CNN Falsely Accuses Trump Of Not Notifying Dems Of Iran Strike

CNN walked back a key claim in its Sunday coverage of President Donald Trump’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, admitting that Trump did, in fact, notify Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in advance. Initially, CNN’s Sarah Ferris and Morgan Rimmer wrongly reported, “Trump briefed top Republicans before Iran strikes, but not Democrats.” Now the same article states that Trump did not brief some Democrats — only after 10 hours of the original headline imprinting in the American psyche. 

“Correction: This story has been updated to make clear Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was called before the strike, not after as initially reported,” an italicized note at the beginning of the CNN story reads. 

The correction dramatically undermines the media’s preferred narrative that Trump acted unilaterally and recklessly, ignoring congressional consultation. In reality, the president followed standard protocol, reportedly looping in Schumer. But CNN only updated its story after the false claim had already gone viral, gaining traction across social media and among cable pundits eager to paint Trump as a threat to global stability. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t let the false claim stand. 

“This is Fake News. The White House made bipartisan courtesy calls to Congressional Leadership and spoke to @SenSchumer before the strike. @RepJeffries could not be reached until after, but he was briefed,” Leavitt wrote on X, calling on CNN to “please retract” its false report. 

Meanwhile, Democrats rushed to condemn Trump, telling the public that the commander-in-chief needed their approval before acting on behalf of the nation he leads. 

Some lawmakers, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called for Trump’s impeachment. Others, such as Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., sounded off that the president’s move was “grossly unconstitutional.” Even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who was reportedly briefed, weighed in, stating that Trump “misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for use of military force and risks of American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”

But Schumer, who had the facts, did not bother to correct the record. He let the outrage fester. 

This is how the game works. The propaganda press — with CNN leading the charge — publishes a misleading or outright false narrative. Elected Democrats seize on it to attack the president. By the time the truth catches up, the damage is already done, and people who should have spoken up don’t because the lie serves their purposes. 

The New York Times got in on the narrative-control action over the weekend too, but in a different way. After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised “our boys in those bombers” in the Iran nuclear site strike, The New York Times ran a smug correction, pointing out that women also pilot B-2 bombers. Instead of focusing on the critical mission, the outlet opted to fact-check a figure of speech — and got crushed for it online. 

This wasn’t journalism. It was political messaging disguised as reporting. And it underscored what many Americans are smart enough to see through: Legacy media don’t exist to tell the truth. They exist to reinforce narratives that help Democrats and hurt Republicans. 

This is especially true when it comes to Trump. While elected Democrats and Republicans have every right to criticize his actions, the media should be there to tell us who said what, not to inject an opinionated voice of its own. 

But that’s not what we have. The corrupt press operates less like reporters and more like a rapid-response team for the Democrat Party — quick to spotlight every accusation, slow to correct even the simplest of facts, and utterly uninterested in accountability when their distortions cause real destruction. Their lies create an embattled society of skeptics who trust no one and sheep who believe it all. 

The only “war” being fought by the U.S. is an information war — and the media is on the front lines, not as watchdogs, but as political operatives.

Julianna Frieman is a writer based in North Carolina. She got her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is pursuing her master’s degree in Communications (Digital Strategy) at the University of Florida. Her work has been published by the Daily Caller, The American Spectator, and The Federalist. Follow her on X at @juliannafrieman.