOR THE MOST.
THE NFL SAYS THERE WILL BE A HEIGHTENED SECURITY PRESENCE THIS YEAR AFTER THE DEADLY NEW YEAR’S EVE TERRORIST ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET.

SUPER BOWL TV RATINGS SEEM TO BREAK RECORDS EVERY SEASON, LAST YEAR 123 MILLION WATCHED THE GAME ON CBS – UP 7% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR – AND MILLIONS MORE ON STREAMING SERVICES. THIS YEAR THE GAME IS ON FOX, BUT YOU CAN ALSO STREAM IT ON THE FOX SPORTS WEBSITE AND APP, THE NFL PLUS APP, HULU, FUBO TV, YOUTUBE TV AND SLING.
KEVIN BURKHARDT AND TOM BRADY ARE ON THE CALL. THE 2ND BIG GAME FOR BURKHARDT, THE FIRST FOR TOM TERRIFIC.

APART FROM THE GAME, THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW HAS BECOME THE BIGGEST DRAW AND THIS YEAR, 17-TIME GRAMMY WINNER KENDRICK LAMAR WILL PERFORM. HE FOLLOWS RECENT ACTS LIKE USHER, RIHANNA, THE WEEKND, SHAKIRA AND JENNIFER LOPEZ.
SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WILL BE GOLDEN GLOBE AND GRAMMY WINNER JOHN BATISTE.

AMONG OTHER THINGS, YOU CAN BET ON HOW LONG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM TAKES TO SING.
SPEAKING OF BETTING, THE CHIEFS ARE CURRENTLY 2 POINT FAVORITES IN SUPER BOWL 59.
LATER THIS WEEK WE’LL HAVE A PRIMER ON ALL THINGS GAMBLING AND THE BIG GAME. A RECORD $23 BILLION WAS WAGERED ON LAST YEAR’S BIG GAME. 23 BILLION, WITH A B.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CHRIS FRANCIS.

[Karah]

WELCOME TO BIAS BREAKDOWN.

I’M YOUR HOST KARAH RUCKER.

CONFLICTING REPORTS OVER ICE OPERATIONS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS UNDERWAY WITH ICE AGENTS ALREADY ARRESTING THOUSANDS IN WEEK ONE.

BUT HOW THE MEDIA IS REPORTING ON ICE RAIDS LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENTLY BETWEEN OUTLETS WITH A LEFT AND RIGHT POLITICAL BIAS.

THAT INCLUDES THE MEDIA’S PERCEPTION OF A RECENT “ICE RIDE ALONG” WHICH INCLUDED DR. PHIL.

HOW ICE OPERATIONS ARE BEING REPORTED IS THE FOCUS OF TODAY’S BIAS BREAKDOWN.

FIRST –

WE’LL TAKE A LOOK AT A RECENT ICE RAID DR. PHIL TOOK PART IN.

THEN – LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE OF HOW ICE RAIDS ARE LARGELY BEING SCRUTINIZED BY LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS AND PRAISED AS A SUCCESS BY RIGHT-LEANING OUTLETS.

“Are you a citizen? My mom is a citizen. You’re mom is a citizen, but you’re not? Nope. have you ever been deported before? You’re dr phil? Yeah how do you know me? I’ve seen dr phil, you know.”

“This is an example of sanctuary cities, youve got an illegal alien convicted of sex crimes with children walking the streets of chicago.”

1. PHIL’S RIDE ALONG WITH ICE AGENTS AND BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN IN CHICAGO PRODUCED TWO DIFFERENT MEDIA NARRATIVES.

SOME LEFT LEANING OUTLETS – PORTRAYING IT AS A SPECTACLE.

AND RIGHT LEANING OUTLETS – PORTRAYING IT AS EFFECTIVE.

TAKE THE CONTRAST IN HEADLINES BETWEEN CNN WITH A LEFT BIAS AND FOX WITH A RIGHT BIAS.

CNN – HIGHLIGHTING THE ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL’S COMMENTS CALLING DR. PHIL’S RIDE-ALONG “RIDICULOUS.”

AND FOX NEWS – CRITICIZING CNN PUNDITS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS FOR “ATTACKING” THE RIDE-ALONG AS A “MOCKERY”.

Do you know why dr phil is getting involved in all of this, getting all this access, what is going on?

I think its ridiculous, its making a mockery of what’s supposed to be a focused, focusing on criminals, you don’t invite folks like that to be embedded within.”

OTHER OUTLETS TOOK A SIMILAR APPROACH – QUESTIONING DR. PHIL’S PRESENCE ON SCENE.

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE WROTE “granting largely unrestricted access to a well-known television personality during high-stakes law enforcement encounters raises questions about the propriety of the operation. It also underscores the extent to which Trump — who parlayed his turn as a reality TV star into a political career powered by harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration — relies on spectacle and showmanship to convey his message.”

BUT NEWS OUTLETS ON THE RIGHT REPORTED ON DR. PHIL’S RIDE ALONG AS A GLIMPSE OF TRANSPARENCY INTO HOW ICE OPERATIONS ARE SUCCESSFULLY ROOTING OUT MIGRANTS WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES.

FOX NEWS WROTE Dr. Phil revealed on the show that he had to be briefed on extensive security protocols as part of the “high-risk mission.”

“This truly is a targeted ICE mission because they’re not sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying to imply,” he said. “I know that because I’ve been involved heading into this. They’ve identified 270 high-value targets, and what I mean by that is that these are known criminals and terrorists.”

BREITBART – ANOTHER NEWS OUTLET ON THE RIGHT – WROTE “Dr. Phil also said that Tom Homan, border czar for President Trump, had clear objectives to detain criminals and shut down the United States border as opposed to the common misconception of sweeping neighborhoods and rounding random Hispanics up for deportation.”

WHILE “DR. PHIL’S PRESENCE BEING SUITABLE DURING ONE OF ICE’S OPERATIONS” HAS BEEN OPENED TO DEBATE IN THE MEDIA –

IT ISN’T UNUSUAL FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES TO ACCEPT REQUESTS FROM **MEDIA TO DO “RIDE ALONGS” ON CERTAIN OPERATIONS.

AND WHILE DR. PHIL HAS A HISTORY OF REALITY TV AND TALK SHOWS – 

HE STARTED HIS OWN NEWS MEDIA COMPANY “MERIT STREET MEDIA” LAST YEAR. PHIL HASN’T BEEN THE FIRST TO BE GRANTED THIS SORT OF ACCESS.

FOX NEWS REPORTER BILL MELUGIN WAS “EMBEDDED WITH ICE AGENTS” DURING A BUST IN BOSTON – SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO DR. PHIL’S RIDE ALONG IN CHICAGO.

AND KRISTI NOEM – PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY – WAS ALSO GRANTED ACCESS BY ICE FOR A RIDE ALONG DURING AN OPERATION IN NEW YORK CITY.

FROM CHICAGO TO BOSTON AND NEW YORK CITY –

ICE IS ON THE GROUND – CONDUCTING HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS A DAY. 

AND TV COVERAGE OF ICE OPERATIONS IN A BROADER SCOPE RATHER THAN JUST THE ONE DR. PHIL SHADOWED –

WIDELY DIFFERS DEPENDING ON THE POLITICAL LEAN OF THE NETWORK.

LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS LIKE CNN AND MSNBC ARE REPORTING ON FEARS FROM WITHIN MIGRANT COMMUNITIES OVER ICE RAIDS.

WHILE NEWS OUTLETS ON THE RIGHT LIKE FOX NEWS ARE TOUTING THE REMOVAL OF MIGRANTS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS.

FIRST YOU’LL HEAR MSNBC ANCHOR NICHOLLE WALLACE, CNN REPORTER PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, AND THEN FOX NEWS HOSTS SEAN HANNITY. TAKE A LISTEN.

“One thing we don’t have to wonder about is how it feels if you’re undocumented in america right now, or even if you worry you could be mistaken as undocumented because of the color of your skin or your name.” 

“It could very well affect many other undocumented immigrants in the united States if they are in te path of these operations. Its not off the table they may be taken into custody as well, as the fear within the immigrant community as this continues in the weeks to come.” 

“Another ICE arrest was a dominican man who beat his pregnant wife to death, in colorado, 50 tren de aragua members gathered up. Other ice raids busting rapists, suspected terrorists.only someone truly unhinged would have a problem with these deportations.

POLLS SUGGEST THE MAJORITY OF BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS –

BELIEVE THE COUNTRY’S IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IS “BROKEN.”

88 PERCENT OF AMERICANS POLLED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES SUPPORT DEPORTING MIGRANTS HERE ILLEGALLY WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS.

AND A MAJORITY – 55 PERCENT – **SUPPORT DEPORTING ALL IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY.

WEEK ONE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM SUGGESTS IMMIGRATION WILL BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION.

AND WHILE CONTROVERSIES ARISE IN THE MEDIA – WITH LEFT AND RIGHT NEWS OUTLETS DEBATING WHAT CONSTITUTES THE **RIGHT OR **ETHICAL WAY TO CARRY OUT THESE DEPORTATIONS – 

OPERATIONS ARE UNDERWAY – AND JUST BEGINNING.

AND THAT’S YOUR BIAS BREAKDOWN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS’ LATEST PODCAST.

IF THIS WAS YOUR FIRST TIME WATCHING BIAS BREAKDOWN –

YOU CAN FIND OTHER EPISODES BY SEARCHING FOR US ON WHATEVER PODCAST PLATFORM THAT’S MOST CONVENIENT FOR YOU.

WE HAVE NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY TUESDAY.

THIS IS ONLY OUR SEVENTH EPISODE SO I STILL CONSIDER US VERY NEW IN THIS SPACE.

SOMETIMES – FACTS OF A NEWS STORY ARE TWISTED INTO A POLITICAL NARRATIVE.

OUR GOAL IS TO TAKE A STORY THAT IS BEING WIDELY TALKED ABOUT –

AND SHOW HOW ITS BEING TOLD **DIFFERENTLY IN THE MEDIA –

BASED ON NEWS OUTLETS’ LEFT AND RIGHT POLITICAL BIAS –

SO HOPEFULLY YOU CAN WALK AWAY WITH A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE RATHER THAN JUST ONE PERSPECTIVE.

I ALSO JUST WANT TO GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO OUR VIDEO EDITOR IAN KENNEDY WHO MAKES FOUR PAGES OF SCRIPTING VISUALLY COME TO LIFE FOR US. AND THANKS TO OUR GRAPHICS TEAM HEATH, MOE, AND ALI FOR ALWAYS LENDING SUPPORT TO BIAS BREAKDOWN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING AND FOR YOUR FEEDBACK AS WE TRY TO MAKE THIS PODCAST BETTER FOR VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

[craig nigrelli]

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO DEVELOP A U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM MODELED AFTER ISRAEL’S IRON DOME, CALLING IT A TOP NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITY. ANNOUNCED MONDAY DURING A REPUBLICAN DINNER IN FLORIDA, THE INITIATIVE SEEKS TO CREATE A “NEXT-GENERATION MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD” TO COUNTER ADVANCED THREATS FROM ADVERSARIES LIKE RUSSIA, CHINA, AND NORTH KOREA.

THE EXECUTIVE ORDER DIRECTS DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH TO DELIVER A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WITHIN 60 DAYS. THIS PLAN INCLUDES ACCELERATING THE DEPLOYMENT OF SPACE-BASED MISSILE TRACKING SYSTEMS, DESIGNING INTERCEPTORS CAPABLE OF NEUTRALIZING ATTACKS DURING THEIR LAUNCH PHASE, AND UPDATING THREAT ASSESSMENTS TO SAFEGUARD CRITICAL U.S. LOCATIONS.

CURRENTLY, THE U.S. RELIES ON SYSTEMS LIKE THE PATRIOT AND THAAD TO INTERCEPT MISSILE THREATS, ALONG WITH THE NAVY’S AEGIS SYSTEM. HOWEVER, EXPERTS HAVE EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM ABOUT SCALING A SYSTEM LIKE ISRAEL’S IRON DOME TO COVER THE VAST GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES. INSTEAD, TRUMP’S VISION SUGGESTS A MULTI-LAYERED DEFENSE APPROACH TO INTERCEPT SHORT- AND LONG-RANGE MISSILE THREATS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF FLIGHT.

TRUMP LINKED THE INITIATIVE TO PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN’S 1980S STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE, KNOWN AS “STAR WARS,” WHICH AIMED TO PROTECT THE U.S. FROM NUCLEAR ATTACKS DURING THE COLD WAR. WHILE REAGAN’S VISION WAS NEVER FULLY REALIZED, TRUMP SAYS THAT ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY MAKE THIS NEW EFFORT FEASIBLE —ADDING THAT ALL COMPONENTS WOULD BE MANUFACTURED DOMESTICALLY.

THE EXECUTIVE ORDER COINCIDES WITH A BROADER MILITARY REFORM AGENDA UNDER SECRETARY HEGSETH, WHICH INCLUDES REEVALUATING GLOBAL MISSILE DEFENSE POSTURES AND REVIEWING ALLIED COOPERATION.

THE TIMELINE AND COSTS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEM REMAIN UNCLEAR, BUT THE ADMINISTRATION’S PUSH REFLECTS RISING CONCERNS OVER MISSILE ADVANCEMENTS BY U.S. ADVERSARIES. THE EXECUTIVE ORDER OUTLINES A ROADMAP FOR ADDRESSING EVOLVING THREATS, INCLUDING HYPERSONIC MISSILES AND ROGUE-STATE ATTACKS, REINFORCING TRUMP’S COMMITMENT TO QUOTE “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”

FOR MORE OF OUR UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING –  DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY, OR LOG ON TO SAN.COM.

[Jack Aylmer]

A MASSIVE FIRE AT ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST LITHIUM-ION BATTERY STORAGE PLANTS IN CALIFORNIA-
IS RAISING CONCERNS AMONG LOCAL LEADERS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THESE FACILITIES-
PARTICULARLY AS THE STATE INCREASINGLY SHIFTS TOWARD RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES.THE BLAZE WHICH BROKE OUT AT THE MOSS LANDING POWER PLANT IN MONTEREY COUNTY DURING MID-JANUARY MARKED THE FOURTH FIRE AT THIS SITE SINCE 2019.IT BURNED FOR FIVE DAYS AND DESTROYED ABOUT 80% OF THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES STORED THERE.MONTEREY COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE CALLING THE FIRE A “WAKE-UP CALL”-
SAYING THEY WANT STRICTER SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR BATTERY STORAGE SITES AND MORE LOCAL CONTROL OVER THEIR PLACEMENT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.A BILL HAS NOW BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY-
DUBBED THE BATTERY ENERGY SAFETY & ACCOUNTABILITY ACT.IF ENACTED-
THIS LEGISLATION WOULD REQUIRE LOCAL ENGAGEMENT IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES AND ESTABLISH SAFETY BUFFERS AROUND SENSITIVE AREAS SUCH AS SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS.CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM INDICATED HIS SUPPORT FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE FIRE’S CAUSE AND IS BACKING MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF FACILITIES LIKE MOSS LANDING.MEANWHILE, THE INCIDENT AT MOSS LANDING HAS STIRED UP ADDITIONAL OPPOSITION TO A NEW BATTERY STORAGE PROJECT-
SET TO BE DEVELOPED ABOUT NINE MILES NORTH IN WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA.AN ONLINE PETITION TO HALT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ANY MORE BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES IN MONTEREY OR SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES HAS NOW COLLECTED MORE THAN 3,000 SIGNATURES.FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M JACK AYLMER.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

U-S SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO SAYS THE U-S IS READY TO PUT BOUNTIES ON THE HEADS OF AFGHANISTAN’S TALIBAN LEADERS.

THE THREAT COMES JUST DAYS AFTER THE U-S AND TALIBAN-RUN AFGHAN GOVERNMENT SWAPPED PRISONERS UNDER THE FORMER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.

THE FRESHLY-SWORN-IN TOP U-S DIPLOMAT TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO ISSUE THE WARNING TO THE TALIBAN.

SAYING HE HEARD “THE TALIBAN IS HOLDING MORE AMERICAN HOSTAGES THAN HAS BEEN REPORTED.”

ADDING, “IF THIS IS TRUE, WE WILL HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY PLACE A VERY BIG BOUNTY ON THEIR TOP LEADERS, MAYBE EVEN BIGGER THAN THE ONE WE HAD ON BIN LADEN.

FOLLOWING THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TERROR ATTACKS, THE U-S BOUNTY FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN SOARED TO 50 MILLION DOLLARS, THOUGH NO ONE WAS EVER-AWARDED THE MONEY AFTER SEAL TEAM SIX KILLED THE TERRORIST LEADER

RUBIO DID NOT PROVIDE DETAILS ON WHO THE AMERICANS MAY BE BUT IT’S BELIEVED THE TALIBAN HAS AT LEAST TWO AMERICANS STILL IN ITS CUSTODY. 

IN THE LATEST DEAL, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FREED KHAN MOHAMMED, WHO WAS CONVICTED OF NARCO-TERRORISM CHARGES AND SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE IN THE U-S, IN EXCHANGE FOR AMERICAN RYAN CORBETT, WHO WAS IMPRISONED IN AFGHANISTAN SINCE 2022.

THE TALIBAN ALSO RELEASED AN AMERICAN WHOSE DETENTION WASN’T PREVIOUSLY KNOWN UNTIL THE PRISONER SWAP, WILLIAM MCKENTY.

IN RESPONSE TO RUBIO’S BOUNTY SUGGESTION, THE TALIBAN’S AMBASSADOR TO QATAR SUHAIL SHAHEEN WARNED THE SECRETARY OF STATE AGAINST SUCH THREATS.

SAYING IT’S THE POLICY OF THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE PROBLEMS PEACEFULLY THROUGH DIALOGUE.

SHAHEEN POINTED TO THE RECENT RELEASE OF CANADIAN DAVID LAVERY FROM AN AFGHANI JAIL AFTER NEGOTIATIONS MADE POSSIBLE BY QATAR AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS METHOD IN ACTION.

DURING TRUMP’S FIRST TERM IN OFFICE, THE ADMINISTRATION NEGOTIATED DIRECTLY WITH THE TALIBAN, IN A MAJOR BREAK FROM PAST PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS.

FOR MORE ON THIS STORY– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M RYAN ROBERTSON.