A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Campbell’s, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after lodging a complaint against an executive.
Robert Garza, a Michigan-based cybersecurity expert who worked remotely for the company, filed a lawsuit against his former employer this week. Garza claimed that he was fired in January, just three weeks after filing the complaint.
The tech worker said he recorded an in-person meeting with chief information security officer Martin Bally while the two were meant to be discussing a salary increase last year. Garza said he captured an hour-long tirade, which included derogatory comments about the product and various nationalities.
“We have sh*t for f*cking poor people. Who buys our sh*t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” Bally allegedly said at one point during the 75-minute-long recording.
The exec also allegedly claimed the ingredients were man-made. “It’s not healthy now that I know what the f*ck’s in it,” a person on the recording says. “Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.”
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Bally is also accused of disparaging employees from India. “F*cking Indians don’t know a f*cking thing,” a speaker on the recording said. “They couldn’t think for their f*cking selves.”
Campbell’s has not confirmed the authenticity of the recording, but has released a statement refuting the claims. The company also said Bally has been placed on leave.
“If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Bally, they are unacceptable. Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation,” the company said in a <a href="https://www.thecampbellscompany.com/newsroom/news/company-statement-on-the-garza-lawsuit-and-alleged-audio-recording/">statement</a>. “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”
The Daily Wire reached out to Campbell’s for additional comment.
Garza claims he reported the incident to his manager but was terminated 20 days later. He said he didn’t come forward before now because he was taking time to process what happened.

Campbells Soup

Campbell’s Soup Exec Accused Of Calling Product ‘Sh*t For Poor People’

Business

Courts

Fired

Food

groceries

Lawsuit

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda was smiling for photos and giving two thumbs up as he donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a Trump-Vance shirt during an American-themed NASCAR event in Japan over the weekend.
“I’m not here to argue whether tariffs are good or bad. Every national leader wants to protect their own industry,” Toyoda <a href="https://www.autonews.com/toyota/an-toyota-akio-toyoda-maga-nascar-trump-japan-tariff-1116/">said</a> ahead of the exhibition. “We are exploring ways to make tariffs a winner for everyone. The people we want most to be winners are our customers.”
Japan now has a roughly 15% baseline tariff on auto imports, down from 27.5% following September trade negotiations.
The America-themed celebration at Fuji Speedway featured top NASCAR drivers, fans waving American flags, and an appearance from U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass. The ambassador posted photos of himself at the event alongside the caption, “Start your engines! &#8230; Looking forward to celebrating the culture of motorsports again next year, as part of our [America250] festivities in Japan.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda showed up to a NASCAR event on Sunday repping MAGA gear.
BASED 🔥🔥🔥🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/NnkbuJaNfk">pic.twitter.com/NnkbuJaNfk</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1990855538045792277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The event came days before the carmaker announced on Tuesday a $912 million investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations, aimed at expanding hybrid production in Southern states.
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Per Motor Intelligence <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/18/toyota-hybrid-plants.html">data</a>, Toyota currently has more than 51% market share of hybrid vehicles through the third quarter of this year.
“Customers are embracing Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, and our U.S. manufacturing teams are gearing up to meet that growing demand,” Kevin Voelkel, Toyota Motor North America senior vice president of manufacturing operations, <a href="https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-boosts-hybrid-production-with-912-million-investment-creating-252-new-u-s-manufacturing-jobs/">said</a>. “Toyota’s philosophy is to build where we sell, and by adding more American jobs and investing across our U.S. footprint, we continue to stay true to that philosophy.”
Toyota announced last week it will invest as much as $10 billion into the United States over the next five years, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-11-14/toyota-confirms-up-to-10-billion-investment-in-u-s">confirming</a> what President Donald Trump had said in October after meeting with the company’s CEO.

Akio Toyoda

Toyota CEO Goes Full MAGA At NASCAR Event Then Drops $912M On U.S. Jobs

Toyota CEO Rocks MAGA Hat At NASCAR Event, Then Announces Nearly $1B Boost To U.S. Manufacturing

Cars

Donald Trump

Economy

Japan

MAGA

Tariffs

President Donald Trump told McDonald&#8217;s franchise owners on Monday night that his 2024 election victory was vital to the U.S. economy, touting his push to lower prices.
Trump opened his <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-speaks-at-the-mcdonalds-impact-summit/669162">remarks</a> at the 2025 McDonald&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-address-mcdonalds-franchise-owners-as-he-focuses-on-driving-down-food-costs?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+To+Address+McDonald%E2%80%99s+Franchise+Owners+As+He+Focuses+On+Driving+Down+Food+Costs">Impact Summit</a>&#8221; in Washington, D.C., by referring to a 2024 campaign stop that helped fuel his election victory, when he handed out orders to customers at a McDonald&#8217;s in Pennsylvania.
&#8220;I&#8217;m honored to stand before you as the very first former McDonald&#8217;s fry cook ever to become president of the United States,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And I actually was there for about 30 minutes, and that was 30 minutes longer than Kamala [Harris] was there, despite her job at McDonald&#8217;s. That didn&#8217;t work out too well.&#8221;
The summit also featured speeches from Democratic politicians, such as New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The event provided Trump with an opportunity to push forward the administration&#8217;s refocused efforts to address economic issues.
During his speech, Trump argued that under former President Joe Biden, &#8220;Welfare was going up &#8230; government jobs were going up, real jobs were going down.&#8221;
&#8220;You would&#8217;ve had a catastrophe,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You probably would&#8217;ve had a bankrupt country. You are so damn lucky that I won that election, I&#8217;m telling you.&#8221;
Trump acknowledged that &#8220;there&#8217;s still a lot of work to do&#8221; in his effort to boost the economy and help businesses, but argued that America is already in a &#8220;golden age.&#8221;
&#8220;Because we are doing better than we&#8217;ve ever done as a country,&#8221; the president added. &#8220;Prices are coming down and all of that stuff. &#8230; Nobody has done what we&#8217;ve done in terms of pricing. We took over a mess.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;There&#8217;s still a lot of work to do—and we&#8217;re making tremendous progress. 1.9 million more American-born workers are employed today than when I took office&#8230; Wages for hourly workers are rising at the fastest pace in 60 years.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/2Hvu33hnO6">pic.twitter.com/2Hvu33hnO6</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1990564881293324452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The president said that inflation remains one of the issues that his administration would continue to address. Trump said he would like to see inflation drop &#8220;a little bit lower,&#8221; as the White House seeks to address Americans&#8217; lingering economic concerns.
&#8220;We have it down to a low level, but we&#8217;re going to get it a little bit lower. We want perfection,&#8221; Trump said.
Year-over-year <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category-line-chart.htm">inflation</a> sits at 3% as of the latest update. It has hovered at fairly low levels — between 2.5% and 3.5% — throughout Trump&#8217;s second term, but Americans continue to see the prices of some food items increase. Ground beef, for example, shot up 13.5% from last year. The prices of imported foods, such as bananas, avocados, and coffee, have also increased due to Trump&#8217;s so-called reciprocal tariffs, which he imposed on nearly every country worldwide.
The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rolls-back-tariffs-on-dozens-of-food-imports-heres-what-will-be-affected">acknowledged</a> last week that some tariffs on food are negatively affecting Americans and moved to roll back tariffs on numerous food items, including beef, coffee, tea, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and tropical fruits and fruit juices. During his speech on Monday night, however, Trump argued that his tariffs are an overall benefit to the United States.
&#8220;We have over $17 trillion being invested in our country in nine months. It&#8217;s now just about ready to crack $18 [trillion], and by the end of one year, we will have about $20 to $21 trillion invested in our country,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;That&#8217;s more [than] 10 times the highest amount ever invested in any country ever before, and it&#8217;s largely because of tariffs.&#8221;
Trump thanked McDonald&#8217;s for working to lower its prices, but many Americans have complained that the fast-food giant&#8217;s prices have continued to rise. According to The Economist’s “<a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/big-mac-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Mac Index</a>,&#8221; McDonald’s prices have increased in recent months, with the average cost of the chain’s signature Big Mac jumping to $6.01 as of July, which was up from $5.69 at the same time last year. Trump suggested that he would speak at the summit next year if the company gets prices &#8220;down enough.&#8221;
&#8220;And I want to give a very special thanks to McDonald&#8217;s for slashing prices for your most popular items, bringing back extra value meals. And I hear you&#8217;re recommitting to the affordable options of Americans that we really know and love, all of the items that we love,&#8221; Trump said, adding, &#8220;We&#8217;re getting prices down for this country and there&#8217;s no better leader or advocate than McDonald&#8217;s and I believe the next time I&#8217;ll have to be back here again next year if you get them down enough.&#8221;

Trump Touts Economic Record In McDonald’s Speech: ‘You’re So Damn Lucky I Won The Election’

Economics

Executive

McDonald’s

Disney CEO Bob Iger alluded to “productive conversations” he’s having with unnamed AI companies — talks that he said could eventually let Disney+ subscribers generate their own content on the platform.
The entertainment exec made the revelation during the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings conference call this week, saying Disney+ is “in the midst of rolling out the biggest and the most significant changes — from a product perspective, from a technology perspective” since its launch in 2019, per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/disney-plus-gen-ai-user-generated-content-1236426135/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
Some of the changes Iger highlighted include “game-like features” and user-generated short-form content generated by AI.
“The other thing that we’re really excited about, that AI is going to give us the ability to do, is to provide users of Disney+ with a much more engaged experience,” the Disney CEO said.
Iger mentioned that “it’s obviously imperative for us to protect our (intellectual property) with this new technology.” 
Though no further details were given, these hints at a user-generated, AI-based future were enough to send social media into a frenzy, with most commenters agreeing it&#8217;s a very bad idea.
“Hey! so, we don&#8217;t want this! at all, actually! it&#8217;s a disgrace to Walt Disney and real animators &amp; artists—also a super quick way to lose your entire fanbase,” one viral X comment <a href="https://x.com/bigdaddyankee/status/1989033420949975175?s=43">said</a>.
“On a serious note, this is a disgrace to the entire animation industry,” another account <a href="https://x.com/farkingfangirl/status/1989014498028712266?s=43">echoed</a>.
“Imagine going on a years long losing streak at the box office, and thinking the answer was cheaply produced AI slop,” another <a href="https://x.com/JollyRogX/status/1988999938307436859">said</a>.
&#8220;User generated AI content on Disney+ is either going to be amazing or absolutely terrible. No middle ground on this one,&#8221; a third commenter predicted.
<div class="css-175oi2r">
<div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__j5h40ekd7j" class="css-146c3p1 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" dir="auto" lang="en" data-testid="tweetText">Another said, &#8220;I am very pro AI and I think this is a big mistake.&#8221;</div>
</div>
</div>
Earlier this year, Disney and Universal teamed up to sue the AI image generation firm Midjourney for what they described as copyright infringement and a “bottomless pit of plagiarism,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bottomless-pit-of-plagiarism-disney-and-universal-sue-ai-image-generator?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Bottomless+Pit+Of+Plagiarism%E2%80%99%3A+Disney+And+Universal+Sue+AI+Image+Generator">reported</a>.  
The future of AI and how it’s being applied to the entertainment industry has been a hotly debated topic lately among everyone from company execs to actors, unions, and everyday consumers.

Disney AI

Social Media Rips Disney’s Plan For AI-Generated Fan Content

Artificial Intelligence

Bob Iger

Disney

Entertainment

Technology

When President Trump took to Truth Social to <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115370746210555899">promote</a> Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s new book, “I Am Giorgia,” many may have viewed it as a natural alliance between two champions of national pride, family values, and strong leadership. Trump praised Meloni as an inspiration, highlighting her dedication to faith, family, and country — qualities he has always deeply valued.
However, the public display of friendship and affection stands in stark contrast to recent moves by the Italian government to harm American businesses. In fact, its recent policy decisions are quietly undermining a vital element of Trump’s economic strategy with Europe — particularly the principle against unfair, targeted fees on America’s innovators in the tech and telecom sectors.
The Italian bureaucracy, through Italy’s telecom authority AGCOM, has recently taken <a href="https://ccianet.org/news/2025/09/italys-move-towards-network-fees-sets-blueprint-for-eu-under-digital-networks-act-study-finds/">steps</a> that classify Content Delivery Networks as part of Italy’s national telecom infrastructure. This may seem like a technical regulatory shift, but it sets a dangerous precedent for forcing U.S.-based streaming giants like Netflix and YouTube to shoulder <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/news/italys-telecoms-regulator-walks-fine-line-between-meloni-trump-and-brussels-over-network-fees/">new costs</a>.
The idea that such platforms should pay what Europe calls “network fees” was repeatedly rejected by Brussels to avoid sparking a trade war with the United States. Yet Italy’s move appears to be a sneaky attempt to backdoor these fees through regulation rather than overt legislation.
That makes this latest maneuver particularly troubling in light of the U.S.–EU trade deal framework, which explicitly commits Europe to refraining from imposing network fees or equivalent measures that target American digital services. That commitment was celebrated as a breakthrough for fair and open digital trade — and a win for both sides of the Atlantic. Italy’s proposal represents a direct and duplicitous workaround of that agreement and should not be tolerated by either Meloni or President Trump.
The problem runs deeper than just economic policy. President Trump has always insisted that America should be treated fairly and that U.S. companies should not be subjected to unfair financial penalties while European companies enjoy protection. The essence of Trump’s “America First” trade approach is not just about tariffs but standing up to Europe’s habit of disguising predatory actions as “fairness” or “sovereignty.” Time and again, European bureaucrats have tried to charm American leadership with lofty rhetoric while quietly pursuing policies that simultaneously penalize U.S. tech innovators in favor of incumbent European firms and <a href="https://strandconsult.dk/is-there-a-correlation-between-european-nations-level-of-chinese-telecom-equipment-the-consumption-of-russian-energy-and-military-aid-to-ukraine/">hand over</a> their purportedly sacred sovereignty to Chinese companies.
In fact, in Italy’s case, more than a third of its 5G infrastructure is supplied by China. And the country’s largest telecom provider, Telecom Italia (TIM), has <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pietro-labriola_digitale-innovazione-sostenibilitaeq-activity-7383556923331162112-xRkN/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAACcXXMBcipZDNsVQ3AlxVNbqOAKXKgu_r0">deep ties</a> with other countries at the center of <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/13/john-czwartacki-brazil-is-waging-war-on-american-technology-with-chinas-help/">China’s scheme</a> to drive a wedge between the United States and our allies across the Atlantic and in our own backyard. 
The regulatory maneuvers of Meloni’s government are out of step with her public embrace of Trump’s values. She claims to stand for independence and patriotism, yet by empowering AGCOM to impose regulatory costs on American tech, she works within the same globalist, big government EU framework that Trump himself has warned against. This contradiction should raise alarms on both sides of the Atlantic. Supporting a populist vision in politics means little if the policies implemented to bring it to fruition end up stifling competition and reducing consumer welfare.
Italy’s approach to network fees could also spark retaliatory measures that hurt Italian and European interests in the process. Real partnership demands more than symbolic displays of loyalty. It requires shared commitment to open markets, fair competition, and the removal of hidden barriers.
Europe’s temptation to manipulate U.S. leaders through false promises while it advances onerous regulatory measures designed to impose new costs must be understood for what it is. President Trump’s success has come from hard-nosed deals and a refusal to be played. Europeans seem to believe they can deflect this approach by offering words of friendship and then quietly imposing rules that undermine longstanding agreements and harm the U.S. tech sector.
Meloni’s memoir captures the spirit many admire — strong roots, fierce pride, and clear principles — but her government’s recent actions surrounding network fees show that principles alone are not enough. The mutually beneficial alliance Trump seeks with leaders like Meloni must rest on policies that truly defend fairness and reciprocity and reject regulatory overreach that unfairly burdens U.S. businesses.
In the end, Trump recognizes that true partnership is built on shared interests and respect, not on central planning that distorts the market and seeks to extract money under the guise of fairness. Meloni’s Italy may talk the language of sovereignty, but on this issue, it echoes the very European playbook Trump has fought against: using regulation to impose hidden taxes on American innovation.
If President Trump’s affection for Meloni is to be returned in kind, it must coincide with a call for policies aligned with his economic principles. Otherwise, public displays of friendship are mere symbolic gestures that hypocritically mask Europe’s continued attempts to challenge American leadership. Such contradictions weaken transatlantic unity and threaten the very foundation of the deal Trump fought to secure.
* * *
Ashley Baker is Executive Director of The Committee for Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rule of law and constitutionally limited government.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni At The White House

Trump’s Favorite European Ally Is Quietly Undermining His Trade Agenda

Big Tech

Corporations

European Union

Foreign Policy

Giorgia Meloni

Italy

Opinion

Taxes

NEW YORK—Zohran Mamdani was met with applause when he name-checked &#8220;Yemeni bodega owners&#8221; during his acceptance speech Tuesday evening.
But while Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, may consider the owners of the city&#8217;s trademark delis as part of his multi-ethnic, working-class coalition, the owners themselves are less than thrilled with the socialist their neighbors elected.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not a good thing,&#8221; one shop owner told The Daily Wire this week when asked about Mamdani&#8217;s pledge to open state-run grocery stores. &#8220;I’m not with it.&#8221; The owner also expressed frustration that he would have to pay property taxes and rent while government-operated stores would not.
He was hardly the only business owner to criticize Mamdani&#8217;s policies.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NYC small business owners react to Zohran Mamdani:
&#8220;We&#8217;re cooked.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/StollBrecca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StollBrecca</a> <a href="https://t.co/oOYyKu2y6D">pic.twitter.com/oOYyKu2y6D</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1986227641578316115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
“What the sad part is, it’s the people in the city who made these decisions. New York is already messed up,&#8221; a liquor store owner said. &#8220;They had a choice between Cuomo and this knucklehead and they chose the knucklehead, so we are going to pay for it.&#8221;
He added that younger voters “don’t know what democracy is or how the legislative process works.” He compared the state of the city to “kids running the school.”
Many of Mamdani’s policies are controversial, but one in particular struck a chord with small business owners: “$30 by 30,” a plan to nearly double the city’s minimum wage from $16.50 to $30 per hour by 2030. Currently, the city raises the minimum wage by $0.50 a year. Under Mamdani’s plan it would jump by about $3.50 annually.
“Think of how many places, family owned, that will have difficulty making payroll,” said a flower shop owner. “Overnight half of the mom-and-pop shops will go out of business.”
He believes Mamdani’s policies will take New York in the wrong direction: “We are on the way to becoming a communist state.”
Another shop owner added that the wage hikes will inevitably force prices to rise.“A $30 minimum wage will result in the product going up,” he said.
“As someone who has built a company here for over twenty years, I&#8217;ve never been more concerned,” says William Stern, CEO and Founder of Cardiff. Stern’s company provides capital loans to small businesses. “You can&#8217;t declare war on the capital and expect the city to survive. It&#8217;s economic suicide.&#8221;
Stern believes New Yorkers have voted for a “dangerous experiment” where the people, small business owners, and working families will pay the price. He urges New Yorkers to see that Mamdani’s selling a socialist fantasy to people who are struggling. “He&#8217;s playing revolutionary with other people&#8217;s lives and livelihoods.&#8221;
Mamdani’s affordability pledges also include making city buses free. The Daily Wire asked New York City bus drivers about the plan. One said “free buses do not work well in New York City.” Currently the $2.90 bus fares make up about 40% of MTA’s revenue. Mamdani also wants to freeze rent for stabilized apartments, but business owners warn that could make it harder for landlords to afford repairs and upkeep.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Are free buses a good idea for New York?
Bus driver: “No.” <a href="https://t.co/zAY6FIncHj">pic.twitter.com/zAY6FIncHj</a>
— Brecca Stoll (@StollBrecca) <a href="https://twitter.com/StollBrecca/status/1985756346059289062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
One business owner did not hold back when asked how Mamdani’s policies might affect the city. 
“We’ll go to hell, it will be over. The city’s in trouble, we’re going back to the &#8217;70s.”
The 1970s were a grim chapter in New York’s history marked by mass exodus, high crime rates, and a major fiscal crisis.
One flower shop owner who has owned his shop since the 70s, reflected on his favorite mayor: Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani, widely credited for restoring economic order, cracking down on crime, and managing the city through 9/11, is praised for the changes he brought to New York City.
Many Mamdani voters told The Daily Wire they were “excited for change.” His all-female <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-transition-team-a-reflection-of-his-leftism">transition team</a> reportedly includes former officials from Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Joe Biden’s administrations.

Going Out of Business Sign

Zohran Mamdani Praised Bodega Owners In His Victory Speech. They’re Not Happy He Won.

New York City

Politics

Zohran Mamdani

Actress Sydney Sweeney is making her first public comments following the significant backlash to her viral American Eagle ad campaign.
The 28-year-old celebrity discussed the drama during a newly published <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/sydney-sweeney-gq-cover-story-interview-men-of-the-year-2025">interview</a> with GQ. When asked by the interviewer what it was like when President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the campaign, Sweeney gave a one-word answer: “Surreal.”
She also said not to believe the lies being circulated about American Eagle losing business because of it. 
“I was aware of the numbers as it was going. So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true,” she told GQ. “It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in their quiet period. So it was all just a lot of talk. And because I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other.”
Sweeney deflected when asked if “there [is] something that you want to say about the ad itself” because “the criticism of the content was basically that, maybe specifically in this political climate, white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority.”
“I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,” the actress said. She also said she put her phone away and stayed busy with filming the entire time she was making headlines for appearing in the ad.
“I didn’t really see a lot of it,” Sweeney said of the critical comments.
Controversy erupted over the summer over an ad spot featuring Sweeney in various seductive poses while saying she had “good jeans.” The double entendre with the word “genes” made leftists deem the ad racist, noting that Sweeney is white with blond hair and blue eyes.
In one of the ads, Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
American Eagle responded to the backlash by issuing a simple statement: “&#8217;Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Trump’s response to the ad campaign was positive after the president discovered that Sweeney was a registered Republican. 
“She’s a registered Republican?” Trump confirmed with a reporter in August, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-delighted-to-learn-sydney-sweeney-is-a-republican-now-i-love-her-ad">reported</a>. “Oh, now I love her ad. Is that right? Is Sydney Sweeney? Yes. You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known. But I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
Vance also weighed in on the controversy during an appearance on the &#8220;Ruthless&#8221; podcast.
&#8220;My political advice to the Democrats is: continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,&#8221; Vance quipped.
&#8220;You have like a normal all-American, beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad, right? They’re trying to sell… jeans to kids in America and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. It’s like, you guys, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?&#8221;

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney Says Trump’s Support Was ‘Surreal’ During Viral Jeans Ad Controversy

Sydney Sweeney Says Trump's Support Was 'Surreal' During Viral Jeans Ad Controversy 

advertising

Celebrities

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A broad coalition of business associations representing hundreds of companies as diverse as Apple and Walmart united to call on Congress Thursday to immediately reopen the government. 
The coalition <a href="https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-associations-issue-statement-on-government-shutdown">warned</a> that with each day of the shutdown, “the larger and more durable the economic damage becomes — and some of it might never be recovered.” 
Top CEOs from hundreds of major U.S. companies also warned of potential irreversible economic damage.
Representing virtually every sector of the economy, from airlines, banking, hotels, manufacturing, software, real estate, and travel, the associations estimated that the ongoing shutdown costs the nation between $10 and $15 billion in lost output per week. 
While the joint statement avoided taking a political stance, the groups urged lawmakers to “avert further economic disruption” by reopening the government immediately. The associations proposed a compromise to negotiate major policy issues in a longer-term funding package rather than a continuing resolution. 
House Democratic Minority Whip Katherine Clark <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1981030897873781156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> why Democrats want to negotiate now rather than for a longer-term funding package. 
“I mean, shutdowns are terrible, and, of course, there will be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have,” Clark said in an <a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/sitroom/date/2025-10-23/segment/03">interview</a> with CNN last week. 
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The standoff on Capitol Hill centers on health care funding. Democrats refuse to back the Republican-led continuing resolution (CR) unless it includes an extension of ACA tax credits. The credits were established in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act and were temporarily enhanced and expanded in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans maintain that health care discussions can begin after the CR is passed. 
House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, “To President Trump’s great credit, he is doing everything possible to protect families and keep vital services running.” 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer disagreed. 
“Republicans own this shutdown,” said Schumer. “Every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions.”
Last week, the White House released <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/10/airlines-pilots-demand-action-as-democrat-shutdown-pushes-air-travel-to-the-edge/">statements</a> from leaders in the aviation industry urging Congress to reopen the federal government. 
President of NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots Pedro Leroux said, “It is indisputable that our system is less safe today than it was on Oct. 1 when the shutdown began.”
Air-traffic controllers are among the many federal workers currently working without pay. Others include government employees,  military service members, Capitol police, and thousands of third-party contractors whose payments halted when the shutdown began.  
In response, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to divert funds previously allocated for research and development to paychecks for the military. Trump also claimed an unnamed “friend” gave $130 million to pay service members. 
Next, the shutdown hits SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is projected to run out of funds on Saturday. 
“If there are any Democrats out there who care about the damage this shutdown is doing, then I have a bill at the desk,” stated Senate Majority Leader John Thune. 
The bill is “a clean, nonpartisan CR to fund WIC, SNAP, troop pay, air traffic controller pay, farm programs, housing assistance, national defense, and more.” 
Shortly after Thune’s statement, the Senate adjourned, pushing shutdown conversations to next week.

Senators Meet For Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

The Nation’s Top Businesses Push For End Of Government Shutdown

It’s Day 30 of the Government Shutdown 

Chuck Schumer

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Amazon.com said on Monday that a cloud computing unit at its data center in northern Virginia had largely contained fallout from a widespread internet outage that caused global turmoil among thousands of sites, including some of the web&#8217;s most popular apps like Snapchat and Reddit.
Amazon said it had addressed the underlying issue and was close to a resolution, but some users were still complaining of lingering difficulties using services such as digital wallet Venmo and video calling site Zoom. The disruption knocked workers from London to Tokyo offline and halted others from conducting normal everyday tasks like paying hairdressers or changing their airline tickets.
It was the largest internet disruption since last year&#8217;s CrowdStrike malfunction hobbled technology systems in hospitals, banks and airports, highlighting the vulnerability of the world&#8217;s interconnected technologies. It was at least the third time in five years that AWS&#8217;s northern Virginia cluster, known as US-EAST-1, contributed to a major internet meltdown.
Amazon did not address a request for more clarity about why that particular data center keeps being impacted, instead pointing to an online statement that said the matter had been &#8220;fully mitigated.&#8221; The problems stemmed from what is known as the Domain Name System, or DNS, which prevented applications from finding the correct address for AWS&#8217;s DynamoDB API, a cloud database relied upon to store user information and other critical data.
After hours of disruptions, many applications were gradually coming back online in the afternoon in the U.S. But AWS acknowledged that elevated errors were still affecting several services.
There were &#8220;tons of broken internal services still now as individual resolution and repair occurring,&#8221; read language from an internal problem ticket describing the outage and reviewed by Reuters.
Lambda, one of AWS&#8217;s computing services, was experiencing errors due to issues with an internal subsystem, AWS had said earlier. &#8220;We are taking steps to recover this internal Lambda system,&#8221; it said.
Earlier, AWS said the root cause of the outage was an underlying subsystem that monitors the health of its network load balancers used to distribute traffic across several servers.
The issue, AWS said, originated from within the &#8220;EC2 internal network.&#8221;
EC2 refers to Amazon&#8217;s &#8220;Elastic Compute Cloud&#8221; service, which provides on-demand cloud capacity within AWS. Businesses use EC2 to run virtual servers to develop, launch and host applications.
AWS had said earlier in the day it was seeing signs of recovery for EC2 use at a few data centers.
It was taking similar measures at the remaining locations and expects the problems to subside, AWS added, without providing a specific timeline.
While some apps like Reddit and Roblox had largely stabilized, according to outage tracking website Downdetector, others, including Snapchat and Duolingo, were showing a resurgence in issues seen earlier in the day.
Ken Birman, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said software developers need to build better fault tolerance into their code. He said AWS provides tools developers can use to protect themselves in the event of a problem at one of any of its sprawling network of data centers, and developers can also create backups with other cloud providers.
&#8220;When people cut costs and cut corners to try to get an application up, and then forget that they skipped that last step and didn&#8217;t really protect against an outage, those companies are the ones who really ought to be scrutinized later,&#8221; Birman told Reuters.
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AWS provides computing power, data storage and other digital services to companies, governments and individuals and is the world&#8217;s largest cloud provider, followed by Microsoft&#8217;s Azure and Alphabet&#8217;s Google Cloud.
Disruptions to its servers can cause outages across websites and platforms &#8211; ranging from food delivery apps to gaming platforms and airline systems &#8211; that rely on its cloud infrastructure.
AWS said on its status page that Monday&#8217;s outage originated at its US-EAST-1 location in northern Virginia, its oldest and largest for web services. The site suffered outages in 2021 and 2020.
According to documentation on the AWS website, the US-EAST-1 site is often the default region for many AWS services.
The problem highlights how interconnected everyday digital services have become and their reliance on a small number of global cloud providers, with one glitch wreaking havoc on business and day-to-day life, experts and academics said.
&#8220;This outage once again highlights the dependency we have on relatively fragile infrastructures,&#8221; said Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at European cybersecurity firm ESET.
In Britain, Lloyd Bank, Bank of Scotland, and telecom service providers Vodafone and BT were all hit, according to Downdetector&#8217;s UK website, as was UK tax, payments and customs authority HMRC&#8217;s website.
&#8220;The main reason for this issue is that all these big companies have relied on just one service,&#8221; said Nishanth Sastry, director of research at the University of Surrey&#8217;s Department of Computer Science.
Ookla, which owns Downdetector, said over 4 million users reported issues due to the incident.
&#8220;For major businesses, hours of cloud downtime translate to millions in lost productivity and revenue,&#8221; said Ryan Griffin, U.S. cyber practice leader at insurance broker McGill and Partners.
Wall Street was largely unfazed, sending Amazon shares 1.6% higher to $216.48.
Ookla said at least a thousand companies were affected by the outage.
Snapchat last had over 7,500 reports on Downdetector, lower than the peak of more than 22,000 but still higher than the 4,000 outage instances at around 7:00 a.m. ET.
Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and trading app Robinhood all experienced platform disruptions and attributed them to AWS.
Amazon&#8217;s own services, including its shopping website, Prime Video and Alexa, were also hit, although Downdetector last showed a decrease in severity.
Fortnite, owned by Epic Games; Clash Royale and Clash of Clans were among the gaming platforms affected. Uber rival Lyft was also knocked down in the United States.
In a post on X, Signal President Meredith Whittaker confirmed the messaging app was hit by the outage as well, though billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X, said his platform continued to work.
(Reporting by Shubham Kalia, Devika Nair, Ananya Palyekar and Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by James Pearson, Jaspreet Singh and Arsheeya Bajwa; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Joe Bavier, Richard Chang and David Gregorio)

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services Nears Recovery After Major Outage Disrupts Apps, Services Worldwide

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Stellantis, one of the “Big Three” American automakers, announced on Tuesday that it is changing course on plans to manufacture a Jeep model in Ontario, Canada, as the company focuses on expanding production in the United States.
Stellantis previously planned to produce its Jeep Compass at the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, but its new focus on U.S. investment will move production to the United States, as the company plans to reopen a plant in Belvidere, Illinois, CBC <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/stellantis-jeep-compass-canada-9.6938834">reported</a>. The Michigan-based company aims to “invest $13 billion over the next four years to grow its business in the critical United States market and to increase its domestic manufacturing footprint.”
“The investment is the largest in the company’s 100-year U.S. history and will support the introduction of five new vehicles across the brand portfolio in key segments; production of the all-new four-cylinder engine; and the addition of more than 5,000 jobs at plants in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana,” Stellantis <a href="https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2025/october/stellantis-to-invest-13-billion-to-grow-in-the-united-states">said</a>.
The move comes as President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to punish American automakers that manufacture vehicles and parts abroad to sell in the American market. Canadian leaders voiced their frustration with Stellantis’ decision, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney <a href="https://x.com/MarkJCarney/status/1978278995637551208">saying</a> the move is a “direct consequence of current U.S. tariffs and potential future U.S. trade actions.”
Trump met with Carney at the White House last week, and the two leaders discussed trade and tariff policies. After his visit, Carney’s office touted his nation’s trade relationship with the United States, <a href="https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2025/10/08/prime-minister-carney-concludes-visit-washington-dc">saying</a>, “Canada currently has the best trade agreement of any U.S. trading partner, with 85% of Canada-U.S. trade now tariff-free, and our cooperation is further improving border security.”
The Brampton, Ontario, plant has been shut down since 2024 to focus on repurposing the factory to manufacture the next-generation electrified Jeep Compass. After Trump imposed his auto tariffs, the company paused its retooling effort at the Brampton plant.
Unifor, the trade union that represents many Canadian auto workers, argued that auto jobs in Canada “are being sacrificed on the Trump altar.”
“Stellantis cannot be allowed to renege on its commitments to Canadian workers, and governments cannot stand by while our jobs are shifted to the United States,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has strongly criticized President Trump over the tariffs, said in a Wednesday morning X <a href="https://x.com/fordnation/status/1978416009871605906">post</a> that he talked to Stellantis “to stress my disappointment with their decision to prioritize investment into the U.S.” He added, “This decision is especially painful for those workers who have been out of jobs for months.”
Earlier this year, as part of Trump’s wide-ranging trade policy, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-adjusts-imports-of-automobiles-and-automobile-parts-into-the-united-states/">imposed</a> a 25% tariff “on imports of automobiles and certain automobile parts,” arguing that the move was necessary to address “a critical threat to U.S. national security.” Multiple American and foreign automakers responded to the tariff policy by announcing plans to increase production in the United States.
In May, General Motors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/general-motors-to-cut-back-on-manufacturing-at-canada-plant-over-trump-tariff">said</a> it would cut back production at a truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario, due to Trump’s tariffs taking effect. GM said a month earlier that it planned to ramp up production of light-duty trucks at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Trump/Carney/Stellantis

Auto Giant Ends Canadian Jeep Production, Brings Jobs Back To America

Auto Companies

Canada

Jeep

Mark Carney

trade

A new report released last week by the global risk firm DNV <a href="https://www.dnv.com/eto2025/">projects</a> that AI electricity demand will grow tenfold over the next five years as a result of the rapid buildout of AI data centers. American families are already feeling the impact of this buildout as the cost of electricity has <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/">surged</a> nearly 7% over the last year.
As America fights to win the race for AI dominance — a race that will decide who the economic, military, and political leaders are for decades to come — a growing challenge looms: power. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers">projects</a> that data centers, the physical backbone of AI, will grow from consuming more than 4% of total U.S. electricity today to 12% by 2028. A survey conducted over the summer by <a href="https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/power-and-utilities/data-center-infrastructure-artificial-intelligence.html">Deloitte</a> of power companies and data center operators asked what the greatest challenges were they faced when it comes to building out data center infrastructure. Both groups named “power and grid capacity constraints meeting load growth” as the number one obstacle.
This urgent need for more power was one of the reasons that top officials from the U.S. and Israel gathered in Washington, D.C. this summer to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that put serious weight behind enhancing cooperation on all matters related to AI innovation. The MOU recognizes that as America deploys its unmatched industrial, financial, and technological power to win the AI race, it can amplify those efforts by harnessing Israel’s capacity for rapid innovation in energy systems, semiconductors, and industrial technologies.
President Donald Trump reaffirmed the strength of this alliance during his historic speech at the Knesset on Monday, following his success in securing the release of the remaining hostages.
“The state of Israel is strong and it will live and thrive forever,” Trump said. “And that is why Israel will always remain a vital ally of the United States of America. Israelis share our values, field one of the world&#8217;s most powerful militaries … and have one of the most innovative economies on earth.”
Despite being only the size of New Jersey, Israel has the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world, ranks <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-investment-climate-statements/israel">fourth globally</a> in the number of NASDAQ-listed firms, and is home to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/majority-of-multinationals-operating-in-israel-see-limited-impact-from-hamas-war/">more than</a> 400 multinational corporations. According to Columbia Business School, Israel ranks <a href="https://courses.business.columbia.edu/B8693">number one</a> worldwide in R&amp;D spending, startup density, and venture investment per capita.
The reason for Israel’s success in innovation is simple: we have no other choice. Forged under the pressure that comes from living in an unforgiving geopolitical environment, Israel has had to learn how to innovate fast with limited natural resources to ensure our very survival. Over time, that environment has fostered what has evolved into one of the most effective deep-tech ecosystems in the world, fueled by elite IDF technology units, academic excellence, and a collaborative private sector that knows how to translate breakthrough ideas into global industries. 
That innovation has long powered the technological advancements that drive the U.S. economy to new heights. <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/what-is-rdma/">InfiniBand</a>, developed in Israel, became the networking fabric behind every ChatGPT query, while Israeli-designed custom microchips drive <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/amazon-ai-chips-supercomputer-aws-annapurna-trainium-a943be71">Amazon Web Services</a> and Google’s <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/the-israeli-startup-that-just-inked-the-largest-cybersecurity-deal-ever-5f0f6854">cybersecurity</a> infrastructure. SolarEdge, founded in Israel, revolutionized solar energy by making every panel more efficient and cost-effective.
In defense, Israeli technologies such as the Trophy Active Protection System safeguard American tanks on the battlefield, while tunnel-detection systems developed in Israel help secure the U.S. southern border.
To help keep Israel at the forefront of cutting-edge advancements in deep-tech, the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) recently launched a series of bold initiatives to turbocharge the country’s innovation capacity following the events of October 7. The more than $450 million investment from the IIA represents a structural shift in how Israel supports applied R&amp;D in physical technology. Beyond cyber and software, the IIA is now channeling unprecedented funding into energy systems, industrial automation, and data-center infrastructure. Reflecting this shift, global technology leaders are doubling down on Israel. NVIDIA recently announced plans to invest billions of dollars in a new R&amp;D campus and more than double its headcount, making Israel its largest foreign R&amp;D center.
This shift in investments from the IIA aligns directly with U.S. strategic priorities, as the need for America to win the race for AI dominance could not be clearer. The enemies of the West are increasingly working together to shift the balance of power in the world to one where communist China becomes the dominant global economic and military superpower. In that world, the U.S. would see slower economic growth, a decrease in high-paying jobs, a weakened dollar, inflation, trade rules set by authoritarian regimes, increased cyberattacks, and a surge in Chinese influence in Western media, academia, and technology. The rules-based international system that has underpinned global prosperity would erode, replaced by one governed through coercion and control.
By combining America’s scale and strategic vision with Israel’s speed and agility, both nations can co-develop the technologies that will define the next industrial era. From advanced energy storage and grid optimization to power electronics and automation, this partnership can create tens of thousands of jobs, strengthen supply chains, and reinforce the energy backbone that AI depends on. If the last century was defined by oil and manufacturing, the next will be defined by energy intelligence — the ability to power, process, and protect the digital world. Together, the United States and Israel can lead that transformation.
* * *
Amir Fishelov and Jonathan Bik are the co-founders of <a href="https://s1l.vc/">Square One Labs</a>, an Israeli venture creation platform and deep-tech incubator selected by the State of Israel to lead in the development of startups in energy, industrial automation, and data center infrastructure. Mr. Fishelov previously co-founded SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ: SEDG), a global leader in smart energy and the first Israeli company to be listed on the S&amp;P 500.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Abstract AI Symbol Hovering Above Israeli Flag – Representing AI Innovation and Technology in Israel

How Israel Can Help America Win The Global AI Race

Energy

Israel

Nvidia

Silicon Valley

At 43 years-old, I can look back at my life with a deep sense of pride — and, if I’m honest, a touch of longing. I’ve spent my entire adult life building my career, climbing ladders, taking risks, and proving to myself that I could be independent and successful. And in many ways, I’ve achieved exactly what I set out to do.
I own my home. I’ve built financial security that allows me to stand firmly on my own two feet. My parents and grandparents are healthy and happy. I have a circle of incredible friends who inspire me, challenge me, and support me through every chapter. And I have three gorgeous nephews who light up my world in ways I never could have imagined. These are blessings I don’t take for granted.
One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is that through my own hard work, I was able to leave a marriage that wasn’t right for me. Because I was financially independent, I had choices. I could walk away and rebuild my life on my own terms. That freedom is something I cherish deeply.
But with all that said, there are things I wish I’d done differently. When you’re young and ambitious, it’s easy to believe you can have it all — career, independence, love, family — without having to make tough decisions. You put your head down, keep pushing forward, and tell yourself there will be time later. For me, later came faster than I expected.
If I could offer advice to young women just starting out, it would be this: leave space for the things that matter most. A healthy, loving relationship with a partner who brings out the best in you. The chance to conceive and raise a child. The opportunity to create a life that isn’t only about work, but about shared dreams, purpose, and faith.
Two moments have profoundly shaped this perspective. The first came after October 7, when I traveled to Israel as part of one of the first American volunteer groups. While I spent my days preparing meals for soldiers and harvesting crops, it was the people I met who left the deepest mark. Many had lost loved ones only weeks earlier, yet they carried on with remarkable strength, sustained by family and community. Even as they sent their children off to war, they remained united — grounded in faith and bound by an unbreakable sense of solidarity.
The second moment was the assassination of Charlie Kirk — and the extraordinary strength Erika Kirk displayed in its aftermath. In Charlie and Erika, I saw everything I believed was possible for myself one day. They came together as two accomplished individuals and built a life rooted in love, family, and faith. Watching and rewatching videos of them — as partners, as parents — stirred something deep within me, awakening a longing I hadn’t fully realized was there.
It brought me back to my own childhood, the eldest of three, watching my parents put aside their own wants to nurture our needs. Through their actions, they instilled in us the core values of our Jewish faith: prioritizing family, pursuing education, and giving back to those less fortunate. My parents made sure our faith wasn’t just taught but lived — from leading a Jewish Federation mission to Israel to sending my sister and me to study in the Holy Land. Those experiences didn’t just deepen my connection to Judaism and the state of Israel; they shaped how I understood love, commitment, and what it means to build a life of purpose.
As I sat with those memories, I couldn’t help but ask myself, with a heaviness I can’t quite put into words: how did I fall so far from that path?
Don’t limit your options because you’re so determined to prove your strength or independence. Being headstrong can serve you well in the boardroom, but it can also blind you to what truly fulfills the heart. There is immense purpose in building a family and in nurturing a partnership where both people grow together.
I wish I had discovered this earlier in life — the profound beauty that comes with faith, love, and building a family. My career has given me so much, but it has also required sacrifices I didn’t fully understand at the time. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self to be just as intentional about her personal life as she was about her professional one.
As I approach my 44th birthday, I feel the weight of limited options. Yet, thanks to breakthroughs in technology, I have hope — hope that I can bring a Jewish child into this world. While I have yet to meet a Jewish partner to share this journey, I cannot waste another moment. The chance to experience the profound joy of creating life and carrying forward my heritage is too precious to delay.
So to those just beginning their journey, take my advice: find yourself while also making room for the relationships and experiences that will bring you joy beyond titles, promotions, or accolades. A meaningful life isn’t built only in offices or boardrooms — it’s built in the quiet moments of connection, faith, and love. And those are the things I wish I’d done.
* * *
Jessica Piha is the Communications Director at USAFacts, a nonpartisan not-for-profit civic organization committed to making government data easy for Americans to understand. She resides in Kirkland, Washington with her dog Figgy.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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