FROM THE TOON-O-SPHERE: Editorial cartoons 11 March 2026

 

Racket Shill-o-Meter reads ---- Who's That Source? Iran Edition

 How much thinking really happens at a DC think tank? 

 

Who's That Source? Iran Edition Jillian Butler Mar 10 ∙ Guest post A view of an Iranian missile near the Turkish border in Syria, on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP EDITOR’S NOTE: Read Matt Taibbi’s introduction of Who’s That Source here. The ratings have been precisely calibrated with Racket’s in-house proprietary shill-o-meter, so please direct gripes to the editor in chief. Analysts from Washington think tanks and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have appeared dozens of times in the New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, and Bloomberg as subject matter experts on the Iran War — and counting. While they are usually presented as neutral policy experts, their funding structures and advocacy histories are rarely disclosed. Racket News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Upgrade to paid As the United States moves deeper into conflict, the public conversation is increasingly shaped by experts whose institutions are funded by donors with clear interests. The question is not whether these institutions produce substantive research. Many do. The question is whether readers are given sufficient context to understand the financial and political ecosystems in which that research is produced. While interest groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have been well studied, and their biases are well known, other more obliquely-named interest groups may be harder to parse. As more money flows to defense contractors and trickles down to think tanks, and as Gulf states seek to strengthen their position in Washington, discerning who the media regards as subject matter experts will only become more important. This is an evolving document, and will be updated. Racket News reached out to all organizations for comment and zero replied. Name: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Site: ctc.westpoint.edu Logo Concept: Watch your head! Source type: As an offshoot of West Point based out of the New York campus, the CTC provides cadets with the opportunity to minor in counterterrorism. Its core missions are to educate, research, and advise policy. The Pitch: The Washington Free Beacon reported last month that Iran had ballistic missiles capable of delivering chemical or biological weapons — a claim we haven’t heard a peep about since. To bolster its story, the Free Beacon reported that — per the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point — Iran has for a decade researched and developed "anesthetics used to incapacitate victims by targeting the central nervous system." The Catch: Though West Point is a federally funded service academy, the CTC’s $11.6 million endowment is completely privately funded. However while most donors are West Point alumni, billionaire and West Point graduate (class of 1977), Vincent Viola, is both CTC’s founder and primary donor. Upon retiring from the army as a Major and earning his juris doctor, he founded Virtu Financial, a global finance firm providing at-the-market (ATM) equity to clients in, but not limited to Canada, Greece, Australia, and Israel. In 2016, Trump planned to appoint him as the Secretary of the Army. However, he withdrew his name from the shortlist due difficulty divesting from conflicts of interest. “Experts” Yes/No?: Yes. CTC conducts rigorous history and theory based research on some of the most prominent terror groups. Products include the monthly CTC Sentinel, long-form academic reports, and shorter explainers. The CTC also aids policymakers and practitioners including, but not limited to the CIA Director, FBI officials, and commanders in the United States Special Operations Command. Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 2%. Of course, a West Point affiliate that closely advises the military and CIA on counterterrorism will adhere to a certain paradigm. Some argue that CTC publications have overestimated the threat of ISIS and underestimated how quickly the caliphate would fall. Some academics believe that the CTC puts too much faith into the reliability of insurgent posts on social media. But the group does not take official policy stances. It touts its financial independence from the federal government as a credibility booster. The Beacon’s sources attempted to bolster the claim of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction in Iran by dragging in the more limited claim of a credible organization and hoping nobody noticed the sleight of hand. Name: Foundation For Defense of Democracies Site: www.fdd.org Logo Concept: The torch of democracy (regime change) alights the newspaper page. Source type: Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Washington, DC based 501(c)3 research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Though claiming to be nonpartisan, it has a right-wing bias. The Pitch: Since the lead up to Operation Epic Fury, FDD scholars have been cited in legacy media outlets including CBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Much of FDD’s featured analysis has been hawkishly supportive of regime change. “Dismantling that regime’s nuclear, missile, and terror infrastructure is not a favor to Israel. It is core American national security,” wrote Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz in the New York Post on March 9. “Iran’s missiles and nuclear program and terror are America’s problem. Those missiles don’t just threaten Israel. They are being fired right now at US forces, American bases, our embassies, and our Gulf Arab allies. Iran is actively developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could one day reach the American homeland.” The Catch: Originally, FDD was called Emet, the Hebrew word for “truth.” Founded in early 2001, the organization’s intent was to “provide education meant to enhance Israel’s image in North America.” Emet politically aligned itself with Likud — the nationalistic political party of Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. Two days after 9/11, Emet rebranded as FDD, and shifted from acting as Israel’s American public relations branch to educating the public on terrorism. FDD was founded by Clifford D. May. Prior to founding the think tank, May was a foreign correspondent with the New York Times. In 2000, he served as the communications director for the Republican National Committee. In 2008, he was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the entity responsible for all US government and government sponsored, non-military, and international broadcasting. In 2016, he was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. As of 2024, FDD had $27,703,934 worth of net assets. According to their website, “FDD does not accept donations from any foreign governments.” Donors include both individuals and charitable foundations including the Herzog Foundation, Abstraction Fund, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Marcus Fund, and the Koret Foundation. Major individual donors include Paul Singer and Sheldon Adelson. Singer is a hedge fund manager with a net worth of $6.7 billion. He has donated millions to Republican PACs and right-leaning think tanks including the Manhattan Institute. He has also donated to many Jewish organizations including Birthright Israel, Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Jewish Funders Network. The late Adelson was a casino owner with a net worth of $40 billion. He is considered the largest Republican mega-donor in American history. He also donated to a multitude of pro-Israel causes including Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. The Herzog Foundation is an organization dedicated to advancing Christian K-12 education. They have historically donated to Christian schools, conservative organizations such as the First Liberty Institute, and Freedom Foundation. The Abstraction Fund, Klarman Family Foundation, Marcus Foundation, and the Koret Foundation all continually donate to Israel-aligned philanthropic initiatives including Birthright Israel and Central Fund of Israel. “Experts” Yes/No?: Yes. The organization employs individuals of varying backgrounds from journalists to intelligence to military. Using open-source intelligence, FDD provides analysis to both policymakers and the media. It has advised the Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump administrations as well as multiple congressional offices. In 2018, FDD encouraged Trump to withdraw from the JCPOA. Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 99.8% FDD has fallen under scrutiny for promoting overzealous analysis and since deleting it. In April 2002, founder May described Iran and Iraq as “terrorist-sponsoring regimes attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction.” In January 2002, he was cited by the National Review stating that the claim “Saddam still has weapons of mass destruction cannot be seriously doubted.” And as recently as December 2022, FDD’s FAQ page asserted that “President Bush said he’s going after not only the terrorists but also the regimes that harbor the terrorists. We know Saddam Hussein is making weapons of mass destruction - biological, chemical and nuclear - and remains a serious threat. But other nations that harbor or sponsor terrorists - Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, North Korea, Cuba - also must change their behavior. If we don’t insist on that, we won’t win this war.” According to a Responsible Statecraft report, these documents have since been deleted from the website. Name: National Endowment for Democracy Site: www.ned.org

USA FACTS: Expedited Removals...data avaiable only for 2024??

. What are expedited removals? ... data from 2024    The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) previously released monthly data on expedited removals, but it hasn’t released that report since January 2025.  That edition contained November 2024 data.  There hasn’t been a report to account for the policy changes DHS made a little over a year ago

When the US deports unauthorized immigrants, most of them are entitled to an administrative removal process that guarantees access to a lawyer and the opportunity to present their case in immigration court. But sometimes those processes are bypassed under what’s called “expedited removal.” So what is that, and how often does the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use it? The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 created the process of expedited removal.  Specifically, it allows the government to bypass hearings for immigrants who were not admitted by authorities and who had been in the US for less than two years.  For years, DHS used a limited scope for these removals, focusing on unauthorized immigrants who:   Arrived at ports of entry without entry documents,   Entered by sea without formal admission and who had been in the country for less than two years, or   Were apprehended within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of entering without admission.    In 2019, during the first Trump administration, the DHS expanded the practice to the full extent authorized by the law so that any unauthorized immigrants who had been in the country less than two years were eligible for expedited removal. The DHS rescinded this in 2022 under the Biden administration but reestablished it in January 2025 when Trump returned to office. The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) previously released monthly data on expedited removals, but it hasn’t released that report since January 2025. That edition contained November 2024 data. There hasn’t been a report to account for the policy changes DHS made a little over a year ago. From 2014 to 2024, DHS used expedited removal to deport between 10,000 and 20,000 people each month. (There were exceptions during the national COVID-19 emergency, when monthly expedited removals ranged from about 1,200 to 6,400.)   Fiscal year 2024, the year before the policy expansion, was a record year for expedited removals: DHS removed 193,520 immigrants under the statute. That’s more than any other year in OHSS's record, which spans back to 2014.  See the data How much does the average American earn per week? Average weekly earnings reached $1,275 in January 2026. That's part of a long-term upward trend that began at the end of the Great Recession.   In January 2026, information sector workers had the nation’s highest average weekly earnings at $2,017.  Mining and logging followed ($1,850), then  financial activities ($1,822).  Leisure and hospitality workers had the lowest at $596 per week.  See the data Ask an Analyst: The full affordability picture   Ever read something from USAFacts and think, "How did they find this info?"   Our new series, Ask an Analyst, takes you on our team's data journeys. In this installment, Nicole dives into the indices behind the concept of “affordability.” (It’s more than just inflation!) They’re called Regional Price Parities, Nicole spends way too much time thinking about them, and she says it’s time you do too.  Americans’ interest in the term “affordability” is peaking this year. The number of Google searches for the word has climbed above its previous high in early 2009 during the Great Recession.    The Bureau of Economic  Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities. They’re a reliable source for nuanced affordability data (though there’s some lag — the most recent data is from 2024).     RPPs measure how price levels vary nationwide. They are an index where the average for the entire country is 100. Every location in the US is assigned a value on the index, either above or below 100. Above 100 means their prices are higher than the US average, and values under 100 mean prices are below the average. Here’s one way to use them: Say you have two job offers, one in San Francisco for $70,000 and one in Monroe, LA for $55,000. Based on RPPs, the cost of living for San Franciscans is nearly 16% higher than the US average, while the cost of living in Monroe is 16% less. After accounting for cost-of-living differences, the salary for the Monroe job is about 9% higher.  Join the journey And a correction: last week, we mistakenly linked to the wrong article for Chris's explanation about job number revisions. We apologize. Here’s the correct link.  Data behind the news  Seven US service members have died in the strikes in the strikes in Iran. See the data on military members who have died in the line of duty. On February 25, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it would freeze $259.5 million earmarked for Medicaid in Minnesota while it investigates allegations of fraud in the state. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which began on February 14, continues due to a lapse in funding tied to disagreements in Congress over immigration enforcement policy.  In FY 2024, DHS spent $89.3 billion, funding agencies including FEMA, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Ready for the weekly fact quiz?     One last fact Nineteen states have opted to observe daylight saving time permanently. But these changes can only take effect if Congress changes federal daylight saving time laws. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would move the US to permanent daylight saving time, has been introduced to Congress in 2018, 2021, and 2025, but has failed to pass.