For all the attention Generation Z gets, we need to start talking about Generation Alpha while there is still time to save them from their older siblings’ dismal futures. Born between 2010 and 2024, Gen Alpha is the youngest living age demographic with its members ranging from toddlers to younger adolescents. Most still have all of high school ahead of them and none have entered the workforce as adults.
American twelfth graders, who are on the younger side of the Gen Z cohort, are at their <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/test-scores-low-reading-math-naep-d87099b6?mod=Searchresults&amp;pos=1&amp;page=1">lowest reading proficiency levels</a> on record. Our broken education system has enabled that steady decline over the last two decades as K-12 schools push forward failing students who cannot read, and college curriculum has made it possible to earn a degree <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/">without reading a whole book</a>. Poor literacy levels have, of course, led to a national crisis with <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/05/lifestyle/gen-z-turns-to-ai-for-homework-essays-and-college-apps/">writing ability</a>.
This confluence of trends — combined with the rise of AI — risks Gen Alpha’s future success in work and in life. The good news is that the solution is found at home. Parents can make the home life more conducive to their children’s future success by prioritizing off-screen reading … yes, physical books. Reading books is vital to keeping children ahead of the AI curve. And the home is where children need to become good readers so they can go on to become good writers.
Writing is the necessary transferable skill young people must perform to apply critical thinking, self-awareness, and logic to their jobs, tasks, and everyday lives. Lack of proficiency in the classroom leads to lack of accountability and responsibility in adulthood.
It is impossible to be a good writer without being a good reader, which makes fixing reading proficiency all the more urgent for today’s elementary and middle schoolers. As <a href="https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/agentic-ai-vs-generative-ai">generative and agentic AI</a> reorganize the workforce, high social and economic status will not be won by those that can simply use AI well, but those who think better than AI and can apply the technology in the production of new knowledge.
The urgency is today. A grown adult with poor reading proficiency is already lost and will spend the rest of his life behind the curve of those that can read, write, think, and do better. That string of verbs is not a list — it is a sequence of inseverable skills necessary to achieve success. If that prognostication seems bleak, that’s because children who use AI to do schoolwork do not see the pitfall lying beyond short-term convenience.
Children&#8217;s futures may come to resemble Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World in which the lower castes of menial workers toil under the elite few who are capable of intelligent output. AI <a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/02/ai-can-catalyze-and-inhibit-your-creativity-here-is-how/">does not create</a> new ideas or knowledge; it produces and iterates content based on past information and results. It yields answers derivative of other people’s intellectual labor without activating or engaging critical reasoning skills in the user.
The solution is for children to read good books that stand the test of time and have complex sentence structure. Reading early and reading often in childhood <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_reading_is_important_children_brain_development#:~:text=We%20discovered%20that%20reading%20for,time%20spent%20on%20electronic%20devices.">unlocks</a> intellectual and productive potential <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/brief/foundational-learning">later in life</a>. Parents should replace at least some of their children’s screentime with good books. The number of books children read is less important than the quality of stories they read. They should mix non-fiction with fiction. The topics and sub-genres do not matter. It is the complement between truth in fact, and truth in expression that helps cultivate minds and critical reasoning.
Millennials are the parents of Gen Alpha and their childhoods model how to select rewarding books in a digital age filled with screentime. Millennials grew up on Reading Rainbow and Wishbone. Reading Rainbow brought children’s books to life with lively narration and Wishbone retold William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, Walter Irving, and other great authors. 
Parents can find worthwhile books about the animals, fantasy settings, sports, historical figures, and situations depicted in their children’s favorite shows, movies, and games. That is the strategy Reading Rainbow and Wishbone deployed: limited but enriching television content as a tool to catalyze lifelong love of reading and intellectual exploration in children. 
Technology has crushed the inner drive and desire to read, and AI is poised to turn that absence into personal failure on a mass scale. Meeting children where they are with a physical book can transition them away from complete dependence on digital technology for entertainment. Exposing children to slightly more literature can open up their worlds and increase chances for success.
I already dubbed Gen Z as the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gen-z-shaping-itself-into-wasted-generation">“Wasted Generation”</a> in early 2024, and that still holds true. But if nothing changes substantially, Gen Alpha will suffer from more severe and longer-lasting consequences than the arbitrary concentrated learning-loss Gen Z underwent during COVID-19.
Even with the lightning speed of President Trump’s educational reforms, it will still take years for reforms implemented today to take hold and reverse prevailing trends. Let’s focus on where we can make a long-term difference for most people. That focus needs to be on Gen Alpha. Let’s help them now while we can. Cultivating and encouraging reading at home is the best way for parents to set their children up for success in our brave new world.
* * *
Zachary Marschall, PhD is Editor-in-Chief of Leadership Institute&#8217;s Campus Reform and an adjunct assistant professor of arts administration at the University of Kentucky.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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The Daily Wire is releasing an important new documentary today. In association with Our Rescue, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">Hiding in Plain Sight</a>” takes you inside the shocking world of digital predators who use everyday apps to hunt, groom, and traffic children from their own bedrooms — at a scale law enforcement has never seen before.
Few people know that better than Derek Benner, CEO of <a href="http://www.ourrescue.org">Our Rescue</a>. Benner helped lead the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the nation’s first unified task force dedicated to ending modern slavery.
As Benner points out, the crisis is closer than we think. — The Daily Wire
* * *
One of the most common questions I get as the CEO of Our Rescue is: “Does child exploitation and sex trafficking really happen here?” 
I often reply, if you ask any law enforcement officer working sex trafficking and child exploitation cases, they’ll tell you the same thing: “The biggest mistake people make is thinking this crime doesn’t happen at home, in our communities, in the United States. It does. And it’s everywhere.”
Worldwide, there are nearly 50 million people trapped in modern slavery, according to the International Labor Organization. In 2024, the Global Tips Report showed that the number of children being trafficked had increased 31% in 2022 compared to 2019, with a 38% rise recorded for girls. Before I joined Our Rescue, I spent my career at Homeland Security Investigations — leading complex efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation and spearheading the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the first unified, inter-agency coordination center dedicated to combating trafficking in all forms. And I can tell you, everyday law enforcement officers uncover cases of children and adults being groomed, recruited, coerced, or even sold in our own communities. The victims are not just statistics; they are neighbors, classmates, and children whose lives are being stolen in plain sight.
But beyond these trafficking cases, another fast-growing threat is here in the U.S. — the online sexual exploitation of children. Technology has opened new frontiers for predators and organized criminal groups, making it easier than ever to target American kids in their own homes.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic | The Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AOS9VUHpDpE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The scale of child sexual exploitation in the United States is staggering. In 2024 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline received over 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. These reports included more than 62.9 million files of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). This is not just a statistic; it represents real images, videos, and other materials depicting children enduring unimaginable harm.
Mike Prado, who heads the Cyber Crimes Center (C3) at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), put it plainly: “This is no longer just about lone offenders. Today, organized criminal groups overseas are running sextortion schemes that deliberately target American children for profit.” Operations out of places like West Africa have pushed kids in America into such despair that some have taken their own lives within hours of first contact. That is the new face of exploitation. And it’s happening in U.S. households. Every. Single. Day.
The game has changed. “Now these offenders have access to the same technology that the government has,” Prado told me. “They don’t have to go to MIT. They don’t have to have a computer science degree to figure this stuff out.”
Two decades ago, law enforcement relied on basic email for victim identification. Smartphones weren’t widely available, the darknet was barely in use, and exploiting technology required computer science expertise. Today, both predators and our children can figure out these tools with ease. Technology is everywhere, and every device a child receives, whether for school or learning, can become a portal into the darker areas of the internet. According to a 2019 Kaspersky study, 84% of parents worldwide are worried about their children’s online safety. Yet also according to the study, on average, parents only spend a total of 46 minutes talking to their children about online security throughout their entire childhood. Ignoring that is a luxury we can’t afford anymore.
While law enforcement and government investment in combating exploitation have increased over the years, there is still much more to do to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated offenders.
The core challenge is sheer scale. Every success is quickly met with new cases, and for every criminal network taken down overseas, another takes its place. It is the demand for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the U.S. that keeps this cycle in motion.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-993575 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
In 2024, reports involving generative artificial intelligence (AI) increased by 1,325%, highlighting how technology is being weaponized against our children. Additionally, reports of online enticement, including sextortion, rose by 192%, with nearly 100 reports of financial sextortion per day. Since 2021, NCMEC has been aware of at least 36 teenage boys who have taken their lives due to this crime.
The problem is not just the number of cases but the sophistication of the predators and the overwhelming volume of reports. In 2024, NCMEC assisted law enforcement with 29,568 cases of missing children and helped bring 91% of them home. However, the risks, especially online, are becoming more complex and widespread.
But I believe that partnerships are the key to changing the tide in this fight. Just this year, the inaugural Interstate Justice Coalition surge operation (coordinated between Our Rescue, We Fight Monsters, and Skull Games Solutions and in partnership with local law enforcement agencies) spanned across Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, resulting in the identification of 32 trafficking victims, the safe recovery of 26 survivors, and the arrest of 15 traffickers.
It’s work like this — collaboration between law enforcement, nonprofits, communities, and individuals is what ultimately keeps children safe. Fighting sex trafficking and child exploitation isn’t only about arrests: It’s also about prevention and education, because the best defense is an informed community. I invite you to learn more about how you can <a href="https://ourrescue.org/join-the-fight">Join the Fight</a> against sex trafficking and child exploitation.
We must stop living like it is someone else’s problem. It’s not. It’s here, and it’s exploding at a rate our communities are not prepared to handle.
No one can fight it alone. But together we can save lives and dismantle networks that exploit and harm children.
* * *
Derek Benner is proud to serve as the CEO of Our Rescue. Formerly the Chief Mission Officer, overseeing international and domestic Operations and Survivor Care teams, he brings expertise gained from a 30-year career in federal law enforcement that includes leading Homeland Security Investigations within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Derek led the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the first unified, inter-component coordination center for countering human trafficking.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) took a cheap shot at former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines on Monday, siding with trans-identifying men over women in her desperation to land an attack on Gaines.
The spat — which played out on X — began on Sunday with a photo Gaines posted from a New York City political rally. The photo showed Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), both of whom self-identify as democratic socialists, campaigning for a fellow socialist — Zohran Mamdani — in New York City&#8217;s mayoral race.
&#8220;We&#8217;re being destroyed from within,&#8221; Gaines posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We&#8217;re being destroyed from within <a href="https://t.co/hsD3mYkc6t">pic.twitter.com/hsD3mYkc6t</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1982654572075360550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldn’t have come in fifth,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez jabbed back, referencing the 2022 NCAA championships where Gaines had tied for 5th place with trans-identifying male swimmer Lia Thomas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It&#8217;s *always* &#8220;we support women&#8217;s rights!&#8221; until it&#8217;s a woman who wants the right to compete &amp; undress free from less than mediocre men
Keep your mentally ill men out of our sports, locker rooms, prisons, etc.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1982885793954967637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s *always* &#8216;we support women&#8217;s rights!&#8217; until it&#8217;s a woman who wants the right to compete &amp; undress free from less than mediocre men,&#8221; Gaines replied. &#8220;Keep your mentally ill men out of our sports, locker rooms, prisons, etc.&#8221;
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
&#8220;It’s always hilarious when they think they’ve landed a &#8216;gotcha&#8217; by pointing out I was the 5th-fastest woman *in the nation* yet they conveniently forget the mediocre man who ranked 462nd in the men’s division lol. Misogynistic dunce,&#8221; Gaines added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s always hilarious when they think they’ve landed a “gotcha” by pointing out I was the 5th-fastest woman *in the nation* yet they conveniently forget the mediocre man who ranked 462nd in the men’s division lol
Misogynistic dunce <a href="https://t.co/d1aiAHHoYQ">https://t.co/d1aiAHHoYQ</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1982886290912883102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gaines, host of OutKick&#8217;s &#8220;Gaines for Girls&#8221; podcast, joined Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The Ingraham Angle&#8221; and challenged Ocasio-Cortez to debate her.
&#8220;I’ll debate her anytime. She can defend socialism — I’ll defend capitalism. She can defend removing God — I’ll defend a biblical worldview. She can defend child sacrifice — I’ll defend the sanctity of life,&#8221; the 12-time All American offered.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨RILEY GAINES CHALLENGES <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> 🚨
“I’ll debate her anytime. She can defend socialism — I’ll defend capitalism. She can defend removing God — I’ll defend a biblical worldview. She can defend child sacrifice — I’ll defend the sanctity of life.” —<a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a> <a href="https://t.co/teaTLDh5Vp">pic.twitter.com/teaTLDh5Vp</a>
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) <a href="https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1982979855772987600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ocasio-Cortez tried to jab at Gaines again, responding to her debate challenge by saying, &#8220;And I would like to challenge this person to get a real job.&#8221;
&#8220;I have a real job. I&#8217;m a mom. It&#8217;s the most important &amp; rewarding job in the world. I think if you had a baby girl like I do, you&#8217;d understand my positions a little better,&#8221; was Gaines&#8217; reply.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I have a real job. I&#8217;m a mom. It&#8217;s the most important &amp; rewarding job in the world.
I think if you had a baby girl like I do, you&#8217;d understand my positions a little better. <a href="https://t.co/to8syxkXjP">https://t.co/to8syxkXjP</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1983009006122684775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Photo courtesy of Riley Gaines

AOC Takes Cheap Shot At Riley Gaines, And Gaines Lets Her Have It: ‘Misogynistic Dunce’

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From State Rep. Melissa Hortman’s murder to Luigi Mangione’s manifesto to Charlie Kirk’s assassination to whatever fresh horror will have meteor-impacted the news cycle between my typing these words and their publication, it has never been clearer that online radicalization is leading to real-world consequences.
My team at <a href="https://usthestory.org/">US the Story</a> last year analyzed just a handful of the most vile posts from 14 of the top full-blown hate accounts on one platform. These 14 posts showed a combined view count of over 50 million. The accounts themselves had a reach of 6,450,000,000 impressions. Engagement — the number of times people actually interacted with the content in total to like, quote, or share — crossed 448 million over the course of roughly 10 months.
These posts, their volume, and their reach create a permission structure for more and more hatred. It’s a quickening descent into violence and chaos; the more it becomes fair game to denigrate and threaten “the other group,” the more blaming and attacking that group becomes normalized.
One way of looking at this is as a network contagion issue. Debates around social-media-facilitated social contagions have raged in the culture wars for years. Young women in particular have been targeted by bots and accounts promoting anorexia, gender dysphoria, and more. Viral events such as the 2023 explosion of bin Laden’s “Letter to America” and widespread <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-20/tiktok-effects-on-mental-health-in-focus-after-teen-suicide">messaging encouraging suicidality</a> caused immediate concern in the broader culture. At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised that algos designed to maximize virality for profit at any cost fuel the most toxic, contagious, and sticky topics.
Studies have consistently shown that violent crime follows a Pareto distribution, with 1% of criminals committing up to 60% of crimes. The same is true of hateful content strategically riding the algos in the service of encouraging real-world violence. Do we really want our social media platforms taken over by psychopaths in a full-blown network contagion? And more importantly, what happens if we do?
Most contagions left unimpeded spread enough to damage and threaten the entire system. That’s why many such cases are fueled by foreign PSYOPs.
<div id="attachment_992051" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-992051" class="size-large wp-image-992051" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-864x576.jpg" alt="cream_ph. Getty Images. Young hacker working in the dark room and using laptops to steal private information" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1171004713-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />cream_ph. Getty Images.</div>
The aim of these contagions is never the stated topic at hand. They aren’t actually about trans rights or Jews or vaccinations or immigration. They’re about, first, setting Americans against one another in radicalized tribal conflicts, and, second, making these topics impossible or even dangerous to discuss productively (eliminating sane discussion, an obvious precondition for solving problems). During the Cold War, for instance, the KGB provided financial and logistical support to the Black Panthers while also sending forged menacing letters from the Ku Klux Klan to black leaders in order to stoke racial tensions.
The point is to poison both sides in order to sow maximum chaos to undermine and destroy Western democracies.
It’s nearly impossible to withstand algorithmically-driven content engineered to maximize rage, fear, and anxiety in the service of keeping people glued to their screens. It is indeed a type of mind control. This level of nervous-system hacking and the deluge of toxic messaging can trigger terrible instincts and behavior, especially in young people whose prefrontal cortexes are literally not yet fully developed.
On top of hostile regime influence and outrage algorithms maximized for profit, there are also bad-faith domestic players urging America along its path of destruction. Most of these behind-the-scenes manipulators exhibit the Dark Tetrad traits of sadism, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These nefarious individuals are using sophisticated and furtive onboarding techniques to hijack the platforms.
Earlier this year, our team recorded a live conversation on a prominent social media platform between self-avowed neo-Nazis, one of whom has a sizable account with millions of views and reach. The conversation was a strategy session about how to manipulate larger non-ideologically aligned influencer accounts to share Nazi content. The strategy entails using carefully selected words, phrasing, and arguments that may be polarizing but aren’t explicitly antisemitic or racist. They target certain specific influencers and thought leaders’ interests that are political but outside the “Nazi diet.” When another large account interacts with a seemingly benign post by these Nazi accounts, it boosts that account algorithmically so the Nazi account gains followers, views, and increased power to change the culture on the platform and elsewhere. It’s the Nazi equivalent of algorithmic grooming.
The same holds true with radical leftist techniques. An April study by our partner group, <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/">NCRI</a>, found that more than 50% of self-identified people on the left of the political spectrum believed it at least somewhat acceptable to assassinate President Trump. And a whopping 78% of BlueSky users expressed some level of support for Luigi Mangione’s cold-blooded assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The biggest predictor of Mangione support? BlueSky usage.
Heavy social media use is indeed the one constant. Increasingly, when we dissect the social media diet and posts of those onboarded to radicalism, we are finding a toxic blend of ideologies. This is because the aim is not to support liberal or conservative politics. The aim is to get as many (especially young Americans) to arrive where far left and far right meet at the horseshoe of nihilism: the No Lives Matter cohort. Once the conditions are set for, say, a young man’s radicalization, it doesn’t matter to our hostile foreign adversaries whether the next bus he boards is filled with violent trans-Antifa-types or your-body-my-choice groypers.
We have no intention of vilifying the social media platforms (aside from those purposefully running full-blown foreign PSYOPs) or undermining free speech. In our informal engagements with leaders at these platforms, we have found them concerned and receptive to discussing ways to counter this. Vilifying CEOs, big tech, and the workers within these corporations not only forecloses on cooperative progress, but will likely shove them into a defensive posture. There are plenty of good people in tech leadership who have expressed a willingness to address this problem.
<div id="attachment_992053" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-992053" class="size-large wp-image-992053" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-1024x576.jpg" alt="Outflow Designs. Getty Images. Technology icons transfer data through programming codes, artificial intelligence concept." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1383963898-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Outflow Designs. Getty Images.</div>
So how might we approach this?
Here are five concrete recommendations to turn down the temperature on destructive social media trends while protecting freedom of speech and steering clear of government overreach and censorship.
<h3>1. Make algorithms transparent.</h3>
Citizens, parents, and the free market (advertisers and content producers) have a right to know if they or their children are participating in platforms feeding suicidality, hate-mongering, violent pornography, anti-American propaganda, or anything else damaging. This is not about control or censorship but about allowing people to know what they are engaging with so they can make informed choices for themselves, their companies, and their children. We aren’t making a demand that the platforms publish their proprietary trade secrets in terms of the algorithms. Rather, we are suggesting to allow independent researchers access to the data required to assess algo impacts in relation to illegal activity and whether the platforms are enforcing their own rules as defined in their terms of service. That is indeed the contract with the user—and the free market.
There is a valid argument too for the right of Americans to explore fringe and even perilous ideas and viewpoints. The world is a dangerous place and neither the government nor corporations should foreclose on the rights of citizens to explore beyond the bounds of what is considered widely acceptable (excluding, of course, illicit materials). But contact with the terrible and extreme should be done knowingly, not as a result of covert algorithms that are optimized for profit and forced into your feed. Ideally, dipping into dangerous arenas should be inoculating, not poisoning.  

<h3>2. Reward those on social media who identify themselves as verified users and stand behind their words in the public square.</h3>
Social media participants who use their real identities deserve to have their opinions elevated above those who post anonymously and have zero accountability. A free marketplace of ideas should privilege a modicum of courage, transparency, and responsibility.
There are certainly arguments to be made for anonymous accounts, with whistleblowers being oft-cited. That’s fair enough. They can still post their information in a second tier of engagement below verified users. It just won’t be elevated to the top along with every anonymously cited conspiracy theory. 

<h3>3. Differentiate freedom of speech from freedom of reach for profit.</h3>
As a vehement free speech advocate, I believe in the right for people to explore what they want and express themselves how they wish. But algorithms pushing hatred, lies, and violence are waging an asymmetric war on the truth. Freedom of speech is one thing. Distortion of speech and covert manipulation of the free marketplace of ideas is another.
Sunlight is indeed the best disinfectant for bad ideas but light of day is insufficient to combat targeted deep-machine-learning computing power designed to elevate lies above all else and compounded by the machinations of psychopathic actors. This level of skew on the playing field makes a competition of ideas nearly impossible. Why hide the truth at the bottom of a cesspool? A hierarchy of values and a hierarchy of information is necessary for any endeavor that hopes to produce anything beyond chaos and ruin. 

<h3>4. Preserve human judgment at social media companies.</h3>
Of course, humans have biases and can fall victim to corruption. But that doesn’t mean that we should eliminate human good from the decision-making process. Shouldn’t we encourage and reward that which moves us toward greater truth and health? Rather than encouraging and rewarding the opposite? Every playing field needs a referee and every company should have stewards of common sense and common decency who assess the automated content moderation systems to ensure they’re not being gamed and to help enforce the agreed-upon rules of the game. Corporations are certainly equipped to encourage free speech, social engagement, and network health while ensuring that the tiny percentage of psychopathic accounts are not rocket-fueled by algos to infect the entire platform.
<h3>5. Identify and combat bot swarms and inauthentic coordinated material.</h3>
Users, advertisers, and the platforms themselves should know whether they are engaging with real accounts and ideas or with manipulative bad actors and swarms of bots from a Saint Petersburg troll farm. Independent research access to the data can bring additional resources to the table when it comes to identifying these threats to users and the platforms themselves. A bigger ecosystem of transparency is to our collective benefit. 
These five concrete recommendations will go a long way toward tamping down chaos, lies, and sadism online and in the real world.
* * *
Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of 26 thrillers including the Orphan X series. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW). Additionally, he’s written screenplays and television scripts for many of the major studios and networks, and is an award-winning documentary producer. Gregg also wrote comics for AWA (including the critically acclaimed anthology NewThink), DC, and Marvel, and poetry. Currently, Gregg is working against polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he’s penned dozens of Op/Eds and pieces for The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Bulwark, Salon, and others, and pieces of creative content which have won numerous industry awards and achieved several hundred million views on digital TV platforms. He also helped write the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Computer hacker coding on keyboard on a background of monitors.

When Algorithms Turn Deadly: Five Fixes For Preserving Free Speech In A System Out Of Control

algorithm

Big Tech

Free Speech

Parents rights

Propaganda

Silicon Valley

Social Media Bias

Social Media Censorship

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave an optimistic update on the fate of the TikTok deal on Sunday, saying that a framework of a deal has been reached.
“We reached a final deal on TikTok, we reached one in Madrid. I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction on Thursday in Korea,” Bessent said during an appearance on Face The Nation.
“Has China agreed to give up control of the algorithm that determines what users see?” host Margaret Brennan asked Bessent, noting President Trump’s September executive order on TikTok. Bessent wouldn’t give details on what the final deal will look like.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A deal on the future of TikTok is set to be finalized, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, telling <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> a final deal was reached during U.S.-China talks last month in Madrid.
“I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two… <a href="https://t.co/psJNoiGYRN">pic.twitter.com/psJNoiGYRN</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982458297786462593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The discussions to reach a deal with China on the massively popular ByteDance-owned social media platform TikTok have been ongoing since before Trump took office.
Shortly after Trump was inaugurated, he <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/nx-s1-5268701/trump-executive-order-tiktok-ban">postponed</a> the law signed by former President Joe Biden in April 2024 that would force ByteDance to divest or have TikTok banned in the United States. As recently as September, the president further <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/further-extending-the-tiktok-enforcement-delay-9dde/">extended</a> the enforcement delay to provide time for an agreement to be reached with China.
“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-tiktok-will-be-american-operated-all-the-way-under-new-deal?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+TikTok+Will+Be+%E2%80%98American-Operated+All+The+Way%E2%80%99+Under+New+Deal">said</a> as he signed the executive order. “I have great respect for President Xi, and I very much appreciate that he approved the deal, because to get it done properly, we really needed the support of China and the approval of China.”
According to the text of the executive order, the framework resolves the national security concerns by removing “the TikTok application and certain other applications from the ‘control’ of a foreign adversary and precludes any ‘operational relationship’ between a formerly affiliated entity controlled by a foreign adversary and the new joint venture.”
It also “prohibits the storage of sensitive United States user data in a manner that would place such data under the control of a foreign adversary and requires such data to be stored in a cloud environment run by an American company.”
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

President Trump Signs Executive Order In The Oval Office

Bessent Says ‘Final Deal On TikTok’ Has Been Reached, Trump And Xi Will ‘Consummate’ It In Korea

Communist China

Donald Trump

Global Politics

TikTok

World

Xi Jinping

A watchdog organization on Wednesday warned parents across the country about the significant dangers of allowing kids unfiltered access to popular online platforms that could expose them to sexual predators or even foreign terrorist groups. 
The American Parents Coalition <a href="https://americanparentscoalition.org/the-lookout-online-radicalization/">issued</a> a “Lookout” to parents, encouraging them to be vigilant about what their children have access to. The Lookout, which is texted to parents across the country, comes ahead of a House Oversight Committee <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-invites-ceos-of-discord-steam-twitch-and-reddit-to-testify-on-radicalization-of-online-forum-users/">hearing</a> where executives from platforms like Discord and Twitch have been called to testify about the “radicalization of online forum users.”
“Today’s children are growing up in a digital age where online companionship and community are replacing human interaction at children’s expense,” the Lookout said. “Parents may not be aware that seemingly benign and popular gaming platforms like Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit can expose vulnerable children to radicalized views and extreme content with no guardrails.”
American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told The Daily Wire that it was becoming increasingly important for parents to monitor their kids’ online activity. 
“It has been consistently flagged to parents that we need to be really mindful of our child&#8217;s online presence, where they&#8217;re spending their time, who they&#8217;re engaging with,” she said. “And we&#8217;ve continued to see the stakes of not doing that grow more and more concerning.”
The Lookout highlighted how Discord has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after it was reported that the man suspected of assassinating Charlie Kirk discussed the killing in messages on the platform. It was also <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1969108640255685108">revealed</a> that the man who planned to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh mused about whether “removing” justices from the Supreme Court would “help women.” 
Other <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/discord-messages-server-dhs-terror-extremist-charlie-kirk-fbi-patel-rcna232377">reports</a> have said that young people have been exposed to materials from foreign terrorist organizations while on Discord. There are also concerns about children being <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/discord-child-safety-social-platform-challenges-rcna89769">targeted</a> by sexual predators via the platform or <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/when-teens-question-their-gender-social-media-can-provide-supportand-pressure-11634994000?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgOtiieTiB_FVWBiVwl5_l-wKlWBfuXwpf-HXN2ECZy6H9-laaesI3J0omGIVk%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68dbf107&amp;gaa_sig=6LYtl3orBg1HfRSiILALhPg-tSA0B_29ehjiJDV9XGlTw-FNrmU8-e84m4-uWgW4xz0qGOZYuyXta1zgBQ5K4w%3D%3D">encouraged</a> to embrace transgender ideology behind their parents’ backs. 
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Discord said that it requires all users to be at least 13 years of age to use the platform. 
“We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies,” a spokesman said. “We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.&#8221; 
The Lookout also pointed to the dangers of kids being exposed to calls for political violence, particularly against conservatives. It highlighted a Reddit <a href="https://x.com/reddit_lies/status/1886487208695308564">thread</a> that was later removed, where users appeared to call for violence against employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The thread referred to the DOGE employees as “Muskrat’s DOGE Henchmen.” 
The comments were removed by Reddit’s safety teams within one day of being posted, a Reddit spokesman noted. Over 90% of Reddit users are reportedly over the age of 18, according to external market research. 
Another platform flagged by the American Parents Coalition was Roblox, an online game platform with tens of millions of users under the age of 13. In the aftermath of the Kirk assassination, the platform <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/charlie-kirk-shooting-roblox-game-removed">removed</a> dozens of game “experiences” after &#8220;seeing violative content around Charlie Kirk,” the company said. There have also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-roblox-pedophile-problem/">been concerns</a> about predators targeting children on the platform. 
Twitch, a streaming platform, was also noted as a place where children could be exposed to violent political rhetoric and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-twitch-problem-with-child-predators/">sexual predators</a>. Leftist streamer Hasan Piker was suspended by the platform after comments about killing Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott. 
A Twitch spokesman said that the site monitors its channels 24/7 for any youth-safety violations on its platform. 
“We continue to increase our investments in youth safety on Twitch, and have developed a number of product interventions that let viewers customize and build the Twitch experience that is right for them – this includes limiting the visibility of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences,” the spokesman said. 
The Lookout included a list of general practices parents should take to protect their kids online.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-989619" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM.png" alt="" width="1583" height="899" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM.png 1583w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-300x170.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-1014x576.png 1014w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-768x436.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-1536x872.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1583px) 100vw, 1583px" /></div>
Marré said she thinks these tech companies should have a parental board to advise them on best practices. 
“These are very powerful technologies with extreme reach and they&#8217;re available to anyone,” she said. “There aren&#8217;t a lot of barriers to entry. And so when you have a technology like that, it&#8217;s all the more important to make sure that the people who are most vulnerable are protected, and I don&#8217;t really think anybody does that well.”

Boy using Ai to generate something or help solve work problems.

Discord And Twitch Are Not ‘Benign.’ They Pose Serious Risks To Your Children From Predators, Parents Group Warns

Reddit And Twitch Are Not 'Benign.' They Pose Serious Risks To Your Children. 

Gaming

kids

Political Violence

On Saturday, millions (allegedly) of American leftists participated in “No Kings” rallies, the second day this year alone — the first one being in June — on which leftists have marched en masse against President Donald Trump and his administration.
While the leftists marched with their poorly-made signs, social media users observed and did what they do best — mock the mockable and astutely tear apart their cause.
Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume summed up the irony of “No Kings” best:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The &#8220;No Kings&#8221; rallies are mostly a protest against a man who sought power 3 times through democratic elections and enacted his major agenda item by majority vote of democratically elected members of Congress. Some king.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) <a href="https://twitter.com/brithume/status/1979584553586217103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As did Blaire White, who noted that if Trump were truly a king, the “No Kings” rallies likely wouldn’t be allowed:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“No Kings!” and the man was democratically elected, won the popular vote, and is allowing you to protest him.
— BLAIRE WHITE (@MsBlaireWhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/MsBlaireWhite/status/1979601118276595989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Others, like Robby Starbuck, pointed out the hypocrisy of attending a “No Kings” rally while having supported the Biden administration’s draconian COVID mandates:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s peak dark comedy that the people doing No Kings protests this weekend are the same people who told us we MUST get experimental shots to work, that we MUST wear masks to fly and that our grandparents MUST die alone for the greater good. Have you ever seen less self awareness?
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1978936447324327988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) made a similar comparison:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To everyone marching at the “No Kings” protest:
You supported Biden’s rule-by-decree presidency.
You defended censorship, mandates, and lawless power grabs.
You’re not against kings, you’re mad yours lost his crown.
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTenney/status/1979522998559195485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Still others noted the irony of “No Kings” protesters supporting a political party that coronated a presidential nominee without a single primary:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Having a &#8220;no kings&#8221; protest when you voted for the party that hand-selected Kamala Harris to be their nominee without earning a single vote is peak irony
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) <a href="https://twitter.com/KaitMarieox/status/1979320968897269858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset=“utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Imagine chanting “no kings” while backing the party that crowned Kamala Harris without her earning a single vote.
The jokes write themselves. I guess kings aren’t allowed, but queens get a pass.
— Jeffery Mead (@the_jefferymead) <a href="https://twitter.com/the_jefferymead/status/1979574260562558995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;NO KINGS!&#8221; says the party that did not let a single voter pick their nominee in 2024
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1979588534353920467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset=“utf-8"></script>
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One observer pointed out that all the energy expended on the rallies could have gone to better causes, such as helping the homeless:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No Kings protesters walking past hundreds of Portland homeless and our addicted. With all the energy they put into protesting why don’t they spend some of their time volunteering and ending this humanitarian crisis? Filmed by my homeless friend @johnmanpdx on IG <a href="https://t.co/h15hiWxeaI">pic.twitter.com/h15hiWxeaI</a>
— Kevin Dahlgren (@kevinvdahlgren) <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinvdahlgren/status/1979643437726195789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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There were also remarks about how the protests are allegedly rife with astroturfing, and that the real “No Kings” day was July 4, 1776:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Happy No Kings day to all who (are paid to) celebrate <a href="https://t.co/J3l0AOZjYh">pic.twitter.com/J3l0AOZjYh</a>
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) <a href="https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/1979587997210128525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As the Democrats hit the streets today protesting law-and-order.
We want to remind you: The only official “No Kings” protest was on July 4, 1776.
Nothing says &#8220;we care about democracy&#8221; like showing up to a rally sponsored by communists.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) <a href="https://twitter.com/NancyMace/status/1979518325425143986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Lastly, Catturd wrapped the story up with an astute observation referencing the most recent day Americans decided they wanted a president and not a hand-selected empty suit:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our No Kings March last November was better. <a href="https://t.co/rQGpeZ2hHG">pic.twitter.com/rQGpeZ2hHG</a>
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) <a href="https://twitter.com/catturd2/status/1979574945803018571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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No Kings Protest

Leftist ‘No Kings’ Protests Mocked On Social Media

Democratic Party

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U.S.

MixCollage-15-Oct-2025-04-55-PM-9613

POLITICO Releases An Egregious Hit Piece And Many Republicans Are Falling For It

Adolf Hitler

Democrats

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Country star Zach Bryan is facing some serious backlash online following the release of his anti-ICE song, “Bad News.”
The lyrics specifically target Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with lyrics that say, “ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more / But I&#8217;ve got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone.”
“I&#8217;ve got some bad news / The fading of the red, white and blue,” the song goes on.
The song’s messaging has inspired country fans to come out in force to blast Bryan for his anti-ICE stance.
“Who&#8217;s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one,” country star John Rich joked on X, mocking both the Chicks’ infamous 2003 feud with President George W. Bush and Bud Light’s controversial tie-up with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Who&#8217;s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one.<a href="https://t.co/6XrEVTsRV0">https://t.co/6XrEVTsRV0</a>
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1975211160648732779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Nashville is full of guys like this,” Rich wrote in a follow-up.
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“&#8217;Cocky motherf****** ain’t they. And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door. The fading of the red, white, and blue.&#8217; He just drew over 112,000 fans to what became the largest concert in U.S. history last week. Now, that will never happen again. When will they learn?” conservative podcast host Benny Johnson <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1975290487926935876">wrote</a>. 
“We were just invaded by over 10 million illegal aliens and who does Zach Bryan cheer for? The illegals,” another commenter wrote. “I smell a boycott brewing.”
“Dear Zach Bryan, F*** you. Sincerely, American Patriots,” another popular comment <a href="https://x.com/Notwokenow/status/1975258380299116710">said</a>. “ICE agents risk their lives daily. Violent leftists throw bricks at them, attack them, spit at them, even shoot at them. And this is the song he released. Career over.”
The song release comes after a recent episode of “Law &amp; Order: SVU” portrayed ICE agents as villains who target innocent immigrants to deport for no apparent reason.
Rapper Bad Bunny, who was just tapped to play the halftime show at the Super Bowl in February, has avoided touring in the United States due to a perceived threat that ICE could pose to his fans.
“…There was the issue of — like, f***ing ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he said.
Meanwhile, ICE has been hard at work enforcing the federal immigration laws and has been villainized for its trouble. 
Attacks on ICE agents and their families have skyrocketed nearly 1,000% in just eight months — and many are pointing the finger at Democrats and the media for painting them as villains.

Zach Bryan

Country Singer Zach Bryan Torched After Dropping Anti-ICE Song

Country Music

Entertainment

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Music

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) appears to be doubling down on the incendiary rhetoric — and targeting President Donald Trump&#8217;s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — even as political violence ramps up, particularly against those on the Right.
Just over two weeks after a shooter — who inscribed the phrase &#8220;Hey fascist, catch!&#8221; on a bullet casing —assassinated conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, someone used Newsom&#8217;s official @GovPressOffice account to post, &#8220;STEPHEN MILLER IS A FASCIST!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
STEPHEN MILLER IS A FASCIST!
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1971779645617090967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Miller himself was among those who responded to the post, asking, &#8220;Why do you think they posted this?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Why do you think they posted this? <a href="https://t.co/crtyfyXn40">https://t.co/crtyfyXn40</a>
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/1972008249026400505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Newsom&#8217;s press office doubled down, replying, &#8220;because you&#8217;re a fascist.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
because you’re a fascist
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1972010996299612566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;He knows exactly what he&#8217;s doing,&#8221; Donald Trump Jr. posted, prompting a reply from the account: &#8220;yes, calling out your dad and his authoritarian stooges for being fascists.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
yes, calling out your dad and his authoritarian stooges for being fascists.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1972146161202221374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A number noted that Newsom — and many other Democrats — appeared to have little or no interest in taking any concrete steps toward dialing down the inflammatory rhetoric.
&#8220;They have 0 intention of &#8216;turning the temperature down&#8217; btw,&#8221; Riley Gaines added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They have 0 intention of &#8220;turning the temperature down&#8221; btw <a href="https://t.co/vx2Q7870KR">https://t.co/vx2Q7870KR</a>
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1972440255665144074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It’s really a mystery why republicans are so skeptical that the left actually wants to &#8216;turn the temperature down&#8217;,&#8221; Meghan McCain posted.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s really a mystery why republicans are so skeptical that the left actually wants to “turn the temperature down”. <a href="https://t.co/MG1H7oZK9N">https://t.co/MG1H7oZK9N</a>
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/1972429240961585642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Others pointed to the words themselves, noting that the post adopted the sentiment behind inscribed bullet casings in not one, but two targeted killings.
&#8220;Why would the Press Office of a sitting Governor post rhetoric like what was scrawled on shell casings at the scene of two separate killings?&#8221; Fox News host Harris Faulkner wondered.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Why would the Press Office of a sitting Governor post rhetoric like what was scrawled on shell casings at the scene of two separate killings? <a href="https://t.co/4HnZE3BEwQ">https://t.co/4HnZE3BEwQ</a>
— HARRISFAULKNER (@HARRISFAULKNER) <a href="https://twitter.com/HARRISFAULKNER/status/1972423160604844368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Gavin, this is very dangerous. Please, for the love of all that is holy, stop the violent rhetoric. It’s been two weeks since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, time to get your sh*t together before someone else gets k*lled,&#8221; Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) replied.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin, this is very dangerous. Please, for the love of all that is holy, stop the violent rhetoric.
It’s been two weeks since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, time to get your sh*t together before someone else gets k*lled.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) <a href="https://twitter.com/NancyMace/status/1972050492420489305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of &#8220;The Charlie Kirk Show,&#8221; said, &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to stop this. Seriously.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You&#8217;ve got to stop this. Seriously.
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1972005443481620865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Trump Hosts Phillipines President Marcos At The White House

Gavin Newsom Doubles Down On Incendiary Rhetoric, Targets Stephen Miller

Gavin Newsom

Stephen Miller

Google has committed to allowing all creators who were kicked off YouTube — over so-called political speech &#8220;violations&#8221; — the chance to return to the platform. And according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, &#8220;THAT&#8217;S NOT ALL.&#8221;
The tech giant sent a letter to Jordan and the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, but the letter also included several statements from YouTube, admitting, among other things, to pressure from the former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration to censor certain political statements.
Jordan shared screenshots of the letter via X, along with a lengthy thread detailing both the contents of the letter and the Judiciary Committee&#8217;s efforts to expose and put a stop to social media censorship.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
YouTube also:
-Admits the Biden Admin censorship pressure was “unacceptable and wrong”
-Confirms that the Biden Admin wanted Americans censored for speech that did not violate YouTube’s policies
-Details when YouTube began rolling back its censorship policies on political…
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1970474490942337044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Jordan highlighted the key points addressed in the letter:
<ul>
<li>Admits the Biden Admin censorship pressure was &#8220;unacceptable and wrong&#8221;</li>
<li>Confirms that the Biden Admin wanted Americans censored for speech that did not violate YouTube’s policies</li>
<li>Details when YouTube began rolling back its censorship policies on political speech after @JudiciaryGOP began its investigation</li>
<li>States that public debate should NEVER come at the expense of relying on “authorities”</li>
<li>Promises to NEVER use third-party “fact-checkers”</li>
<li>Warns that Europe’s censorship laws target AMERICAN companies and threaten AMERICAN speech</li>
</ul>
Throughout the thread, Jordan continued to note what Google and YouTube were promising to do to make changes, including stepping away from third-party &#8220;fact checkers&#8221; and adopting a &#8220;Community Notes&#8221; model, similar to the one implemented first by X and later by Meta.
He spent a considerable amount of time warning Americans that European authorities were moving to restrict the speech of Americans — even when they were not in Europe — and that European social media regulations were designed to impose a &#8220;disproportionate regulatory burden on American companies.&#8221;
Stating that the Judiciary Committee would continue in those efforts, he added, &#8220;All the above are MASSIVE wins for the American people, the First Amendment, and freedom. We won’t stop fighting to protect free speech.&#8221;

Former President Joe Biden Speaks At National Bar Association Awards Gala

‘Unacceptable And Wrong’: Google Admits Caving To Censorship Pressure From Biden Admin

'Unacceptable And Wrong': Google Admits Caving To Censorship Pressure From Biden Admin

Censorship

Joe Biden

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping&#8217;s progress on a TikTok deal this week could help bolster talks to allow parent ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of the short video app, experts said.
The move forward, albeit a small one, comes eight months after a legal deadline passed for Chinese ownership of TikTok in the United States to end, and follows lengthy discussions about a sale.
Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that he appreciated &#8220;the approval of the TikTok Deal&#8221; from Xi, after a call between the leaders of the world&#8217;s two biggest economies.
Xi&#8217;s statement did not mention an approval. It said &#8220;the Chinese government respects the will of firms and welcomes companies to conduct business negotiations on the basis of market rules to reach a solution consistent with Chinese laws and regulations while balancing interests,&#8221; according to the meeting summary in Xinhua state media.
China blocked a similar agreement on the app used by 170 million Americans in April during a trade dispute.
&#8220;Readouts from Washington and Beijing suggest the call between Trump and Xi went well, with words like &#8216;positive&#8217; and &#8216;constructive&#8217; being used by both sides to characterize the important bilateral conversation,&#8221; said Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. &#8220;While the leaders apparently blessed the TikTok deal, important details surrounding such matters as who would own and control the algorithm remain unclear.&#8221;
Either way, months of work, at the very least, lie ahead. Trump this week extended the deadline to complete the divestiture to December 19. And lawmakers have raised concerns about reported details on the preliminary framework agreement reached earlier in the week in Madrid.
Congress had ordered the app shut down for U.S. users by January 2025 if its U.S. assets were not sold by Chinese owner ByteDance.
Trump has declined to enforce the law while his administration looks for a new owner, which Democrats say is illegal. He has said he is worried a ban on the app would anger TikTok&#8217;s huge user base and disrupt political communications. He has largely downplayed national security concerns that motivated Congress to demand a Chinese divestiture.
&#8220;I like TikTok; it helped get me elected,&#8221; Trump said during a press conference on Thursday. &#8220;TikTok has tremendous value. The United States has that value in its hand because we&#8217;re the ones that have to approve it.&#8221;
Scott Kennedy, head of the Chinese Business and Economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, &#8220;the contours of the conversation today and over the last few months better align with China&#8217;s interests than U.S. interests.&#8221;
He added, &#8220;we&#8217;re talking about individual business deals. We&#8217;re not talking about Chinese structural reforms.&#8221;
Key questions about the deal remain. The precise ownership structure of the company is unclear, as is the amount of control China will retain, or whether Congress will approve.
The deal would transfer TikTok&#8217;s U.S. assets to U.S. owners from ByteDance, Reuters has reported. Sources familiar with the deal said U.S. TikTok would still make use of ByteDance&#8217;s algorithm.
That arrangement worries lawmakers concerned that Beijing could spy on Americans or conduct influence operations through the app. China has said there is no evidence of a national security threat posed by the app.
(Reporting by Chris Sanders, David Shepardson and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

TikTok Logo With US Flag

Sale Of TikTok’s U.S. Assets May Get Boost After Recent Trump-Xi Call

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