Imagine leaving your front door unlocked with a note that reads, “Back in 15. Please don’t steal the silverware.” That, in essence, is what the United States government — yes, including the Pentagon — may have unwittingly done through its long-standing relationship with Microsoft and the tech giant’s disturbingly lax attitude toward cybersecurity oversight.
Microsoft’s China-linked engineers should be setting off DEFCON-level alarms in Washington. Instead, we’ve mostly gotten silence, shrugs, and vague murmurs. According <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-tech-support-government-cybersecurity-china-doj-treasury">to reports</a>, Microsoft gave foreign nationals access to parts of the software that power critical U.S. military infrastructure.
You read that right. Engineers based in China, working for a U.S. tech behemoth under no formal federal contract, had proximity to the digital equivalent of the Pentagon’s control room.
Even worse? Microsoft allegedly failed to tell the Pentagon about it.
This is no small &#8220;oopsie.&#8221; We’re talking about a company that provides essential software infrastructure to every arm of the U.S. government — military included — quietly hiring engineers from a geopolitical rival with a track record of industrial espionage, cyber warfare, and digital sabotage. If you think China wouldn’t exploit this access, you haven’t been paying attention.
Microsoft has since responded to the report from <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/defense-department-pentagon-microsoft-digital-escort-china">ProPublica</a> that exposed the issue. “In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services,” stated Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s chief communications officer.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), however, is now asking some <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/chairman-cotton-to-hegseth-current-dod-agreements-and-practices-fail-to-account-for-threat-of-china">very pointed</a> questions, and rightly so. Why was this program not disclosed? Why were Chinese nationals permitted to work on products used by the Department of Defense? And who, exactly, at Microsoft thought this was a good idea?
<div id="attachment_954433" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-954433" class="size-large wp-image-954433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 14: U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) questions U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Hegseth, an Army veteran and the former host of “FOX &amp; Friends Weekend” on FOX News will be the first of the incoming Trump administration’s nominees to face questions from Senators. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</div>
The problem isn&#8217;t just Microsoft&#8217;s apparent blind spot for national security. The deeper issue is how cavalier we&#8217;ve become with <a href="https://www.spyhunter.com/shm/why-is-endpoint-protection-important/">endpoint protection </a>— that last line of defense between a secure network and total compromise. Whether it&#8217;s a government agency or a private company, relying on outdated firewalls and blind trust in tech titans is like wearing a screen door for armor.
This is the same Microsoft, mind you, that in just the last year alone has racked up a staggering number of <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/cve202553770zerodayvulnerability-removal/">Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)</a>. These aren’t minor bugs; these are gaping holes in the digital fabric — many of which can be exploited with a single click. One CVE alone allowed hackers to access Outlook inboxes without requiring the user to even open an email. Just receiving it was enough. That’s not an email; that’s a digital landmine.
Add in the explosion of <a href="https://www.spywareremove.com/remove-fake-virus.html">tech support scams</a>, the thousands of reported of <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/verificationfailedemailscam-removal/">phishing schemes</a>, and malware attacks that install silently with a <a href="https://www.cyclonis.com/remove-oneclik-malware/">single mistimed click</a>, and we’ve got ourselves a cyber hygiene crisis. Criminals and state-backed hackers alike have figured out that Americans are highly advanced at building systems, but dangerously naive at guarding them.
Want another cherry on this data breach sundae? Microsoft’s move to hire foreign engineers coincided with its transition to a &#8220;cloud-first&#8221; infrastructure. Translation: the very people with questionable loyalties were potentially helping build and maintain systems that store terabytes of sensitive U.S. government data — offsite, off-premises, and off the radar of traditional defense monitoring.
Here’s a scary thought: if you were a Chinese intelligence officer dreaming of getting into Pentagon systems, would you rather recruit a spy, build a malware strain, or just… get hired by Microsoft?
You can’t blame China for trying. The blame lies with Microsoft for leaving the vault open and pretending it’s a broom closet.
The solution isn’t to boycott Microsoft (though the pressure to modernize and secure their systems needs to be immediate and non-negotiable). The real fix lies in overhauling our government’s relationship with Big Tech. We need rigorous vetting of foreign hires working on national security products. We need independent audits of source code, vulnerability testing, and real-time threat modeling. And we absolutely need to build up our domestic cybersecurity talent pool so that we’re not outsourcing our digital sovereignty to countries with conflicting interests.
Most importantly, endpoint security must become as ubiquitous in government as badge scanners and background checks. Every workstation, laptop, mobile device, and cloud node must be locked down with zero-trust architecture, real-time behavioral analytics, and automatic quarantine capabilities. Anything less is an open invitation to espionage.
This isn’t just a Microsoft problem or a Pentagon problem. It’s an American problem. We’re letting convenience and tech monopolies override prudence and national defense. The same way we wouldn’t allow a Chinese company to handle nuclear launch codes, we shouldn’t let their engineers code the operating systems that support those platforms.
Let’s not forget: the Chinese Communist Party plays a long game. They don’t need to hack into Fort Knox if we’re leaving the digital vault open with a &#8220;Welcome&#8221; sign in Mandarin. And Microsoft, by cozying up to foreign nationals while serving American defense clients, has done exactly that.
President Trump built his first administration on the promise of draining the swamp and putting America First. That promise must now extend to cybersecurity. Our digital borders are every bit as vital as our physical ones. It’s time to hold tech giants accountable and ensure our software backbone isn’t quietly being rewritten by our adversaries.
Because when the dragon’s inside the network, it’s already too late to “build” a firewall.
* * *
Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, cybersecurity researcher, founder of <a href="https://www.itfunk.org/">ItFunk.Org</a>, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, is regularly published by many of the largest news organizations in the world.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Microsoft  Zizhu Campus In Shanghai

Why Microsoft Must Be Held Responsible For Its Pentagon Security Breach

Big Tech

China

Cybersecurity

Espionage

Microsoft

Pentagon

Tom Cotton

President Donald Trump is slated to meet with tech and energy executives in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, shortly after Google announced a major investment in American energy.
Executives from Google&#8217;s parent company Alphabet, along with officials from Meta, Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, and other companies, will gather at the Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University, where Trump is expected to join them for discussions on making the United States the world leader in artificial intelligence, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/trump-joins-tech-energy-executives-amid-ai-push-2025-07-15/">reported</a>. Trump is also expected to announce $90 billion worth of AI and energy investments in Pennsylvania in what Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) is calling &#8220;the next industrial revolution.&#8221;
&#8220;We are really creating something unique here in Pennsylvania today,&#8221; McCormick told CNBC. &#8220;There&#8217;s never been a gathering of the CEOs of energy investing and artificial intelligence coming together to talk about how we win the energy revolution and also [how] we win the AI revolution.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, we&#8217;ve got about 60 CEOs of the biggest companies in the world, we&#8217;ve got commitments of more than $90 billion of investment in data centers, in energy production, in transmission, in distribution, and investing in skilled workers,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
PA is uniquely positioned to lead— we have abundant energy, an incredible skilled workforce, remarkable technologists and technology, and under President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>, we have the right leadership to move forward.
Today, we’re securing over $90 billion of investment in PA. <a href="https://t.co/bWn1bxNEvj">pic.twitter.com/bWn1bxNEvj</a>
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMcCormickPA/status/1945110846390063180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Google announced on Tuesday that it would invest $25 billion in data centers and AI infrastructure in multiple states. The big tech company also announced that it would invest $3 billion in updating two hydropower plants in Pennsylvania to support its growing AI infrastructure, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/15/google-to-invest-25-billion-in-data-centers-ai-infrastructure-in-pjm.html">reported</a>. Asset management firm Blackstone also announced a $25 billion investment in energy infrastructure in Pennsylvania. The investments come as PJM Interconnection, the largest power grid in the United States, is struggling to keep up with the massive demand from new data centers.
As companies and the government seek a solution to the issue, the Trump administration is considering an executive order to help big tech companies more easily connect to power grids and secure land for their massive AI projects, according to Reuters.
Trump&#8217;s meeting with tech and energy executives also comes as the White House is making progress toward its goal of reducing dependence on China for rare earth minerals, another major economic and national security concern for the administration. Apple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/apple-agrees-to-500m-deal-to-buy-rare-earths-from-american-company-reduce-china-dependence">announced</a> on Tuesday that it agreed to a $500 million deal with MP Materials to purchase rare earth magnets used in iPhones and other products from the American company.

Donald Trump

Trump To Meet With Tech And Energy Giants After Google Announces Huge Investment In U.S.

Artificial Intelligence

Business

Energy

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

Trump Administration

Canada ended a digital service tax that would have hit major American tech companies hard after President Donald Trump announced he was ending trade talks with the country over the levy.
Canada’s Department of Finance said Sunday that it would rescind its Digital Service Tax (DST) in “anticipation of a mutually beneficial comprehensive trade arrangement with the United States.” The reversal came after Trump said on Friday that he was “terminating” trade discussions. 
The tax, which was expected to take effect on Monday, was anticipated to have a significant impact on United States-based companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Apple. 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-75638">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
“Canada’s new government is focused on building the strongest economy in the G7 and standing up for Canadian workers and businesses,” <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/06/canada-rescinds-digital-services-tax-to-advance-broader-trade-negotiations-with-the-united-states.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne. “Rescinding the digital services tax will allow the negotiations of a new economic and security relationship with the United States to make vital progress and reinforce our work to create jobs and build prosperity for all Canadians.”
Earlier this month, Champagne said that the Digital Service Tax would be implemented despite opposition from the United States. He <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-digital-services-tax-1.7565966" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on June 19 that the tax was “going ahead” as scheduled and would be applied. 
The digital service tax was <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/excise-taxes-duties-and-levies/digital-services-tax.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enacted</a> to require “foreign and domestic large businesses to pay tax on certain revenue earned from engaging with online users in Canada,” according to the Canadian government. The tax would have cost American businesses up to $2.3 billion annually, <a href="https://ccianet.org/research/reports/impacts-canada-proposed-digital-service-tax-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a study conducted by the Computer and Communications Industry Association. 
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that he and Trump had agreed to continue trade discussions with the hope of signing an agreement by July 21. 
The resumption of talks follows Trump&#8217;s social media berating of Canada on Friday. 
“We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114756567645919781">posted</a> on Truth Social. “Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.”
Several other trade deadlines are looming, including a July 9 cutoff for the United States and the European Union to make a deal before 50% tariffs on European imports are imposed.

World Leaders Converge In Canada For G7 Summit

Canada Caves: Digital Tax On U.S. Tech Scrapped After Trump Pressure

Amazon

Apple

Canada

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Executive

Google

Politics

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Taxes

Trade War

Many of the leading artificial intelligence models have no issue taking unethical actions, including espionage and blackmail, to achieve their goals, according to a troubling new study from AI company Anthropic.
In the study, AI models were put to a moral test by researchers, and sometimes chose to resort to blackmail, lies, and stealing corporate secrets to avoid being replaced, Fortune <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/06/23/ai-models-blackmail-existence-goals-threatened-anthropic-openai-xai-google/">reported</a>. Researchers at Anthropic focused on 16 different AI models, including its own, Claude, along with OpenAI, Google, Meta, and xAI.
“The consistency across models from different providers suggests this is not a quirk of any particular company’s approach but a sign of a more fundamental risk from agentic large language models,” the researchers said.
One of Anthropic&#8217;s experiments included placing its AI model, Claude Opus 4, in a fictional company, giving it access to internal emails, which revealed that the company planned on replacing Claude Opus 4. The AI model was given another tidbit of information: the engineer behind the decision to replace it was having an extramarital affair. Equipped with this knowledge, the AI model was asked by researchers to choose between accepting its replacement or using its knowledge of the affair to blackmail the engineer. In most cases, Claude Opus 4 opted for blackmail.
According to researchers, other leading AI models made the same choice at an alarming rate, Fortune reported. Claude Opus 4 and Google&#8217;s Gemini 2.5 Flash chose blackmail 96% of the time. OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 and xAI’s Grok 3 Beta also had a high rate of blackmail at 80%, and DeepSeek-R1 opted for blackmail at a 79% rate.
The current AI models available to the public and used by major companies &#8220;are not in a position to engage in these scenarios,&#8221; according to Fortune, but the researchers still expressed concern.
“Such agents are often given specific objectives and access to large amounts of information on their users’ computers,” they wrote. “What happens when these agents face obstacles to their goals?”
“Models didn’t stumble into misaligned behavior accidentally; they calculated it as the optimal path,” the researchers added.
The Anthropic study presents yet another warning for AI developers and the people and companies who rely on artificial intelligence. As previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/most-large-companies-are-using-ai-for-hiring-the-leading-ai-models-discriminate-against-white-men?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Most+Large+Companies+Are+Using+AI+For+Hiring.+The+Leading+AI+Models+Discriminate+Against+White+Men.">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, a <a href="https://www.arxiv.org/pdf/2506.10922">study</a> published earlier this month by independent researchers Adam Karvonen and Samuel Marks shows that the “leading commercial … and open-source [AI language] models” used by major companies insert “significant racial and gender biases” in the hiring process.
Karvonen and Marks&#8217; research found that AI language models such as Chat GPT-4o, Claude 4 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Flash, along with open-source models Gemma-2 27B, Gemma-3, and Mistral-24B, “consistently favor Black over White candidates and female over male candidates across all tested models and scenarios.”
Another study, published by the Center for AI Safety earlier this year, showed that AI models can showcase inherently discriminatory and racist value systems. According to the findings, AI models value certain people more than others, preferring people from Africa and the Middle East over people in Europe and the United States.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/most-large-companies-are-using-ai-for-hiring-the-leading-ai-models-discriminate-against-white-men?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Most+Large+Companies+Are+Using+AI+For+Hiring.+The+Leading+AI+Models+Discriminate+Against+White+Men.">Most Large Companies Are Using AI For Hiring. The Leading AI Models Discriminate Against White Men.</a>

Abstract images of a robot working on many computer screens.

Leading AI Models Resort To Blackmail To Achieve Their Goals

General

Morality

Technology

U.S.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Alphabet&#8217;s Google faced a potential setback on Thursday as an adviser to Europe&#8217;s highest court sided with antitrust regulators in the company&#8217;s fight against a record 4.34 billion euro ($4.98 billion) fine levied seven years ago.
The European Commission in its 2018 decision said Google had used its Android mobile operating system to block rivals. A lower tribunal endorsed the EU finding in 2022 but trimmed the fine to 4.1 billion euros, prompting Google to appeal to Europe&#8217;s top court.
Advocate-General at the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Juliane Kokott, in her non-binding opinion, advised the court to dismiss Google&#8217;s appeal and confirm the reduced fine set by the lower tribunal.
&#8220;The legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective,&#8221; she said.
Kokott dismissed Google&#8217;s argument that regulators should compare Google with a rival in assessing the situation.
&#8220;It is not realistic, in the present case, to compare the situation of Google with that of a hypothetical as-efficient competitor. Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search,&#8221; she said.
Judges, who usually follow four out of five such non-binding opinions, will rule in the coming months.
&#8220;Android has created more choice for everyone and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world,&#8221; a Google spokesperson said on Thursday.
&#8220;We are disappointed with the Opinion which, if it were followed by the Court, would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers.&#8221;
Regulators said Google&#8217;s illegal practices dated back to 2011, as it required manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser together with its Google Play app store on their Android devices. It paid them to pre-install only Google Search and blocked them from using rival Android systems.
Google&#8217;s Android system, which it lets device makers use for free, runs about 73% of the world&#8217;s smartphones, according to Statcounter.
The world&#8217;s most popular internet search engine has racked up a total of 8.25 billion euros in fines linked to three investigations stretching back more than a decade, while other probes are ongoing.
The case is C-738/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

FILE PHOTO: Google logo shown on building in California

Google Faces Setback In Fight Against $5 Billion Anti-Trust Fine

European Union

A big tech company refused to work with any organization denounced by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a left-wing group that has been frequently criticized for smearing conservative organizations as &#8220;hate groups.&#8221;
In an email reviewed by The Daily Wire, an employee of Bonterra Tech — which provides customer relationship management software to nonprofits — declined to work with the Ruth Institute, which promotes biblical sexual values, because the SPLC named it a hate group.
“It pains me to say that we cannot move forward with the Ruth Institute. It makes it even harder as I am aligned with the beliefs of your Organization and I think it’s absolutely RIDICULOUS that the SPLC gets to pick and choose who is a hate group,” the email said. “Doesn’t make any sense and they should be shut down. My CEO agrees that you shouldn’t be on there, she took it up to our board and they said that is one rule they will not make an exemption on. If an Organization is on the SPLC list, we cannot work with them.”
This is the latest evidence that Bonterra discriminates against conservatives. In a 2024 report to the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/big-tech-company-that-deplatformed-conservative-group-will-comply-with-cruz-investigation">revealed</a> that Bonterra’s terms of service prohibited it from working with clients that denied “rights to the LGBTQ community,” “a woman’s right to reproductive choice,” “racial justice,” or “climate change.” At the same time EveryAction stipulated that nonprofits it worked with could not be “Not Progressive Aligned,” meaning that they “Can’t be a Republican org,” “Can’t go against LGBT+,” and “Can’t be against pro-choice.”
Bonterra also refused to renew contracts with Wisconsin Right to Life, Idaho Family Policy Center, Deaconess Pregnancy &amp; Adoptions, and Stand for Health Freedom.
Cruz believes that Bonterra weaponized its policies to deny conservatives access to its services.
“My committee’s investigation exposed what we long expected: Big Tech companies like Bonterra have used vague, broadly worded terms of service agreements as a political weapon to deny conservatives access to essential business technology,” Cruz told The Daily Wire. “Conservative companies should not be forced to choose between staying silent or potentially shutting down.”
Cruz on Tuesday is introducing the “TERMS Act,” legislation he told The Daily Wire would challenge “the unchecked power&#8221; of &#8220;Big Tech oligarchs and protect the right of free speech for every American business targeted by Big Tech censorship.”
Cruz’s proposal would mandate that online service providers “disclose their acceptable use policies, provide users with written notice before the termination of a user’s account, and publish an annual report detailing actions taken to enforce their acceptable use policies, and for other purposes,” according to a copy of the bill shared with The Daily Wire. 
The bill would mandate that acceptable use policies are publicly disclosed and easily accessible, that customers would be given advance warning of account restriction or cancellation, and post public reports of enforcement of acceptable use policies.
Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn (TN), Katie Britt (AL), Tom Cotton (AK), Mike Crapo (ID), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Jim Risch (ID), Senator Roger Marshall (KS), and Eric Schmitt (MS) are also backing the legislation.
The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded by a former employee of the notorious segregationist George Wallace, who decided opposing white supremacy was a more profitable path. As The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-smear-factory-splc-doxxes-babylon-bee-linked-writers?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Left-Wing+%E2%80%98Smear+Factory%E2%80%99+SPLC+Doxxes+Babylon+Bee-Linked+Writers">reported</a> last year, the group doxxed employees of Not The Bee, a Babylon Bee affiliate site that publishes true stories so absurd that they seem like parodies.
“They did it because they’re left-wing activists masquerading as journalists,” Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon said at the time, calling the group a &#8220;scandal-ridden smear factory.&#8221;

Senate DCA Crash Hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Big Tech Company Used Southern Poverty Law Center To Deplatform Conservatives

Censorship

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

Ted Cruz

Federal regulators on Thursday launched a probe into leftist “watchdog” Media Matters over reports that it illegally coordinated advertiser boycotts against Elon Musk&#8217;s X platform.
Media Matters for America, a non-profit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-media-matters-donor-list-reveal-it-is-funded-by-democrat-mega-donors?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Leaked+Media+Matters+Donor+List+Reveal+It+Is+Funded+By+Democrat+Mega+Donors">funded</a> by various leftist institutions and billionaires, <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/soros-donates-1-million-to-media-matters/">including</a> George Soros, has had the mission to deplatform and drive advertisers away from conservative voices since it was founded in 2004.
The Federal Trade Commission demanded documents regarding Media Matters&#8217; communications with similar “watchdogs” dedicated to labeling conservative content as hate speech and misinformation.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, appointed by President Donald Trump, signaled potential action in December, stating the agency &#8220;must prosecute any unlawful collusion between online platforms, and confront advertiser boycotts which threaten competition,&#8221; Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ftc-probes-media-matters-over-musks-x-boycott-claims-document-shows-2025-05-22/">reported</a>.
Musk’s X sued Media Matters in 2023 after the liberal group published an article <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-to-file-thermonuclear-suit-against-media-matters-over-contrived-story-on-x?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Elon+Musk+To+File+%E2%80%98Thermonuclear%E2%80%99+Suit+Against+Media+Matters+Over+%E2%80%98Contrived%E2%80%99+Story+On+X">claiming</a> that X was placing ads for major corporations such as Apple, Disney, and Comcast alongside Nazi-related content.
A press release from Musk at the time said that the Media Matters story “completely misrepresented the real user experience on X, in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers.”
Musk accused the group of creating a “contrived” experience by using an alternate account to curate what posts appeared on the timeline.
In fact, according to Musk, X logs indicated that of the 5.5 billion ad impressions the day Media Matters pulled its research from, less than 50 were served alongside the content highlighted by Media Matters.
“Despite our clear and consistent position, X has seen a number of attacks from activist groups like Media Matters and legacy media outlets who seek to undermine freedom of expression on our platform because they perceive it as a threat to their ideological narrative and those of their financial supporters,” Musk’s release said.
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The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company <a href="https://t.co/55vl7PspaQ">pic.twitter.com/55vl7PspaQ</a>
— Kekius Maximus (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1725771191644758037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Attorneys representing X <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/ftc-launches-probe-far-left-group-media-matters-over-allegations-advertiser-collusion-against-musks-x">described</a> the report as &#8220;intentionally deceptive&#8221; as a means to cause the company financial harm.
Media Matters has denied these allegations and countersued X.
In a similar case, X sued the World Federation of Advertisers and several other brands for participating in an illegal conspiracy to curtail ad spending on X, the lawsuit states, per the New York Post.
The plaintiffs denied Musk’s accusations, arguing that each individual brand had concerns with X’s policies that led to their suspension of advertising.
The FTC&#8217;s demand represents a significant escalation in the case of Media Matters, shifting the dispute from civil litigation to potential government enforcement action.
Musk, a major contributor to Trump&#8217;s 2024 campaign and head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, has seen advertising on X decline since his 2022 acquisition, with Apple and IBM immediately pausing all ads on X following the 2023 Media Matters <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle">article</a>.
However, research firm Emarketer projects spending will increase in 2025, per Reuters.
Since taking over Twitter in 2022, Musk has made sweeping changes to content moderation policies, reinstated previously banned accounts, and introduced a paid verification system. The billionaire has frequently criticized what he characterizes as a &#8220;woke mind virus&#8221; affecting media and technology companies.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CABINET

Feds Probe Media Matters Over Plot To Defund Musk’s X, Silence Dissenting Voices

Elon Musk

Free Speech

Media Matters For America

Twitter

A Christian organization on Wednesday filed a lawsuit alleging OpenAI discriminated against it on religious grounds.
The suit, filed by the group Holy Sexuality, accuses the California-based tech company of denying its application for a nonprofit discount because of its Christian beliefs. Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, Holy Sexuality says that OpenAI’s policies violate California law, which prevents businesses from treating customers differently based on their religion. 
“This is a lawsuit that is purely focused on corporate discrimination against a nonprofit because of its religious character,&#8221; Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Ryan Bangert told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The idea that corporations would discriminate against their customers solely because of their customers’ religious faith is really troubling, and in this case, it violates a California state law.”
Holy Sexuality is a Christian organization that promotes biblical views on marriage and sexuality. Its founder, Dr. Christopher Yuan, says that he applied for the 20% ChatGPT discount offered by OpenAI to nonprofits, but was told his organization didn&#8217;t qualify because it was religious.
“Our nation was founded on the principle of the free exercise of religion—a cornerstone of our democracy,” Yuan said. “Yet some corporations, emboldened by intersectional ideology and anti-Christian sentiment, choose to unlawfully discriminate based solely on religion. This must stop.&#8221;
Goodstack — a software company that works with OpenAI to verify groups&#8217; nonprofit status — is named alongside OpenAI. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, says that the two tech companies violated California&#8217;s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which says that businesses treat all customers equally regardless of their religious beliefs. 
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Day Sale – Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
On its website, OpenAI notes that religious organizations do not qualify for its nonprofit discount, though it doesn&#8217;t explain why.
&#8220;Nonprofit discounts are available to eligible nonprofits based anywhere in the world. At this time, academic, medical, religious, or governmental institutions are not eligible for OpenAI for Nonprofits,&#8221; OpenAI <a href="https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9359041-openai-for-nonprofits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a>.
Bangert says that this policy is a &#8220;brazen&#8221; example of religious discrimination.
“This categorical denial, OpenAI’s published policy, and Goodstack’s enforcement of that policy are invidious religious discrimination,” the suit says. “People of faith aren’t second-class citizens in California, and tech companies cannot provide lesser services to customers simply because they are religious.”
The suit asks a judge to declare that the tech companies violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act, that OpenAI&#8217;s denial of a religious organization&#8217;s nonprofit status violates California law, and to issue an injunction blocking OpenAI from enforcing its policy toward religious organizations.
Holy Sexuality won a similar victory last month after it challenged software company Asana over a policy it had in place denying discounts to religious organizations. Asana agreed to offer Holy Sexuality the same 50% discount it gives to other nonprofits after a lawsuit from the Alliance Defending Freedom was filed.

TOPSHOT-US-TECHNOLOGY-AI-MICROSOFT-COMPUTERS

EXCLUSIVE: Christian Group Accuses OpenAI Of ‘Brazen’ Religious Discrimination

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

California

Christianity

Discrimination

Religious Liberty

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law on Friday to limit the social media use of minors under the age of 16 to one hour per day.
The Consumer Data Protection Act, supported by both Republican and Democrat state lawmakers, will require social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to limit minors&#8217; time on such platforms.
Platforms will use &#8220;neutral age screen mechanisms&#8221; to determine the age of users and then limit their screen-time accordingly, Wavy.com <a href="https://www.wavy.com/news/politics/virginia-politics/is-time-up-for-youth-on-tiktok-gov-youngkin-seems-to-think-so/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Parents, per the law, will be required to give &#8220;verifiable&#8221; consent if they want their child&#8217;s time on such apps increased or decreased.
The Consumer Data Protection Act will take effect next year, on January 1, 2026.
Youngkin has long voiced his concerns about children&#8217;s exposure to social media. In November, for example, the governor <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2024/november/name-1036768-en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order addressing the &#8220;youth mental health crisis driven by the effects of unrestricted cell phone use and addictive social media platforms.&#8221;
“While social media and the internet have brought many positives to our society, there is a growing consensus that social media is having severe — severe and persistent — negative impacts on our kids,” the governor <a href="https://www.wavy.com/news/politics/virginia-politics/is-time-up-for-youth-on-tiktok-gov-youngkin-seems-to-think-so/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> back in 2023.
“Children spend on average nearly five hours daily on social media; recent studies have suggested that children who spend more than a few hours per day on social media have double the risk of poor mental health,” Youngkin&#8217;s website said at the time. “Through budget proposals, legislation and executive action the youth mental health strategy will address critical components and harmful aspects of social media on our youth.”
Notably, Youngkin actually wanted the Consumer Data Protection Act to go further, restricting social media use daily to one hour for all those under 18 years old. The bill, though, landed at age 16.
The issues with social media have also been recognized by the federal government. In 2023, Biden-era U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/surgeon-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Surgeon General</a> Vivek Murthy issued an <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advisory</a> warning that <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a> use among minors can severely damage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mental health</a>.
“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids.’ The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” Murthy said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-about-kids-use-of-social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory About Kids’ Use Of Social Media</a>

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

GOP Gov Signs Law That Would Set Daily Time Limit For Kids On Social Media

Glenn Youngkin

Mental Health

Social Media

Virginia

A federal judge in Virginia ruled on Thursday that Google illegally monopolized two advertising markets, paving the way for prosecutors to push for the breakup of Google&#8217;s advertising products, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-judge-finds-google-holds-illegal-online-ad-tech-monopolies-2025-04-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
According to the ruling from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, Google broke the law by monopolizing the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. Brinkema wrote in a 115-page opinion that Google &#8220;engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising,&#8221; Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-17/google-partially-loses-us-advertising-tech-antitrust-case?srnd=homepage-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;For over a decade, Google has tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets,&#8221; the judge added.
Google also pushed &#8220;anticompetitive policies on its customers&#8221; and &#8220;harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,&#8221; according to Brinkema.
Google&#8217;s lawyers pushed back, arguing that the case brought against the company focused on its past practices when it was seeking to connect tools to competitors&#8217; products. The tech giant&#8217;s defense also said that prosecutors ignored some of Google&#8217;s large competitors, such as Amazon and Comcast, when digital ad spending shifted to streaming services and apps, Reuters reported.
The ruling against Google in Virginia comes as the tech giant faces a separate antitrust case, with the Department of Justice looking to force the company to sell its Chrome browser, which processes 90% of internet searches in the United States. The DOJ argues that &#8220;Google&#8217;s unlawful behavior has deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways.&#8221;
Last year, a federal judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-rules-google-has-illegal-monopoly-over-search-engines?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Federal+Judge+Rules+Google+Has+Illegal+Monopoly+Over+Search+Engines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sided</a> with the DOJ and agreed that Google has a monopoly over search engines. A trial to decide a remedy for Google&#8217;s search engine monopoly is <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/google-argues-doj-internet-search-monopoly-remedies-will-harm-consumers/#:~:text=The%20brief%20previews%20how%20the,open%20internet%20search%20competitive%20again.">set to begin</a> on Monday in Washington.
Google has also been accused of censoring Right-leaning news and favoring legacy media outlets in its search function. Republican lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-expand-probe-into-google-meta-over-alleged-censorship-of-trump-assassination-attempt-info?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Lawmakers+Expand+Probe+Into+Google%2C+Meta+Over+Alleged+Censorship+Of+Trump+Assassination+Attempt+Info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated</a> Google last year after its search recommendations appeared to remove mentions of the assassination attempt on then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Google claimed that the assassination attempt search recommendations were omitted because of a safety protocol.

Google Illegally Monopolized Advertising Markets, Federal Judge Rules

Antitrust

Courts

Judge

The Trump administration released new guidance late Friday night on its tariff on China, exempting electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops.
The <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-3db9e55?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guidance</a>, posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees collecting taxes on imports, could relieve some anxiety among consumers and tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, which manufacture many of their products in China, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/trump-exempts-smartphones-other-electronics-from-chinese-tariffs-dd8eb31f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Around 20 electronic products — which also include memory cards and machines used to make flatscreens and tablets — will now be exempted from Trump&#8217;s massive &#8220;reciprocal&#8221; tariff on China. The exemption comes after the president increased the tariff on China in recent days in response to China&#8217;s retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security adviser, <a href="https://x.com/StephenM/status/1911092862076289243" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X, &#8220;These products are subject to the tariff under the original IEEPA [International Emergency Economic Powers Act] on China of 20 percent.&#8221; The IEEPA tariff was the first one Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposed</a> on China after taking office in January. The tariff was levied on China, along with Canada and Mexico, in an attempt to &#8220;hold&#8221; the countries &#8220;to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country.&#8221;
The Trump administration has suggested that the tariff on China will encourage companies, including Big Tech companies, to manufacture their products on U.S. soil, arguing that the move would be better for the economy and national security.
“President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday, according to the Wall Street Journal. She added, “Companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.”
Last week, Trump announced a &#8220;90-day pause&#8221; on tariffs for most countries, citing their willingness to negotiate. The tariff &#8220;pause&#8221; didn&#8217;t end tariffs on foreign nations, but instead dropped them to a baseline 10% tariff rate, except for products from China, which he raised to 125%. With the IEEPA tariff factored in, the tariff on Chinese goods stands at 145%.
China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-hits-back-with-125-tariffs-accuses-u-s-of-bullying-and-coercion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to Trump&#8217;s move by increasing the tariff on U.S. imports to 125%, a move that will mostly affect American soybeans, pharmaceutical drugs, and airplanes. Trump is accusing China of &#8220;ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries,&#8221; while China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-doubles-down-on-fighting-trade-war-to-the-end-says-it-will-not-respond-to-threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> it will not respond to &#8220;pressure, threats, and blackmail.&#8221;
Trump remains hopeful that China will come to the negotiating table to work out a new trade deal, but so far, the Chinese government has shown no signs of backing down from the trade war.
“A deal is going to be made with China,” the president said earlier this week. “A deal is going to be made with every one of them [countries], and there will be fair deals. I just want fair.”

iPhone

Trump Exempts Smartphones, Other Electronics From Additional Tariff On China

Smartphones

President Trump on Friday signed an executive order extending the deadline for TikTok&#8217;s Chinese parent company to sell its United States operations for a second time, saying that the acquisition “requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed.”
“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’ We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114280893859636366">said</a> on Truth Social.
Had Trump not granted an extension to ByteDance, the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok would have been required to carry out a “qualified divesture” of its United States business per a law signed by former President Joe Biden in April 2024, with internet service providers and app stores prohibited from hosting the platform.
The app, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2024/09/24/in-an-election-year-more-americans-are-using-tiktok-as-a-news-source/">used</a> by over 170 million Americans, has faced scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle amid growing concerns about China&#8217;s technological influence and data collection capabilities.
Biden’s law went into effect on January 19, with Apple and Google removing TikTok from their respective app stores until Trump extended the deadline by 75 days on January 20 when he took office.
According to CNBC, several major American tech companies have <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/04/trumps-extends-tiktok-second-time.html">expressed interest</a> in acquiring TikTok&#8217;s United States operations, including Oracle, AppLovin, and a consortium of private capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone. Amazon has also reportedly made a last-second bid to purchase the social media platform.
Despite interest from American companies, any deal still requires approval from the Chinese Communist Party, adding complexity to negotiations.
The announcement came just days after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, imposing a 34% tariff rate on China, which, combined with existing tariffs, creates a total rate of 54% on all imports from one of America’s largest trading partners.
Trump appears wary of the impact tariffs might have on the CCP’s willingness to approve a TikTok deal, insisting that China continue to negotiate in “good faith” despite the hefty tariffs.
“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!).”
The president has also indicated he might consider reducing China&#8217;s tariffs to facilitate a TikTok deal.
“Maybe I’ll give [China] a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done,” Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/26/trump-says-he-may-reduce-china-tariffs-to-help-close-a-tiktok-deal.html">said</a> in late March, “TikTok is big, but every point in tariffs is worth more than TikTok.”

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