Outlet profile · Independent channel

The Civic Desk

2 graded reports on Clad. Volume is public; the outlet's average grade, lean & social sentiment unlock with a free account.

Clad has been grading The Civic Desk segments since Aug 2026 — 2 reports so far, published as notable segments air. Its most-covered subjects on Clad: Congress, Defense budget, Environmental Justice. Every report checks the segment's load-bearing claims against primary sources, then scores the coverage for factual accuracy, political lean, and how the public received it — so you can see how The Civic Desk's reporting holds up story by story, not just take its word for it.

The Civic Desk's average grade, average political lean & social sentiment across all 2 reports unlock with a free CladFacts account — no card required.

Latest reports

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Whitehouse presses Zeldin on conflicting EPA grant review statements in court filings

Aug 20, 2026

The broadcast shows a May 2025 Senate Environment and Public Works Committee exchange in which Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) questions EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about apparent inconsistencies in how the Trump administration reviewed and terminated hundreds of Biden-era environmental justice and climate grants. Whitehouse walks through three documents: a April 23 court declaration by EPA's Daniel Kugan stating leadership conducted individualized grant-by-grant reviews and citing 377+404=781 affected grantees; a May 6 declaration by Travis Voyles stating he personally conducted an individualized review of grant programs on a single day (Feb. 25, 2025); and a May 16 DOJ filing not contesting plaintiffs' APA claims that the agency failed to do individualized reviews. Zeldin counters that he and multiple staff reviewed every individual grant over many days as a top priority to eliminate waste, abuse, and conflicts, and that schedules are public but do not log every moment. The clip is framed as Whitehouse methodically building a contradiction from sworn statements and court pleadings, with Zeldin defending on policy grounds and accusing Whitehouse of ignoring 99% of the story about taxpayer waste. Exhibits including an Inside EPA news report were entered into the record. No additional guests; the throughline is the reliability of the administrative record for judicial and congressional oversight of grant terminations.

▶ Source: The Civic Desk

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Goodlander questions Hegseth on $25 billion Iran war costs during $1.5 trillion budget hearing

Aug 18, 2026

The segment covers a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion FY2027 budget request. Rep. Maggie Goodlander questions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and officials about accountability for $25 billion already spent on the Iran conflict, audit failures, and economic impacts including gas prices. The broadcast draws on hearing testimony, prior sworn statements, GAO designations, and Inspector General reports. Goodlander cites Hegseth's own 2016 remarks on unlawful orders; witnesses promise detailed breakdowns after the hearing.

▶ Source: The Civic Desk