I have decided that reading the news in America is like listening to Gollum. Gandalf:

“What I have told you is what Gollum was willing to tell – though not, of course, in the way I have reported it. Gollum is a liar, and you have to sift his words. For instance, he called the Ring his 'birthday-present', and he stuck to that. He said it came from his grandmother, who had lots of beautiful things of that kind. A ridiculous story. I have no doubt that Sméagol’s grandmother was a matriarch, a great person in her way, but to talk of her possessing many Elven-rings was absurd, and as for giving them away, it was a lie. But a lie with a grain of truth.”

• Whom is this account trying to please?
• Whom or what is it afraid of?
• What pre-existing narrative is it meant to confirm?
• What conclusions is it trying to prevent me from drawing?
• From what inconvenient truths is it meant to distract me?
• What is the “grain of truth” to be plucked from all the lies and distortions?