The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Microsoft makes it challenging for customers to use its products on rival cloud services.
After a report in July 2025 that Microsoft was employing China-based engineers for work on certain Pentagon cloud systems, the software company <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/microsoft-ends-use-china-based-computer-engineers-certain-defense-dept-projects-amid-espionage-fears">said</a> that it adjusted its policies to ensure that “no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DOD government cloud and related services.”
Will Hild, the executive director of Consumer’s Research, says the investigation is a good sign.
“Microsoft’s massive market power is finally being scrutinized by Trump’s FTC, and rightly so, as the company uses its dominant market share to push a radical, woke agenda while potentially engaging in anti-competitive behavior,” Hild told The Daily Wire.
Last year, Consumers’ Research issued a “woke alert” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woke-alert-microsoft-slammed-for-race-based-pay-equity-scheme">highlighting</a> various activist-focused initiatives at Microsoft, <a href="https://consumersresearch.org/woke-alert/woke-alert-microsoft/">including</a> donations to transgender activist groups and “pay equity” analysis comparing pay based on race and sex.
“Consumers’ Research fully supports FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and welcomes this antitrust investigation,” Hild said. “We hope it helps prevent corporate power from being abused to advance ideology at the expense of consumers.”
Joe Grogan, who led the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term, said that an FTC investigation probing whether Microsoft employed anti-competitive practices was much needed.
“In the last year Microsoft has compromised American security by giving Chinese nationals access to cloud projects at the Pentagon,” he told The Daily Wire. “They&#8217;ve also signaled a strong willingness to bend to Europe&#8217;s anti-American digital services policies amid intense trade negotiations, all while pursuing anti-competitive practices to limit consumer choice. The administration is right to use its authority to hold them accountable.”
The comments from Grogan, the head of the nonprofit Public Policy Solutions, come as the FTC is looking into whether Microsoft makes it challenging for customers to use its products on rival cloud services.
Grogan also argued that Microsoft is <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/sovereign-cloud/overview/european-digital-commitments">strengthening</a> its ties to Europe while the European Union implements the Digital Services Act, a sweeping speech-regulation law that allows authorities to penalize companies for failing to remove so-called misinformation or other content deemed illegal.

DailyWire Photo Illustration // Getty Images

Federal Trade Commission’s Microsoft Probe Draws Widespread Praise

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WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a case that could change the way presidents interact with the massive federal bureaucracy.
At issue in the case, Trump v. Slaughter, is whether a president has the authority to fire officials from independent agencies. Rebecca Slaughter, a former Federal Trade Commissioner, sued the president for removing her from the commission in March. Over the day&#8217;s three-hour proceeding, the court&#8217;s six conservative justices seemed inclined to side with President Donald Trump. Doing so would upend the way the federal bureaucracy interacts with the executive branch — a win not just for Trump, but for small-government conservatives anxious to claw back power from the &#8220;deep state.&#8221;
Slaughter’s team argues that independent agencies like the FTC have long-standing statutory protections allowing commissioners to be removed only “for cause” rather than “at will.” The team also insisted that these protections are essential for preserving agency independence, preventing partisan interference, and maintaining the separation of powers.
“We are asking the court to adhere to all of its precedents and to give effect to the collective wisdom and experience of all three branches of government,” said attorney Amit Agarwal. “Multi-member commissions with members enjoying some kind of removal protection have been part of our story since 1970.”
Solicitor General John Sauer contends, however, that Slaughter&#8217;s case rests on a precedent he called a “decaying husk.&#8221; Relying on the 1935 case, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, &#8220;continues to tempt Congress to erect, at the heart of our government, a headless branch,” he argued.
Sauer acknowledged, however, that not all independent agencies are alike. In response to a question from Justice Brett Kavanaugh about how the Federal Reserve differs from the FTC, Sauer said the Fed was “sui generis” and should be treated as such.
Kavanaugh was frequently at odds with Justice Elena Kagan throughout oral arguments.
“Once you’re down this road, it’s a little bit hard to see how you would stop,” Kagan <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-332_p8k0.pdf">said,</a> arguing that giving the president control of the bureaucracy would essentially cede power to the executive.
Kavanaugh pushed back, <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-332_p8k0.pdf">noting</a> that &#8220;the real world of this is the independent agencies shift power from the presidency to the Congress. Everyone recognizes that.&#8221;
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In the email notifying Slaughter that she was being fired, the White House <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/trump-v-slaughter-an-explainer/">said</a> that allowing Slaughter to remain on the commission would be “inconsistent with [the] Administration’s priorities.” Former President Joe Biden appointed Slaughter to her second term at the Federal Trade Commission, which would have ended in 2029.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on the president’s authority to dismiss Slaughter by June 2026. If the Supreme Court sides with President Trump, Slaughter’s attorneys <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/trump-v-slaughter-an-explainer/">argue</a> the decision “would profoundly destabilize institutions that are now inextricably intertwined with the fabric of American governance.”

Supreme Court Confronts Trump’s Power To Disrupt Global Economy

Supreme Court Seems Likely To Give Trump Power To Remove Independent Agency Heads

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Google is promising the Trump administration that it will end a practice that led to Republican fundraising emails being flagged as “dangerous” spam, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire.
The commitment comes after Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ferguson-letter-alphabet-ceo-re-potential-ftc-act-violations-related-to-partisan-administration-of-gmail.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressed</a> Google over <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/business/google-caught-flagging-gop-fundraiser-emails-as-suspicious-sending-them-directly-to-spam-memo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that its email platform was filtering emails from Republican fundraising platform WinRed as spam while not applying the same scrutiny to Democrat platform ActBlue. Google pinned the blame for the labeling on its partnership with a third-party company and committed to no longer using that company&#8217;s spam list, according to a Friday <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/09192025-letter-to-Chairman-Ferguson-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Ferguson obtained by The Daily Wire.
“Your letter inquires about a recent example of a warning label that appeared on certain emails that included a link from a fundraising organization,” wrote Anne Wall, the head of federal government affairs and public policy for Google. “The label appeared after a third-party company, SURBL, placed that fundraising organization on its abuse list. The organization’s presence on SURBL’s list, combined with other signals, resulted in the warning label.”
SURBL is a corporation based in the Netherlands that compiles an intelligence database used to flag unwanted emails. Wall said that SURBL was just one of the hundreds of &#8220;signals&#8221; Gmail used to target unwanted messages.
In light of the complaints, she said that Google would no longer use SURBL’s list to weed out spam.
“Google took the concerns raised by the fundraising organization very seriously,” she told Ferguson. “We promptly evaluated whether we could protect Gmail users from unwanted spam without reliance on the SURBL signal, and determined that our own advanced protections are the most effective way to protect users. As a result, we stopped incorporating SURBL as a signal.”
Reached by The Daily Wire, a Google spokesman echoed Wall&#8217;s letter, noting that SURBL was used by &#8220;dozens of American ISPs, cybersecurity companies and email providers&#8221; but that the tech company decided to use its own protections. The spokesman also noted that the Federal Election Commission previously dismissed a similar complaint from Republicans back in January 2023, and a federal judge in California threw out a similar complaint against Google in July 2024.
The concerns about Republican emails being improperly labeled were first flagged last month by the Republican consulting firm, Targeted Victory.
“If Gmail is allowed to quietly suppress WinRed links while giving ActBlue a free pass, it will continue to tilt the playing field in ways that voters never see, but campaigns will feel every single day,” the firm said in a memo, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/business/google-caught-flagging-gop-fundraiser-emails-as-suspicious-sending-them-directly-to-spam-memo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the New York Post.
After that report, Ferguson sent a letter to Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, warning that the disparate labeling may be a violation of federal law.
“My understanding from recent reporting is that Gmail’s spam filters routinely block messages from reaching consumers when those messages come from Republican senders but fail to block similar messages sent by Democrats,” Ferguson wrote. “If Gmail’s filters keep Americans from receiving speech they expect, or donating as they see fit, the filters may harm American consumers and may violate the FTC Act’s prohibition of unfair or deceptive trade practices.”
Wall told Ferguson that Google appreciated &#8220;the importance of political communications, and we remain committed to helping senders — including political senders across the political spectrum — when they experience difficulties with their email campaigns. Indeed, we have regularly worked closely with email senders of all kinds to improve our product and our policies.&#8221;

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Google Promises Change After ‘Abuse List’ Labeled GOP Emails ‘Dangerous’

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The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk has further exposed media bias, with outlets like MSNBC, CNN, and ABC labeling him “divisive” or “controversial” while downplaying leftist rhetoric that may have fueled violence. <a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2025/09/12/charlie-kirks-murder-cheered-online-liberal-teachers">Posts by liberal school teachers cheering</a> Kirk’s death and comments from Democrat politicians like Jasmine Crockett and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker inciting unrest reveal a double standard. This tragedy may finally force the elite legacy media to confront the effect their far-left bias has had on America. Even before Kirk’s assassination, President Trump was pushing broadcasters to restore balance to heal the political divide, improve network viewership, and ensure the airwaves serve all Americans, aligning with the law and fostering fair discourse.
When Donald Trump descended the escalator in the summer of 2015, he put on center stage the fight that the Media Research Center (MRC) has been engaged in for nearly 40 years. While MRC may be the incumbent in this battle against media bias, the president deserves enormous credit for helping to identify and root out media malfeasance.
President Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr are addressing the longstanding issue of media bias by enforcing the legal obligations of broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC, which use public airwaves rent-free. These networks must meet a “public interest test” to serve all Americans, not just select political groups. Recent actions, including Trump’s lawsuits against CBS and ABC for deceptive editing and defamation, highlight a commitment to rooting out bias.
Legacy media are undoubtedly biased and purpose-driven. Take ABC’s David Muir, who was still allowed to host a presidential debate after MRC research found his nightly newscast had <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/rich-noyes/2024/09/09/100-abc-debate-moderator-david-muir-hosts-most-pro-harris-left-wing">100% positive coverage of Kamala Harris</a> and <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/rich-noyes/2025/04/28/tv-news-assaults-2nd-trump-admin-92-negative-coverage">92% negative coverage of Donald Trump</a>. From routine <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/bill-dagostino/2025/09/02/why-cant-cbs-stop-deceptively-editing-interviews-politicians">deceptive</a> editing in their interviews with Trump – and his cabinet officials – to initially refusing to mention the brutal Charlotte stabbing, only to eventually <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/jorge-bonilla/2025/09/08/nbc-trumpwashes-their-coverage-brutal-charlotte-stabbing">report</a> the tragedy through the lens of it being right-wing hysteria and fuel for Trump’s tough-on-crime approach. The media have earned the colossal decline of their collective reputation.
The public is now keenly aware of the media’s deficiencies, with <a href="https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/657239/five-key-insights-americans-views-news-media.aspx">69% </a>of people saying they have very little to no trust in the media, the worst result for the media since Gallup started assessing public confidence in it.
Some would argue, and most conservatives would agree, that these broadcasters and their cable news counterparts have a right to anchor themselves in whatever political persuasion favors their interests, so long as they are honest with their audience. While it would, at best, lack journalistic integrity for a major cable network like MSNow (formerly MSNBC) or CNN to show blatant favoritism in how they interview a Supreme Court justice, it would still easily pass legal muster. However, when traditional network broadcasters like CBS engage in <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/jorge-bonilla/2025/09/07/tale-two-interviews-cbss-norah-odonnell-fawned-over-justice#">the same behavior</a>, it’s a completely different story.
That is because the airwaves used by ABC, CBS, and NBC are owned by the American public. It will surprise many to learn that these broadcasters use our airwaves rent-free. This might sound like a terrible deal for taxpayers, but that is why broadcasters are required to meet a “public interest test,” ensuring that the whole public is served. Not just Democrats. Not just liberals. Not just left-wing agitators.
Carr is taking action to hold broadcasters accountable to the law which requires them to act in the interest of all Americans. Perhaps ironically, by requiring broadcasters to serve a much larger audience, Carr is probably saving these networks from their plummeting ratings and their declining revenues. Moreover, by reducing other regulatory burdens placed on them by the Biden administration, like the onerous DEI and ESG requirements, Carr is helping their bottom lines in more ways than one.
It’s no secret that traditional <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-05-11/network-evening-newscasts-still-matter-but-face-stiff-winds-of-change#:~:text=View%20All-,The%20network%20evening%20news%20is%20in%20flux:%20Why%20an%20American,With%20David%20Muir%E2%80%9D%20on%20ABC.&amp;text=Network%20evening%20newscasts%20are%20down,younger%2C%20digital%2Dsavvy%20viewers.">broadcast media is</a> in financial trouble. Without question, this is due to the fact that their current business model focuses on the fastest shrinking segment of America: liberals.
That might or might not work for a niche channel, like MSNow, but it is a guaranteed losing proposition for broadcast news.
By getting these networks to live up to their legal obligations, President Trump and Chairman Carr are helping all Americans become better informed while simultaneously helping the networks increase their <a href="https://allaboutcookies.org/cord-cutters-streaming-survey#:~:text=Rising%20cable%20costs%20and%20the,to%20move%20away%20from%20cable." target="_blank" rel="noopener">sagging viewership and revenue.</a> 
Their recent actions represent the first serious attempt in modern history to restore lawfulness, fairness, and order to the political discourse in America’s media. It is something we need more of.
* * *
Dan Schneider is the Vice President of the Media Research Center.
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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Left-Wing Media Bias Under Scrutiny Following Coverage Of Kirk Assassination

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The Federal Trade Commission is requesting public comment on so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; for minors.
The inquiry <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/07/ftc-requests-public-comment-regarding-gender-affirming-care-minors">seeks</a> &#8220;to better understand how consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about &#8216;gender-affirming care&#8217;, especially as it relates to minors.&#8221; The FTC will accept &#8220;comment on any issues or concerns,&#8221; including &#8220;written data, advertisements, social media posts, disclosures, or empirical research,&#8221; a press release <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/07/ftc-requests-public-comment-regarding-gender-affirming-care-minors">said</a>.
The FTC is investigating whether minors and consumers have been harmed by transgender medical procedures and if medical professionals &#8220;have violated Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act by failing to disclose material risks associated with &#8216;gender-affirming care&#8217; or making false or unsubstantiated claims about the benefits or effectiveness of &#8216;gender-affirming care.'&#8221;
The request for public comment is the latest in the FTC&#8217;s campaign against the transgender medical industry.
In May, The Daily Wire first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-federal-trade-commission-is-setting-its-sights-on-transgender-procedures-on-kids">reported</a> on an FTC memo about a workshop on &#8220;gender-affirming care.&#8221; The FTC, an agency tasked with protecting American consumers, often holds workshops before initiating legal action against an industry.
“Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, the FTC is provided broad authority to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive trade acts and practices,” the memo said. “There is now considerable reason to believe that the doctors and medical providers pushing [gender-affirming care] on minors are knowingly deceiving parents by exaggerating [gender-affirming care’s] ‘benefits’ and downplaying its harmful side effects.”
The agency held the workshop on July 9 and featured academics, commentators, detransitioners, parents, and doctors, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-blatant-consumer-fraud-inside-the-ftcs-panel-on-transgender-procedures">reported</a>.
“The issue of gender medicine has shattered political boundaries,” said Texas Children’s whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge. “Not because of ideology, but because of conscience. This is not a partisan battle, but a battle of good and evil.”
Detransitioner Claire Abernathy said medical professionals encouraged her to undergo transgender surgeries when she was too young to get a tattoo, too young to drive, and hadn’t even learned algebra.
“It’s not health care,” she said, “it’s blatant consumer fraud.”
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who moderated the panel, told the detransitioners and survivors, “The FTC hears you, we hear all of you, and we want to understand how the law is being broken.”
Department of Justice Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle said the DOJ has issued almost 20 subpoenas against clinics that are engaged in transgender transition attempts. The Justice Department’s investigations include health care fraud, false statements, and more.
Mizelle asked Americans to come forward if they could provide information about deceptive practices in the transgender medicine industry.
Both the workshop and the request for comment build on President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the federal government’s support for so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors. The FTC memo about the workshop noted that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently called transgender procedures “in truth still experimental.”
Before being selected for the position, Ferguson reportedly pitched Trump on using the agency to fight “against the trans agenda” before he was selected for the post, according to a document obtained by Punchbowl News in December 2024.
At the workshop, Ferguson said he doesn&#8217;t care about backlash from Democrats over the FTC&#8217;s action against transgender medical procedures.
“If there is this material deception going on in this market, it is picking on the most vulnerable human beings in America at the worst possible moment of their lives and brutalizing them,” Ferguson said. “And frankly, the ability of people to turn away from this and say ‘no action should be taken’ boggles my mind. So at the end of the day, it is the right thing to do.”
The public has until September 26 to submit comments at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2025-0264">Regulations.gov</a>. Comments will be posted once submitted.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson Testifies During House Hearing

FTC Takes Major Step In War On Trans Procedures For Kids

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Leftist outlet Media Matters is facing financial struggles over lawsuits from X owner Elon Musk and legal fees related to investigations by the Trump administration.
The nonprofit &#8220;watchdog&#8221; group owes approximately $15 million, largely due to legal action by Musk and probes from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as Republican state attorneys general, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/us/politics/media-matters-musk-crisis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE8.uS77.aCoRbTwphEFY&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Friday.
Musk&#8217;s lawsuit came after a Media Matters story in 2023 <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle">claimed</a> that his X social media platform was placing ads for major corporations alongside Nazi-related content, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-to-file-thermonuclear-suit-against-media-matters-over-contrived-story-on-x">reported</a>. Companies such as Apple and IBM pulled advertisements from X because of the story.
A Musk press release said the outlet &#8220;completely misrepresented the real user experience on X, in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers.&#8221;
The Times reported that Musk has continued pursuing the lawsuit, refusing settlements and appealing or filing elsewhere if Media Matters were to win in court. Musk even filed lawsuits in Ireland and Singapore.
The outlet is reducing its staff and trying to raise money from donors, the Times reported. Although publicly, Media Matters says &#8220;it has no plans to close,&#8221; sources told the Times it is considering shutting down as a last resort.
In May of this year, the FTC launched an investigation into the outlet over reports that it illegally coordinated advertiser boycotts against X, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-probe-media-matters-over-plot-to-defund-musks-x-silence-dissenting-voices">reported</a>.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, appointed by President Donald Trump, had signaled potential action in December, saying the agency “must prosecute any unlawful collusion between online platforms, and confront advertiser boycotts which threaten competition,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ftc-probes-media-matters-over-musks-x-boycott-claims-document-shows-2025-05-22/">according</a> to Reuters.
Media Matters also faced investigations from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. A federal court blocked the Texas probe, and Missouri agreed to drop its inquiry; however, the outlet still incurred almost $2 million in legal fees, the Times reported.
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, said the legal problems were &#8220;a revenge campaign against Media Matters intended to stymie or stop us entirely from exercising our constitutional rights,&#8221; the Times reported.
The financial struggles come as multiple organizations have settled with the Trump administration. CBS News <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/big-and-important-win-trump-crows-over-settlement-in-cbs-paramount-lawsuit">paid</a> $16 million to settle a lawsuit with President Donald Trump, who alleged that the outlet deceptively edited a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Columbia University <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/columbia-university-retreats-as-trump-scores-historic-220m-settlement">agreed</a> to pay a $200 million settlement over its handling of anti-Israel protests.
“Unlike some major media entities that have recently caved to pressure, we understand that this battle is larger than us,” Carusone told the Times in a statement. “That’s why we continue to carry out our mission and fight in court.”
However, the outlet is facing financial difficulties despite its extensive list of top Democratic donors, which includes billionaire George Soros.
A leaked list of donors revealed that the outlet has received millions in donations from Deborah Simon, the daughter of billionaire shopping mall developer Melvin Simon, and Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein and his wife, Anita. The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-media-matters-donor-list-reveal-it-is-funded-by-democrat-mega-donors">reported</a> on this. Both Simon and Bekenstein were among <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/top-election-donors-2022/">the top 50 political donors</a> in the 2022 midterms.
Media Matters had raised $16.5 million in 2022, with Carusone collecting a salary of $406,000.
The outlet <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/about-us">describes</a> itself as combating misinformation and providing &#8220;resources to rebut false claims and to take direct action against offending media institutions.&#8221; However, the left-leaning N.Y. Times said its mission is &#8220;to help Democrats and undermine Republicans.&#8221;
Media Matters has repeatedly attacked Republicans and conservative groups, including The Daily Wire. In 2022, it attempted to cancel Daily Wire host Matt Walsh.
&#8220;I will never surrender even a single inch of ground to a pitchfork mob full of degenerate idiots,&#8221; Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/to-the-leftist-vultures-at-media-matters-kiss-my-ass">responded</a> at the time.
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Elon Musk’s Lawsuits And A Federal Probe Threaten To Bring Down Media Matters

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The Trump administration appears to be all in on investing in American workers and our domestic manufacturing sector.
Just this week, the president <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/trump-energy-ai-summit-pittsburgh-carnegie-mellon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled to Pittsburgh</a> to announce a historic $90 billion investment in energy and artificial intelligence that will spur much-needed economic development after decades of manufacturing decline. The Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/ftc-declares-july-made-usa-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> July “Made in the USA” Month, pledging to educate consumers, celebrate domestic manufacturers, and crack down on the misuse of the patriotic label.
These are positive developments, but they may all be for naught. Because right now, “Made in America” doesn’t mean much of anything.
“Made in America” was once a laudable promise that stood for quality, grit, and jobs. Americans were proud to buy goods produced at home, and as recently as 2009, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/worldbusiness/20iht-wbmake.1.20332814.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">65%</a> of the products Americans bought were made by American producers.
Somewhere along the way, however, “Made in America” was hijacked by marketing departments and manipulated by corporations seeking to capitalize on patriotism while outsourcing the work overseas.
Today, “Made in America” labels are everywhere, but thanks to an ambiguous definition of the term, only <a href="https://netchoice.org/made-in-the-usa-three-factors-retailers-should-consider/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11%</a> of goods sold in this country are actually made by American manufacturers. It’s high time that the FTC fixes its definition and works to reward companies that actually make products here.
The “Made in America” label is on everything from toolboxes to t-shirts. But take a closer look, and odds are the guts of that product were made overseas. American workers might have put the final touch on it, but should that qualify as “domestic manufacturing”?
This is a fraud on the American consumer. Worse, it’s a fraud that we’re subsidizing.
Billions in taxpayer-funded energy credits, tech subsidies, and manufacturing incentives are being awarded to companies that have figured out how to game the system. They ship in foreign components, do the bare minimum of assembly here, and collect the “Made in USA” bonus, all while undercutting the very supply chains we’re supposed to be rebuilding.
Solar panels have become the poster child for this shell game. For years, America didn’t produce a single solar crystalline cell, which is the key piece that actually converts sunlight into energy. But that didn’t stop companies from building flashy American facilities to bolt together foreign-made parts and claim the whole thing as “domestic manufacturing.” Meanwhile, jobs and genuine value are still being outsourced overseas.
The FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-made-usa-standard">says</a> “Made in America” should mean “all or virtually all” of a product is made here. Yet in practice, there’s little enforcement and even less clarity. “Assembled in America” is a catch-all term with so many loopholes you could drive a cargo ship through it. Companies are only too happy to exploit this confusion, especially when paired with hefty tax breaks.
Every time the federal government rewards these tactics, it’s sending your hard-earned dollars abroad. We undermine American manufacturers who play by the rules. We leave our supply chains vulnerable. And we trick millions of patriotic consumers who are trying to do the right thing by buying American.
This is how the United States loses industries. Not in some sudden collapse, but by letting the definition of “American-made” get so watered down that it becomes meaningless.
In order to reward deserving companies, the FTC needs to redefine its “Made in America” standard and actually enforce it. It should mean what it says. The core components, which give a product its value, have to be sourced as well as assembled here.
The FTC should also start cracking down by doing more than merely issuing guidance. It needs to slap punitive fines on companies abusing the label and misleading consumers.
Incentives should be reworked so that clean energy credits and manufacturing subsidies are tiered. Full credit for full domestic content. Partial credit for partial effort. No more handing out taxpayer dollars for companies doing the bare minimum.
Finally, the FTC needs to give consumers transparency. Labels should clearly show where the guts of a product come from to enable Americans to make informed choices.
If Washington can’t get this right, we frankly have no business talking about rebuilding anything. “Made in America” shouldn’t be a marketing gimmick. It has to be once again a badge of honor, earned by companies that invest, hire, and build here. To restore American manufacturing, we must stop rewarding fake patriotism and start standing up for the real thing.
Bret Manley is executive director of the <a href="https://eftc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energy Fair Trade Coalition</a>. He is a retired Naval Intelligence Officer and previously worked on Capitol Hill as chief of staff to a senior member of the Congressional Climate Solutions Caucus. Follow on X: <a href="https://x.com/bretmanley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@bretmanley</a>.
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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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Operations Inside The Ford Motor Co. Kentucky Truck Manufacturing Facility

‘Made In America’? Not Exactly.

Taxes

Technology

WASHINGTON—In a major move against the transgender medical industry, the Federal Trade Commission hosted a workshop Wednesday in Washington, D.C., examining the dangers of so-called gender-affirming care.
The FTC&#8217;s workshop, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-federal-trade-commission-is-setting-its-sights-on-transgender-procedures-on-kids">first reported by The Daily Wire</a> in late May, has sparked the ire of leftist activists and Democrats, who argue that the focus is inappropriate. Yet the academics, commentators, detransitioners, parents, and doctors present at the workshop argued that the transgender medical industry is pushing ideology upon American children who are not able to fully consent to these life-altering procedures.
&#8220;The issue of gender medicine has shattered political boundaries,&#8221; said Texas Children&#8217;s whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge. &#8220;Not because of ideology, but because of conscience. This is not a partisan battle, but a battle of good and evil.&#8221;
At the beginning of the panel, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson addressed the objection that transgender issues are outside his agency&#8217;s purview. In fact, Ferguson said, the FTC targets industries and entities that lie or deceive the public, emphasizing that the FTC has a sworn duty to protect American citizens from false and misleading claims.
He then immediately launched into the stories of detransitioners, young people who shared that they attempted gender transitions because they were told they were born in the wrong body — and that undergoing these surgeries and hormonal procedures would save them from suicide.
Simon Amaya Price and his father, Gareth Amaya Price, shared how Simon was bullied as a child and attempted a social transition as a teenager, spurred on by the medical professionals who allegedly asked, &#8220;Would you rather have a dead son, or a living daughter?&#8221;
<div id="attachment_944895" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-blatant-consumer-fraud-inside-the-ftcs-panel-on-transgender-procedures/monopoly-man-highlights-ftc-leaders-for-their-focus-on-childrens-gender-identities" rel="attachment wp-att-944895"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-944895" class="wp-image-944895 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224298218-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224298218-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224298218-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224298218-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224298218.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Ian Madrigal</div>
Detransitioner Claire Abernathy emotionally shared how medical professionals encouraged her to undergo transgender surgeries when she was too young to get a tattoo, too young to drive, and hadn&#8217;t even learned algebra.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not healthcare,&#8221; she argued, &#8220;it&#8217;s blatant consumer fraud.&#8221;
Elvira Syed, the mother of a girl who took her own life as she attempted a gender transition, broke down sobbing as she shared her child&#8217;s story, saying through her tears: &#8220;They treated her ideology, not her illness.&#8221;
&#8220;I lost my 18-year-old daughter to gender ideology,&#8221; she sobbed.
Ferguson, who moderated the panel, was clearly affected as he promised the destransitioners and survivors: &#8220;the FTC hears you, we hear all of you, and we want to understand how the law is being broken.&#8221;
During the workshop, the Justice Department&#8217;s Chad Mizelle announced that the agency has issued nearly 20 subpoenas against clinics that are engaged in transgender transition attempts, noting that the Justice Department&#8217;s investigations include healthcare fraud, false statements, and more.
Mizelle urged Americans to come forward if they could provide information about deceptive practices in the transgender medicine industry.
Immediately following his announcement, Mizelle introduced another panel of detransitioners and parents, including Prisha Mosley, Soren Aldaco, Beth Bourne, Forrest Smith, Helen Spiegel Lee, and Gwen Turecki, individuals who emotionally shared their experiences as they navigated gender transition attempts or helped — or lost — a family member who attempted to transition.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Made it to today’s FTC workshop, “The Dangers of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors.”
Detransitioners, parents, medical professionals, and whistleblowers will be sharing their experiences and expertise during today’s conference.
Blessed to be alongside these incredible souls. <a href="https://t.co/Enrzt11ZcN">pic.twitter.com/Enrzt11ZcN</a>
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1942947548756423006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ferguson shared with The Daily Wire that this emphasis on personal stories was very purposeful.
&#8220;This is about the people we heard from and the suffering that they have had to endure,&#8221; he said in a brief interview. &#8220;As we learn more, it will be our normal enforcement process to figure out what&#8217;s going on, who&#8217;s been doing it, and take appropriate action.&#8221; 
As for the Justice Department&#8217;s news, Ferguson said he was &#8220;thrilled,&#8221; but not surprised.
&#8220;They have been moving at the speed of light, implementing the president&#8217;s agenda,&#8221; he commented, &#8220;and they have a ton of talented lawyers.&#8221; 
&#8220;I&#8217;m thrilled because, hearing from DOJ or the FTC if you&#8217;re a business can be a very intimidating thing, and if you&#8217;re breaking the law, a lot of times just hearing from the government that like &#8230; can curb illegal behavior on its own,&#8221; he noted. &#8220;So I think it&#8217;s great that DOJ is taking this seriously.&#8221; 
The FTC will issue a request for information from the public in the coming days, Ferguson said. As The Daily Wire previously reported, an FTC workshop is typically an indicator of the agency&#8217;s intentions, given that the commission often holds such events before initiating legal action against an industry to gather information, collect evidence, and solicit input from affected Americans.
The chairman noted to The Daily Signal that he believes the best way to hold the transgender medical industry accountable for deceiving patients is to bring enforcement actions against violators, saying: &#8220;If people are making material misstatements, sue them … but I think it&#8217;s taking people to court if the law is being broken, rather than undertaking a two year long rule making process followed by lengthy litigation.&#8221;
He also brushed off backlash from the Left and Democrats with concerns about the FTC&#8217;s focus on the transgender medicine industry.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t really care what Democrats think about this,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They don&#8217;t like the stuff that we do, that&#8217;s the nature of the party system. And so I sort of just price in almost everything we do is going to generate backlash from the other party. That is what it is. My job is to do the right thing and the right thing is protecting kids. I&#8217;ve been saying that since the day that I took this job in January.&#8221; 
Trump has made protecting children a priority, Ferguson pointed out.
&#8220;If there is this material deception going on in this market, it is picking on the most vulnerable human beings in America at the worst possible moment of their lives and brutalizing them,&#8221; he stressed. &#8220;And frankly, the ability of people to turn away from this and say &#8216;no action should be taken&#8217; boggles my mind. So at the end of the day, it is the right thing to do.&#8221;
&#8220;It is the policy of the administration set by President Trump and naysayers on the left, naysay everything, and that&#8217;s just priced in.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-CONGRESS-FEDERAL-TRADE

‘It’s Blatant Consumer Fraud’: Inside The FTC’s Workshop On Transgender Procedures

President Donald Trump’s top consumer protection and antitrust official has approved a massive $13.5 billion merger that will reshape the advertising industry, effectively putting the final nail in the coffin of coordination against outlets based on their political viewpoints.
The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday morning that it has decided not to block a merger between Omnicom and IPG, two rival firms which together make up a third of the world’s “Big Six” advertising agencies. But rather than rubber stamp the deal, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson extracted a major concession: the firms have agreed to cease all coordination related to viewpoint discrimination, refrain from any coordination in the future, and submit to strict compliance mandates.
Ferguson on Monday in his <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/omnicom-ipg-ferguson-statement_0.pdf">official statement on the decision</a> said the firms have offered not only to cease coordination in any way that would steer advertising dollars away from publishers based on political viewpoints, but to cooperate with the FTC’s investigation into past collusion and submit to regular compliance reviews.
The FTC appeared poised to block the merger based on evidence of past “anticompetitive” coordination against conservative news organizations, an issue the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/technology/ftc-investigation-advertising-boycotts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commission is actively investigating</a>. Ferguson on Monday pointed the finger at the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, better known as GARM, which was disbanded in controversy after it was caught directing ad dollars away from right-of-center outlets, including The Daily Wire.
“A Congressional investigation concluded that GARM banded together the most powerful firms in their industry to choke off the vital advertising revenue of those who disagreed with them,” Ferguson said in a Monday statement, adding that GARM aimed “to destroy publishers of content of which they disapproved.”
“GARM was neither the beginning nor the end of harmful and potentially unlawful collusion in this industry,” Ferguson said, a reference to concerns that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-jim-jordan-investigating-ad-industry-attempt-to-create-new-garm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GARM would reconstitute itself</a>.  “Numerous other industry groups and private organizations have publicly sought to use the chokepoint of the advertising industry to effect political or ideological goals.”
The conditions proposed by the companies, however, “mitigate” the FTC’s concerns about politically-motivated collusion in the future.
“Today, Omnicom and IPG have committed themselves to help stop that sort of coordination in their industry,” Ferguson said. “This consent agreement will help mitigate the dangers inherent in a consolidated national advertising market.”
“I hope the conditions imposed on this merger will encourage all advertising firms to adopt similar practices and thereby reduce the temptation to collude to the detriment of their customers, independent journalists, small and independent media companies, consumers, and the American public square,” he concluded.
GARM came under fire in 2024 after a congressional investigation, first reported by The Daily Wire, uncovered overt political bias in the advertising coalition that was being used to keep ad dollars away from websites that weren’t deemed “brand safe.”
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/garm-exposed-house-judiciary-report-says-ad-coalition-broke-law-to-silence-conservatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GARM Exposed: House Judiciary Report Says Ad Coalition Likely Broke Law To Silence Conservatives</a>
Internal emails from ad executives involved in the coalition, which included both Omnicom and IPG, showed that The Daily Wire was put on a “High Risk exclusion list” and “categorized as Conspiracy Theories.” Other emails show that the highest ranking official derided people “advocating for freedom of speech online” and complained that the Constitution was written “by white men exclusively.”
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus and co-founder Ben Shapiro testified to Congress that GARM was a “cartel,” and effectively made it impossible for conservatives to run an ad-based business.
“GARM acts as a cartel,” Shapiro said. “Its members account for 90 percent of ad spending in the United States–almost $1 trillion. In other words, if you’re not getting ad dollars from GARM members, it’s nearly impossible to run an ad-based business.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/04Q1cPX9n9c?si=qbfxzrpn9nfP3ZEB" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The concessions by Omnicom and IPG — which, once merged, will represent the largest ad firm in the world — are a sea change for the ad industry.
While individual companies are certainly still able to decide where they’d like to advertise, it has become standard practice in recent years for the industry to move in concert. Rather than making individual decisions, the industry giants created blacklists using biased third party “misinformation” services such as Newsguard. Entire business sectors would cut off access to disfavored publications based on exclusion lists that became industry standard.
According to the consent decree issued by the FTC on Monday, the firms have agreed to submit annual compliance reports on the matter of coordination for the next five years, as well as spot compliance reports any time the FTC requests one.
The FTC is urging publishers to alert the commission if they believe they are the “object of unlawful collusion.”
The agreement also stipulates that the firms will cooperate with the FTC on all past coordination to boycott publishers based on viewpoint.
“This Agreement requires Omnicom and IPG to cooperate with the Commission in any investigation relating to media-buying services,” Ferguson said, adding that “investigating and policing censorship practices that run afoul of the antitrust laws is a top priority of the Trump-Vance FTC.”
It is unclear whether the other four major ad firms — Publicis, WPP, Dentsu, and Havas — will take action regarding their own practices following the change by Omnicom and IPG. The ad industry has been gathered at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, where the potential merger was certainly a main topic of discussion.
The public will have 30 days to submit comments to the FTC on the merger decision.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump FTC Secures Landmark Agreement to End Political Collusion in Advertising Industry

advertising

Censorship

Ferguson

GARM

ICE arrests the family of the Colorado illegal alien terror suspect as the Trump administration rounds up 1,500 illegal immigrants in another sanctuary state. Drug giant CVS could be closing all of its pharmacies in Arkansas due to a first-in-the-nation law targeting pharmaceutical middlemen. And the FTC probes whether a dozen major advertising and watchdog groups illegally coordinated to blacklist platforms.
It’s Wednesday, June 4, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Illegal Immigrant Terror &amp; Lowering Drug Prices" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqAe_rGGNek?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>
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/illegal-immigrant-terror-lowering-drug-prices-6-4-25/id1576594336?i=1000711132840" 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>Immigrant Terror Rising?</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-928913" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_20_08.Still001.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_20_08.Still001.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_20_08.Still001-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: Immigration enforcement continues to ramp up as the Trump administration prioritizes criminal and national security threats.
Senior Homeland Security officials <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1929955057421738215">told Fox News&#8217;s Bill Melugin</a> on Tuesday that federal authorities have arrested the immediate family of the Boulder terror suspect, Mohamed Soliman. Sources say the family is “being processed for expedited removal.”
The arrest came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a general policy of expected removal for immigrants with ties to terrorists. “All terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you.”
Meanwhile, in South Carolina, a group of <a href="https://abcnews4.com/news/state/six-illegal-migrants-charged-in-murder-of-sc-woman-defies-any-sense-of-decency">illegal aliens</a>, ranging from just 13 years old to 21, were recently arrested in connection with the brutal murder of Larisha Thompson. She was driving down the road when she was fatally shot. Authorities have charged six illegal aliens of uncertain national origin in connection with the murder. Investigators on the scene found evidence linking the firearm used in the attack to a <a href="https://wach.com/news/local/six-arrested-in-death-of-sc-woman-all-wanted-by-immigration-officials-larisha-sharell-thompson-lancaster">recent burglary</a>. An individual fired at a security camera while burglarizing a gas station convenience store. The SWAT team raided the home of the 21-year-old. The six illegal aliens have each been charged with murder, attempted armed robbery, and second-degree burglary.
And ICE has announced nearly 1,500 arrests in Massachusetts, a sanctuary state. Of those arrested, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ice-massachusetts-raids-todd-lyons-boston/">790 illegal aliens</a>, more than half of them, had criminal records or pending charges. Patricia Hyde, the acting director of the Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office, explained that Massachusetts’s sanctuary state policies force immigration enforcement agents to go into the community rather than simply pick up illegal aliens from jails.
<h2>Drug Middleman Crackdown</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-928917" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_04.Still003-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: A first-in-the-nation law takes on pharmacy benefit managers, the drug middlemen both sides of the aisle have blamed for inflating prescription drug prices.
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) act as middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacies – and by extension, patients. They negotiate with drug companies and pay pharmacies for filing prescriptions. In theory, they’re supposed to lower costs for Americans. However, over the last decade, PBMs have consolidated – now just three companies oversee prescriptions for more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html">200 million Americans</a>. They’ve been accused by both Republicans and Democrats of inflating prices for their own benefit and driving small pharmacies out of business.
A new Arkansas law, Act 624, bans PBMs from holding permits for prescription drug sales. In response, pharmacy giant CVS has said it might have to close all 23 of its pharmacies in Arkansas. CVS owns one of the Big Three PBMs, called Caremark. CVS has also <a href="https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2025/05/29/express-scripts-sues-arkansas-over-new-law-banning-pbms-from-owning-pharmacies">filed suit</a> against the state to prevent the law from going into effect – Express Scripts, another of the Big Three, has also sued the state.
“PBMs [are supposed] to negotiate better drug prices between the insurance companies and the pharmacies,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) told The Daily Wire. “But what was actually happening is the pharmacies were buying the PBMs and completely controlling and monopolizing the market. We call ‘em drug middlemen because that’s exactly what they are. They’re over-inflating prices and passing that inflation down to the consumer. … You had three of the largest PBMs in the country controlling 80% of the pharmaceutical market – complete control allows them to charge more.”
Sanders told The Daily Wire that this law is intended to help small pharmacies keep their doors open and criticized CVS for its response. “It shows where their priorities are. They would rather own the PBM than keep their pharmacy open and provide care to the patients they claim to care about. … I&#8217;m all for private industry making money, but not on the backs of the people who really need access to care.”
About a month after Gov. Sanders signed the act into law, President Donald Trump targeted PBMs with an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-announces-actions-to-put-american-patients-first-by-lowering-drug-prices-and-stopping-foreign-free-riding-on-american-pharmaceutical-innovation/">executive order</a>. The order encourages direct consumer purchases, cutting out the middlemen, and mandates more pricing transparency. Sanders said this momentum is building across the country and told The Daily Wire that she hopes consumers will have more access and see lower prices for prescription drugs once this law goes into effect next year.
<h2>FTC Probes Ad Collusion</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-928915" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_21_22.Still002-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Media Matters and about a dozen other groups for allegedly pushing advertisers to boycott social media platforms over controversial content.
The FTC is probing whether Media Matters and these other groups violated antitrust law by mobilizing advertisers to boycott platforms like X – to prevent their ads from appearing next to content deemed controversial. The commission is also targeting Ad Fontes Media, which rates media outlets’ biases, investigating the group for “possible collusion.”
Some of the groups that are under investigation help brands choose where to place ads across the internet, and some of the groups, like Media Matters, call out so-called “hateful content” online. More than a dozen organizations are under investigation, and lawyers for the groups said the FTC requested broad information about their business practices.
“I’m concerned about advertiser collusion,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwAPMhdq5c4">said</a> last week. “If you’ve got an idea and you want the world to know it, you need eyeballs. … You talk online, and advertisers advertise next to what you’re saying, and they make money off of that, but if advertisers are getting into a back room somewhere and agreeing, &#8216;we’re not going to advertise next to that guy’s speech,&#8217; right, that is a real problem, and it is a form of concerted refusal to deal that the antitrust laws have long prohibited.”
Ferguson also argued that the FTC’s investigation was nonpartisan – while he agreed that conservatives were disproportionately being targeted, the same principle would apply to progressive speech. “I don’t think anyone on the Left would be comfortable with the idea of a bunch of large businesses getting into a back room and saying, &#8216;hey, whenever anyone says anything favorable about abortion, we’re not advertising next to that, right?&#8217; I don’t think the Left would like that any more than the Right would like the idea that such collusion could be affecting their speech.”
X CEO Elon Musk sued Media Matters in 2023 over this issue, accusing the leftist group of trying to stop advertisers from purchasing ads on X. That lawsuit is ongoing.

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Morning Brief: ICE’s Anti-Terror Offensive And The Crackdown On Prescription Drug Middlemen

Arkansas

Colorado

Morning Wire

Prescription Drugs

WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission is setting its sights on the industry pushing transgender medical procedures on minors, documents obtained by The Daily Wire show, a potential major step in the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to crack down on radical gender ideology.
The FTC, an agency tasked with protecting American consumers, will hold a day-long workshop in July on transgender surgeries, hormones, and puberty blockers, according to an internal memo obtained by The Daily Wire. That&#8217;s a likely indicator of the agency&#8217;s intentions: the FTC often holds such events before initiating legal action against an industry to gain information, gather evidence, and solicit the input of affected Americans.
&#8220;Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, the FTC is provided broad authority to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive trade acts and practices,&#8221; the memo reads. &#8220;There is now considerable reason to believe that the doctors and medical providers pushing [gender-affirming care] on minors are knowingly deceiving parents by exaggerating [gender-affirming care&#8217;s] &#8216;benefits&#8217; and downplaying its harmful side effects.&#8221;
The Trump-appointed chairman of the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, reportedly pitched the president on using the agency to fight &#8220;against the trans agenda&#8221; before he was selected for the post, according to a document obtained by Punchbowl News in December.
Ferguson believed the FTC could &#8220;investigate the doctors, therapists, hospitals, and others who deceptively pushed gender confusion, puberty blockers, hormone replacement, and sex-change surgeries on children and adults while failing to disclose strong evidence that such interventions are not helpful and carry enormous risks,&#8221; Punchbowl reported.
The FTC declined to comment for this story. But the leadership, contents, and guests of the proposed workshop — &#8220;The Big Lie: The Dangers of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors&#8221; — strongly indicate that the commission plans to make good on those promises.
<div id="attachment_922527" style="width: 939px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-federal-trade-commission-is-setting-its-sights-on-transgender-procedures-on-kids/ftc-chairman-andrew-ferguson-testifies-during-house-hearing" rel="attachment wp-att-922527"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-922527" class="wp-image-922527 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215277518-929x576.jpg" alt="" width="929" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215277518-929x576.jpg 929w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215277518-300x186.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215277518-768x476.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215277518.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px" /></a>Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)</div>
The memo obtained by The Daily Wire was authored by FTC senior policy advisor Jon Schweppe, the former policy director for the American Principles Project, which has aggressively fought against transgender ideology. The group has had a strong influence on MAGA culture war messaging. In one instance, APP&#8217;s leader, Terry Schilling, hand-delivered polling to Trump showing how strongly Americans would back a candidate who took a stand against gender ideology.
The purpose of the workshop, according to the memo, is to build on President Trump&#8217;s executive order ending the federal government&#8217;s support for so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; for minors. The memo notes that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently called transgender procedures &#8220;in truth still experimental.&#8221;
While transgender advocates claim that performing transgender surgeries, hormones, and puberty blocker procedures on children will cause them to be less suicidal, the FTC memo notes that &#8220;a growing chorus of experts now publicly contradict these claims.&#8221;
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&#8220;There are no longitudinal studies on the effectiveness of [gender-affirming care] on minors,&#8221; the memo states. &#8220;While several politicized medical organizations that promote [gender-affirming care] for minors as the best standard of medical care might claim a &#8216;consensus,&#8217; there is in truth no widespread medical consensus as to whether [gender-affirming care] is the correct course of action for gender dysphoric youth.&#8221;
Significantly, the memo notes that &#8220;while there remains a debate over the &#8216;benefits&#8217; of [gender-affirming care] for minors, the science is settled when it comes to the harms.&#8221; The document cites the &#8220;debilitating&#8221; side effects that come with giving minors puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, including infertility, developmental harm, sexual dysfunction, inability to achieve orgasm, blood clots, osteoporosis, and more.
These risks are typically downplayed by activists, but are also &#8220;widely acknowledged as medical fact,&#8221; the FTC memo states.
The proposed guest list for the conference includes a number of higher profile doctors and experts in the gender field, such as Dr. Miriam Grossman, who has written a number of books on the topic, and Dr. Jay Richards of the Heritage Foundation. Another proposed guest is Erin Friday, an attorney who co-leads &#8220;Our Duty USA&#8221; and has filed multiple lawsuits and amicus briefs on the issue following her own experience helping her daughter navigate gender dysphoria.
<div id="attachment_922529" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-federal-trade-commission-is-setting-its-sights-on-transgender-procedures-on-kids/us-news-mo-transgender-healthcare-kc-3" rel="attachment wp-att-922529"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-922529" class="wp-image-922529 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1252215740-768x576.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1252215740-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1252215740-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1252215740.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a>Chloe Cole (Katie Bernard/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)</div>
Other proposed guests include individuals who have spoken out about their experience undergoing devastating transgender procedures, like Chloe Cole, and a number of whistleblowers who sought to expose child gender transition practices in Missouri and Texas — and were subsequently targeted by the Biden justice department for their efforts.

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