Colony Ridge, the Texas neighborhood that became the “fastest growing development” in the country thanks to a marketing scheme that targeted illegal immigrants, has <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txsd.1945245/gov.uscourts.txsd.1945245.149.1.pdf">agreed</a> to pay $68 million in penalties in a joint settlement with the Trump administration and the State of Texas.
The developers of Colony Ridge, located just north of Houston, came under both federal and state investigation after a 2023 report by The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-colony-ridge-the-fastest-growing-development-in-the-u-s-is-a-magnet-for-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exposed</a> how it grew to nearly 100,000 residents with a business model catered to illegal immigrants. Its Spanish-only marketing campaigns were directed at foreign buyers.
The initial lawsuit was brought by the Biden administration, which said Colony Ridge “targeted Hispanic consumers with predatory loans” and “misled” them about what they were getting. Colony Ridge sold inexpensive plots of land at sky-high interest rates, with a type of loan available to illegal immigrants who are ineligible to apply for traditional loans. The buyers ended up in a “cycle of foreclosure,” creating a “nightmare for thousands of hardworking Hispanic families,” Biden’s Department of Justice said, treating the illegal immigrant population as the victim.
The settlement, however, was reached by the Trump administration and Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Its provisions appear designed not only to punish Colony Ridge, but also to end its ability to give loans to illegal immigrants, and even to supercharge deportations.
Included in the settlement is a pledge to require purchasers to present a valid Texas-issued driver’s license or identification card, or a valid visa issued after January 1, 2025. Also included is a pledge to spend $20 million to build a new law enforcement center inside Colony Ridge, where cartel activity has taken a foothold.
Want to support The Daily Wire’s journalism? <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*zk9jo9*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NzA3MDY0MTIuQ2p3S0NBaUFxS2JNQmhCbUVpd0FaM1Vib05iT0dWbm9xdVB3Mk1RR1c0VmdKb0xlVVRSSU9KYUlDbEpSQjVNYWJSMGVndlB5dnB3MFBSb0NEZ3NRQXZEX0J3RQ..*_gcl_au*Mjc1MjQyNDA2LjE3NzAwNDYyOTM.*_ga*MTQxNjEzNTU5NC4xNjkxNjk2NTg1*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NzA3MDU5NjUkbzM1MyRnMSR0MTc3MDcwNjQyOSRqNjAkbDAkaDA." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join DailyWire+</a>.
According to Paxton, the funding can be used to facilitate deportations carried out by local Texas law enforcement.
“Colony Ridge endangered American citizens by allowing illegal aliens to run rampant on its streets, in its schools, and in its community. Now, it’s time for those responsible to pay a steep cost for their unlawful actions,” Paxton said. “My office will continue to bring the full force of the law against anyone who threatens the safety of our state or creates a safe harbor for illegals.”
Paxton’s office said the agreement “halts the development of a de facto illegal immigrant community.”
Among the other provisions are $48 million for infrastructure improvements to the development, which was plagued by flooding and sewage issues, and a promise to end its predatory lending practices.
“This DOJ will go after all lenders, financiers, and land developers who participate in schemes which ultimately encourage illegal immigration,” said Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “The changes required by this settlement will promote public safety, and affordable and sustainable homeownership in America, key priorities of this administration.”
LISTEN TO MORNING WIRE’S INVESTIGATION INTO COLONY RIDGE:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-americas-largest-illegal-immigrant-enclave-9-17-23/id1576594336?i=1000628139512" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
Colony Ridge became a flash point for the illegal immigration crisis in America. The massive influx of illegal immigrants that came across the border during the Biden administration found a whole community that was ready to accept them.
The communities that surrounded them all of a sudden saw their lives changed. Their once-quiet towns were now down the street from shocking crimes, such as three previously deported illegal immigrants who were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/3-illegal-aliens-arrested-after-344-pounds-of-meth-found-in-colony-ridge?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=3+Illegal+Aliens+Arrested+After+344+Pounds+Of+Meth+Found+In+Colony+Ridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught with 344 pounds of crystal meth</a>, Mexican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-illegal-alien-captured-at-colony-ridge-believed-to-be-tied-to-mexican-drug-cartel?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Illegal+Alien+Captured+At+Colony+Ridge+Believed+To+Be+Tied+To+Mexican+Drug+Cartel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drug cartel leadership</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-alien-two-accomplices-plead-guilty-in-colony-ridge-murder-case?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Illegal+Alien%2C+Two+Accomplices+Plead+Guilty+In+Colony+Ridge+Murder+Case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several brutal murders</a>.
After President Trump took office, deportation raids captured more than 100 targets in Colony Ridge alone, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nearly-100-illegals-captured-in-colony-ridge-deportation-raids?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Over+100+Illegals+Captured+In+Colony+Ridge+Deportation+Raids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Colony Ridge

Colony Ridge Agrees To Pay $68 Million In Penalties For ‘Illegal Immigrant Haven’

Harmeet Dhillon

Illegal Immigation

Ken Paxton

Texas

Nashville, Tennessee, where The Daily Wire is headquartered, is covered in a massive sheet of ice.
A weekend of freezing rain coated every surface in Music City and surrounding areas of middle Tennessee with an inch-thick layer of ice, causing massive power outages and dangerous structural damage. With temperatures hovering in the teens, there is no thaw in sight.
The main culprit has been downed trees, which are blocking roads and taking down power lines all around the Nashville area.
Below are some of the scenes, collected by our staff.
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<div id="attachment_1033695" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1033695" class="size-large wp-image-1033695" src="https://drwordpress.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_1237-432x576.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/IMG_1237-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />Daily Wire</div>
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IMG_3475

PICTURES: Ice Wreaks Havoc On Nashville, Leaving Thousands Without Power

Nashville

Snow

Tennessee

Weather

New York officially has a heavyweight political bout on its hands in 2026.
A new survey of New York voters shows Kathy Hochul, the incumbent Democrat governor, with a slight single-digit lead over Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and also that the race could get even tighter if New York City voters elect socialist Zohran Mamdani next month.
Hochul leads Stefanik 48% to 43%, according to the GrayHouse poll conducted late last month just after the governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hochul-endorses-mamdani-the-very-next-day-he-refuses-to-endorse-her">endorsed Mamdani</a>. Hochul finds herself in a &#8220;deeply vulnerable position,&#8221; the polling memo reviewed by The Daily Wire states, especially given underlying data points that indicate the race will only tighten.
It shows, for example, that a win by Mamdani in the mayor&#8217;s race makes 47% of independent voters less willing to vote for a Democrat for governor, with only 9% saying it would make them more likely to vote for a Democrat. When voters were asked whether they wanted Hochul reelected or whether it was time for someone else, 59% of New York voters said it was time for anyone but Hochul.
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And in what the pollster calls an &#8220;informed ballot,&#8221; in which voters are polled after hearing political narratives about the candidates, including that Hochul had just endorsed Mamdani, her 5-point lead completely evaporates: in that sample, Stefanik actually takes a small half-point lead, 46.4% to 45.9%.
Stefanik says the poll results should be expected, given the state of New York under single-party Democrat rule.
&#8220;Kathy Hochul, the worst Governor in America, is a deeply embattled and historically unpopular failed Governor who is struggling to even gain support from her own party,&#8221; Stefanik said. &#8220;Kathy Hochul’s single party Democrat rule affordability crisis, coupled with the crime crisis from failed bail reform, combined with the sanctuary state policies, putting criminals and illegals first and New Yorkers last, is a political disaster for Hochul.”
Stefanik, an Albany native who has represented upstate New York in Congress for the past decade, has risen to political stardom in recent years as a member of House leadership and close political ally of President Donald Trump. The president actually nominated her to be his ambassador to the United Nations, but she stepped down during the confirmation process to save the Republican majority, thereby winning the support of her allies throughout the party. She has yet to officially launch her gubernatorial bid, but it&#8217;s considered a question of when, not if.
Hochul, who took office after her disgraced Democrat colleague Andrew Cuomo resigned over sexual harassment accusations, vastly underperformed expectations in her only election at the top of the ticket. In 2022, with polls predicting she&#8217;d win by double-digits over Republican Lee Zeldin, Hochul only won by a few percentage points. And with the state reeling during her first full term as governor, Stefanik&#8217;s team views her as vulnerable.
&#8220;This poll is devastating for the Worst Governor in America,&#8221; said Alex deGrasse, a longtime Stefanik operative. &#8220;Voters want change and a Governor who will fight for them, which is why they will resoundingly reject Kathy Hochul for new leadership in Elise Stefanik if she decides to run for Governor. What is truly remarkable about this poll is that this is before Elise has even formally announced her campaign. There is a reason why Kathy is running scared.”
Hochul finds herself in a precarious position, with Democrat voters in the state split between more traditional candidates and socialists like Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  Asked whether they &#8220;align&#8221; more with &#8220;traditional Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries&#8221; or &#8220;Democratic Socialists like AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani,&#8221; Democrat voters were perfectly split, 40% to 40%.
Hochul&#8217;s one-time running mate, Andrew Cuomo, is running against Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race as an independent. Though Hochul endorsed Mamdani, she&#8217;s so politically unpopular that he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hochul-endorses-mamdani-the-very-next-day-he-refuses-to-endorse-her">unwilling to even return the favor</a>.
Polling in recent months has shown Stefanik trailing by double digits, including one poll that showed Hochul with a lead of 25 points, according to <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2026/governor/ny/2026_new_york_governor_stefanik_vs_hochul-8740.html">RealClearPolitics</a>. The GrayHouse poll was conducted from September 20 to September 26, and had a 2.6% margin of error.

Stefanik/Hochul

Elise Stefanik Has Kathy Hochul In Striking Distance After NY Gov Endorses Mamdani: Poll

Plenty of ink has been spilled on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the sweeping piece of budget reconciliation legislation that cuts taxes, creates “Trump accounts” for newborns, and grants an unprecedented new surge of funding in support of mass deportation and border security efforts.
But one of the law&#8217;s biggest impacts may be its unfurling of a longstanding gun law that firearms enthusiasts and Second Amendment advocates have long had in their sights.
The government has imposed a tax on suppressors, tools that are used to dampen the sound of a gunshot, ever<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-republican-budget-proposal-has-removal-gun-silencer-tax-its-sights-2025-05-14/"> since</a> 1934, when the National Firearms Act was passed. Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, that tax will be dropped in January, and its elimination could tee up massive victories for Second Amendment supporters.
The Daily Wire team had the chance to learn from firearms experts and gun rights advocates during a day at the range, firing both suppressed and unsuppressed AR-15s. Their utility became clear as the day went on, and as thousands of rounds were fired.
“Millions of Americans use them to protect their hearing,” Knox Williams, Executive Director of the <a href="https://americansuppressorassociation.com/">American Suppressor Association</a>, said of suppressors. “Gunshots are loud to the point that when you don’t have hearing protection, any exposure to an unsuppressed gunshot can and will lead to permanent and irreversible hearing damage … if you lose it, there is no coming back.”
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Suppressors, often referred to colloquially as silencers, work in the same way as a muffler on a car — with a tube that traps, cools, and dissipates the hot gas that comes out of a barrel after a round is fired. In fact, the suppressor and the muffler were developed by the same American inventor in the early 1900s. Both inventions prevent the rapid contact of the hot gas with the cooler surrounding atmosphere, which is one of the main causes of the noise that is generated when a gun is fired.
Suppressors reduce the noise of a gunshot by anywhere from 20 to 35 decibels, making their effect roughly equivalent to earplugs and earmuffs in their ability to protect one’s hearing.
Americans’ impression of suppressors comes primarily from James Bond films and video games, where the devices are used to sneakily assassinate a target in a crowded setting, allowing the shooter to escape undetected.
The reality, as was apparent after a day at the range, is that even a suppressed firearm is still loud enough to cause hearing damage if used without hearing protection, and far too noisy to allow one to pull off a Bond-style operation, especially when used indoors. Instead, a silencer is a valuable tool to protect your hearing, and it works best when used in conjunction with earplugs or earmuffs.
The removal of the tax on suppressors, Williams says, is a victory that could build momentum in the service of a broader goal.
“The primary thing that we want is to remove these things from the National Firearms Act entirely. In the House version of the Big Beautiful Bill, that actually passed. It was full removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act, which meant no tax and no registration requirement,” the American Suppressor Association Executive Director explained.
That version of the bill did not pass in the Senate, but the removal of the tax is an initial victory for Second Amendment advocates, and one that could beget bigger wins.
Williams explained that the tax wasn’t just an added financial burden to those looking to buy suppressors, but also created a registry of Americans who paid the tax, in effect resulting in a federal registry of Americans owning suppressors.
The removal of the tax, Williams says, has “set us up for being able to challenge the constitutionality of these items in the National Firearms Act in court.”
A new lawsuit from the American Suppressor Association, the National Rifle Association, and other pro-Second Amendment organizations aims to do just that. The suit contends that the registry is no longer Constitutional, given that the tax that justified its existence is being eliminated.
“The National Firearms Act has been a weight around the neck of law-abiding gun owners for nearly a century,” Williams charged. “Our lawsuit challenges the NFA as an unconstitutional registry of now untaxed firearms. Common sense and the law are on our side, and we look forward to fighting on behalf of all Americans in Federal Court.”

Suppressed AR-15

The Big Beautiful Bill Quietly Shot Down One Of America’s Dumbest Gun Laws

firearms

Gun Rights

Guns

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Second Amendment

The Daily Wire announced in February 2018 that it would no longer publish the names or photographs of mass shooters. The policy, instituted after the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida, was based on the conviction that the potential news value of identifying mass shooters was outweighed by the risk of giving the shooter notoriety.
It is hard to make that same case regarding the shooting in Minneapolis, in which a young transgender-identifying man opened fire on a Catholic school, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen. 
The shooter’s identity is undeniably a central part of the story. Born Robert Westman, he changed his name as a minor — with his mother’s legal permission — to Robin Westman, telling the approving court that he “identifies as a female.” His journals, which we have<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-trans-identifying-gunman-who-slaughtered-catholic-school-children?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=What+We+Know+About+The+Trans-Identifying+Gunman+Who+Slaughtered+Catholic+School+Children"> reported on at length</a>, reveal that his belief that he was transgender was a driving force in his decision to attack.
His identity also fits a pattern. This week’s shooting came just over two years after another transgender-identifying individual murdered children at a Christian school in Nashville. Transgenderism also played a massive role in that shooting. That shooter’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-journal-revealed-my-imaginary-penis">journal revealed</a> severe mental issues regarding her sex: she believed that being female was a “curse” and said she would “kill” for access to gender transition.
In an effort to hide the role that the shooter’s transgender identity played in that shooting, the government attempted to hide the transgender shooter’s manifesto. It didn&#8217;t work. The pattern was so clear, in fact, that Christian school leaders in Minnesota <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minnesota-catholic-school-leader-warned-tim-walz-of-urgent-and-critical-need-to-secure-schools?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Minnesota+Catholic+School+Leader+Warned+Tim+Walz+Of+%E2%80%98Critical%E2%80%99+School+Safety+Threats.+He+Did+Nothing.">pleaded</a> with Governor Tim Walz to help prevent similar shootings. They were scared that their school would be next, and they were, tragically, correct.
In addition to transgender attacks in Minneapolis and Nashville, a transgender teen was sentenced to life in prison for a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/world/transgender-teen-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-deadly-colorado-school-shooting-idUSKCN24Q03E/">deadly school shooting</a> in Colorado, and a self-styled “trans gamer girl” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kavanaugh-assassination-suspect-portrayed-himself-online-trans-gamer-girl-named-sophie">attempted to assassinate</a> Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 
The Daily Wire is in the business of reliably delivering the facts you need to understand the world we live in. We live in an era of abundant information, and strive to help you sift through what matters. In this case, that meant deviating from a long-held policy designed to avoid handing undue notoriety to the sickest in our society. 
The news value of a shooter&#8217;s name and photograph won&#8217;t always outweigh valid concerns about giving him or her notoriety. In this case it did. We will continue to use our editorial judgment to make these difficult decisions going forward, and strive to do our best to deliver responsible, accurate, and important news to our readers.

Screenshot 2025-08-27 at 3.15.44 PM

Why We’re Naming The Minneapolis Shooter

NASHVILLE—Tennessee&#8217;s Marsha Blackburn is officially throwing her hat in the ring for governor, saying she wants to help make the increasingly red state &#8220;America&#8217;s conservative leader.&#8221;
Freshly elected to her second term in the Senate, Blackburn has emerged as a close ally of President Donald Trump in Tennessee. Her opening pitch to voters in her gubernatorial run highlights her relationship with the president, saying Trump needs &#8220;strong conservative governors&#8221; to deliver his agenda.
&#8220;In his first six months, President Trump has made historic strides in Making America Great Again, but as he sends power back to the states, he’s going to need strong conservative governors who can bring that revolution home,&#8221; Blackburn said. &#8220;I’m running to serve as Tennessee’s next governor to ensure Tennessee is America’s conservative leader.&#8221;
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Blackburn has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marsha-blackburn-considering-run-for-tennessee-governor">openly considering</a> a run for governor since January, but a packed legislative schedule in Washington, D.C. — with pressure to pass not only Trump&#8217;s signature legislation, but also confirm his nominees — has made launching a statewide campaign in Tennessee a challenge. Her announcement comes exactly a year before the Republican primary and just days after Trump greenlit Senate Republicans to break for recess.
The senator is immediately the favorite, with near certainty that she&#8217;ll enter the primary with Trump&#8217;s endorsement. Her chief competitor will be Republican Rep. John Rose, a wealthy businessman who declared in March and is expected to self-fund his campaign.
Blackburn&#8217;s opening ad aligns with Trump&#8217;s priorities, pledging to deport illegal aliens &#8220;whether it takes planes, trains, or starships,&#8221; &#8220;define our boys and girls the way God made them,&#8221; and keep the momentum going for Tennessee, which is booming in popularity.
<a href="https://store.dailywire.com/products/make-america-tennessee-hat">DW SHOP: Get your MAKE AMERICA TENNESSEE hat here!</a>
&#8220;Tennessee is the greatest place in the world to rear a family and make a life and a living, and together, we can make our great state even better,&#8221; Blackburn says.
Blackburn, who lives in the Nashville area, has been a Tennessee lawmaker since 1999, when she was elected to the state legislature. Before being elected to the Senate, she represented Tennessee in the House of Representatives for nearly two decades.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R.), who is serving his second term, is term limited and cannot run for re-election. The state has not been led by a Democrat since 2011.

GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Holds Town Hall in Warren, MI

Marsha Blackburn Launches Governor Bid, Pledges To ‘Make Tennessee America’s Conservative Leader’

Donald Trump

Marsha Blackburn

The advertising industry “cartel” that existed to censor online speech in the name of &#8220;brand safety&#8221; was directly involved in organizing the corporate boycott of Twitter after Elon Musk bought it, even working with foreign regulators to orchestrate its pressure campaign against the social media platform, a bombshell congressional investigation found.
The House Judiciary Committee released emails on Friday showing that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a now-defunct coalition created by the World Federation of Advertisers that used its control of the global advertising spending to bankrupt conservative publishers, was working with regulators in Europe and Australia to force Twitter, now X, to fall in line with its censorship demands.
X is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/x-rumble-sue-advertising-cartel-for-allegedly-breaking-antitrust-laws-to-force-censorship">suing</a> the World Federation of Advertisers alleging that its coalition engaged in anti-competitive activity to facilitate boycotts and force tech platforms to censor content. The Friday report provides evidence that GARM was in fact intimately involved in organizing the boycott, and that it was being carried out for explicitly political reasons.
The head of GARM, Rob Rakowitz, expressed a desire in emails to stop President Donald Trump and the “contagion” he represents.
“My main thing is I need to see Trump … effectively sidelined but I am afraid the contagion is too widespread to protect infection overall,” Rakowitz wrote in a November 2022 email to an Australian official, as he was coordinating opposition to Musk’s changes at Twitter.
The report found that Rakowitz and GARM prepared statements for its members to publicly protest changes Musk was making at Twitter.
“The bird has gone from freed to fried,” Rakowitz wrote to all its members, stating that the “platform poses real risks.” The email, which describes the situation as a “crisis,” was an attempt to convey to GARM’s members that Twitter was now “unsafe” and they needed to “cease and desist” from advertising on Twitter.
“I’ve crafted a message that needs to be posted ASAP and distributed,” Rakowitz writes. “I have navigated the situation as best as we can in terms of our anticompetitive statues [sic] and have gone as close as possible as we can to saying ‘Twitter is unsafe, cease and desist.’”
The legal concerns appear to be well-founded. Trump’s Federal Trade Commission is actively investigating whether the advertising industry violated antitrust laws by coordinating through GARM.
On Monday, two of the world’s largest advertising agencies, both founding members of GARM, announced an agreement with the FTC to cease all coordination that was taking place to direct advertising dollars away from disfavored publishers. The firms, Omnicom and IPG, are also agreeing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s investigation into the coordination that took place while GARM was still in place.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-ftc-secures-landmark-agreement-to-end-political-collusion-in-advertising-industry?author=Brent+Scher&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Trump+FTC+Secures+Landmark+Agreement+to+End+Political+Collusion+in+Advertising+Industry">EXCLUSIVE: Trump FTC Secures Landmark Agreement to End Political Collusion in Advertising Industry</a>
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), had announced an <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/12/18/business/house-probes-ad-agency-mega-merger-over-ties-to-anti-conservative-cartel/">investigation into the two firms</a> for their involvement with GARM last November.
In emails previously unveiled by Jordan’s committee, Rakowitz says the goal of GARM was to “fund the voices we want to associate with, and close down the advertising ecosystem to bad actors.”
Those “bad actors” included outlets like The Daily Wire, which was put on a “Global High Risk” blacklist by the advertising coalition and flagged, without evidence, for spreading “conspiracy theories.”
His emails, revealed in the committee’s initial report last July, revealed stunning political bias by Rakowitz and other executives. Rakowitz in one email complained that the U.S. Constitution was written “by white men exclusively.”
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/garm-exposed-house-judiciary-report-says-ad-coalition-broke-law-to-silence-conservatives">GARM Exposed: House Judiciary Report Says Ad Coalition Likely Broke Law To Silence Conservatives</a>
The past emails also showed that GARM aimed to “stop all paid advertisement” to Musk’s Twitter, and “bragged about” its success. In emails it celebrated the fact that Twitter was “80% below revenue forecasts” after its effort to starve advertising dollars from it.
The new report sheds light on how that effort played out. Not only was GARM urging its members (which together controlled about 90% of global advertising) to yank advertising from the platform, but it was urging regulators in the European Union and Australia to pressure Musk’s Twitter to censor content in line with GARM’s demands.
The emails show that the European Commission was working “to push Twitter to deliver on GARM asks.” And in Australia, the head of the eSafety Commission was hailing GARM’s “significant collective power” to get GARM to bend the knee.
GARM also shared confidential metrics regarding Twitter&#8217;s compliance with its standards, as part of its effort to prompt ad boycotts. Though GARM changed its policy to make the metrics public for everyone, it was done right after Musk&#8217;s purchase and done explicitly to hurt Twitter.
We know that, because Rakowitz laid out his master plan in an email to his leadership team.
&#8220;We are doubling down on where our power is; standards and transparency and allowing advertisers to make informed 
decisions,&#8221; Rakowitz said, before noting that the transparency was done strategically. &#8220;This way it&#8217;s not singling Twitter out, but we know where eyes will be.&#8221;
After the change, all Twitter&#8217;s policy changes would be visible to its members, allowing advertising firms to say they changed their ad spend because Twitter changed its standards.
&#8220;This feels damn good,&#8221; Rakowitz wrote after laying out his plan.
All of these actions took place even as members in GARM knew its actions weren&#8217;t popular. Internal emails show awareness that the American consumers it was supposed to be advertising to valued free speech over censorship of potentially &#8220;harmful&#8221; content, but GARM executives went ahead with the effort nonetheless.
A June 2020 email showed Gallup polling was circulated to GARM executives showing that 66% of consumers prioritized freedom of speech over &#8220;risks of exposure to harmful content.&#8221;
The report highlights regret from major corporate participants that they were a part of the censorship cartel, which went &#8220;too far&#8221; in its efforts to restrict speech.
Gerry D&#8217;Angelo, a Proctor &amp; Gamble executive who helped lead GARM, says the effort undermined the &#8220;business objectives&#8221; of its clients.
&#8220;If you were to ask me and say, ‘Did we go too far in those first rounds of exclusionary restrictions?’ I would say yes,” D&#8217;Angelo said, in a quote highlighted by the report. D&#8217;Angelo adds that GARM required companies &#8220;to boycott too many websites&#8221; and that the negative consequences of brand safety &#8220;never actually materialized.&#8221;
&#8220;GARM&#8217;s collusive activity not only hurt consumers, but all GARM&#8217;s members who sacrificed opportunities because they were led to believe that these brand safety precautions were both necessary and beneficial in promoting advertisers&#8217; core business objectives,&#8221; the report states.
The full report can be read below:
<iframe loading="lazy" class="scribd_iframe_embed" tabindex="0" title="GARM Report 2.0" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/881434966/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-TuNfEkYl3JkwmDWxRZ0x" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-auto-height="true" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe>
<a style="color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;" title="View GARM Report 2.0 on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/881434966/GARM-Report-2-0#from_embed"> GARM Report 2.0 </a> by <a style="color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Daily Wire Investigations Team's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/694252498/Daily-Wire-Investigations-Team#from_embed"> Daily Wire Investigations Team </a>

Jim Jordan/Elon Musk

EXCLUSIVE: Ad Cartel Colluded With Foreign Governments Against Elon Musk’s Twitter

Daily Wire

Elon Musk

GARM

Jim Jordan

Twitter

President Donald Trump’s top consumer protection and antitrust official has approved a massive $13.5 billion merger that will reshape the advertising industry, effectively putting the final nail in the coffin of coordination against outlets based on their political viewpoints.
The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday morning that it has decided not to block a merger between Omnicom and IPG, two rival firms which together make up a third of the world’s “Big Six” advertising agencies. But rather than rubber stamp the deal, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson extracted a major concession: the firms have agreed to cease all coordination related to viewpoint discrimination, refrain from any coordination in the future, and submit to strict compliance mandates.
Ferguson on Monday in his <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/omnicom-ipg-ferguson-statement_0.pdf">official statement on the decision</a> said the firms have offered not only to cease coordination in any way that would steer advertising dollars away from publishers based on political viewpoints, but to cooperate with the FTC’s investigation into past collusion and submit to regular compliance reviews.
The FTC appeared poised to block the merger based on evidence of past “anticompetitive” coordination against conservative news organizations, an issue the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/technology/ftc-investigation-advertising-boycotts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commission is actively investigating</a>. Ferguson on Monday pointed the finger at the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, better known as GARM, which was disbanded in controversy after it was caught directing ad dollars away from right-of-center outlets, including The Daily Wire.
“A Congressional investigation concluded that GARM banded together the most powerful firms in their industry to choke off the vital advertising revenue of those who disagreed with them,” Ferguson said in a Monday statement, adding that GARM aimed “to destroy publishers of content of which they disapproved.”
“GARM was neither the beginning nor the end of harmful and potentially unlawful collusion in this industry,” Ferguson said, a reference to concerns that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-jim-jordan-investigating-ad-industry-attempt-to-create-new-garm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GARM would reconstitute itself</a>.  “Numerous other industry groups and private organizations have publicly sought to use the chokepoint of the advertising industry to effect political or ideological goals.”
The conditions proposed by the companies, however, “mitigate” the FTC’s concerns about politically-motivated collusion in the future.
“Today, Omnicom and IPG have committed themselves to help stop that sort of coordination in their industry,” Ferguson said. “This consent agreement will help mitigate the dangers inherent in a consolidated national advertising market.”
“I hope the conditions imposed on this merger will encourage all advertising firms to adopt similar practices and thereby reduce the temptation to collude to the detriment of their customers, independent journalists, small and independent media companies, consumers, and the American public square,” he concluded.
GARM came under fire in 2024 after a congressional investigation, first reported by The Daily Wire, uncovered overt political bias in the advertising coalition that was being used to keep ad dollars away from websites that weren’t deemed “brand safe.”
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/garm-exposed-house-judiciary-report-says-ad-coalition-broke-law-to-silence-conservatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GARM Exposed: House Judiciary Report Says Ad Coalition Likely Broke Law To Silence Conservatives</a>
Internal emails from ad executives involved in the coalition, which included both Omnicom and IPG, showed that The Daily Wire was put on a “High Risk exclusion list” and “categorized as Conspiracy Theories.” Other emails show that the highest ranking official derided people “advocating for freedom of speech online” and complained that the Constitution was written “by white men exclusively.”
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus and co-founder Ben Shapiro testified to Congress that GARM was a “cartel,” and effectively made it impossible for conservatives to run an ad-based business.
“GARM acts as a cartel,” Shapiro said. “Its members account for 90 percent of ad spending in the United States–almost $1 trillion. In other words, if you’re not getting ad dollars from GARM members, it’s nearly impossible to run an ad-based business.”
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The concessions by Omnicom and IPG — which, once merged, will represent the largest ad firm in the world — are a sea change for the ad industry.
While individual companies are certainly still able to decide where they’d like to advertise, it has become standard practice in recent years for the industry to move in concert. Rather than making individual decisions, the industry giants created blacklists using biased third party “misinformation” services such as Newsguard. Entire business sectors would cut off access to disfavored publications based on exclusion lists that became industry standard.
According to the consent decree issued by the FTC on Monday, the firms have agreed to submit annual compliance reports on the matter of coordination for the next five years, as well as spot compliance reports any time the FTC requests one.
The FTC is urging publishers to alert the commission if they believe they are the “object of unlawful collusion.”
The agreement also stipulates that the firms will cooperate with the FTC on all past coordination to boycott publishers based on viewpoint.
“This Agreement requires Omnicom and IPG to cooperate with the Commission in any investigation relating to media-buying services,” Ferguson said, adding that “investigating and policing censorship practices that run afoul of the antitrust laws is a top priority of the Trump-Vance FTC.”
It is unclear whether the other four major ad firms — Publicis, WPP, Dentsu, and Havas — will take action regarding their own practices following the change by Omnicom and IPG. The ad industry has been gathered at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, where the potential merger was certainly a main topic of discussion.
The public will have 30 days to submit comments to the FTC on the merger decision.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson Testifies During House Hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Trump FTC Secures Landmark Agreement to End Political Collusion in Advertising Industry

advertising

Censorship

Federal Trade Commission

Ferguson

A man named Aliakbar Mohammed Amin was arrested by the FBI on Friday night after he made threats against both President Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Amin, 25, was arrested in Lilburn, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. A source close to Gabbard says she was informed by the FBI that a firearm was confiscated from Amin at the time of the arrest, and that a trial date has been set for later this month.
&#8220;Bottom line, the FBI does not tolerate threats and will hold offenders fully accountable,&#8221; the local FBI Atlanta office said on Friday night. The FBI says more information regarding the specific threats will not be released until next week.
The arrest comes days after CNN dismissed credible threats against Gabbard, suggesting that her attempts to hide the address of a Texas property she owns were actually part of an attempt to commit voter fraud. Her office has raged at CNN for running the story, threatening to file a defamation lawsuit and accusing the liberal outlet of putting Gabbard&#8217;s safety at risk.
&#8220;I told CNN that Tulsi Gabbard had credible, active threats against her and her family and they went ahead and doxxed her address anyway,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/alexahenning/status/1910858284661157922?s=42">wrote</a> Alexa Henning, Gabbard&#8217;s deputy chief of staff at the intelligence office, after the FBI announced the arrest on Friday.
CNN was investigating whether Gabbard committed fraud by voting in Hawaii, where she served in Congress and lived nearly her whole life, after declaring a property her &#8220;homestead&#8221; in Texas. Her office told CNN that the reason it was declared a homestead was because, in Texas, that designation allows you to keep the address private.
&#8220;Declaring her ‘homestead’ in Texas, per law, ensured her address would remain confidential in response to ongoing, high-level, credible threats against her and her family,&#8221; Gabbard spokeswoman Olivia Coleman said. This was communicated to CNN a week before it published its story, which dismissed this explanation.
The arrest also comes as protests rage against Trump, top members of his administration, and his allies. Earlier on Friday, a Pennsylvania man named Shawn Monper was arrested for writing that he planned to assassinate Trump on YouTube, where he posted as &#8220;Mr Satan.&#8221; Monper lived in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump narrowly escaped an attempt on his life during a campaign rally last summer.
Monper&#8217;s arrest came after he wrote on YouTube that all of Trump&#8217;s appointments needed to be killed.
&#8220;We just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way,&#8221; Monper wrote in a remark that was flagged for authorities by Google, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/trump-elon-musk-ice-threats.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times.
Gabbard, a former Democrat who bucked her party to support Trump, has attracted particular ire from the Left.

GoSy9d4XMAAhB9z

FBI Arrests Man, Aliakbar Mohammed Amin, For Threats Against Trump, Tulsi Gabbard

Terrorism

Tulsi Gabbard

The White House moved to put an end to a costly federal initiative that has been the vehicle behind decades of government policies driven by climate alarmism, The Daily Wire confirmed on Wednesday.
Administration sources told the The Daily Wire that changes have been put in motion to eliminate the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which was created by Congress in 1990 and has been funneled billions of dollars to research climate change. It is responsible for producing a National Climate Assessment, which is considered the &#8220;crown jewel&#8221; of climate research and is used by agencies across government to justify costly programs intended to alleviate climate change.
On Wednesday, two days after The Daily Wire published an investigation into how the U.S. Global Change Research Program spends its government funds, the spending has officially been cancelled. Specifically pinpointed was millions of dollars awarded through NASA for a consulting firm called ICF, which coordinated the creation of the National Climate Assessment for the government.
According to Politico, which <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/09/trump-moves-to-hobble-major-climate-study-00280405">first reported</a> the elimination, getting rid of ICF&#8217;s contract was a fatal blow to the climate initiative. &#8220;Killing that contract has &#8216;forever severed&#8217; climate change work occurring across agencies,&#8221; Politico reported.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-government-contractor-raking-in-millions-to-spread-climate-doom/">Meet The Government Consultants Raking In Millions To Spread Climate Doom</a>
The administration&#8217;s Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy coordinated with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, on the decision to eliminate the contract. There is no expectation that there will be another National Climate Assessment, which was expected in 2026.
A source familiar with the decision says ICF, the consulting firm, was allowing its own bias to influence the reports.
&#8220;ICF has produced assessments riddled with worst-case scenarios, obfuscating the assumptions underlying dire predictions about what the planet will be like in 100 years,&#8221; the administration source explained. &#8220;The quality of the information is low, and the Administration is committed to basing decisions on realistic assumptions that comport with legal standards.&#8221;
Climate scientists who previously worked on the National Climate Assessment reports said ICF had outsized influence over its findings. The scientist said ICF runs the show, virtually controlling the entire U.S. Global Change Research Program.
“By providing all staff for the USGCRP, a federal agency, the ICF exerts undue influence over the global change narrative and priorities presented by the federal government,” said the scientist, who requested anonymity to discuss the work. “The ICF, through the USGCRP, exerts an undue influence on the production of the National Climate Assessment every four years. With the exception of its Executive Director and the Director of the National Climate Assessment, the ICF supplies all staff associated with the USGCRP.”
The Daily Wire was able to identify the active contract through NASA that was poised to deliver more than $10 million to ICF to continue its work. The contract was first<a href="https://investor.icf.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nasa-awards-icf-34-million-contract-support-us-global-change"> announced</a> in June 2021, and described as a $34 million, five-year contract to help with the National Climate Assessments. Only $18 million had been paid out, according to the<a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_80HQTR21D0004_8000"> government spending database.</a> But with another assessment on deck and ICF under contract for another year, the additional $16 million could have been disbursed in the next year.
It was long-suspected that Russell Vought, who leads the Office of Management and Budget for Trump, had the climate programs in his sights. Vought had specifically called out the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s report, arguing that the bureaucrats who write it end up with outsized power over government action. He’s called for an investigation of the political leanings of the contractors that assemble the report.
Neither ICF nor the U.S. Global Change Research Program responded to requests for comment.
Houston Keene, a former journalist who now directs Democracy Restored, a government transparency watchdog that has spotlighted the U.S. Global Change Research Program, said cancelling the contract was a &#8220;step in the right direction.&#8221;
&#8220;This is one step in the right direction toward restoring the integrity in government climate science,&#8221; Keene said. &#8220;Yet given the largesse of the climate lobby and the DOGE revelations, there is likely much more to uncover.&#8221;

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Trump Admin Moves To Shut Down Government’s Climate Doom Factory

Climate Change

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Trump Administration

Lawyers representing Tulsi Gabbard are threatening to sue CNN for defamation if the network publishes a story accusing the Director of National Intelligence of voter fraud, according to a legal <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/848025125/Lawyers-For-Tulsi-Gabbard-Threaten-CNN">cease and desist letter</a> obtained by The Daily Wire.
In the letter, dated April 4, lawyers representing Gabbard state that they learned a day earlier that CNN “plans to publish a story that falsely asserts or implies that Tulsi Gabbard committed voter fraud and suggests that she had abandoned her longstanding Hawaii residency.”
The story, according to the letter, is based on Gabbard’s <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13252435/Tulsi-Gabbard-Trump-vice-president-pick-buys-property-Leander-Texas-Hawaii.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 purchase</a> of a Texas house — CNN apparently planned to write that Gabbard improperly voted in Hawaii in 2024 when she should have voted in Texas, because she declared a “homestead exemption” at that property. The lawyers, the letter shows, inform CNN that Texas law does not indefinitely bind homestead to your residence, and that Gabbard “was, is, and intends to remain a Hawaii resident.”
Gabbard, a former Democrat who left the party, was raised in Hawaii, served in its state legislature, and represented the state Congress for nearly a decade. Olivia Coleman, press secretary for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told The Daily Wire that “illegitimate claims of voter fraud are a new low, even for CNN.”
“DNI Gabbard voted in Hawaii during the 2024 election because she is and has been a tax paying Hawaii resident,” Coleman said. “Her current status is no different than when she was a Member of Congress, where she maintained a mainland residence and a Hawaii residence as a tax-paying voter.”
The legal letter informs CNN that Gabbard “took the advice of local officials to register a homestead exemption to protect her and her family’s privacy.”
“Declaring her ‘homestead’ in Texas, per law, ensured her address would remain confidential in response to ongoing, high-level, credible threats against her and her family,” Coleman exmplained. “Any claim to the contrary is simply dishonest and is yet another smear job from discredited CNN that could put the Director and her loved ones further at risk.”
It is unclear whether CNN plans to publish its report, or if the network has additional evidence not referenced in the legal letter. CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is also unclear what motive Gabbard would have for fraudulently maintaining residence in Hawaii while living primarily in Texas. Politically, Texas is a much more electorally competitive state than Hawaii. And financially, Hawaii has one of the highest state income taxes in the country, while Texas is one of eight states with no income tax at all.
In their letter, Gabbard’s lawyers cite a court case which states that while a designated homestead is “relevant to consideration of residence,” it is “not dispositive.” Gabbard presently spends most of her time in Virginia, where the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is headquartered.
In support of the claims of defamation, Gabbard’s lawyers state in the letter that the “demonstrably false” statements “have the potential to cause significant harm to her personal and professional reputation.”
“The allegations meet the legal standard for defamation per se, as they falsely accuse Director Gabbard of criminal conduct, which is inherently damaging to her reputation,” the letter says.
In 2022, CNN published an article titled, “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/election-fraud-trump-no-evidence/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Election fraud isn’t really a thing, part infinity</a>.”
Read the full letter below:
<iframe loading="lazy" class="scribd_iframe_embed" tabindex="0" title="Lawyers For Tulsi Gabbard Threaten CNN" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/848025125/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-um1BZ4O1374vubmtbWEE" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-auto-height="true" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488"></iframe>
<a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Lawyers For Tulsi Gabbard Threaten CNN on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/848025125/Lawyers-For-Tulsi-Gabbard-Threaten-CNN#from_embed"> Lawyers For Tulsi Gabbard Threaten CNN </a> by <a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Daily Wire Investigations Team's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/694252498/Daily-Wire-Investigations-Team#from_embed"> Daily Wire Investigations Team </a>

Tulsi Gabbard/CNN

Tulsi Gabbard Threatens To Sue CNN For ‘Smear Job’ Accusing Her Of Voter Fraud

Director of National Intelligence

Voting

More than three decades ago, Congress launched an initiative called the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Today, it spends billions of dollars a year empowering liberal climate scientists to spread climate change doom. 
The government group says its role is to provide the “scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States” on climate change. It&#8217;s done so by producing five National Climate Assessment reports, which are considered the “<a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-team-takes-aim-at-crown-jewel-of-us-climate-research/">crown jewel</a>” of climate research.
Despite taking funding from at least ten separate government agencies, producing the report seems to be the group’s sole function. The most recent iteration — published in 2023 and still prominently showcased on its government website — warns that “severe climate risks to the United States will continue to grow.” The next report is due out in the next couple of years, according to<a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-team-takes-aim-at-crown-jewel-of-us-climate-research/"> E&amp;E News</a>. 
The National Climate Assessment is not simply an intellectual exercise, but rather one that carries real policy might. Congress and agencies use it to justify regulations and funding decisions, and states and cities across the country lean on it as the non-partisan scientific foundation for their own climate action plans. In summary, it is the scientific bedrock for directing policy at all levels of government towards liberal climate change goals.
While the U.S. Global Change Research Program states on its website that it has a<a href="https://www.globalchange.gov/about-us"> budget of $4.95 billion in 2025</a>, it only lists two full-time employees. So, who’s getting paid to put the massive and consequential report together?
Sources familiar with past iterations of the National Climate Assessment say the work is largely outsourced to a group called ICF, a massive government contractor that has an active contract to work on the report. The Daily Wire identified at least one <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_80HQTR21D0004_8000">active contract from NASA</a> for ICF to “support” the U.S. Global Change Research Program. ICF is set to be paid millions of dollars during the Trump administration to “assist the nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.” 
The contract was first<a href="https://investor.icf.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nasa-awards-icf-34-million-contract-support-us-global-change"> announced</a> in June 2021, and described as a $34 million, five-year contract to help with the National Climate Assessments. Only $18 million has been paid out, according to the<a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_80HQTR21D0004_8000"> government spending database.</a> But with another assessment on deck and ICF under contract for another year, the additional $16 million could be disbursed in the next year. 
A climate scientist who has worked on the National Climate Assessment in the past says ICF runs the show, virtually controlling the entire U.S. Global Change Research Program. 
“By providing all staff for the USGCRP, a federal agency, the ICF exerts undue influence over the global change narrative and priorities presented by the federal government,” said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the work. “The ICF, through the USGCRP, exerts an undue influence on the production of the National Climate Assessment every four years. With the exception of its Executive Director and the Director of the National Climate Assessment, the ICF supplies all staff associated with the USGCRP.”
Those two positions mentioned by the climate official are the<a href="https://www.globalchange.gov/about-us/staff-list"> only two employees listed</a> on the U.S. Global Change Research Program staff list: a director of the National Climate Assessment named Ariela Zycherman, and a deputy director for services named Heidi Roop.
A top Trump administration official, Russell Vought, has<a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-team-takes-aim-at-crown-jewel-of-us-climate-research/"> signaled</a> that he wanted to exert more oversight over the next climate assessment. Vought runs the powerful Office of Management and Budget, and has openly stated that he wants to make deep cuts to &#8220;woke and weaponized&#8221; spending. 
Vought has specifically called out the U.S. Global Change Research Program&#8217;s report, arguing that the bureaucrats who write it end up with outsized power over government action. He&#8217;s called for an investigation of the political leanings of the contractors that assemble the report.
Both staffers listed by U.S. Global Change Research Program appear to be highly partisan actors. Zycherman last year contributed to the presidential campaigns of both Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris, according to<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Ariela%20Zycherman,"> campaign finance records</a>. Roop has her pronouns in her<a href="https://www.instagram.com/heidiroop/"> Instagram bio</a> and describes herself as a “climate scientist focused on preparing for a warmer world.” 
And ICF is an incredibly partisan firm. Its website boasts about its “corporate citizenship,” “culture and belonging,” and “<a href="https://x.com/ICF/status/1869419109831618702">environmental justice</a>.” Several blogs are posted on its site about how to infuse “<a href="https://cascadiaconsulting.com/project/airport-cooperative-research-program-environmental-justice-analysis/">equity</a>” into “climate discussions,”<a href="https://www.icf.com/insights/climate-electric-vehicle-revolution"> support</a> EV mandates, and advance “environmental justice.” Perhaps most telling, nearly all of the <a href="https://www.icf.com/work/climate?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwzMi_BhACEiwAX4YZUPhjyzTlMuQLr4bbmYv4p4hmSmwyE8vvZ4FyCgfTUN2GsBnZqLSulhoCIywQAvD_BwE">officials its website lists</a> as being part of the ICF Climate Team are Democrat donors, giving to candidates including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The Daily Wire was unable to spot any contributions to Republicans.
ICF takes in far more in government contracts than its active $34 million from NASA. An analysis of<a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/f7268051-dfb6-e5cf-ab3d-11235ea4137f-C/all"> federal spending data</a> found that the consulting firm rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars each year through federal contracts, and took in over $2 billion during the Biden administration.
The consulting firm is likely aware that the scope of its government work could be slashed during Trump’s term, and so are investors. Its stock price was at $171 a share days ahead of last November’s election, but has since cratered to just $77 a share, the lowest it had been since the last time Trump was president.
(Yes, the stock price fell before the current market volatility caused by tariffs).
<div id="attachment_903813" style="width: 788px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-903813" class="size-large wp-image-903813" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-06-at-12.17.39-AM-778x576.jpg" alt="" width="778" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-06-at-12.17.39-AM-778x576.jpg 778w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-06-at-12.17.39-AM-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-06-at-12.17.39-AM-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-06-at-12.17.39-AM.jpg 1318w" sizes=" (max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px" />Screenshot of Google Finance</div>
Houston Keene, a former journalist who now leads a government transparency organization, argues that unnamed government consultants shouldn’t be paid millions to chart the nation’s climate policy.
“The public deserves an honest assessment from the government on the state of climate science,” Keene said. “That requires an objective, nonpartisan author who does not have financial interests in the outcome. ICF appears to be none of these things.”
“There can be no proper assessment with scientific integrity when a clearly partisan and financially conflicted activist organization is holding the pen,” he said.
According to the<a href="https://www.globalchange.gov/about-us"> U.S. Global Change Research Program website</a>, NASA is providing a significant chunk of the initiative&#8217;s budget in 2025. It is unclear whether the money NASA is slated to pay ICF for its work on the assessment is included in that budget.
Thus far, there has been no announcement by the administration regarding the U.S. Global Change Research Program, its contract with ICF, or the status of the next assessment. Neither ICF nor the U.S. Global Change Research Program responded to requests for comment.
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Meet The Government Consultants Raking In Millions To Spread Climate Doom

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