X owner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> said on Saturday that he would be filing a lawsuit against leftist outlet <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/media-matters-for-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media Matters</a> for America over a story it ran this week that he said was misleading and intended to undermine free speech.
Musk announced the suit early Saturday morning, promising to file the suit as soon as the courts opened on Monday. The Media Matters <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">story</a> at the center of the suit was published on Thursday and claimed that X was placing ads for major corporations alongside Nazi-related content. 
In the aftermath of the story, multiple corporations said that they would be pulling advertising from X, including Apple and IBM. 
“The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company,” Musk said, indicating that the suit would target the board and their “network of dark money.”
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The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company <a href="https://t.co/55vl7PspaQ">pic.twitter.com/55vl7PspaQ</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1725771191644758037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A press release from Musk said that the Media Matters story “completely misrepresented the real user experience on X, in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers.”
Musk said that X was committed to free speech on the platform, even objectionable speech, and that people had the right to decide what to read or watch.
“Despite our clear and consistent position, X has seen a number of attacks from activist groups like Media Matters and legacy media outlets who seek to undermine freedom of expression on our platform because they perceive it as a threat to their ideological narrative and those of their financial supporters,” the release said. 
Musk said that Media Matters created a “contrived” experience by using an alternate account to curate what posts appeared on the timeline. “Once they curated their feed, they repeatedly refreshed their timelines to find a rare instance of ads serving next the content they chose to follow,” Musk said. 
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He said that X logs indicated that of the 5.5 billion ad impressions the day Media Matters pulled its research from, that less than 50 were served alongside the content highlighted by Media Matters.
For one “brand showcased in the article, two of its ads served adjacent to 2 posts, 3 times, and that ad was only seen in that setting by one user, the author of the Media Matters article,” Musk said. 
In addition to Apple and IBM, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast/NBCUniversal, Lionsgate and Paramount Global all <a href="https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/elon-musk-suing-media-matters-advertising-x-twitter-ads-nazi-white-pride-1235798786/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> they were pausing ads on the social media platform.

GERMANY-ECONOMY-AUTOMOBILE-TESLA

Elon Musk To File ‘Thermonuclear’ Suit Against Media Matters Over ‘Contrived’ Story On X

Big Tech

Elon Musk

Free Speech

Media

Media Matters For America

Twitter

U.S.

A Finnish politician who was on trial over her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality was found not guilty after the “hate crime” charges she faced were dismissed on Tuesday. 
Parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen faced state charges related to her sharing a 2019 tweet that included pictures of Bible verses,  a radio debate she had in 2019, and a pamphlet she wrote on marriage back in 2004. The Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the charges and those faced by Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who published Räsänen&#8217;s 2004 pamphlet called “Male and Female He Created Them.”
“I am deeply relieved. The court has fully endorsed and upheld the decision of the district court, which recognized everyone’s right to free speech,” Räsänen <a href="https://adfinternational.org/breaking-finnish-parliamentarian-found-not-guilty-of-hate-speech-for-bible-tweet-and-other-expressions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after the court ruling was announced. 
Räsänen, a member of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finnish</a> parliament, was supported in her defense by the Alliance Defending Freedom International. The prosecution must cover Räsänen’s legal bills according to the appeals court. 
“It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse with a Christian perspective. The attempts made to prosecute me for expressing my beliefs have resulted in an immensely trying four years, but my hope is that the result will stand as a key precedent to protect the human right to free speech. I sincerely hope other innocent people will be spared the same ordeal for simply voicing their convictions,” Räsänen added. 
While Räsänen was unanimously acquitted by the District Court of Helsinki for the same charges back in March 2022, state prosecutors sought to appeal the lower court’s ruling earlier this year. 
The appeals court said that it had “no reason, on the basis of the evidence received at the main hearing, to assess the case in any respect differently from the District Court. There is therefore no reason to alter the final result of the District Court’s judgment.”  
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During the case, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/finnish-politician-back-in-court-for-criminal-interpretation-of-bible-verses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prosecutors argued</a> that they “can limit freedom of expression in the outward expression of religion.” They also said that the 2019 tweet was criminal because of Räsänen’s interpretation of the verse. “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal,” one prosecutor said.  
Paul Coleman, the executive director of ADF International, celebrated the ruling but added that hate speech laws were dangerous for societies. 
“While we celebrate this monumental victory, we also remember that it comes after four years of police investigations, criminal indictments, prosecutions, and court hearings. We applaud the Helsinki Court of Appeal’s ruling in this case, and we work towards the bigger victory when such ludicrous cases are no longer brought,” he said.

Screen Shot 2023-11-14 at 7.01.23 AM

Finnish Court Dismisses Hate Crime Charges Against Politician On Trial Over Christian Beliefs

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Christianity

Finland

Hate Speech

Marriage

Sexuality

Conservative and Jewish college students testified before Congress on Wednesday on how their point of view has been silenced and how they have been threatened on campuses across the country. 
The hearing — which took place before the House Judiciary Committee — focused on free speech and anti-Semitism and featured current and former college students, including members of the conservative group Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). As conservative and Jewish students attempted to tell lawmakers of the harassment they’ve faced at universities, a group of anti-Israel activists <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-palestinian-protesters-heckle-jewish-students-during-campus-anti-semitism-hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interrupted the hearing</a> on multiple occasions before they were escorted out of the room. 
One conservative witness, Jasmyn Jordan, a University of Iowa student and the chairwoman of the Iowa YAF chapter, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/black-conservative-student-testifies-harassment-iowa-campus-says-college-empowering-leftist-threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that freedom of speech is not equal for conservatives and liberals on college campuses. 
&#8220;The first time I noticed this was when Iowa YAF hosted Kellyanne Conway as a speaker. In response, I was doxxed in a group chat of over 800 students and was falsely labeled as a Nazi, a token, a white supremacist, and a bigot,&#8221; said Jordan, who is black. &#8220;Some individuals even expressed that I made them uncomfortable and feared that I might commit a hate crime against them simply because I&#8217;m Black and hold conservative principles. These students believe that if you are conservative, you are hateful, support oppression, and only want to benefit straight White men even though such beliefs are untrue.&#8221;
Jordan added that on one occasion her group invited Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-devastating-ruling-for-the-trans-cult-matt-walsh-breaks-down-federal-courts-quashing-of-aclu-in-tn-trans-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Walsh</a> to speak on campus, but “students and faculty were willing to do anything to cancel the event just because they found Walsh’s speech to be offensive.&#8221; When Walsh arrived on campus for the speech, Jordan said one student spilled thousands of marbles on the floor to keep people from attending the event, attendees were spat on, and a band played loud music outside of Walsh’s speech attempting to drown him out. 
&#8220;Despite repeatedly meeting with the university administration, the rules are continually permitted to be broken by Left-leaning students,&#8221; Jordan said. &#8220;They are in fact coddled by our school. The university expresses affirmations and puts together support, solidarity, and celebration spaces.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Jasmyn Jordan details her experience at the University of Iowa where her and fellow classmates have been harassed, spat on, and even sent death threats for their personal views and beliefs. <a href="https://t.co/QHXwXXqydW">pic.twitter.com/QHXwXXqydW</a>
&mdash; House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1722287314011824482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another witness, Connor Ogrydziak, <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2023/11/08/conservative--jewish-students-testify-they-re-being-silenced-on-college-campuses">testified</a> about the threats and harassment his YAF chapter faced from radical leftists when they hosted Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/radical-indoctrination-factories-for-producing-ignorant-activists-michael-knowles-talks-leftist-takeover-of-elite-universities-at-cornell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Knowles</a> for an event. Just weeks after Knowles appeared at the University of Buffalo, the college’s student senate voted to amend its rules and no longer recognize the YAF chapter at Buffalo as a student organization.
“Regardless of what side of the political aisle you reside on, it should be common ground that no student deserves to be threatened, mistreated or silenced on campus due to their personal beliefs,” said Connor Ogrydziak who recently graduated from the university. “Conservative students currently face a relentless uphill battle for representation on campus.”
Ogrydziak also told the Judiciary Committee that YAF members were chased across campus and one board member was physically attacked after the group hosted former Republican Congressman Lt. Col. Allen West. 
“With silence from the university and charges not pressed by the Erie County District Attorney&#8217;s office, I&#8217;ve since been left to consider the precedent this sets for those who plan to protest future events on campus,” Ogrydziak said. “&#8230; If those were who were involved in this mob were able to result to fear tactics and violence without consequence, what is keeping a pattern of this despicable behavior from being set and executed repeatedly?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“It should be common ground that no student deserves to be threatened, mistreated, or silenced on campus due to their personal beliefs.”
Connor Ogrydziak outlines the censorship he and other conservatives experienced at the University of Buffalo. <a href="https://t.co/YyTOeeKL3Y">pic.twitter.com/YyTOeeKL3Y</a>
&mdash; House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1722286429886099602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Jasmyn Jordan

Conservative Students Testify Before Congress On Leftist Harassment At Universities Across U.S.

Conservative Students Testify Before Congress On Leftist Harassment On Campuses Across U.S.

American Universities

Anti-Semitism

Congress

House Republicans

Leftism

Matt Walsh

Michael Knowles

Over the summer, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-christian-graphic-designer-who-refused-to-work-on-same-sex-weddings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landmark victory</a> for free speech in <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/303-creative-v-elenis?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">303 Creative v. Elenis</a>. The court reaffirmed the bedrock First Amendment principle that the government may not compel Americans to speak a message that violates their beliefs. That freedom protects everyone, and all views — those that we like and those that we loathe.
But it’s one thing to acknowledge these truisms, it’s another thing to apply them. That is now the responsibility of lower courts across the country. And it’s our responsibility, as citizens, to safeguard this cherished freedom.
In 303 Creative, the Supreme Court held that Colorado could not misuse a law to compel graphic designer Lorie Smith to design custom websites that celebrate a view of marriage that violates her beliefs. That decision rightly resolved a critical legal question that had been percolating in lower courts for years.
But many artists before Lorie endured a different outcome. And other artists are still waiting for courts to apply 303 Creative to prevent state or local governments from compelling their speech.
Ten years ago, the <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/nm-supreme-court-price-citizenship-compromising-your-beliefs?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Mexico Supreme Court</a> decided that a state law required photographer Elaine Huguenin to create photographs that contradicted her religious beliefs. That decision forced Elaine to close her business to avoid betraying her faith. Adding insult to injury, one New Mexico Supreme Court justice infamously told Elaine that sacrificing her beliefs was “the price of citizenship” in America.
Around that same time, cake artist Jack Phillips first drew the ire of Colorado officials. He was asked to create a custom wedding cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. Jack declined because that would have forced him to express a message about marriage he does not believe. Colorado sued him, and his case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/us-supreme-court-rules-favor-colorado-cake-artist?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> state officials for demonstrating “a clear and impermissible hostility towards” Jack’s faith.
Undeterred, just a few days later, Colorado took legal action against Jack again. But the state quickly settled after evidence revealed Colorado’s ongoing hostility against Jack. Now, he’s in the midst of his third related lawsuit, which the <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/colorado-supreme-court-takes-jack-phillips-free-speech-case?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Supreme Court will hear next year</a> .
Throughout the country, artists whose businesses and creations are inextricably connected to and guided by their faith found themselves bearing the weight of government coercion.
<a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/floral-artist-asks-us-supreme-court-protect-her-freedom?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barronelle Stutzman</a>, a great-grandmother and custom floral artist from Washington, spent nearly 10 years standing for her constitutional rights. She eventually settled her case, which allowed her to retire with her conscience intact. Blaine Adamson, a promotional print shop owner, had to defend his freedom to design custom t-shirts consistent with his beliefs up to Kentucky’s Supreme Court. Along the way, he received vitriolic emails and calls. Large customers pulled their business, too. 
Many other artists — including <a href="https://adflegal.org/client/brush-nib-studio?__cf_chl_tk=lMuNoPKCpfzqa5op0eKt5GzOSgMMzgsYQ4HThjGUz1o-1698175632-0-gaNycGzNFCU?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calligraphers</a>, <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/telescope-media-group-v-lucero?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">videographers</a>, and <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/amy-lynn-photography-studio-v-city-madison?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">photographers</a> — also took a stand to defend their freedom to create art reflecting their deeply held beliefs.
These artists have three things in common. First, they serve all people, including those who identify as LGBT. Their decisions to accept or decline a project always depend on the message they’re being asked to express, not on the identity of the person making the request.
Second, each artist has faced severe penalties for violating the law — devastating financial costs, mandatory educational programs, and jail time for declining to say something they don’t believe.
And third, each of them simply wants the freedom to create art that is consistent with their faith. Put differently, they desire the freedom to decide for themselves what messages to express through their art.
The 303 Creative decision assures them — and all Americans — of this right. But the implications of this ruling now come front and center in <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/after-supreme-courts-landmark-free-speech-ruling-photographers-ky-ny-seek-also-create?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two separate cases</a> that are currently on appeal.
These cases involve <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/ChelseyNelsonOnePageSummary.pdf?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsey Nelson</a> and <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/CarpenterOnePageSummary.pdf?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emilee Carpenter</a> who create photographs and write blogs that celebrate their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Chelsey and Emilee are challenging local laws that would compel them to promote different views of marriage.
Both have asked their respective appellate courts to apply the same First Amendment protections affirmed in 303 Creative to their cases.
Their arguments go like this. Photographs and blogs are speech; they communicate ides. Chelsey and Emilee gladly serve people of all backgrounds, including those who identify as LGBT. Like most artists, there are some messages they can’t create, regardless of who asks. And 303 Creative held that the government cannot compel an artist to say something that contradicts their beliefs. That’s a right that runs to the soul of what it means to be an American.
It’s a right so many have sacrificed so much to preserve for their fellow citizens. May our nation’s best judges recognize the worth of that sacrifice – not as “the price of citizenship,” but as its highest privilege.
Bryan Neihart is legal counsel with <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ADFLegal</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Supreme Court of the United States 303 Creative v Elenis

After Landmark SCOTUS Ruling On Free Speech, More Artists Ask For Help In The Fight

Freedom of Religion

Readers Pass

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

President Biden Delivers Remarks On His Administration’s Efforts To Safeguard The Development Of Artificial Intelligence

The White House’s War On ‘Hate’ Is Really A War On Free Speech

The White House's War On 'Hate' Is Really A War On Free Speech

Hate Crime

Islam

Kamala Harris

Notre Dame University President has defended the school&#8217;s decision to sponsor a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag queen</a> show stating in an automated response that the event will happen on the grounds of &#8220;academic freedom&#8221; and &#8220;freedom of expression.&#8221;
The university&#8217;s school paper &#8220;The Irish Rover&#8221; recently reported that the Film, Television, and Theater (FTT) Department will host a school-sponsored drag show on the campus on November 3.
News about the event has drawn criticism from students of the Catholic University who wrote an email to the school&#8217;s administration stating that the invite needs to &#8220;be rescinded [and that] the University offer an apology, especially to her women, for ever considering such a degrading portrayal of femininity, and direct its funds to events that support authentic femininity and the dignity of the human person,&#8221; the <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2023/10/26/notre-dame-admin-defends-university-sponsored-drag-show-under-the-guise-of-academic-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federalist</a> reported.
In the automated response from the University President John Jenkins, those upset about the event were told that it&#8217;s a matter of &#8220;academic freedom.&#8221;
&#8220;We defend this freedom even when the content of the presentation is objectionable to some or even many,&#8221; the letter read. &#8220;The event you reference is part of a one-credit course in Film, Television and Theater on the history of drag, and the principle of academic freedom applies.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Notre Dame Admin Defends University-Sponsored Drag Show Under The Guise Of ‘Academic Freedom’<a href="https://t.co/Wi1UZiDzvp">https://t.co/Wi1UZiDzvp</a>
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) <a href="https://twitter.com/FDRLST/status/1717520451436724545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
The response also stated that &#8220;the right of free expression does not, of course, extend to speech that threatens violence or constitutes harassment against an individual or a group. Such expressions violate University policies and will not be tolerated.&#8221;
The event-which is billed as featuring several <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taxpayer-funded-lgbtq-center-teaches-kids-as-young-as-11-fundamentals-of-drag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag performers</a>&#8211; is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters Initiative on Race and Resilience, the Departments of Music and American Studies, and the Gender Studies Program, the Federalist noted.
The Rover&#8217;s editor-in-chief Nico Schmitz wrote a plea to &#8220;Students, faculty, and staff who care about preserving Notre Dame as an authentically Catholic institution [to] make their voices heard on the matter.&#8221;
In his <a href="https://irishrover.net/2023/10/no-place-for-drag-at-our-ladys-university/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">column</a>, he wrote that by the university &#8220;supporting lies about the human person — lies that say men can be women and that a minstrel show of femininity is a legitimate art form — the university is not only actively working against her mission, but permitting irreparable damage to its community and image.&#8221;
More than 400 people have emailed the university in opposition and if the event does happen, students who are upset have planned to host a rosary rally outside of the performance in November, the outlet noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-christians-need-to-be-a-lot-less-welcoming-and-tolerant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Christians Need To Be A Lot Less Welcoming And Tolerant</a>

Duval Street

Notre Dame President Defends School-Sponsored Drag Show On Grounds Of ‘Academic Freedom’

College

Drag Queens

LGBTQ

News

Notre Dame University

Douglass Mackey, the creator of a popular pro-Trump Twitter account, has been sentenced to seven months in prison after he was convicted of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">election interference</a> over social media posts.
Mackey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-trump-memester-found-guilty-of-election-interference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was accused</a> of a “scheme to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote,” after a Twitter account he ran under the handle “Ricky Vaughn&#8221; posted memes in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. One image showed a black woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign and said “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925.”
U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly, an Obama appointee, sentenced Mackey, claiming that his actions were “nothing short of an assault on our democracy,” <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/pro-trump-troll-sentenced-to-seven-months-over-election-day-shenanigans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Courthouse News Service.
“Voting is the right that secures all other rights we hold dear,” Department of Justice Attorney Erik David Paulsen said Wednesday. “They were committing fraud, one that was aimed at one of our most sacred rights in our democracy.”
Mackey was charged one week after President Joe Biden assumed office and roughly four years after the 2016 election. The Justice Department claimed that Mackey had conspired to “injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate” people from exercising their right to vote. Prosecutors said that he and others had “intended variously to provoke, mislead, and, in some cases, deceive voters in the 2016 presidential election” with their posts.
The Justice Department said that Mackey had worked with other influential Twitter users between September 2016 and November 2016 to “disseminate fraudulent messages” which persuaded voters for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to cast their ballots via phone or social media. According to the government, some 4,900 people texted the number, but it’s unclear how many people, if anyone, fell for the meme and did not cast the vote they intended to cast; or were merely participating in the joke.
James Lawrence, an attorney for Mackey, previously said in an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-doj-trying-to-lock-up-a-pro-trump-meme-maker-for-ten-years-heres-what-you-need-to-know">interview</a> with The Daily Wire that his memes were satirical and were therefore not relevant to the law he purportedly violated. Mackey faced as many as 10 years in prison.
Mackey lawyer Andrew Frisch said that prison time was unnecessary, while Paulesen said it was needed to “send a message to the general public.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Prosecutors also took aim at Mackey for derogatory posts he had made toward black people and women, but Donnely said her sentence did not have to do with his political beliefs. “You are not being sentenced for your political beliefs or for expressing those beliefs,” she said.
As Mackey was prosecuted, some conservatives have pointed to a <a href="https://twitter.com/mskristinawong/status/795999059987173377?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> made by comedian Kristina Wong urging Trump supporters to vote by text or on Wednesday, the day after the 2016 election. Wong, who was wearing a MAGA hat and had Trump signs in the back of the video, never faced any consequences for her video.
In an opinion piece for National Review, former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/01/the-justice-departments-ridiculous-voter-disinformation-prosecution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> that Mackey’s right to free speech had been violated in a politically motivated case by the Biden administration. “It’s a three-fer: the prosecutorial creation of a crime Congress has not prescribed, the trivialization of civil-rights law, and the intrusion of government as a monitor of political speech.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-doj-trying-to-lock-up-a-pro-trump-meme-maker-for-ten-years-heres-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden DOJ Trying To Lock Up A Pro-Trump Meme Maker For Ten Years. Here&#8217;s What You Need To Know. </a>

Collage Maker-18-Oct-2023-02-15-PM-7247

Trump Supporter Douglass Mackey Sentenced To 7 Months In Prison Over Voting Memes

Biden Admin

Donald Trump

Elections

There’s a new law being promoted by the European Union called the Digital Services Act. A recent article by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/27/technology/disinformation-law-european-union.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> covered the law, writing: 
<blockquote>The law, the Digital Services Act, is intended to force social media giants to adopt new policies and practices to address accusations that they routinely host — and, through their algorithms, popularize — corrosive content. If the measure is successful, as officials and experts hope, its effects could extend far beyond Europe, changing company policies in the United States and elsewhere.
The law, years of painstaking bureaucracy in the making, reflects a growing alarm in European capitals that the unfettered flow of disinformation online — much of it fueled by Russia and other foreign adversaries — threatens to erode the democratic governance at the core of the European Union’s values. </blockquote>
The issue has not been Russia taking hold of the means of distribution. The issue has been that our leaders have been lying to us so routinely for the past several decades that it’s very easy to debunk the lies, leaving them wide open to charges that they’re lying to you.
Laws of this type are invariably slanted toward the political Left because the political bureaucracy decides what constitutes “hate speech.” That’s going to include citing the Bible or saying boys are not girls, for example. That type of speech is going to be banned on social media platforms if the E.U. has its way. The E.U. also has very different free speech standards than the United States. The United States has a First Amendment. No such thing applies in the E.U.
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The Times continues:
<blockquote>Europe’s new law has already set the stage for a clash with Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr. Musk withdrew from a voluntary code of conduct this year but must comply with the new law — at least within the European Union’s market of nearly 450 million people.</blockquote>
There are many people in social media circles who are very happy the E.U. is promoting this law. Why? Because if they set the standard, then the social media companies can’t be blamed.
<blockquote>While the law’s intentions are sweeping, enforcing the behavior of some of the world’s richest and most powerful companies remains a daunting challenge. That task is even more difficult for policing disinformation on social media, where anybody can post their views and perceptions of truth are often skewed by politics. Regulators would have to prove a platform had systemic problems that caused harm, an untested area of law that could ultimately lead to years of litigation.</blockquote>
But that’s the point. If the threat is, “We’re going to lock you guys up in litigation for years on end,” what you’re going to see is social media companies immediately react by siphoning off tremendous amounts of speech. That is where this is going. And it’s working hand in hand with non-government actors like GARM, which is an advertising consortium that tells advertisers to pull their money from any social media platform that has too much freedom on it.
Later in the article, the Times writes:
<blockquote>The law defines broad categories of illegal or harmful content, not specific themes or topics. It obliges the companies to, among other things, provide greater protections to users, giving them more information about algorithms that recommend content and allowing them to opt out, and ending advertising targeted at children. It also requires them to submit independent audits and to make public decisions on removing content and other data — steps that experts say would help combat the problem.</blockquote>
If the E.U. decides they don’t like you distributing particular information, they will target you. It’s that simple. Nick Clegg, the president of global affairs at Meta, <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/08/new-features-and-additional-transparency-measures-as-the-digital-services-act-comes-into-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in a blog post</a> last month, “It is right to seek to hold large platforms like ours to account through things like reporting and auditing, rather than attempting to micromanage individual pieces of content.”
So watch for the crackdown on social media, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 election, because the Left has created a narrative for itself, arguing the only way the Right could win is if they purvey massive amounts of misinformation.
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2BShapiro_Debunked0123 copy

The E.U. Comes After Free Speech. Get Ready For Social Media Crackdown In 2024.

Ben Shapiro

European Union

New York Times

Social Media

&#8220;The View&#8221; host Whoopi Goldberg appeared to be hacked off over the fact that former President Donald Trump is allowed freedom of speech — especially since he has used that freedom to publicly blast the people involved in his current trial.
Goldberg registered her complaint during Tuesday&#8217;s broadcast of the ABC midday talk show, and she attempted to argue that his vocal complaints about the judge and prosecutors amounted to &#8220;threats&#8221; and would pose a risk to them and potentially others.
WATCH:
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Whoopi claims Trump&#39;s criticism of the people prosecuting him are actually threats and he should have his speech censored. &quot;Why can he continue to threaten judges, threaten AGs, and threaten just people?&quot; She suggests there&#39;s a double standard. <a href="https://t.co/q6nprZ0kzP">pic.twitter.com/q6nprZ0kzP</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1709225529906225311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Why can he continue to threaten judges, threaten AGs, and threaten just people?&#8221; Goldberg asked, while co-host Sunny Hostin solemnly nodded along in agreement.
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&#8220;Now, I understand that some folks say it&#8217;s freedom of speech, but if I did that, they would not consider it freedom of speech,&#8221; Goldberg continued, appearing to suggest that she would face consequences if she were to make public complaints in a similar situation.
&#8220;So why does he get to continue to threaten — and it&#8217;s threats like he did with January 6th,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He basically said, &#8216;Come after her.&#8217; He didn&#8217;t say exactly those words, but I don&#8217;t know how else you take those words — but why is he continuously allowed to do that when none of us would be able to?&#8221;
Later on in the segment, co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin accused Trump of &#8220;hiding behind the First Amendment&#8221; — and Behar argued that he had done the same thing when he verbally attacked former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and his own former Vice President Mike Pence.
Hostin went on to note that limited &#8220;gag orders&#8221; had already been put into place ordering Trump not to threaten potential witnesses in an effort to impact the outcome of the trial — but she also pointed out that those orders had not been terribly &#8220;expansive&#8221; and left him quite a bit of leeway.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG

Whoopi Goldberg Is Very Upset That Donald Trump Gets Free Speech

The View

Whoopi Goldberg

An <a href="https://palmettofamily.org/stopping-the-insanity#:~:text=Palmetto%20Family%20Council%20%2D%20Stopping%20The%20Insanity&amp;text=Join%20Palmetto%20Family%20on%20November,Carolina%20and%20across%20the%20country." target="_blank" rel="noopener">event</a> warning against the transgender treatments and surgeries on minors, featuring a detransitioned teenager named <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/detransitioner-chloe-cole-gives-powerful-testimony-against-gender-affirming-care-at-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chloe Cole</a>, has been removed from event managing and ticketing platform Eventbrite.
In an email provided to The Daily Wire, Eventbrite claims it has deplatformed the event hosted by the Palmetto Family Council because it violates a policy on “hateful, violent, and dangerous events.”
&#8220;We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite platform as it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, specifically our policy on Hateful, Dangerous, or Violent Content and Events,&#8221; Eventbrite&#8217;s Trust and Safety team said in an email. &#8220;As a result, your event has been unpublished. Please be aware that severe or repeated violations of our community guidelines may result in the suspension or termination of your Eventbrite account.&#8221;
The Daily Wire has reached out to Eventbrite about its cancelation, but have yet to receive a response.
<div id="attachment_628599" style="width: 539px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-628599" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-628599 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/eventbrite-529x576.jpeg" alt="" width="529" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/eventbrite-529x576.jpeg 529w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/eventbrite-276x300.jpeg 276w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/eventbrite-768x836.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/09/eventbrite.jpeg 776w" sizes="(max-width: 529px) 100vw, 529px" />Courtesy of Palmetto Family Council</div>
Palmetto Family Council said in an email that the <a href="https://palmettofamily.org/stopping-the-insanity#:~:text=Palmetto%20Family%20Council%20%2D%20Stopping%20The%20Insanity&amp;text=Join%20Palmetto%20Family%20on%20November,Carolina%20and%20across%20the%20country." target="_blank" rel="noopener">event</a>, which is slated for November 6, is being held &#8220;to discuss the dangers of transgenderism for minors and specifically to foster a movement to stop the genital mutilation of minors in South Carolina and across the country who are too young to consent to such procedures and therapies.&#8221;
&#8220;Simply, Palmetto Family Council has been censored for taking a stand against the LGBTQ+ progressive agenda,&#8221; the group said. &#8220;Our staff is working diligently to find a solution to this unexpected situation.&#8221;
&#8220;We will continue to fight against the radical LGBTQ+ agenda, censorship from big tech and cultural elites, and fight for Christian conservative values in every sphere,&#8221; they added.
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Cole&#8217;s irreversible medical gender transition started when she was just 13 years old, and by 16, the teen started to detransition.
The activist is notably <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-03-02/transgender-patients-chloe-cole-lawsuit-against-kaiser-lgbtq-rights#:~:text=Cole's%20legal%20complaint%2C%20filed%20Feb,distrust%20of%20the%20medical%20system.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suing</a> the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system for her transgender treatment. Recently testifying before Congress, the teenager pleaded with lawmakers to let her story be the “final warning.”
“Doctors are human, too, and sometimes they are wrong,” she <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5079802/chloe-cole-opening-statement-transitioning-detransitioning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> before Congress. “My childhood was ruined – along with thousands of de-transitioners that I know through our networks – this needs to stop. You alone can stop it. Enough children have already been victimized by this barbaric pseudoscience; please let me be your final warning.”
This is not the first time Cole has been a target of censorship. Earlier this month, the teen was censored by Instagram. It&#8217;s not entirely clear why Cole was censored, but she captioned a photo of her bio on the social media platform, wherein she identifies herself as a detransitioner.
Cole’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw-sbWtuEze/?img_index=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bio</a> notes that she’s “female” with two X chromosomes and a “former trans kid.” It also says that she was started on testosterone and puberty blockers at age 13, underwent a double mastectomy at 15, and finally detransitioned at 16.
“Your account cannot be shown to non-followers,” the social media platform said, according to the screenshots. “Your account activity may not follow our Recommendations Guidelines.”
“What this means: Your account and content won’t appear in places like Explore, Search, Suggested Users, Reels, and Feed Recommendations,” the message added.
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw-sbWtuEze/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chloe Cole 🩵 (@chooocole)</a>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/detransitioned-teen-chloe-cole-censored-by-instagram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detransitioned Teen Chloe Cole Censored By Instagram</a>

53B1B74F-2E9B-485F-8540-7E4A9DC6A924

‘Censored For Taking A Stand’: Eventbrite Cancels Event Against Child Mutilation With Detransitioner Chloe Cole

Eventbrite Cancels Event With Detransitioned Teen Chloe Cole, Warning Against Child Mutilation

Social Issues

Transgender

On Friday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an Iowa school district’s policy forcing students to “respect” their class-mates&#8217; so-called “gender identity” or risk discipline was a violation of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/first-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Amendment</a>.
In 2022, Parents Defend Education sued Linn-Mar School District on behalf of a group of unnamed parents over its aforementioned policy, arguing that the rules were opaque and constituted compelled speech. The Eighth Circuit agreed with PDE and remanded the case with instruction to block enforcement of the school district’s handbook on the matter.
“We are gratified that the Eighth Circuit upheld the rights of families and students in Linn-Mar,” PDE said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. “It is never acceptable to prohibit speech with vague terms that allow arbitrary enforcement, especially when compelled student speech is at stake, and this sends a clear message to other districts across the country with similar bullying and harassment policies on the books.”
Some of the parents in the case argued that Linn-Mar’s policies would block the “open exchange of ideas&#8221; by “chilling speech” such as the idea that &#8220;biological sex is immutable&#8221; or that &#8220;that a biological male who identifies as female should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports,” The Des Moines Register <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2023/09/29/iowa-eighth-circuit-appeals-court-blocks-linn-mar-schools-transgender-gender-nonconforming-policy/71003254007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. Voicing opinions that could run contrary to radical gender idoelogy could have resulted in students being punished.
The judges agreed with those arguments and ruled, &#8220;The policy broadly prohibits a refusal to &#8216;respect a student’s gender identity.&#8217; The policy does not define &#8216;respect,&#8217; and the expression of opinions like those held by parent G’s child arguably would violate the policy,&#8221; the decision said.
When PDE first sued Linn-Mar, Iowa had yet to pass a law banning school districts from ignoring or excluding parents’ say as it relates to their children&#8217;s preferred pronouns and gender identity. Linn-Mar had previously created a policy stating that schools must prioritize the wishes of students over their parents. Since then, Iowa has banned such practices. The court noted that such a policy is illegal in Iowa.
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“The Eighth Circuit also made clear that Linn-Mar’s parental exclusion policies are now unlawful throughout the State of Iowa,” PDE added. Yet these policies remain on the books in far too many districts across the country. Parental exclusion policies are a loser in the court of public opinion &#8212; and I have no doubt that they will eventually be struck down in the court of law as well.”

Untitled(Sergio Mendoza Hochmann via Getty Images) design (72)

Federal Court Rules In Favor Of Free Speech, Strikes Blow To Gender Ideology

Courts

Iowa

Parents rights

Tesla and X owner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> spoke out against leftist indoctrination in the American education system during an X space hosted by Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire, saying kids were being taught to “hate” America in schools across the nation.
Musk made the comments on Thursday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/really-disturbing-ben-shapiro-and-elon-musk-discuss-fighting-backdoor-censorship-attempts-from-government-leftists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during an interview</a> with Shapiro and other Jewish leaders that focused on free speech, demonetization, and anti-Semitism. Musk criticized the state of education in America, saying kids were becoming “anti-American.”
“Kids are being taught in elite and high schools and colleges to hate America and hate many things, and question the right of Israel to exist. What on earth is going on?” Musk asked. “We need to fix our education system because they are being indoctrinated with this madness.”
Musk went on to say that kids were being taught that pivotal historical figures like Christopher Columbus were “pure evil” without looking at historical context. He said that while Columbus did some bad things, “America wouldn’t exist without him.”
The billionaire entrepreneur also said that most parents did not know the extent of “propaganda” that was being taught to their children.
“But they are being taught that basically America is bad, the land was taken from Native Americans, and in effect they’re saying America doesn’t have a right to exist. This is crazy,” he said. “Many parents are blissfully unaware of this, they don’t know the amount of propaganda their kids are receiving.”
Previously in the interview, which has been viewed by over 290,000 people, Musk talked about how much joy his own kids brought to his life.
“I think people who don’t have kids don’t realize this, but kids are the source of greatest happiness. I think for the vast majority of people, they really love their children. When you love someone, you derive happiness from their happiness. When my kids are happy, I’m happy,” he said, adding that he was “constantly urging” his friends to have more children.
Musk criticized the anti-human rhetoric used by leftists who claim that “humanity is a blight on the face of the earth” and said that people should continue to expand and explore the “wonders of creation.”
During the interview, Musk pledged to support free speech on X, saying he would stand up to private and government attempts to stifle expression.
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“You have a combination of both private organizations … calling for censorship and governments that are putting pressure on social media platforms in order to do the work that they really are not legally allowed to do, certainly in the United States,” Shapiro said. “And so how can you stand up and what sort of pledges can you make to users of Twitter with regard to these sort of backdoor pressure attempts?”
Musk responded by saying his social media platform will defend free speech to the furthest extent the law allows and added that most of the pressure he sees comes from the Left.

7th Viva Technology Conference In Paris – Day 3

Musk Takes Aim At Schools Teaching Kids To ‘Hate’ America In X Space With Ben Shapiro

Musk Takes Aim At Schools Teaching Kids To 'Hate' America In X Space With Ben Shapiro

Daily Wire

Education

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