Pictures of bikini-clad women have been known to cause strain in marriages. But could skimpy swimsuits trigger a threat to the United States&#8217; and Great Britain&#8217;s “special relationship?&#8221;
In recent weeks, young women have been targeted on X by individuals using Grok’s AI technology to manipulate their image without their consent. I, myself, was a victim in this scandal: an anonymous user replied to a perfectly normal post I had written about puberty blockers and instructed X’s AI to generate a sexualized deepfake of me: “put her in a micro-bikini, on her knees, knees out, tongue out.”
I have never taken, shared, or consented to anything remotely like that. The ability of a stranger to weaponize my face and turn it into public pornography is a profound violation. It strips you of your dignity, your identity, and your sense of personal control in a way few things can.
So, I reported it. And X acted: fast. The comment was removed, the image was deleted, and the account responsible was, as far as I can tell, permanently suspended. Soon after, X restricted Grok’s image-generation features for non-subscribers, effectively shutting down the anonymous abuse that had driven most of this trend. Within days, the phenomenon had largely disappeared.
It was a negative experience, but it was handled. The platform corrected course. We moved on.
Or at least, most of us did. The British government did not.
Instead, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration has chosen to escalate the incident into something far bigger: floating the possibility of <a href="https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/uk-x-ban-grok-ai-elon-musk/">banning X entirely</a> in the United Kingdom. This has triggered an extraordinary diplomatic row with the United States, whose State Department has now openly warned Britain that such a move could provoke retaliation.
State Department spokesmen have <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/us-state-department-threaten-uk-probe-elon-musk-x-grok/">made clear</a> that Washington would view such a ban as an unjustified attack on freedom of speech, behavior more typical of an authoritarian state than a Western democracy. Some American officials have even hinted at travel restrictions or legal pressure against British officials involved in enforcement.
That kind of terse language is almost unheard of between Britain and America. But it didn’t come out of nowhere. Tensions have been building over the last few years as the United Kingdom persistently flouts respect for free expression. Mothers are <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3nn60wyr6o">jailed</a> for months on end for long-since deleted tweets. Christians are <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/02/14/adam-smith-connor-abortion-campaigner-jd-vance/">convicted</a> for praying silently near abortion facilities. The examples are racking up at an extraordinary pace.
The recent government targeting of X is ostensibly meant to prevent women and children from porn-related crime. But if ministers were genuinely driven by concern for female dignity and child safety, X would be nowhere near the top of their list.
Pornhub, one of the largest pornography platforms in the world, has a documented history of hosting child sexual abuse material, rape videos, and non-consensual content. In 2025, American regulators <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-takes-action-against-operators-pornhub-other-pornographic-sites-deceiving-users-about-efforts">concluded</a> that Pornhub&#8217;s parent company had misled the public about safeguards and failed to prevent the re-uploading of illegal material.
And yet Pornhub remains accessible in Britain. No threats or bans from the government. Just quiet assurances about age verification and “compliance.”
The same is true of other AI platforms. Gemini, ChatGPT, and countless image-generation tools have all faced cases where non-consensual deepfakes were produced. None have been threatened with national expulsion. None have been treated as existential threats to public safety.
So, why X?
X is not primarily a sexual platform. It is a political one. It hosts journalists, dissidents, activists, and cultural critics. It is messy, chaotic, and often offensive — but it is also one of the last major spaces where unfiltered political disagreement still happens at scale.
That is why this fight has become transatlantic. The United States understands something the British government seems either unable or unwilling to admit: a wholesale ban on X would be a gross attempt to control and shut down public conversation, including views the government simply dislike.
If Starmer truly believes in protecting the vulnerable, his government should be relentlessly targeting the platforms that profit from sexual abuse and exploitation. Until that happens, the sudden ferocity directed at X will remain impossible to read as anything other than ideological.
And now, thanks to America’s spotlight, the world is watching.
* * *
Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) is a writer and commentator from Great Britain.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Deep fake hoax and manipulation news titles on screen in hand 3d illustration

Someone Made AI Porn Of Me. Could That Kill America’s Relationship With Britain?

I Was Targeted By An AI Deepfake. Now My Country Wants To Ban X.

Artificial Intelligence

Deepfake

England

Great Britain

Keir Starmer

Pornhub

Pornography

Social Media

Twitter

Women

The situation surrounding Zohran Mamdani’s swearing-in as New York City mayor has produced an unusual quirk on social media: he has inherited the official @NYCMayor account along with all of the tweets posted under former Mayor Eric Adams — including Adams’s pro-Israel messaging. Because the account name and profile have now been updated to reflect Mayor Mamdani, those older tweets remain publicly visible under his name, even though they were written before he took office, creating a jarring and sometimes humorous mismatch between past content and the new mayor’s positions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The NYC Mayor’s Twitter account is now under Mayor Mamdani’s name, but unlike the White House accounts, prior tweets are not archived or clearly attributed to past administrations. 
As a result, there are tweets still visible that are jarring when they appear under Mayor… <a href="https://t.co/lxgbmrEmY1">pic.twitter.com/lxgbmrEmY1</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/2006655497668276386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
For the record, Mamdani condemned Netanyahu when he appeared at UN and accused him of genocide. NYC needs to update its social media management.
&mdash; Rowan Scarborough (@RoScarborough) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoScarborough/status/2006669387227697654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This contrasts sharply with how official White House social-media accounts are handled during a presidential transition. As <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/01/20/so-what-happens-to-the-potus-twitter-account-now/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">The Washington Post</a> explained in 2017 when Donald Trump assumed office, institutional federal accounts such as @POTUS, @WhiteHouse, @FLOTUS, @VP, and @PressSec transfer to the incoming administration with their followers but not their content. The outgoing administration’s tweets are archived under separate, clearly labeled accounts (such as @POTUS44 for Barack Obama), while the new administration begins with a clean slate. This system prevents confusion about who authored past posts and preserves a clear public record.
New York City, however, treats @NYCMayor as a continuous government communications tool rather than a time-limited account tied to a specific mayor. The account is owned and managed by the City of New York through the Mayor’s Office of Digital Strategy under city social media policy. That means the account is not reset or archived when a new mayor takes office. Instead, it functions as a running institutional record spanning multiple administrations.
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As <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/zohran-mamdani-x-account-eric-adams-new-york-mayor-israel-netanyahu-11293251?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Newsweek</a> has noted, the account has existed since January 2009 and now contains an extensive archive of posts from successive mayors. The result is that tweets written by Eric Adams remain fully visible even though the account now bears Mamdani’s name — a structural difference from federal account-transition practices that highlights how state and local governments often follow their own conventions when managing digital public records.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Holds Press Conf. On Political Opponents

Mamdani’s Official X Account Flush With Pro-Israel Posts

Eric Adams

General

Politics

Zohran Mamdani

A lengthy exposé highlighting the negative effects DEI has had on white males, in particular millennials, has gone mega viral on social media.
The Compact <a href="https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/">piece</a> “The Lost Generation” by Jacob Savage goes into detail about how white men have been discriminated against over the past decade, especially in the fields of entertainment and academia. The statistical truths laid out plainly have struck a chord with the general public, leading to the article being viewed on X more than 11 million times.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beginning in 2014, prestige industries decided they urgently needed to diversify. They didn’t purge established Boomers. Instead, they did everything possible to avoid hiring white millennial men.
This is the story of a generation derailed by DEI. <a href="https://t.co/kUfmpHfaMH">https://t.co/kUfmpHfaMH</a>
— Matthew Schmitz (@matthewschmitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewschmitz/status/2000556991375409159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Savage, who tried to make it as a Hollywood writer, reported that in 2011, “white men were 48 percent of lower-level TV writers; by 2024, they accounted for just 11.9 percent.” He further noted that The Atlantic’s editorial staff “went from 53 percent male and 89 percent white in 2013 to 36 percent male and 66 percent white in 2024.” Also, “white men fell from 39 percent of tenure-track positions in the humanities at Harvard in 2014 to 18 percent in 2023.”
The author points to the death of George Floyd as a major turning point for industries that were already trying to “diversify.”
“In 2021, new hires at Condé Nast were just 25 percent male and 49 percent white; at the California Times, parent company of The Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, they were just 39 percent male and 31 percent white. That year ProPublica hired 66 percent women and 58 percent people of color; at NPR, 78 percent of new hires were people of color,” he wrote.
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A hiring manager told Savage, “For a typical job we’d get a couple hundred applications, probably at least 80 from white guys. It was a given that we weren’t gonna hire the best person. … It was jarring how we would talk about excluding white guys.”
White male writers have been kept out of other major outlets, too, including The New York Times and Buzzfeed. The article noted that Vox Media was 82 percent male and 88 percent white in 2013. By 2022, the company was just 37 percent male and 59 percent white, and by 2025 leadership was 73 percent female.
Savage said while the problem looks less stark in academia, he believes that Boomers are occupying all the tenure positions at elite institutions while millennial white men are being ignored for jobs they’re qualified for.
One notable statistic Savage found was that since 2022, Brown University “has hired forty-five tenure track professors in the humanities and social sciences. Just three were white American men (6.7 percent).”
The article points out similar situations in other industries, such as tech, publishing, and management. Savage notes how white men were pushed to crypto, podcasting, and Substack because “institutional barriers to entry didn’t exist” there.
His exposé was met with support and commiseration on social media.
“The phenomenon of white male dispossession strikes at the core of what’s been going on over the last decade,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/l0m3z/status/2000976625585021212?s=43">wrote</a>. “Any politician, anyone with any ambition to influence, must take on this fight. The time is now.”
“Truly extraordinary,” <a href="https://x.com/l0m3z/status/2000976625585021212?s=43">said</a> another. “Impossible to fathom all that&#8217;s been lost.”
Some argued that Savage’s piece didn’t go far enough and that it placed too much blame on the established Boomers who were also subject to discrimination.
“People complaining about the rise of radicalism need to realize the number one thing they could do to contain it is to speak up,” political commentator Jeremy Carl <a href="https://x.com/realJeremyCarl/status/2000933766118957247">wrote</a>.

Man is standing

Exposé On Discrimination Against White Millennial Men Goes Viral, Inspires Outrage

Business

Discrimination

Journalism

Social Issues

U.S.

White Men

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Rapper Nicki Minaj has been engaged in a public back-and-forth with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling him out for his radical stance on “gender affirming” surgery for minors, among other things.
Most recently, Newsom drew another round of responses from Minaj after he posted a wordless compilation on X, punctuated only by a zipped-lip emoji. The 12-second clip featured footage of President Donald Trump alongside the late Jeffrey Epstein, all set to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” — widely interpreted as a diss track aimed at Minaj.
Minaj responded to the clip, saying, “See Barbz? I told you he was wicked.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dear Barbz,
Pls protect me from that wicked &amp; evil man.
Love,
Barbie.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1999972072550989852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Dear Barbz, Pls protect me from that wicked &amp; evil man. Love, Barbie,” she continued, addressing her fans by their nickname.
“They’re ready to make a career politician with everything to…throw it all away — just like they did to everyone else before him — just to go against me. What’s wild is that he can’t see how this will end,” the singer added in a follow-up. “I must be a pretty powerful gal. Praise God. It is well.”
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The drama began last week when Newsom went all in for transing the kids, even as the concept has been receiving less mainstream support.
“I want to see trans kids… There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have. No one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBT community,” Newsom said during an appearance on The Ezra Klein Show last week, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nicki-minaj-goes-scorched-earth-on-gavvy-pooh-newsom-tells-him-to-sit-2028-out?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Nicki+Minaj+Goes+Scorched+Earth+On+%E2%80%98Gavvy-Pooh%E2%80%99+Newsom%2C+Tells+Him+To+Sit+2028+Out">reported</a>.
“Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids. Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would run on that,” Minaj posted on Friday morning in response to the clip. “Normal adults wake up &amp; think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids. Not Gav, The Gav Nots, GavOUT. Send in the next guy, I’m bored.”
“Gavin is the cute boy who got everything handed to him b/c of how cute &amp; sexy &amp; hot &amp; smoking he was. Oohhh look @‘m. Sitting there in that suit with the sneakers on,” she said. “He thinks he’s Tom Cruise only difference is, his next mission IS impossible. He should get another leading role.”
The rapper’s diatribe continued with more criticism for the governor. 
“Oh Gavvy pooh, it only gets worse from here for you, buddy. It’s the end of the road for you, my love. Get on the nearest jet ski &amp; let that beautiful hair blow in the wind. It will make you happier than this race that you will not win. Enjoy life. Peace,” she said.
Amid her criticism of Newsom, Minaj also expressed support for President Trump’s administration.
“God bless this great nation,” she tweeted alongside a message from “MAGA Voice” showing footage of the president saluting during the national anthem at the Army/Navy game. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GOD BLESS THIS GREAT NATION 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/HvNmeas0G1">https://t.co/HvNmeas0G1</a>
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1999973916056617240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Monday, The Washington Post published a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2025/12/15/nicki-minaj-jd-vance-nigerian-christians/">piece</a> questioning Minaj’s shift to the MAGA side and noting that she once held a more left-leaning worldview.
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Newsom and Minaj

Nicki Minaj Turns Up The Heat On ‘Wicked And Evil’ Gavin Newsom

Nicki Minaj Turns Up The Heat On 'Wicked And Evil' Gavin Newsom 

Entertainment

Gavin Newsom

Nicki Minaj

Over the weekend, X (formerly Twitter) rolled out a major transparency feature called “About This Account,” which publicly displays an account’s home location, join date, username-change history, and all hell broke loose.
The purpose, according to the company, was to give users enough context to identify inauthentic behavior, spot foreign influence, and distinguish real users from coordinated bot activity. Verified government accounts with grey checkmarks are exempt &#8220;to prevent acts of terrorism against government leaders,&#8221; an X official <a href="https://x.com/nikitabier/status/1992370352677360022">said</a>.
The location data could be influenced by travel, temporary locations, or the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), X <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cd6xyjj0gnjt?post=asset%3A2243f0c6-f8ac-4d58-a13f-6acc6e6faf3f#post">said</a> over the weekend.
Within hours of the feature’s release, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/rightwing-influencers-outside-us-x-twitter-tool" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the social media platform told users</a> that many of the most prominent “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) accounts were not American at all but were operating from Russia, Nigeria, India, Thailand, Pakistan, and other foreign hubs.
Nikita Bier, X&#8217;s head of product, <a href="https://x.com/nikitabier/status/1992820294864732411">said</a> a Monday update to the feature would make it &#8220;nearly 99.99%&#8221; accurate.
“Cyber-enabled influence operations function on common principles that can be understood through an identification-imitation-amplification framework,” <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-foreign-governments-sway-voters-with-online-manipulation/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Scientific American</a> explains. “First, ‘outsiders’ (malicious actors) identify target audiences and divisive issues through social media microtargeting. Following this, the ‘outsiders’ may pose as members of the target audience by assuming false identities, through imitation which increases their credibility.”
“’Fake MAGA’ accounts co-opt MAGA and ‘America First’ branding to attract the same target audiences, yet our research has traced this activity to coordinated bot farms,” the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/reports/6-18-25-false-flags-and-fake-maga-how-foreign-and-inauthentic-networks-use-fake-speech-to-destabilize-the-right-from-within/">reported</a>. “These operations emerge swiftly, often within 48 hours of  high-profile crises, and consistently use scripted tactics. Though these accounts often appear to  echo or profess MAGA values at surface level, they frequently disseminate narratives aligned  with adversarial foreign propaganda.”
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This pattern extended beyond U.S. politics. The same location-reveal feature <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/11/23/x-location-tracking-exposes-fake-gaza-accounts-pakistan/">exposed</a> global inauthentic networks: accounts posing as Gazan journalists, raising funds for supposed war victims, or engaging in anti-Israel activism, but actually operating from Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, or the United States. Israeli social media researchers noted large anti-Israel or “Gaza journalist” accounts tweeting from Pakistan and Bangladesh while pretending to be Western or Middle Eastern civilians. These findings demonstrated that X’s new tool was surfacing cross-issue bot networks, many of which appeared to serve overlapping geopolitical aims.
According to NCRI, these networks activate rapidly after crises—mass shootings, terror attacks, political scandals, or even natural disasters—injecting false-flag narratives, conspiracy claims, and divisive misinformation within minutes. One activation window produced 650,000 posts pushing false-flag claims with nearly four million interactions, fueled by Kremlin propaganda nodes, bot farms, and domestic influencers unknowingly amplifying messages seeded by foreign intelligence services. The same networks later pivoted to attack Donald Trump directly, accusing him of corruption or immoral behavior after a public rift between Trump and Elon Musk, revealing that the objective was not to support MAGA but to use its symbols to destabilize the movement.
This strategy fits a broader pattern outlined by analysts studying cyber-enabled influence operations, which follow a cycle of identification, imitation, and amplification. Foreign actors identify divisive issues, impersonate members of the target community, and amplify polarizing messages at scale—often through AI-generated personas, as shown by the Russian AI-driven bot farm <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-leads-efforts-among-federal-international-and-private-sector-partners">targeted</a> by the DOJ in 2024.
X’s new location transparency has made many of these impostors and bot farms visible for the first time, confirming what researchers have long warned: that numerous loud online voices claiming to represent MAGA or broader American conservatism were foreign-run operations aimed at fracturing U.S. political coalitions, sowing distrust, and undermining national unity.

Illustrative Photos Of Logos

Elon Musk’s X Now Disclosing Where Accounts Are Based. All Hell Breaks Loose.

Bots

MAGA

Technology

World

Cracker Barrel poked fun at a recent PR crisis that followed its botched rebranding campaign.
The popular family restaurant responded to a photo mocking all of the liberals having meltdowns over President Donald Trump’s White House renovation project. Various doctored images have circulated showing exaggerated additions to the property, including a gigantic Trump tower. The meme that caught Cracker Barrel’s attention showed one of its restaurants attached to the White House’s East Wing.
“Wait, they’re really attaching a [Cracker Barrel] to the East Wing?” an X account posted alongside a crying-laughing emoji.
The official Cracker Barrel X account replied, saying, “You probably don&#8217;t want us anywhere near a remodel.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You probably don&#8217;t want us anywhere near a remodel <a href="https://t.co/b3E8P7fVJD">https://t.co/b3E8P7fVJD</a>
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrackerBarrel/status/1983660591974904233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Commenters were delighted with the company&#8217;s self-own.
“A+ self awareness&#8230; this is awesome,” conservative activist and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines <a href="https://x.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1983697443498946588">replied</a>.
“&#8230; and just like that I want to eat there again. Wow, what a way to stage a comeback,” another popular comment <a href="https://x.com/maviddedsker/status/1983666688307642729">said</a>.
“Promote social media manager to CEO,” a third commenter quipped.
“Hahaha! You guys figured it out,” another person echoed. “Admitting your mistakes and moving on, making a meme of yourself is totally endearing. Well done. You’re redeemed!”
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Cracker Barrel was in the headlines for weeks beginning in August after it debuted a total rebrand. Outraged customers insisted that the company abandon its remodel plans and reinstate its traditional logo. Even President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation.
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump said on Truth Social. “They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.”
Facing mounting backlash, the company ultimately walked back its rebrand.
“You’ve shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants,” a statement posted to X said. “We’re continuing to listen. Today, we’re suspending our remodels. If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry, it won’t be. With our recent announcement that our ‘Old Timer’ logo will remain, along with our bigger focus in the kitchen and on your plate, we hope that today’s step reinforces that we hear you.”

Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Redeems Itself With One Savage Social Media Post After Rebrand Fiasco

Cracker Barrel Redeems Itself With One Savage Tweet After Rebrand Fiasco

Culture

Restaurant

Google Bay Bridge

We Just Got Proof Of A Huge Attack On Free Speech, And It Has Nothing To Do With Jimmy Kimmel

Big Tech

Conservatives

Donald Trump

Free Speech

Google

Jake Tapper

Jimmy Kimmel

Matt Walsh

Social Media Censorship

YouTube

Five days after I left my short stint heading news partnerships at X, a friend texted me with the details of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Assuming I was cooling off after a long period of eating, breathing and sleeping Elon Musk&#8217;s social platform, this note was intended as a simple ICYMI to someone who didn’t miss much – one that I am grateful to have received.
I didn’t know Charlie Kirk, but every aspect of my recent job was influenced by his work. X is the home of countless communicators aiming to follow Kirk&#8217;s pattern of boldness, eloquence, and clarity. I haven’t done the math, but my guess is for every 100 aspiring Charlies, none manage to fill the mold.
Opening X on my phone Wednesday afternoon ushered me into a world I feared was becoming extinct. Post upon post was an appeal to pray. Pray for Charlie. Pray for Erika. Pray for the children. Pray for the hearts, the minds of young people. Pray for a nation divided. Yes, there was a lot of other noise on X – there always is – but the call for prayers was overwhelming.
This was a different call to action than the one I remember witnessing when my Twitter use was beginning to take flight. In 2012, with a 6-year-old, 2-year-old, and 2-day-old at home, I scrolled through post after post after the December 14 shooting at Sandy Hook, encouraging us to shelve the thoughts and prayers and focus on solutions instead of platitudes. As an editor in the Wall Street Journal’s newsroom at the time, I tended to agree the thoughts and prayers line was getting a little old.
I relived that nine years later when a 15-year-old shot up Oxford High School, a short drive from my house. Ethan Crumbley&#8217;s bullets killed and injured classmates, including one who had sat in the backseat of my car on road trips to gymnastics meets. Prayers seemed like a slice of the equation, but damn we needed to do something about guns.
In our world, there is an urgent need for prayerful petitions and also a need for action. But, there is a pecking order.
Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith explained that pecking order Friday during a press conference. After running through the predictable lists of shoutouts to law enforcement and public officials, he paused before saying, “Most of all, I would like to thank the public and specifically I would like to thank the public who turned to prayers and who turned to positiveness for us … we needed those prayers. That’s what we needed to get through this.”
If social media is, as Utah Governor Spencer Cox deemed it during the same event, “a cancer,” its rot lies in its stubborn insistence on trying to replace real life. These platforms can be a tool for good, enabling free speech and breaking down geographic, generational and socioeconomic barriers that limit or prevent physical relationships. However, these platforms – like most media – have little appetite for nuance and too often trick us into thinking that words only have meaning if they are shouted in a digital town hall.
This is delusional. And it is in delusion where evil most comfortably resides, camouflaging itself as anything it can to make its work feel less evil. Anyone who has been introduced to the advice C.S. Lewis’s senior devil Screwtape passes along to his nephew Wormwood, knows that evil is most content when it is considered banal and impotent.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination, specifically its aftermath, reminds us of two important things. One, even the best of us can’t always stand in the way of evil. And, the most effective way to confront evil is by doing the thing that feels most powerless in the fog of war: prayer.
While evil doesn’t walk around wearing a nametag saying “Hello, My Name is ____,” its influence and presence leaves an unmistakable mark in its wake. Cunning and relentless, evil tends to be as persistent as it is crafty. Evil will strike again and that strike will catch us by surprise like it did on 9/11 and nearly 24 years later on 9/10.
In this instance, we are wise to take advice ladled out on X in the wake of a martyr’s death. “Pray, fool, pray.” For our fight is not against flesh and blood but powers and principalities working to tear our union apart.
Imagine a world where social media, for all its ills, drives us to the increasingly unfamiliar spot of being on our knees in a relatively powerless position. That world gives us hope when we realize that being on our knees is actually the most powerful posture there is.
* * *
John D. Stoll is a writer based in Rochester, Mich. He worked for 13 years at Wall Street Journal as a reporter, editor and columnist, leaving in 2020. He most recently ran news partnerships at X.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-SHOOTING-KIRK

X’s Algorithm At Its Best: A Push For Thoughts And Prayers

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Prayer

Avowed leftist author Stephen King was forced to admit his error and apologize after being caught spreading lies about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
As other &#8220;progressives&#8221; on social media tried to justify the brutal assassination of Kirk at a free speech event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, King piled on by sharing a tweet that said, “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin.’”
Multiple accounts swarmed the comments with evidence of Kirk being civil towards gay people while presenting socially conservative viewpoints and maintaining a biblical view of marriage in his personal life. 
Kirk’s fans and friends went after King, sharing clips of the TPUSA founder speaking with gay people and welcoming them to the conservative movement.
“Hey [Stephen King], you are more monstrous than any of the characters you ever came up with. Charlie was never anything but kind to me and my husband,” conservative commentator Dave Rubin <a href="https://x.com/RubinReport/status/1966299918202540515">replied</a> on X.
“We broke bread many times, and he never treated us with anything other than respect. He even came to our house not too long ago and plot twist, didn’t throw rocks at us. Write about that sometime, you hack,” he added.
“Why would Stephen King post something so blatantly false?” X owner Elon Musk wondered.
Others shared screenshots of Kirk’s previous tweets, including one that said, “I believe marriage is one man one woman. Also gay people should be welcome in the conservative movement. As Christians we are called to love everyone. I will always stand against people who wish to establish their own personal values as a reason to kick others out of the movement.”
The backlash and facts became so severe that King backtracked and apologized on Friday morning.
“I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages,” the horror author <a href="https://x.com/StephenKing/status/1966474125616013664">wrote</a>.

Stephen King

Stephen King Walks Back Lie About Charlie Kirk With Half-Hearted Apology

Christianity

Irish comedian Graham Linehan said he was arrested in London on Monday over social media posts deemed “transphobic.”
The 57-year-old celeb, who is best known for appearances in popular British comedies like “The IT Crowd” and “Father Ted,” said he was rushed to the hospital after being taken to jail due to high blood pressure likely caused by stress.
Linehan said he was greeted by law enforcement after he stepped off a flight from Arizona to London. 
“The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three posts on X,” he wrote in an op-ed for <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/i-posted-on-x-the-british-police-arrested-me-free-speech">The Free Press</a>. “In a country where pedophiles escape prison, where knife crime is out of control, the state had mobilized five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer for these three posts.”
Linehan said many law enforcement officers he encountered during the ordeal exhibited “bafflement” and seemed to have “absolutely no idea” what his alleged crime was.
But then, during an interview with one of the officers, the tone changed.
“He asked about each of the posts in turn, with the sort of earnest intensity usually reserved for discussing something serious like. . . oh, I don’t know—crime?” Linehan wrote.
“I explained that the post about punching a trans-identified man in a female-only space was a serious point made with a joke. Men who enter women’s spaces are abusers, and they need to be challenged every time.”
“The officer mentioned the term trans people. I asked him what he meant by the phrase. ‘People who feel their gender is different than what was assigned at birth,’” he continued. “‘Assigned at birth?’ I responded. ‘Our sex isn’t assigned.’ He called it semantics. I told him he was using activist language.”
The Irish comedian said a nurse checked his blood pressure, and it was in “stroke territory.” He was transported to the hospital and was put under observation. Linehan said the arresting officers offered him bail on the condition that he stop posting on X.
“I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to the hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes on X,” he wrote.
“The UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.”
The posts in question include one that says, “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
Another has a photo of a trans activist gathering and includes the caption, “A photo you can smell.”
The third one says, “I hate them all. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”

Graham Linehan

Irish Comedian Recounts Shocking Arrest Over Anti-Trans Social Media Posts

Crime

Freedom of Speech

London

Transgender

On Saturday, veteran football commentator Lee Corso made his 430th and final “headgear pick” on ESPN’s College GameDay.
It’s been 38 years since Corso helped launch the flagship college football broadcast, and 29 years since he first <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/lee-corsos-last-show-beloved-member-of-college-gameday-dons-ohio-state-headgear-one-final-time-in-send-off/">donned a mascot head</a> to lock in a pick — picks that were right <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46112766/lee-corso-picks-ohio-state-final-gameday-appearance">more often than not</a>.
His first-ever headgear pick was for THE Ohio State, so it was only fitting that, for his last prediction, he donned the head of Brutus Buckeye one final time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Give me my first love!&#8221;
Lee Corso&#8217;s first-ever headgear pick belonged to Brutus and the Buckeyes and it&#8217;s only fitting that his last one is the same ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/A8Fgj8b3TR">pic.twitter.com/A8Fgj8b3TR</a>
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1961822393732673601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
Standing in the way of Corso&#8217;s pick were the Texas Longhorns, coming into Columbus behind Arch Manning  for the first road start of his career.
It had been 2,084 days since Arch’s uncle, Eli, played his last game for the New York Giants, bringing to a temporary pause the family legacy Peyton Manning began with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. With a dynastic name on his shoulders and a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/30/sports/arch-mannings-6-8-million-nil-value-revealed-as-texas-qb-takes-center-stage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$6.8 million NIL valuation</a> behind him, Arch Manning took the field in Columbus ready to make Lee Corso regret his last-ever headgear pick.
He did not succeed.
Manning, considered a strong contender for the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a Heisman Trophy favorite, completed just 17 of 30 passes for a total of 170 yards. He threw for one late touchdown, and threw one crushing interception.
It was widely remarked on X and in group chats across the country that Manning threw fewer touchdowns than commercials he appeared in Saturday — for Raising Cane&#8217;s, the athleisure brand Vuori, and, for some reason, Warby Parker.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch Manning has more commercials than completions <a href="https://t.co/VdBjhErkBt">pic.twitter.com/VdBjhErkBt</a>
— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1961842339766308979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Haters will say that Arch’s performance on Saturday proves that he’s nothing but a nepo baby, and a disappointing one at that. They’ll say the only thing he inherited from his uncles is a penchant for selling car insurance and sandwiches. They’ll say that he should start preparing for a postgrad career at his dad’s real estate firm rather than in the NFL.
But I’m not a hater. It’s a long season, and Arch’s disastrous debut notwithstanding, he’s still a promising player who will likely fare better down the line when he’s not playing the reigning college football champions on their home turf.
On the other hand…I am a bit of a hater. And the tweets dunking on the Manning scion are simply too good not to share.
So, here are some of the best.
<h3>The name is Rooski. Fumblerooski.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Arch it’s 4th down! We need you to make a play!” <a href="https://t.co/vGQ8ACCK98">pic.twitter.com/vGQ8ACCK98</a>
— Old Row Sports (@OldRowSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldRowSports/status/1961856811218161671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<h3>It was fun while it lasted.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/MFJtXLgxuv">pic.twitter.com/MFJtXLgxuv</a>
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) <a href="https://twitter.com/rcb05/status/1961865346488377587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Maybe his real gift is acting?</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Watching Arch Manning reveal himself as nepo Jeff Driskel on national TV only for Fox to cut to a commercial with him every thirty seconds is fucking hysterical
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) <a href="https://twitter.com/SECBarstool/status/1961863526928261628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Not even the Failing New York Times is impressed.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reviewing Arch Manning&#8217;s performance on the day.
Great in the Warby Parker ad.
Decent in Vuori and Raising Cane&#8217;s.
Football game against Ohio State? &#8230; Not great!<a href="https://t.co/OJHFUwqrmE">https://t.co/OJHFUwqrmE</a>
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) <a href="https://twitter.com/slmandel/status/1961887481554739629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<h3> Many people are saying!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Arch Manning for Heisman” <a href="https://t.co/3I7Gasr0vG">pic.twitter.com/3I7Gasr0vG</a>
— Transfer Portal (@NCAAPortal) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAAPortal/status/1961864255394684935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<h3>I think I&#8217;ll just stay here and drink.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch Manning looks less comfortable than Luke Bryan trying to name 3 Merle Haggard songs without using Google.
— NotKennyRogers (@NotKennyRogers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotKennyRogers/status/1961845540292804966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>This one&#8217;s just mean.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ohio State defense has Arch Manning like this rn <a href="https://t.co/aHzQWP16dY">pic.twitter.com/aHzQWP16dY</a>
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) <a href="https://twitter.com/Three_Cone/status/1961863172949725324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>No disrespect to good ol&#8217; WCSU.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch Manning when he isn’t playing West Copperfield State University <a href="https://t.co/OYVedSuor4">pic.twitter.com/OYVedSuor4</a>
— 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 ✌🏽 (@BELIEVEBRAND0N) <a href="https://twitter.com/BELIEVEBRAND0N/status/1961841077754712198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Would you call John Quincy Adams a nepo baby?!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch Manning if Peyton and Eli weren’t his uncles 
<a href="https://t.co/i6y4FDfDUs">pic.twitter.com/i6y4FDfDUs</a>
— Le5-6 (@deepyy_) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepyy_/status/1961827027012530329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Arch!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch Manning in the Manning family <a href="https://t.co/Wm4KLMICR5">pic.twitter.com/Wm4KLMICR5</a>
— Wilson F. Ball, CFB Analyst (@WillyFoosball) <a href="https://twitter.com/WillyFoosball/status/1961843314606428634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Shouts out to our boy Rob Schneider (real ones get it).</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arch in the Manning family <a href="https://t.co/92BNebqB78">pic.twitter.com/92BNebqB78</a>
— Erik Andersen (@erikandersennn) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikandersennn/status/1961833662628188641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Ask not what your quartahback can do for you!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JFK if Arch Manning was the shooter <a href="https://t.co/fXfAJdDd3h">pic.twitter.com/fXfAJdDd3h</a>
— Joseph 🕊️ (@CaudilloXIV) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaudilloXIV/status/1961864035311214856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<h3>Don’t worry, Arch — we’re laughing with you.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Me liking all the Arch Manning memes <a href="https://t.co/SE3YXky9Bd">pic.twitter.com/SE3YXky9Bd</a>
— Three Year Letterman (@3YearLetterman) <a href="https://twitter.com/3YearLetterman/status/1961858119694205304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Texas v Ohio State

All The Best Tweets About Arch Manning’s Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Game

College Football

ESPN

Memes

Ohio State University

University of Texas

Woke is on the run.
The cultural scourge has stifled free thought, promoted hard Left extremism and corrupted the arts. Now, the pendulum is finally starting to swing in the opposite direction.
As Justine Bateman eloquently <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/justine-bateman-feels-she-breathe-135914542.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL59qaEAl5oQrn9Sbhjt_qu8fKo-iKLly0Qx1-59i0ZovkUgRNIkxBmkeb-90BXJs3RGFTKYXYPTw_0PpiYQZ4TC2vvcuf68E0zkXRjgeC_GgEgtbOqvca4Zg9u6iEw0q-H7gvODkFclXkVCbMI5yfWMT2bU8ni8NIdlhYRwH5Zd">put it</a>, it’s like we can all breathe again.
Woke may have been destined to crash and burn on its own. It’s antithetical to the American spirit and goes against basic biology. Plus, it’s often meted out in a cruel, hypocritical two-tier fashion.
Hunter Biden <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/08/hunter-biden-repeatedly-called-his-white-lawyer-the-n-word-texts-show/">repeatedly texts</a>  the &#8220;n-word&#8221; — zero punishment. Morgan Wallen calls a white friend the “n-word” in a private moment caught on tape – his career implodes overnight. 
Yet, over the past decade we&#8217;ve witnessed a number of brave souls stand up to the woke onslaught. While there are many on team sanity who deserve a shout out — including the voices at The Daily Wire — here are seven culture warriors who hastened woke’s demise and deserve a curtain call.
<h3>Robby Starbuck</h3>
<div id="attachment_901451" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-901451" class="size-large wp-image-901451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Untitled-design-32-1024x576.jpg" alt="Conservative influencer Robby Starbuck prior to an interview in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025." width="1024" height="576" />Bess Adler/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
The filmmaker/activist became the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-robby-starbuck-joins-heritage-foundation-to-continue-fight-against-woke-corporations?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Robby+Starbuck+Joins+Heritage+Foundation+To+Continue+Fight+Against+Woke+Corporations">one person</a> woke companies fear more than anyone else. Starbuck’s crusade to expose corporate shenanigans, like excessive DEI policies, proved shockingly effective in recent years.
Just ask <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/27/robby-starbuck-influencer-dei-walmart">Walmart, Target, John Deere, Harley Davidson</a> and more.
A single social media post from Starbuck could send company executives into damage control mode. Sunlight remains the best disinfectant.
Starbuck brings the receipts, too. His recent <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1958868634287161604">exposé on Cracker Barrel</a>, coming on the heels of the brand’s calamitous logo “update,” proved he isn’t done spotlighting woke on steroids.
<h3>Jennifer Sey</h3>
<div id="attachment_457893" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457893" class="size-large wp-image-457893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Courtesy of Jennifer Sey</div>
The former gymnast defied her woke overlords at Levi’s and lost, if only on the surface. Sey left her job as Global Brand President after speaking out against pandemic school closures. The woke company demanded she toe the line and not share her opinion publicly. She refused.
She could have licked her wounds or stayed silent. Not Sey. The Colorado resident rolled up her sleeves and kept fighting. She assembled a team to create a documentary detailing just how punishing lockdowns proved for millions of kids, even as we weren’t always allowed to admit it aloud. That upcoming documentary, “Generation-Covid,” is just part of her anti-woke agenda.
She also created XX-XY Athletics, a clothing brand designed for women, not biological men living as women. Her company speaks out against trans women in women’s sports, helping strike a blow against a movement that often shames citizens into silence.
Now, the tide is turning on the subject, with more Americans allowed to speak their minds. Sey helped make that happen.
<h3>Elon Musk</h3>
<div id="attachment_902957" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-902957" class="size-large wp-image-902957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-864x576.jpg" alt="A portrait picture of Elon Musk photographed in Krakow, Poland on January 22nd, 2024 and X, former Twitter, logo are screened for illustration photo in Krakow, Poland on October 25, 2024." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images</div>
He may be “frenemies” with a certain world leader these days, but Musk struck a mighty blow against woke by buying Twitter. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-bought-twitter-over-free-speech-concerns-media-groupthink-2022-12">Partly inspired</a> by the platform’s attack on The Babylon Bee and other free speech punishments, Musk took over and restored many censored accounts. His new, streamlined X let free speech reign anew. Suddenly, users didn’t have to self-censor for fear their unwoke opinions could cost them their digital voice.
The platform is far from perfect, but under Musk’s control, it’s a vastly superior product and a woke-free zone.
<h3>Christopher Rufo</h3>
<div id="attachment_877257" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-877257" class="size-large wp-image-877257" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Untitled-design-33-1024x576.jpg" alt="Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist and New College of Florida trustee, walks through protestors on his way out of a bill signing event featuring Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed three education bills on the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. on Monday, May 15, 2023." width="1024" height="576" />Photo by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images</div>
Starbuck may be corporate America’s worst nightmare, but Rufo offers a similar service for academics gone wild. Rufo’s relentless pressure campaigns, and fact-based measures, proved highly effective in recent years.
Rufo helped expose former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/claudine-gay-who-resigned-due-to-plagiarism-allegations-to-teach-reading-and-research-class-at-harvard-in-fall">plagiarism scandal</a>, but that’s just a fraction of his recent activism. Here, he describes why he <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/conservative-activist-christopher-rufo-on-his-push-to-scrutinize-higher-education">focuses his attention</a> on Ivy League institutions.
“They&#8217;re promoting from their central administrations racial discrimination, scapegoating and even segregation.”
In some cases, they “were” promoting all of the above. Rufo gets results.
<h3>J.K. Rowling</h3>
<div id="attachment_913089" style="width: 828px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913089" class="size-large wp-image-913089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-818x576.jpg" alt="JK Rowling" width="818" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-818x576.jpg 818w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-300x211.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-768x541.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 818px) 100vw, 818px" />Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images</div>
Many celebrities, even the biggest stars in the galaxy, stand down under intense woke pressure. Remember how <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/rub-and-tug-tv-show-our-lady-j?srsltid=AfmBOooqto0TGS1QBSZKn_jSJCQPHkCoAhh3bv_wnxbTxhD4YsIThjEW">Scarlett Johansson buckled</a> rather than accept a role playing a trans character?
Not Rowling. The “Harry Potter” author, an old-school progressive, began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/j-k-rowling-hilariously-shreds-transgender-activist-over-bra-fitting-boast">questioning</a> elements of the trans agenda in 2020. That put her squarely in the Left’s cross-hairs, and she’s remained there ever since.
Death threats. Endless cultural cancelations. Serial attacks from the same Legacy Media outlets that once praised her ability to inspire young readers.
And Rowling refused to back down. That posture, combined with the work Sey has done on trans matters, allowed others to speak out against biological men in women’s sports.
<h3>Joe Rogan</h3>
<div id="attachment_909823" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909823" class="size-large wp-image-909823" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience/YouTube.com</div>
Rogan&#8217;s relentless curiosity, eagerness to let so many voices share his platform, and his dedication to an open, long-form conversation has given free speech a major boost. 
Even more important, Rogan had a change of heart regarding one potential guest. Two years ago, Rogan seemed disinterested in chatting up former President Donald Trump.
Then, as he watched the Democratic Party stifle speech across the culture, he realized his platform could give Trump a boost in the 2024 presidential campaign. It’s likely why other rebel comics did the same with the Trump-Vance ticket, from Andrew Schulz to Tim Dillon.
<h3>President Donald Trump</h3>
<div id="attachment_942191" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942191" class="size-large wp-image-942191" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-865x576.jpg" alt="President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One outside the White House on July 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images</div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIF2rdXnpMo">“Everything woke turns to s***,”</a> The 45th and 47th president once said, slicing through the noise to make perfect sense. He’s right, of course, and he helped make woke retreat to its current, cornered state.
The president’s frank talk, blustery persona and eagerness to speak sans filter did more than burnish his brand. He gave us permission to do the same, to shoot straight and take the consequences.
Plus, he used his executive orders to protect female athletes against biological male competitors and doubled down on Rufo’s efforts to rein in woke colleges. His anti-DEI initiatives will be part of his legacy, no doubt.
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Woke is far from gone, despite the work of these culture warriors. Some companies and schools are using sleight-of-hand techniques to keep on discriminating on the basis of race and gender.
The disgraced Gay is still teaching students at Harvard.
Hollywood will keep making movies about five-foot-nothing women beating up men double their size. Gender and race-swapped stories won’t fade to black like 3D movies and found footage shockers.
Still, woke has taken body blow after body blow. And these powerful figures threw some of the heaviest punches.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
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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