The Trump administration does not plan to intervene to stop the extradition of controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate to the United Kingdom, despite the brothers&#8217; legal team urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to step in.
A senior administration official told <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/22/trump-rubio-tate-brothers-extradition">Axios</a> on Wednesday that the United States will not block the proceedings as the brothers fight extradition in federal court. &#8220;The U.S. has an extradition treaty with the U.K. and the administration intends to honor it in this case,&#8221; the official said.
The State Department likewise indicated it has no plans to intervene. A senior department official said Rubio has not spoken with the Tate brothers or their attorneys and that the department &#8220;has no plans to act on this matter at this time.&#8221;
Andrew and Tristan Tate were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-and-tristan-tate-arrested-in-florida-on-rape-child-pornography-charges?author=Tim+Rice&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Andrew+And+Tristan+Tate+Arrested+In+Florida+On+Rape%2C+Child+Pornography+Charges">arrested</a> in Miami on Saturday, following a British extradition request tied to dozens of new criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tate-brothers-slapped-with-38-new-charges-in-expanding-sex-trafficking-case?author=Daily+Wire+News&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tate+Brothers+Slapped+With+38+New+Charges+In+Expanding+Sex+Trafficking+Case">announced</a> 38 additional <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-the-graphic-allegations-unsealed-against-the-tate-brothers?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Read+The+Graphic+Allegations+Unsealed+Against+The+Tate+Brothers">charges</a> against the brothers, bringing the total number of charges they face in the United Kingdom to 59. The charges include allegations of rape, sex trafficking, assault, and offenses involving indecent images of children and extreme pornography.
The brothers have thus far denied all wrongdoing, and they appeared Monday before a federal judge in Miami to begin extradition proceedings. Their attorney, Joseph McBride, argued outside the courthouse that the prosecution is politically motivated and has vowed to challenge the request. &#8220;We are of course objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent,&#8221; McBride told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-tristan-tate-sex-trafficking-rape-uk-miami-3a3748e075f49b00f286a003f5103485">reporters</a>. &#8220;They&#8217;ve never done nothing wrong. They shouldn&#8217;t be extradited for crimes they did not commit.&#8221;
McBride has also argued that Rubio has the authority to deny the extradition request if he determines the brothers are being politically persecuted. Court filings acknowledge the secretary retains final authority over extradition decisions after judicial proceedings conclude, but administration officials have indicated there is no appetite to exercise that discretion in this case.
According to Axios, Rubio has privately expressed disdain for the brothers, with one source telling the outlet the secretary views them as &#8220;scum.&#8221; Another source familiar with President Donald Trump&#8217;s thinking said the president likewise wants nothing to do with the influencers despite their repeated public support for him. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-are-andrew-and-tristan-tate-everything-to-know-about-the-controversial-manosphere-brothers?author=Tim+Rice&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Who+Are+Andrew+And+Tristan+Tate%3F+Everything+To+Know+About+The+Controversial+%E2%80%98Manosphere%E2%80%99+Brothers.">The Tate brothers</a> have cultivated a massive online following through content promoting wealth, hyper-masculinity, and controversial views on women. They became prominent figures within the so-called &#8220;manosphere&#8221; and have repeatedly portrayed themselves as allies of Trump and the MAGA movement.
The extradition case is only the latest legal challenge facing the brothers. They remain under criminal investigation in Romania on separate human trafficking and rape allegations, which they have also denied.
A federal judge has scheduled the brothers&#8217; next hearing for July 27 as the extradition process continues. If the court determines the treaty requirements are met, the final decision on whether to surrender the brothers to British authorities will rest with Rubio, though administration officials have made clear they currently have no intention of blocking the request.

Andrew Tate

The Trump Admin Will Not Intervene On Behalf Of The Tate Brothers

Britain

Donald Trump

Extradition

Florida

Marco Rubio

Miami

Rape

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Assault

State Department

Tate Brothers

Tristan Tate

Trump Administration

U.K.

A Texas man who participated in the furry subculture was sentenced Monday to 20 years in federal prison after transporting a minor to a furry convention in Georgia, where he sexually abused the child, according to the Justice Department. 
Joseph Robertson, 37, pleaded guilty to transporting the minor from Frisco, Texas, to Atlanta for the convention. In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, he was ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release. 
Robertson was part of the furry community, a subculture centered on anthropomorphic animal characters whose members often create animal personas, known as &#8220;fursonas,&#8221; and wear elaborate costumes. Some furry conventions also include adult-oriented programming and vendors. Robertson commissioned a red-and-white full-body animal costume representing his &#8220;fursona&#8221; before traveling to the convention with the child, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth <a href="https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/frisco-man-sentenced-to-20-years-for-sexually-abusing-a-minor-at-a-furry-convention/4049298/">reports</a>.
“While at the convention, Robertson sexually abused the child by engaging in acts that would constitute child molestation and sodomy under Georgia State law,” the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/frisco-furry-enthusiast-sentenced-20-years-federal-prison-transporting-child-sexual">said</a>. “Additionally, Robertson purchased sexual stimulants and devices at the convention, and commissioned artwork depicting his furry persona engaged in sex acts with the minor victim.”
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs called Robertson&#8217;s conduct “depraved.”
“Most children’s experiences with people costumed as animals comes in the context of fun encounters in theme parks,&#8221; Combs said. &#8220;This defendant turned a furry costume into a nightmare of sexual abuse.” 
Combs also faulted the convention itself, saying he was disturbed that a child was even present in such an atmosphere. 
“It shocks the conscience that a child was allowed into a convention where adults were dressed up as furry animals and sex devices were being sold,” Combs said. “Not one person in that convention contacted the authorities to protect the child. Every child deserves security, dignity, and a community that stands fiercely in their defense. Protecting children is one of our most solemn responsibilities, and we will act ferociously against anyone who threatens their safety.”
The Justice Department did not disclose the child&#8217;s identity, age, or gender.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Justice Department&#8217;s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which targets the exploitation and abuse of children.

Furry

Man Sentenced To 20 Years After Abusing Child At Furry Convention

Child Sex Abuse

Furries

Sex Trafficking

The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear President Donald Trump&#8217;s appeal in the $5 million sex abuse and defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll.
The high court&#8217;s refusal to hear the case means that Trump is on the hook to pay out $5 million to Carroll, 82, pursuant to the case that was decided in May of 2023. Carroll — who claims that Trump sexually abused her in the fitting room of a Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s — argued that he had also defamed her by denying he did so, declaring that she was &#8220;not his type,&#8221; and suggesting that she&#8217;d invented the claim in order to drive book sales.
Trump made it clear immediately that the fight was not over. &#8220;Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to &#8216;review&#8217; a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!),&#8221; <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116834055569312013">Trump said</a> via his Truth Social platform.
&#8220;I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be! New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully &#8216;nab&#8217; me. It was tailormade, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-e-jean-carroll-rabbit-hole-goes-deeper-than-you-think">Trump and Carroll</a> are still involved in another lawsuit that could potentially result in a much higher payout. A January 2024 verdict ordered Trump to pay out more than $83 million in additional damages. The jury in that case determined that Trump should pay Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, $11 million to help her rebuild her reputation, and $7.3 million for pain and suffering.
The two cases, in an interesting twist, were actually decided out of order: the $5 million ruling (2023) stemmed from a case initially filed in 2022, while the $83 million ruling (2024) was the result of a suit filed in 2019. As Trump pointed out in his post, Carroll had only been able to file the second suit because of a new law enacted in New York that allows sex abuse victims to file new civil claims related to previous incidents.

Jury Selection Begins In Magazine Columnist E. Jean Carroll’s Rape Allegation Trial Against Donald Trump

SCOTUS Denies Trump Appeal In High-Stakes Defamation Case

Supreme Court Nixes Trump's Appeal In E. Jean Carroll Case

Defamation

E. Jean Carroll

Lawfare

Supreme Court

Graham Platner, whose Senate campaign has been marred with scandal from the outset, maintains an active account on a platform notorious for enabling sexual predators.
The Maine Democrat, who is seeking to unseat incumbent senator Susan Collins, is a registered user on Kik, a Daily Wire review found. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation deems the anonymous messaging app a “predator’s paradise,” thanks to a number of features that allow underage users to join the app and communicate with adults.
Platner’s Kik account bears the username “phustle0331,” which is strikingly similar to his Instagram handle, Phustle0331, as well as the username for a Reddit account where he infamously mocked American soldiers as “fat and lazy” and endorsed fascist beliefs.
The profile picture on the Kik account — which, though inactive, is not deactivated — features an image of a shirtless man with a towel wrapped around his waist. The image shows a man with tattoos that match Platner’s — including the Chinese character for “love” on his chest, a tattoo on his arm, and a tattoo on his shoulder.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1105407" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4-576x576.png" alt="" width="576" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4-576x576.png 576w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4-300x300.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4-150x150.png 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4-768x768.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/image-4.png 1000w" sizes=" (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /></div>
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, wife Amy Gertner, flagged for campaign staff a year ago that her husband had exchanged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/popular-dem-senate-candidate-caught-by-wife-exchanging-raunchy-texts-with-women?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Caught+By+Wife+Exchanging+Raunchy+Texts+With+Women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexually explicit text messages</a> with multiple women. Platner’s campaign has been dogged by revelations of the candidate’s sexually explicit statements, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-candidate-complained-about-thai-prostitute-loophole-closing?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dem+Candidate+Complained+About+Thai+Prostitute+%E2%80%98Loophole%E2%80%99+Closing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> a 2017 social media post in which Platner said he had to “jerk off every time I sit in a portash*tter.”
In another post, Platner described graffiti of a penis as “beautiful,” “engorged and veiny,” and moving “towards its penetrative glory.”
<div id="attachment_1105419" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1105419" class="size-large wp-image-1105419" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-1024x473.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="473" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-1024x473.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-300x139.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-768x355.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-1536x710.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/IMG_6917-2048x947.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot of Platner’s active Kik profile</div>
Platner’s Kik profile was created on June 26, 2016. The Democrat was almost 32-years-old when he joined the app, on which an estimated 70% of users are between the ages of <a href="https://www.searchlogistics.com/learn/statistics/kik-user-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">13 and 24</a>. Though the app recently required users to be 18 or older to join, for most of its history it welcomed users <a href="https://gethuman.com/customer-service/Kik/faq/What-age-group-is-Kik-intended-for/pEkg4L" target="_blank" rel="noopener">13 and older.</a> Despite those guidelines, the app still does not require <a href="https://www.wave3.com/2025/10/23/messaging-app-allegedly-used-louisville-sex-crimes-case-described-predators-paradise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official age verification.</a>
A <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/08/03/kik-has-a-massive-child-abuse-problem/#53f0fc31a142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes investigation</a> found that Kik had a “huge child exploitation problem,” while the BBC found that the app was at the center of over <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45568276" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,100 child sexual abuse cases</a> in the United Kingdom between 2013 and 2018.
But even among consenting adult users, Kik is no ordinary messenger. The platform has been <a href="https://www.wave3.com/2025/10/23/messaging-app-allegedly-used-louisville-sex-crimes-case-described-predators-paradise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> as “the app with the most severe sexual content.” Kik offers sexually explicit live chats with women, and is often found at the center of “sexploitation” cases, wherein predators coax someone to send nude photos, and then use the images for blackmail, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/06/us/social-media-apps-anonymous-kik-crime.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2016.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1105409" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-30-at-6.33.48-PM.png" alt="" width="542" height="428" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-30-at-6.33.48-PM.png 542w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-30-at-6.33.48-PM-300x237.png 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px" /></div>
That report — released four months before Platner created his Kik account — chronicles a litany of heinous acts perpetrated by predators on the app, including a man who used the app to distribute child pornography, several who sent and solicited sexually explicit messages from minors, and one instance where a man attempted to kidnap a 14-year-old girl. Kik was also where 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lowell chatted with two Virginia Tech students who kidnapped and killed her.
In<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/sedgwick-man-sentenced-60-years-producing-child-sexual-abuse-material" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> June 2025</a>, a Maine man was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in jail for producing videos of children being raped and distributing the videos in a Kik chatroom that existed solely for that purpose.
Platner, a leftist who describes himself as an “oyster farmer” has been plagued by more than just allegations of sexual impropriety. The Democrat was infamously revealed early in his campaign to have a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-senate-candidate-downplays-ss-skull-tattoo-i-am-not-a-secret-nazi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nazi tattoo</a> on his chest, and in recent days refused to apologize to a Purple Heart recipient whom Platner called a “dumb motherf*cker” who “didn’t deserve to live.&#8221;
Platner currently leads Collins by nearly 8 points, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/maine/collins-vs-platner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Untitled design – 2026-05-30T183915.025

SEE IT: Graham Platner Has Active Profile On ‘Predator’s Paradise’ Messaging App

Crime

graham platner

Maine

Pedophilia

Susan Collins

Chilling testimonies emerging from the Gaza Strip have uncovered a systemic campaign of sexual violence and coercion orchestrated by Hamas-affiliated clerics and officials. According to investigative reports and filmed testimonies, the terror group is allegedly using the rape of young boys and the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women as a tool of political control and recruitment.
The investigation by <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15758543/Gaza-families-say-children-raped-Hamas-affiliated-clerics-parents-intimidated-silence.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">The Daily Mail</a>, bolstered by footage obtained from Jusoor News, reveals a horrifying pattern of abuse within Hamas-run mosques. Young boys, some as young as nine and ten, describe being lured by religious figures under the guise of Koranic study, only to be sexually assaulted in mosque restrooms and upper floors.
One nine-year-old victim recounted being led away by a Sheikh who promised him &#8220;something nice&#8221; before undressing and raping him. A ten-year-old victim described similar &#8220;filthy things&#8221; being done to him by a cleric, an ordeal that only ended when a mosque attendant interrupted them.
Beyond the physical trauma, the abuse is reportedly used as a mechanism for blackmail. Hamza Abu Howidy, a writer who fled the enclave, explained that the phenomenon is so well-known locally that such predators are derisively called &#8220;Mosque Tennis players.&#8221; The victims are often coerced into joining the Hamas movement to prevent their abuse from being made public in a society where such topics are strictly taboo.
Parents who attempt to seek justice face immediate and violent retribution. One father from Khan Younis, whose son was left bleeding and bruised by a head Imam, was met with death threats when he confronted the perpetrator. &#8220;I’ll send Al-Qassam Brigades to you&#8230; We’ll just say you were an Israeli collaborator,&#8221; the Imam allegedly warned. The following night, armed militants arrived at the father&#8217;s home, threatening to &#8220;wipe his family off the face of the earth&#8221; if he spoke another word.
As these accounts of child abuse surface, a <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15732903/Women-living-Hamas-rule-Gaza-Mail-sexually-abused-terror-groups-fighters-forced-sex-return-food-aid.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">parallel story</a> of the systematic exploitation of women has also come to light. Human rights organizations estimate that up to 60,000 women in Gaza are currently vulnerable to sexual blackmail, particularly widows and those displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Testimonies describe &#8220;aid-for-sex&#8221; schemes where Hamas members and officials from affiliated charities demand sexual favors in exchange for food parcels, medicine, or small sums of money. One displaced mother, Noor, described seeking help from an Islamic charity only to be harassed by an elderly cleric. When she threatened to expose him, he reportedly replied: &#8220;You cannot expose me; I am the government here.&#8221;
Other witnesses described a &#8220;disgraceful&#8221; scene in Deir al-Balah where a group of Al-Qassam members were found taking advantage of a displaced widow inside a tent. Even members within the military wing expressed disgust, yet were ordered by leadership to remain silent to protect the group’s image.
&#8220;Hamas has lied about everything,&#8221; said Abdullah, a journalist currently in hiding. &#8220;They stole the aid, created the famine narrative, and take advantage of the most vulnerable while the West remains gullible.&#8221;
Despite the &#8220;shame culture&#8221; and the &#8220;iron fist&#8221; of Hamas rule, Gazans are increasingly breaking their silence. Investigators warn that as formal registration systems collapse, the exploitation of women and children is only worsening, leaving a generation of victims with no recourse for justice under a regime that uses sexual violence as a pillar of its authority.

International Red Cross

Hamas Accused Of Unspeakable Crime Against Young Boys As Method Of Coercion

Gaza

Hamas

World

Roblox, the most popular online gaming site in the world, announced new age-based accounts on Monday as the company seeks to address numerous allegations of sex predators targeting children on the platform.
Roblox <a href="https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2026/04/introducing-roblox-kids-and-select-accounts">introduced</a> new age-based accounts for children under 9 and for children between 9 and 15, which the company says will limit the games children can access and how they can chat with others online. The new accounts will also give parents more oversight over their children&#8217;s gaming and chat activities, according to Roblox. The new age-based accounts are set to officially launch in June.
&#8220;When they roll out in early June, these accounts will more closely align content access, communication settings, and parental controls with a user’s age. We’re also establishing an ongoing selection process for games available to users under 16,&#8221; Roblox said. &#8220;This update will bring age-checks, account-level defaults, content ratings, ongoing moderation, and expanded parental controls together into a unified framework for younger users.&#8221;
The move comes after Roblox has faced intense scrutiny over its child safety measures and has been accused of standing by as child sex predators took advantage of the game&#8217;s realistic interactive settings and chat functions to prey on children. The platform, which boasts over 80 million daily users worldwide, allows gamers to develop their own games or play games developed by other users. Roblox is especially popular among children, with the company claiming that around half of all American kids under 16 are active on the platform.
The platform&#8217;s interactive concept has exposed children to sexually explicit content, exploitation, and grooming by predatory adults, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sued Roblox in November. The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Petition_0.pdf">lawsuit</a> alleges that Roblox has deceived parents about the safety of the game when, &#8220;In reality, Roblox is a sprawling and unregulated digital playground that is overrun by predators and saturated with sexual content.&#8221;
When the changes announced by Roblox go into effect, it will mark the first time the platform has set up specific account barriers to separate children under 16 from adult users. Parents will also be given expanded oversight of their children&#8217;s accounts, including the ability to monitor and manage chats and block specific games they don&#8217;t want their children playing.
Alleigh Marré, the executive director of the American Parents Coalition — which raises awareness about activists agendas and corporate interests influencing children — told The Daily Wire that Roblox&#8217;s move isn&#8217;t enough to address the issues on its platform. Marré argued that the age-gated accounts are just another &#8220;toolset,&#8221; not an actual fix.
&#8220;Tools without accountability don&#8217;t solve systemic problems,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;Now, that doesn&#8217;t mean that it&#8217;s not going to help parents, but it&#8217;s just another dashboard. So, without Roblox taking some responsibility and putting some controls on the back end with teeth, it really doesn&#8217;t do anything except foist responsibility from a platform they&#8217;ve created onto parents.&#8221;
For its new age-gated system, Roblox will rely on an artificial intelligence tool that estimates the user&#8217;s age based on a photo the user uploads to the platform. Parents can also manually verify their child&#8217;s age when they sign up for a Roblox account.
Under the new guidelines, kids between the ages of 5 and 8 would only be allowed to use a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which would only give them access to games with &#8220;a Minimal or Mild content maturity label,&#8221; Roblox said. Under the game&#8217;s <a href="https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/8862768451604-Content-Maturity-Labels">rating system</a>, &#8220;Minimal&#8221; includes games that could &#8220;contain occasional mild violence, light unrealistic blood, and/or occasional mild fear.&#8221; &#8220;Mild&#8221; games could &#8220;contain repeated mild violence, heavy unrealistic blood, mild crude humor, and/or repeated mild fear.&#8221;
Kids under 9 would also have all online chat communications disabled by default. Parents, however, can turn on chat functions for a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which limits communications to &#8220;in-game chat with other users under 13-years-old&#8221; and users who are designated by parents as &#8220;trusted friends.&#8221;
Once a user turns 9-year-old, he is automatically moved up to a &#8220;Roblox Select&#8221; account, which will gives users between 9 and 15 access to a larger library of games, including games that fall under the &#8220;Moderate&#8221; maturity level. Roblox defines &#8220;Moderate&#8221; games as those which could &#8220;contain moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, unplayable gambling content, and/or moderate fear.&#8221;
Marré told The Daily Wire that the age-gated accounts still pose risks to children.
&#8220;When a child turns 9, they go from the entry-level Roblox to the 9- to 15-year-old bracket, which is a very wide maturity swath. You&#8217;re talking about a fourth grader with a sophomore in high school. That&#8217;s a very big difference,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s if everybody is playing by the rules. That doesn&#8217;t stop a bad guy from creating a profile posing as a 14-year-old and reaching out to kids because now these bad guys are funneled into the &#8216;safe space&#8217; for kids too.&#8221;
Users 16 and older won&#8217;t see any changes to their accounts, Roblox said.
&#8220;Together, these updates are part of our ongoing work to build age-appropriate experiences for all users, apply safety-by-default protections for younger users, and give parents more visibility and control over how their children use Roblox,&#8221; the company added.

Roblox

The App Millions Of Kids Use Just Changed The Rules After Predator Fears Explode

Children

Gaming

Technology

A shocking report from The New York Times revealed Wednesday that labor union “hero” Cesar Chavez allegedly sexually abused multiple young girls and women prior to his death in 1993.
Multiple women accused Chavez, who co-founded and led the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, of assault, harassment, and rape dating back to 1960.
The previously unpublished allegations were corroborated by the Times investigation, which was based on more than 60 interviews with Chavez&#8217;s top aides, relatives, and former UFW members. Reporters also reviewed hundreds of pages of union records, confidential emails, photographs, and audio recordings of UFW board meetings.
Two women in the Times report, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both now 66, say Chavez began sexually abusing them when they were 13 and 12 years old, respectively. Both women were children of farm workers represented by Chavez’s prominent union.
Rojas was groped by Chavez in his office when she was 12, and the abuse continued for years, culminating in what Rojas described as rape at a motel during a union march in 1975, when she was 15. According to the New York Times, Rojas&#8217;s account is corroborated by a handwritten letter she sent to Chavez at age 13 that exists in the Wayne State University archives.
In 1972, Murguia recalled Chavez calling her to his room at the age of 13, which she did enthusiastically, describing the union leader as her “hero” at the time.  Chavez locked the door, forced Murguia onto a yoga mat, and molested her.
Chavez told the girl, “Don’t tell anyone. They’d get jealous,” after kissing her. Murguia said she was raped “dozens” of times until 1977, and she had attempted suicide multiple times by the age of 15. “I wanted to die,” she said.
Several other women accused Chavez of sexual abuse, including his longtime confidant and fellow UFW co-founder, Dolores Huerta, who is now 95 years old. Huerta accused Chavez of raping her in 1966 in a vehicle and of an earlier coerced sexual encounter during a work trip in 1960. She says two children resulted from these encounters.
The Times investigation concluded that Chavez fathered at least four children with three women outside his marriage based on 23andMe test results.
Chavez has been an icon of the Left for decades, and in California, Cesar Chavez Day is a paid state holiday. Following the Times&#8217; report, prominent Democrats scrambled to condemn Chavez, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who previously said a photo of the union leader is &#8220;the first photo&#8221; he &#8220;wake[s] up to.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s been hard to absorb this, Jenn and I are very close with Dolores [Huerta], so many of us are and have been for decades and decades, and none of us knew,&#8221; Newsom said Wednesday. &#8220;All of us, I think, are processing it, and these kids have to process this now. There are almost three dozen schools in the state that are named after Cesar Chavez.&#8221;

Farmworker Union Icon Cesar Chavez Accused Of Sex Abuse Of Girls In Explosive New Report

Left-Wing Icon Accused Of Serially Sexually Abusing Young Girls

Cesar Chavez

Labor Unions

Content warning: The following article contains details that readers will find disturbing.
A trans-identifying 25-year-old man who sat on a taxpayer-supported youth board has been arrested and charged with the first-degree rape of a 6-to-7-month-old baby girl.
William Kelso Flournoy IV, who goes by “Isabelle” or “Izzy” and presents as a woman on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/izzydahooman420/">social media</a>, was charged Monday in Pierce County Superior Court in Washington with rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. He pleaded not guilty. Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $1 million.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: William Kelso Flournoy, a man pretending to be a woman, was arrested in WA state after he allegedly R*PED an infant girl.
Why does this keep on happening?! <a href="https://t.co/iHnp9VF1gP">pic.twitter.com/iHnp9VF1gP</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2033954298082558239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The charges stem from a <a href="https://reduxx.info/transgender-youth-advocate-charged-with-rape-of-infant-girl-in-washington/">horrific incident in 2023</a>. Flournoy and his then-girlfriend had been invited to live with a struggling family in a Tacoma motel. The child’s father told police that both parents were working two jobs and had asked Flournoy to babysit. A Google CyberTip later flagged a photo uploaded to the platform showing Flournoy on his knees, penetrating the infant. Tacoma police identified him through an IP address and two distinct moles visible on his hands in the image. The baby’s father confirmed the victim was his daughter.
When agents from the FBI’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force arrested Flournoy on March 5 at a transient housing facility on Portland Avenue, they found a baby’s pacifier, a stuffed animal, and a child&#8217;s drinking cup in his room. Investigators noted an apparent interest in infantilism.
Flournoy had previously listed his job on Facebook as “Youth Action Board at The REACH Center” from September 2022 through at least June 2023. The <a href="https://www.reachtacoma.org/programs/advocacy/">Youth Action Board</a> is a youth-led group that gives input to Pierce County government on policies affecting homeless and housing-unstable young people. The REACH Center coordinates the board and hosts its meetings.
The center’s director of youth and young adult services, Carlos Garcia, confirmed to <a href="https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article315018066.html">local media</a> that Flournoy was never a REACH staff member and had not been involved with the board since October 2023. Garcia said the organization has “strict safety, reporting, and confidentiality policies” but declined further comment, citing privacy concerns.
The Daily Wire reached out to Nyia Harris, the Youth Action Board outreach representative, who said in a phone call, “I actually have no comment on behalf of the organization.”
Flournoy also faces a separate July 2024 case accusing him of possessing and dealing in child sexual abuse material. That charging document describes additional files on his Google account, including a video of him masturbating on the steps of a youth homeless shelter in Tacoma and “voyeuristic-style” photos of clothed females ages 12-18. Investigators noted six other CyberTip reports tied to his accounts.
Local media outlets covering the arrest referred to Flournoy with female pronouns. He is a male.
Tacoma police spokesperson Officer Shelbie Boyd said the investigation remains active: “The lead detective is actively investigating this case and continuing to run down all leads, including reviewing locations where the arrestee may have prior history.”
A defense attorney for Flournoy was not listed in court records as of Wednesday. The case is ongoing.

Transgender Pride Flag

Trans-Identifying Youth Volunteer Charged With Horrific Sexual Crime

Transgender

U.S.

A father accused of killing the man who allegedly sexually abused his teenage daughter has won the sheriff&#8217;s race in Arkansas.
Aaron Spencer, 37, earned close to 54% of the vote on Tuesday in the Republican primary for Lonoke County sheriff, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/us/elections/arkansas-primary-county-sheriff.html">per</a> The New York Times. He will go on to face Democratic primary winner Brian Mitchell Sr. in the fall general election.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the people of Lonoke County for placing their trust in me. Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign, worked hard, and showed up to vote,” Spencer <a href="https://katv.com/news/local/aaron-spencer-wins-primary-for-lonoke-county-sheriff-in-high-profile-contest">told</a> local ABC affiliate KATV on Wednesday. “This is an important step forward, but we still have one more election ahead. I look forward to continuing this conversation with the people of Lonoke County as we work toward building a safer, strong Lonoke County.”
In October 2024, Spencer allegedly shot and killed Michael Fosler, 67, after claiming to find him with his then 14-year-old daughter. Fosler was out on bond and facing 43 criminal charges in connection with the teen, including sexual assault, at the time of his murder.
“I believe that I did what any good father would do in that situation that I was put in,” Spencer said, per KATV. He touted his actions as being his reason for running in the GOP primary.
“I&#8217;m the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed,” Spencer said in an October Facebook video. “And through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court. I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures.”
Spencer was charged with second-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/04/us/lonoke-county-arkansas-sheriff-election">CNN</a>. The trial was postponed from January and will be rescheduled following a hearing later this month. If found guilty, he will not be able to serve as sheriff, per Arkansas law.
When the public heard about Spencer’s arrest, more than $100,000 reportedly poured into a GoFundMe account for legal expenses. However, the platform reportedly pulled the fundraiser without explanation, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donations-explode-for-dad-accused-of-killing-alleged-sex-predator-found-with-daughter">reported</a>.
“Lonoke County sent a clear message last night, and we’re just getting started,” Spencer said in a statement on social media. “I’m running to restore accountability and integrity to the Sheriff’s Office, and the people of this county just showed they want the same thing.”

GOP Voters Deliver Verdict For Dad Charged With Killing Daughter’s Accused Abuser

Father Charged With Killing Daughter's Alleged Abuser Wins GOP Primary In Arkansas

Arkansas

Republican Primary

Wesley Lowery, a media darling of the Left who made a name for himself talking about race after George Floyd, has been accused of habitually sexually assaulting female journalists.
A number of female journalists claim the Pulitzer Prize winner plied them with alcohol at bars until they left with him and then sexually assaulted them, according to a Wednesday <a href="https://www.cjr.org/feature-2/wesley-lowery-sexual-assault-journalists-attest-experiences.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Columbia Journalism Review.
Lowery, 34, is a best-selling author and has reported for the Washington Post, CNN, and “60 Minutes.” He was also a tenured professor at American University and executive editor of American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop before he resigned in March amid the sexual harassment allegations.
The alleged encounters happened between 2018 and 2024.
Olivia Messer, now the editor-in-chief of Texas outlet The Barbed Wire, claims that in January 2020, Lowery kept ordering her alcohol at a bar and then pressured her into performing oral sex on him at her apartment. Years later, in 2023, she was again at a bar with Lowery when he was in a supervisory position over her, and the next morning she woke up to find him in bed with her. She said she could not remember having sex with him, but he told her they had.
“Whatever you do, do not tell Cara,” Messer said Lowery told her, referring to American University adjunct professor Cara Kelly, who ended up <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/03/17/wesley-lowery-sexual-misconduct-allegations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a> multiple Title IX complaints against Lowery.
Ironically, Lowery also helped Messer with a reporting project about failure to address alleged sexual harassment in the Texas Senate.
Imani Moise, a Wall Street Journal reporter, said she met up with Lowery in December, 2018 at a Washington, D.C., bar where he bought her drinks until she was &#8220;sloppy drunk,&#8221; and then ordered an Uber and took her back to his apartment where he perpetrated a “full-blown assault” on her.
They had talked about the #MeToo movement beforehand at the bar.
Moise said that when she was assaulted by a different man as a teenager, she refused to give the police the man&#8217;s name because &#8220;I did not want to see another black man go to jail,&#8221; but she now says, &#8220;I am done with that.&#8221;
Another unnamed journalist, who matched with Lowery on Bumble, said he pressured her to drink more during a spring 2022 date. She woke up in his bed, and &#8220;he was inside of me.&#8221; She was half-conscious for a few moments, and then things went dark again, she said.
Later, she noticed that she had bruises on her body and a cut on her foot. She hooked up with Lowery a number of times afterwards, and a therapist told her, &#8220;Oh, you didn’t have control the first time, so you went back on your terms,&#8221; she said.
An unnamed writer-researcher who worked with Lowery claims that during a February 2024 encounter at a Washington, D.C., hotel, Lowery had a drink waiting for her whenever she came back from the bathroom.
They split an Uber, but when the car dropped her off, the female writer said Lowery pressured her to let him up to her apartment, even accusing her of &#8220;using him&#8221; for a job and saying she &#8220;hadn&#8217;t done anything for him,&#8221; according to a Title IX complaint. She felt her job was on the line and allowed him to come up, where he allegedly tried to get her into the bedroom and pull off her clothes, even when she asked him to go home. She said she pretended to fall asleep, and then he left.
At least three female students at American University said Lowery made them uncomfortable as well.
One student said she went into Lowery’s office during a journalism internship to ask him for advice about how to avoid alarming subjects of a story. He told her to close the door and said, “Well, Sophia, when you go on a date, you don’t just ask ‘Do you want to f&#8212;?’ You build up to it.”
Another female student had a similar complaint, claiming Lowery compared making interview subjects comfortable with asking for consent during sex, “Can I do this, can I do that, is this okay?”
A third student said he lit a candle and sat next to her on the couch in his office, which made her uncomfortable.
Lowery sent messages expressing regret to some of the women, but he has also pushed back on the allegations.
“CJR’s portrayal of these periods in my personal life is incomplete and includes false insinuations about complicated dynamics,” Lowery said in a statement to the Columbia Journalism Review.
“Still, I respect the women who have shared their experiences and take their perspectives seriously. As a young professional, I did not always recognize the power imbalances that surfaced as personal relationships evolved into professional ones, and vice versa. I should have better upheld boundaries that would have protected myself and others, particularly during interactions impaired by mutual intoxication. I have committed to sobriety, now approaching one year, and continue to work with professionals on my understanding of the power dynamics that accompany race, gender, and my professional success.”
In 2014, Lowery was named the National Association of Black Journalists’ emerging journalist of the year.
He wrote a book, &#8220;They Can’t Kill Us All,&#8221; which dealt with racism, police killings, and civil unrest. At one point on Twitter, Lowery said the Tea Party was “essentially a hysterical grassroots tantrum about the fact that a Black guy was president.”
Over the last decade, Lowery has zeroed in on racism and the police, reporting extensively on Black Lives Matter and winning a Pulitzer for a Washington Post database of police shootings called &#8220;Fatal Force.&#8221;
Lowery really rose to prominence after George Floyd&#8217;s death when he published an opinion article titled &#8220;A Reckoning over Objectivity, Led by Black Journalists&#8221; that criticized news outlets for not &#8220;telling hard truths.&#8221;
After that, Lowery was in demand and began receiving invitations to serve on nonprofit boards and speak at events.

Paley Center For Media Presents “Advancing The Story: The Next Chapter In Media Impact”

Race-Obsessed Liberal Star Reporter Accused Of Widespread Sexual Harassment

Race-Obsessed Liberal Reporting Star Accused Of Widespread Sexual Harassment By Colleagues

Race

Sex Scandal

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

RUSSIA-POLITICS-RELIGION

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

California Supreme Court

Child Abuse

LGBTQ

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Volodymyr Zelensky

President Donald Trump’s &#8220;big beautiful bill&#8221; takes a major step forward &#8212; upping the prospect of making his tax cuts permanent. The FBI is warning Americans about the alarming rise in the sexual exploitation and extortion of kids online. And, a new Daily Wire investigation raises questions about activist judges’ roles in padding the Social Security database with dubious disability claims.
It’s Friday, April 11, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/budget-bill-passes-house-rise-of-teen-sextortion-4-11-25/id1576594336?i=1000703130714" 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>House Advances Trump-Backed Budget Bill</h2>
<div id="attachment_906413" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906413" class="wp-image-906413 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-scaled.jpeg" alt="U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) (L) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speak at a press conference on the Republican budget bill at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC." width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209555558-1-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images</div>
Topline: The House passed a budget blueprint on Thursday in a critical step toward a permanent renewal of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
GOP leaders were able to overcome conservative holdouts to push the budget reconciliation process forward for Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-trump-scores-big-beautiful-victory-house-budget-vote">“Big, Beautiful Bill.”</a> The legislation makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent and includes funding for Trump’s priorities on defense, energy, and immigration. It also lifts the debt limit for two years.
However: The Senate resolution recently approved by the House outlines about $400 billion in budget cuts, whereas the original House blueprint called for at least $1.5 trillion. Calls for deeper spending cuts among House conservatives drove much of the opposition to the bill.
Reconciliation is a complicated process, but the short version is that with this House vote, lawmakers in both chambers can now haggle over the final version of a budget bill. The eventual bill to come out of those negotiations only needs 50 votes in the Senate instead of the usual 60 to overcome a filibuster, but there’s always the concern that the gripes from House conservatives over Thursday’s bill could threaten the final bill as well. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said he hopes to have a bill on Trump’s desk by Memorial Day.
Meanwhile: According to the Trump administration, as many as 75 nations have offered to renegotiate trade deals with the United States in the wake of the 90-day pause on Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff scheme &#8212; a baseline tariff rate of 10% remains in force, however, while China has been singled out for retaliatory tariffs of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-lays-out-exact-tariff-rate-on-china-going-forward">145%</a>.
Inflation has also slowed at a greater-than-expected rate, according to the March Consumer Price Index, which <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/10/inflation-rate-eases-to-2point4percent-in-march-lower-than-expected.html">recorded</a> year-over-year inflation of 2.4%, below the projected 2.6%.
<h2>FBI Raises Alarm About Online Exploitation Of Minors</h2>
<div id="attachment_906415" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906415" class="wp-image-906415 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-scaled.jpeg" alt="Silhouette of 16 year old girl texting backlit at window." width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-169816088-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Alan Oliver via Getty Images</div>
Topline: The <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA250306">FBI is warning</a> about the sharp rise in the sexual exploitation and extortion of minors online, leading to dozens of suicides of teens across the nation.
One form is called “sextortion” &#8212; sexual extortion is when a predator, usually an adult, either coerces or coaxes a minor into sending sexually explicit images or video footage, then extorts them over it. Predators will threaten to release that material unless the minor either produces additional explicit content or gives them cash. In some cases, the offenders are motivated by sexual gratification, but at other times, they are primarily after money.
The FBI posted a video last week about the sharp rise in sextortion, specifically citing a violent online network known as 7-6-4. Members in the U.S. and abroad are coercing minors and other vulnerable people to commit disturbing sex-related crimes or self-harm. “People have been asked to engage in cruelty to animals, self-mutilation of some sort,” FBI agent Ashley Johnson told <a href="https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/stl-fbi-warns-764-network-using-blackmail-to-exploit-minors-draft/">Fox 2</a> earlier this month. “In some cases we’ve had individuals ask children – if they knew they had a sibling – to film themselves sexually abusing their sibling.”
Another subtype of sexploitation primarily targets teen boys &#8212; offenders will pose as attractive women online and trick the minors into sending explicit content. They then threaten victims, telling them they will post the material publicly and send it to their friends and family if they don’t send payment. One report found that <a href="https://www.parents.com/more-teen-boys-being-threatened-with-sextortion-8623766?utm_source=chatgpt.com">90%</a> of all financially motivated sexual extortion victims were males between the ages of 14 and 17. These schemes have been linked to a string of suicides by young boys. A <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sacramento/news/sextortion-a-growing-threat-preying-upon-our-nations-teens#:~:text=The%20sextortion%20involved%20at%20least,the%20activity%20to%20law%20enforcement">memo</a> from the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office says that these sextortion offenders are often foreigners, primarily from West African countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast or Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines.
From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received more than 13,000 reports of this activity. There were about 12,600 victims, who were mostly boys, and at least 20 suicides have been connected to these schemes. But those numbers are likely even higher &#8212; <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/02/25/teenage-boys-mental-health-suicide-sextortion-scams/78258882007/">a more recent report from USA Today</a> found that sextortion cases have been tied to at least 30 suicides of teen boys since 2021.
And this trend is growing. In just a six-month period in 2023, for example, the FBI saw a <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sacramento/news/sextortion-a-growing-threat-preying-upon-our-nations-teens#:~:text=The%20sextortion%20involved%20at%20least,the%20activity%20to%20law%20enforcement">20% increase</a> in reports of financially motivated sextortion. <a href="https://www.missingkids.org/cybertiplinedata">CyberTipline</a>, which is an organization run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, received nearly 190,000 reports of Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts. That number has quadrupled since 2021, when the Tipline received around 44,000 reports.
<a href="https://info.thorn.org/hubfs/Research/Thorn_TrendsInFinancialSextortion_June2024.pdf?sm_guid=NzcxOTIyfDc4MzA5NjAxfC0xfGNlc2VAbmNvc2UuY29tfDcyMDIwMTJ8fDB8MHwyMjU0MzA0NTd8MTEzMnwwfDB8fDc2NjM5Nnww0">Instagram and Snapchat</a> are the two most-used apps for these crimes. Messages can disappear on both apps, which might lead to victims putting their guard down before sending over explicit images used against them. If you or someone you know thinks they’re a victim of sextortion, please call law enforcement. You can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or by visiting <a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/">tips.fbi.gov</a>.
<h2>Social Security Scheme</h2>
<div id="attachment_906417" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906417" class="wp-image-906417 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-scaled.jpeg" alt="Judge's gavel." width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-129310646-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Tetra Images via Getty Images</div>
Topline: A new investigation raises questions about activist judges’ roles in padding the Social Security database with dubious disability claims.
The Daily Wire’s Government Efficiency reporter, Luke Rosiak, found that dozens of judges overrule Social Security staff’s denials in almost every case they hear &#8212; granting what could amount to lifetime disability payments to people ruled ineligible to receive them.
About 1,200 administrative law judges are paid more than $200,000 a year to hear appeals from people who want to get disability benefits from Social Security despite having been ruled ineligible. They’re represented by a “union for judges,” the Association of Administrative Law Judges, that is suing to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project from accessing information about Social Security staff.
The president of that union, a Democratic donor named Som Ramrup, overturned the rulings of Social Security’s experts and approved payments in 94% of the cases she heard last year. Ronald Herman, who hears cases in the Detroit area, approved 95% of the nearly 1,300 cases he heard. Jan Leventer, hearing cases in Queens, approved 94% of 2,200 cases. Some, including one of the supervisory judges, actually approved payments in 100% of the cases they heard last year. You’d think judges would operate on the assumption that Social Security’s staff experts were right most of the time, but as a group, they’re much more deferential to the people asking for money. The data show that 85 judges overturned non-disabled determinations more than 80% of the time, while only 16 upheld them more than 80% of the time.
Some of these rates seem mathematically impossible, and it’s evidence that the process is broken. This is important because you’ll hear that it’s a fool’s errand to try to cut the federal deficit because much of it is so-called “non-discretionary” items like Medicare and Social Security. But this is an example of how the DOGE project might find waste in those areas, too.

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