In the hours following Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets demanding $6 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. ET on Monday.
Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today Show” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home nine days ago. Since her disappearance, news outlets have received messages detailing cryptocurrency payment instructions.
Criminals are increasingly turning to Bitcoin and other digital assets in ransom and extortion cases for several reasons.
Personal information is not required to access a private cryptocurrency wallet; this is one reason criminals often prefer self-custody wallets for their Bitcoin, requiring only a digital wallet and a pseudonym. Once funds are transferred to the digital wallet, the transaction cannot be reversed, unlike credit card payments or wire transfers, which can sometimes be disputed or clawed back. There is also no central authority that can freeze a Bitcoin wallet or halt a transaction.
Chainalysis&#8217;s 2024 Crypto report <a href="https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2026-crypto-crime-report-introduction/">stated</a>, &#8220;Human trafficking operations have increasingly leveraged cryptocurrency, while there has also been a particularly disturbing rise in physical coercion attacks, in which criminals use violence to force victims to transfer assets, often timing these assaults to coincide with cryptocurrency price peaks.&#8221; Chainalysis estimated that tens of billions of dollars in cryptocurrency were linked to illicit activity in 2024.
However, Bitcoin does not provide total anonymity; it operates on a public, immutable ledger, meaning every transaction is permanently recorded and visible.
The Daily Wire spoke to Lionsgate Networks CEO Bezalel Eithan Raviv, who leads a firm that specializes in crypto security and asset recovery.
“A lot of people believe there’s no way to trace or recover crypto. This is a myth,” Raviv said.
He told The Daily Wire that using only the Bitcoin address provided in the ransom messages, the funds could indeed be tracked. “We would send a single dollar and we will trace the location of where it hits and lands. We would give that intel to law enforcement without sending $6 million in crypto. You can probe that wallet with a very small transaction.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/dwn-260204"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1039207" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal.jpg" alt="" width="2290" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal.jpg 2290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-300x71.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-1024x243.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-768x182.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-1536x365.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-2048x487.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2290px) 100vw, 2290px" /></a>
Tracing typically identifies wallet relationships and exchange touchpoints, not precise locations.
Raviv warned that such cases are likely to increase, as he believes criminals are often more sophisticated than law enforcement.
“Unfortunately, what we have experienced with this very unfortunate story will only scale,” he said. “Cybercriminals have the leverage because they do understand the tactics and the maneuvers that law enforcement will probably take years to catch up with.”
Still, Raviv emphasized that blockchain transparency remains a powerful investigative tool. “Blockchain is a language,” Raviv said. “And if you can speak it, you can do a lot with it.”
The second deadline for Nancy Guthrie has passed. The ransom reportedly increased from $4 million to $6 million on Monday.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie posted a video on Instagram calling on the public to pray for her mother&#8217;s safe return and contact law enforcement &#8220;if there is anything at all that seems strange.&#8221;
&#8220;We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,&#8221; she added.
Tuesday marks day ten of the search for Nancy Guthrie.

Bitcoin

The Nancy Guthrie Case Shows How Cryptocurrency Changed Ransom

Crime

Cryptocurrency

kidnapping

Nancy Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie

U.S.

Claiming a free $1,000 from the federal government for your child is now even easier. The Trump Administration on Monday launched a redesigned online intake form for opening a Trump Account. 
The new IRS Form 4547 at <a href="http://trumpaccounts.gov">TrumpAccounts.gov</a> replaces the clunky downloadable PDF parents previously had to navigate. The updated form, designed by the new government National Design Studio led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, streamlines the process into a few simple steps. Parents are asked to provide their personal information, contact details, and their child’s information, along with consent for the Treasury Department and IRS to open a Trump Account on the child’s behalf. Families may also add additional qualifying children in the same submission. 
Once the form is submitted, the Treasury Department, in partnership with the IRS, will create and maintain the Trump Account. The account will be held in a partner institution, which will then contact parents with further instructions to complete the setup. 
The redesign radically simplifies the previous system, which required parents to download, fill out, and mail back the PDF form. The new online submission allows parents to complete the entire process digitally, eliminating paperwork and delays.
President Trump established the National Design Studio through executive authority as part of a broader effort to modernize outdated government systems. “There is a high financial cost to maintaining legacy systems, to say nothing of the cost in time lost by the American public trying to navigate them,” the President’s executive order states. 
Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia joined the government as an unpaid special government employee (SGE) to bring the President’s vision to life by redesigning the Trump Stock Account intake form. 
Trump Accounts have the potential to be financially transformative for American families. According to White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Trump-Accounts-Give-the-Next-Generation-a-Jump-Start-on-Saving.pdf">projections,</a> a child born in 2026 would have an account worth approximately $5,800 by age 18 with no additional contributions. With maximum contributions from parents and employers, that number could reach $303,800. By age 28, the account is projected to grow to $18,100 without additional contributions and as much as $1,091,000 with maximum contributions, highlighting the power of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-secret-weapon-that-will-supercharge-the-trump-accounts-for-newborns">reinvesting earnings</a> over time. Families, friends, and employers can contribute up to $5,000 per year per child. 
The account, managed by a professional firm, will invest the funds in a diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds aiming to maximize long-term growth while minimizing risk so that when the child turns 18, they have money to be able to fund their college education, buy their first home, or start a business.  
All children under the age of 18 with a valid Social Security Number are eligible to establish a Trump Account, but only children who were born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, are eligible for the $1,000 seed investment from the United States Treasury. The funding for Trump Accounts came from the Beautiful Bill and will have the opportunity to be extended in a later reconciliation bill for children born in 2029 and beyond.  
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes that as children watch money in their Trump Account grow, they learn valuable lessons about investing and personal finance. At the Trump Account launch day, Bessent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-says-trump-accounts-are-antidote-to-socialism">shared</a> a sobering statistic showing that two-thirds of Generation Z cannot answer more than half of the basic financial literacy questions on the Nation’s Personal Finance Index. He said that watching their own money grow in real time through Trump Accounts will give Americans the opportunity to course-correct their financial literacy.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Accounts For Your Kids Are Now Easier Than Ever To Access

The Government Is Giving Kids $1,000—And It’s Now Easier Than Ever to Claim

family

finance

News

Trump Administration

Bad Bunny didn&#8217;t win over Present Donald Trump. 
In the moments after the Latin singer&#8217;s Super Bowl halftime show, the president declared it &#8220;one of the worst, ever.&#8221;
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, ever,&#8221; said Trump. &#8220;It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of success, creativity or excellence.&#8221;
Bad Bunny’s songs were performed entirely in Spanish, and Trump said &#8220;nobody understands a word this guy is saying.&#8221; He also had an issue with the choreography, which featured a group of women dancing in a sexually suggestive manner. 
“The dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching through the U.S.A., and all over the world,” Trump said. 
 The President said the halftime show felt like a “slap in the face” to what America is accomplishing under his leadership. “This show is just a slap in the face to our country, which is setting new standards and records every single day—including the best stock market and 401(k)s in history. There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a halftime show and watch, it will get great reviews from the fake news media because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the real world.” Trump ended his criticism adding he did not like the NFL’s new kickoff rule. “And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new kickoff rule.” 
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/nfl-commissioner-responds-to-critics-says-bad-bunnys-super-bowl-halftime-performance-will-unite-and-bring-people-together-3928103">responded</a> to criticism one week before the game, emphasizing that the halftime show is meant to unite people and that Bad Bunny is “one of the great artists in the world.”
Turning Point USA created an alternative to the official Super Bowl LX halftime show after Bad Bunny, who had been critical of immigration policies of the Trump administration, was selected. One week before his Super Bowl performance, he made statements against ICE when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/super-bowl-halftime-singer-bad-bunny-uses-grammys-win-to-attack-ice">accepting his Grammy</a>. 
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out,” the singer said. “We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans … the hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. Yeah. We don’t hate them. We love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it, with love. Don’t forget that, please.”
Millions of people <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/millions-tune-in-for-tpusa-all-american-halftime-show-during-super-bowl?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=Entertainment&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Millions+Tune+In+For+TPUSA+All-American+Halftime+Show+During+Super+Bowl">tuned in</a> to watch TPUSA’s halftime show, which featured Kid Rock and performances from Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.

Trump and Bad Bunny

Trump Responds To Bad Bunny Halftime Show, Says It Was ‘Absolutely Terrible’

Millions of Americans tuned in to the Super Bowl as the event marked its 60th anniversary, but amid football’s biggest night, viewers were reminded of an even greater anniversary — America’s 250th birthday. This year, a primetime ad marked the year-long celebration of America’s semiquincentennial year.
The commercial opened on the Statue of Liberty before sweeping through defining moments in American history. Glimpses of the Wright brothers, Mount Rushmore, the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington crossing the Delaware were interwoven with scenes of modern innovation and technology.
“After 250 years, the American experiment still isn’t finished. It’s been built, tested, carried forward, and fought for,” the ad read. “And we passed it on, hand to hand, life to life. Generations ago ordinary people risked everything to begin it.”
Throughout the thirty seconds, the military threads the scenes together acting as a guardian of America’s progress. The commercial closed celebrating America’s past but also looking towards its future. “250 years later the work continues because freedom is worth it. This year America turns 250.”
The ad aired as a Super Bowl Public Service Announcement (PSA), typically reserved for campaigns aimed at education or social awareness and often produced pro bono by nonprofits or foundations. This time, however, NBC donated the coveted 30-second slot, an opportunity that usually costs around $8 million, to Freedom 250.
Non-partisan Freedom 250 is spearheading the Nation’s 250th birthday celebrations. The organization works in tandem with the White House Task Force 250, along with other federal agencies, to bring the nation’s birthday to life.
“Just as Super Bowl Sunday brings Americans together around a shared love of competition, tradition, and excellence, the 250th anniversary will unite our entire nation in celebration of the values and freedoms that make America exceptional,” said Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach. “This is our moment to come together as one country and honor the American story and celebrate the bright future ahead.”
While Freedom 250 is hosting events to celebrate the nation all year long, the biggest bash will take place on July 4, 2026. At the National Mall in Washington, D.C. there will be military flyovers, notable speeches, headline performances, and an ending firework display. On the same day in New York, ships and naval vessels from more than thirty countries will into New York Harbor around the Statue of Liberty.

TOPSHOT-AMFOOT-SUPERBOWL-CHIEFS-EAGLES

At Super Bowl 60, Ad Celebrates 250 Years Of America

advertising

America

Super Bowl

United States

President Donald Trump surprised the joint Daily Wire and Young America’s Foundation event in Nashville with an inspiring message on Friday.
“A very special hello to everyone gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. I love Nashville,” the president said in a video message. “Thank you all for coming out to join the Young America&#8217;s Foundation and The Daily Wire, and celebrating one of the most important milestones in the history of our country, America 250.”
Trump told the audience of young people that they have a crucial role to play in carrying on the American spirit like those who came before them nearly 250 years ago.
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of the nation&#8217;s founding, young people like all of you have a crucial role to play in revitalizing and reasserting the unyielding American spirit that first inspired the cause of independence two and a half centuries ago. Sounds like a long time, but it does fly doesn’t it.”
Conservative leaders, lawmakers, and activists gathered in Nashville for the “Freedom at 250” tour kickoff. In addition to the president, speakers included Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee, Daily Wire hosts Reagan Conrad and Michael Knowles, and Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan.
WATCH TRUMP&#8217;S VIDEO MESSAGE: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kRjawgrVE78?si=Oa2syTe3c4lG4lt6" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The president reminded the audience that the nation’s founding fathers understood that rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness did not come from government officials but from God.
“Together we believe in the principle that the government exists to serve its citizens and that our rights are given to us not by bureaucrats, but by Almighty God.”
“These ideas, embodied in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, have animated the conservative movement for generations,” Trump added. “This year, we celebrate and reassert those foundations of American freedom because together we make America great again, and that’s what we are doing. America is back stronger, bigger, and better than ever before.”
Trump then thanked the young audience for their support and patriotism and told them to never stop fighting or winning.
President Trump has maintained a close relationship with Young America’s Foundation, <a href="https://yaf.org/news/meet-the-yaf-activists-joining-president-trump-for-todays-free-speech-executive-order-signing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inviting</a> many of the group’s members to join him as he signed an executive order supporting the First Amendment rights of students nationwide.

Screenshot

WATCH: President Trump Delivers Surprise Message To Daily Wire And YAF’s ‘Freedom at 250’ Event

Donald Trump

Michael Knowles

The Daily Wire

Young America's Foundation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is causing “tragedy after tragedy” in Minneapolis, claimed Democrat City Council Member Aisha Chughtai after describing the <a href="https://x.com/dhsgov/status/2019578762262647130?s=46">arrest</a> of a &#8220;woman&#8221; who &#8220;was our neighbor” early Thursday morning. That &#8220;woman,&#8221; however, was Kyle Wagner — a cross-dressing man known publicly as “Antifa Kyle,” who allegedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-nab-crossdressing-antifa-terrorist-who-threatened-to-kill-ice-officers-in-minneapolis?utm_content=16784587&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter&amp;utm_source=iterable">threatened</a> “to assault, kill, and doxx officers” in Minneapolis.
“This morning, you know, so early, dozens of my neighbors were woken up because ICE agents broke down an apartment building’s door, and two dozen agents went in and arrested a woman that was our neighbor and it’s just — we’re continuing to experience tragedy after tragedy,” said Chughtai, the &#8220;first Muslim woman&#8221; to serve on the Minneapolis City Council, according to a <a href="https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/city-council/members/ward-10/about-aisha-chughtai/">government website</a>.
The Democrat city council member failed to disclose that the “woman” was cross-dressing, self-proclaimed “Antifa Kyle,” and that law enforcement was carrying out an arrest warrant.
Chughtai told the council she had been on the scene. Her afternoon remarks were a follow-up to earlier remarks she made on social media platform <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/aishaforward10.com/post/3me4gge6shc2p">Bluesky</a>.
“I’m on the scene at Franklin and 1st. A convoy of about a couple dozen ICE/HSI agents broke the entryway into an apartment building at 6am. No warrant presented. Less than 24 hours ago, Tom Homan announced the end of large convoys in Minnesota… B*LLS*IT.”
The Daily Wire contacted the Department of Justice regarding Chughtai’s claim that the arrest was made without a warrant and obtained both a copy of Wagner’s arrest warrant and a court-presented video showing Antifa Kyle spitting on a federal agent.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Daily Wire obtained a copy of ANTIFA Kyle’s arrest warrant as well as a video of appearing to spit on an agent.
This is the “woman who was our neighbor” that Chughtai described. <a href="https://t.co/AwhyXvMhIM">pic.twitter.com/AwhyXvMhIM</a>
— Brecca Stoll (@breccastoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/breccastoll/status/2019888906204741690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wagner’s arrest follows a series of alarming social media videos. After the killing of Alex Pretti, Wagner posted a video encouraging his followers to take up arms on the streets of Minneapolis.
“Show up ready to go. Not talking about peaceful protests anymore,” Wagner said, calling on people to “march … with guns” and saying, “the Second Amendment is the only thing that’s going to keep you f*cking protected from literal f*cking Nazi gunmen.”
“Get your f*cking guns, and stop these f*cking people,” he added.
Wagner then made a subsequent video requesting “large sums of money” from his followers. He told his audience the link to his Venmo was in his Instagram profile and that the money would go to his emergency freedom and defense fund.
“I’m not going to tell you what I’m spending my money on,” Wagner added. “I’m not gonna tell you why I need you to give me large sums of money right now. I just want you to understand that this is an actual guerrilla war in our streets now. They’re using live ammunition to kill our citizens. I need everyone to show up, fully prepared — whatever that means to you — to whatever degree you can.”
In other videos, Wagner was seen wearing women’s clothing. Clad in a red spaghetti-strap dress, hoop earrings, and heeled boots, he said, “I do this all year, all the time. I do this for me … I like to get real clean and pretty and go out and shoot pool or get dinner and go dance.”
Council Member Aisha Chughtai did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for an updated comment on the arrest.

Kyle Wagner

Democrat Cries ‘Tragedy’ After Watching ICE Arrest Antifa-Linked Suspect Accused Of Wanting To Kill Cops

Antifa

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Peeling back red tape and eliminating redundant regulations sits at the heart of the Trump administration’s economic agenda. That mission went on the road Friday as the Office of Advocacy joined the House Committee on Small Business for the first stop of a new cross-country listening tour focused on small business owners. 
The Daily Wire spoke with Joe Krenzelok, with the Office of Advocacy, who is representing the agency at the tour&#8217;s opening stop, titled The Open Road: Small Business Conversations Across Main Street America. 
Krenzelok said the agency has flagged hundreds of regulatory concerns, adding that the difference this time is that those issues are receiving serious attention, creating what he described as a rare opportunity for lasting reform.
He went on to emphasize that the administration’s posture toward small business marks a meaningful shift from past approaches.
“President Trump values the input of small businesses,&#8221; said Krenzelok. 
Krenzelok will join House Committee on Small Business Chair Roger Williams to hear business owners&#8217; concerns directly.
He noted that a significant portion of the regulatory concerns raised by businesses stem from Environmental Protection Agency rules. Trump nominated Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, praising him as a “true fighter for America First policies” with a strong legal background. 
Two months into his new role, Zeldin announced what he described as “31 historic actions in the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.” The move launched sweeping reviews across the energy sector, including easing restrictions on coal plants, power plants, and oil and gas operations. Among the actions was a rollback of national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants. 
Krenzelok told The Daily Wire he has already seen tangible effects in his region. 
“I met with a small trucking company that raised concerns about diesel emissions regulations,” he said. “The very next day, Administrator Zeldin came to Iowa and mentioned they would be making adjustments within that.&#8221;
“That told me that he’s very well in tune with what’s happening on the ground,” Krenzelok added. “It’s very evident to me that this administration is actively seeking input from the ground because they’re addressing issues in real time.” 
According to the Office of Advocacy’s first annual <a href="https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FINAL_First-Year-Report_012026.pdf">report</a>, the agency’s efforts have saved small businesses more than $110 billion in regulatory costs. The report states that, on an annualized basis, first-year savings during Trump&#8217;s second presidential term were more than 35 times those in Biden&#8217;s first year in office.

IMG_1076

Trump Admin Hits The Road To Hear Directly From Small Business

Business

General

Small Businesses

The Minneapolis City Council refused to renew the liquor licenses for two downtown hotels, the Canopy by Hilton and the Renaissance Hotel at the Depot, after a contentious debate over reports that the hotels may be housing ICE agents. 
The council voted to hold the licenses for another cycle, delaying a final decision until a future meeting after public comment. Earlier this week, city council member Aisha Chughtai argued that automatically renewing the licenses would go against public safety.
“These are two hotels that have contracts with the federal government that allows for housing of federal agents as they are coming in and while they are here during their stay,” she said. 
“Now, let’s talk about why a liquor license renewal is attached to ICE agents staying at a hotel. What we’re seeing happen in real time in hotels that have these types of contracts with the federal government is at night when agents come back from their like being out and about and you know beating people up and separating families and abducting people for fun all day. They drink heavily at the bar and have weapons on them … that is a like real danger to public safety in our community, and so necessitates us having further conversations to try to figure out how we can ensure greater public safety for the residents we serve.” 
During the discussion, council members asked city attorney Quinn O’Reilly to explain the council’s legal obligations regarding liquor license renewals. O’Reilly said the request for renewals was sent to the council for approval because city staff had determined both hotels were in compliance with all liquor licensing laws and regulations, making them eligible for renewal under existing rules. 
Following that explanation, several council members pushed back in favor of immediately renewing the licenses. 
Council member Warren said, “This just smells real discriminatory to me. I booked hotels, and they just asked me when I’m checking in, when I’m checking out, and how can I pay … our downtown business district has suffered enough disenfranchisement through all of the closing of buildings, buildings selling for pennies on the dollar. We don’t have time to be playing around in people’s faces with foolishness.” 
Council member Vetaw echoed Warren’s concerns, adding she did not understand why the council would not go ahead and renew the licenses that met legal requirements. 
Committee chair Aurin Chowdhury, who brought forward the motion, said extensive constituent outreach and concerns about worker and public safety drove the decision. “When there are hotels that are a part of our beloved hospitality community, putting them in danger, putting their workers in danger, I think that accountability is 100% warranted,” Chowdhury said. She added that by not immediately renewing the liquor license, the council is “nation-leading right now.” 
“It’s wild to me that multi-million, billion dollar corporations in hospitality can just like sit aside and not answer for it.”
Another council member warned that it wasn’t just the hotels that would suffer from this damage, but the very constituents the council works to protect. 
“Both hotels are now losing a lot of money … I just want you to remember how much they [hotels] have suffered. And really, it’s their employees because they’re laying people off. So the very people that we try to protect are getting laid off because of the damage and the problems that are befalling these hotels by the protesters.” 
When Chowdhury moved the council to a vote, five council members voted to renew the license, and nine council members did not vote for renewal. 
After the vote, council member Jamal Osman asked to add remarks to the record, defending the protesters. “I do want to thank the people that we’re calling agitators. They’re fighting for our people. They [are] out there in the cold, sniffing a gas, dealing with all kind of stuff. People die and lost their lives because of us. Because of us immigrants. Someone like me, someone like Chavez (another council member) &#8230; These people are our heroes.” 
The council will meet again on February 17th, after a public comment period, to revisit its decision.

Untitled design – 2026-01-06T085250.206

Minneapolis City Council Refused To Renew Liquor Licenses For ICE-Linked Hotels

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Protests

When Elon Musk announced that SpaceX would acquire his xAI company, most news outlets framed the merger as a corporate reshuffling, with some even describing the deal as a financial lifeline for the AI company. Musk’s own words, however, suggest something far more ambitious than a rescue mission. With the acquisition taking place on February 2, the early architecture of a system that ties energy, computing, space infrastructure, and artificial intelligence into one vertically integrated machine has begun to come into focus.
In December, Musk stated, “Space-based industries will vastly exceed the value of all of Earth, given that you could harness roughly 100,000 times more energy than Earth and still be using less than a millionth of the Sun’s energy.” The billionaire argued that Earth is the bottleneck and space is the throughput.
Just ten days before the merger announcement, Musk hinted at the scale of his vision: “If we harness even a billionth of the Sun’s power for AI/robotics, it will be a 1000X return. Money won’t mean much at that point.”
AI is rapidly becoming one of the most energy-hungry technologies ever built. Goldman Sachs <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/ai-to-drive-165-increase-in-data-center-power-demand-by-2030">projects</a> that power demand from data centers will increase by 50% by 2027 and over 165% by 2030. Training advanced AI models requires enormous clusters of GPUs, and keeping them from overheating is an engineering challenge of its own. Nvidia&#8217;s latest chip was engineered to be better optimized to cool down the hardware, highlighting that advances in AI are as much about optimizing energy as increasing computational power.
Musk is taking a different approach to energy, looking to use SpaceX to create power grids in orbit.
Two days before the merger, SpaceX filed a request with the federal government, asking permission to launch a massive orbital data center in space. If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) grants the request, SpaceX will be able to launch its reusable rockets to build a massive constellation of satellites powered by solar energy.
The power generated from these orbital data centers could help satisfy the enormous energy demands of xAI, depending on whether the technology operates as described.
According to SpaceX, orbital data centers operate with little maintenance cost and never have to deal with a cloudy day, as it is “always sunny in space.” With its vast new energy source, Musk predicts that xAI will, in turn, be able to solve bigger problems and manage larger computations.
Not all are as optimistic as Musk. &#8220;Talk of launching data centers into space, sounds somewhere between optimistic to delusional. The same could be said of the value public markets have ascribed to the billionaire’s corporate efforts to date,&#8221; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/spacexs-125-trln-deal-risks-burn-up-re-entry-2026-02-03/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">wrote</a> Robert Cyran for Reuters. He compared SpaceX and xAI&#8217;s merger to bankrupt companies in the dot-com bubble. He added, “Musk’s self-referential merger universe, if anything, revolves around even more outlandish hopes.”
The combined company is now valued at an estimated $1.25 trillion, making it the largest private tech enterprise in history, and the Financial Times reports that SpaceX is still aiming for an initial public offering in June. The IPO of the now combined company is expected to raise up to $50 billion, which would stand as largest IPO of all time.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s Wild Space Gamble Could Decide Who Controls AI’s Future

Artificial Intelligence

Outer Space

SpaceX

Technology

Germany-headquartered Siemens Energy announced on Tuesday a $1 billion investment to strengthen the United States’ power infrastructure. The company is set to expand its manufacturing capabilities in the United States, signaling confidence in America as a hub for energy innovation. 
Approximately <a href="https://www.siemens-energy.com/global/en/home/press-releases/siemens-energy-is-investing--1-billion-and-creating-highly-skill.html">one-fourth</a> of the United States’ power generation relies on Siemens Energy technology. With rising demand fueled in part by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, the company is ramping up production and facilities across nine sites in Mississippi, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, New York, and Texas over the next two years. The investment is expected to create 1,500 highly skilled manufacturing jobs. 
Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch credited the Trump Administration for creating “once-in-a-generation growth opportunity” for the resurgence of United States manufacturing and the expansion of artificial intelligence. He noted the administration’s energy policies “supercharged the energy demand which is supporting new investments across the energy sector.” 
Funding from the investment will support a range of projects, including high-voltage switchgear to build out energy grid components in Mississippi, power transformers and gas turbines in North Carolina, gas turbines in Florida, copper production in Alabama, and upgraded facilities in New York and Texas. The move aligns with President Trump’s tariff policies, which incentivize domestic manufacturing.
“This tremendous investment in a critical part of our power grid supply chain underscores President Trump’s success in expanding supply chain access and bringing major manufacturing back to America,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “We appreciate great partners like Siemens Energy, who proactively partner with the Trump administration for the benefit of the American people, prioritizing critical components to make the United States Energy Dominant.” 
Burgum, who chairs the National Energy Dominance Council, worked with Siemens Energy to help bring the investment to fruition. 
Siemens Energy highlighted its deep roots in the United States, dating back to the 1880s, when the company supported early electrification projects, and says it now wants to meet energy demands driven by artificial intelligence. The Trump Administration has put a heavy emphasis on winning the AI race through initiatives like Project Vault, which creates a strategic reserve of critical minerals essential for AI chips, and by taking stakes in companies to secure domestic supply chains for semiconductors, rare earth minerals, and nuclear energy. For Siemens Energy, the investment nods both to its long-standing commitment to the United States and a signal of confidence in the country’s energy and technological future.

World Premiere Of Amazon MGM’s “Melania”

Trump’s Energy Policy Just Fueled A $1B Investment In American Power And Jobs

Trump’s Energy Priorities Help Attract $1 Billion Siemens Energy Investment To United States

Doug Burgum

Energy

Siemens

Moltbook Website Homepage Displayed On Smartphone Screen

Did AI Social Network Moltbook Need Humans After All?

Big Tech

Social Media

Belgian authorities have opened an investigation into the 2025 arrest of Lois McLatchie Miller and &#8220;Billboard&#8221; Chris Elston, one year after the activists were detained while conducting interviews on the street.
Miller, a British citizen, and Elston, a Canadian, were in Brussels interviewing passersby about radical gender ideology in June. Miller was holding a sign that read “Children are never born in the wrong body” and Elston — known for debating people on the streets while wearing sandwich boards — held one reading “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”
When a threatening crowd began to form, Miller called the police. Four police vans and fourteen officers arrived on the scene, only to arrest and strip-search Miller and Elston, who were held in custody for four hours.
“Opening up a criminal investigation into what happened is a major development,” Miller said. “It’s clear by any measure that our right to free speech was violated when we were put in jail cells for speaking about puberty blockers.&#8221;
Belgian authorities have not yet disclosed the scope of the criminal investigation, leaving open the key question of whether the inquiry is focused on potential misconduct by the police officers involved in the arrests or the conduct of the campaigners themselves. Miller and Elston have spent the past year petitioning the government to offer an apology and financial settlement for what they call an unlawful detention.
The scope of Brussels’s criminal investigation could signal a shift in Europe’s approach to free speech, which American officials warn is under attack on the continent.
“Free speech, I fear, is in retreat,” Vice President JD Vance said last year. “I look to Brussels, where EU Commission commissars warned citizens that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest: the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be ‘hateful content’. Or to this very country where police have carried out raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online as part of ‘combating misogyny’ on the internet.”
The vice president added that he believes Europe will rise to the occasion, and expressed his confidence that Europe’s democracies “are substantially less brittle than many people apparently fear.”
&#8220;We should be able to speak freely about one of the greatest medical scandals in modern history,” Elston said. “Children are being maimed, chemically castrated, and sterilized for an ideology which teaches they were born wrong.”
Elston is no stranger to brushing up against foreign speech codes and hostile crowds. In 2023, he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadian-cops-watch-as-radical-trans-activists-assault-lone-man-defending-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assaulted</a> during an event in Canada, an attack police did nothing to stop. The following year, he was put on trial in Australia <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-shared-a-link-on-x-now-hes-in-an-australian-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simply</a> for sharing a link on X.
Months after his arrest in Belgium, Elston <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/billboard-chris-launches-global-nonprofit-to-fight-child-gender-exploitation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a nonprofit dedicated to fighting “medical malpractice of child transition” and defending free speech worldwide.
&#8220;We’re formalizing a grassroots movement to educate, activate, and equip people to protect children,&#8221; Elston told The Daily Wire in an exclusive interview after the organization&#8217;s launch.“We will always endeavor to follow the law, while at the same time challenge abuses of authority.”

Screenshot 2026-01-31 at 1.54.02 PM

Belgium Investigating Arrest And Detention Of ‘Billboard Chris’ And British Activist

Billboard

European Union

Free Speech

gender ideology

Menu