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.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/04Q1cPX9n9c?si=qbfxzrpn9nfP3ZEB" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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

Donald Trump

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;

Globe on US dollar bill banknotes pile background.

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.
&nbsp;

Financial crisis concept of global money storm

Meet The Government Consultants Raking In Millions To Spread Climate Doom

Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing announced on Tuesday that he would focus full-time on creative projects for the company, stepping down from his role as co-chief executive officer of the company. 
Boreing, who founded the company in 2015 alongside Ben Shapiro and Caleb Robinson, said that he is turning his “full attention to creative and entertainment ventures for the company.” Robinson will step in as full-time CEO and assume the day-to-day operations of the company. 
“When Ben, Caleb, and I founded The Daily Wire in 2015, we set out to build an institution. I’m enormously proud of our team, of our many battles, and of the successes we’ve achieved together over the last decade. And we’re just getting started,” Boreing said. “To get us to the heights we know we can achieve, we have brought in a world-class executive team that I am confident will thrive in taking us to the next level under Caleb’s ongoing leadership while I turn my full attention to creative and entertainment ventures for the company.”
The announcement comes amid Boreing’s work on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-pendragon-cycle">The Pendragon Cycle</a>, for which he is writer, director, and executive producer. In 2023, Boreing took a leave of absence from the day-to-day operations of The Daily Wire to film the high fantasy series in Hungary and Italy. 
Boreing spent decades in Hollywood as a filmmaker, racking up a number of writing and producing credits on several feature films before co-founding The Daily Wire. In 2021, Boreing launched The Daily Wire into entertainment with the acquisition of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/run-hide-fight">Run, Hide, Fight</a>, a feature-length thriller. Since then, The Daily Wire has released six films on its platform, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/lady-ballers">Lady Ballers</a>, which Boreing directed, and co-wrote, and starred in.
Boreing also served as the executive producer of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman">What is a Woman?</a> And <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/am-i-racist">Am I Racist?</a>, the hit comedy films starring Daily Wire host Matt Walsh. 
Shapiro, who founded the company with Boreing, praised his longtime partner’s “indispensable” leadership and creative talent.
“Jeremy’s hard work and brilliant leadership have been indispensable to the growth of this company from an idea to the largest conservative digital media company in the country,” said Shapiro. “Jeremy is a tremendous talent and we’re thrilled to get even more of his creative focus in the business as we head into this next phase of expansion. We can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Robinson, the third member of The Daily Wire’s founding group, also said that the “best is yet to come” from Boreing.
“We couldn’t be more excited for this next phase of The Daily Wire’s growth and for Jeremy as he pursues the completion of Pendragon and then moves on to work with us on further important creative endeavors we have in the works,” said Robinson. “Jeremy‘s creative contributions over the last decade have helped shape the face of podcasting and digital media. With Pendragon on the horizon, the best is yet to come.” 
Boreing will also stay on in an advisory role and continue as the host of Backstage, the company’s monthly show featuring Shapiro, Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Andrew Klavan.
“I will greatly miss the day in and day out of fighting the left and building the future with all of you, but I&#8217;m confident we will continue to thrive under Caleb’s ongoing leadership,” Boreing said in an email to The Daily Wire’s staff on Tuesday.

Mr. Birchum Series Premiere

Daily Wire Co-Founder Jeremy Boreing To Step Into New Role Focusing On Entertainment

LAS VEGAS — American fan-favorite mixed martial artist Justin Gaethje says he’s ready to embrace the “dangerous” elements of fighting again ahead of UFC 313 on Saturday night, when the former champion will be back on the main card.
Gaethje, who was knocked out in his last fight by Max Holloway, said on Thursday that he wants to embrace the mindset he had when he first started fighting professionally. At UFC 313, <a href="https://jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313">brought to you in part by Jeremy’s Razors, the Official Razor Partner of UFC</a>, the seasoned former champ says he won’t be scared to take a punch. 
Gaethje says he “fell into” the mindset of, “If I don’t get hit, then I can last longer.” But he now believes that mindset was no way to win a fight.
“You know, you have to be willing to take the risk,” Gaethje said. “This is a very risky game. This is a very dangerous game. That was my favorite part of the whole thing when I first started this thing thirteen years ago, how dangerous it is. I kinda forgot that a little bit.”
<div id="attachment_888443" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-888443" class="wp-image-888443 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/JRxUFC313_EventGraphic_16x9-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" />UFC 313 promo image</div>
The fighter, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, will face-off against Rafael Fiziev on Saturday night. The pair fought two years ago at UFC 286 in London, with Gaethje winning by decision. 
Fiziev, asked about his loss to Gaethje, recalled that he couldn’t escape Gaethje’s jabs. “Last time, I smashed my face on his hand,” said Fiziev, an Azerbaijani fighter.
Despite his win in their last fight, Gaethje is the underdog in the fight, but said he embraces that too. 
“I’m 6-3 as an underdog, it’s a special place to be,” Gaethje said. “I’m only up here because I’ve been a petty dude for big parts of my life. I take sh*t personal, and that’s just extra motivation.”
Gaethje’s last fight ended in a brutal knockout, and it’s still fresh on his mind. Less than a week ago, he reshared footage of himself out cold in the Octagon, calling it a “reminder” of what’s at stake. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Great reminder of what’s at stake. Live by the sword die by the sword. It’s all I know. <a href="https://t.co/audGNaQjQG">https://t.co/audGNaQjQG</a>
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) <a href="https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1895894262048510174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Great reminder of what’s at stake,” he wrote. “Live by the sword die by the sword. It’s all I know.” 
Gaethje, now 36 years old, was also asked whether he believes he’s close to retirement, referencing a joke he made about running out of room for posters of headline UFC events he’s been on. Gaethje said running out of space just means he needs to buy a bigger house. 
When asked whether he believes he’s close to retirement, Gaethje, now 36 years old, referenced a joke he made about running out of room for posters of UFC events he&#8217;s headlined. He said running out of space just means he needs to buy a bigger house. 
“Shoot, this is probably the tenth poster I’ve made it on,” Gaethje recalled. “It’s pretty spectacular for me.”
Early prelims begin on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET, and prelims kick off an hour later. The main event is scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. ET, and all matches will be streaming live on ESPN+. Tune in. It’ll be a night — and a fight — to remember!
<a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313">Jeremy’s Razors</a> is the Official Razor Partner of UFC. <a href="https://jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313-start">Buy the razor that’s in the fight for masculinity.</a>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-888327 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM.png" alt="" width="864" height="454" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM.png 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM-300x158.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM-768x404.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>

UFC 291: Poirier v Gaethje 2

Former UFC Champion Shifts Mindset Ahead Of Return To Octagon: ‘Willing To Take The Risk’

Jeremy's Razors

LAS VEGAS — UFC 313 is headed to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, and at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday all the six fighters headlining the main card pledged to put on a show.
All of Saturday’s fights are<a href="https://jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> brought to you in part by Jeremy’s Razors, the Official Razor Partner of UFC</a>. And for the first time since this historic partnership began, The Daily Wire will be in Las Vegas for the fight.
UFC 313 is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira and Russian challenger Magomed Ankalaev, who embraced his role as the villain during a raucous Thursday press conference at the Michelob Ultra Arena.
Also at the press conference from the card were fighters from the rematch between American fighter Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev of Azerbaijan, and another American, Jalin Turner, who will face off against Chilean challenger Ignacio Bahamondes.
Here&#8217;s what the fighters had to say ahead of their face-offs.
<h1>Alex Pereira v. Magomed Ankalaev </h1>
Pereira&#8217;s highly anticipated title defense against Ankalaev was the main attraction of the Thursday press conference. The first question of the night went to Pereira, who was asked whether Ankalaev is the toughest opponent he&#8217;s ever faced.
Pereira was all business: &#8220;I&#8217;m very, very prepared for this fight.&#8221;
Ankalaev faced heavy boos from the crowd, which showered the Russian with the Brazilian&#8217;s signature phrase &#8220;chama.&#8221; Ankalaev said the animosity motivated him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Daily Wire is in the house for UFC 313 in Las Vegas.
Ton of energy in the room as Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev face off after tonight’s press conference. <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremysRazors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeremysRazors</a> is the Official Razor Partner of UFC. <a href="https://t.co/xApHKnuDeu">pic.twitter.com/xApHKnuDeu</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1897836993914323437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It motivates me. It charges me. Everyone is against me,&#8221; Ankalaev said. &#8220;I&#8217;m here by myself.  Everyone&#8217;s saying, &#8216;chama, chama, chama.&#8217; But guess what? Chama time is over. After this Saturday night, after the fight, you will all love me.&#8221;
Pereira has won four straight title fights, and may be considering a jump up a weight-class to find new opponents if he handles Ankalaev on Saturday.
<h1>Justin Gaethje v. Rafael Fiziev</h1>
American Justin Gaethje is making his return to the Octagon after a brutal last fight, in which he was knocked out cold. He says the knockout forced him to reevaluate his mindset and decide that he needs to embrace the danger of the ring like he did when he was first coming up.
“You know, you have to be willing to take the risk,” Gaethje said. “This is a very risky game. This is a very dangerous game. That was my favorite part of the whole thing when I first started this thing thirteen years ago, how dangerous it is. I kinda forgot that a little bit.”
Gaethje is taking on Rafael Fiziev, a rematch of a fight from two years ago at UFC 286 in London. Gaethje won that fight by decision, but is entering this fight as the underdog. He called the lack of belief that he&#8217;ll win the fight &#8220;extra motivation&#8221; going into Saturday night.
&#8220;I’m 6-3 as an underdog, it’s a special place to be,” he said.
<div id="attachment_888329" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-888329" class="size-large wp-image-888329" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-1579866469-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-1579866469-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-1579866469-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-1579866469-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-1579866469.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Justin Gaethje celebrates his KO victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)</div>
Fiziev took this fight on short notice after Gaethje&#8217;s initial opponent suffered a hand injury. It will be Fiziev&#8217;s first fight since 2023 when he tore his ACL. He said returning to the main card for UFC 313 is a &#8220;miracle,&#8221; and that he expects fireworks.
&#8220;When people like me and Justin go into the cages, it&#8217;s always fireworks,&#8221; Fiziev said. &#8220;Always something interesting, something like blood everywhere.&#8221;
&#8220;I hope this time, it&#8217;s not only my blood going everywhere,&#8221; he said.
<h1>Jalin Turner v. Ignacio Bahamondes</h1>
<div id="attachment_888365" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-888365" class="wp-image-888365 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2203714435-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2203714435-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2203714435-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2203714435-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2203714435.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)</div>
The lightweight fight of the night will be between American Jalin &#8220;Tarantula&#8221; Turner and Chilean Ignacio Bahamondes, who both beamed with confidence on Thursday night about putting on the fight of the night.
&#8220;I always bring the fight,&#8221; Turner said. &#8220;Every time my name is on the card, they know I&#8217;m gonna bring the fight. We got the most exciting lightweights in the division fighting on this card, and we&#8217;re nothing short of that. You can look at the track record, they know it&#8217;s gonna be exciting.&#8221;
Bahamondes said the crowd should expect a knockout.
&#8220;I&#8217;m coming for his head. He knows he&#8217;s a great opponent. He&#8217;s gonna be a great fight,&#8221; the Chilean said. &#8220;He&#8217;s very dangerous, but I think I&#8217;m more dangerous than him.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s gonna be a great night for Chile, Latin America and all the people who love knockouts and strikers.&#8221;
The Daily Wire will be at the live weigh-ins on Friday, and in attendance for the fights at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
Early prelims begin on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET, and prelims kick off an hour later. The main event is scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. ET, and all matches will be streaming live on ESPN+. Tune in.
<a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy’s Razors</a> is the Official Razor Partner of UFC.<a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/https://www.jeremysrazors.com/ufc-313-start" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Buy the razor that’s in the fight for masculinity</a>. Peak performance will be on full display with UFC 313: Pereira versus Ankalaev.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-888327" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM.png" alt="" width="864" height="454" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM.png 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM-300x158.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-06-at-10.51.40-PM-768x404.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>

UFC 313

Daily Wire Hits Las Vegas For UFC 313: Who’s Fighting In The Main Event?

The Daily Wire

Ted Cruz laid the case last year for how online service providers were the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-exposes-the-lefts-newest-strategy-for-censoring-conservatives">new secret weapon to systemically censor conservatives</a>. Now, armed with new powers in the U.S. Senate majority, the Texas Republican is out to prove it for good.
On Monday, Ted Cruz&#8217;s Senate Commerce Committee informed a massive online service provider called Bonterra that it intends to subpoena it for documents related to its actions that deplatformed a prominent conservative group. The company, which is used by nonprofits across the country to help fundraise and manage operations, was investigated by Cruz last year for cutting off service to the Independent Women&#8217;s Forum over claims that it violated the company&#8217;s terms of service.
Cruz told The Daily Wire on Monday that its work laying out how Bonterra mistreated Independent Women&#8217;s Forum was just the beginning. He wants to see whether other conservative groups were victims of discrimination, and also understand how it was carried out.
&#8220;I believe it is important that the Committee subpoena additional information to learn whether Bonterra blacklisted other conservative groups and to understand exactly how Big Tech crafts seemingly benign contract terms that exist solely to justify discrimination on the basis of politics,&#8221; Cruz said.
The subpoena will target documents and communications between Bonterra and any third parties that advised Bonterra on its “business ethics” provision or its anti-hate speech policy, a senior aide for the committee told The Daily Wire. The committee will also demand communications with third parties who flagged users for alleged violations, and documents that will help it identify accounts removed by Bonterra for hate speech.
Bonterra never disclosed to Independent Women&#8217;s Forum why it terminated service, but it disclosed to Cruz&#8217;s committee during last year&#8217;s investigation that it was over claims that the group &#8220;works to restrict the rights of the LGBTQ community.&#8221; It also claimed to the committee, bizarrely, that it does not focus on “positions of the organization” when making decisions about terms of service violations.
The Independent Women&#8217;s Forum is a conservative nonprofit that aims to &#8220;engage and inform women about how policy issues impact them and their loved ones.&#8221; It has emerged as one of the most prominent voices defending women&#8217;s sports from the invasion of transgender-identifying men.
&#8220;Big Tech companies like Bonterra weaponized their terms of service to systematically deplatform conservatives,&#8221; Cruz said on Monday. &#8220;Bonterra decided that it no longer wanted to allow the Independent Women’s Forum to use its product, so, citing a preposterous &#8216;business ethics&#8217; policy that would allow for terminating a contract, Bonterra falsely accused IWF of advocating for hate and discrimination.&#8221;
Cruz&#8217;s investigation last year spotlighted the fact that while Bonterra was sparring with Independent Women&#8217;s Forum, it continued to provide services to actual hate groups like Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Institute for Palestine Studies, which openly celebrated the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Bonterra is the first company to find itself in the committee&#8217;s crosshairs since Republicans took the majority, but it is unlikely that it will be the last. Cruz&#8217;s investigation last year also revealed that companies such as Eventbrite were weaponizing terms of service claims to deplatform conservatives. That company, one of the most common online event organization tools in the country, declared that events featuring The Daily Wire&#8217;s movie &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman">What Is A Woman?</a>&#8221; violated its &#8220;hateful events policy.&#8221;
When Cruz initially set out to investigate companies like Bonterra and Eventbrite, he was not chairman of the Commerce Committee and therefore didn&#8217;t have access to its full investigative toolset. Now that he does, he&#8217;s determined to &#8220;put a stop&#8221; to the practice of weaponizing terms of service, which last year he characterized as the latest frontier in the Left&#8217;s censorship campaign.
&#8220;Unless we put a stop to Big Tech’s growing weaponization of standard terms of service, more conservatives may find themselves unable to carry out essential administrative work, harming the entire movement and depriving President Trump and his administration of critical allies and supporters,&#8221; Cruz said.
Bonterra, which the committee says was notified of the subpoena on Monday, did not respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Ted Cruz

EXCLUSIVE: Ted Cruz Subpoenas Big Tech Company He Says Targeted Conservatives

Ted Cruz

Women Sports

A couple&#8217;s raucous fight at a Nashville Chili&#8217;s caused such a commotion that the entire mall where the restaurant is located was evacuated and the adjacent highway was closed in both directions.
Police were called to the Opry Mills Mall on Saturday due to reports of gunshots fired, and eventually had the entire place cleared out while they investigated. The Tennessee Department of Transportation closed down the highway exits to the mall for the next several hours, even after police said there was no evidence that any shots were fired.
Witnesses say there was panic as people sprinted out of the mall, reporting gunshots.
&#8220;We were sitting on the little swings over there, right past the food court, and everybody started running and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?,’&#8221; a witness named Ladonte <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/fight-leads-to-rushed-mass-exodus-at-opry-mills-mall-police-say/amp/">described to a local news station</a>. &#8220;And I see them on their walkie and he’s like, ‘Oh, they’re shooting! You need to get out! Run, run!&#8217; So we just start running this way, and the people that were coming in, I just told them, ‘Come on out because they’re shooting up in there!&#8217;”
Another woman said she was checking out at the Bass Pro Shop when people came running through yelling, &#8220;Code Red, Code Red, everybody&#8217;s gotta go.&#8221;
A man named Andrew Margerison was at a restaurant near the Chili&#8217;s and told a local news station he was convinced he heard seven gunshots.
&#8220;We were in like the first row of tables by O’Charley’s, which was right by the entry between TGI Friday’s and Applebee’s, so the first thing that was weird is there was kind of a small group of people that kind of hurried out from, we think, Applebee’s, but definitely down that corridor that leads out from in between the restaurants, and then, all of a sudden, we heard a distinctive seven pops,&#8221; he told the local station.
Nashville police say it was really just an angry girlfriend whose boyfriend worked at Chili&#8217;s. The public interest officer Kris Mumford says he believes people mistook plates crashing to the ground in the casual dining chain restaurant as gunshots.
&#8220;A female reportedly came into the restaurant and assaulted her boyfriend who was working there, the fight spilled outside, and that led to the calls of shots fired as people started to flee the mall or shelter in place,&#8221; the local news reported. &#8220;Mumford said the victim of the fight at Chili’s is safe, but detectives are still looking into the initial assault and whether or not weapons were involved.&#8221;
This is the second time in recent years that a false alarm of a shooting caused a mass exodus at the mall, which is attached to the famed Grand Ole Opry music hall. In <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2023/12/28/no-shooting-opry-mills-teen-fight-mistaken-gunfire-police-say/">December 2023</a>, a fallen chair during a fight between two teenagers was mistaken for a gunshot, and the mall was cleared by law enforcement.
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Florida, Orlando, Chili’s Grill & Bar, restaurant entrance

Couple’s Fight At Chili’s Causes Mall Evacuation, Highway Closure

Fight

General

Nashville

Police

Tennessee

U.S.

President-elect Donald Trump has filed an amicus brief in a Texas court calling on a federal judge to &#8220;immediately stop any ongoing sale of border-barrier materials&#8221; until an investigation of the Biden administration&#8217;s conduct regarding the border wall is complete, according to a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/trump-amicus-border.pdf">copy of the brief</a> obtained by The Daily Wire.
The brief, written for Trump by attorney John Sauer, who is poised to be Trump&#8217;s solicitor general in his second term, cites The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-races-to-sell-off-border-wall-parts-before-trump-takes-office">exclusive report</a> on video showing the Biden administration moving large quantities of border wall material off the southern border to be sold off to private parties in an auction.
&#8220;The outgoing Biden Administration’s reported &#8216;fire sales&#8217; of border-wall materials to private parties raise grave concerns about the legality of Defendants’ conduct and their compliance with this Court’s permanent injunction in this case,&#8221; the brief writes. &#8220;The Court should order an immediate stop of all such sales and perform a searching examination of the Government’s conduct—by ordering formal discovery if necessary—to ensure compliance with the Constitution, the law, and the Court’s orders.&#8221;
The Daily Wire&#8217;s December 12 report found that the material was being hauled off by private contractors to an auction site, where bidding for entire segments of unconstructed wall started at just $5. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-bidens-border-wall-sale-is-almost-a-criminal-act-will-seek-restraining-order">said</a> at a press conference this week that the outgoing administration &#8220;is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar knowing that we’re getting ready to put it up.&#8221;
Steven Cheung, Trump&#8217;s top spokesman, said Trump filed the brief because of the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;egregious history of violating the law.&#8221;
&#8220;Any attempt by Biden officials to obstruct President Trump’s plan to build the Border Wall is unlawful, unconstitutional, and possibly criminal, as our brief argues,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;The Biden Administration has an egregious history of violating the law, especially in its catastrophic open-border policy, so the courts should review their actions here with particular skepticism.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-races-to-sell-off-border-wall-parts-before-trump-takes-office">EXCLUSIVE: Biden Races To Sell Off Border Wall Parts Before Trump Takes Office</a>
&#8220;President Trump will not be deterred from Building the Wall, securing our border, and Making America Great Again,&#8221; he added.
The amicus brief, filed in the Southern District of Texas, is in reference to cases brought by Texas and Missouri against the Biden administration regarding the sale of wall material. It argues that Trump has made clear his &#8220;support for building a system of border barriers at the southwestern border&#8221; and that &#8220;building the border wall is the clear and emphatic policy of the incoming Trump Administration.&#8221;
&#8220;Accordingly, President Trump is deeply troubled by recent reports that officials in the Biden Administration have been selling off border-wall materials at rock-bottom prices, especially during this lame-duck period,&#8221; the brief states.
&#8220;President Trump has a paramount interest in preventing any unlawful sell-off of border wall materials that may be occurring,&#8221; it says. &#8220;One of President Trump’s dominant priorities for the next four years—building the border wall—could be unlawfully hampered, delayed, or obstructed by such efforts.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
EXCLUSIVE: Weeks before Trump takes office, Biden is racing to auction off unused border wall materials.
Video shows trucks hauling wall materials off the border to a government auction site, where a massive amount of wall is waiting to be sold. <a href="https://t.co/ogaQMBHw7R">pic.twitter.com/ogaQMBHw7R</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1867257767641174408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The brief also references Trump&#8217;s mandate to cut out waste, fraud, and abuse, pointing to his creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. An investigation by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) found that the Biden administration is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-calls-on-pentagon-to-halt-sale-of-border-wall-says-gov-recouping-just-02-of-taxpayer-cost">recouping just 0.02%</a> of the initial cost of the materials in its sale.
The brief also argues that the Biden administration&#8217;s argument in defense of the sale — that a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act passed in 2023 authorizes the sale — is wrong. The bill&#8217;s provision calls for &#8220;a plan to use, transfer, or donate to States on the southern border,&#8221; and was written by Republicans with the intent of stopping the administration from selling off border parts, according to congressional sources.
&#8220;That language does not mandate or authorize DoD to sell the excess border wall material at a steep discount to private parties,&#8221; the brief states.
The brief is in support of legal action taken earlier this week by Texas and Missouri, who also cited The Daily Wire&#8217;s reporting in their call for a permanent injunction.
&#8220;Videos obtained by The Daily Wire show flatbed trucks hauling massive, unused border wall panels—each weighing over 16,000 pounds—away from construction sites in Arizona to government auction yards,&#8221; the <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/PLAINTIFFS-OPPOSED-MOTION-TO-ENFORCE-PERMANENT.pdf">filing reads</a> before quoting a border patrol agent who blew the whistle to The Daily Wire. &#8220;The stated goal? Clear it all out &#8216;before Christmas.'&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s brief cites The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-races-to-sell-off-border-wall-parts-before-trump-takes-office">report</a> by James Lalino as an authority in the case. You can read the full amicus brief below.
<p style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Donald Trump's Border Wall Amicus Brief on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/806965466/Donald-Trump-s-Border-Wall-Amicus-Brief#from_embed">Donald Trump&#8217;s Border Wall Amicus Brief</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> on Scribd
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Trump Files Amicus Brief To Stop Biden’s Border Wall ‘Fire Sale’

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Brent Scher