Sign in

John Knefel

@johnknefel.bsky.social
5.8K followers 536 following 721 posts

senior writer at media matters (stuff here is my own opinion etc, likes are bookmarks)

PostsRepliesMedia
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 20h
Amazing investigation from @ryandevereaux.bsky.social here, his first (of what will certainly be many) at ProPublica
084
Reposted by John Knefel
ryandevereaux.bsky.social @ryandevereaux.bsky.social · 22h
In July, I took a ride through the Arizona desert with Verlon Jose, chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, a sprawling reservation on the U.S.-Mexico border that may soon be changed forever. It was the beginning of an investigation that ProPublica is publishing today. THREAD ⬇️
10625261
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Fox News is committed to pushing the "worst of the worst" myth as a way to frame Trump's deportation operations as about public safety rather than what they really are -- an attempt to maintain structures of white supremacy through ethnic cleansing
mediamatters.org
Fox News has spent almost two years claiming Trump’s deportations are targeting “the worst of the worst.” The administration just contradicted that narrative.
16023
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fox News' Laura Ingraham has always been against the Iran war, unless you count when she supported it. Many such cases in the next few years, I'd guess
mediamatters.org
Laura Ingraham is rewriting her mealy-mouthed acquiescence of the Iran war into opposition from the beginning
69212
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
this is like a subplot to an upcoming jordan harper novel
010
Reposted by John Knefel
Sam “The Great Pumpkin” Thielman @samthielman.com · 18/09/2026
He's done it before, he can do it again!
1314
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade isn't satisfied with losing the Iran war. He'd like to lose another war to Ansar Allah (the Houthis) too
mediamatters.org
Fox & Friends keeps pushing Trump to expand the Iran war to Yemen
66911
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
After publication, an email from someone purporting to be John Goodman, a right-wing activist pushing Trump to issue a national emergency declaration, emailed Media Matters. The person called Brian Kennedy a "hack" and "a rhino," probably intending to use the term RINO. Grab a seat, they're fighting
052
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
15 years. We did what we could
050
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
all day all week #occupywallstreet
1102
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A grim moment for Steve Bannon today when his guest admitted that a national emergency declaration -- the lynchpin of Bannon's plot to subvert the midterms -- would likely be overturned by the Supreme Court. Bannon was positively deflated by the end of the show
mediamatters.org
Steve Bannon’s guest admits that a national emergency declaration on elections would likely be overturned by the Supreme Court
911126
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Who is the Las Vegas media gadfly pushing Trump to declare a national emergency and seize power over election systems? Meet Wayne Allyn Root, a pundit in Trump's orbit who spread birther conspiracy theories and falsely claimed the Las Vegas mass shooting was done by ISIS
mediamatters.org
Who is Wayne Allyn Root, the right-wing pundit pushing Trump to undermine the midterms?
Wayne Allyn Root, a right-wing media figure in President Donald Trump's orbit who has spent years spreading conspiracy theories, is trying to advance a plot to subvert the upcoming midterm elections b...
64019
Reposted by John Knefel
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Some of Fox News' biggest names amplified the CBS News story yesterday smearing El-Sayed and misrepresenting comments he made about Covid an 9/11. Under David Ellison and Bari Weiss, CBS News now has the distinct honor of generating outrage slop for Murdoch media
mediamatters.org
Top Fox News hosts criticize El-Sayed for 9/11 comments that mirror their colleagues’
511122
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This completely fabricated non-story migrated to Fox News primetime shows. It's a perfect illustration of what David Ellison and Bari Weiss are aiming to achieve at CBS News: launder bigoted, right-wing narratives into the newscycle as ammunition against their political enemies
mediamatters.org
Top Fox News hosts criticize El-Sayed for 9/11 comments that mirror their colleagues’
052
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Some of Fox News' biggest names amplified the CBS News story yesterday smearing El-Sayed and misrepresenting comments he made about Covid an 9/11. Under David Ellison and Bari Weiss, CBS News now has the distinct honor of generating outrage slop for Murdoch media
mediamatters.org
Top Fox News hosts criticize El-Sayed for 9/11 comments that mirror their colleagues’
511122
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
CBS News trying to manufacture a scandal out of drawing comparisons between the pandemic and 9/11 death tolls. The thing is, that point of comparison was incredibly common at the time. It was everywhere, and trying to smear El-Sayed now is disgusting, if totally predictable under Weiss and Ellison
mediamatters.org
Embracing blatant Islamophobia, CBS News makes bizarre attempt to tie El-Sayed to 9/11
1122669
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
By any objective measure, Trump has failed in his war of aggression against Iran. But, what if the opposite was true? What if victory was at hand? That would really be something. Luckily for the White House, that alternative reality is just one right-wing cable news program or MAGA livestream away
mediamatters.org
The delusional right-wing media figures declaring victory in Iran
44215
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
fantastic news for both. congrats!
010
Reposted by John Knefel
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Chris Van Hollen is thus far the only 2028 contender in the Senate calling for the Trump admin to free a 20-year-old American from Israeli detention. Nothing from Gallego, Booker, Kelly, Murphy, Ossoff, Slotkin, or Warnock.
519457
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Also, on the subject of Islamophobia, it's crucial to note that it's a real problem among some very high-placed Democrats and establishment libs
thelefthook.substack.com
How "Laura Loomer Democrats" Are Teaming Up to Crush Progressives
Why are some Democrats more comfortable with notorious Islamophobe Laura Loomer than progressive candidates challenging the status quo? Oliver Larkin and Elijah Manely join The Left Hook.
031
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
For MS NOW, I wrote about MAGA media's fixation on a supposed "red-green alliance" and how they're relying on Islamophobia and the specter of socialism to hold their fracturing coalition together (pretty solid graphic too!)
ms.now
Opinion | Why MAGA media is obsessing over a fictional ‘red-green alliance’
Right-wing pundits are trying to hold their coalition together by pushing a supposed pact between communists and Islamists.
57223
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Bannon predicted that Trump will declare a national emergency on elections the last week of August. "It's coming," he said last night. Guest Wayne Allyn Root had previously said that Trump's declaration would come in Aug or Sept and claims to have been in direct contact with the president about it
mediamatters.org
Steve Bannon predicts Trump will issue national security declaration on elections in late August
106352
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Some MAGA pundits have scaled back their maximalist goals from the start of the Iran war, revealing a growing despondency among that cohort. EG, Benny Johnson has gone from wanting to rebrand the Strait of Hormuz in America's image to acquiescing to Iranian control if it brings gas prices down
mediamatters.org
The growing MAGA media despondency over the Iran war quagmire
4399
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I spoke with @wajali.bsky.social about the Trump admin's plot to subvert the midterms, & how it is inseparable from the anti-immigrant bigotry that animates MAGA media. The racist "great replacement" theory braids election denialism and nativism together and they need to be understood as one issue
thelefthook.substack.com
This is the GOP's Plan to Steal the Election
Like helpful Bond supervillains, Trump and Republicans have already shared and begun their plans to try to steal or subvert the upcoming elections. How come nobody is stopping them?
24216
Reposted by John Knefel
Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
We're talking about the GOP's Plot to Steal the Election with Media Matters Senior Writer John Knefel. It's happening in plain sight. The 3 step process is underway. Join us now. thelefthook.substack.com
thelefthook.substack.com
The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali | Substack
A political, cultural, and intellectual playground for the rest of us with writer Wajahat Ali. Click to read The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscr...
412854
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
As Trump's war with Iran congeals into a state of "no war, no peace, no ceasefire, no shipping" (with "more war" the most likely next option) it's remarkable to go back to what right-wing pundits were saying in March. It was "Mission Accomplished" nearly everywhere you looked
mediamatters.org
As the Iran war teeters on the brink, let's revisit the numerous "Mission Accomplished" moments from right-wing media in early March
24312
Reposted by John Knefel
Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"We know that he is being tortured. We know that he is being held in an underground prison. We know that he is being held without any charges... I do not understand how people who speak about law and human rights can allow my father to be treated this way. And, it isn’t just my father."
zeteo.com
‘My Father Is a Hero’: Detained Palestinian Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s Son Speaks to Zeteo
‘Being a doctor is not a crime,’ Elyas Abu Safiya tells Zeteo’s Diana Buttu, as his father’s health behind Israeli bars deteriorates rapidly.
013345
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
fingers crossed!
110
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
May also have something to do with Tina Peters' recent meeting with Trump. Her lawyer is a big proponent of the scheme laid out above
mediamatters.org
Tina Peters' right-wing media tour: Endless conspiracy theories about voter fraud and boasts about advising Trump on how to fix it
1106
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This appears to be part of an emerging plot that has three stages: 1) release documents purportedly showing foreign interference (probably China) in US elections, 2) declare a national emergency, 3) issue an executive order along the lines of the SAVE America Act. More context here
mediamatters.org
The plot to subvert the midterms is getting stranger and more dangerous
12214
Reposted by John Knefel
Noah VanDowe @vandowe.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
"Utilize their bodies for compelled slave labor" "Go Old Testament on these people" Asmongold wants the GOP to be "more authoritarian" -- and sees himself as a bridge to Nick Fuentes From @bambooboy.bsky.social, Gideon Taaffe, and me for @mmfa.bsky.social www.mediamatters.org/asmongold/my...
mediamatters.org
“My goal ... is to radicalize people as much as possible”: Asmongold's extreme rhetoric about immigration and ideological opponents
Video game streamer Zack Hoyt, better known online as Asmongold, has emerged in the right-leaning media landscape as an influential political commentator. Now he is urging a future Republican administ...
97722
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Former Colorado election official Tina Peters has been on a right-wing media tour since leaving prison. She's talked extensively about meeting with Trump in the White House and urging him to sign executive orders to curtail voting rights. Appears to be part of a larger plot to subvert the midterms
mediamatters.org
Tina Peters' right-wing media tour: Endless conspiracy theories about voter fraud and boasts about advising Trump on how to fix it
1914341
Reposted by John Knefel
Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
After Jan. 6, 2021, and all the treasonous MAGA moves before and after, we need to get serious about the threat that they'll again try to steal an election. This Media Matters story is not panicky or overblown. It simply states what MAGA extremists want to do, based on what they've said and done.
mediamatters.org
The plot to subvert the midterms is getting stranger and more dangerous
5238102
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Whether this operation actually kicks into gear remains to be seen, but given that Trump & company already tried to overturn one election it would be a mistake not to take these rumblings very seriously
073
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Bannon's War Room podcast is a major hub for this scheme. Solomon is on a White House "task force" that could declassify documents, potentially out of context, that could serve as a "predicate" for Trump to declare a national emergency and issue an executive order seizing power over election systems
194
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This is a weird one but stay with me. It seems that Steve Bannon, John Solomon, Cleta Mitchell, and two top officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are forming a plot to subvert the midterm elections by declaring Chinese interference in US elections as a national emergency
mediamatters.org
The plot to subvert the midterms is getting stranger and more dangerous
1612979
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Right-wing podcaster Steve Stern, who hosts calls with election deniers, praised Christina Norton when she ran the RNC's so-called election integrity shop in 2024. Stern complimented her a few times on Bannon's show. She's now a top official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
mediamatters.org
New top intelligence official Christina Norton was praised in election conspiracy theory discussions on Steve Bannon’s podcast
43324
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Snide response is these people are losers who can’t win shit (correct) but the more substantive take is they are capital’s bulwark against rising working class power and that’s a legitimate problem given the US system
0157
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Memento reboot (grittier)
020
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
CBS News' reporting on Vance at the Rockbridge donor event www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vanc...
021
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The article's author, Cyan Quinn, also spoke at the "Remigration Summit" that Greg Bovino attended last month globalextremism.org/post/the-sec...
132
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
In March, JD Vance attended a donor event hosted by Rockbridge, a network of conservative elites helmed by Chris Buskirk. Buskirk also publishes American Greatness, which three days ago posted a full-throated defense of Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech.
Rivers of Blood: Remembering Enoch Powell, Belfast, and Henry Nowak
On the birthday of Enoch Powell, his “Rivers of Blood” warning is revived amid UK immigration tensions, recent violent incidents, and renewed calls for “remigration.”
186
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
The workers are making less but producing more value, and the owner doesn't have a problem with that? Well, I suppose that's the end of the story
Tipping isn't customary in many countries, but in the U.S., tips are central to workers' pay.

    Anne Calimano, who co-owns Hurley's Saloon in Manhattan, told the New York Post her bar has been jam-packed with the NBA Finals and the World Cup, and her staff has learned to roll with the confusion.
    "They know they're not going to get the 20% or whatever. And they're fine because they're busy and they're making money."
538477
Reposted by John Knefel
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Right-wing media figures, especially in Murdoch world, are furious at the MOU between the US and Iran. A Fox contributor said: "This doesn't feel like a victory." No, no it doesn't, because it isn't.
mediamatters.org
The right-wing media revolt against Trump’s proposed MOU with Iran
79521
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Right-wing media figures, especially in Murdoch world, are furious at the MOU between the US and Iran. A Fox contributor said: "This doesn't feel like a victory." No, no it doesn't, because it isn't.
mediamatters.org
The right-wing media revolt against Trump’s proposed MOU with Iran
79521
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The feedback loop between Trump and Fox News has been a defining feature of the Iran war. Now, the network's hawks may get the escalation they've wanted since the paper-thin ceasefire started in early April
mediamatters.org
Fox’s Iran hawks are getting the escalation they’ve wanted
13710
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
An ill-conceived, short but brutal bombing campaign? Why, wherever could Trump have gotten that idea?
mediamatters.org
Fox News is selling Trump the fantasy that he could defeat Iran in “two weeks"
96219
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Whatever Trump ends up doing next, it's worth noting that his semi-official advisors at Fox News have spent months telling him he can achieve a military victory over Iran in two weeks
mediamatters.org
Fox News is selling Trump the fantasy that he could defeat Iran in “two weeks"
55217
John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Several talking heads at Fox News have spent months selling Trump on the fantasy that victory in Iran is a mere "two weeks" away, if only he'd unleash the U.S. and Israeli militaries. No reason to believe it but it's all the more worrisome given Trump's promise to retaliate for the downed helicopter
mediamatters.org
Fox News is selling Trump the fantasy that he could defeat Iran in “two weeks"
412924