A newly elected Muslim senator from Michigan is being grilled by cable news over "Jewish safety," while critics say the real story is media bias protecting Israel from criticism.

• Cable anchors repeatedly pressed Michigan's new Muslim senator-elect about Jewish safety, even though he won 60% of the Jewish vote in the state.
• Polling shows most Jewish Americans actually disagree with Israel's government and believe its actions in Gaza fuel anti-semitism, undercutting the premise of the media questioning.
• The senator-elect turned the exchange around, arguing that billions in unconditional US military aid to Israel is the real safety threat for Palestinian families and that opposing it isn't hatred.
• A similar pattern played out with New York's mayor being asked to denounce a friend's past comments, despite having already distanced himself from them.
• Critics argue networks like MSNBC and Fox are aligned on defending Israel's image even though they're normally seen as political opposites.

Outlook: Expect continued media pressure on critics of Israeli policy, with pushback from Democratic politicians and commentators likely to keep growing louder.