This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars.
***
Earlier this year, when child-welfare officials in Santa Clara County, California, determined that two-year-old Jaxon Juarez’s biological father was unable to care for him, they placed him under the care of his father’s relative — a situation commonly referred to as a “kinship foster home.” The placement proved fatal for “Baby Jaxon,” who was sexually assaulted by his foster mother’s 17-year-old son on Easter Sunday and <a href="https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-jose-baby-jaxon-case-what-we-know">died several days later from his injuries</a>.
Many are questioning whether county officials ignored red flags to place the child with relatives. One such warning sign: Jaxon’s foster mother — a cousin of his biological father — had a felony conviction for child endangerment.
Unfortunately, questionable placements like Jaxon’s are increasingly common, as advocacy groups have pushed federal leaders and state child-welfare agencies to adopt a “kin-first” culture, which <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/casework-practice/kin-first-culture/?top=1569">prioritizes</a> “preventing unnecessary family separation, partnering with families at every stage of decision-making, and supporting families holistically.” Santa Clara County, once considered a <a href="https://mackcenter.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/chi-2016-05-06/CHI/TOC-CHI-130.pdf">model</a> for how to expand kinship care, is not alone in ignoring warning signs to ensure that foster children stay with kin.
In 1988, Ronald Reagan proclaimed May National Foster Care Month, <a href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/proclamation-5820-national-foster-care-month-1988">asserting</a> that our policies must focus on “the well-being of the child” and placements that provide “actual care and not mere custody.” Too many of our leaders and child-welfare officials have lost this focus, confusing their views about what is best for “<a href="https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/ACYF-CB-IM-23-07.pdf">communities</a>” with what is best for children. The movement toward a “kin-first” culture is illustrative. Keeping families together is important, of course, but the culture of foster care should be singularly focused on the welfare of the child.
Kin-first culture is ostensibly about removing non-safety-related barriers to placing children with relatives. The coalition behind this concept is powerful because its message resonates with the public: most parents would prefer that their children be cared for by a relative or close friend over a stranger.
In fact, the law already makes provision for kinship care. For decades, federal law has given known relatives favorable treatment for <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/867/text">placement</a> and <a href="https://www.casey.org/media/FosteringConnectionsSummary.pdf">licensing</a>. States have long permitted foster children to be placed in unlicensed kinship care homes and have licensed kin as caregivers under modified standards.
Current advocacy efforts <a href="https://stateline.org/2024/05/24/states-shift-toward-kin-first-foster-care">highlight</a> “easing certain housing requirements” and “streamlining paperwork,” but the continued push to expand kinship care has made it easier for dangerous individuals to gain custody of vulnerable children — and to get paid as foster parents.
Child-welfare agencies now set arbitrary benchmarks for kin placements. Connecticut, for example, has set a goal of placing <a href="https://insideinvestigator.org/dcf-falling-short-of-family-reunification-goals-per-state-audit">70%</a> of foster children with kin. To meet these goals, agencies must approve kin who would normally trigger safety concerns or loosen definitions of who counts as kin. It’s easy to find evidence of the harm both strategies have caused across the country.
Federal foster care licensing standards already lack clear rules against placing children with people on child-abuse registries or with non-felony family-violence convictions, but kinship advocacy groups have encouraged states to go even further, stripping away the modest safety standards that licensure provides. For example, the federally funded <a href="https://www.grandfamilies.org/Portals/0/Kin-Specific_Foster_Home_Approval_Standards_2025.pdf">Grandfamilies &amp; Kinship Support Network</a> points out that, though background checks are still required, kin caregivers with disqualifying federal convictions — including felony child abuse, child pornography, and rape — are merely ineligible for federal reimbursement. Incredibly, agencies can <a href="https://dcfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dcfs/documents/about-us/policy-rules-and-forms/documents/procedures/procedures-415.pdf">place</a> children in the care of such individuals; they just need to use state, not federal, dollars. The same <a href="https://www.grandfamilies.org/Portals/0/Kin-Specific_Foster_Home_Approval_Standards_2025.pdf">guidance</a> reminds agencies that federal background check requirements don’t extend to any adults in the home other than the applicant caregiver.
Under President Joe Biden, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) <a href="https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/ACYF-CB-IM-23-07.pdf">encouraged</a> states to require no more than minimum standards to license kinship foster homes. Current ACF leadership has issued similar <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/%5dhttps:/acf.gov/system/files/filefield_paths/im-26-02.pdf">instruction</a>. Relaxing standards allows unlicensed kinship foster parents (a <a href="https://tableau-public.acf.gov/views/afcars_dashboard_main_page/entries-livingarrangement?%3Aembed=y&amp;%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y">majority of kinship caregivers</a> in many states) to become licensed and thus eligible to receive foster-care maintenance payments. Federal <a href="https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/ACYF-CB-IM-23-07.pdf">guidance</a> characterizes these payments as a progressive income redistribution to kin from “communities in which long-term systemic factors such as poverty hamper families from making intergenerational progress.” Efforts to leverage federal funding to pay relatives for care services with little screening and oversight have already proved harmful in other contexts, as recent Medicaid fraud <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-fraud-gavin-newsom">investigations</a> reveal.
The public may be surprised to learn that the definition of “kin” also <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP07/20260326/119093/HHRG-119-AP07-Wstate-FontS-20260326.pdf">includes</a> those who self-identify as relatives, ex-spouses of third cousins, or anyone with a relationship with the child’s parent. For example, <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-mexico-foster-placement-child-welfare-kinship-care">New Mexico</a> applied “kin” status to a 22-year-old Good Samaritan who happened upon a teenager living on the street.
When tragedies foreseeably follow lax placement policies, few realize that the children often died in poorly vetted kinship-care homes rather than traditional foster homes. After the estate of toddler <a href="https://livescutshort.org/the-children/pa_22_10-hope-jones">Hope Jones</a> received a $6.5 million settlement following her death at the hands of a foster mother who had a “history of aggravated assault,” the plaintiff’s <a href="https://www.klinespecter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/fostercare-legalintel-122123-Copy.pdf">press release</a> didn’t mention that the foster mother was the 21-year-old cousin of Hope’s father. The Minnesota lawmakers who sought to raise the bar for placing black children in foster care — especially non-kin foster care — titled one version of their bill the <a href="https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/minnesota-governor-expected-to-sign-bill-raising-bar-for-taking-african-american-or-disproportionately-represented-children-into-foster-care/249509">“Layla Jackson Law”</a> as a “tribute to a 17-month-old black infant who was <a href="https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/lawsuit-alleges-fatal-lapses-emergency-foster-care/53051">killed</a> by her white foster parent.” That child was killed by “fictive kin” caregivers approved by her biological mother, but it was no doubt politically expedient to let the public believe that the foster parent was a non-relative.
A primary justification for placing with kin is a strong prior relationship with the child. Yet, neither law nor practice requires such a relationship. Ironically, some <a href="https://us01.z.antigena.com/l/adXlg7EQ8_IKy_GRc_GHY8Woo_0OyxS7F5Sd-7AgLRdTTOmkNcWhIdXop-FaRO~OMOPw-0l2SwMUVfpYFq5w2bVQmAfW6xMxU~_~JEMYX2dAyVNbkGXovyrIBtI_VLKMjIS9fvMBuL21034rH57MRECx3C4tYx~a3F-w5OOa2k92RUUWquBcILSISLWeBquk6u6">proponents</a> of kinship care use the derogatory term “stranger care” to refer to non-relative foster parents, eliding the reality that kin can also be strangers to a child. Officials placed <a href="https://us01.z.antigena.com/l/Gy8IAuFmr-S0q3d9MaTBNm9Vb4sHg1PyKeP5tpYAGt~Syo3cKnhRk5BY8P~YyQdgMMeTfT7zvrwdEcIVzr9xsdhInmc~5_878BvQMTQXo9T-cakDyc3YD4OzjA1QkHZQbbfHmy9yB-px3pM8Vdt1jOQMe33AAVlP7jh9M6S6Doh6cyAtoSRu8~AGI8snkbEtUPEeKHsuk1orhjHtyOessuDfZp">A’layah Joyner</a> of Georgia with relatives whom she reportedly had never met. She was killed by her foster parent’s boyfriend, who had a long history of domestic abuse and other crimes.
Placement with “kin,” no matter how distant or troubled, has become the default for overburdened agencies. As part of kin-first culture, the American Bar Association <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-36/july-aug-2017/creating-a-kin-first-culture-">recommends</a> a “kinship firewall,” in which agency leadership must individually approve every non-kinship placement. This means that a caseworker doesn’t need to offer any justification to place a child with distant relatives or relatives with criminal and child abuse records — but must seek special approval to bypass those relatives. And once placed, agencies can quickly move these children into “relative guardianships” — in which monthly payments continue, but state oversight ends.
Kinship care is the right choice for many children, but it should not be a benchmark of success. Children’s well-being is the standard that matters.
***
This is republished with permission from the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. The original can be found <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/foster-care-families-kinship-homes">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.city-journal.org/person/sarah-a-font">Sarah Font</a> is a professor at Washington University’s Brown School who studies the effects of the child welfare system and the criminal and juvenile legal systems on children and families. <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/person/emily-putnam-hornstein">Emily Putnam-Hornstein</a> is the John A. Tate Distinguished Professor for Children in Need at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work.

Child’s hand reaches for a Small Toy Bunny

‘Kin-First’ Foster Care Has Good Intentions But Is Doing Real Harm

Child Abuse

Child Welfare

Foster Care

MI x DW

In what appears to be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-feds-investigating-alleged-china-linked-rent-a-womb-surrogacy-scandal-in-california?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Feds+Investigating+Alleged+China-Linked+%E2%80%98Rent-A-Womb%E2%80%99+Surrogacy+Scandals+In+California">a surrogacy scandal in California</a>, 21 children, who were reportedly all born by surrogate mothers, were removed from a home and placed in protective custody.
The children were discovered when authorities went to investigate the suspected child abuse of a 2-month-old infant who suffered a traumatic head injury, ABC 7 <a href="https://abc7.com/post/surrogacy-scandal-21-children-surrogate-mothers-taken-arcadia-couple-amid-investigation/17140359/">reported</a>.
&#8220;We discovered numerous children &#8212; 15 children to be specific &#8212; ranging in ages from 2 months old to 13 years old,&#8221; Arcadia police Lt. Kollin Cieadlo said. &#8220;Many of the children were birthed through surrogacy and then the male and female at the residence took legal guardianship of those kids.&#8221;
&#8220;The discipline, both verbally and physical, was severe to the point where it supported the beliefs that child abuse was occurring inside the home,&#8221; Cieadlo added.
Authorities later confirmed to the outlet that 21 children were in the home, 17 of whom are three years of age or younger, according to witnesses. All 21 children are in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The children were under the legal guardianship of Guojun Xuan, 65, and Silvia Zhang, 38 &#8212; both of whom were residing at the home. The pair were initially arrested for felony child endangerment, but reportedly released from custody.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the nanny, Chunmei Li, 56. The woman was viewed on surveillance footage by authorities. Li remains at large.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-feds-investigating-alleged-china-linked-rent-a-womb-surrogacy-scandal-in-california?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Feds+Investigating+Alleged+China-Linked+‘Rent-A-Womb’+Surrogacy+Scandals+In+California">READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Feds Investigating Alleged China-Linked ‘Rent-A-Womb’ Surrogacy Scandals In California</a>
The FBI confirmed this week that they are investigating the matter, but declined to comment further on the case. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-feds-investigating-alleged-china-linked-rent-a-womb-surrogacy-scandal-in-california?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Feds+Investigating+Alleged+China-Linked+‘Rent-A-Womb’+Surrogacy+Scandals+In+California">The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mary Margaret Olohan</a>, on July 3, was first to confirm that the feds were investigating allegations of the apparent China-tied, for-profit baby selling operations.
Executive director of the nonprofit Center of Bioethics and Culture, Kallie Fell, said the scandal appears to be a surrogacy scheme.
&#8220;Anything goes,&#8221; Fell told ABC 7. &#8220;And these clinics, these agencies are not regulated by any governing body.&#8221;
&#8220;That to me smells of trafficking, child trafficking,&#8221; she added. &#8220;What are the intentions of having that many children at home through these assisted reproductive technologies?&#8221;
Earlier this month, Fell told The Daily Wire, “For years, we’ve warned that the commercial surrogacy industry operates in legal and ethical gray zones, creating conditions ripe for abuse. This case isn’t just about one agency or one couple; it reflects a deeper pattern of treating women as wombs-for-hire and children as commodities.”
“We believe this case points to a form of organized reproductive trafficking, and the public should be outraged,” she added. “And it won’t stop unless we hold the fertility industry accountable and close our borders to international surrogacy arrangements.”

Screenshot 2025-07-16 at 7.53.22 PM

‘Smells Of Trafficking’: Couple’s 21 Children, All Born Via Surrogacy, Placed In Protective Custody

‘Smells Of Trafficking’: 21 Children, All Born Via Surrogacy, Placed In Protective Custody

California

Crime

Surrogacy

U.S.

Left-wing activists on Friday allegedly tipped off an illegal alien, who&#8217;s a convicted child rapist, helping him escape from landing in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
&#8220;This morning ICE &amp; [FBI Denver] were attempting to arrest Jose Reyes Leon-Deras, a criminal alien from El Salvador who is convicted of and wanted for child rape in Italy,&#8221; ICE&#8217;s Denver field office posted to X. &#8220;During our surveillance of Leon, members of Colorado Rapid Response arrived on scene and alerted him to law enforcement&#8217;s presence which allowed him to escape arrest.&#8221;
Colorado Rapid Response is a far-Left anti-ICE <a href="https://www.coloradorapidresponsenetwork.com">organization</a> that&#8217;s been responding to immigration raids. The group&#8217;s website says the organization is &#8220;committed to responding to raids, deportation, and any Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity happening across the state in our communities.&#8221;
The group has a hotline asking for tips from people who &#8220;witness ICE activity or if you want to document an experience with ICE.&#8221;
Documentation of ICE activity, the Colorado Rapid Response says, &#8220;monitors police/I.C.E. collaboration detects patterns that can guide our legislative efforts, and builds a robust statewide network of people resisting deportations in their communities.&#8221;
ICE Denver condemned the group and others like it, writing, &#8220;Groups like this interfere with ICE’s ability to keep communities safe. If you know his whereabouts, do not approach, if seen, instead report all info to ICE at 1-866-347-2423.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
to law enforcements presence which allowed him to escape arrest. Groups like this interfere with ICE’s ability to keep communities safe. If you know his whereabouts, do not approach, if seen, instead report all info to ICE at 1-866-347-2423 <a href="https://t.co/fGrTnWc81C">pic.twitter.com/fGrTnWc81C</a>
— ICE Denver (@ERODenver) <a href="https://twitter.com/ERODenver/status/1936226810003362278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
Protests and riots against ICE agents have popped up in liberal cities across the nation as President Donald Trump continues to fulfill his campaign promise to deport illegals, prioritizing immigrants who&#8217;ve committed serious crimes in addition to illegally crossing our border.
The Justice Department this past week announced it&#8217;s pursuing more charges against suspects accused in taking part in the violent anti-ICE riots, specifically those in California, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-coming-for-you-feds-reveal-more-charges-against-anti-ice-rioters">The Daily Wire</a> highlighted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-dared-tom-homan-to-come-after-her-for-helping-illegals-heres-his-response">AOC Dared Tom Homan To Come After Her For Helping Illegals. Here’s His Response.</a>

Protests Erupt In L.A. County Sparked By Federal Immigration Raids

Left-Wing Activists Help Illegal Child Rapist Escape From ICE

Colorado

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Last month, Marvin Lee Mutch, a convicted child murderer who was charged with drowning 13-year-old Cassie Riley in 1974, was arrested for possessing child sex abuse material, an illegally owned firearm, ammunition, and a controlled substance. After 40 years in San Quentin Prison, Mutch was released in 2016, thanks to the efforts of an organization called the Innocence Project. This isn’t the first time the group has argued for the release of a criminal who has gone on to harm new victims.
Consider Robert Roberson, a Texas death row inmate whose 2024 case flooded headlines. Described by the Innocence Project as a “child-like” autistic father, Roberson gained the sympathies of many prominent figures on both sides of the political aisle. Days before Roberson’s set execution date of October 17, 2024, CNN’s Jake Tapper conducted a sympathetic interview with the detective who worked on Roberson’s case, who called for Roberson to be spared the death penalty. Dr. Phil, RFK Jr., and Bret Weinstein, conservative allies whom I believe to be well meaning, also defended Roberson and called for a stay of his execution. The Innocence Project led the charge on Roberson’s behalf, persuading the public and Texas lawmakers that a grieving, autistic father had been wrongly blamed for the 2002 murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki. The group claimed Roberson’s conviction was based on “debunked” Shaken Baby Syndrome and an accidental bed fall. Who can blame one for rushing to Roberson’s defense when presented with this story? It tugs on the heartstrings and demands justice. However, to maintain this narrative that captivated so many well-meaning people, the Innocence Project left out the damning details that actually led to Roberson’s conviction.
Nikki, just 2 years old, died in Roberson’s care. According to the testimonies delivered during Roberson’s trial, Nikki’s injuries were consistent with brutal abuse. ER Nurse Andrea Sims testified Nikki had a handprint on her face, a “mushy” skull, and her entire brain shifted from trauma. Dr. John Ross, the pediatrician who examined Nikki, testified that he ruled out a fall, insisting the trauma had to have been caused intentionally. Nurse Kelly Gurganus described Nikki’s blue skin, unlike anything she’d seen, even in drownings. Dr. Thomas Konjoyan, the ER physician who examined Nikki, confirmed her brain was pushed to death by uncal herniation — an injury no bed fall could cause. 
It gets worse. Nurse Sims found three anal tears and abnormal rectal laxity, signs of sexual assault. Roberson confessed to a cellmate he put his penis in Nikki’s mouth and rubbed it on her. His ex, Della Gray, testified he abused her children, leaving bruises and a hickey on one. His own mother warned he’d kill Nikki. With 17 arrests, including felonies, Roberson is no victim. Yet the Innocence Project paints him as a misunderstood Forrest Gump.
Now, Roberson’s fate hangs in the balance as he awaits his new execution date. Attorney General Ken Paxton has signaled that he’ll continue seeking justice for Nikki. Will Texas legislators join him in this fight, or will they cave to IP’s anti-justice demands?
So why would the Innocence Project defend such a man? The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by O.J. Simpson’s lawyers Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, is a radical left-wing organization that uses these kinds of misleading cases of supposed wrongful convictions to erode public confidence in capital punishment. They freed O.J. despite blood evidence and use the same tactics to pursue their ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty at all costs. And it seems to be working: since 1992, public support for the death penalty has dropped from 80% to 53%, fueled by their sob stories about “wrongly” convicted killers like Roberson. They erode trust in our courts, claiming a “broken system” while ignoring victims like Nikki.
Their leadership exposes their bias. Executive Director Christina Swarns, a former NAACP lawyer, saved cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose guilt is undeniable. Board member Alondra Nelson praises Black Panthers and pushes DNA testing for slave reparations. Yusef Salaam, of Central Park Five fame, campaigned for Kamala Harris. Cedric Alexander, an Obama advisor, demonizes January 6 protesters. Ekow Yankah wrote he won’t let his children befriend white people. Bankrolled by George Soros’s Open Society, Mackenzie Scott, and even taxpayer dollars through the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, they’re activists, not impartial advocates.
Conservatives should view The Innocence Project like BLM: a radical leftist group using toxic empathy to twist our compassion and godly desire for justice, just to push a dangerous agenda.
* * *
Allie Beth Stuckey is a conservative commentator, host of the podcast “Relatable,” and New York Times bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Empathy-Progressives-Christian-Compassion/dp/0593541944/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UANYF7F4G527&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SR4Z9YTZBiD-LIyJWIe2NqrPQSJrs7v_SeJwqdKhprgz4bRzXt9yi_yz87GrsiKreKNDkh5cktyvWqnwYqCvq-AAWTJyW9idmKxIIFSxmJU.Q-uGoH9skFCMDxfjq4I70mRhShGY4nULiXDRrFrj1Nw&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=Toxic+Empathy%3A+How+Progressives&amp;qid=1749579102&amp;sprefix=toxic+empathy+how+progressives%2Caps%2C55&amp;sr=8-1">Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion</a>&#8220;
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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Governor Gavin Newsom Announces He Will Sign Moratorium On Executions In California

The Innocence Project’s Toxic Empathy Betrays Victims Like Cassie Riley

Children

Innocence Project

Leftists

Opinion

Prison

WASHINGTON—The FBI has nabbed hundreds of child abusers in a coordinated enforcement to protect children in Texas, The Daily Wire has learned.
Agents held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to announce the results of Operation Soteria Shield, a coordinated Crimes Against Children enforcement operation across Texas, the FBI shared with The Daily Wire, including more than 70 local, state, and federal partners.
Over 100 children were rescued during the enforcement operation, 244 offenders were arrested by authorities, and 368 total charges were filed, both federal and state. The operation — which was jointly managed by the FBI Dallas Division, Dallas Police Department, Plano Police Department, Wylie Police Department, and Garland Police Department — also involved 165 search warrants and the seizure of 1,130 digital devices, an FBI spokesman shared.
“FBI leadership has made it crystal clear: If you harm children in America, there will be no place for you to hide,&#8221; FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The FBI will spare no effort to pursue you, find you, and bring you to justice.&#8221;
&#8220;We are proud of our Dallas teams and local partnerships in the region for once again delivering a successful operation and making American neighborhoods safer,&#8221; Williamson added.
This marks the tenth year that Operation Soteria Shield has been conducted in April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
<a href="https://www.fox4news.com/news/more-than-100-children-rescued-month-long-north-texas-operation">According to Fox4Dallas</a>, this year&#8217;s operation included 124 cyber tip cases, 73 chat-based undercover operations, 30 responses to calls for service that were direct leads to child rescues, and 23 high-risk victim rescues.
“Operation Soteria Shield brought together over 70 agencies from across the state of Texas, including police departments, federal agencies, state and federal prosecutors, children’s advocacy centers, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,&#8221; FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Joseph Rothrock explained. &#8220;We had a common goal, which was to rescue children from abuse and exploitation.&#8221;
&#8220;This was not an easy operation, but a necessary one,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to protect the children in our communities and we will hold child predators accountable for their crimes.”
The FBI also said Tuesday in a release that in addition to their law enforcement actions, investigators &#8220;seized extensive volumes of digital evidence, including terabytes of illicit data stored on electronic devices that were used in the commission of these crimes.&#8221; Those devices are reportedly undergoing forensic analysis and &#8220;may lead to further arrests and the identification of additional victims.&#8221;

Dallas, Texas and American Flags Waving at Sunset – Aerial

‘No Place For You To Hide’: FBI Nabs Hundreds Of Child Abusers In Texas

Law Enforcement

Texas

Shortly before leaving office in January 2021, President Donald Trump signed bipartisan<a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr6100" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> legislation</a> called the “Strengthening the Opposition to Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2020.&#8221; It was a proud day for those of us at Independent Women who had worked for years to put an end to this barbaric practice.
Female genital mutilation is the partial or total removal of female external genitalia for non-medical reasons. Held by certain cultures as a way to ensure young girls remain “pure” before they marry, the traumatic process causes extreme emotional and physical consequences and has no health benefits.
During my service as the director of the International Women’s Issues Office at the State Department, the suffering of young women and girls caused by female genital mutilation haunted me.
The STOP FGM Act<a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr6100" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> increased</a> penalties for committing this heinous practice, expanded the scope of punishable offenses, and required government agencies to submit an annual report to Congress that includes the estimated number of American women and girls who have undergone or are at risk of genital mutilation.
It is estimated that there are over<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26957669/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 513,000</a> women and girls who have experienced or are at risk of genital mutilation in the United States. The STOP FGM Act did more than offer protection to these vulnerable young girls and women. It showed the world that in the United States, there will be no tolerance for this sort of human rights abuse.
Yet while westerners recoil at the idea that girls would be subjected to genital mutilation — irreversible harm under the guise of social or moral good — we enable a different form of abuse on our own girls.
When<a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/documentary/mentally-ill-teen-betrayed-by-health-professionals-who-recommended-testosterone-and-top-surgery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Prisha Mosley</a> was a teenager, she believed that changing her body would bring her peace. She was struggling with trauma, mental illness, and a desperate desire to escape herself. Instead of addressing the root of her pain, adults in positions of authority affirmed her self-diagnosis and sent her down a path of hormones and surgeries that would leave Prisha permanently scarred.
What medical professionals did to Prisha and too many other young adolescent men and women — permanently disfiguring their healthy bodies in the name of health care — is no different than what we rightly condemn as female genital mutilation.
In Western hospitals, under bright lights and with institutional backing, minors are being prescribed puberty blockers, injected with testosterone, and undergoing irreversible surgeries to remove healthy breasts or even alter their genitalia — all in the name of “gender affirmation.”
One of the most common prescriptions in gender medicine — testosterone, which Prisha was prescribed at 17 — literally leads to female genital mutilation by causing vaginal atrophy and painful clitoral growth and chafing.
This is without even mentioning phalloplasty, which is a surgery to create an appendage that looks like a penis for trans-identifying females. Surgeons hack off a portion of the woman’s arm for skin to use to create the pseudo-penis, leaving her with an irreversible and highly visible scar, and, once it is created and attached, it is<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38340965/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> rife with complications</a>, including urinary problems, fistulas, strictures, wounds, and infections.
If a girl in another country were subjected to genital mutilation surgery because her community believed it would make her more acceptable or &#8220;pure,&#8221; we’d be outraged. We’d call it a violation of her bodily autonomy. But when it’s done in the name of identity, we call it “care.”
This double standard is dangerous.
Female genital mutilation and gender-transition surgeries on minors share critical features: they’re performed on healthy bodies, often before the individual is mature enough to understand the full consequences, and they result in lifelong physical and emotional harm. In both cases, young people are manipulated by adults into believing that their value or wholeness depends on altering their bodies irreversibly.
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We have laws protecting girls from female genital mutilation, as we should. So why is it controversial to suggest we also need laws to protect vulnerable children from irreversible gender procedures?
At the end of the day, this issue goes beyond politics: it isn’t partisan to want to safeguard children from adult agendas and ideologies that demand lifelong fealty and commitment from confused, traumatized youth. There’s nothing compassionate about a scalpel, nothing healing about cross-sex hormone injections that lead to a lifetime of complications and pain.
Americans like Prisha live every day with the consequences of decisions they’ve made when they were too young and too broken to understand them. If we truly care about protecting children’s rights and bodies, we must be willing to speak uncomfortable truths. And one of those truths is this: female genital mutilation and gender transition surgeries on minors are more alike than we dare admit. Both should be outlawed.
Andrea G. Bottner is the vice president for external relations at Independent Women, former director of the International Women’s Issues Office at the U.S. Department of State, and former acting director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Schoolgirls reading books in school library

Female Genital Mutilation Is Illegal In The United States. Trans Surgeries For Kids Should Be, Too.

Donald Trump

Female Genital Mutilation

Transgender

transgender surgery

President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan &#8220;Take It Down Act&#8221; into law on Monday, surrounded by First Lady Melania Trump and lawmakers who helped advance the bill.
The &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-you-help-me-why-the-take-it-down-act-is-a-lifeline-for-victims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Take It Down Act</a>&#8221; makes publishing non-consensual intimate imagery, real or AI-generated, a federal crime. It requires social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook to remove content that features explicit images or videos of minors, known as “child sexual abuse material,” or CSAM, or “revenge porn,” within 48 hours of the content being flagged.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the Rose Garden for the signing of the Take It Down Act. 🌹🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/lHYAVO5xTS">pic.twitter.com/lHYAVO5xTS</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1924546236234744254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mrs. Trump has been a fierce advocate for the &#8220;Take It Down Act,&#8221; encouraging lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to push the legislation forward. FLOTUS opened the signing with remarks about the bipartisan effort to protect Americans, especially children, before introducing President Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> gives remarks prior to the signing of the &#8216;Take It Down Act&#8217; to protect children from online exploitation: &#8220;This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or… <a href="https://t.co/EJFVHppTi1">pic.twitter.com/EJFVHppTi1</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1924546390560068037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Republican South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey, who was thanked by President Trump on Monday, worked with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on the legislation. Cruz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, were the sponsors of the bill.
Tragically, Guffey&#8217;s 17-year-old son Gavin Guffey took his own life three years ago after he was the victim of an online sexual extortion scam &#8212; <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA250306">a growing trend</a> the FBI has recently warned parents about.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I have posted before about the passing of TAKE IT DOWN and the roundtable with FLOTUS. On Friday, I received an invite to go to the White House for the signing on the bill and as I made plans, I found out that the other members of the original “Porch Caucus” will be in DC Monday… <a href="https://t.co/Qr4518YEKu">pic.twitter.com/Qr4518YEKu</a>
— Brandon Guffey (@brandonguffeysc) <a href="https://twitter.com/brandonguffeysc/status/1922142423880204581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
Guffey told The Daily Wire on Monday that the law &#8220;will save so many teens from feeling the shame that my son faced.&#8221;
&#8220;In addition to having the tool to have the images taken down within 48 hours, the person posting can also face up to 3 years in prison,&#8221; the lawmaker continued. &#8220;With the evolution of criminals using AI and morphed images/videos, this will be the first bill to my knowledge to address Artificial Intelligence.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m so thankful for all of the coalitions behind this and the advocacy of the FLOTUS,&#8221; Guffey added. &#8220;The bravery of young teens such as <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/05/take-it-down-act-signing-explicit-images/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elliston and Francesca</a> can’t be commended enough.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_905661" style="width: 867px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905661" class="wp-image-905661 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-857x576.jpg" alt="South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey, holds a picture of his son Gavin Guffey, 17, who died by suicide after being entrapped in a sexual extortion scam on Instagram, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled &quot;Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,&quot; in Dirksen building on Wednesday, January 31, 2024." width="857" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-857x576.jpg 857w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 857px) 100vw, 857px" />Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</div>
Guffey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/the-sextortion-crisis-claiming-the-lives-of-teen-boys-4-12-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire</a> last month that he wants social media companies to have protections stripped from them over their lack of action concerning CSAM material.
“I think the number one thing that we have to do is to remove Section 230, or revisit Section 230, which was written in 1996,” he told The Daily Wire. “It gives these companies — who are the richest companies since the inception of man — it absolves them from being sued. So we can sue them, but things get thrown out before discovery because they just say, ‘We’re not responsible for anything online because this is a public forum.’”
Guffey is currently suing Meta, the parent company of Instagram, over his son’s death. “I filed a suit directly on my own, not demanding money, but demanding change.”
Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-country-star-john-rich-teamed-up-with-kristi-noem-to-combat-child-sextortion?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Country+Star+John+Rich+Teamed+Up+With+Kristi+Noem+To+Combat+Child+Sextortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Homeland Security</a> is currently taking on the uptick in sexual extortion, or &#8220;sextortion,&#8221; cases against minors with its initiative <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Know2Protect</a>. Recently, country star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-country-star-john-rich-teamed-up-with-kristi-noem-to-combat-child-sextortion?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Country+Star+John+Rich+Teamed+Up+With+Kristi+Noem+To+Combat+Child+Sextortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Rich</a> teamed up with the department to educate parents and teens about the issue.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dozens Of Teen Boys Take Their Own Lives As Online Sextortion Cases Spike</a>

Easter Egg Roll 2025

Trump Signs Bill To Protect Young People From Sextortion And Revenge Porn

Melania Trump

Politics

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went on an absolute tear during Thursday morning&#8217;s White House press briefing, reaffirming President Donald Trump&#8217;s commitment to ending &#8220;barbaric&#8221; child gender transitions — whether chemical or surgical — saying that they amounted to &#8220;child torture&#8221; and &#8220;medical malpractice.&#8221;
Miller began with the executive orders issued by President Trump early on — ending policies supported by former President Joe Biden and the Democrats that had allowed men to play women&#8217;s sports and change in their private locker rooms — and then pivoted to more recent moves aimed at ending all gender transition procedures for minors.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenM</a>: &#8220;It is CHILD ABUSE to change a child&#8217;s gender &#8230; Castration surgeries, castration drugs, sterilization treatments of children are barbaric. They violate all sound medical ethics. They are completely unwarranted. They harm children for life — irreversibly.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/AMNM6eXTau">pic.twitter.com/AMNM6eXTau</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917934253418877091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This administration ended the Biden administration&#8217;s policy and the Democrat Party&#8217;s policy of allowing men into women&#8217;s sports, men into women&#8217;s spaces,&#8221; Miller began. &#8220;We are using every single legal and financial tool we have at President Trump&#8217;s direction to make it clear that schools and universities are and will lose federal funds, as you&#8217;ve seen in Maine, if you allow men to invade women&#8217;s sports and women&#8217;s spaces.&#8221;
Miller went on to say that the administration&#8217;s policies applied to every school in the K-12 system, adding, &#8220;The Department of Justice is also coordinating with state and local law enforcement to fight child abuse in our school system. It is child abuse to change a child&#8217;s gender, particularly if you do not inform the parents. In other words, if a five-year-old or a six-year-old goes to school, or a seven-year-old goes to school, and the teacher tries to turn the boy into a girl and a girl into a boy, that is child abuse, and this administration is treating that as child abuse. And it is a gross violation of parental rights.&#8221;
Miller then directed the message from the administration to hospital systems across the country, saying that they would not be able to funnel taxpayer dollars into gender transition programs.
&#8220;Castration surgeries, castration drugs, sterilization treatments of children are barbaric. They violate all sound medical ethics. They are completely unwarranted. They harm children for life — irreversibly,&#8221; Miller said. &#8220;It is child torture. It is child abuse. It is medical malpractice.&#8221;

Stephen Miller

‘It Is Child Torture’: Stephen Miller Lays Out Trump Plan To End ‘Barbaric’ Child Gender Transitions

Stephen Miller Lays Out Trump Plan To End 'Barbaric' Child Gender Transitions

gender ideology

Gender Transition

Social Issues

Russia <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/europe/russia-strikes-ukraine-trump-vladimir-intl-hnk/index.html">reportedly</a> continues to hit Ukraine with deadly strikes after President Donald Trump issues a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. A group of religious parents sue their school district over their children&#8217;s forced exposure to LGBTQ content. And, the White House is warning parents and teens about the rise in child exploitation, enlisting the help of country music star John Rich.
It’s Friday, April 25, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/russian-derails-ceasefire-talks-combating-sexual-extortion/id1576594336?i=1000704872841" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>Russia Bombs Ukraine, Frustrates Peace Efforts</h2>
<div id="attachment_912089" style="width: 848px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912089" class="size-large wp-image-912089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-838x576.jpg" alt="" width="838" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-838x576.jpg 838w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-768x528.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-1536x1056.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Miffed-Don-2048x1408.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px" />(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with a series of missiles and drones on Thursday, and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/europe/russia-strikes-ukraine-trump-vladimir-intl-hnk/index.html">according</a> to CNN, inflicted another round of strikes on Friday. The surprise attacks have derailed United States-led ceasefire negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Thursday’s attack on Kyiv left at least a dozen dead and dozens more wounded, and also killed what momentum there was toward a ceasefire. The following night, Moscow reportedly launched another round, killing at least eight more people. Before the attacks, the White House had sounded optimistic about a deal, but after Russia&#8217;s Thursday attacks, the President <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioT5YuxsrU8&amp;t=4m">appeared</a> much less sanguine.
<blockquote>TRUMP: We’re in the midst of talking peace and missiles were fired, and I was not happy with it…
REPORTER: …If the bombs keep falling, will you consider additional sanctions for Russia, or what will you do?
TRUMP: I’d rather answer that question in a week, I want to see if we can have a deal. No reason to answer it now, but I won’t be happy, let’s put it that way. Things will happen.</blockquote>
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been willing to work with the United States on peace terms – more willing since his disastrous White House meeting in February. Since then, Zelensky has agreed to sign a minerals deal with the United States, and last month, he said Ukraine would agree to a full ceasefire to set up peace negotiations. But Moscow never bought in – all they could agree to was a 30 day pause on attacks against energy infrastructure.
Over the weekend, diplomats released a proposed peace deal constructed by the United States and Europe that recognized Russian control of Crimea and accepted Russia’s control of land in Ukraine’s east. It would also ban Ukraine from NATO membership and start the United States and Russia on a path of economic normalization – with all sanctions lifted from Russia. The proposal didn’t set limits on Ukraine’s military – something Moscow had wanted – and it included the minerals deal with the United States. Notably, it did not include any security guarantees from either the United States or Europe for Ukraine. Vice President JD Vance called it a “very fair proposal.”
Zelensky has already said that giving any occupied territory over to the Russians would be a red line. Zelensky has also taken issue with how the Trump administration has approached the negotiating table. “We would like to have this common understanding that Russia is the aggressor, not [Ukraine],&#8221; Zelensky told Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro in an interview this week.
<h2>SCOTUS Hears Case On Religious Opt-Outs From LGBTQ Curriculum</h2>
<div id="attachment_912091" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912091" class="size-large wp-image-912091" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Let-Kids-Be-Kids-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The Supreme Court looks poised to rule in favor of religious parents who want the right to opt their kids out of LGBTQ material at school.
In 2022, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland’s largest school district, introduced a new gender and sexuality curriculum. At first, they allowed parents to opt their kids out, but then, the school district decided it was too difficult to allow opt outs and made attendance mandatory. In response, a group of parents that included Muslims, Catholics, and a Ukrainian Orthodox Christian brought a case against the school district.
One of the books in the new curriculum is called “Prince and Knight,” about a prince who rejects princesses and falls in love with a knight. Another book is called “Born Ready” about a boy named Penelope, and another book tells the story of a girl attending her uncle’s same-sex wedding, and yet another book is called “Pride Puppy” about a puppy who gets lost during a Pride parade.
“They can keep the books,” one plaintiff said on the steps of the Supreme Court. “They can read it to their children if there are parents who feel this is appropriate for their 3-year-old, 4-year-old and elementary kids, they can teach it to them, but we don’t think it’s right. We don’t want it read to our kids.”
The more conservative justices seemed highly skeptical of the school district’s arguments. Justice Brett Kavanaugh quizzed the lawyer for the school superintendent about why it’s supposedly too hard to let parents opt out their children from reading LGBTQ books in class. “The plaintiffs here are not asking the school to change its curriculum. They’re just saying look, we want out. Why isn’t that feasible?”
Even some of the usual critics seemed sympathetic to parents in this case. Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten of the ​​American Federation of Teachers admitted she would not actually recommend these books to elementary schoolers, although she still called for “inclusivity.”
<h2>John Rich Promotes Awareness Of Sextortion</h2>
<div id="attachment_912093" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912093" class="size-large wp-image-912093" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Hidden-Hoodie-Guy-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by dashu83 via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Country music star and entrepreneur John Rich has teamed up with the Department of Homeland Security to warn Americans about the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike">dangers of child sexual extortion</a>.
The Department of Homeland Security has a campaign called “Know2Protect” – you can find that on the DHS website. Its goal is to raise national public awareness about a rapidly growing crime called sexual extortion – also known as sextortion. Sextortion is when a predator coerces or tricks a minor into sending them sexually explicit images or video footage, and then threatens to release that material unless the minor either produces additional explicit content or gives them money. A Daily Wire investigation covered this topic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike">in-depth</a> earlier this month, but in summary, there were 36 million reports of suspected online child exploitation in 2023 alone.
John Rich is amplifying DHS’ awareness effort. The country star heard about sextortion a few months ago, after his wife and 15-year-old son attended a related talk from DHI Special Agent Dennis Fetting. Immediately, Rich reached out to DHS with ideas to get out something more accessible to the public. This week, Rich, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and Agent Fetting hosted a livestream event on sextortion. It was <a href="https://x.com/johnrich/status/1915190100058923202">reposted</a> online by President Trump, and so far, it has racked up millions of views.
“I&#8217;m fully aware of the dangers that are out there for our kids right now,” Rich said. “They are being targeted on apps, video games, social media – places you would never dream of, like innocent sounding games like Roblox, Minecraft, things like that, where predators are acting like they&#8217;re another kid and they&#8217;re creating a relationship with your kid, and then they lower the boom, then they start to extort and extort. They do everything from force the kids to send nude pictures of themselves, to take pictures of their parents&#8217; credit cards front and back so they can extort money. They threaten them with killing their family, burning their house down, posting the pictures all online. It results in kids, some of them becoming suicidal – it’s a major, major problem. So to me, millions of parents needed to hear about this.”

RUSSIA-POLITICS-RELIGION

Morning Brief: Russia Bombards Ukraine Amid Peace Talks, SCOTUS School Case & Sextortion Awareness

California Supreme Court

LGBTQ

Russia

Sexual Abuse

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

New Jersey on Thursday became the first state to sue gaming platform Discord, alleging the company failed to protect children from online predators despite marketing itself as a &#8220;fun and safe space for teens.&#8221;
The civil suit, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25900134-2025-0417-discord-complaint/">filed</a> by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, alleges that Discord violated the state&#8217;s Consumer Fraud Act by failing to protect minors, according to a report by NBC News.
Discord is a popular messaging platform used by millions to chat via text, voice, and video. It is especially popular among young gamers, who use the platform to converse while playing games like Roblox and Minecraft, both of which are heavily used by children.
The gaming chat platform officially <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/nj-attorney-general-sues-discord-messaging-app-child-predator-concerns-rcna201762">bans</a> users under 13 and claims a zero-tolerance policy toward those who exploit minors, per NBC News.
&#8220;They&#8217;ve waged a very extensive PR campaign to tell the public all the features that they put in place to protect kids on their app,&#8221; Platkin said. &#8220;They know that they&#8217;re not working, and they know that they&#8217;re not actually protecting kids the way they say they are.&#8221;
Discord defended its safety measures, saying the company is &#8220;proud&#8221; of its &#8220;continuous efforts and investments in features and tools that help make Discord safer.&#8221;
A spokesperson added that the platform disputes the claims in the lawsuit and looks &#8220;forward to defending the action in court.&#8221;
According to Platkin, children under 13 can create accounts by simply checking a box claiming they are older.
The platform&#8217;s &#8220;Sensitive Media&#8221; filter, designed to blur explicit material, often doesn&#8217;t work and is &#8220;very easy to evade.&#8221;
A 2023 NBC News investigation <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/discord-child-safety-social-platform-challenges-rcna89769">uncovered</a> 35 cases where adults were prosecuted for kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault allegedly involving Discord communications, plus more than 100 additional cases of child sexual abuse material.
Following heavy public scrutiny, Discord made several policy updates, including banning teen dating and artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material on the service.
The company&#8217;s CEO, Jason Citron, called reports of exploitation on the platform &#8220;horrifying&#8221; at the time.
In January, Citron was among several tech executives called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety policies alongside leaders from Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.
The New Jersey lawsuit is seeking civil penalties, restitution for affected users, and court-mandated changes to Discord&#8217;s policies and features to better protect minors on the platform.

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New Jersey Sues Online Platform Discord Over Child Predator Concerns

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Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a law on Tuesday that will increase protections for the children of online content creators. This move was inspired by the child abuse conviction of Ruby Franke, a popular YouTube personality who was found guilty of severely abusing her children.
The new law says that online creators who make more than $150,000 a year from content featuring children will be required to set aside 15% of those earnings into a trust fund that the kids can then access when they turn 18. This will also be the rule for parents of child actors appearing in TV or film projects, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ruby-franke-child-influencer-protections-utah-d9702b22c9ea7adba6e15003971493ce#">Associated Press</a>.
“Children cannot give informed consent to be filmed on social media, period,” Ruby’s ex-husband Kevin Franke said. “Vlogging my family, putting my children into public social media, was wrong, and I regret it every day.”
The Frankes became famous after starting the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel in 2015. The series followed their day-to-day lives as a Mormon family in Springville, Utah. The Franke children were included in the videos Ruby posted up to five times a week, the outlet noted. Their content became popular, attracting 2.5 million subscribers by 2020. 
In 2012, Ruby changed track and started creating parenting content with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. At Hildebrandt’s insistence, Ruby became estranged from her husband and moved into the therapist’s home with her two youngest children. Viewers became increasingly alarmed by Ruby’s disciplinary suggestions.
The women were taken into custody on child abuse charges after Ruby Franke’s severely underweight 12-year-old son, Russell, climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor for help. The neighbor called 911 after noticing that the teen’s ankles were wrapped in bloody duct tape. Responding officers discovered the youngest Franke child, 9-year-old Eve, with her head shaved and sitting cross-legged in a dark closet.
A search of the home uncovered handwritten journals where Ruby claimed that her son was possessed by the devil. In the journals, she detailed abuse including starvation and making her children work outside in the heat without protection or nourishment. 
Both Ruby and Hildebrandt received prison sentences of up to 30 years. The Hulu documentary “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” led to national attention.
The youngest Franke daughter, Eve, wrote a statement regarding the new law. “I’m not saying YouTube is a bad thing. Sometimes it brings us together,” she said. “But kids deserve to be loved, not used by the ones that are supposed to love them the most.”
The content creation industry is largely unregulated, AP noted, but several states have started adding protections. Illinois, California, and Minnesota all have laws that protect the earnings of young creators.

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Utah Law To Protect Child Influencers Passes After YouTuber Ruby Franke’s Child Abuse Conviction

New Utah Law Protects Child Influencers After YouTuber Ruby Franke's Child Abuse Conviction

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A famous &#8220;anti-racist&#8221; cartoonist who once drew Donald Trump molesting the Statue of Liberty has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography, the Sacramento County Sheriff said Thursday.
The NAACP gave Darrin Bell its <a href="https://darrinbell.substack.com/p/ive-won-the-image-award-and-the-libby" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Image Award</a> last year for his comic book &#8220;The Talk,&#8221; about parents telling their children that they are victims of racism.
The <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article298639688.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento Bee</a> said Bell, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, made history as “the first Black cartoonist to have two nationally syndicated strips,” including Candorville, “which features three childhood friends of color and their daily lives in the inner city.”  Now he has made history again with his arrest for alleged possession of artificial intelligence-generated child abuse material, just days after a California law banning AI porn went into effect.
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." data-sk="tooltip_parent">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
For years, the Washington Post Writers Group syndicated Bell&#8217;s cartoons in the Post and other papers. He also published cartoons in the New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. He won the <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/darrin-bell-freelancer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pulitzer Prize</a> in 2019 “For beautiful and daring editorial cartoons that took on issues affecting disenfranchised communities, calling out lies, hypocrisy and fraud in the political turmoil surrounding the Trump administration.”
Bell said that respect for human dignity is the “common thread I try to weave through every cartoon that I draw — whether it&#8217;s about police brutality or immigrants being separated from their children, or whether it&#8217;s about Donald Trump,&#8221; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/won-pulitzer-prize-editorial-cartoons-promoting-human-dignity/story?id=62466906" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> reported after he won the prize. One of his cartoons showed Trump attempting to molest the Statue of Liberty.
The sheriff said in a <a href="https://x.com/sacsheriff/status/1879899320616710372">statement</a> that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped it off that a resident had uploaded 18 files containing Child Sex Abuse Material to an online service. Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children detectives soon found 134 child abuse videos linked to the same account, which they said was owned by Darrin Bell. On Wednesday, they served a search warrant at Bell&#8217;s house. He is currently being held in jail on $1 million bail, they said.
Detectives said some material they recovered was “computer-generated/AI CSAM,” making him “the first arrest by Sacramento Valley ICAC where possession of computer-generated/AI CSAM was charged against a suspect (the law changed on January 1, 2025, to include AI-generated material as a criminal offense.”
On his blog, Bell describes his work as “Progressive anti-fascist, anti-racist political cartoons.” The most recent cartoon posted portrays Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg saying “We’re gonna get rid of a bunch of restrictions on  attacking whichever minorities MAGA considers ‘undesirable.’” He wrote beneath it: &#8220;When Elon Musk bought Twitter a couple years ago, he reinstated NAZIS, throttled anyone to the left of Attila the Hun, and his algorithm filled our timelines with a rogues gallery of alt right types, incels, Q-Anon cultists, and paid Russian dupes.&#8221;

Darrin Bell attends the NAACP Image Awards Nominees Brunch (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for NAACP)

BLM Pulitzer Winner Makes History Again By Being Arrested For AI-Generated Child Porn

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