The Media Research Center’s “NewsBusters’” is out with a new study showing that the recently concluded Season 51 of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is more politically liberal than the previous season.
According to the study, 91% of the season’s “Weekend Update” jokes were directed at conservatives, while 83% of its cold open political characters were conservatives or Republicans.
NewsBusters analysts examined all 20 shows of the season that ran from Oct. 4, 2025, through May 16, 2026.
The analysts found that “Weekend Update” anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che both told 217 out of 238 jokes (91%) about conservatives during Season 51
They also told 18 jokes about liberals and three nonpartisan jokes. This included 32 separate conservative, 13 liberal and three nonpartisan targets.
Mr. Jost’s and Mr. Che’s top 10 targets included only one liberal. The list featured President Trump (108), Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (15), former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (12), Tucker Carlson (11), former Rep. George Santos (10), first lady Melania Trump (7), Vice President J.D. Vance (7), former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (5), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (5) and FBI Director Kash Patel (5).
MRC President David Bozell said in a statement: “Michael Jordan famously said, ’Republicans buy sneakers, too.’ Entertainment companies once understood that alienating half the country was probably not a great business model. Nobody is asking SNL to become conservative, but when every political punchline is nothing more than all Trump Derangement Syndrome all the time, SNL risks turning itself into a caricature of their own political obsessions.”
Calls for more oil rigs in Gulf of America
The Institute for Energy Research says the Gulf of America needs more oil development.
The Washington-based think tank cites assessments by several energy research firms that shale oil will not be capable of closing the foreseeable production gap by 2050, but the South-Central Gulf of America could be a new frontier for domestic energy production.
“Forecasters are projecting a shortage in oil supply by 2050. While there has been a tremendous push for wind and solar in the generating sector, these sources cannot fill all the myriad needs that oil provides in heavy industry, petrochemicals, and numerous manufacturing activities,” IER said.
“The South-Central Gulf represents a natural extension to oil development in the Gulf, with access to a specialized workforce and infrastructure that exists in the region. With a consistent schedule of lease sales beginning in 2029, companies can justify the capital outlays required for deepwater exploration.”
IER called on the Trump administration to provide a consistent schedule of lease sales that would guarantee capital stays in the U.S., rather than migrating to oil and gas basins in Guyana, Brazil or West Africa.
Reports from the American Petroleum Institute and the National Ocean Industries Association said the best way to respond to the expected growth in demand is for the South-Central Gulf region of America to produce more than 470,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2040, supplementing the existing offshore Gulf production of almost two million barrels per day.
Most acreage in the area is over 100 nautical miles from the coast of Florida, where the study believes almost half a million barrels per day of oil could be developed by 2040, taking advantage of existing infrastructure in the Gulf.
The Department of the Interior recommended the area be included for lease beginning in 2029, which, if developed, could generate over 130,000 jobs by 2040, according to the study.
Cheers for EPA’s new take on Clean Air Act
The National Association of Manufacturers praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s new guidance that streamlined the review process for Clean Air Act Title V permits.
Title V of the Clean Air Act is a federal program that requires major sources of air pollution to obtain a single, comprehensive operating permit. Established by the 1990 amendments to the act, it consolidates all of a facility’s air pollution requirements into one document to ensure regulatory compliance and enhance enforcement.
The new EPA guidance now clarifies that state, local and tribal permitting authorities may conduct public comment periods concurrently with EPA’s review.
“This preserves public participation and is particularly effective when the permitting authority does not anticipate adverse comment on the draft permit,” the agency said.
The guidance also affirms that the act does not require a full 45-day review by EPA, and EPA encouraged its regional offices to expedite reviews when appropriate.
NAM President Jay Timmons said, “Manufacturers consistently cite Clean Air Act permits as among the most burdensome and unpredictable approval processes they face. With this action, the EPA is taking an important step toward modernizing and streamlining a permitting system that too often delays investment and growth, while maintaining environmental protections.”
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