By now, Daily Wire readers are probably familiar with children&#8217;s entertainer Ms. Rachel&#8217;s history of anti-Israel activism. Things reached a fever pitch this week when Ms. Rachel &#8220;accidentally&#8221; liked an Instagram comment calling to &#8220;free America from the Jews.&#8221; She claims the like was accidental, and insists that she remains a neutral child advocate.
In this piece, Vanessa Santos — a mother of two and D.C. public relations guru — explains why she doesn&#8217;t let her kids watch Ms. Rachel. As Vanessa explains, it&#8217;s not about protesting someone with objectionable views, but taking care about who you let your children grow to trust. If you&#8217;re a parent, you&#8217;d do well to consider her compelling case. — Tim Rice
***
Like many parents of young children, I spend a lot of time thinking about what enters our home.
I’m careful about what my kids eat, who they learn from, and especially what they watch. Children absorb authority long before they understand ideas, which makes early media choices far more consequential than we like to admit.
That is why my kids don’t watch Ms. Rachel.
The popular children’s entertainer, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, burst on the scene with her “Songs For Littles” videos, which help children develop speech with songs and puppets. It’s like Sesame Street for the YouTube age, and it became a sensation during the coronavirus pandemic as parents scrambled to support isolated children falling behind.
But in recent years, Ms. Rachel has become known for something else entirely: her criticism of Israel and defense of Hamas in Gaza.
Accurso claims that she’s a neutral humanitarian who uses her platform to advocate for children everywhere. But her actions tell a different story.
This week, the “Free Palestine” activist came under fire for liking an Instagram comment that said “Free America from the Jews.”
Accurso said she liked the comment by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ms-rachel-says-she-liked-free-america-from-the-jews-comment-by-accident?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Ms.+Rachel+Says+She+Liked+%E2%80%98Free+America+From+The+Jews%E2%80%99+Comment+By+Accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accident</a>, mistakenly tapping the like button while trying to delete the comment. Her apology, which included a disavowal of antisemitism, satisfied some of her fans.
I’m not convinced. Whether or not she “accidentally” liked the comment, it’s hardly the first time that she’s cozied up to antisemitic interests.
In an August interview with Peter Beinart, she repeated disputed casualty claims and framed Israel as uniquely responsible for the suffering of children in Gaza, while omitting Hamas’s role in initiating and sustaining the war.
This was not an impulsive post. It was a deliberate media appearance in which a children’s entertainer used her credibility with parents to promote one-sided war messaging.
She campaigned for and has frequently appeared with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who declined to renew New York City executive orders addressing antisemitism and boycotts of Israel, raising concerns among Jewish organizations.
These appearances do not exist in isolation. Ms. Rachel <a href="https://stopantisemitism.org/as-week/ms-rachel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frequently uses her platform</a> to criticize Israel and repeat false claims about the war in Gaza.
Antisemitism today rarely announces itself outright. It moves through selective outrage, euphemisms, and moral posturing that excuse violence against Jews. When a children’s entertainer begins to deal in this kind of rhetoric, it’s up to parents to take notice.
This is not about canceling a YouTuber. It is about boundaries. There are countless ways to teach language development without bringing activism into the playroom. Parents can choose content creators who are focused on children, not politically charged activism.
Children don’t need to understand antisemitism for it to harm them. They form trust in authority figures before they’re capable of evaluating what those figures stand for.
We’ve all seen how much children love Ms. Rachel. The 43-year-old isn’t going anywhere, and her brand is only growing. The children who love her videos now will grow with her and continue looking to her as a trusted source, much as previous generations looked to Mr. Rogers.
One day, these children will hear her talk about Israel. And that’s where the problem starts.
That’s why my children don’t watch Ms. Rachel. I don’t trust her to help shape their moral understanding. I won’t invite someone with these abhorrent views into my home.
Pressing play is not a neutral act. It is an invitation into our homes and into our children’s developing sense of authority, and that access carries responsibility.
Influencers are not entitled to parental trust. They earn or lose our trust by what they say and do.
Ms. Rachel has certainly lost mine.
***
Vanessa Santos is the founder and president of Renegade DC, a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TODAY – Season 73

Why I Don’t Let My Kids Watch Ms. Rachel

antisemitism

Children

Israel

Television

YouTube

Zohran Mamdani

My office decorations are mostly standard-issue: pictures of my family, a diploma, a couple of concert posters to trick people into thinking I’m fun. But no one notices them at first, as everyone’s eyes inevitably go to the portrait above my desk.
It’s impossible to miss: a big, professionally-framed picture of a Joey Chestnut, smiling triumphantly behind a pile of hot dogs after reclaiming the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest championship from Takeru Kobayashi on July 4, 2007.
Joey came into my possession courtesy of my first boss in Washington, who in the midst of an office redecorating effort reluctantly decided to part with what he called a symbol of American triumph.
I think about that every time I glance up in the middle of the day and see the champ looking back at me, tongue sticking out and eyes wide with the thrill of victory. So you can imagine my disappointment when I learned China had bought Nathan’s.
On Thursday, Smithfield <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nathans-famous-hot-dogs-smithfield-merger-9927a1f0fde1ff32c2f95dc4949d3dfd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would purchase the iconic hot dog franchise for $450 million. Of course, “Smithfield” isn’t really Smithfield anymore. The Virginia-based meat producer was itself purchased in 2013 by the Shuanghui Group, which has since renamed itself the more innocuous sounding WH Group.
The WH Group is a Chinese company through and through, which means it is, for all intents and purposes, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party. Its leadership is full of <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/25/chinese-communist-party-landowner-pork/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CCP bigwigs</a>, who have put the company at the forefront of China’s efforts to purchase American farmland — a major <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/national-security-threat-of-china-dominated-u.s-agricultural-sectors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national security threat</a>. At its peak, WH Group owned around 150,000 acres of American land across 29 states.
WH Group has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/07/08/us-china-farmland-ban-national-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduced</a> its American land holdings in response to the Trump administration’s push to ban Chinese companies from buying up American farms. But it still has around 85,000 acres of this country in its possession, a collection to which it can now add Nathan’s original Coney Island location, still standing where it was built in 1916.
It’s fitting that the first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty will be sponsored by the CCP. America’s biggest foe wrapping its tentacles around a symbol of American freedom founded by a Polish Jew. Ms. Rachel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ms-rachel-says-she-liked-free-america-from-the-jews-comment-by-accident?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Ms.+Rachel+Says+She+Liked+%E2%80%98Free+America+From+The+Jews%E2%80%99+Comment+By+Accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">must be thrilled</a>.
It never ends well when foreigners take over American institutions — just look what happened when the Belgians <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-tries-to-woo-back-customers-with-new-commercial-starring-shane-gillis?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bud+Light+Tries+To+Woo+Back+Customers+With+New+Commercial+Starring+Shane+Gillis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bought</a> Anheuser-Busch.
When my old boss called the Joey Chestnut picture a portrait of American triumph, he wasn’t just talking about an American reclaiming the title from a Japanese competitor. He was talking about an American dominating in an extremely American pastime, at a quintessentially American location, on the day we celebrate American independence.
Nathan’s is about as American as it gets. Nathan Handwerker opened his Brooklyn stand in 1916, four years after coming to America. He gained a foothold by selling cheaper products than his competitor and grew his little stand into a global empire. By the time Major League Baseball named Nathan’s its <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/nathan-s-famous-is-official-hot-dog-of-mlb-c221240194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official hot dog</a> in 2017, they had already become synonymous with ball games, barbecues, and the American dream.
When at the height of the Second World War E.B. White <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/11/07/164631081/author-e-b-white-on-the-meaning-of-democracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that democracy was “the mustard on the hot dog,” he was almost certainly envisioning one of Nathan&#8217;s Famous kosher-style franks.
Even liberalism’s court stenographer, Aaron Sorkin, understands the centrality of Nathan’s to the American image. In a 2002 episode of “The West Wing,” the White House Chief of Staff defends the president’s decision to assassinate a terrorist leader by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSxwFtBNww" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling his emissary</a>: “To sweep all fifty states, the President would only need to do two things: blow the sultan&#8217;s brains out in Times Square, then walk across the street to Nathan&#8217;s and buy a hot dog.”
It’s impossible to watch that scene now and not think of President Donald Trump’s now famous declaration that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose voters. It’s also hard to think that our first outer borough president relishes the site of China taking over a beloved American institution.
The overarching goal of Trump’s political career has been to reverse American decline by any means necessary. He’s touched on this aim in merely every speech he’s ever given, including his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/2025/01/the-inaugural-address/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Second Inaugural Address</a>:
<blockquote>From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.</blockquote>
Whether striking narcoterrorists or purchasing Greenland, Trump has shown he’ll stop at nothing to revive American greatness. Keeping Nathan’s in American hands seems like an easy way to advance his America First agenda and put the Red Dragon at bay. Surely it doesn’t hurt that Trump once called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nathans-hot-dogs-faces-backlash-over-trump-fundraiser-report-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nathan’s chairman</a> Howard Lorber one of his two best friends.
So come on, Mr. President. What’s one more volley in the trade wars if it means saving an American institution? Imagine that swooping green logo towering over the first American hot dog stand in Nuuk. This is our time for choosing.

Joey Chestnut (L) of San Jose, Californi

American Travesty: A Chinese Company Just Bought Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.

China

Donald Trump

Greenland

New York City

If you need a preview of what the country will look like if Democrats ever take back control of the federal government, let&#8217;s review the events that have taken place in Virginia over the past few days — a state now led by a CIA officer and sociopath named Abigail Spanberger.
Since taking complete control of the state, Democrats have raced to eliminate penalties for a series of crimes, from illegal migration to robbery to DUI, for the benefit of the non-white population that commits most of them. In fact, DUIs will no longer carry mandatory prison time in the state, and Spanberger has issued an executive order ending police cooperation with ICE. So that&#8217;s a real win-win for Virginia&#8217;s illegal alien community. 
Democrats have also moved to formalize anti-white discrimination in government contracting. They&#8217;re planning to raise taxes on basically everything — including sports facilities, dry cleaning, landscaping, home repairs, and digital services. They&#8217;re adding a new 20-cent tax to every single Amazon delivery and installing surveillance cameras across the state to generate more revenue by fining motorists. They&#8217;re also dramatically raising income taxes on wealthy individuals, who are mostly white, in order to fund free education for illegal aliens. They&#8217;ve commenced a new &#8220;Home-based Child Care Provider Start-Up Grants&#8221; program, so that more taxpayer money can be funneled to their own Somali &#8220;lear-ing centers.&#8221; They took one look at Minneapolis and decided, &#8220;We want that in our state.&#8221; 
Here&#8217;s a quote from just <a href="https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1082201.PDF">one of the bills</a> that Virginia Democrats have just introduced, to give you an idea.
<blockquote>The Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program (the Program) is hereby established to facilitate the participation of small SWaM businesses in state procurement. The goal of the Program shall be the achievement of a 42 percent small SWaM business utilization rate.</blockquote>
The bill continues:
<blockquote>The Program shall include a small SWaM business set-aside for the purchase of goods, services, and construction by executive branch agencies and covered institutions. Purchases up to $100,000 shall be set aside for award to small SWaM businesses.</blockquote>
You might be wondering, what&#8217;s a &#8220;SWaM?&#8221; And what&#8217;s a &#8220;Small SWaM?&#8221; Well, if you go back and look at the definitions, here&#8217;s what the bill tells you.
&#8216;Small SWaM business&#8217; means a small business &#8220;certified by the Department as being small, any subcategory of small, small women-owned, small minority-owned, or small service disabled veteran-owned.&#8221; 
Meanwhile, &#8220;SWaM means small, women-owned, or minority-owned or related to a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business.&#8221;
So this is one of those cases where they&#8217;ve clearly messed up the acronym. They&#8217;re talking about &#8220;Small Small minority owned businesses.&#8221; That&#8217;s what a &#8220;Small SWAM&#8221; is, if you spell it out. It&#8217;s not merely a &#8220;small minority-owned business.&#8221; It&#8217;s a &#8220;small small business,&#8221; whatever that means. No one ever accused Marxists of being intelligent.
But the intent of the bill is clear: The state of Virginia wants more taxpayer money to flow to minorities — not because those minorities are the best candidates, but because they&#8217;re not white. If you&#8217;re a white guy who runs a large business, then you&#8217;re going to be shut out of contracts under $100,000. A &#8220;minority owned&#8221; business will take that contract from you — unless, of course, you want to hire them as a &#8220;subcontractor.&#8221; If you pay the racial equity fee, you can get the job.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1721-democrats-are-doubling-down-on-their-anti-white-agenda-here-s-the-proof?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-976065" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
These are policies that, as contractors already know, are the norm in many cases. It&#8217;s already standard in federal contracting, thanks to the Civil Rights era. And now Virginia wants to drastically expand this kind of discrimination.
It&#8217;s obviously bad policy that&#8217;s eventually going to lead to some very obvious, potentially catastrophic outcomes. And therefore, just to make sure they never lose power again, Virginia Democrats have also introduced legislation that would make it illegal to count machine-readable ballots by hand, as well as legislation that makes it much easier to obtain and submit absentee ballots without identifying yourself, along with legislation that allows people who are &#8220;incapacitated&#8221; — to the point that they need a conservatorship — to cast ballots. In other words, they&#8217;re enabling voter fraud on a massive scale. There are dozens more bills like this. The account &#8220;NOVA Campaigns&#8221; has cataloged many of them.
If you lived in Virginia as recently as 2018 or so, all of this would&#8217;ve seemed hard to imagine. Democrats in the state were considered to be relatively moderate, all things considered. They certainly weren&#8217;t anywhere near as far-Left as, say, California. But that changed when every moderate in the Virginia state house was primaried in 2019, and in the state senate a few years later. The party is now under the complete control of California Marxists. And now that they&#8217;ve assumed power, they aren&#8217;t wasting any time transforming the entire state.
Leftists continue to destroy the American entertainment industry with terrible writing and communist messaging, as we recently covered, pushing DEI and so on. But at the same time, no one takes these shows seriously anymore. They&#8217;ve become parodies of themselves. Look all over the internet, and you won&#8217;t find a single serious video praising the new &#8220;Star Trek&#8221; show, for example. All of the comments on the show&#8217;s YouTube premiere are negative, and very few people watched it. And that&#8217;s one of many, many indicators that wokeness, to a large degree, has peaked. Axios just asked two dozen prominent Democrats whether men can become women, and virtually all of them ducked the question. The party is moving away from the fringe, deranged messaging that cost them the last election.
But in turn, they&#8217;re replacing wokeness with something much more deeply rooted, more insidious, and potentially much more harmful. And the state of Virginia is Exhibit A for what they&#8217;re planning. Democrats have decided to go all-in on anti-white hatred, which every institution in this country has deliberately fostered for at least 60 years. It&#8217;s not going away any time soon. As the Left moves away from transgenderism and some of the other excesses of the LGBT movement, they will double and triple down on the racial narrative. That narrative has proven far more enduring and far more effective.
And we know this is a much broader, party-wide strategy based on how top Democrats are talking now. Michelle Obama, for instance, just stated that buying clothes from white designers and white-owned companies is wrong.
You need to start practicing wardrobe equity, apparently.
Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Michelle Obama says she is mindful to try to avoid white-owned brands and others also should be <a href="https://t.co/5MqY5gaxUv">pic.twitter.com/5MqY5gaxUv</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2013356579802767412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @EndWokeness/X.com
The women all nod, as if it&#8217;s a completely normal thing to say. You&#8217;re not allowed to avoid &#8220;black-owned&#8221; businesses. If you&#8217;re an Uber driver and you try to avoid high-crime areas because you don&#8217;t want to get carjacked and shot, your account will be suspended for racism. But if any other race wants to openly discriminate against whites, the Democrat Party will support them, wholeheartedly.
Yes, Democrats have been talking like this for a very long time. But unlike traditional wokeness, they&#8217;re doubling down on the rhetoric. Everywhere they seize power, they&#8217;re implementing an anti-white platform.
That&#8217;s why Zohran Mamdani just appointed Afua Atta-Mensah to be the chief equity officer of New York City. The New York Young Republicans&#8217; club has found several posts in which this woman openly attacks white people, which of course, is the entire reason Mamdani hired her.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1031487 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/G_Czx5MWQAAapRi.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="272" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/G_Czx5MWQAAapRi.jpeg 680w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/G_Czx5MWQAAapRi-300x120.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /></div>
Credit: @AfuaAttaMensah/X.com
In this post, for example, someone posted his thoughts on the television show &#8220;Succession.&#8221; And Mamdani&#8217;s new equity director responds by saying, &#8220;Tax them to the white meat.&#8221; Yes, &#8220;tax them to the white meat.&#8221;
This woman also frequently talks about her &#8220;comrades,&#8221; and how they&#8217;re going to dismantle white supremacy and so on.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1031485 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/now-deleted-tweets-mayor-zohran-119176979.webp" alt="" width="1024" height="368" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/now-deleted-tweets-mayor-zohran-119176979.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/now-deleted-tweets-mayor-zohran-119176979-300x108.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/now-deleted-tweets-mayor-zohran-119176979-768x276.webp 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Credit: @AfuaAttaMensah/X.com
She also reposted and endorsed a message stating, “There’s NO moderate way to black liberation.”
And guess what? None of this is scandalous in the Mamdani administration, because they all think this way. That&#8217;s why his platform called for raising taxes on &#8220;richer and whiter neighborhoods.” And as Cea Weaver, Mamdani&#8217;s Director of Tenants, put it, they&#8217;re going to &#8220;impoverish the white middle class.&#8221; They&#8217;re going to declare that homeownership is a &#8220;weapon of white supremacy.&#8221; Mamdani himself has confirmed all of this. 
Watch: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Zohran Mamdani was given multiple chances to walk back his language that he wanted to tax Whiter neighborhoods at a higher rate but he refused to walk it back. He wants higher taxes for affluent Whites. As I’ve said, he’s a communist.<a href="https://t.co/yvsnHavzaS">pic.twitter.com/yvsnHavzaS</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1978463560729612600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @robbystarbuck/X.com
It&#8217;s reminiscent of the defenses we saw concerning those South African &#8220;kill the Boer&#8221; chants. Remember how the New York Times ran cover for that?
&#8220;What exactly did you mean when you said, &#8220;Kill the White Farmer?”
“Oh, that&#8217;s just a common expression. It doesn&#8217;t mean anything.&#8221;
Actually, when you come out and say that you&#8217;re going to raise taxes on whites, to their &#8220;white meat,&#8221; everyone understands exactly what you&#8217;re doing. The Left has committed to full-on racial warfare.
And they&#8217;re going to win, using this strategy, unless the Republican Party stops playing the same game in reverse. A big part of the reason why Republicans lost the governor&#8217;s race in Virginia is that they selected an anti-Trump candidate from Jamaica, and patted themselves on the back for their commitment to &#8220;diversity.&#8221; She spent most of the campaign talking about being an immigrant who won in a black district, and about how she can win more of the black vote.
Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Winsome Sears For Lieutenant Governor" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DKSP5u3pRbc?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>
Credit: Winsome Sears/YouTube.com
If Republicans insist on running political campaigns on the Left&#8217;s terms, they will lose every time. And the reason this is a losing strategy is that the Left doesn&#8217;t actually care about the demographics of their candidate. Or at least, that&#8217;s not their primary concern, or even close to it. Instead, the Left is principally concerned with selecting candidates who will ruthlessly and efficiently disenfranchise, bankrupt, incarcerate, and ultimately destroy white conservative men. 
That&#8217;s why they elected Joe Biden, who allowed FBI SWAT teams to arrest (and in some cases, kill) conservatives who offended the Left on the internet. It&#8217;s why they rallied around Abigail Spanberger, an extraordinarily dull and uncharismatic white woman. She promised to rig all of the government contracts against white men, to let the illegal aliens out of prison to take jobs from white men, to make it easier to rob white men, and so on. And now she&#8217;s delivering on those promises, along with every Democrat in Virginia.
Left unchecked, this anti-white fervor will lead to cases like this one, out of Ontario, Canada. A 19-year-old woman who left her 14-month-old toddler unattended in a full bathtub, resulting in the child&#8217;s death, just received a mere 3-year prison sentence.
That&#8217;s because, according to the judge, there was &#8220;systemic racism identified in the community&#8221; that &#8220;explain the woman&#8217;s conduct in this case.&#8221; Yes, &#8220;systemic racism&#8221; explains why the woman left her toddler alone in a full bathtub for 5 to 10 minutes, without any kind of bathing chair or support whatsoever, even though he couldn&#8217;t walk — and even though she had been warned by the government, on two occasions, to never leave her child unattended. Race, in effect, now excuses murder in Canada.
The logic used in this case, of course, justifies reduced sentences for any homicide — including acts of violence committed by black criminals against whites, which are extremely common. In fact, 84% of interracial crimes involving black and white people are black-on-white crimes. In places like Canada — and Virginia, and New York, and Minneapolis, and every other jurisdiction controlled by Leftists — those anti-white crimes will soon be excused, if they aren&#8217;t being excused already.
We cannot allow this to continue. But Democrats will continue racking up wins like this unless we start fielding candidates who will recognize what the Left is doing, call it out openly, and pledge to defend white men from the onslaught of racial discrimination that they will face if and when Democrats regain power. We have mostly defeated the trans agenda, which would have had civilization-ending consequences if we had failed. Now we have to confront the Left&#8217;s anti-white agenda — which, as the rise of Democrats across the country demonstrates, will be a much harder campaign to vanquish.

Abigail Spanberger Is Sworn In As First Female Virginia Governor

Democrats Are Doubling Down On Their Anti-White Agenda. Here’s The Proof.

Democrats Are Doubling Down On Their Anti-White Agenda. Here's The Proof.

Democrats

Leftists

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Virginia

Two years ago, The Daily Wire launched a kids&#8217; programming platform called Bentkey exactly because of people like Ms. Rachel, who has turned her hypnotic videos for preschoolers into a vehicle for leftist propaganda. 
Bentkey has a different idea: entertainment that is actually for kids and doesn&#8217;t feature any soft-peddling of adult themes. You know, cute characters, fun adventures, and stories you don&#8217;t need to worry will have your kids asking you what a &#8220;transgender&#8221; is. It&#8217;s what my kids watch, and you can <a href="https://get.bentkey.com/">check it out here</a>. 
I haven&#8217;t seen anyone lay out the need for alternatives like Bentkey better than the Daily Wire&#8217;s own Matt Walsh, who laid into Ms. Rachel on his show this week. Here&#8217;s what he had to say. —Brent Scher 
***
Ms. Rachel is a YouTuber who makes videos for preschoolers. We’ve covered her before on my podcast. She’s known for teaching children about gay pride, LGBT issues, and pronouns. That alone is reason enough not to put her content on for your kids. You should not allow your children to watch her show for those reasons.
Now she’s out on a propaganda tour with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Here they are visiting a preschool:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This morning, Ms. Rachel and I visited District 2 Pre-K Center, where we sang and read with the wonderful students and educators. We also discussed universal childcare &#8211; and how we&#8217;re making it happen for NYC! <a href="https://t.co/974M24kt64">pic.twitter.com/974M24kt64</a>
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2009726131386146938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @NYCMayor/X.com
“This morning, Ms. Rachel and I visited District 2 Pre-K Center, where we sang and read with the wonderful students and educators. We also discussed universal childcare—and how we’re making it happen for NYC!”
Yes, I’m sure the four-year-olds were riveted by that conversation.
You sat down with four-year-olds to talk about universal child care — which, by the way, is terrible for four-year-olds. It’s the city’s way of getting more kids into government-run child care and away from their parents.
That’s really the message here: “Good news, kids. You’re going to spend even less time with your parents and even more time with government workers. And government workers are the best.”
So here’s the debate over Ms. Rachel: Is she a political propagandist? She’s enormously popular with kids and racks up billions of views. Should you be exposing your children to someone like that, given her political messaging?
The answer is clearly no. You should not expose your kids to a political propagandist.
But set the politics aside for a moment. I want to make a more basic point about Ms. Rachel and people like her. I find most children’s YouTube creators to be creepy. As a parent, you need a radar for that. If your instinct isn’t asking, “Who is this person?” then you’re not paying attention.
Even before you evaluate the content or any political messaging, the vibe matters. And while vibe-based arguments don’t work in politics, they absolutely do in parenting. If something feels weird — if you don’t like the vibe—then that person doesn’t belong around your kids. That alone is reason enough to turn it off.
These adults making content for three- and four-year-olds have figured out that it’s an extremely profitable business. So they just keep churning it out.
They’re slop merchants for toddlers. And they churn out slop for every age bracket. It boggles my mind that there are parents who say, “Yep, here’s what my four-year-old needs—some slop. Bring on the slop. Sit down, Junior. It’s slop time. Go ahead and spend three hours watching this mind-numbing, weird show.”
I don’t get it.
The other thing I can’t stand is when children’s content creators act and dress like children themselves. That’s where the weirdness really kicks in. You have adults in their 40s and 50s speaking and acting like kids. Ms. Rachel appears in overalls, sneakers, and a headband — she’s in her 40s. Why is she dressed like that? She speaks and acts like a kindergartener. And that’s what almost all of these children’s YouTuber types do.
Compare that to Mr. Rogers. He made content for children, but he didn’t present himself as a child. He was a grandfatherly figure. That vibe passes the parent check. It’s wholesome, constructive, and edifying. Children can learn from that.
But when you put on overalls and start speaking in an absurdly over-the-top, childish, patronizing way, kids aren’t learning anything.
I went to Ms. Rachel’s page and pulled up one random video at the top. Nothing political. Nothing overtly objectionable. All I can say is that I would rather be stabbed to death than watch five minutes of her show. I would rather jump out of a hundred-story window than sit through it.
If the next regime comes in and they start arresting people like me, and they give me a choice between solitary confinement with Ms. Rachel playing on a loop or being thrown off a building, I’d say, “Please, the building.”
Don’t sit your kids in front of this slop. If your child is watching content that you can’t tolerate being in the same room with, that’s a good indication they shouldn’t be watching it — not because it’s political, but because it’s vapid, irritating, stupid, and bad for their minds and souls.
There are better alternatives than Ms. Rachel — like reading a book to your child.

Ms. Rachel Isn’t The Innocent YouTuber You Think She Is

Bentkey

kids

Far-Left New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Queens Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D) are finally calling out blatant antisemitism in the city, after much political pressure.
On Thursday night, protesters gathered outside a Queens synagogue and shouted their support for the terrorist group Hamas, chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.”
The protests sparked the early closure of several Jewish institutions &#8212; including schools, daycares, and synagogues &#8212; due to safety concerns.
As video of the demonstration racked up millions of views online, there was swift political condemnation in New York City, which put a spotlight on the new mayor&#8217;s silence. According to Politico, Mamdani didn&#8217;t address the chants until he was pressed about it publicly by a reporter a day later.
“That language is wrong,” Mamdani <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/09/we-support-hamas-chants-put-mamdanis-israel-stance-at-center-stage-00720393">said</a> while walking to his vehicle on Friday. “I think that language has no place in New York City.”
Then on X, Mamdani posted: &#8220;As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest. <a href="https://t.co/0J4GXWigiv">pic.twitter.com/0J4GXWigiv</a>
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2009768025260437806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
AOC, who has repeatedly <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/22/aoc-decries-unfolding-genocide-in-gaza-urges-halting-weapons-to-israel#:~:text=“This%20is%20a%20mass%20starvation,accusing%20Israel%20of%20genocide%20unfounded.">accused</a> Israel of &#8220;genocide,&#8221; said on X that the demonstrators were engaging in antisemitism. Her response came on Friday night.
&#8220;Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying &#8216;we support Hamas&#8217; is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,&#8221; she posted. &#8220;Pretty basic!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying “we support Hamas” is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do.
Pretty basic! <a href="https://t.co/Zx4wJPCPfP">https://t.co/Zx4wJPCPfP</a>
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/2009792314634580390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
Mamdani has been accused of promulgating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-of-mamdanis-anti-nypd-anti-israel-rhetoric-resurfaces-as-critics-warn-of-dangerous-extremism">antisemitism</a>, both based on his past statements and his recent moves as mayor.
Back in 2023, for example, Mamdani tied his anti-police stance to Israel and the IDF. &#8220;We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-of-mamdanis-anti-nypd-anti-israel-rhetoric-resurfaces-as-critics-warn-of-dangerous-extremism">said</a>. &#8220;We’re in a country where those connections abound. Especially in New York City, you have so many opportunities to make clear the ways in which that struggle over there is tied to capitalist interests over here.”
Additionally, within hours of taking office, Mamdani signed an <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/content/dam/nycgov/mayors-office/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2026/eo1-prior-executive-orders.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> revoking all mayoral directives issued after September 26, 2024, which, as highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-first-act-as-nyc-mayor-dismantle-pro-israel-policies">The Daily Wire</a>, effectively axed several key protections for the Jewish community and measures aimed at strengthening ties with Israel.
Democrat Senator John Fetterman, who has consistently called out antisemitism, blasted the demonstrators on X.
&#8220;These a**holes in NYC proudly chant for Hamas in close proximity to a Jewish school and place of worship,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is menacing and intimidation. The Jewish community deserves relief and protection from these raging antisemites.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
These assholes in NYC proudly chant for Hamas in close proximity to a Jewish school and place of worship.
This is menacing and intimidation.
The Jewish community deserves relief and protection from these raging antisemites. <a href="https://t.co/yJdVT5Qnx8">https://t.co/yJdVT5Qnx8</a>
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/2009635598672552052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-first-act-as-nyc-mayor-dismantle-pro-israel-policies">Mamdani’s First Act As NYC Mayor: Dismantle Pro-Israel Policies</a>

Mamdani/AOC

Mamdani, AOC Finally Call Out Nasty Antisemitism At NYC Protest

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Anti-Semitism

General

Politics

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s Director of Tenant Protection might need some protection herself after a tough first week on the job left her in tears.
On Monday, Cea Weaver caught flak for old social media posts, including one claiming home ownership was a weapon of white supremacy. On Tuesday, she struggled to defend the Mamdani administration&#8217;s controversial housing policies in a Spectrum News interview. And on Wednesday, a reporter confronted the housing radical about her mother&#8217;s $1.6 million Nashville home.
Instead of responding, Weaver <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/07/us-news/zohran-mamdanis-tenant-advocate-cea-weaver-breaks-down-crying-when-asked-about-hypocritical-gentrification-comments/">reportedly</a> started crying and ran back inside her apartment. The 37-year-old activist has a history of complaining about gentrification, including in her Brooklyn neighborhood — where she is herself a gentrifier.
It&#8217;s a rough start for Weaver, who is expected to play a major role in Mamdani&#8217;s administration. The tenant czar is slated to direct Mamdani&#8217;s &#8220;Rental Ripoff Hearings,&#8221; struggle sessions in which residents of all five boroughs will be able to publicly voice their complaints about their rental experience.
&#8220;Working New Yorkers will be able to speak about the challenges they face,&#8221; from behind a microphone, Mamdani says, &#8220;from poor building conditions to hidden fees on rent payments.” The Mamdani administration says it will then identify “common themes” in the complaints to “directly inform policy interventions to take on these ripoff tactics.”
Mamdani already gave one tenant the floor at a press conference announcing the “Rental Ripoff” hearings. Josie Wells is a tenant at 85 Clarkson Avenue, a rent-stabilized apartment building in Brooklyn. Wells <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=7670df6d756a93b6&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1183US1185&amp;udm=7&amp;fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZrjP_Cx0LI1Ytb_FGcOviEreERTNAkkP8Y6EXltYTGWs9RGaEMfZ2dZFFrbmM-rnq9t2Yd6CLmSU0fTw2YpsUFAZkjtkV3nlJNkF6dgnv8hBPbkvFBFvt9qVz5tXWHwMIOLAC51x133zpKWFy3_mb_RMbN-fftEKVRqPS6EEOPe03eIz5AliHkH7tItgiHkmm33AQJg&amp;q=mamdani+press+conference+housing&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjJnLSQuvWRAxWRD1kFHXKuH1QQtKgLegQIFRAB&amp;biw=736&amp;bih=790&amp;dpr=2#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:10516219,vid:Adjn_PIVwa4,st:0">complained</a> about the “dirty walls that haven’t seen a fresh coat of paint in years, cabinets hanging precariously in kitchens and bathrooms, [and] cracked plaster [that] zig-zags across ceilings and hallways.”
85 Clarkson Avenue is one of the many properties owned by the Pinnacle Group, which filed for bankruptcy in May 2025, and was featured at this press conference.
At the press conference, a sign read, “As we rise, Pinnacle will fall.” The sign was displayed by the Union of Pinnacle Tenants, who organized to fight “for a say in the auction process to ensure that repairs are made, our rent stabilization is respected, and our buildings aren’t sold to yet another abusive landlord.”
Advisors to Pinnacle Group <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/bankrupt-nyc-rental-buildings-get-451-million-offer-from-summit">said</a> that “the bankruptcies were caused by a sharp rise in interest rates, inflation-driven increases in operating expenses, and lower rent collections.”
Weaver says the Mamdani administration has gotten involved to ensure the building goes to someone who can pay for upkeep while also complying with rent price caps.
&#8220;The city intervened in the bankruptcy proceeding in order for the city to take a hard look at the conditions that are in the building as well as a plan that has been put forth by the top bidder, because we want to ensure that whoever is taking on this portfolio is able to comply with both rent stabilization laws as well as housing maintenance code.&#8221;
As of now, it is unclear if there is a bidder who fits that description.

Overhead view of some New York City Housing Authority  (NYCHA) projects (1977)

Mamdani’s Director Of Tenant Protection Breaks Down After Brutal First Week On The Job

Economy

Housing

Renters

U.S.

New York Officials Make Public Safety Announcement

The Case For Stripping Mamdani’s Citizenship

Manhattan

Real estate

Based on her previous comments, New York City’s newly minted &#8220;Tenant Director&#8221; Cea Weaver will waste no time telegraphing the Mamdani administration’s radical agenda: the systematic dismantling of private property rights in favor of Soviet-style collectivism.
Weaver, a high-ranking operative within the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), was hand-picked by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead the city’s housing policy. Her appointment follows Mamdani’s chilling inaugural pledge to &#8220;replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism&#8221; — a phrase that sounds more like a translation from a 1917 Bolshevik pamphlet than a speech by an American mayor.
In her previous comments that have sent shockwaves through the city&#8217;s middle class, Weaver explicitly framed the abolition of property rights as a racial imperative. Breaking from the traditional language of urban planning, Weaver pivoted to a divisive, race-based attack on homeowners.
&#8220;The reality is that for centuries, we have really treated property as an individualized good and not as a collective good,&#8221; Weaver stated, echoing the core tenets of Karl Marx. She went on to warn that the transition to &#8220;shared equity&#8221; would specifically target &#8220;white families&#8221; and &#8220;some POC (people of color) families who are homeowners,&#8221; forcing them into a &#8220;different relationship to property&#8221; than the one protected by the U.S. Constitution for nearly 250 years.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NYC Mayor Mamdani&#39;s Tenant Director, Cea Weaver:
&quot;We&#39;ll transition from treating property as an individual good to a collective good. Whites especially will be impacted.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RZSdCs8oEa">pic.twitter.com/RZSdCs8oEa</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2008031475057439076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a previous social media post, Weaver said, &#8220;homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as &#8216;wealth building&#8217; public policy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mamdani’s newly appointed tenant advocate director thinks home ownership and private property is white supremacy <a href="https://t.co/eIHPSGzRet">pic.twitter.com/eIHPSGzRet</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2008003090650456074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
To those familiar with the Communist Manifesto, Weaver’s previous rhetoric is a textbook example of class — and now race — warfare. By categorizing the family home as a &#8220;collective good&#8221; rather than a private asset, she has raised concerns about possible state-sanctioned seizures and the destruction of generational wealth.
By singling out white families, Weaver has used the &#8220;social justice&#8221; playbook to justify what is effectively a policy of collective punishment. Under the guise of &#8220;equity,&#8221; New Yorkers fear they could be punished for achieving the American Dream, treating homeownership not as a milestone of success but as a &#8220;privilege&#8221; to be socialized by the state.
By attacking the &#8220;individualized good,&#8221; Weaver attacked the very concept of the sovereign individual. As Margaret Thatcher famously noted, &#8220;there is no such thing as society,&#8221; only individuals and families. Weaver’s stated vision could seek to erase both, subsuming the family unit into a faceless, state-managed &#8220;community use&#8221; project.
As the New York City administration moves toward &#8220;universal rent control&#8221; and &#8220;shared equity&#8221; models, the message to New Yorkers is clear: Your home is no longer your castle — it is a municipal resource, and if you belong to the &#8220;wrong&#8221; demographic, you could be first on the list to lose it.

NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Makes Announcement On The Eve Of His Inauguration

Marxism In The Metropolis: NYC’s New ‘Tenant Czar’ Has Targeted White Homeowners, Private Property

Racism

Socialism

Whites

Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife are charged in the United States, nationwide anti-regime protests in Iran threaten to boil over, and Zohran Mamdani’s term as New York City mayor begins with fresh controversy.
It’s Monday, January 5, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-260105-member-exclusive">video version</a> can be seen on The Daily Wire:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maduro-indicted-stateside-mamdanis-reign-begins-1-5-26/id1576594336?i=1000743793469" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">New Details In Daring Venezuela Raid</h2>
As the dust settles in Venezuela, new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-about-policy-rubio-says-plans-to-run-venezuela-dont-include-direct-government-control">details</a> have emerged surrounding the daring mission to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro. According to the Pentagon, the CIA placed a covert team in Venezuela to track Maduro’s movements, and according to Gen. Dan Caine, find out “how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore,” etc. President Donald Trump reportedly approved the operation just before Christmas, but it wasn’t until late Friday night that the weather finally cleared, and more than 150 American aircraft took off from 20 bases across the western hemisphere. As helicopters carrying the main extraction team approached the city, a barrage of missiles disabled Venezuelan air defenses, and the capital city went dark — reportedly thanks to an American cyberattack. Moments later, a group of Special Forces operators arrived at Maduro’s compound, where the tyrannical leader and his wife were ultimately captured as they attempted to open the door of a large steel safe room. The entire operation took a little over 2 hours.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Tehran In Turmoil</h2>
Anti-regime <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-to-know-about-irans-deadly-protests-as-uprising-enters-a-sixth-day">protests</a> continue to rock Iran as the government struggles to handle crises at home and internationally. The unrest began over a week ago among merchants in Tehran and has since spread across the capital and into dozens of smaller cities and towns. Demonstrations were initially motivated by economic woes, but the protests have grown into calls for regime change, with protesters chanting phrases such as “Death to Khamenei” and “Freedom, freedom.” Activists are split on what new regime they would like; some have called for democracy, while others have called for a return of the Shah. But activists share in common a renewed resolve after the Iranian regime was decimated during the 12-Day War by Israel and the United States. President Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eyes-turn-to-iran-as-trumps-state-dept-posts-warning-shots-in-farsi-iran-tests-missile-defense">warned</a> Iran about further intervention should the regime crack down violently on protesters.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Mamdani’s ‘Collectivist Warmth’</h2>
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York on New Year’s Day, and he’s already imposing some sweeping changes. In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-watched-zohran-mamdanis-insane-socialist-inauguration-so-you-didnt-have-to">remarks</a> at the ceremony, Mamdani touted the “warmth of collectivism” over “frigid” individualism, prioritizing the government&#8217;s role. Mamdani also took some day-one actions, signing orders on <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/01/mayor-mamdani-signs-eo-to-revitalize-mayor-s-office-to-protect-t">housing</a> to “stand up to landlords” and making good on a campaign promise to freeze rents. Mamdani also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-first-act-as-nyc-mayor-dismantle-pro-israel-policies">revoked</a> two executive orders aimed at protecting Jewish New Yorkers, which raised more than a few eyebrows.

MRN_260105_V1

Morning Brief: Maduro Charged, Tehran In Turmoil, & Mamdani’s First Scandal

Morning Brief: More On Venezuela, Tehran In Turmoil, And Mamdani’s ‘Collectivist’ Agenda

Iran

Morning Wire

Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela

Socialism is back. We see it with the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York. We also see it in polling from the <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/81-say-they-cant-afford-pay-higher-taxes-next-year">Cato Institute</a> that suggests many young Americans view socialism favorably: “Among Americans under 30, 62 percent feel favorable toward socialism…”
Beyond the obvious economic and political dangers of socialism, one component receives relatively little attention: the culture of work.
People who live and work in socialist societies often report being far less satisfied and motivated than those who work in relatively free markets. When a nation’s government controls businesses, they lose a competitive advantage. As a result, employees who derive dignity from achievement and contribution experience disappointment.
At the same time, people uninterested in hard work are more likely to be coddled and protected. This often perpetuates an environment of mediocrity.
Talk to any driven person who has ever worked in a socialist country, or in an industry controlled by government regulation, and you’ll hear this sentiment. Hard work is not rewarded. Mediocre employees can’t be let go. Innovation is harder to sustain. Work becomes a matter of showing up, biding your time, and accepting that upward mobility is not possible.
I work with a young man who took great risks to escape a socialist country, and I have other colleagues who have lived in socialist countries. Their experiences convey a muted sense of hope that most people have about their employment.
Anecdotes aren’t proof, but they often show you what certain systems tend to produce. A vivid lesson about the dangers of socialism on the culture of work comes from a surprising source: people who have worked in “socialist-like” industries that exist within free markets.
When traveling for business, I’ve spoken to many flight attendants about their work experiences. The vast majority work in heavily unionized environments, and many have told me there is little incentive to do their job well other than their intrinsic desire to make people happy. Their careers are determined by seniority, and chronically underperforming colleagues are tolerated, rarely addressed, and almost never dismissed.
The fantastic flight attendants I met can’t be recruited by competitors — or even move to airlines that pay more or treat employees better — because they’d have to start over at the back of the seniority line. So the next time you experience great service on a flight, show some respect knowing they are often doing what they do out of love for others, not because they are rewarded.
The purpose of work should be to give people the freedom to provide for their families, use the gifts that God has given them, and experience the dignity of serving others well. When leaders organize work with these purposes, they give individuals incentive to tap into their best potential.
However, when organizations tolerate poor performance and remove the extrinsic rewards of achievement, they do a terrible disservice to the dignity of customers and employees alike. It’s important to understand that even underperforming employees lose dignity in socialist societies and organizations as they are prevented from experiencing the tough love necessary to become the best versions of themselves.
This is the real tragedy of socialist workplaces: people rarely become the best versions of themselves. In other words, they settle.
Despite all of this being true, why do large numbers of Americans still say they have a positive view of socialism? I believe there are three reasons.
First, many have never really experienced the impact of socialism. To them, socialism is merely a theory that involves more sharing and kindness. For example, according to actress Amanda Seyfried, socialism means <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/actress-amanda-seyfried-calls-socialism-gorgeous-idea">“taking care of each other.”</a>
Second, many people who say they like socialism already work in socialist organizations and have settled. They are accustomed to roles where competition is muted, and pay and advancement are constrained by rules, not results.
Finally, too many Americans work in very large organizations that mimic some aspects of socialism via crony capitalism and corporate welfare. Their industries are protected by lobbyists and elected officials who thwart authentic capitalism.
When addressing the false hope of socialism, we must not attempt to split the difference. In fact, we must advocate for more competition in all industries, as well as for real consequences for people who consistently underperform. Additionally, we must push for the enforcement of antitrust laws that prevent dangerous monopolies and oligopolies.
Perhaps most important of all, America must support one of the best sources of employment, dignity, and innovation in our society: small businesses. These small companies, where most Americans work, still have great incentives to find new ways to please customers and to attract and retain great employees. But in socialist countries, there is less capital and fewer incentives for entrepreneurs to take risks and start small businesses.
If America truly wants to defend human dignity, we can’t romanticize systems that smother the very drive that makes people come alive. Socialism doesn’t just weaken economies; it weakens people. America doesn’t need more managed mediocrity. It needs the freedom that lets workers, and the work itself, succeed.
* * *
Pat Lencioni is one of the founders of The Table Group, a pioneer of the organizational health movement, and the creator of <a href="https://www.workinggenius.com/about?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21520445429&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD4dDHRyei0FFfuRCa63VdPO11RDk&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwlaTGBhANEiwAoRgXBSUpr89SSKKSTeoiFk-LdSAKpBsTFlfYYrEIm9MHWtUL1HjC7imP1RoC65MQAvD_BwE"> The Working Genius</a>, which helps leaders understand workplace efficiency. He is the bestselling author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” as well as 12 other books, which have sold over 10 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Mamdani Takes Reins Of New York City After Historic Election Win

Why So Many Americans Romanticize Socialism — And Why They’re Wrong

Communism

Democratic Socialism

Employers

Gen Z

Labor Unions

Millennials

Newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has moved with immediate and controversial speed to strip away the pro-Israel infrastructure established by his predecessor, Eric Adams. While Mamdani framed his sweeping executive orders as a &#8220;fresh start&#8221; following the Adams&#8217;s indictment, critics and international observers, including Israel’s Foreign Ministry, have <a href="https://www.jns.org/mamdani-axes-all-adams-executive-orders-in-past-15-months-including-those-defending-jews/">characterized</a> the moves as a calculated expression of Mamdani&#8217;s long-standing hostility toward the Jewish state.
Within hours of taking office, Mamdani signed an <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/content/dam/nycgov/mayors-office/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2026/eo1-prior-executive-orders.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">executive order</a> revoking all mayoral directives issued after September 26, 2024. This action effectively axed several key protections for the Jewish community and measures aimed at strengthening ties with Israel:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>IHRA Definition: He scrapped the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) <a href="https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism">definition of antisemitism</a>, a tool used by more than 30 countries to identify anti-Jewish hate, particularly when it targets Israel&#8217;s right to exist.</li>
<li>Anti-BDS Measures: He <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/zohran-mamdani-nyc-antisemitism/2026/01/02/id/1240493/">lifted</a> Executive Order 60, which barred city entities from boycotting or divesting from Israel.</li>
<li>Safety Buffers: He revoked directives aimed at creating protest-free zones around houses of worship, a move previously intended to protect synagogues from targeted demonstrations.</li>
</ul>
Mamdani’s early actions align with a political history defined by intense opposition to Israel. As a student, he founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and as a state legislator, he sponsored the &#8220;Not on Our Dime&#8221; Act, which sought to strip New York charities that provide aid to Israeli causes of their tax-exempt status.
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His rhetoric has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-docs-reveal-dsas-anti-israel-strategy-under-mamdanis-watch">equally severe</a>. Mamdani has:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Referred to Israel’s military operations as &#8220;genocide.&#8221;</li>
<li>Refused to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.</li>
<li>Linked the NYPD to the Israel Defense Forces through disparaging metaphors, claiming the &#8220;boot of the NYPD&#8221; is &#8220;laced by the IDF.&#8221;</li>
<li>Publicly praised members of the Holy Land Foundation, who were convicted of funneling millions of dollars to Hamas terrorists.</li>
</ul>
While Mamdani claims he will keep the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the removal of the IHRA definition and the lifting of anti-boycott rules signal a fundamental shift. Internal documents from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) suggest a broader agenda to use Mamdani’s office to divest city pensions from Israeli bonds and terminate NYPD cooperation with Israeli security forces. For many in New York’s Jewish community, these first 24 hours represent the beginning of an era defined by the institutionalization of anti-Zionism at City Hall.

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Jews

New York

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.
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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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<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.

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