The Joe Biden Department of Justice’s federal case against former President Donald Trump alleging interference in the 2020 election is beginning to crumble as special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday dropped a key subpoena asking for documents at the center of the case.

Smith is reportedly scaling back his flurry of subpoenas seeking to ascertain whether President Trump attempted to raise money off allegations that President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election. The latest move ends part of Smith’s inquiry into Save America, a political action committee controlled by Trump which spent heavily on attorneys contesting the outcomes of the election in key swing states including Georgia where the Republican faces a separate state level investigation alleging election interference.

Save America was in the process of gathering responsive documents when it was informed that Smith’s demand was dropped, according to two people familiar with the matter. Spokespersons for Save America and the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

While it is not unusual for federal investigations to cast a wide net, the pullback suggests that Smith is growing cautious about his ability to tie President Trump’s powerful fundraising machine to allegations that he pressured state officials to accept slates of alternate delegates and challenged the tabulation of votes by voting machines. The original indictment against President Trump does not list Save America as a co-conspirator.

The president’s PAC was founded in the wake of the 2020 election and quickly raised over $100 million to launch a litany of lawsuits in states like Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan, all of which were eventually dismissed. Save America continues to raise funds to support President Trump through his four criminal indictments as well as his civil real estate trial in New York. The firm has paid a staggering $37 million to more than 60 law firms since January 2022, though President Trump has offset the expense by raising equally astonishing sums from donors who see the cases against him as politically motivated hit jobs by Democratic prosecutors or Smith, an appointee of the Biden Justice Department.

Smith, meanwhile, must contend with the weight of his own cost to battle President Trump in court. Experts believe he is on pace to spend $25 million in just one calendar year for the federal election interference case. Smith is also bringing a case against the president alleging he mishandled classified documents.

The presidential campaign for former Vice President Mike Pence is facing a potentially existential crisis due to rising debt and increasingly limited cash flows, according to a report from NBC News.

The campaign told NBC that it raised $3.3 million in the third quarter, with $1.2 million cash on hand and $620,000 in debt, which will be reported when its campaign finance filing is due to be made public on Sunday. The former vice president himself chipped in $150,000, a representative for the campaign added.

Reported figures place the Pence campaign in a very precarious financial position when compared with Republican rivals, or President Biden.

The Biden re-election campaign has reported roughly $71 million in third quarter fundraising, which is largely on par with its second quarter haul. As for the Republican primary, former President Trump’s campaign has not yet reported on its third quarter fundraising totals, though the campaign netted roughly $35 million in the second quarter. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis raised $15 million in the third quarter, though the campaign can only use $5 million for the primary.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s campaign announced that it finished the third quarter with $9.1 million to spend during the primary campaign, while the Trump campaign has reported roughly $35 million in cash-on-hand for the primary cycle alone.

Mounting debt has long been seen as an ominous sign for presidential campaigns. NBC News made the comparison to then-Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s White House bid in 2016, whose campaign reported just under $1 million in the bank and $161,000 in debt at the end of the third quarter of 2015. He ended up dropping out of the race just weeks later.

Limited cash resources will also limit what the Pence campaign will be able to do. In total, Pence has just over $1 million to spend on the primary cycle, as some donors have already maxed out on primary donations, meaning that the remaining cash can only be used in the general election.

The report comes as Pence is scrambling to qualify for the third Republican primary debate on November 8. Under the Republican National Committee’s criteria, candidates must be able to account for 70,000 individual donors to qualify. The former vice president was previously forced to scramble to make the first debate this past August, hitting the threshold just weeks before.

He has hit the required polling threshold, but currently finds himself in fifth place nationally according to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and a handful of Republican members are open to working with Democrats in order to spite ensure that House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) does not replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), according to a report from NBC News. Jordan was selected as the conference nominee after Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) opted to withdraw his bid. The Freedom Caucus member has also received endorsements from former President Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy.

Jordan needs to secure 218 votes in order to become the new House Speaker, meaning that just five Republican “no” votes could tank his bid.

According to the report, Jordan is facing opposition from a handful of Republicans led by Rep. Mike Rogers, who needed to be physically restrained after he lunged at Rep. Gaetz during the initial Speaker votes this past January. Rogers reportedly said that there was “there was nothing that Jordan could do to get his support as Speaker of the House,” according to a report from the Anniston Star.

Upon leaving a closed-door congressional session on Friday, Rogers reportedly told Democrat House Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to reach out with possible concessions in order to work out a deal. “They put us in this ditch along with eight traitors,” Rogers told reporters. “We’re still the majority party, we’re willing to work with them but they gotta tell us what they need.”

Rogers repeatedly referred to the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy as “traitors” who have “paralyzed” the GOP conference, according to the report.

Other Republicans, including Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) have also stated that they will not vote for Jordan, according to NBC News.

Rogers’ opposition to Jordan has earned rebukes from a number of conservative leaders, including Senator Mike Lee (R-UT). “It’s outrageous that Jim Jordan has been nominated by the party, has the support of McCarthy and McHenry, and yet Mike Rogers and a few House Republicans would rather work with Democrats,” Lee wrote in an X post. “If you’re a House Republican, please vote for Jim Jordan—not Hakeem Jeffries.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) called for additional votes to be conducted in public so that Republican voters can have transparency and make their opinions known. “You guys want to go 15 rounds? Fine. Let’s do it. On the floor. For the country to see. This Monday,” the freshman congresswoman said.

“You want to explain to your voters why you blocked Jordan? Then bring it.. because from the calls I’m getting, they are asking me what’s going on,” she continued. “I have an infant son and I spent the last week up in Washington trying to figure this out while members of Congress LEFT.”

In addition to the endorsement from former President Trump, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters that he will be supporting Jim Jordan. “We’ve gotta get this back on track, we’ve got to solve this problem,” McCarthy told reporters on Friday. “I think we’re on a path now to do that. They were wanting to debate a-lot of different things.

They said, ‘let’s move through this, let’s have a good debate.’”

“They tried to make a motion in there to bring me back and I just told them, ‘no, let’s not do that. Let’s walk through this and have an election,’” he continued. “And I think Jim Jordan would do an excellent job.”

McCarthy also stated that he believes Jordan will ultimately secure 218 votes and be elected Speaker.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) — a McCarthy ally who emerged as a leading candidate on the second GOP conference vote — also endorsed Jordan and called on Republicans who voted for him to throw their support behind Jordan.

The Biden administration, through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Justice Department, has issued a stern warning to financial institutions. The message? Banks and lenders might face repercussions if they consider immigration status as a primary factor when denying credit.

A joint statement from CFPB and the Justice Department comes on the heels of numerous reports suggesting that individuals are being denied credit solely based on their immigration status. While the Biden administration frames it as a fight against discrimination, many have seen it as yet another step towards prioritizing illegal immigrants over legal citizens.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) does permit lenders to take into account an applicant’s immigration status when determining repayment capabilities. However, the Biden administration’s recent stance seems to push the boundaries of this provision, cautioning against any “unnecessary or biased” reliance on this status.

CFPB Director Rohit Chopra was forthright in his statement, declaring that companies cannot use immigration status as a shield for what he termed “illegal discrimination.”

The CFPB and @TheJusticeDept today issued a joint statement that reminds financial institutions that all credit applicants are protected from illegal discrimination, regardless of their immigration status. https://t.co/L7cVVazP1m

— consumerfinance.gov (@CFPB) October 12, 2023

“Fair access to credit is crucially important for building wealth and strengthening household financial stability, The CFPB will not allow companies to use immigration status as an excuse for illegal discrimination.”

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke further added that any form of credit denial based purely on immigrant status could be a violation of federal law.

“Lenders should not deny people the opportunity to take out a loan to buy a home, build their businesses or otherwise pursue their financial goals because of unlawful bias and without regard to their actual ability to repay,” said Clarke. “This guidance reminds lenders that denying someone access to credit based solely on their actual or perceived immigrant status may violate federal law.”

Several financial institutions have their voiced concerns, pointing out that they operate within the ECOA’s guidelines when considering immigration status in their credit decisions. However, the joint statement appears to challenge this, suggesting that any consideration of immigration status that leads to discrimination based on national origin or race could be in violation of the Act.

However, if a bank or lender has a policy that outright refuses certain non-citizens or sets different standards for them, they could be in the crosshairs of the Biden administration. This has led to concerns that Biden’s policies will prioritize illegal immigrants over legal citizens, compromising the integrity of our financial system.

In today’s episode of “The View,” a comment comparing Hamas to the Proud Boys ignited controversy for the show once again. While discussing the recent events related to Hamas’ call for a “Day of Jihad,” co-host Sunny Hostin disgustingly drew parallels between Hamas and the Proud Boys.

“I look at this from a legal perspective… [we] know that Hamas has been designated a terror organization, just like many other terror organizations have had this designation, like the Proud Boys here in the United States,” Hostin incorrectly said; the American organization is not characterized as a terror group.

Hamas, designated as a terror organization by many nations, called for a global “Day of Rage” in the wake of Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip which led to significant casualties. The call to action from the terrorist group witnessed significant ground support from Palestinian advocates, with many explicitly supporting Hamas and its actions.

Some of these advocacies escalated into open calls for violent attacks against Israel. The Israel National Security Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have issued advisories to Israelis overseas, urging them to steer clear from such protests and to remain vigilant.

REACTIONS:

Right!

— Kris Nunemaker (@knKris) October 13, 2023

Did I miss where Proud Boys murdered, butchered, tortured, raped and abducted more than 1300 Americans?

— Jeffrey W. Ludwig 🇺🇸 (@jwludwig) October 13, 2023

Has the Proud Boys massacred anyone here in the US ? That’s a very sick comment from her. She needs to be shut down

— xMBStrader ❌ (@wwales1017) October 13, 2023

This crosses so many lines. These people are sick and should be thrown out of the public spotlight.

— Florida Freedom 🇺🇸 (@stephennagy) October 13, 2023

pic.twitter.com/3hvGdnK0i8

— MARY WICKER (@MARYWICKER20) October 13, 2023

Recent polling data out of the toss up state of Michigan has election experts scratching their heads as they compare the data to the 2016 and 2020 elections. The media has not caught on to this data yet which suggests early signs of a potential bloodbath coming in a Trump-Biden 2024 matchup.

A survey commissioned by the Lansing-based consulting firm, Marketing Resource Group, reported by Detroit News, has shown that the former President is surging in the polls.

The poll revealed that 42% of respondents either plan to vote for Trump or lean toward him, while 35% expressed a preference for Biden. Of the 600 participants surveyed between October 2-8, approximately 20% stated they would vote for another candidate, and 3% showed no preference.

Jenell Leonard, the owner of Marketing Resource Group, commented on the results, stating, “It tells me that Biden has a problem, not necessarily the Democrats.”

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Michigan emerged as a crucial battleground state. Trump secured a narrow victory in Michigan, garnering 2,279,543 votes or 47.5% of the total. This margin was just slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton, who received 2,268,839 votes. The slim difference between the two showed Michigan’s pivotal role in the largest national contest.

In the 2020 election, Michigan once again played a pivotal role as a key battleground state. Trump sought to maintain his foothold, but the state swung in favor of Joe Biden. Although the exact vote totals vary depending on the source, Biden won Michigan.

Looking ahead to 2024, Trump is the clear-cut favorite to win the GOP’s nomination. RealClearPolitics has Trump leading with a significant margin over other Republican contenders, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The RCP average has Trump around 57.8 and DeSantis in second at 12.8, a formidable lead.

In a Public Policy poll targeting Michigan’s Republican voters, Trump dominated with a significant lead as well.

In the race for the Presidency, Trump secured a commanding 63% support, overshadowing Ron DeSantis’ 13%. Nikki Haley trailed in third with 6%, and no other candidate surpassed the 3% mark. Both Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy had 3% support, followed by Doug Burgum and Mike Pence at 2%. Tim Scott and Asa Hutchinson barely make a mark with less than 1%.

A striking educational disparity is evident among Michigan’s Republican voters also. Trump garnered 81% support from those with a high school education, but this dropped to 36% among those with postgraduate degrees.

Regardless, Trump’s influence appears to be growing steadily.

Michigan 2024: Trump holds 50-point lead for Republican Nomination

• Trump — 63% (+50)
• DeSantis — 13%
• Haley — 6%
• Christie — 3%
• Ramaswamy — 3%
• Burgum — 2%
• Pence — 2%
• Hutchinson — 0%
• Scott — 0%@ppppolls (A-) | 430 LV | 10/9-10https://t.co/s3M8XJllv6 pic.twitter.com/ewxN6xna5a

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) October 11, 2023

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Democrats may have just shot themselves in the foot after they released former President Donald Trump’s tax returns.

As noted by Rogan O’Handley on Twitter, Democrats may have just set a precedent that may require them to publicly release their tax returns as well.

“I’m actually glad SCOTUS ruled Trump had to turn over his tax returns b/c Deep State just created a legal precedent they’re going to severely regret Let’s start seeing *everybody’s* tax returns starting w/McConnell, Pelosi, Schiff, and Cheney Sunlight is the best disinfectant!” Rogan O’Handley tweeted.

I’m actually glad SCOTUS ruled Trump had to turn over his tax returns b/c Deep State just created a legal precedent they’re going to severely regret

Let’s start seeing *everybody’s* tax returns starting w/McConnell, Pelosi, Schiff, and Cheney

Sunlight is the best disinfectant!

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) December 30, 2022

“Trump’s tax returns are, in truth, terrific. Now, let’s get the Pelosi, Schumer, Biden S Corp, Roberts, Garland, and all the others!” Mark Levin said.

Trump’s tax returns are, in truth, terrific. Now, let’s get the Pelosi, Schumer, Biden S Corp, Roberts, Garland, and all the others! pic.twitter.com/yzOkyb2PVr

— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) December 30, 2022

“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people,” Levin said as he quoted Trump’s press release. “The great USA divide will now grow far worse.”

“The ‘Trump’ tax returns once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises,” he said.

“The Pelosi gang’s abuse of power to obtain and release the tax returns of former President Trump should result in the removal of all responsible Democrats from the Ways and Means Committee by the new majority,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton tweeted.

The Pelosi gang's abuse of power to obtain and release the tax returns of former President Trump should result in the removal of all responsible Democrats from the Ways and Means Committee by the new majority. #IRS https://t.co/VV3alBj6hj

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 30, 2022

“I’m not interested in seeing the tax returns of President Trump, who left office poorer than when he entered. I am, however, interested in the tax returns of elected officials who became millionaires while in office,” Rep. Troy Nehls tweeted.

I’m not interested in seeing the tax returns of President Trump, who left office poorer than when he entered.

I am, however, interested in the tax returns of elected officials who became millionaires while in office.

— Congressman Troy E. Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) December 22, 2022

“There is no statute that requires a Presidential candidate to release tax returns. #Republicans must now employ this political weapon in the new Congress. They have no choice,” radio host Andrew Wilkow said.

“Trump’s federal tax returns have been unfairly released. Evidence of spite. Just to embarrass him, by invading his privacy. NG,” said Fox News host Geraldo Rivera.

Trump’s federal tax returns have been unfairly released. Evidence of spite. Just to embarrass him, by invading his privacy. NG

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 30, 2022

After the news was released, former President Trump unleashed on Truth Social.

“Was just advised that the Unselect Committee of political Thugs has withdrawn the Subpoena of me,” he tweeted. “They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court.”

“In any event, the Subpoena is DEAD!” he added.

Thompson, the chairman of the committee, told reporters on this month that the panel has not yet narrowed down the individuals who may be referred to the DOJ. When a reporter asked Thompson if he believed any witnesses perjured themselves when they testified before the committee,” he noted, “that’s part of the discussion.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

On Monday, the next round of Twitter Files were dropped, proving to be the most damning file drop to date.

The drop, which was reported on by Michael Shellenberger, showed just how far the FBI went while working with Twitter to influence the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor.

According to the bombshell drop, the FBI paid Twitter $3.4 million dollars of taxpayer money for their “staff time.”

“The FBI’s influence campaign may have been helped by the fact that it was paying Twitter millions of dollars for its staff time,” reported Shellenberger.

Shellenberger attached an email from an associate of former FBI agent Jim Baker: “I am happy to report we have collected $3,415,323 since October 2019!”

Check out the tweet below:

46. The FBI’s influence campaign may have been helped by the fact that it was paying Twitter millions of dollars for its staff time.

“I am happy to report we have collected $3,415,323 since October 2019!” reports an associate of Jim Baker in early 2021. pic.twitter.com/SmNse97QxK

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

Check out some reactions to the news on Twitter:

HUGE: @ElonMusk @Twitter files show FBI "reimbursed" Twitter $3.4 million for helping the agency censor and spy on Americans. https://t.co/S65E3mymSl

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 19, 2022

The FBI influenced the 2020 election and even exchanged millions of dollars with Twitter during the process.

But please keep telling me how dangerous Trump is for calling the rigged election “rigged.”

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 19, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @<a href=”https://twitter.com/CollinRugg”>CollinRugg</a>!

The Monday files drop also showed FBI Special Agent Elvis Chan sending 10 documents to Twitter’s Yoel Roth through Teleporter, a one-way communications channel from the FBI to Twitter.

7. At 9:22 pm ET (6:22 PT), FBI Special Agent Elvis Chan sends 10 documents to Twitter’s then-Head of Site Integrity, Yoel Roth, through Teleporter, a one-way communications channel from the FBI to Twitter. pic.twitter.com/7j59zfBuJQ

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

What exactly were included in these 10 mystery documents? We can’t say for sure, but all we know is that the Hunter Biden story was censored just hours later. Nothing fishy about that, right?

As Michael Shellenberger reports, the NY Post story dropped the next day and was censored within hours:

8. The next day, October 14, 2020, The New York Post runs its explosive story revealing the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Every single fact in it was accurate. pic.twitter.com/TC2AnLNJAw

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

9. And yet, within hours, Twitter and other social media companies censor the NY Post article, preventing it from spreading and, more importantly, undermining its credibility in the minds of many Americans.

Why is that? What, exactly, happened?

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

Shellenberger further confirms this was NOT “Russian Propaganda”, as the media falsely claimed:

14. Were the FBI warnings of a Russian hack-and-leak operation relating to Hunter Biden based on *any* new intel?

No, they weren't

“Through our investigations, we did not see any similar competing intrusions to what had happened in 2016,” admitted FBI agent Elvis Chan in Nov. pic.twitter.com/tFPMqbydbA

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

15. Indeed, Twitter executives *repeatedly* reported very little Russian activity.

E.g., on Sept 24, 2020, Twitter told FBI it had removed 345 “largely inactive” accounts “linked to previous coordinated Russian hacking attempts.” They “had little reach & low follower accounts." pic.twitter.com/hy7hPahChS

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 19, 2022

On Friday, Matt Taibbi released a fresh new batch of “The Twitter Files” in which he exposed the FBI for being a “subsidiary” of Twitter. According to the leaks, the FBI and DHS would send troves of social posts to Twitter that were already pre-flagged for moderation.

During the past few weeks, the left downplayed the FBI’s involvement, but these new leaks tell an entirely different story.

“It’s no secret the government analyzes bulk data for all sorts of purposes, everything from tracking terror suspects to making economic forecasts. The #TwitterFiles show something new: agencies like the FBI and DHS regularly sending social media content to Twitter through multiple entry points, pre-flagged for moderation,” he tweeted.

10. The #TwitterFiles show something new: agencies like the FBI and DHS regularly sending social media content to Twitter through multiple entry points, pre-flagged for moderation.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022

In fact, former Twitter executive Yoel Roth communicated with the FBI over 150 times in under two years:

4. Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022

More tweets revealed WEEKLY MEETINGS with the DHS, DOJ, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence:

https://t.co/9IfX3IPzyi a letter to former Deputy General Counsel (and former top FBI lawyer) Jim Baker on Sep. 16, 2022, legal exec Stacia Cardille outlines results from her “soon to be weekly” meeting with DHS, DOJ, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence: pic.twitter.com/oE8fDjomNP

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022

This is still a developing story. Stay tuned for more…

On Thursday, former President Donald Trump announced a plan that would hold federal agencies accountable who collude with private companies like Twitter.

“Strong free speech platform for 2024 just announced by Trump,” tweeted Republican strategist Andrew Surabian.

The plan would ban the federal government from policing lawful domestic speech, fire federal bureaucrats who directly or indirectly engaged in censorship and would bar federal funds for universities that censor free speech.

“The censorship cartel must be dismantled and destroyed — and it must happen immediately,” Trump said in a video announcement.

BREAKING: Trump responds to Twitter Files, announces plan to ban federal agencies from colluding with private companies to censor Free Speech.

About time!

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 15, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Check out what The New York Post reported:

The 76-year-old Trump made the pledge as part of a broader “free speech” platform announced in a video policy statement shared with The Post — vowing also to impose a seven-year ban on former FBI and CIA workers handling private-sector US consumer records.

Trump said this month’s “Twitter Files” releases “confirmed that a sinister group of Deep State bureaucrats, Silicon Valley tyrants, left-wing activists, and depraved corporate news media have been conspiring to manipulate and silence the American People.”

…

Some of Trump’s proposals — such as limiting Section 230 legal immunity for tech platforms unless they act with political neutrality — were pushed by the 45th president since his time in office, while others would forge new ground.

If elected in 2024, Trump announced that one of his first acts would be to prohibit federal policing of speech.

“Within hours of my inauguration, I will sign an executive order banning any federal department or agency from colluding with any organization, business, or person, to censor, limit, categorize, or impede the lawful speech of American citizens,” Trump said.

“I will then ban federal money from being used to label domestic speech as ‘mis-‘ or ‘dis-information’. And I will begin the process of identifying and firing every federal bureaucrat who has engaged in domestic censorship — directly or indirectly — whether they are the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI, the DOJ, no matter who they are.”

WATCH Trump’s announcement below:

Strong free speech platform for 2024 just announced by Trump:

-Banning the Federal Government from policing lawful domestic speech.
-Firing any Federal Bureaucrat who has directly or indirectly engaged in censorship.
-Barring federal funds for universities that censor speech. pic.twitter.com/yoaCtZpYNw

— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) December 15, 2022

The New York Post continues:

Trump’s Big Tech free speech appeal includes proposals to throttle federal funds for universities that partnered with companies to censor speech as well as a seven-year ban on working in Big Tech by “deep staters” — an apparent nod to new Twitter CEO Elon Musk firing former FBI general counsel Jim Baker for allegedly throwing up internal resistance to transparency about past censorship decisions.

The ex-president also pitched a Digital Bill of Rights that “should include a right to digital due process — in other words, government officials should need a court order to take down online content, not send information requests such as the FBI was sending to Twitter.”

Trump said the proposed manifesto would include the rights to be notified if large online platforms remove, shadow ban or otherwise restrict their accounts, along with a right to an explanation and an ability to appeal. It’s unclear if mandated speech tolerance by companies would withstand potential First Amendment litigation.

“In addition, all users over the age of 18 should have the right to opt-out of content moderation and curation entirely, and receive an unmanipulated stream of information if they so choose,” Trump said.

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

President Trump teased a “major announcement” on Wednesday and it left the entire political world wondering what it would be. Would he be returning to Twitter? Announcing a VP? Doing a rally tour? Releasing a 2024 platform?

The answer to all of the above would be “no”.

In a bizarre turn of events, Trump announced a new NFT collection. This is extra eyebrow-raising due to the sad state of crypto at the moment.

Trump's big announcement is that he's launching NFTs. Okay. pic.twitter.com/SWS7B0em9D

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 15, 2022

As you can imagine, Twitter exploded with reaction:

Hard truth time: This is not good. We’re facing a threat to civilization from far left Marxist extremists. Teasing NFT cards as a major announcement is not the kind of fight people want to see now. These are dark times. Love the guy but this turns many off. Agree or disagree? pic.twitter.com/tJ4CcPDF0F

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 15, 2022

Thank God, the digital trading cards are here. It was indeed a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT. pic.twitter.com/T1nsqRwr92

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 15, 2022

Man…when all Patriots are looking for is hope for the future of our country and Trump hypes everybody up with a “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT”

Then drops a low quality NFT collection video as the “announcement”, it just pushes people away…Damn.

— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) December 15, 2022

Why do I get the impression that Trump isn't serious about 2024? His launch of NFTs doesn't feel right. https://t.co/LUrOwaLxzL

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 15, 2022

I love Trump but our country is being raped and pillaged. I need more than this from the leading Presidential candidate for 2024. Don’t play with our emotions.

— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) December 15, 2022

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely concerned with the people advising Trump

I think they’re in it for themselves & do not have his best interest in mind

The best thing Trump could do rn is come back to Twitter

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) December 15, 2022

Former Pres. Trump unveils his highly-anticipated announcement which is…

NFT digital trading cards. pic.twitter.com/Y2UO322Ozt

— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) December 15, 2022

Not sure what Trump is thinking here, but I guess we’ll find out in short order.

On Sunday, former president and husband to twice failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, attended the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants football game.

At one point during the game, Clinton passed out and was captured on camera taking what appears to be a nap.

Was the former president tired from being up all night with prostitutes? Or has Hillary just been a nag lately? The world may never know.

“He was spotted wearing a Giants hat at the game,” The Spun reported. “So perhaps he wanted to escape from the disappointment of watching his team lose. It’s not clear at which point in the game Clinton nodded off, but the final score was a brutal 48-22.”

“Bill Clinton was at the Eagles/Giants game yesterday at MetLife and apparently fell asleep,” tweeted Greg Price.

WATCH:

Bill Clinton was at the Eagles/Giants game yesterday at MetLife and apparently fell asleep lmfao
pic.twitter.com/lGRXdLbWYB

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 12, 2022

Clinton has a history of nodding off.

During a 2008 memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Clinton went viral when he fell asleep behind a speaker.

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

WATCH:

He also fell asleep during Joe Biden’s inaugural speech. I don’t blame him for this one.

WATCH:

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

At alleged hammer attacker David DePape’s preliminary hearing on Wednesday, the 911 audio and police bodycam footage of the Paul Pelosi attack was released.

According to reports, DePape entered the Pelosi’s San Francisco residence back in October looking for Nancy Pelosi.

“[DePape] told officers and medics at the scene — “I’m sick of the insane f…ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C. I came here to have a little chat with his wife. I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I’m not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life.”” CBS reported.

As things escalated, DePape allegedly hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer.

NBC court reporter Bigad Shaban reported that the TV monitor showing the bodycam footage was facing the SFPD officer on the stand so he was unable to see the footage however he was able to provide a detailed script of the events that unfolded.

“Court just played police body camera video night of Pelosi attack. The tv monitor is facing the SFPD officer on the stand, so most of us in court couldn’t see the video, but could hear audio,” Shaban reported on Twitter.

Read the transcript of the bodycam footage below:

Timing based on police body camera audio:

:00
Officers knock door of Pelosi home

:20
(door opens)
(Officer) Hi how you doing?
(Officer) What’s going on man?
(Man) He’s good.

:30
(Officer) Drop the hammer

:34
(Depape strikes Pelosi with hammer)

Now an SFPD investigator is on the stand, who interviewed Paul Pelosi on Oct. 30 about the attack.

“He said this man was in his room and woke him up. He was startled and a little groggy…

He asked him where’s Nancy, where’s Nancy…”

SFPD investigator who interviewed Paul Pelosi:

“[Paul Pelosi] told [David DePape] she is in Washington right now, and that she’d be back in a couple of days.

[Paul Pelosi] said [David DePape] was holding a hammer in one hand a bunch of plastic zip cords in the other hand.”

(Prosecutor) Did Mr. Pelosi feel like he was free to leave the house?

(SFPD investigator) He said hell no.

(Prosecutor) Did he ever threaten Mr. Pelosi?

(SFPD investigator) Yes. He kept telling Mr. Pelosi that he could take him out.

11/ Court just played police body camera video night of Pelosi attack. The tv monitor is facing the SFPD officer on the stand, so most of us in court couldn’t see the video, but could hear audio.

I used my stopwatch to time out events as they unfolded:@nbcbayarea

— Bigad Shaban (@BigadShaban) December 14, 2022

CBS News reported:

Using 911 audio, police body cam video and investigators sworn testimony, prosecutors meticulously pieced together the terrifying attack of Paul Pelosi at the preliminary hearing Wednesday of his accused assailant David DePape.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, DePape sat at the defense table. In the crowded courtroom was Christine Pelosi, one of the Pelosis’ five adult children.

The hearing got off to a quick start with prosecutors playing audio of Paul Pelosi’s 911 call to San Francisco police.

The audio recording was followed by one of the SFPD officers — officer Kyle Cagney — who responded to the home taking the stand and describing the doorway confrontation with DePape and the swift hammer attack. He then displayed the hammer to the courtroom, pulling it from a large evidence pouch.

Cagney also reviewed police body camera video with the Superior Court Judge Stephen Murphy.

“When officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and Mrs. Pelosi’s husband, Paul,” SFPD Chief Bill Scott told reporters. “Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”

“Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid,” he added.

Along with the hammer, DePape also had zip ties, which he admitted to having so he could take Nancy Pelosi hostage.

He had allegedly forced his way into the home by smashing the window of a rear door.

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

It looks like Biden is once again experiencing anger issues caused by dementia.

According to a report from Politico, Biden is incredibly displeased at the latest poll results showing that Americans are concerned with his age as he considers a re-election run in 2024.

Here’s what they reported:

Yet Biden has repeatedly declined to say he’s running for reelection. That’s because, yes, he doesn’t want to trigger the Federal Election Committee, which may require him to file organizational paperwork if he was to say definitively he’s running. There’s also the more delicate matter of Biden continuing to say he’s “a respecter of fate” when asked about his plans.

The president has vented to allies about how often his age is mentioned in the press — “You think I don’t know how fucking old I am?” he said to one earlier this year. But who knows what the fates have in store for someone who just turned 80 a few weeks ago.

According to recent polls, more than 60% of ALL voters are weary of Biden’s old age. Here’s the report from IssuesInsight:

In early August, we asked Americans: “Some people are concerned about President Biden’s mental health. How concerned are you about President Biden’s mental health?” At the time, a number of public displays of unsteadiness, confusion, and verbal gaffes seen in the media suggested to many that the nation’s commander in chief’s mental acuity was questionable.

For instance, 59% overall said they were worried about his mental health. The responses included 82% of Republicans, 56% of independents, but just 39% of Democrats.

We asked the same question in our most recent online poll of 1,376 adults across the country taken from October 5-7, with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. This time, the overall number grew to 64%, or nearly two-thirds of all voters.

Dr. Ben Carson spoke with the Daily Caller and said that these outbursts of anger are some of the early signs of dementia.

“That’s so typical of people in early stages of decline, to become aggressive and very defensive about who they are,” Carson told the Daily Caller. “It tells you that they know a little bit about what’s going on. They don’t want you to know,” he concluded.

On Wednesday, Washington Post publisher publisher Fred Ryan announced massive layoffs as the company’s subscription revenue continues to plummet.

While speaking to CNN, Ryan noted that doesn’t think the paper can “keep spending on initiatives that no longer align with readers’ interests.”

REPORT: Washington Post CEO just announced massive layoffs after subscription revenue plummeted.

We are watching the extinction of the main stream media in real time 😂

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 14, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

CNN reports:

The Washington Post will conduct layoffs in the coming year as it reorients itself for the future and reinvests in other areas, publisher Fred Ryan told startled staffers in a contentious town hall Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ryan indicated to staffers that the cuts will make up a single digit percentage of the workforce, the people told CNN, adding that he does not believe the newspaper can “keep spending on initiatives that no longer align with readers’ interests.”

Ryan also said that the total size of the newsroom will not shrink in 2023 and could even grow as a result of the reinvestments in other divisions of the company.

A spokesperson for The Post told CNN that the company employs roughly 2,500 staffers, meaning that the cuts would represent fewer than 250 people.

When delivering the news that layoffs would begin in the first quarter of 2023, staffers started throwing a fit.

“We’re not going to turn the town hall into a grievance session,” Ryan said as staffers started crying. 

One staffer responded, “It’s not a grievance session, it’s questions,” as Ryan walked away.

Another staffer asked why Ryan wasn’t protecting “people’s jobs,” referring to the recent elimination of the Post’s magazine.

“We’ll have more information as we move forward. Thank you very much,” Ryan said as he turned around and walked away.

WATCH:

NEW: @washingtonpost publisher Fred Ryan refuses to take staff questions after announcing Q1 layoffs in “Town Hall” @postguild pic.twitter.com/C4HOXb6y2C

— Annie Gowen (@anniegowen) December 14, 2022

Chief communications officer at The Post, Kathy Baird, confirmed the news, stating that the newspaper “is evolving and transforming to put our business in the best position for future growth.”

“We are planning to direct our resources and invest in coverage, products, and people in service of providing high value to our subscribers and new audiences,” Baird said. “As a result, a number of positions will be eliminated. We anticipate it will be a single digit percentage of our employee base, and we will finalize those plans over the coming weeks.”

“This will not be a net reduction in Post headcount,” Baird continued. “Recently, we have made some of the largest investments in The Post’s history and 2023 will be another year of continued investment.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

In a short video clip, former President Donald Trump teased a “major announcement” that will be revealing on December 15th.

Back in November, Trump announced that he will be running for president again in 2024.

The announcement came in a 15 second video posted to Truth Social on Wednesday. In the video, Trump said that “America needs a superhero” as a graphic of himself in a superhero costume displayed on the video with lasers coming out of his eyes.

WATCH:

BREAKING: Donald Trump teases “Special Announcement” tomorrow on Truth Social pic.twitter.com/iPH85ZA4KQ

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) December 14, 2022

Check out what the Post Millennial reported:

Trump’s run for president was announced substantially early for the 2024 election and has launched him into the spotlight for the nomination from the RNC, which is undergoing its own upheaval. Ronna McDaniel, who has served as RNC chair since 2017, is being challenged for her leadership by Harmeet Dhillon, Mike Lindell, and others who want to see a change in the party.

McDaniel and the RNC had promised a “red wave” during the 2022 midterm Congressional elections, but that wave was smaller than anticipated. Though the GOP will have the majority position in the US House come the 2023 Congressional term, they will have limited ability to get legislation passed as the Senate and White House are both controlled by Democrats.

Check out some of the reactions on Twitter below:

https://twitter.com/RitaLaw21535002/status/1603093597456240640?s=20&t=de7WjZHFpXodmKQmJk0yOQ

JUST IN – Trump to make 'major announcement' tomorrow (Thursday).

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) December 14, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

There has been much discussion between conservatives about who should be the 2024 GOP nominee, and a new set of polls may foreshadow how some voters are feeling. According to two brand new voter polls, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has an edge over former President Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. In a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, DeSantis leads Trump by a whopping 23 points.

The poll found that 56 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters prefer DeSantis, while only 33 percent said they would vote for Trump.

Then, in another poll by the Wall Street Journal, DeSantis edged Trump out 52% to 38%.

Furthermore, the poll showed that DeSantis holds an 86% favorability, compared with 74% who view Trump favorably.

For what it’s worth, a new IA poll shows TRUMP in the comfortable lead:

pic.twitter.com/ANbF3SCnC8

— Nick Adams (Alpha Male) (@NickAdamsinUSA) December 14, 2022

Either way, it appears this is going to be a very tight race in 2024 if DeSantis decides to run.

Twitter conservatives have very mixed feelings about the two men:

Don’t let the Democrats pick our candidate.  They are scared to death of Trump and that’s why the FBI and the DOJ are doing everything they can to bring him down.  They want Desantis to run, a pushover compared to Trump.

— Dick Morris (@DickMorrisTweet) December 14, 2022

If you think it’s “betrayal” for DeSantis to run against Trump, you are in a serious cult

— Florida Conservative 🐊🌴🐘 (@DeSantisFan2024) December 14, 2022

DeSantis has a net worth of $300K. Trump is a billionaire. I trust the billionaire to be his own man much more than the $300K guy, however off-color this may sound. DS would be profoundly easy for big donors to 'influence' and Dem lawfare would easily bankrupt him. Just sayin'.

— Dr. Joseph Ford Cotto (@JosephFordCotto) December 14, 2022

The RINOs want us to ignore the election interference that took place in 2020, “move on” from Trump, and anoint Ron DeSantis.

Sorry, but we the people will never turn our backs on @realDonaldTrump.

Especially now that the #TwitterFiles completely prove that 2020 was rigged!

— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) December 10, 2022

Pretty astonishing general election numbers in here:

Trump 40%
Biden 47%

DeSantis 47%
Biden 43% https://t.co/XuUYsY8rSX

— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) December 13, 2022

How will this race shake out between the two men? Only time will tell.

On Tuesday, Twitter CEO Elon Musk hinted that a Twitter payment processing system is in the works that would directly compete with PayPal, a company Musk co-founded.

“The man who reinvented the payment system back in 1999 is all set to do it again,” tweeted ‘DogeDesigner’ on Twitter.

Musk responded to the tweet, agreeing that he would be reinventing the payment system again.

“It’s gonna be great,” Musk said.

It’s gonna be great

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2022

BREAKING REPORT: Rumors now swirling that Elon Musk is working on a TWITTER PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM set to compete with PayPal…

Would you DUMP PAYPAL if a 'TWITTER PAY' format became available?

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 13, 2022

Back in November during a livestream meeting with Twitter advertisers, Musk opened up about his vision for a Twitter payment processing system, stating that users would be able to send money to other people on the platform.

Check out what Tech Crunch reported:

Elon Musk detailed his vision for Twitter’s plan to enter the payments market during a livestreamed meeting with Twitter advertisers, hosted on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday. The new Twitter owner suggested that, in the future, users would be able to send money to others on the platform, extract their funds to authenticated bank accounts and, later, perhaps, be offered a high-yield money market account to encourage them to move their cash to Twitter.

The new remarks followed a report this morning by The New York Times which confirmed Twitter last week had filed registration paperwork that would allow it to process payments. The report cited Twitter’s filing with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), noting that a business would need to register before it could conduct money transfers, exchange currency or cash checks.

…

He stressed that, initially, Twitter would need to make fundamental technology architecture changes in order to better support video. The company was recently reported to be working on a “Paywalled Video” feature that would allow creators to charge for access to their content. This suggests Twitter could be moving into a space where it may try to compete more directly with various social media video providers, like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and others. The Washington Post saw mockups of this concept where a tweet with a video could be unlocked for as little as $1.00. It said creators may be able to choose from preset prices, like $1, $2, $5 or $10 when paywalled videos were launched.

As a result, creators would end up with a cash balance as they began to monetize their content.

In addition, Musk noted that Twitter’s paid verification program would help in its plan for payments because anyone who subscribed to Twitter Blue would have already been verified by the “conventional payment system.” That is, Twitter Blue subscribers have to sign up using a credit or debit card and have their payments processed through the app stores’ in-app purchase system, which helps to combat fraud.

On the topic of bringing cash onto the Twitter platform, Musk said: “Now we can say, okay, you’ve got a balance on your account. Do you want to send money to someone else within Twitter? And maybe we pre-populate their account…and say, okay, we’re gonna give you 10 bucks. And you can send it anywhere within Twitter.”

Musk also said that he was open to the idea of offering high-interest rates to users who keep their money in a Twitter savings account. This would directly compete with Apple and PayPal.

“The next step would be this offer for an extremely compelling money market account where you get an extremely high yield on your balance,” Musk said.

“And then add debit cards, checks and whatnot and…just basically make the system as useful as possible. And the more useful and entertaining it is, the more people will use it,” he added.

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Sam Bankman-Fried, who is the founder of the corrupt crypto exchange FTX, also happens to be the Democrats 2nd largest campaign donor. On Monday evening, he was charged in a criminal indictment with campaign finance violations and the details of his crimes turned out to be even worse than we originally thought.

The indictment, unsealed in a federal court in Los Angeles, accuses Bankman-Fried of making illegal contributions to four political campaigns over the course of 2021 and 2022. According to the indictment, between October 2021 and February 2022, Bankman-Fried made a total of $2.5 million in illegal contributions to the campaigns of two U.S. Senators, a U.S. House representative, and a U.S. presidential candidate. The report, however, suspiciously fails to mention the names of the candidates.

How did he make these donations? With customer funds. Yes, really.

Here’s the scoop from CNBC:

Federal authorities on Tuesday charged FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried with using what they said was tens of millions of dollars of misappropriated customer funds to make illegal political donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates.

Prosecutors said one of the reasons he made those contributions was to influence the direction of policies and laws affecting the cryptocurrency industry.

Even though the report says he donated to “both” Democrats and Republicans, records show that the vast majority of his donations went to Democrats.

The indictment further alleges that Bankman-Fried disguised the contributions by routing them through a series of shell companies and bank accounts. He also allegedly lied to his own lawyers in order to conceal the source and nature of the contributions.

Bankman-Fried is charged with four counts of making a contribution in the name of another person, four counts of making a contribution in excess of the legal limit, and four counts of making a false statement to a federal agent.

On Tuesday during a panel with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis called on the Florida Supreme Court to gather a grand jury to investigate any and all “wrongdoings” relating to COVID-19 vaccines.

“We will be able to get the data whether they wanna give it or not because in Florida it is against the law to mislead and misrepresent particularly when you’re talking about the efficacy of the drug,” DeSantis said.

“Just recently Florida got 3.2 billion through legal action against those responsible for the opioid crisis and so it’s not like this is something that’s unprecedented,” the Florida governor continued.

“So today I’m announcing a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines,” DeSantis announced. “We anticipate we will get the approval for that. That will be something that will be impaneled most likely in the Tampa Bay area and that will come with legal processes that will be able to get more information and to bring legal accountability for those who committed misconduct.”

DeSantis indicated that he wants to investigate mRNA vaccine producers as he accused them of withholding key data relating to the vaccine and heart problems.

JUST IN: DeSantis announces "a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines."

Do you support this?

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2022

WATCH:

NOW – DeSantis announces "a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to COVID-19 vaccines." pic.twitter.com/bfaZ7fURnO

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 13, 2022

Check out what Click Orlando reported:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the outer lining of the heart) can happen after COVID-19 vaccination, but are rare. The CDC says those who reported either illness responded well to medicine and rest, recovering after 90 days, according to a study the CDC published in Lancet.

…

The Food and Drug Administration is currently requiring both Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna to study the longterm effects of myocarditis after COVID vaccines.

This is the latest statewide grand jury DeSantis has called for to handle issues. He has impaneled a grand jury to investigate school safety procedures and one to investigate illegal immigration rules. Both have called for changes to policies and laws.

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

As millions of Americans already know, Joe Biden still has no plan for getting our economy turned around anytime soon. He’s definitely no President Trump.

On Tuesday, Biden said he simply “hopes” inflation will go down in 2023. (Great plan, Joe)

“I hope by the end of next year . . . but I can’t make that prediction. I’m convinced we’re not going to go up. I’m convinced they’re going to continue to go down,” Biden told a reporter as he was leaving the room.

Watch:

Reporter: "Can you say when you expect prices to get back to normal, Mr. President?

Joe Biden: "I hope by the end of next year…but I can't make that prediction." pic.twitter.com/sxqYNDg7dA

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 13, 2022

“Inflation is coming down in America,” Biden previously said, offering no plan whatsoever. “Make no mistake, prices are still too high. We still have work to do.”

While Biden might paint a rosy picture of the country during his administration, the reality is that millions of people are hurting due to his policies. Retirement accounts are being wiped out, savings accounts are being depleted, and job losses are rising at historic rate.

And yes, inflation is still sky high:

Inflation is a tax on ALL Americans.

📈Eggs are UP 49.1%
📈Airline Fares are UP 36%
📈Milk is UP 14.7%
📈Electricity is UP 13.7%
📈Groceries are UP 12%
📈Chicken is UP 12%
📈Gas is UP 10.1%
📈Baby Food is UP 10.9%

— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) December 13, 2022

Will these facts be enough to turn off his loyal supporters? Likely not.

According to an exclusive report from Fox News, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has been exposed for scrubbing any mention of secret meetings with Hillary Clinton George Soros from the public version of his calendar.

What is he trying to hide?

Here’s more details from Fox News:

Gensler’s public calendar showed that he only had a staff meeting on Aug. 7, 2021, while his private calendar lists a meeting with Clinton, according to a Fox News Digital review. And on Aug. 20, 2021, his public calendar lists a meeting with Soros but hid the meeting’s agenda, which his private calendar shows was to discuss a forthcoming Wall Street Journal op-ed the business magnate was planning to write.

Gensler’s private calendar revealing the discrepancies was obtained by the watchdog group Energy Policy Advocates and shared with Fox News Digital. The group was only able to obtain the internal records after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the SEC.

In recent days, around the time Fox News Digital contacted the SEC, the agency updated Gensler’s public calendar to include his meeting with Clinton in August 2021. As recently as Wednesday the public calendar didn’t include the meeting, and archived copies of the webpage from April also list just a meeting with staff.

According to Fox News, when initially asked about the omitted Clinton meeting, an SEC spokesperson replied that the agency occasionally updates its calendars “when it discovers something is missing or inaccurate.”

Subsequently, archived copies of Gensler’s public calendar revealed meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Washington, D.C. consultant Minyon Moore, a former White House official, had also been omitted. The SEC has since updated the calendar to include these meetings. Gary Gensler, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Obama administration official, was appointed by President Joe Biden as the SEC chief in April 2021; Gensler was the chief financial officer for Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Click here to read the full bombshell report…

During an interview with Newsmax over the weekend, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani revealed that he gave Hunter Biden’s laptop to prominent Republicans who refused to report on it.

The comments were shocking to say the least considering the information was available in 2019 but several conservative news outlets failed to report on it despite having the evidence.

The names of these Republicans include John Solomon, Sean Hannity and Mike Pompeo.

“I had this whole thing – let’s say half of it; certainly enough to prosecute — in 2019,” Giuliani told “Saturday Report,” discussing how he frequently thought about how he would share the bombshell information with Americans. “I gave it to Hannity in early 2019, then to John Solomon, then to Mike Pompeo, who also buried it.”

“And you should know that now that he’s running for president — and I will tell you the whole story about that at some point. I’ll write it out.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Newsmax reports:

Giuliani was former President Donald Trump’s private attorney and was shocked to have learned Justice Department Attorney General Bill Barr had Hunter Biden’s laptop in late 2019.

“And then Barr buried it in January of 2020, and I didn’t know that Barr has the hard drive,” Giuliani continued to host Rita Cosby. “He covered up the hard drive.”

From the first allegations of Russian collusion to the Trump campaign to the presidential elections and now the deadly war in Ukraine, Americans could have known the truth in 2019, if they had just listened to Giuliani, he continued.

“I’ve been living with this for 3.5 years when I first put out the information about Biden’s bribery in Ukraine, and I lived through that,” Giuliani said. “I got up every morning from the first moment I got that hard drive, saying to myself, ‘How can I get this to my fellow citizens? Because, you just read a just a little bit of that, you realize the candidate of the Democratic Party was a lifelong criminal, and I mean, there are 50-60 crimes outlined there and I’m not saying that lightly.”

WATCH:

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Shortly after the release of the 3rd round of Twitter Files on Friday evening, Twitter CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the actions taken by Twitter leading up to the 2020 election was clear evidence of election interference.

The comment from Musk came in response to a tweet from Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton who tweeted: “Breaking: @ElonMusk @Twitter Files show Twitter activist employees, without basis, suppressed and censored the President of the United States, @realDonaldTrump in the days before the 2020 election. This is damning evidence of election interference.”

Musk later replied, confirming that the evidence released in the Twitter files was proof of election interference.

“Unequivocally true. The evidence is clear and voluminous,” Musk tweeted.

Unequivocally true. The evidence is clear and voluminous.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2022

BREAKING: Elon Musk confirms that the actions Twitter took leading up to the 2020 election was evidence of election interference.

Will the media report on it now?

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 10, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Friday’s release of the “Twitter Files” proved that former Twitter executives like Yoel Roth met with the FBI, DHS and Director of National Intelligence to flag stories they deemed to be “unsafe.”

Yes, the same government entities that tried to frame Trump at every turn.

Look below:

21. Roth’s report to FBI/DHS/DNI is almost farcical in its self-flagellating tone:
“We blocked the NYP story, then unblocked it (but said the opposite)… comms is angry, reporters think we’re idiots… in short, FML” (fuck my life). pic.twitter.com/sTaWglhaJt

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Here are more screenshots of some of the slack communications:

Taibbi then followed up with another example of FBI flagging stories that were 100% factual….

25. The FBI-flagged tweet then got circulated in the enforcement Slack. Twitter cited Politifact to say the first story was “proven to be false,” then noted the second was already deemed “no vio on numerous occasions.” pic.twitter.com/LyyZ1opWAh

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022

Executives at Twitter can be shown censoring a Trump story about mail-in ballots just one week before the election. These decisions were apparently made quickly and on the fly. In the thread below, they can be seen celebrating how fast it got done.

Notice how the tweet is riddled with censorship:

“WELL DONE ON SPEED”, they said shortly after altering his post. Look below:

As you can see from the final message in that thread, they suggest censoring Trump is a “huge positive” for the platform.

And keep in mind, this is one week before the election. Twitter clearly colluded in the 2020 election and we have more proof than ever.

Here are more bombshell revelations from Matt Taibi’s latest Twitter drop…

36. “VERY WELL DONE ON SPEED” Trump was being “visibility filtered” as late as a week before the election. Here, senior execs didn’t appear to have a particular violation, but still worked fast to make sure a fairly anodyne Trump tweet couldn’t be “replied to, shared, or liked”: pic.twitter.com/E0bkjISGBj

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022

37. A seemingly innocuous follow-up involved a tweet from actor @realJamesWoods, whose ubiquitous presence in argued-over Twitter data sets is already a #TwitterFiles in-joke. pic.twitter.com/FCFLl3Znml

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Matt Taibbi just dropped the latest batch of bombshell documents from the “Twitter Files”, and today’s topic is a doozy.

Yes, THE REMOVAL OF DONALD TRUMP from Twitter. Let’s get right into the thread…

1. THREAD: The Twitter Files
THE REMOVAL OF DONALD TRUMP
Part One: October 2020-January 6th

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

He continued to set the stage by tweeting the following:

2. The world knows much of the story of what happened between riots at the Capitol on January 6th, and the removal of President Donald Trump from Twitter on January 8th…

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

3. We’ll show you what hasn’t been revealed: the erosion of standards within the company in months before J6, decisions by high-ranking executives to violate their own policies, and more, against the backdrop of ongoing, documented interaction with federal agencies.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

4. This first installment covers the period before the election through January 6th. Tomorrow, @Shellenbergermd will detail the chaos inside Twitter on January 7th. On Sunday, @BariWeiss will reveal the secret internal communications from the key date of January 8th.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

5. Whatever your opinion on the decision to remove Trump that day, the internal communications at Twitter between January 6th-January 8th have clear historical import. Even Twitter’s employees understood in the moment it was a landmark moment in the annals of speech. pic.twitter.com/tQ01n58XFc

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Then began the REAL good stuff, where they discussed banning future politicians:

6. As soon as they finished banning Trump, Twitter execs started processing new power. They prepared to ban future presidents and White Houses – perhaps even Joe Biden. The “new administration,” says one exec, “will not be suspended by Twitter unless absolutely necessary.” pic.twitter.com/lr66YgDlGy

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Taibbi followed up by revealing Twitter partially made their decision to ban Trump based on what he had tweeted during the last 4 years:

7. Twitter executives removed Trump in part over what one executive called the “context surrounding”: actions by Trump and supporters “over the course of the election and frankly last 4+ years.” In the end, they looked at a broad picture. But that approach can cut both ways. pic.twitter.com/Trgvq5jmhS

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Taibbi continues:

The bulk of the internal debate leading to Trump’s ban took place in those three January days. However, the intellectual framework was laid in the months preceding the Capitol riots.

Before J6, Twitter was a unique mix of automated, rules-based enforcement, and more subjective moderation by senior executives. As
Bari Weiss reported, the firm had a vast array of tools for manipulating visibility, most all of which were thrown at Trump (and others) pre-J6

As the election approached, senior executives – perhaps under pressure from federal agencies, with whom they met more as time progressed – increasingly struggled with rules, and began to speak of “vios” as pretexts to do what they’d likely have done anyway.

Taibbi followed up with this:

11. After J6, internal Slacks show Twitter executives getting a kick out of intensified relationships with federal agencies. Here’s Trust and Safety head Yoel Roth, lamenting a lack of “generic enough” calendar descriptions to concealing his “very interesting” meeting partners. pic.twitter.com/kgC4eGykcO

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

More:

These initial reports are based on searches for docs linked to prominent executives, whose names are already public. They include Roth, former trust and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, and recently plank-walked Deputy General Counsel (and former top FBI lawyer) Jim Baker.

One particular slack channel offers an unique window into the evolving thinking of top officials in late 2020 and early 2021.

On October 8th, 2020, executives opened a channel called “us2020_xfn_enforcement.” Through J6, this would be home for discussions about election-related removals, especially ones that involved “high-profile” accounts (often called “VITs” or “Very Important Tweeters”).

Here’s a screenshot of that message:

Taibbi continues:

There was at least some tension between Safety Operations – a larger department whose staffers used a more rules-based process for addressing issues like porn, scams, and threats – and a smaller, more powerful cadre of senior policy execs like Roth and Gadde.

Here’s more from the thread, revealing that Trump was actually RIGHT about election fraud claims, yet they flagged him anyways:

16. The latter group were a high-speed Supreme Court of moderation, issuing content rulings on the fly, often in minutes and based on guesses, gut calls, even Google searches, even in cases involving the President. pic.twitter.com/5ihsPCVo62

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Taibbi added this:

17. During this time, executives were also clearly liaising with federal enforcement and intelligence agencies about moderation of election-related content. While we’re still at the start of reviewing the #TwitterFiles, we’re finding out more about these interactions every day.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 9, 2022

Follow along with more breaking news stories about this topic at TrendingPoliticsNews.com….

During a press conference on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was humiliated by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy over the Brittney Grimes trade for the “Merchant of Death.”

“Here were our choices: Our choices were Brittney or no one at all,” Jean-Pierre claimed. “Bringing home one American or no American at all. And that’s, that’s —”

“They gave up a professional athlete,” Doocy said. “We gave up a prolific arms dealer who was convicted of trying to kill Americans, who is called the ‘Merchant of Death.’”

“The professional athlete is also an American citizen,” Jean-Pierre said.

WATCH:

Peter Doocy grills Jean-Pierre on Brittney Griner swap:

"They gave up a professional athlete. We gave up a prolific arms dealer who was convicted of trying to kill Americans, who is called the 'Merchant of Death.'" pic.twitter.com/5KtTvPL1iV

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) December 8, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, former President Donald Trump unleashed on President Biden over the ridiculous trade.

“What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as “The Merchant of Death,” who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries,” Trump wrote. “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a “stupid” and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!”

Shortly after the news was dropped that Griner was coming home, Whelan released a statement from Russian prison, stating that he is ‘disappointed’ how President Joe Biden chose to bring home WNBA player Brittney Griner over him.

“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up,” Whelan said to CNN in a phone call from the a Russian penal colony. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence.

“I was arrested for a crime that never occurred,” he said. “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

“My bags are packed. I’m ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me,” continued Whelan. “It’s quite obvious that I’m being held hostage.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Founder of Turning Point USA and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk made his first official comments after being publicly displayed on Twitter’s “Do Not Amplify” list that was released in the second volume of Twitter Files just last night…

Kirk joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to discuss the bombshell news regarding himself as well as many others having blacklisted accounts. Charlie Kirk did not hold back when he spoke to Carlson.

The host of the Charlie Kirk Show outlined to Tucker that the recent revelations from last night’s Twitter file dump were only a confirmation of his suspicions. Kirk even went as far as to say that Twitter was focusing on censoring conservatives more than terrorist organizations because conservatives posed a threat to the leftist ‘regime.’

Kirk went on to beg the question: “Were they told to do this by the federal government?”

While no reports can back this claim, the spiral of corruption seems to be never-ending at this point. The corruption and big tech have become so staunch that Kirk even labeled Twitter a ‘Democrat super PAC.’

In the interview, Kirk went on to describe many times and examples that show a blatant and colossal level of censorship that he experienced while on the platform. Check out the interview in the video below:

‘I was called a conspiracy theorist, I was smeared … Now you see actual verified documents where my Twitter account was labeled as do not amplify, NSFW – which I can only infer means not safe for work?’ Kirk said.

‘They’re treating my twitter account with more scrutiny and censorship than the prime minister of Iran, than Hamas, than people who do actual terroristic type damage,’ the TPUSA founder went on to say.

‘Now we evidence to show that’s exactly why my Twitter account the last couple years has been down 95 percent in engagement … They saw what I had to say as a direct threat to the regime … Was my tweet somehow able to create viral counter messaging in to what they wanted to see happen in 2020. We may never know … But Twitter at its best, when it was really something that was worthy of appreciation, and I hope it gets there soon, was a place where heterodox ideas where able to spread instantaneously with virility and hold powerful people accountable … I happened to have one of those accounts for years, and Twitter went out of their way to censor it and suffocate our account,’ Kirk said in his rant to Carlson.

Despite Twitter’s decisions to censor conservative influencers, Kirk told Tucker Carlson that the former founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, went as far as to personally assure him that his account was not being censored in any possible way, shape, or form. He followed those comments up by saying that he didn’t believe that the company ‘really cared’ when telling him those assurances and not responding after.

Kirk went on to give Musk the credit for the recent transparency and restoration of the platform’s prominence.

‘And Elon, praise God for his courage and his bravery, revealing this … I don’t think we’ll ever be able to measure the impact of what Twitter did to our voices online in the calendar year of 2020.’

‘The lives that were lost, the kids that literally had speech impediments and delays and school closures, and of course, the outcome of the 2020 election, all came from a censorship regime from Twitter,’ Kirk said.

Do you think Charlie Kirk deserved to be censored? Let us know why or why not in the comment section below.

On Friday, President Donald Trump gave Elon Musk kudos for exposing the left-wing censorship that was present at Twitter for so long. However, he wants Elon to release more info, specifically around the conversations leading up to the 2020 election and his specific de-platforming.

“ELON: The Twitter releases are a revelation in that they show, in a very powerful fashion, the FBI and “Justice” illegally colluding, proving conclusively, in one more very powerful way, that the 2020 Presidential Election was Rigged & Stolen,” Trump began.

“What everyone is REALLY waiting to see, however, is the Twitter information and thought process leading up to the time of the so-called “Election,” and ultimately the “Deplatforming” of the President of the United States. Big moment in history. Thank you!,” he concluded.

.@realDonaldTrump issues message to @elonmusk. pic.twitter.com/5bWVHisGu1

— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) December 9, 2022

Yesterday evening, “Part 2” of the Twitter files dropped, showing how prominent conservatives were put on “Do Not Amplify” lists.

For example, Dan Bongino was targeted specifically as he was given a “Search Block” on his account:

4. Or consider the popular right-wing talk show host, Dan Bongino (@dbongino), who at one point was slapped with a “Search Blacklist.” pic.twitter.com/AdOK8xLu9v

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

And as we alluded to above, TP USA’s Charlie Kirk was given a “Do Not Amplify” tag even though he had “ZERO” strikes:

5. Twitter set the account of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) to “Do Not Amplify.” pic.twitter.com/dOyQIVdsW2

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

In case you missed it, Charlie Kirk went on Tucker Carlson’s show last night to discuss the censorship.

‘I was called a conspiracy theorist, I was smeared … Now you see actual verified documents where my Twitter account was labeled as do not amplify, NSFW – which I can only infer means not safe for work?’ Kirk said.

‘They’re treating my twitter account with more scrutiny and censorship than the prime minister of Iran, than Hamas, than people who do actual terroristic type damage,’ the TPUSA founder went on to say.

‘Now we evidence to show that’s exactly why my Twitter account the last couple years has been down 95 percent in engagement … They saw what I had to say as a direct threat to the regime … Was my tweet somehow able to create viral counter messaging in to what they wanted to see happen in 2020. We may never know … But Twitter at its best, when it was really something that was worthy of appreciation, and I hope it gets there soon, was a place where heterodox ideas where able to spread instantaneously with virility and hold powerful people accountable … I happened to have one of those accounts for years, and Twitter went out of their way to censor it and suffocate our account,’ Kirk said in his rant to Carlson.

Despite Twitter’s decisions to censor conservative influencers, Kirk told Tucker Carlson that the former founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, went as far as to personally assure him that his account was not being censored in any possible way, shape, or form. He followed those comments up by saying that he didn’t believe that the company ‘really cared’ when telling him those assurances and not responding after.

Kirk went on to give Musk the credit for the recent transparency and restoration of the platform’s prominence.

Watch:

Journalist Bari Weiss just dropped “part 2” of the bombshell “Twitter Files” that exposes the corruption that ran deep within Twitter under former management. This drop is titled “TWITTERS SECRET BLACKLISTS”, and the internet is going crazy.

She set the stage by confirming the information suppression tactics used by Twitter:

“A new #TwitterFiles investigation reveals that teams of Twitter employees build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics—all in secret, without informing users. Twitter once had a mission “to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.” Along the way, barriers nevertheless were erected.”

She then followed up with two brutal examples of people who were blacklisted for sharing narratives that didn’t align with Twitters far-left overlords:

3. Take, for example, Stanford’s Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (@DrJBhattacharya) who argued that Covid lockdowns would harm children. Twitter secretly placed him on a “Trends Blacklist,” which prevented his tweets from trending. pic.twitter.com/qTW22Zh691

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

4. Or consider the popular right-wing talk show host, Dan Bongino (@dbongino), who at one point was slapped with a “Search Blacklist.” pic.twitter.com/AdOK8xLu9v

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

So Dan Bongino had a “search blacklist”. Interesting. Surely that has nothing to do with his conservative views….right?

She continued by exposing their “do not amplify” blacklist on TP USA’s Charlie Kirk:

5. Twitter set the account of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) to “Do Not Amplify.” pic.twitter.com/dOyQIVdsW2

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

Incredible. I wonder how many liberal accounts they did this to? Probably zero.

She followed up with this tweet in which she explained that Twitter had previously denied that they took such actions:

6. Twitter denied that it does such things. In 2018, Twitter's Vijaya Gadde (then Head of Legal Policy and Trust) and Kayvon Beykpour (Head of Product) said: “We do not shadow ban.” They added: “And we certainly don’t shadow ban based on political viewpoints or ideology.”

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

More:

7. What many people call “shadow banning,” Twitter executives and employees call “Visibility Filtering” or “VF.” Multiple high-level sources confirmed its meaning.

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

8. “Think about visibility filtering as being a way for us to suppress what people see to different levels. It’s a very powerful tool,” one senior Twitter employee told us.

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

9. “VF” refers to Twitter’s control over user visibility. It used VF to block searches of individual users; to limit the scope of a particular tweet’s discoverability; to block select users’ posts from ever appearing on the “trending” page; and from inclusion in hashtag searches.

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

10. All without users’ knowledge.

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

Weiss followed up by tweeting the following:

“We control visibility quite a bit. And we control the amplification of your content quite a bit. And normal people do not know how much we do,” one Twitter engineer told us. Two additional Twitter employees confirmed. The group that decided whether to limit the reach of certain users was the Strategic Response Team – Global Escalation Team, or SRT-GET. It often handled up to 200 “cases” a day. But there existed a level beyond official ticketing, beyond the rank-and-file moderators following the company’s policy on paper. That is the “Site Integrity Policy, Policy Escalation Support,” known as “SIP-PES.”

This secret group included Head of Legal, Policy, and Trust (Vijaya Gadde), the Global Head of Trust & Safety (Yoel Roth), subsequent CEOs Jack Dorsey and Parag Agrawal, and others. This is where the biggest, most politically sensitive decisions got made. “Think high follower account, controversial,” another Twitter employee told us. For these “there would be no ticket or anything.”

Then she dropped this bombshell about the Libs of TikTok account:

16. One of the accounts that rose to this level of scrutiny was @libsoftiktok—an account that was on the “Trends Blacklist” and was designated as “Do Not Take Action on User Without Consulting With SIP-PES.” pic.twitter.com/Vjo6YxYbxT

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

She followed up by going into further detail on the action against Libs of Tiktok:

The account—which Chaya Raichik began in November 2020 and now boasts over 1.4 million followers—was subjected to six suspensions in 2022 alone, Raichik says. Each time, Raichik was blocked from posting for as long as a week. Twitter repeatedly informed Raichik that she had been suspended for violating Twitter’s policy against “hateful conduct.”

She continues:

19. But in an internal SIP-PES memo from October 2022, after her seventh suspension, the committee acknowledged that “LTT has not directly engaged in behavior violative of the Hateful Conduct policy." See here: pic.twitter.com/d9FGhrnQFE

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

Weiss then followed up with more context by tweeting this:

The committee justified her suspensions internally by claiming her posts encouraged online harassment of “hospitals and medical providers” by insinuating “that gender-affirming healthcare is equivalent to child abuse or grooming.”

Compare this to what happened when Raichik herself was doxxed on November 21, 2022. A photo of her home with her address was posted in a tweet that has garnered more than 10,000 likes.

More:

22. When Raichik told Twitter that her address had been disseminated she says Twitter Support responded with this message: "We reviewed the reported content, and didn't find it to be in violation of the Twitter rules." No action was taken. The doxxing tweet is still up. pic.twitter.com/tUeaBP1bS4

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

23. In internal Slack messages, Twitter employees spoke of using technicalities to restrict the visibility of tweets and subjects. Here’s Yoel Roth, Twitter’s then Global Head of Trust & Safety, in a direct message to a colleague in early 2021: pic.twitter.com/Li7HDZJtIJ

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

24. Six days later, in a direct message with an employee on the Health, Misinformation, Privacy, and Identity research team, Roth requested more research to support expanding “non-removal policy interventions like disabling engagements and deamplification/visibility filtering.” pic.twitter.com/lqiJapHjct

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

She added the following in a few text-only tweets:

Roth wrote: “The hypothesis underlying much of what we’ve implemented is that if exposure to, e.g., misinformation directly causes harm, we should use remediations that reduce exposure, and limiting the spread/virality of content is a good way to do that.”

He added: “We got Jack on board with implementing this for civic integrity in the near term, but we’re going to need to make a more robust case to get this into our repertoire of policy remediations – especially for other policy domains.”

Bari Weiss then concludes Part 2 of the Twitter files with this:

27. There is more to come on this story, which was reported by @abigailshrier @shellenbergermd @nelliebowles @isaacgrafstein and the team The Free Press @thefp.

Keep up with this unfolding story here and at our brand new website: https://t.co/qYaBJzKcZj.

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 9, 2022

Stay tuned for more reaction from Trending Politics…

Former Putin aide Sergei Markov wrote a blistering series of Telegram messages on Thursday celebrating how Putin “outplayed” Biden in the prisoner swap that brought Brittney Griner back to the US in exchange for Viktor Bout, who government officials have called “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth”.

“Putin outplayed Biden,” Markov wrote on Telegram.

“We got back our spy, it seems, and gave away a normal girl,” he continued.

Markov continued his series of posts with a chilling message, saying that nobody should be “hopeful” that this is a step forward in relations between Russia and the US. He further claimed that a motivating factor for Biden saving Griner was so he wouldn’t be blamed if she ended up dying in prison.

“Now there are hopes that the exchange of Bout for Griner might be a step toward improving relations between Russia and the United States. Let go of those hopes. The exchange shows, on the contrary, a trend towards a deterioration of relations between Russia and the US in the near future,” he said.

“Why did the U.S. go for a clearly disadvantageous exchange? Because Biden knows that relations will worsen and fears that this will result in the massacre of US citizens in Russian prisons and that Griner’s death will be pinned on him before the election,” he concluded.

In case you were wondering just how badly Biden got played, consider the comments from former on 60 minutes. He called Bout “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth”.

Watch:

“Viktor Bout in my eyes is one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth”

Biden let him go for a random WNBA player
pic.twitter.com/YKVm6OPxKi

— Clayton Keirns (@CKeirns) December 8, 2022

It appears that the only people who think the United States “won” in this exchange is Biden and those who blindly support him.

Here’s how many reacted on Twitter to this terrible exchange:

We just traded “The Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout, a man who sold arms to warlords, for Brittney Griner, a WNBA player.

This may be the worst trade deal in history.

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 8, 2022

Biden Admin appears to be lying about Griner trade. They had the option to choose Whelan and declined.

— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) December 8, 2022

Politico just reported that Paul Whelan is still in a Russian prison because he isn’t a black, gay WNBA player.

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 8, 2022

They didn't trade for Griner because she's in the WNBA. Nobody cares about that. They traded for her because she's gay and black. She had more intersectional points than the other American prisoners so she moved to the front of the line. That's the way the system works now.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2022

In August, Breitbart detailed just how lethal this man is:

Nicknamed the “’of Death,’ Bout is a flamboyant arms dealer in his mid-50s with Russian military training. He became a billionaire by raiding the armories of the collapsing Soviet Union in the early 90s and using old Soviet cargo planes to transport his black-market weapons to conflict zones around the world.

On Thursday afternoon, far-left wing WH Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stormed out of the press briefing after getting into a shouting match with a WH reporter. Jean-Pierre is used to being tossed softball questions by the liberal media at all times, so it’s no surprise that she can’t take the heat.

Watch the heated exchange:

Here is the transcript from the heated exchange:

Jean-Pierre: “Go ahead. Go ahead.”

Reporter: “Can you take the question on the U.S.-Africa summit?”

Jean-Pierre: “Go ahead, yeah:”

Reporter: “Can you take the question on the U.S.-Africa summit?”

Jean-Pierre: “Go ahead, you.”

Reporter: “Karine, why is it so hard to take the question on the U.S.-Africa summit when the President will meet 50 African leaders, the biggest gathering of leaders of this administration? Why is it hard for you to give me a question?”

Jean-Pierre: “It is not hard. I’ve answered — would you let me answer the question or — okay.”
Reporter: “You don’t give us the question.”

Jean-Pierre: “I tried to answer your question. Go ahead, sir. Go ahead. I just tried, but you wouldn’t let me.”

Reporter: “No, but — “

Jean-Pierre: “I just tried and you would not let me, sir, so your colleague is going to ask the question.”

Reporter: “Let me ask you a question on the U.S.-Africa summit — “

Jean-Pierre: “I literally just tried to answer your question. You shut me down. So now your colleague is going to — “

Reporter: “Let me ask the question first before you answer.”

Jean-Pierre: “Okay. Thanks, everybody. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Isn’t it sad that Biden’s team can’t take the heat from these reporters?

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, former President Donald Trump unleashed on President Joe Biden after he traded WNBA player Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer, the “Merchant of Death.”

“What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as “The Merchant of Death,” who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries,” Trump wrote. “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a “stupid” and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!”

Shortly after the news was dropped that Griner was coming home, Whelan released a statement from Russian prison, stating that he is ‘disappointed’ how President Joe Biden chose to bring home WNBA player Brittney Griner over him.

BREAKING REPORT: Devastated Paul Whelan breaks his silence from Russian penal colony – 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I'M STILL SITTING HERE – My bags are packed'…

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 8, 2022

“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up,” Whelan said to CNN in a phone call from the a Russian penal colony. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence.

“I was arrested for a crime that never occurred,” he said. “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

“My bags are packed. I’m ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me,” continued Whelan. “It’s quite obvious that I’m being held hostage.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Check out what the Daily Mail reported:

Griner, the WNBA star imprisoned on marijuana-related drug charges in Russia, will be returned to the US in exchange for infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The negotiations were reportedly mediated by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, according to Arab News.

A senior administration official would not comment directly on MBS’s role but said the U.S. will ‘continue to lean on partners around the world’ to secure the release of unjustly detained Americans.

The swap happened at Abu Dhabi airport, where Griner and Bout had to walked past each other to reach their respective parties on the airport tarmac, Russian state media reports.

The US official said Griner was ‘all smiles’ on the tarmac as she approached the American delegation.

But Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, asked: ‘Where is U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly held by Russia for far longer? Celebrities over veterans?’

Republicans on Twitter were extremely disappointed by Biden’s failure to bring home Whelan. Check out some of the reactions below:

Meet Brittney Griner & Marine Paul Whelan.
Both Americans.
Both were convicted in Russian courts on dubious charges.
Both serving multi-year sentences in Russian prison.
Brittney hates America
Paul served America

Guess which one Biden traded a terrorist to free?

Semper fi Paul pic.twitter.com/tuP1R6AZpf

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 8, 2022

Biden gave up a Russian arms dealer in exchange for an anti-American WNBA player, while leaving US Marine Paul Whelan to rot in a Russian prison. This is an abomination. Our country is run by incompetent scumbags.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2022

U.S. Marine Paul Whelan should have been the Biden Regime’s higher priority, that’s a fact. But under no circumstances should an international arms dealer who targeted US citizens, the MERCHANT OF DEATH Viktor Bout, have been released. This is pure idiocy.

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 8, 2022

Brittney Griner being released in exchange for a convicted arms dealer.

What about Retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan?

— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores_TX) December 8, 2022

We just traded “The Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout, a man who sold arms to warlords, for Brittney Griner, a WNBA player.

This may be the worst trade deal in history.

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 8, 2022

When you’re voting on November 5th 2024, don’t forget that Biden left a Marine behind to save an athlete.

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) December 8, 2022

Can you imagine the headlines if Trump traded one of the biggest terrorist in the world "TO RUSSIA" for a basketball player.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) December 8, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

US Marine Paul Whelan is speaking out from a Russian prison, stating that he is ‘disappointed’ how President Joe Biden chose to bring home WNBA player Brittney Griner over him.

On Thursday, President Biden chose to trade WNBA player Brittney Griner for Russia’s “Merchant of Death,” a famous Russian arms dealer.

BREAKING REPORT: Devastated Paul Whelan breaks his silence from Russian penal colony – 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I'M STILL SITTING HERE – My bags are packed'…

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 8, 2022

“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up,” Whelan said to CNN in a phone call from the a Russian penal colony. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence.

“I was arrested for a crime that never occurred,” he said. “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

“My bags are packed. I’m ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me,” continued Whelan. “It’s quite obvious that I’m being held hostage.”

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Check out what the Daily Mail reported:

Griner, the WNBA star imprisoned on marijuana-related drug charges in Russia, will be returned to the US in exchange for infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The negotiations were reportedly mediated by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, according to Arab News.

A senior administration official would not comment directly on MBS’s role but said the U.S. will ‘continue to lean on partners around the world’ to secure the release of unjustly detained Americans.

The swap happened at Abu Dhabi airport, where Griner and Bout had to walked past each other to reach their respective parties on the airport tarmac, Russian state media reports.

The US official said Griner was ‘all smiles’ on the tarmac as she approached the American delegation.

But Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, asked: ‘Where is U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly held by Russia for far longer? Celebrities over veterans?’

Republicans on Twitter were extremely disappointed by Biden’s failure to bring home Whelan. Check out some of the reactions below:

Meet Brittney Griner & Marine Paul Whelan.
Both Americans.
Both were convicted in Russian courts on dubious charges.
Both serving multi-year sentences in Russian prison.
Brittney hates America
Paul served America

Guess which one Biden traded a terrorist to free?

Semper fi Paul pic.twitter.com/tuP1R6AZpf

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 8, 2022

Biden gave up a Russian arms dealer in exchange for an anti-American WNBA player, while leaving US Marine Paul Whelan to rot in a Russian prison. This is an abomination. Our country is run by incompetent scumbags.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2022

U.S. Marine Paul Whelan should have been the Biden Regime’s higher priority, that’s a fact. But under no circumstances should an international arms dealer who targeted US citizens, the MERCHANT OF DEATH Viktor Bout, have been released. This is pure idiocy.

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 8, 2022

Brittney Griner being released in exchange for a convicted arms dealer.

What about Retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan?

— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores_TX) December 8, 2022

We just traded “The Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout, a man who sold arms to warlords, for Brittney Griner, a WNBA player.

This may be the worst trade deal in history.

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 8, 2022

When you’re voting on November 5th 2024, don’t forget that Biden left a Marine behind to save an athlete.

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) December 8, 2022

Can you imagine the headlines if Trump traded one of the biggest terrorist in the world "TO RUSSIA" for a basketball player.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) December 8, 2022

Follow me on Twitter @CollinRugg!

Socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

Although a specific reason wasn’t given, Forbes noted that “typically, when that office forwards an investigation, it is because the office has reason to believe an ethics law was broken.”

Forbes continues:

The statement, which did not provide many details about the inquiry, said that the panel will announce its course of action after its organizational meeting in the next Congress, sometime in 2023.

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said that she was confident that the case would be dismissed. “The Congresswoman has always taken ethics incredibly seriously, refusing any donations from lobbyists, corporations, or other special interests,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics forwarded its inquiry into Ocasio-Cortez to the House ethics panel in June, according to the report. Typically, when that office forwards an investigation, it is because the office has reason to believe an ethics law was broken. Wednesday’s statement, attributed to acting Chair Susan Wild (D-Penns.) and Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-Miss.), says the disclosure of the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.”

Check out my reaction below:

BREAKING: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee.

Just what I’d expect from a communist!

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 7, 2022

This is a breaking story. Come back for updates.