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. *** If it seems like all of Hollywood was just kidding about body positivity and is now fully embracing super-skinny “heroin chic,” that’s because it is. As stars hit weight-loss drugs harder than they stomp a red carpet, their disappearing bodies prove nothing tastes as good as Ozempic feels.  What is Demi Moore’s secret? pic.twitter.com/jzjTae4vpS — Modern History

President Donald Trump delivered a scathing rebuke of Spain’s socialist government on Wednesday following Madrid’s decision to block the United States from using joint military bases for ongoing operations against the Iranian regime. The Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has refused to allow the United States to use the Rota and Morón airbases for offensive strikes against Iran. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the country’s position has not changed “one iota” or “by a single comma,” insisting that the bases will only be used for missions consistent with the United Nations Charter. Because of the refusal, the U.S. military has been forced to reroute assets. Speaking to reporters, Trump did not mince words about Sánchez, whose administration has moved to distance itself from the U.S.-Israeli coalition. Spain also just took the radical step of permanently withdrawing its ambassador to Israel. President Trump characterized Spain’s lack of cooperation as a betrayal of NATO obligations. “I think they’re not cooperating at all,” Trump said. “Spain, I think they’ve been very bad. Very bad. Not good at all.” The president hinted at potential economic consequences, suggesting a cutoff of trade with the European nation. He also pointed to Spain’s long history of failing to meet its financial obligations to NATO while relying on American protection. “They get protected. They don’t want to pay their fair share,” Trump noted, though he was careful to distinguish between Spain’s citizens and its leadership. “The people of Spain are fantastic. The leadership…not so good.” .@POTUS: "I think they're not cooperating at all. Spain? I think they've been very bad, not good at all… they've been very bad to NATO. They get protected, they don't want to pay their fair share…the people of Spain are fantastic. The leadership, not so good." pic.twitter.com/oRRX3RrOnt — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 11, 2026 While criticizing European holdouts, Trump expressed pride in what he described as the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s campaign to neutralize 47 years of Iranian aggression, saying it has significantly degraded Tehran’s ability to project power in the region. According to Trump, Iran’s navy has been effectively dismantled, with roughly 60 mine boats and most major vessels now “at the bottom of the sea.” He added that the Iranian air force has been neutralized and that radar and anti-aircraft systems have been completely destroyed. Trump noted that key regime leaders are “gone” and that Iran no longer has a functioning air defense apparatus. .@POTUS on the Iranian regime: "They've inflicted 47 years worth of damage to the world — and now they're paying a big price." pic.twitter.com/6imbz0MvrW — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 11, 2026 .@POTUS: I just spoke with the leaders of various countries, and they said they've never seen anything like it. I built it during my first term, and I didn't realize I was going to use it this much, but we have the greatest military in the world by far — nobody close. pic.twitter.com/MoxqGG6IaY — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 11, 2026 “Our military is the best. It’s the most powerful in the world,” Trump said, adding that world leaders have expressed awe at the speed of the American operation. “We’ve done something that nobody ever thought was possible to do.” When asked about the timeline for the operation’s end, Trump remained firm, stating that the United States would continue “more of the same” until the threat was eliminated. He warned that while the U.S. military has been precise, it has the capability to “take them out by this afternoon” in a way that would make it impossible for the country to be rebuilt.

The internet has united in disgust against a new music video released by AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood, which has been advertised as “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.” The song “Take the Lead” is inspired by a recently published essay written by Eline van der Velden, the creator of Norwood and CEO of production company Particle6 and AI talent studio Xicoia. The exec said it was all done in response to the backlash from Norwood’s debut last year. The music video, released on Tuesday, begins with a disclaimer saying: “The following production was made by 18 real humans — from production designers to costume designers to prompters, editors, and an actor. No flamingos were harmed in the process.” “When they talk about me, they don’t see the human spark, the creativity/ I’m just a tool, but I’ve got life,” the lyrics say in part. “They think I’m just a dollar dream but I’ve got more than they believe/ I’m not a puppet, I’m the star.” “Be the creators we’ve always known/ It’s the next evolution, can’t you see?/ AI’s not the enemy, it’s the key,” another line says.  The song also insists that the Norwood character possesses human qualities.  “They say it’s not real, that it’s fake/ But I am still human, make no mistake/ My soul’s in every move I take/ And you can own the path you make,” the song lyrics read. These assertions and the over-the-top nature of the music video have led to a slew of mockery. “It took only 18 humans to achieve this level of soullessness? Imagine what 19 could have done!” one commenter wrote. “This is the most offensive thing I’ve seen in a long, long time. And that’s really saying something,” a second person agreed. “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” echoed a third. “Tilly is, and has always been, a vehicle to test the creative capabilities and boundaries of AI — not take anyone’s job,” van der Velden wrote in defense of the created character. “As an actor myself, I have loved bringing Tilly alive for this video and feel that the ability to now use performance capture in this way, to fully inhabit an AI character, is a phenomenal way to bring an unknown actor like me closer to the craft.”  She added, “However, at the end of the day, even with brilliant new technology, it’s still important to stress that great AI content isn’t instant — it always takes good ideas, taste, direction, judgment and time. In other words: people remain at the heart of it.” The Hollywood Reporter noted that this music video is part of the launch of a “Tilly-verse,” where Norwood and other AI characters can “live, interact, and work.”  Many prominent stars have come out against the creation of Tilly Norwood, including the media labor union SAG-AFTRA. “It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” the organization wrote in a statement last fall. “It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said on Tuesday night that the committee plans to question the former corrections officer who searched for information about pedophile Jeffrey Epstein less than an hour before he was found dead in his New York City jail cell on August 10, 2019. The New York Post reported last Saturday that former Metropolitan Correctional Center guard Tova Noel googled “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5:42 a.m. and again at 5:52 a.m. before Epstein was found dead at 6:30 a.m., according to FBI records. Chase Bank also flagged numerous “suspicious” deposits into Noel’s bank account between April of 2018 and November of 2019, with the largest deposit of $5,000 coming on July 30, 2019, according to the Post, which reviewed DOJ documents. Noel will now be asked to appear before the committee for an interview, Comer told Fox News host Jesse Watters. “The recent media reports … [are] very concerning, especially the suspicious activity report on a $5,000 mysterious deposit that she had,” Comer told Watters. “And the reason that stands out to me, Jesse, is because very seldom are suspicious activity reports even reported for sums less than $10,000.” Noel, who was also accused of falsifying guard shift records the night before Epstein was found dead, is believed to be the last corrections officer to see Epstein alive. “So because of this, because of the media reports and because of the fact that, honestly, most people on the committee aren’t confident 100% that Epstein’s death was by suicide, we’re going to ask Ms. Noel to come in for a transcribed interview,” Comer said. “Again, no one is accusing her of any wrongdoing, but we have a lot of questions about Epstein.” Noel is also believed to be the mysterious blur that was caught on camera moving near Epstein’s cell with orange linen the night before he died, according to the Justice Department. Epstein apparently killed himself using extra linen that was in his cell. Noel reportedly told investigators that she “never gave out linen” to inmates, since that was always done during the previous shift. She also denied googling Epstein shortly before he was found dead. DOJ investigators interviewed Noel following Epstein’s apparent suicide, and her lawyers said she did not have any part in Epstein’s death. The Justice Department did not ask Noel about the numerous cash deposits that were flagged by Chase as “suspicious activity,” the Post reported. Noel and her fellow guard, Michael Thomas, were accused of falling asleep on the job and admitted to falsifying their reports to cover up for missing checks on Epstein, which they were supposed to conduct every 30 minutes. Noel and Thomas were arrested and charged in November of 2019, but a federal judge later dismissed the charges after prosecutors struck a deal in exchange for “truthful information related to their employment by the Bureau of Prisons.”

Scammers in Southeast Asia couldn’t hide behind their online profiles last week when the Royal Thai Police arrested 21 people in Bangkok as part of an international crackdown on scam centers targeting Americans. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, teamed up with the FBI, the Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force, and Thai authorities to disrupt the networks. The company disabled 150,000 accounts tied to the scam operations. In videos shared with The Daily Wire, armed Thai officers are seen going door to door, questioning individuals before placing suspects in handcuffs and taking them into custody. The arrests showcase the expanding effort by law enforcement to dismantle global cybercrime operations, a priority highlighted in a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump. On March 6, Trump signed an executive order on “Combatting Cybercrime and Fraud,” directing federal agencies to prioritize prosecutions of cyber fraud and strengthen coordination to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and dismantle scam-center networks. “This operation is a testament to how sharing information and coordinating our efforts can make real progress in disrupting this criminal activity at its source,” said Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice president and deputy general counsel. “Our work to combat scams is never done, and we will continue to invest in technology and partnerships to stay ahead.” The recent operation in Asia follows a December cybercrime sting in which Meta joined the FBI, Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service, and other agencies to share information on scam networks. That effort resulted in the removal of 59,000 accounts from Meta platforms and six arrest warrants. Chinese criminal groups run many scam farms operating across Southeast Asia. The region has become a hub for Chinese-linked social media scammers who have stolen tens of billions of dollars from Americans in just the past few years. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an independent body that provides recommendations to Congress, wrote in a 2025 report that “the spread of China-linked scam compounds in Southeast Asia is fueling corruption and violence, promoting human trafficking, [and] undermining the ability of governments in the region to control what happens in their territory.” Massive scam farms have set up shop in countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia, the Associated Press reported. The foreign operations often target Americans with fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes, fake work-from-home jobs, and “task scams,” which promise high commissions but require victims to pay upfront fees. According to the United Nations, around 120,000 people are being forced to work for online scam farms in Myanmar, and another 100,000 people are being used as forced labor for the scam industry in Cambodia. Workers are often forced to send scam messages for 12 to 16 hours a day, according to the Associated Press. The development of artificial intelligence has also aided social media scammers and their ability to target more Americans, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The commission warned that AI enables scammers to “increase the sophistication of scams,” which can “make it difficult for even the most discerning potential victims to distinguish fact from fraud.” In addition to using global law enforcement partnerships to battle online crime, a Meta spokesman told The Daily Wire that the company has added extra security measures for its users to fight the elusive scammers. This month, Meta plans to launch an advanced AI-powered scam detection tool for Messenger, allowing users to submit suspicious messages for review. Meta is also testing a feature that will alert users of potentially suspicious friend requests, such as those from accounts with no mutual connections. On WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, users will receive alerts if an attempt to link their account to another device seems suspicious, a tactic scammers sometimes implement to hijack accounts. “These operations cause real harm,” Meta said in a statement. “They upend lives, destroy trust, and are deliberately designed to avoid detection and disruption. The work to protect people against scammers is never done, and requires ongoing collaboration with partners across the tech industry and law enforcement to ensure a safer experience for everyone online.”