California Democrats are warning their own candidates that a crowded gubernatorial primary could create an unexpected risk in the state&#8217;s top-two election system.
In a <a href="https://cadem.org/open-letter-to-the-democratic-candidates-for-governor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the wide pool of Democrats seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks, a former union boss, urged candidates to assess whether they have a shot at advancing to the general election.
Under California&#8217;s &#8220;jungle primary&#8221; system in June, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November regardless of party. Some Democrats fear vote-splitting among their candidates could allow two Republicans to advance to the general election. There are more than a dozen Democrats in the race, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. Newsom has not publicly endorsed anyone.
Meanwhile, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton are considered the leading Republicans in the race. Some polls have shown Bianco and Hilton within striking distance of the top two, while others suggest both could advance if Democratic support fragments.
“Despite the ongoing chatter, the likelihood of two Republicans effectively ‘locking out’ California Democrats from the contest for Governor in the General Election is relatively low,” Hicks wrote. “However, while it is implausible, it is not impossible.”
Hicks called on the Democratic candidates to &#8220;honestly assess the viability of their candidacy,” suggesting those without a viable path of finishing in the top two consider dropping out &#8220;on or before April 15th.&#8221;
Hicks further added that if Republicans successfully lock out the Democrats, it could lead to “depressed Democratic turnout” and damage the party’s chances in other critical down-ballot races.
“The result would present a real risk to winning the congressional seats required and imperil Democrats’ chances to retake the House, cut Donald Trump’s term in half, and spare our Nation from the pain many have endured since January 2025. We simply can’t let that happen,” he wrote.
The primary is scheduled for June 2.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-keep-jumping-into-california-gov-race-it-might-accidentally-boost-republicans">Democrats Keep Jumping Into California Gov Race. It Might Accidentally Boost Republicans.</a>

Rusty Hicks

California Dem Chair Warns Party Could Be Shut Out Of Governor’s Race

2026 election

California

Elections

Eric Swalwell

Gavin Newsom

Kamala Harris

Politics

The Supreme Court sided with a group of parents challenging a California policy that allowed schools to keep kids&#8217; so-called gender transitions a secret.
In a 6-3 decision on Monday, the justices said that California policies that block schools from notifying parents about their child’s desire to change their sex and be referred to by incorrect pronouns likely violate their religious liberty. The ruling comes after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a lower court’s ruling siding with parents challenging California’s policies.
“We conclude that the parents who seek religious exemptions are likely to succeed on the merits of their Free Exercise Clause claim,” the Supreme Court majority <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/69a61b347a7b680a9027a546_25A810.pdf">wrote</a>. “The parents who assert a free exercise claim have sincere religious beliefs about sex and gender, and they feel a religious obligation to raise their children in accordance with those beliefs. California’s policies violate those beliefs.”
The California Department of Education has argued that the challenge should be considered moot because they claim that a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240113000622/https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/eo/faqs.asp">frequently-asked-questions</a> page posted by the department has been edited to show that they do not mandate parental exclusion, and so there is no more cause for complaint. The FAQ page included a line that said, “with rare exceptions, schools are required to respect the limitations that a student places on the disclosure of their transgender status, including not sharing that information with the student’s parents.”
While that guidance was deleted, policies that kept parents in the dark about their children were still promoted in statewide teacher trainings, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-officials-lied-about-secret-gender-transitions-in-schools-documents-show">according</a> to documents uncovered by the Thomas More Society.
Policies prohibiting local school districts from passing measures requiring teachers to inform parents about a student’s identity were signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Gender dysphoria is a condition that has an important bearing on a child’s mental health, but when a child exhibits symptoms of gender dysphoria at school, California’s policies conceal that information from parents and facilitate a degree of gender transitioning during school hours. These policies likely violate parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children,” the majority wrote.
They added that “the intrusion on parents’ free exercise rights here—unconsented facilitation of a child’s gender transition—is greater than the introduction of LGBTQ storybooks we considered sufficient to trigger strict scrutiny in Mahmoud.”
Mahmoud was a case from last year where the court ruled that a Maryland county violated the rights of parents who wanted to opt their kids out of instruction related to LGBT content.
Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society and partner at LiMandri and Jonna LLP, said the ruling was a major victory for parents.
“This is a watershed moment for parental rights in America,” she said. “The Supreme Court has told California and every state in the nation in no uncertain terms: you cannot secretly transition a child behind a parent’s back. The Court’s landmark reaffirmation of substantive due process, its vindication of religious liberty, and its approval of class-wide relief together set a historic precedent that will dismantle secret gender transition policies across the country.”
The court&#8217;s liberal justices — Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — wanted to block the parents’ challenge.

MixCollage-02-Mar-2026-06-37-PM-4583

Supreme Court Slaps Down California Policy On Gender-Confused Kids

Courts

Religious Liberty

Supreme Court

Transgender

U.S.

California is indeed a crazy place.
Which brings us to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, who is constantly trying to swim in every pond simultaneously. Gavin Newsom has taken every position it is possible to take. Gavin Newsom may have more political positions than the Kama Sutra.
When I did a podcast with Gavin Newsom, he tried to play moderate on a wild variety of issues, but when he is in left-wing circles, all of a sudden, he is Left of Karl Marx.
On Thursday, Newsom said that California was born of genocide. This is so tiring. It&#8217;s so tiring, guys.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
California Governor Gavin Newsom smears California and the United States as being &#8220;born of genocide.&#8221;
NEWSOM: &#8220;I begin the book talking about&#8230;how we were born of genocide in California. I try to paint the picture that&#8230;it&#8217;s about America.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/vlYGSkVjBD">pic.twitter.com/vlYGSkVjBD</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2027054785879253246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Source: @RNCResearch/X.com
Just be normal. On the Left, on the Right, can we all just be normal? Just a little bit? I know it&#8217;s a lot to ask in our crazy social media era, when the nuttiest people control the narratives.
“I begin the book, talking about looking out over the American River, where ‘Eureka! Eureka!’ was yelled,” Newsom said. “Yellow gold, and how you know, we were born of genocide in California. I try to paint a picture that is about California. It&#8217;s about America. It&#8217;s my family. It&#8217;s the journey. And so I do think there&#8217;s aspects of this that people can connect to in a very meaningful way, I hope.”
There was no genocide. Disease is not a genocide. What killed an enormous part of the population of Native Americans in the United States was not violent war. It was actual disease. And not disease purposefully spread like in a concentration camp. Again, it was not a genocide.
Two months ago, Newsom told me he didn’t know the definition of the word genocide when we discussed the ridiculous idea that Israel had committed genocide.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Has Trump FINALLY LOST His Base? With The Daily Wire&#039;s Ben Shapiro" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hrDpBwpSqSc?start=5009&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Source: This Is Gavin Newsom/YouTube.com
I asked, “What is your opinion of this?”
“My opinion is I understand the tendency for people to make that, to assert that on the basis of the images and the proportionality,” he answered.
“Ugly doesn’t mean genocide,” I said. “Proportionality doesn&#8217;t mean that if you kill my child and I then kill seven criminals, that I&#8217;ve been disproportionate.”
“I&#8217;m not disagreeing with you, but I understand that tendency on the basis of trying to reconcile the proportionate nature of how the war was ultimately conducted and the devastation,” Newsom argued.
“Why do you feel the need to create a permission structure for that sort of stuff?” I asked. “Meaning, it&#8217;s not true. Why not just say it&#8217;s not true?”
“I don&#8217;t know the definition or I don&#8217;t know the legal threshold,” Newsom admitted. “That&#8217;s not my opinion. So I don&#8217;t share what his opinion as relates to genocide. I do not agree with that notion.”
So he doesn&#8217;t know what a genocide is — but also, California is built on genocide or some such nonsense.
Why can&#8217;t people just be normal? Just be normal. Just tell the truth and be normal.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2377-yes-we-re-making-a-movie-with-jonathan-majors?elementPosition=4&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Holds Events in South Carolina with state Democratic Party

Newsom: More Positions Than The Kama Sutra? 

Newsom: More Political Positions Than The Kamasutra? 

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

genocide

U.S. Politics

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an illegal alien from Mexico on Thursday convicted of first-degree murder in California, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
The man, Luis Padilla-Tapia, was also convicted of threatening crime with intent to terrorize and corporal injury to spouse/cohabitant in Bakersfield. Padilla-Tapia was one of the “worst of the worst” illegal aliens picked up on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security highlighted in a release to The Daily Wire.
“Yesterday, ICE arrested criminal illegal alien murderers, pedophiles and drug traffickers,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “These are the types of thugs our officers are arresting and removing from American neighborhoods. While sanctuary politicians demonize ICE law enforcement, our officers continue to risk their lives to arrest public safety threats. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are putting the safety of American citizens FIRST.”
According to DHS, others arrested included:
<blockquote>-Benjamin Perez-Pena, an illegal alien from Mexico and registered sex offender convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child in Santa Ana, California.
-David Cac-Choc, an illegal alien from Guatemala convicted of indecent assault on a person less than 13 years old and endangering the welfare of children in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
-Jhoshua Herbert Quichiz-Sagarvinaga, an illegal alien from Peru convicted of proposed sex act by communication systems with a victim under 15 years old and possession of child pornography in Leesburg, Virginia.
-Francisco Hernandez-Alonso, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of attempted trafficking in opium or heroin in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_1051065" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1051065" class="size-full wp-image-1051065" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-27-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-9209-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Perez-Pena/Quichiz-Sagarvinaga: DHS.</div>
Anti-ICE protests have continued to rage across the country with leftist organizers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexican-restaurants-and-hotel-protests-heres-how-anti-ice-protesters-are-spending-their-week?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Eat+First.+Then+Smash+The+State.%E2%80%99+Inside+The+Anti-ICE+Weeklong+Plan">currently staging</a> a “week of action” in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. These protesters have called for amnesty for all illegal aliens and for the abolition of ICE and prisons.
Documents <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/a-minnesota-melt-the-ice-week-of-action-includes-a-scheduled-student-walkout-and-sit-in-school-patrols-and-a-training-session-on-sanctuary-schools-facilitated-by-rank-and-file-members/">reviewed</a> by The Daily Wire show the detailed coordination and planning that goes into a week of anti-law enforcement protests collectively called “Bring the Heat! Melt the ICE!” From February 25 to March 1, anti-ICE organizers are demonstrating at the state Capitol, at hotels where federal agents are staying, and hosting training sessions at local churches.

Ice Police Law Enforcement – Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Agents

Another Example Of Why ICE Remains On The Streets As Critics Demand It Be Dismantled

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Mexico

The impending release of David Funston, a 64-year-old serial child molester described by a judge as “the monster parents fear the most,” has ignited a <a href="https://x.com/MattMahanSJ/status/2026740485822504994">firestorm</a> in California.
At the center of the conflict is a clash between the administration of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and law enforcement officials, most notably Sacramento ounty Sheriff Jim Cooper and former District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.
In 1999, Funston was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation from crimes committed in 1995 and 1996.
Under California’s “Elderly Parole Program,” certain inmates become eligible for parole after reaching age 50 and serving at least 20 years in prison. The elderly parole process was created by a federal three-judge panel in 2014.Before the policy was expanded in 2021, the threshold had been age 60 and 25 years served. AB 3234, which Newsom signed in 2020,  adjusted the age and time-served thresholds but did not create the program. Newsom&#8217;s office contends that the changes under Newsom were not material to Funston&#8217;s eligibility, and that under long-standing state law, individuals who have served 25 years are eligible for a parole hearing regardless.
Sheriff Cooper, himself 62, argued that the law is &#8220;dead wrong,&#8221; particularly for a predator who kidnapped and brutalized children as young as three.
Funston was originally sentenced to three consecutive life terms — a sentence effectively ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life in prison.
In the face of public outcry, Gov. Newsom’s office said the parole board operates as an &#8220;independent agency&#8221; under state law. It dismissed criticism tying Newsom to the decision as &#8220;MAGA MISINFORMATION,&#8221; adding that while Newsom requested a re-review of the case and personally disagreed with the outcome, he has &#8220;no authority to reverse&#8221; the board&#8217;s decision.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🤥MORE MAGA MISINFORMATION! 
The Board of Parole hearings is an independent agency and made this decision. The Governor asked for them to re-review its decision. The Governor doesn’t agree with the outcome and has NO authority to reverse this independent decision per state law. <a href="https://t.co/RuTMoYVrF5">https://t.co/RuTMoYVrF5</a>
&mdash; Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/2026416567328653764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Schubert, the prosecutor who originally put Funston away and famously identified the Golden State Killer, issued a scathing takedown of the Governor’s defense.
Dismissing his claims of powerlessness as a “joke,” Schubert claimed that Newsom signed the state law allowing some inmates to be eligible for the &#8220;Elderly Parole Program&#8221; when they reach age 50 and appointed individuals on the board who deemed Funston suitable for early release.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
What a joke. Newsom not only SIGNED the law allowing early release at 50…he appointed these people. 
I prosecuted Funston. He earned his 3 life terms. 
No rational human being would think releasing him is a good idea. 
Yet…Newsom’s parole board did. Let that sink in. <a href="https://t.co/nSBZXSnfNw">https://t.co/nSBZXSnfNw</a>
&mdash; Schubert Strategies (@schubertstrat) <a href="https://twitter.com/schubertstrat/status/2026522171367944460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newsom&#8217;s office stated that the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) is an independent body under state law. The decision in this case was made by the Board — not Newsom, that Newsom did not agree with the outcome and formally asked BPH to re-review its decision, and that under state law, because this is not a murder case, the Governor does not have the authority to reverse the Board’s determination.
The Funston case highlights a broader trend in California, including the passage of Propositions 47 and 57, which critics argue have eroded public safety by expanding parole eligibility and reducing penalties for some offenses.
Law enforcement officials argue that Sacramento already has a substantial number of registered sex offenders living in the community, and they contend that expanding eligibility for the state &#8220;Elderly Parole Program&#8221; puts public safety at risk. Cooper and Schubert have slammed what they describe as a system that gives violent offenders additional opportunities for early release — one that they argue comes at the expense of victims, who are left to live with the consequences.
Newsom&#8217;s office stated that the board grants parole in fewer than 12% of scheduled hearings; more than 97% of individuals released after a grant of parole successfully transitioned to the community without a new conviction within three years; 2.5% were convicted of a new misdemeanor or felony within three years; 0.5% were convicted of a new felony against a person within that same period, and that for individuals released through Elderly Parole specifically, the conviction rate for any crime within three years is 1.8%.
Of the 221 individuals paroled through the Elderly Parole Program in FY 2019-20, four were convicted of any crime within three years (one felony against a person and three misdemeanors not against persons),&#8221; Newsom&#8217;s office stated.
This article has been updated with comments from Governor Newsom&#8217;s office.

Day Three Of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026

Newsom Says ‘Independent’ Board Granted Parole To Serial Child Molester. Former DA Rips Into Him.

Child Sex Abuse

Democratic California Governor has once again offered an excuse for not contacting the family of a young girl whose life has forever changed after she was victimized by an illegal immigrant truck driver with a commercial driver&#8217;s license from the Golden State.
President Donald Trump brought Dalilah Coleman, 7, and her father, Marcus, as guests to his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Dalilah was severely injured in a multi-car pileup in 2024, allegedly caused by Indian illegal immigrant Partap Singh, who was behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler with a California-issued commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Dalilah suffered a traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and developmental delay. She currently cannot eat orally and has to learn to walk again.
Marcus has repeatedly stated that Newsom has failed to offer his sympathies directly.
Dalilah&#8217;s father, who happens to be a truck driver himself, shared his frustrations with Newsom&#8217;s silence.
&#8220;How do you not see Dalilah? How do you allow politics to blind you from a five-year-old girl at the time whose life is forever changed, and your only answer is it&#8217;s the federal government,&#8221; Marcus told The Daily Wire.
“What happened to Dalilah is heartbreaking, and we commend her family for turning their grief into advocacy,&#8221; Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;While our Constituent Affairs team has no record of outreach from the Coleman family, we would welcome the opportunity to connect them to available state resources,&#8221; Crofts-Pelayo said.
Newsom&#8217;s office failed to respond to a follow-up question asking if he regrets handing the illegal immigrant trucker a commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Singh has since been taken into federal immigration custody.
Trump recognized Dalilah and her father Tuesday night as he highlighted a surge in illegal immigrant trucking crashes and vowed to address the issue.
&#8220;We will take care of this problem,&#8221; Trump said Tuesday. &#8220;We’re going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games. Dalilah — Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians, and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life.&#8221;
&#8220;She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk, and she is here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please, you are a great inspiration. Please stand up. Thank you, Dalilah,&#8221; Trump said.
The Department of Transportation has threatened to withhold federal funding from Democratic states issuing commercial driver&#8217;s licenses to illegal immigrants. The Trump administration is currently holding up roughly $160 million from Newsom&#8217;s California &#8220;for failing to cancel over 17,000 illegally issued&#8221; commercial driver&#8217;s licenses &#8220;by the agreed-upon deadline of January 5, 2026.&#8221;
Newsom has responded by blaming the federal government for issuing work permits to illegal immigrant truckers.
Trump also vowed to enact legislation dubbed &#8220;The Dalilah Law&#8221; to ban states from &#8220;granting commercial licenses to illegal aliens.&#8221; Republican Indiana Senator Jim Banks will formally introduce the bill Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,&#8221; Trump said.

Untitled design – 2026-02-25T112929.567

Newsom Makes Excuses As Father Pleads — Trump Spotlights His Child Injured By Illegal Trucker

State of the Union

An illegal immigrant whom the Biden administration did not deport after he served just three years in prison after killing an 8-year-old boy is now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, The Daily Wire has learned.
In 2019, Karmjit Singh was driving drunk in his BMW sports car when he hit another vehicle at more than 100 miles per hour, then tried to flee the scene. The crash killed Maverick Martzen, an 8-year-old star baseball player, and severely injured his parents, Scott and Megan.
“I thought it was 25 years to life, easy case. He killed an 8-year-old,” Scott Martzen said. But Singh — an Indian national who had overstayed his visa and already had a separate felony DUI conviction — served just three years in prison.
The term didn’t teach him his lesson: After he was released, he got <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-who-killed-kid-driving-drunk-was-arrested-for-two-additional-duis-in-california">two more DUIs</a>.
In June 2023, he was arrested for driving drunk at 2 a.m. and giving police his brother Parminder’s driver&#8217;s license. Police ascertained his real identity and that his license was suspended for manslaughter, but released him anyway. In November 2023, the same thing happened.
He went back to prison for another short term, and on January 30, he was released by California, Scott Martzen told The Daily Wire.
“Despite an ICE hold, he has once again been released on parole,” he said. Martzen did not receive any notification from authorities, but noticed on the California prison system&#8217;s website that Singh had been released on parole, and believed he was free again.
&#8220;Second chance. Third chance. Fourth chance. Fifth chance. Our son never got one more day,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire.
ICE did not return a request for comment earlier this month, but a search of ICE&#8217;s detainee database using Singh&#8217;s name and birthday shows that he is now being held at the California City Corrections Center, a former jail that was reopened in 2026 as a massive ICE holding facility, part of the numerous warehouses that the agency is opening across the country.
That center is the largest immigration facility in California and can hold up to 2,500 people.
“Every birthday, every holiday, every baseball season, we live with the reality that Maverick is gone,&#8221; Scott Martzen told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Our younger son is growing up without his big brother because one man chose to drink and drive, and a system keeps giving him chance after chance.&#8221;
The grieving father previously told The Daily Wire that Maverick would &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-killed-a-child-in-2019-the-serial-drunk-driver-was-already-released-from-prison">100%</a>&#8221; be alive today if the government had deported Singh after his first felony conviction in 2016. He said the country is “not at all” better for having Singh here, in contrast to the promise shown by Maverick, a gifted athlete, advanced student, and godly son, he said.
“What does it take” to be deported, he asked in 2024. “He killed a kid, he’s got an expired visa, no drivers license, two DUIs, a third that should have been a DUI but was lowered, and he’s still able to live here … it’s beyond frustrating.”
To honor the gifted athlete, who was the first draft pick for a baseball team of 12-year-olds when he was 8, the family started a nonprofit called M30 to help child athletes. While Major League Baseball played with no fans in the stands during COVID, a cardboard cutout of Maverick occupied a seat at the San Francisco Giants’ stadium.

Maverick Martzen (courtesy of Martzen family) and Karmjiy Singh (Fresno County Sheriff’s Office)

Illegal Alien Child Killer Walked Free Under Biden — Trump Admin Locks Door For Good

Crime

Death

President Donald Trump riled up California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday night, suggesting the Democrat decided to take his name out of consideration for the 2028 presidential election.
&#8220;Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116123225544591694">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
Newsom has not announced a decision on a 2028 presidential bid, but Trump&#8217;s post came as the governor faced criticism for comments he made about his SAT scores and dyslexia to a crowd in Atlanta during his book tour. The president&#8217;s Truth Social post caught Newsom&#8217;s attention, and the governor quickly responded through his personal and official social media accounts.
&#8220;WOW. THE PRESIDENT IS SUNDOWNING HARDER THAN USUAL TONIGHT!!! — GOVERNOR GCN,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2026129785420742660">wrote</a> on the official account for Newsom&#8217;s press office, which regularly mocks Trump&#8217;s social media activity. &#8220;Sundowning&#8221; refers to symptoms that affect many Alzheimer&#8217;s patients, such as increased confusion and agitation that usually occur later in the day.
Newsom also joked about the president&#8217;s Truth Social post on his personal X account, <a href="https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2026130066019651698">writing</a>, &#8220;It’s on page 69 of my new book. Buy it here.&#8221;
Newsom was slammed on Monday after a clip of his book tour event in Atlanta went viral, showing the governor discussing his low SAT score with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in front of a crowd of Democratic supporters.
“I’m like you. I’m not better than you,” Newsom said. “I’m a 960 SAT guy.”
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Conservatives accused Newsom of making the comment in an attempt to pander to black Americans in a city made up of a large black population. In 2024, the average SAT score for black students was 907, while white students scored an average of 1083, according to College Board data.
After making the comment, Newsom added, &#8220;I&#8217;m not trying to offend anyone and act all there if you got 940. But [I&#8217;m] literally a 960 SAT guy.&#8221;
Newsom raged against Fox News host Sean Hannity after Hannity said Newsom &#8220;thinks a 960 SAT score makes him &#8216;like&#8217; black Americans. Let that sink in.&#8221;
&#8220;You didn’t give a sh*t about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations sh*tholes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?&#8221; Newsom shot back. &#8220;Spare me your fake f*cking outrage, Sean.&#8221;
Mayor Dickens defended Newsom after videos of his remark went viral on social media.
&#8220;Take it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVHpugCFGFT/?img_index=1">said</a>. &#8220;The conversation around his new book included him speaking about his own academic struggles, including not doing well on the SAT. That wasn’t an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey.&#8221;
Dickens added that people in Atlanta were not offended by the governor&#8217;s comment.
&#8220;Let me be clear though. This is Atlanta. We don’t need anyone to tell us when to be offended. And history has shown&#8230; when we are, you’ll know,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If you want the full context, watch the full clip, read the book, and engage the complete conversation.&#8221;
Newsom is among the favorites to win the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. While he has not officially announced a presidential run, the governor appears to be testing the waters. Newsom launched a nationwide book tour last Saturday to discuss his new memoir with Americans, making his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-tennessee-gavin-newsom-sprints-to-the-far-left">first stop in Nashville</a>.
While in Nashville, Newsom echoed some rhetoric from the far-Left wing of the Democratic Party, praising Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and saying that America’s economic system “fundamentally has to be reformed.” He also said the next Democratic president should be more aggressive with executive actions, adding, &#8220;We are capable of doing much more.&#8221;

Donald Trump/Gavin Newsom

Trump Taunts Newsom With 2028 Suggestion After Viral SAT Comment

Atlanta

Donald Trump

Executive

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing backlash after attempting to “relate” to a black elected official by pointing to his low SAT score — a moment critics say exposes the casual, patronizing racism Democrats routinely accuse others of harboring.
During a Sunday night appearance promoting his forthcoming memoir, &#8220;Young Man in a Hurry,&#8221; Newsom told Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens that he wasn’t trying to appear superior.
“I’m like you. I’m not better than you,” Newsom said. “I’m a 960 SAT guy.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Gov. Newsom to a black crowd in GA: &#8220;I am like you. I&#8217;m a 960 SAT guy. I can&#8217;t read.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/4Gk0WKbIYz">pic.twitter.com/4Gk0WKbIYz</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2025749760443908555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The remark immediately drew scrutiny for what critics described as an implicit assumption: that academic underperformance is a shared point of identity with black Americans. According to 2024 College Board data, the average SAT score for black test takers is 907, compared with 1083 for white students.
Newsom, seemingly aware of the sensitivity of his comments, added, “I’m not trying to offend anyone,” before continuing to emphasize his academic shortcomings. “You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech,” he said.
The episode has fueled accusations of what Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/2025802434036081116">labeled</a> the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” a phrase long used to describe leftist rhetoric that cloaks condescension in empathy. This comes after Cruz and Newsom got into an earlier <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/historically-illiterate-cruz-scorches-newsom-after-ca-governor-compares-federal-troops-to-nazis">spat</a> over Newsom’s illiteracy.
The irony is difficult to miss. Newsom has built his political brand on elite credentials and progressive moral posturing, yet his own biography is steeped in institutional advantage. He graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989, having received a letter of recommendation from then-Gov. Jerry Brown, who had appointed Newsom’s father to a California appellate judgeship.
Newsom has insisted the recommendation played no role in his admission, telling The New York Times earlier this month that his acceptance came through a partial baseball scholarship. Still, critics argue the governor’s attempt to downplay privilege while leaning on racial signaling only underscores the contradiction.
As recently as a few weeks ago, Newsom framed himself as the moral referee of American discourse, condemning what he called racist imagery allegedly shared by Donald Trump and aimed at Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. 
Newsom insisted the offense should have ended careers, demanded public contrition, and warned that allowing such rhetoric to pass unpunished degraded the country. Now, just weeks later, Newsom himself is actively circulating racially charged tropes, of the President’s video, he said, “It’s disgraceful. It&#8217;s racist. It&#8217;s abhorrent, the President of the United States sending out a racist trope should disgust every human being in this room.”
Public reaction was swift. Rapper Nicki Minaj weighed in, scorching Gavin Newsom in a lengthy post, accusing him of deliberately talking down to a black audience.
“His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is &amp; that he can’t read,” she wrote. “This means my first read on him was correct. He’s been handed so many things &amp; put in high positions he never earned or deserved.
“Do you wanna know the craziest part of this footage that will haunt him forever? He’s literally slowing his speech down &amp; talking in a sporadic cadence.
“He’s not just TELLING them that they’re all probably stupid &amp; probably can’t read, he’s LITERALLY SLOW-ING-DOWN-HIS-SPEECH to make them understand the words that are coming out of his mouth!!!! As if they’re children!!!! That means he REALLY BELIEVES they’re slow. He’s not just saying it—he didn’t misspeak!!!! He BELIEVES it!!!!
“Do ya love it?!?! Do ya just love it, black ppl?!?!?”
Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) wrote on <a href="https://x.com/RepFine/status/2025775394696097928">X</a> that Newsom “just said he is like a black person because he got a bad SAT score and can’t read,” calling the remark “disgusting.” 
Newsom offered a <a href="https://x.com/gavinnewsom/status/2025944365114290457?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">tepid response</a> on Monday, attempting to deflect from the seeming racial implications of his statements by bringing up his dyslexia again.
&#8220;You didn’t give a sh*t about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations sh*tholes,&#8221; Newsom wrote in response to Fox News&#8217; Sean Hannity, &#8220;but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake f*cking outrage, Sean.&#8221;
For a party that relentlessly polices language and lectures Americans about implicit bias, Newsom’s remarks offer a revealing glimpse into how Democratic elites often talk when they think they’re being relatable, reducing minority voters to stereotypes, then congratulating themselves for empathy.

California Gov. Newsom Discusses Texas’ Redistricting Plan

Newsom’s ‘I’m Like You’ Viral Moment Erupts Into Racism Firestorm

'960 SAT Guy' Gavin Newsom To Black Mayor 'I'm Like You'

News

Nicki Minaj

NASHVILLE — California’s Democrat governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate Gavin Newsom began his nationwide book tour in a red state on Saturday night, but he didn’t use the night to continue his move to the center.
The event was moderated by Justin Kanew of the leftist media outlet the Tennessee Holler, whose disdain for the Trump administration and conservative policies was also made evident multiple times. Throughout the evening, the Newsom weaved back and forth between discussing the book and his life journey and raging against President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Newsom spent much of his time pushing the typical Democratic talking points, such as calling out Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and criticizing Republican-led efforts to pass strict voter ID requirements through the Save America Act. But the governor also echoed some rhetoric from the far-Left wing of the party, saying that America&#8217;s economic system &#8220;fundamentally has to be reformed.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re talking about trillionaires now, not billionaires, so this isn&#8217;t working for enough folks. If you&#8217;re 30 years old, you&#8217;re the first generation in American history that&#8217;s not doing better than their parents,&#8221; Newsom said. &#8220;So Bernie [Sanders] is right in that respect. Donald Trump was right, but he exploited it, and he has not done a damn thing to solve it and he&#8217;s just making it worse.&#8221;
&#8220;So the system fundamentally has to be reformed,&#8221; he added.
Newsom also agreed with Kanew that the next Democratic president should be more aggressive with executive actions.
&#8220;We are capable of doing much more,&#8221; he said.
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The evening, which focused on Newsom&#8217;s new memoir, &#8220;Young Man in a Hurry,&#8221; drew hundreds of people. It also allowed Newsom an opportunity to inform Democratic voters about his background and personal life. The California governor remains the betting favorite to win the 2028 Democratic nomination.
Newsom touted his own record on the economy as governor and boasted about signing legislation that is set to increase the minimum wage in California to $20 per hour for fast food workers and $25 per hour for many health care workers. He then blasted other states, hinting at Tennessee, for not raising their minimum wages. Newsom did not address <a href="https://epionline.org/release/new-data-staggering-16000-jobs-lost-under-newsoms-20-fast-food-wage-law/">data</a> that shows that numerous restaurants in California cut thousands of jobs and raised prices after the minimum wage hike.
Newsom expressed concern that Trump is attempting to hijack the 2026 midterm elections through his push for redistricting, ICE operations, and the Save America Act, but he remained optimistic that Democrats would take control of the House after the midterms.
&#8220;Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency de facto ends as we know it in November of this year when Speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries gets the gavel. It does. That&#8217;s going to happen,&#8221; he said.
The moderator then asked Newsom, &#8220;Are the elections going to matter? Is [Trump] going to steal the election? He&#8217;s going after the Georgia ballots, he&#8217;s already planning to surround the polls with ICE, so obviously voter suppression is on his mind because he knows he can&#8217;t necessarily win.&#8221;
Newsom agreed with the concerns brought up by Kanew and mentioned how former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has called for ICE agents to surround polling places in November. Bannon, who is now a podcast host, has not advised Trump since 2017. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgE7QZnfBLQ">told</a> Congress earlier this month that &#8220;there&#8217;s no reason to use ICE officers&#8221; in that situation.
The governor&#8217;s criticism of ICE again on Saturday night comes a month after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/months-after-violent-riots-newsom-claims-that-california-cooperates-with-ice">admitted</a> to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro that it was &#8220;fair&#8221; to criticize his office for calling ICE agents terrorists.
Newsom’s admission came after Shapiro told the governor that accusing ICE of terrorism “makes our politics worse” and “our ICE officers are obviously not terrorists.”
Newsom stated bluntly on Saturday that he opposes the Republicans&#8217; Save America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The governor suggested the Save America Act would prevent Americans from voting because many people don&#8217;t have a passport or their birth certificate.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not about voter ID, the Save Act is not about that. It&#8217;s about registration. It&#8217;s about proving your citizenship with a passport. Not everyone has a passport,&#8221; Newsom said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know where &#8230; do you know where your birth certificate is? I lost that at seven. I don&#8217;t even know where to begin to get it back.&#8221;<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/NuWCjZUU5HcPe7Ha2Xx6n8QNPAYHCWXY?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=6df59e3f-eeca-485c-a714-f8fb159d69dd&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=26-02-21%3A%20Newsom%20On%20Voter%20ID&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F18fd6908-01d7-4810-a482-ceb5ab3abdf7.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The crowd, which gathered at an event space in west Nashville, consisted mostly of middle-aged and elderly people.

In Tennessee, Gavin Newsom Sprints To The Far-Left

Tennessee

California Republican gubernatorial candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has said he supports creating a &#8220;path to citizenship&#8221; for illegal immigrants living currently in the United States, a stance that has drawn scrutiny from conservative voters in a crowded GOP primary.
During a November interview with Pastura California that recently resurfaced, Bianco laid out his plan for allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
&#8220;My family immigrated here from Italy and they came here for jobs, that&#8217;s what things were here for. You came here [for] a job, you said that America is the greatest country in the world and I wanna be an American and you bust your behind to make sure that you provide for your family. That&#8217;s what it was then,&#8221; Bianco <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/19/republican-chad-bianco-vows-support-path-citizenship-illegal-aliens-california-governor/">said</a> during the interview.
&#8220;The people that are coming here now, especially illegally, are coming here for free stuff, and then we are the ones that are paying for that. So the immigration system has to be fixed. We have to have a secure border.&#8221;
Bianco also said he believes the border &#8220;is secure right now,&#8221; though he argued the country faces a major problem with visa overstays and illegal immigrants already in the United States.
&#8220;But we have to address it, we have to make it right, whether they came across illegally into the country, legally or not, is irrelevant because we allowed it to happen. So now we just have to fix it. Secure our borders, don&#8217;t let that happen again, and now we have to give a path to citizenship to the ones that are here. We have to create a way for them to become U.S. citizens and &#8230; make their families great. If they truly did come here to make their lives and their families&#8217; lives better, we have to get to a position where we allow that to happen.&#8221;
Bianco added that if illegal immigrants are caught breaking laws &#8220;and committing crimes, they gotta go back.&#8221;
&#8220;As the governor of California, we will fight for a path to citizenship,&#8221; he said, adding, &#8220;We have to start working for the people that are here trying to make California great and we have to make their lives easier.&#8221;
When asked about his resurfaced remarks, Bianco told Breitbart on Thursday that he&#8217;s “been very clear” on immigration and that “both sides of the political aisle” have used his comments “to benefit them.”
“Immigration is being made into a political tool, and California residents are the pawns,” Bianco said.
But it&#8217;s not the first time Bianco has appeared to favor illegal immigrants.
Last April, Bianco told podcast host Britt Mayer that he did not want his deputies cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that doing so could deter illegal immigrant crime victims from reporting offenses.
“I don’t want my line deputies, my patrol deputies, absolutely cannot be cooperating with the federal government in immigration reform because the people that we go to help are calling for our help,” Bianco said. “They are being victimized. And if they are afraid to report crime because they’re afraid to be deported themselves for being a victim.”
“If a woman is raped and she will not report that to law enforcement because she believes she is going to be deported, then we are failing as an absolute country because we should be only caring about who victimized that poor girl or woman or man, and how can we make sure we get that criminal off the streets and behind bars, and if they’re illegal, they need to be deported immediately,” Bianco said.
Bianco also reiterated that the United States &#8220;absolutely must have a path to citizenship for people that are here.&#8221;
In a statement to Breitbart, Bianco said he believes “every person who is in jail for victimizing Californians should be deported” and that &#8220;sheriffs operating jails should be cooperating with the federal government.”
“The sanctuary policies prevent that from happening and force the release of criminals back into our neighborhoods,” Bianco said. “Sanctuary policies place sheriffs at risk of criminal prosecution and removal from office because of ridiculous sanctuary state laws. The vast majority of residents, including immigrants, want that to end.”
The gubernatorial hopeful also said that “the threat of deportation cannot be used by criminals to prevent the reporting of crime.”
“A child being molested under threat of deportation should not be afraid of turning toward a deputy for protection,” Bianco said. “With all that said, sanctuary state policies need to be repealed. They harm our communities. As California governor, I will gladly work with other governors to pressure Congress to fix a broken immigration system.&#8221;

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, A California Gubernatorial Candidate, Tours Skid Row

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate’s Immigration Stance Raises Eyebrows In Deep Blue State

gubernatorial race

illegal immigrants

Republican

Mayor Eileen Wang of Arcadia, California, declined to comment on her former fiancé’s conviction at the first City Council meeting since his sentencing, despite previously acknowledging their relationship.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-election-interference-california-yaoning-mike-sun-d514395039bea63a8c7b8814d29d1aaa">sentenced</a> on February 10 to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2025 to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general, as required by law. His guilty plea was entered and sentence imposed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Prosecutors <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/political-operative-sentenced-48-months-federal-prison-acting-covert-agent-peoples-republic">alleged</a> that from at least 2022, when Wang said she became a Democrat, to January 2024, Sun “knowingly acted within the United States as an agent of the PRC and officials of its government — without notifying the Attorney General,” a violation of federal law designed to expose foreign influence operations. 
Sun <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/chino-hills-covert-agent-china-political-advisor-yaoning-sun-john-chen/">worked</a> as the campaign advisor to a candidate identified in court filings as “Individual 1,” who was elected to a Southern California city council seat in November 2022. While the individual was not named in court papers, Sun was listed as a campaign treasurer for Wang, then an Arcadia City Council candidate, on a 2022 campaign statement filing.
During a December 2022 Arcadia City Council meeting, Wang publicly praised Sun while referring to him as her fiancé. “To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me,” she said at the time. 
After Sun was indicted and charged, Wang sought to distance herself from that earlier characterization. In September 2025, she said, “No. 1, he’s not my fiancé. Whoever wants to say he’s my former fiancé, please prove it.” 
Sun’s conviction stems from what prosecutors describe as extensive covert activity on behalf of the Chinese government, including the dissemination of pro-Beijing propaganda and surveillance of individuals and groups that China viewed as adversarial. According to federal prosecutors, his duties included efforts to counter pro-Taiwan independence advocacy and influence public opinion through a purported local news site. 
According to the Department of Justice, Sun &#8220;closely surveilled the then-President of Taiwan during her April 2023 visit to Southern California, reporting directly to PRC officials on her movements.&#8221; 
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg condemned Sun’s activities, saying he “received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening its interests as part of a campaign of intimidation.” 
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division also released a statement at the time of sentencing: “When Americans vote for elected officials, they expect them to represent the interests of their constituents — not those of a foreign adversary like the Chinese government,” he said. “By exploiting his position as a campaign advisor, Yaoning Sun attempted to undermine our political processes and democratic institutions for the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party.” 
At the council meeting following Sun’s sentencing, Wang declined to address questions about his conviction or their prior relationship. Wang has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the case, and prosecutors have not charged her with any offense. However, her prior public references to Sun — and subsequent denials of that relationship — have drawn scrutiny in local and national media coverage. 
Federal prosecutions of unregistered foreign agents are part of broader U.S. counterintelligence efforts to stem covert influence operations on domestic political processes. Criminal filings in this case made clear that individuals acting at the direction of foreign governments are required by law to register with the U.S. Attorney General, a requirement Sun failed to meet. 
&nbsp;

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