News of the World

[DerVVulfman]

Bill Maher favors cutting PBS and NPR funding, reject's NPR CEO's claim to be unbiased

Joseph A Wulfsohn, Fox

"Real Time" host Bill Maher argued in favor of pulling federal funding from NPR, insisting it has to go private in the age of hyper-partisan politics.

During his online "Overtime" segment, Maher read a viewer question asking the panel to react to the testimony of NPR CEO Katherine Maher (no relation) and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, who defended their outlets to the House of Representatives' newly-formed Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee as GOP lawmakers call to strip them of taxpayer money over their left-wing bias.

He specifically called out his "namesake" Maher over her repeated assertions that NPR was "unbiased."

"Give me a break, lady," Maher reacted Friday. "I mean, they're crazy far-left."

The HBO host went on to say the country is "past the age" where the federal government can subsidize outlets like NPR and PBS.

"Why do we need to subsidize," Maher asked. "We're so polarized. These outlets became popular at a time when Republicans and Democrats didn't hate each other and weren't at each other's throats and didn't think each other was an existential threat. In that world, you can't have places like this, I think, anymore. They have to be private."

In her opening remarks, Katherine Maher said NPR plays an essential role in "delivering unbiased, nonpartisan, fact-based reporting" to Americans. She said NPR is the only "non-paywalled" news outlet with a reporter dedicated to covering veterans’ issues, and she believes local public journalism "has never been more important to American families."

At one point, she claimed she had "never seen any instance of political bias determining editorial decisions," drawing scorn from conservatives online.

Katherine Maher, who joined NPR in March 2024, was repeatedly grilled over her past social media posts touting various left-wing ideologies, which she distanced herself from. She also admitted it was a "mistake" for NPR to dismiss the Hunter Biden laptop scandal during the 2020 election.

Fox News Digital reached out to NPR for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Trump’s Greenlandic supporters lean away from Denmark, aim to build US ties

Caitlin Doornbos, NYPost

As unlikely as it sounds, support is growing among native Greenlanders for President Trump’s rhetoric about annexing the Arctic island — as well as actually becoming part of the United States.

The Post spoke to multiple Greenlanders on Thursday who quietly approved of Trump’s proposals to form a partnership with the island — or even take it over from its Danish rulers — but asked to speak anonymously after receiving death threats over their views and advocacy.

“For the American people, the highest-ranking valuable thing you can give another country is to be part of the United States,” said one resident of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. “When Donald Trump says, ‘You can even join the United States’ — that’s the most valuable thing Donald Trump is saying he can give up.”

“I can’t say that,” this person added. “It’s like I will be killed. It’s f—ng crazy times here in Greenland; the fear-mongering, the divide and conquer of the media has been crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy.”

Though roughly 90% of the island’s population of just over 56,000 are Greenlandic Inuit, the media is primarily Danish — influencing the opinions of the native people, according to Trump supporter Lars Kleist.

“I think we need change here in Greenland. We are tired of the Danish colonialism,” said Kleist, a former local government employee who said he lost his job in 2020 because of his pro-independence views. “When you enter the town, everything is ruled by the Danish.”

Kliest, who received worldwide attention after he was pictured casting his vote in Greenland’s March 11 parliamentary elections while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, said he would prefer a partnership with the US to annexation — but supports Trump all the way.

. . .

“Only one country can protect us — the US,” he said, noting Russia and China’s growing presence in the Arctic. “And the US economy gives more potential to increasing incomes per person, maybe up to 40% in the future.”

. . .

State Department formally shutters USAID after Trump court victory

Josh Christenson

The State Department formally announced Friday it is closing the US Agency for International Development (USAID) after the Trump administration prevailed in a federal court case challenging the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cost-cutting actions.

“Foreign assistance done right can advance our national interests, protect our borders, and strengthen our partnerships with key allies. Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago. As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Ex-DOGE official Jeremy Lewin announced USAID’s shuttering in an internal memo earlier Friday — and said the State Department “intends to assume responsibility for many” of the agency’s functions and programs, according to ABC News.

“Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over. We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” Rubio added.

“We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country. This is yet another promise made and delivered to the American people.”

.  .  .

The move had been in the works, but was given a boost by a federal appeals court decision earlier Friday by a three-judge panel on the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Circuit Judges Paul Niemeyer, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, and Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., an appointee of President Trump during his first term, rejected a request to halt Musk’s termination of employees and contracts brought by 26 current and former USAID employees.


.  .  .

“The only evidence cited by plaintiffs in support of their motion, which was subsequently relied on by the district court, were social media posts and news reports,” wrote Quattlebaum of Maryland federal judge Theodore Chuang’s decision to pause DOGE’s actions.

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