This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** “Every line will be crossed,” promises the poster for “Scary Movie,” the sixth entry in the horror-spoof franchise and the first proper Wayans-family installment in more than two decades. What passes for edgy comedy in 2026 was, not very long ago, simply called comedy. “Scary Movie 4,” released in 2006, featured fake Japanese dialogue consisting of lines such as “Karate judo sumo samurai?” and “Mitsubishi Subaru” — the sort of flippant gag we used to chuckle at collectively. That is the odd tension running through the new “Scary Movie.” The film arrives in a culture that pushes ideological puritanism alongside libertinism in almost every other direction. We have already seen every variation of the genitalia gag, but a mere preferred-pronoun joke in the trailer inspired the usual online indignation, even as some commenters complained that the film did not instead make fun of Charlie Kirk’s murder. For many such critics, comedy is not so much an art form as a political tool to wield against perceived adversaries. To their credit, Shawn and Marlon Wayans try to poke that landscape. The film features jokes about transgenderism, pronouns, Black Lives Matter, ICE raids, streamers, OnlyFans, and modern race relations. Nothing is technically off the table. The problem is that putting something on the table is not the same as properly cooking it. In one scene, a police officer argues with his daughter, who presents as a transgender boy. After asking him to treat her as “one of the boys,” she smacks him across the face. The scene abruptly ends, cutting to the father nodding in baffled acceptance. I am no Hollywood comedy writer, but surely the joke lands better if the film follows its own premise to the obvious absurd conclusion: if she wants to be treated like one of the boys, then Dad should at least be allowed to react as though she is one and throw a punch back. Instead, the film flinches precisely where the gag should escalate. The narrative is your usual “Scary Movie” premise. Ghostface is back, this time targeting the teenage daughter of Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris). The legacy cast now has children, and the killer is after them. That is the plot, stretched across a 90-minute montage of sketches, callbacks, and horror references. The film swings from “Scream” to “Smile,” “Get Out,” “Sinners,” “Longlegs,” and even “John Wick” for an entertaining final act, cutting from one gag to another with the attention span of a TikTok addict. In this “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach to comedy, some material works well. In one skit, a grim conversation about a stabbing unfolds against the backdrop of a “Final Destination” theme park, branded as the place “where everyone dies.” As characters discuss the attack, roller coasters fly off their rails behind them, killing hundreds. There is another great gag in which Ghostface calls a teenager asking whether anyone else is home. The teen replies that his father is out, but the plumber, gardener, and pool boy are all around. Ghostface suggests he look out the window, where ICE agents are arresting them all. It is crass and sharply constructed, and the sort of thing I wish the film did more often. The racial humor is occasionally overdone, but it also produces memorable highlights. In the opening skit, a cameo from Teyana Taylor has her standing in a ritzy bar, bellowing “I’m black” in an exaggerated Harlem accent, prompting the camera to cut to a white woman frantically trying to swallow her pearl necklace. The gag works because the film is, at its best, an equal-opportunity offender, skewering both the performance of racial identity and the vacuity of polite white liberalism. However, some references feel forced, as if the writers wanted to include them but had no idea what to do once they got there. The film’s riff on Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” recreates the hypnosis scene with Ghostface twirling the china teacup, but it does little beyond dangle the reference in front of the audience as a cinematic “’member this movie?”  Still, there is pleasure in seeing Cindy, Brenda, Shorty, Ray, and Doofy again. Faris remains wonderfully committed to Cindy’s vacant sincerity, and the cast’s broad comic affectations transport you back to the 2000s. The Wayanses have not made a cowardly movie. That alone distinguishes “Scary Movie” from much of modern comedy. Fearlessness, however, is not the same as excellence. The film crosses contemporary taboos, only to arrive on the other side with no sharper insight than “remember this?” before scurrying on to the next thing. Every line may be crossed, as the poster promised, but too few are crossed with any real purpose. *** Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) is a film critic for the Washington Examiner. He is a software engineer, holds a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, and writes about wine at BetweenBottles.com.

The famous “Shot heard ’round the world” was fired at the Battle of Lexington in April 1775, a year before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. That day has been recognized in Massachusetts as Patriots’ Day — commonly known as “Marathon Monday” — since 1894, and seven other states have followed suit with the most recent in 2025. New York should be the next state to recognize Patriots’ Day. That’s what I’ll pursue if elected to the State Assembly. My district already celebrates a version of the holiday. Since 2015, the Three Village Historical Society has hosted Culper Spy Day, drawing history enthusiasts from across New York to the hamlet of Setauket on Long Island. “It was here that the nation’s first spy ring operated in secrecy,” writes the historical society, “providing General George Washington with critical information that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution.” Indeed, Setauket native Benjamin Tallmadge was a close friend of Nathan Hale during their time at Yale. Following Hale’s execution by the British for espionage, Tallmadge recruited his neighbor back home, Abraham Woodhull, to lead a new spy ring that helped reveal the treason of Benedict Arnold. Washington himself may have suggested the alias “Culper,” after Culpeper County, Virginia. It’s a tale portrayed in the hit TV series, “Turn: Washington’s Spies.” Fans of the show will recognize the names Tallmadge and Woodhull, as well as Caleb Brewster and Anna Strong — all real people who lived in Setauket. Margo Arceri, the founder of Culper Spy Day, shared that her tours have exploded in popularity since the AMC drama premiered in 2014. When I visited Woodhull’s grave, it was decorated with numerous rocks, coins, and American flags. Now Congress has taken notice. Last month, a bipartisan pair of Long Island congressmen introduced legislation to designate a new National Historic Trail connecting key sites used by the spy ring. “As America approaches its 250th birthday,” said Rep. Nick LaLota, “Congress should recognize that without the Culper Spy Ring, General George Washington may never have turned the tide of the Revolution and set the United States on the path to becoming the greatest nation in the world.” Yet this history is not taught in New York public schools. According to the state’s K-8 Social Studies Framework, “The outcome of the American Revolution was influenced by military strategies, geographic considerations, the involvement of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other Native American groups in the war, and aid from other nations” — no mention of intelligence. I personally remember learning about the upstate Erie Canal, but not the spy ring in my own backyard. Patriots’ Day would not only educate our youth; it would stimulate our economy. The Boston Marathon, for example, is estimated to inject approximately $200 million into the Massachusetts economy each year. Why not host a Patriots’ Day Parade in New York? It would be poetic justice to march through the former Loyalist stronghold and British military headquarters. New York politics has become very negative. Taxes are too high; criminals are being released without bail; antisemitism is off the charts. All of that is true. But we also need a positive vision for our state, and that starts with appreciating our history. Patriots’ Day is something every New Yorker can get behind. Perhaps even Mayor Mamdani would attend the parade. *** Will Sussman is the Republican and Conservative nominee for New York State Assembly District 4, which includes Setauket and the surrounding region of Suffolk County. Follow him on X @realWillSussman.

Jerry Seinfeld didn’t need a punchline — reality did the work for him. After the New York Knicks’ victory over the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, a streamer cornered the legendary comedian outside the arena, camera rolling, clearly fishing for a viral moment. “What up, Seinfeld? What up? Can we get a ‘free Palestine?’ Can we get a ‘free Palestine?’ C’mon, give us a ‘free Palestine,'” the streamer demanded. Seinfeld laughed — and then delivered three words that broke the internet: “It doesn’t exist.” The streamer, apparently satisfied with the chaos he’d generated, turned to his phone and announced, “You got all that? You got all that? There we go.” He got it, alright. He just didn’t get what he wanted. After the Knick’s comeback win, comedian Jerry Seinfeld was asked to say “Free Palestine.” Seinfeld laughs and then responds: "It doesn't exist.” WATCH: pic.twitter.com/3DDMAHqG8r — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 11, 2026 For anyone surprised by Seinfeld’s composure, they haven’t been paying attention. The comedian has been navigating this minefield for years — and winning every round. His connection to Israel runs deep and predates his fame. At 16, in 1970, Seinfeld volunteered at Kibbutz Sa’ar. After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre, he flew to Tel Aviv on a solidarity trip, meeting with hostage families and visiting the devastated Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova Music Festival site. The backlash was swift — and Seinfeld turned it into material. In Australia, when a heckler accused him of supporting genocide, Seinfeld fired back: “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He’s solved the Middle East! It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get.” To another protester he quipped, “I think you need to go back and tell whoever is running your organization, ‘We just gave more money to a Jew.’ That cannot be a good plan for you.” In February 2024, protesters called him “Nazi scum” as he left the 92Y in Manhattan. He smiled and waved. Outside another event, demonstrators surrounded his car screaming “genocide scum.” He smiled and waved again. At Duke University’s May 2024 commencement, roughly 100 students walked out waving Palestinian flags when he took the podium. He told the remaining crowd, “A lot of you are thinking, ‘I can’t believe they invited this guy.’ Too late.” By September 2025, Seinfeld had stopped pulling punches entirely. At a Duke campus event, he compared “Free Palestine” to KKK rhetoric, arguing both mask hatred behind euphemism — and that the Klan was at least honest about it. So when the streamer shoved a camera in his face Wednesday night expecting to rattle the man, he walked into years of battle-tested material. The response was instant. It was devastating. It was, in a word, Seinfeldian.

The FBI arrested a Somali-born man accused of stealing $4 million from a federal food program for children in need through his participation in the nation’s largest COVID-era scam.  FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that 47-year-old Said Abdullahi Ereg surrendered to federal authorities after being wanted since 2024 on fraud charges. Ereg was placed on the “Most Wanted Fraudsters” last week over his alleged involvement in the massive $250 million Feeding Our Future scam. “When [Vice President] Vance led the way for the Most Wanted Fraudsters list through the [White House Fraud Task Force] — this was exactly the righteous goal the Task Force had in mind — to bring to justice all those who have stolen money from hardworking American taxpayers,” Patel said. “This historic result is only the beginning — and let it be a message to any fraudster who takes advantage of America, this team will find you.” The FBI said that Ereg took $4.2 million in government payments to his Minneapolis-based grocery and deli to supposedly provide meals through the Federal Child Nutrition Program between April 2020 and April 2021. Ereg’s grocery was sponsored by the fraudulent Feeding Our Future program.  “Ereg allegedly transferred most of the money to fund his family’s lavish lifestyle,” the FBI said. “He also allegedly transferred money to foreign accounts controlled by foreign companies.” Ereg’s grocery store purported to serve “3,000 meals, twice a day, seven days a week” but in actuality only served a “fraction of those meals,” according to prosecutors. In total, he claimed to have served 1.4 million meals to children.  The money was instead used for purchases of high-end brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Canada Goose and sent to a foreign textile company, according to the indictment. Ereg transferred some $2.5 million funds received from government payouts to foreign accounts controlled by foreign companies, prosecutors said.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars went toward the purchase of a home in New Hope, Minnesota, and the Somali-founded Quick Chain Trading Company and the Chinese-based Shaoxing Aifan Textile Company, according to the indictment.  The suspected fraudster faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The criminal proceedings for Ereg will take place in federal court in Minnesota.  Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced last month to 500 months in prison for her role in the exploitation of the child nutrition program during COVID. She and others created dozens of shell companies to funnel federal dollars that were supposed to go toward feeding kids.  Under the direction of Vice President JD Vance, the Trump administration is focusing on cracking down on fraud. Federal officials are investigating in Ohio after The Daily Wire reported on the state’s questionable payments for a taxpayer funded home healthcare program.

The Canadian Parliament is poised to pass a bill that would ramp up restrictions on so-called hate speech and remove religious protections in a move that concerns conservatives and Christians whose worldview stands in opposition to the LGBT ideology.  Canada’s “Combatting Hate Act,” or Bill C-9, targets so-called hate crimes such as the public display of the Nazi swastika and other terrorist symbols, and it also increases the punishment for “intimidation” around places of worship and safe places. But also buried inside the bill is a controversial section that removes Canada’s religious exemption for so-called hate speech. Some worry that the bill could be used to silence Christian expression that opposes gay marriage. The bill passed the country’s House of Commons in March and was adopted by the Senate last week. It was then sent back to the House of Commons to resolve amendments made in the Senate, and it is expected to be accepted without opposition and be signed into law by the governor general. Canada’s Liberal government made an agreement with the secular Bloc Quebecois, a party devoted to Quebecois nationalism, to include in the bill a section that removes the religious exemption clause to hate speech that is currently in Canadian law code. With the removal of the religious exemption, people can be prosecuted for hate speech even if “the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.” Josh Dehaas from the Canadian Constitution Foundation warned that the bill could even target the reading of certain scripture passages due to the removal of this religious protection.  “It is unlikely passages from religious texts read on their own will lead to criminal charges,” Dehaas stated. “The Crown would need to believe that the intention of reading the text was to incite hatred, promote hatred or promote antisemitism.” “However, with the defence now removed, certain passages from religious texts could now lead to charges depending on the context including when they are read, where they are read, and what other words are used when they are read,” he added.  The Canadian Supreme Court has made a test for hate speech by looking for “hallmarks of hatred.” The “hallmarks” include calling a specific group a “powerful menace,” accusing “a group of carrying out secret conspiracies to gain global control or that they are plotting to destroy western civilization,” calling a group “liars, cheats, criminals and thugs,” labeling a people group “subhuman,” or blaming a group for the problems of society. The bill does include at least one protection against abuse, requiring the approval of the provincial attorneys, so the charge cannot be weaponized by local police. Hillsdale assistant professor Dr. John Petrakis, an expert in comparative political systems and Canadian and American law, told The Daily Wire that the Canadian Supreme Court would likely defend bill if it becomes law, following its decision in Saskatchewan (Human Rights Commission) v. Whatcott, in which the court upheld a penalty for a man who spread anti-gay pamphlets. “It is difficult to predict exactly how these legal changes will operate in practice, and whether people might be able to challenge them on constitutional grounds (freedom of speech and freedom of religion,)” Petrakis declared. “I will say that the Court’s Whatcott decision should make one pessimistic. The courts are likely to dismiss constitutional challenges by saying that the laws and their application to specific cases are ‘reasonable’ limitations to constitutional rights.” Petrakis said that with the advent of this new legislation, Canada will likely emulate countries such as Great Britain in their crackdown on reported hate speech. “My overall take is that Canadian free speech law and culture is much less robust than the U.S., though more robust than Western Europe, but that this new law will reinforce our trend away from American-style speech culture towards the European version,” Petrakis said. The Senate sponsor of the bill, the Honorable Kristopher Wells, described his experience working with the “Jewish, Muslim, Asian, black, indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ communities,” stating that their universal plea to the government is that “they do not feel safe, do not feel seen and do not feel the law is there to help them at their time of greatest need.” “Bill C-9 is our answer to those responses,” Wells stated. “It is an opportunity for Parliament to say, with unwavering moral clarity and with the strength of criminal law, that our country sees you, Canada will stand with you and hate will not be tolerated in this country.” One section of the bill creates a separate hate crime offense for an “offense … motivated by hatred based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, color, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.” Previously, the charge of a hate crime could only be used to extend the sentence for a crime, but this bill creates it as a separate, punishable offense. Wells argued that Canada needs a separate hate crime offense after claiming to witness a rise in so-called hate crimes against the LGBT community. “Drag storytimes are protested; pride flags are burned or removed from municipalities and schools; and 25% of adolescents in Canada have experienced at least one form of cyberbullying, with trans and non-binary adolescents almost twice as likely to be targeted,” Wells said.  “Bill C-9 corrects this by creating a dedicated hate crime offence, ensuring that when someone wilfully commits a criminal act motivated by hatred against an identifiable group, that motivation is recognized as the very essence of the wrongdoing,” he added. The bill also prohibits the public display of a symbol that “is principally used by, or principally associated with, a listed entity.” This bans hosting the flags for designated terror organizations, such as the Palestine Liberation Front, the Taliban, and Al Qaida, and gangs such as La Mara Salvatrucha, along with far-Right groups such as the Proud Boys. The bill seeks to prevent terrorist demonstrations like the pro-Hamas demonstrations in the United States, where Left-wing rioters shouted “Allahu Akbar” and burned the American flag in response to a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.