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| Stand With Liam | | Liam was punished by the school for wearing a t-shirt that says, "There are only two genders." | |
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| | | WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | | 🔫 DOJ thwarted an ISIS Election Day terror plot. Afghan national Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who entered the US on a special visa in 2021, has been arrested for allegedly planning a terror attack on Election Day in the name of ISIS. Tawhedi, who had acquired a number of AK-47s from overseas, planned to shoot up large crowds with the intent that he and his underage accomplice would die as martyrs. | 🚨 Secret Service reportedly blocked auditors from Trump events. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) revealed that a whistleblower is alleging that Secret Service leadership prevented government auditors from accessing Trump campaign events, citing concerns that the former president isn't receiving full protective measures. The Secret Service allegedly "wants to obscure or simply conceal" that the former president is not receiving adequate protection. | 💥 Teamsters president blasts the Democratic Party. In a dramatic change in tone, the union's president Sean O'Brien slammed the Democratic Party, saying they've "f***ed us over for the last 40 years" after Kamala Harris failed to win the union's endorsement. O'Brien also accused the Democratic Party of being "bought and paid for by Big Tech," as internal polls show 60 percent of Teamsters members supporting Trump. | 🎤 VICE News co-founder blames wokeism on the company's collapse. In a recent interview, VICE News co-founder Shane Smith revealed how VICE's pivot to "woke" content contributed to the decline of the media empire once valued at $5.7 billion. Smith admitted that catering to a younger, Gen Z audience caused the brand to lose touch with its original ethos and older viewers. |
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| | | WHAT WE'RE HEARING | FEMA's director called the "misinformation" around Hurricane Helene "the worst I have ever seen." President Biden said that "Barack [Obama] never took Putin seriously," ultimately leading to his invasion of Ukraine. A Democratic strategist on CNN claimed that Trump would "absolutely try to exterminate" people with faulty genes. Progressive radio host Charlamagne tha God said that Trump's ad attacking Kamala Harris for funding sex changes for prison inmates was "effective."
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| | | IN THE LOOP | Karine Jean-Pierre was removed as White House press secretary and "promoted" to senior advisor for the president. A bag of crystal meth from Europe shut down a New York election building for several hours. We broke down Israel's historic operation to dismantle Hezbollah in Saturday's member-only newsletter. Four illegal migrants were arrested in Dallas for breaking into a woman's home, beating her, and robbing her at gunpoint. Tim Walz wants to abolish the Electoral College and replace it with a popular vote.
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| | | CORRECTION | Yesterday we reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis denied a phone call from Kamala Harris regarding Hurricane Milton. While this was reported by an aide, the governor himself was "not aware" of any phone call. | Corrections are included in newsletters for transparency. |
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| | | SPONSORED BY THE BABYLON BEE |
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| NOT SATIRE: The Babylon Bee Made A Movie | | January 6: The Most Deadliest Day—coming to your screens October 11. | |
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| | | INSIDE AMERICA | The FEMA scandal leaving hurricane victims in limbo | | Whistleblowers allege FEMA misappropriated funds and failed to direct its on-the-ground staff Hurricane victims in North Carolina say federal help is scarce, relying on locals instead The media is defending the federal response and attacking Trump's claims about it
| The story | The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is facing major blowback over its handling of disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Helene. | Whistleblowers have come forward, accusing the agency of misappropriating funds and deploying thousands of first responders who ended up waiting around in hotels because they never received orders from FEMA. | The whistleblowers' report was first detailed by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), whose sources from the local, state, and federal government "all point to the same critical mismanagement issues." | Although the Biden-Harris administration and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) claim that federal support arrived last Monday, many of the hurricane's victims on the ground report that they have not received any help from the government and are instead relying on locals for food, water, and shelter. | Even over a week after the hurricane made landfall, locals are begging FEMA officials for vital supplies like oxygen for seniors who are stranded in their homes. Western NC counties were all but abandoned by the federal government, and its lack of a prompt response has left hundreds dead. Now, FEMA is slowly picking up its response. | The politics | Donald Trump weighed in, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of stealing FEMA funds to house illegal migrants instead of helping those devastated by the storm. | This accusation set off a firestorm in the media, as they quickly clarified that FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is solely dedicated to disaster response and recovery, with no funds being diverted to migrant aid, as they come from separate allocations. | However, in terms of pure dollar amount, FEMA has spent $1.4 billion since 2022 on the migrant crisis and over $640 million just this year. Hurricane Helene's victims have received a meager $4 million, while the federal government now claims it's running out of relief funds. | The Biden-Harris administration, along with their allies in the media, countered conservatives' claims, accusing Republicans of spreading "disinformation and conspiracy theories" to gain political leverage. | As the FEMA scandals come to light over the misuse of funds and failure to deploy promptly, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — who oversees FEMA — took the time to do some high-end shopping in Georgetown. | Where the media misses | The double standard in the media's response to Hurricane Helene can be clearly seen in how they covered Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Helene has wrought havoc on entire communities, took hundreds of lives, and displaced thousands, but the media coverage remains far less intense compared to that of Hurricane Katrina. | Nearly 20 years ago, The New York Times covered Hurricane Katrina on their front page for twelve straight days, versus seven days of light coverage for Hurricane Helene. The Republican president at the time, George W. Bush, had his reputation tarnished for his response to the hurricane, aided by persistent negative media coverage of him and the federal response. | The same scrutiny for the Biden administration is scarce, and their coverage is mostly focused on rebutting Donald Trump's claims about FEMA funds. | The mainstream media has also hyper-focused on how climate change is to blame for the hurricane and how misinformation on X is to blame for the confusion among the storm's victims and in the federal response. Little is being reported on why it took days for FEMA to reach the destinations where it was needed. | Why it matters | As many in North Carolina and surrounding states continue to await FEMA's assistance, the agency's slow response has deeply impacted those whose lives have been upended. | One resident in Swannanoa, NC, claimed that his daughter went through FEMA's application process to get the "$750 that Kamala said she's supposed to get" but was only approved for $300 for personal items, despite a significant amount of her house being destroyed. | Another hurricane victim in Asheville, NC, lamented that the federal government took too long to get to them: "It took them 5 days to get here... It's disgraceful." | |
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| | | Navigating Non-Political Storytelling in a Woke Media Era | | Jonny Vance is a Writer and Director for the Tuttle Twins, a highly popular show that teaches kids principles of freedom and economics. | Vance on creating content that resonates | "Turns out, there was a huge hunger for alternative education from parents." | "I think we're witnessing a pendulum swing where people want good, classic heroes and morals again because there's so much evil around. People's tastes are shifting." | Vance on navigating conservative content | "The challenge is … making sure we're not preachy, and being as entertaining as the best properties from the left." | "There's been a huge appetite for content that Christians, conservatives, and freedom-minded people can watch with their whole families." | |
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| | | OUR QUESTION TO YOU | 📊 Is the federal response to Hurricane Helene worse than to Hurricane Katrina?Poll results will be in tomorrow's newsletter. | | | POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY | Does suppressing antisemitism online compromise free speech? | 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (473) | 🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (209) | 🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (98) | 👍 Yes: "I don't like it, but it is covered under the 1st Amendment." — H.B. 👍 Yes: "Any kind of "hate speech" - including antisemitism - needs to be fought with reason and principle, not censorship. The only way to do that is through dialogue, not by silencing them." — Elliot 👎 No: "Hate speech should never be allowed." — Richard 👎 No: "Antisemitic slogans are not free speech. They are an incitement for violence." — Sav 🤔 Unsure: "Free speech covers both sides. But catering strongly to one side over the other does NOT promote free speech" — J.D. | | | | 780 votes |
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| |  | See you tomorrow. |
| Today's newsletter was written by Brandon Goldman and Ari David. | |
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