MSNBC has officially lost its mind up and down the line. The television ratings are circling the drain, and it is no better on MSNBC.com.
Look no further than the headline on the site this morning responding to the conviction and sentencing of Jose Ibarra, the illegal Venezuelan migrant who murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia and was sentenced to life in prison without parole by a judge on Wednesday after waiving his right to a jury trial.
MSNBC.com initially analyzed that news with the headline: “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance.” And that headline remained on the site for hours on end.
Finally, just as we were coming to air, the headline was updated to: “The guilt of Laken Riley’s killer was never in doubt.” Apparently, that original headline was too much even for their left-wing audience.
The Media Reaction
But MSNBC was not alone. Users on X noticed The Washington Post, Associated Press, and The New York Times all refused to describe Laken Riley’s murderer as an illegal immigrant.
The Washington Post led with “Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra was found guilty of murdering Laken Riley.” The AP didn’t even try to ID him. Instead, it said “a man was convicted of murder in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley.” The New York Times went with “a Venezuelan migrant.”
There was nothing about the fact that he is here illegally and is part of the Tren de Aragua gang. We are not allowed to talk about it.
Remembering Laken
Laken Riley is one of the women I mentioned by name when I spoke at Donald Trump’s Pittsburgh rally the night before the election. I said I would be thinking of her on Tuesday, November 5, and I was.
I have been thinking about her for a while – as I know many millions have – because this girl’s story was emblematic of so many who have been killed by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ reckless border policies. They are trying to make it easier for immigrants to cross the border right this second in his last two months in office because he apparently hasn’t done enough damage.
I have also been thinking about folks like Laken’s mom, who missed her daughter’s final text and phone call. Prosecutors shared on Tuesday that Laken had texted her “Good morning, about to go for a run. If you’re free to talk.” at 8:55am on February 22. At 9:03am, she tried calling her mom. She didn’t answer. Within seven minutes, Laken would be attacked by this illegal.
During the sentencing on Wednesday, Laken’s stepfather John Phillips read one of her final diary entries in court. It was written to her future husband. It is hard to hear and it is hard to read, but it is the real life toll of these leftist border policies.
“To my future husband, as silly as I feel writing this, my old small group leader once recommended it, so here I am. I want you to know I’m thinking about you. I’m working every day to become the best wife I can be. I’m working through my current relationships to best prepare me for ours and our kids one day. I’m focusing on God and what he defines as a faithful Christian wife so that I can best embody those characteristics…
I can’t wait to love you in the best way I know how for the rest of our lives. I pray you know and feel the importance of our love and hopes for our relationship. No matter what challenges we face, I pray that our trust in God and for one another overrules the obstacle.
May our relationship last forever, Your future wife, Laken.”
Ibarra had the benefit of one of these woke district attorneys, who did not personally believe in the death penalty despite the fact that Georgia allows it. And so this guy will live on the taxpayers’ dime until he dies in natural death.
A Final Thought
A final point on this. Allie Beth Stuckey posted something on X yesterday about this that needs to be shared:
“No black squares for Laken. No riots. No demands to ‘listen and learn.’ No lectures on progressive fragility. No scolding from social justice,” she wrote. “Christians with Micah 6:8 in their bios[,] they’re angrier when a violent criminal is confronted by the police than they are when an innocent woman is murdered while jogging. They’re more outraged when an illegal Haitian immigrant gets his shirt pulled by a border patrol agent at the border. Remember that the next time they launch another manipulation campaign.”
Boy, that really sums it up.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 952 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.