Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Friday that three million additional files tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are being released as part of the “Epstein Files Transparency Act.” The total number of files released now stands at 3.5 million. Blanche said officials erred on the side of “over collection,” with the release including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 photos. Blanche noted that many of the images and videos consist of “large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices, which he did not take or that someone around him did not take.” “Some of the videos, though, and some of the images do appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or by others around him,” he said. Blanche noted that all pictures of women were redacted as potential victims, with the exception of Ghislaine Maxwell. He said no men were redacted from any photos or videos unless doing so was necessary to redact a woman. In a press release, the Justice Department warned that the production “may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos,” noting that everything sent to the FBI by the public and deemed responsive to the Act was included. The department also said the release contains “untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump” that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. Blanche said that the White House had “no oversight” role in the extensive document review process. “I don’t have anything to share about what’s new and what’s not new,” the deputy attorney general said when asked about whether the documents would reveal any well-known figures. The DOJ said in its release that “notable individuals and politicians were not redacted in the release of any files.” The DOJ also sent a letter to Congress stating that “today’s production marks the Department’s compliance with its production obligations under the Act.” The department said the files largely came from the court cases against Epstein and Maxwell, “FBI investigations,” and the investigation into Epstein’s death. The department said files were excluded only if they were duplicates; protected by deliberative process or attorney-client privilege; contained violent imagery; or consisted of materials unrelated to the Epstein or Maxwell cases. “Prudently over-collecting, coupled with past intra-Department sharing of (and, therefore, duplication of) files across offices and jurisdictions, necessarily means that the number of non-duplicative, responsive pages is significantly smaller than the total number of pages initially collected,” the letter to Congress stated. President Donald Trump signed the act into law in November after it passed Congress with near-unanimous support, though House leaders were forced to use a discharge petition to bring the bill to the floor.

Well, it’s Oscar season again, that time of year when Hollywood honors those amazing films that bravely went on playing in theaters, even though no one was sitting there except Nicole Kidman, desperately trying to move her face. For myself, I couldn’t look forward to the award ceremony more. I really couldn’t. I’ve tried everything. But before you know it, that spectacular gala will be preempting something you actually wanted to watch, so some of you may be thinking… “Sure, if I watch the award ceremony, there’s no doubt I’ll be riveted to my TV, because obviously, if I weren’t, I’d just walk away and do something else. But what I’m really wondering is what’s the inside skinny on how you win this coveted award.” So just in case you’re one of the sad little people whose life is so empty that you would actually think something as pathetic as that, the Daily Wire will now take you behind the scenes for an exclusive look at what it takes to win the Oscar.  If you want to walk away with gold on Oscar night, you can’t just stand around waiting for someone to watch your movie because, let’s face it, that’s never going to happen. What you have to do is draw attention to yourself by giving interviews in which you express political opinions that are shockingly different from those of someone with even a minimal knowledge of world events. At the same time, of course, it’s important that your shockingly different opinion is exactly the same as everyone else’s opinion in Hollywood, otherwise you can kiss that statuette goodbye.  For instance, Ethan Hawke has been nominated for his performance as Lorenz Hart in “Blue Moon,” which, in all honesty, would have been the best piece of acting anyone saw this year if anyone had. So clinging to the laughable delusion that the best actor award might go to a white man, Hawke gave an interview in which he reacted to immigration enforcement for all the people in America who woke up that morning thinking, “Gee, I wonder what that guy who played Lorenz Hart is thinking about immigration enforcement.” Hawke told an interviewer, “Never before in America have I felt so afraid to speak my mind that I wouldn’t even dare to say what I’m saying right now. But in my role as a man with moral courage, I must come forward with the exact same opinion as everyone else in Hollywood and suffer the consequences, which I hope will be that sweet, sweet statuette. At a time when we in the movie industry are overcome with a sense of crisis totally out of keeping with reality, it’s incumbent on us to speak truth to power, as long as it’s not the sort of power that could keep me from getting the award I should have gotten for “Training Day,” but which instead went to Jim Broadbent, whom no one has heard of, in a movie no one saw about Iris Murdoch, whom no one has read. So please, please, this year, I was in an obscure movie about an artist no one remembers, and now I’m standing here degrading myself by slandering my country and pretending to be afraid for some reason, so please, just give me the award, all right? Please, I’m serious, please.” Even a front-runner has to campaign for the prize. For instance, “Sinners,” received a record 16 Oscar nominations, including most over-nominated picture, and best picture with a moderately entertaining first half before the second half dwindles into muddled anti-historical theorizing and shameful anti-white racism. Nonetheless, “Sinners” best actor nominee Michael B. Jordan still felt compelled to give a campaign interview, telling reporters, “So help me, if they give my Oscar to that fay cracker in the ping pong movie, I’m gonna slap Chris Rock in the face so hard, he’s gonna change his name to Will Smith so no one will remember who he is either.” So there you have it. Thanks to this exclusive inside Hollywood reporting from the Daily Wire, you’ll be able to turn on your TV on Oscar night and really enjoy whatever it is you’ll be watching instead. * * * This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “The Andrew Klavan Show.” Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, After That, The Dark, is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan. The views expressed in this satirical piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Businesses across the country are shutting down, and multiple school districts have canceled classes for an anti-ICE protest scheduled for Friday. The strike calls for businesses to close, for parents to keep their kids home from school, to refrain from shopping, and to go out and protest federal immigration enforcement. The strike aims to remove federal law enforcement officers from cities nationwide. “Every day, ICE, Border Patrol and other enforcers of Trump’s racist agenda are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear,” the site for the protest reads. “It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!” Thousands of local businesses in blue states — including Minnesota, New York, California, and Maine — have posted to their social media accounts to signal their intent to close down to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Additionally, at least two school districts, both in the Denver area, canceled school for Friday over the strike. The districts were reportedly overwhelmed with teachers calling off work to participate in the anti-ICE demonstration. In Minnesota, the epicenter of the anti-ICE rioting and protesting, some 800 businesses are expected to shut their doors Friday. Major retailers have so far not joined in on the strike, though mid-level companies, such as online publisher Medium, have. The company said employees can take the day off to protest and would be publishing content related to the strike. Land to Sea, a coffee shop in Brooklyn, NY, said they were participating in the strike because they believe in “safe communities and a greater collective consciousness that protects our people.” One photo posted by the shop said ICE was “wag[ing] terror in our country and abroad, kidnapping and killing our family, friends, neighbors.” “We will be closing all day on Friday, January 30th in solidarity with the National Strike,” the business said on Instagram. “Land to Sea believes in safe communities and a greater collective consciousness that protects our people. We strive to be a place that feels like home, especially when the world feels scary and violent to be in. This Friday, January 30th, we invite you to participate in the National Strike to send a message that ICE must be abolished. We will continue to share resources to learn, organize, and protect one another on our stories.” Instagram: Land to Sea In Rochester, NY, local shops are shutting down too. Pizza Wizard, a local pizza joint, for example, posted about the strike online. “Been having some long, hard and ugly conversations,” the caption reads. “We are not ok with what is happening in Minnesota, locally and across the country. In participating with the national shutdown, Pizza Wizard will be closed this Friday.” “As to what this will accomplish? Not sure … maybe it’s a pebble that creates a ripple,” the post adds. “If ur big mad I’m sorry, leave a comment below. No judgement if ur keep ur business open. This sh*t aint easy.” Instagram: Pizza Wizard The strike is being backed up by a number of far-Left activist groups, including CodePink, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Defend Immigrant Families Campaign, and the Palestinian Youth Movement. Celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon, too. Actors Edward Norton, Pedro Pascal, Hannah Einbinder, and Jamie Lee Curtis, for example, have expressed public support. “Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and authoritarian regime,” Pascal posted to Instagram. “Mr Pretti and Rene Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened.”

Virtue signaling companies stopped catering to their leftist followers a long time ago.  It’s easy – and tempting – to forget that a few short years ago, companies were posting black squares and memorializing George Floyd right and left. Now it’s a lot more likely for your local coffee shop to avoid political issues completely. However, there’s been an alarming resurgence of the blatant pandering that used to dominate the culture. It’s all thanks to the anti-ICE movement sweeping the nation complete with false narratives, fear mongering, and insufferable celebrity endorsements.  Right now it’s all over social media as local businesses and even public schools broadcast their allegiance to agitators who aim to obstruct federal officers enforcing the rule of law. One well-known author and professor Scott Galloway is pushing for even more drastic action, urging his followers to extend the walkouts and boycotts for a month.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) Leftists marked Friday, January 30 as a nationwide “ICE OUT protest day” where people were instructed to skip work, play hooky from school, and shut down their small businesses to make some kind of point. Here are some of their statements:    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Bookshop (@thebookshopnashville)   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a new law on Friday that would ban local police departments from working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. Hochul, who has recently condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, said at a press conference that she would seek to end participation in a federal program that grants local police power to enforce immigration laws. Hochul called her proposal the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” arguing that ICE should not “expect local law enforcement to team up with them because we have other responsibilities.” “We are called to act in this moment of tyranny,” Hochul said. “So today, with this proposal, we’re sending a strong message to ICE,” she added. “You will not weaponize local police officers against their own communities in the state of New York. You will not use our police technology to track people who have done nothing wrong. You will not throw innocent people into our jails.” Hochul’s proposal targets ICE’s 287(g) program, which establishes agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies and allows ICE to deputize those officers. The program also allows ICE to use local police facilities for immigration enforcement. If Hochul’s proposal becomes law, New York would become the seventh state to ban the agreement with ICE, joining California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Connecticut. The Democratic governor accused the federal government of abandoning its responsibility to pursue public safety “lawfully, transparently, and with humanity.” “In every corner of our state, New Yorkers are feeling traumatized and stunned as they watch federal agents carry out unspeakable acts of violence in a country they no longer recognize,” Hochul said, surrounded by New York officials, such as NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “For weeks, our eyes have been turned to the horrors unfolding on the streets of Minneapolis,” she added, accusing federal immigration agents of “murder” in the shooting of anti-ICE demonstrators Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Hochul said her announcement on Friday was in response to Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey’s “call” for leaders throughout the country to stand up to ICE. New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, a current Nassau County executive, ripped Hochul after her announcement, calling her “the most pro-criminal governor in the United States who has a callous disregard for the safety of our communities and victims of crime.” “By banning local law enforcement partnerships with ICE, Hochul is allowing dangerous criminals to return to our neighborhoods. That ends when I’m Governor,” Blakeman added. Hochul’s effort to push back against ICE operations in New York comes as the Trump administration seeks to negotiate with Democratic leaders for greater cooperation on immigration enforcement, especially in major cities such as Minneapolis and New York City. Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s newly elected democratic socialist mayor, is also strongly opposed to any cooperation with federal immigration agents on arresting and deporting illegal immigrants in the Big Apple. Democrats doubled down on their opposition to President Donald Trump’s massive deportation push after Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good were shot and killed by federal agents this month.

Illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra was found guilty in 2024 of the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley — but Friday could mark the beginning of a new trial for the convicted killer. On Friday, a judge will hear oral arguments from Ibarra’s attorneys claiming that their client suffers from a “congenital deficiency” that could make him “incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial.” They also contend he lacked the mental capacity to knowingly waive his right to a trial by jury. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who rendered the verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, will hear the post-conviction arguments. The oral arguments begin about one year after the Laken Riley Act was passed. President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law in 2025. The legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants for crimes including burglary, theft, larceny, and shoplifting. The legislation applies to illegal immigrants who have been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or even just admitted to the crimes. If the act had been passed before Laken’s death, under the act, the federal government would have been required to detain Ibarra for a shoplifting citation earlier that year. If Haggard grants Ibarra a new trial, competency would become the central issue. If Ibarra is found incompetent, he could be committed to a mental health facility for treatment aimed at restoring competency. Discharge from a psychiatric ward could occur if the ward determines he is not considered a danger to himself or others. Haggard is expected to issue a decision within ninety days of hearing the arguments. If Haggard grants Ibarra a retrial, it would mean revisiting graphic evidence and testimony, forcing Riley’s family and the university community to relive the case in open court. Jessica Moore was a senior at the University of Georgia when Ibarra took Riley’s life. She told The Daily Wire, “The feeling that loomed over our campus that day was one that students and the victim’s family should never have to feel again, and a new trial would bring it right back.” CBS News reported that during crime scene testimony, members of Riley’s family and others left as body-cam footage played from the officer who found Riley’s body in a wooded area. Ibarra’s prosecutor, Sheila Ross, stated: “[Ibarra] put on a black hat, a hoodie-style jacket, and some black kitchen-style disposable gloves, and he went hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus.” She added, “When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly.” Laken’s death caught national attention when authorities confirmed Jose Ibarra entered the country illegally. At a campaign rally, then-presidential candidate Trump said that Riley “would be alive today if Joe Biden had not willfully and maliciously eviscerated the borders of the United States.” During Ibarra’s trial, Laken’s mother Allyson Phillips said, “There’s no end to the pain, suffering or loss. On that horrific day, my precious daughter was attacked, beaten, and shown no mercy. … This sick, twisted, evil coward showed no respect of Laken’s life.”

Academy Award-nominated American director and filmmaker Darren Aronofsky is being questioned for his new AI-generated series, “On This Day… 1776.” The 56-year-old filmmaker, best known for dark dramas including “Requiem for a Dream” (2000), “Black Swan” (2010), and “The Whale” (2022), is producing the series with his AI-based company Primordial Soup. “On This Day” will use Google DeepMind to reconstruct scenes from the American Revolution and post them to Time Studio’s YouTube channel, per The Hollywood Reporter. The series has a stated goal of “reframing the Revolution not as a foregone conclusion but as a fragile experiment shaped by those who fought for it,” the companies said in a statement. Episodes will be released to coincide with the 250th anniversary dates as they occurred throughout this year. Two episodes, one featuring George Washington boosting morale in Massachusetts and another with Benjamin Franklin encouraging Thomas Paine to champion common sense, were released yesterday. Aronofsky has been vocal about using AI as a tool, and not as a replacement for filmmaking. He insists that the creations are “soup not slop,” and are worthy of watching. Many fans, however, are less than thrilled about it.  “Wow this looks like a hunk of worthless dog sh*t,” Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh wrote on X in response to the trailer.  “A director should completely lose their career for this. [H]is wikipedia should say former filmmaker from now on no matter what else he does,” another commenter agreed.  “My favorite part of this garbage is how you can see which actors the different characters lifts their looks from (due to unlawful usage of their likeness in the training data) and how these characters slowly morph into different actors during scenes,” said a third X user. “This look [sic] awful,” another popular comment said. “It has that weird uncanny valley AI sheen on it as usual. AI also always has boring, predictable camera movements. Slow rotations and pans every time. I see the standard AI dead eyed line deliveries are present as well.”

An unsealed indictment reveals how ex-CNN host Don Lemon allegedly worked with protesters to storm a Minnesota church on Jan. 18 and keep terrified worshippers from leaving the building. Lemon was arrested Thursday evening and charged with conspiracy to violate the right of religious freedom at a house of worship and violations of the FACE Act, a law that, in part, prohibits the disruption of worship services, which the Biden administration infamously weaponized against peaceful anti-abortion protesters, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by The Daily Wire. He was charged with eight others. For his role, Lemon claims he was attending the protest solely to cover it as an independent journalist. The new court documents, however, suggest otherwise. Before allegedly storming the church, Lemon attended a “pre-op briefing” where organizers “advised” him of their “target,” Cities Church in St. Paul, “and provided instruction on how the operation would be conducted once they arrived,” according to the indictment. He then began “livestreaming” and “explained to his audience that he was in Minnesota with an organization that was gearing up for a ‘resistance’ operation against the Federal Government’s immigration policies,” while also not giving away specific details “to maintain operation secrecy by reminding certain co-conspirators to not disclose” that they were going to the church. Lemon then “stepped away momentarily so his mic would not accidentally divulge certain portions of the planning session,” the indictment alleged. He also “thanked” alleged protest leader Nekima Levy Armstrong “for what she was doing and reassured her that he was ‘not saying … what’s going on.'” Before he arrived at the church, Lemon informed his livestream audience, “We’re going to head to the operation. Again, we’re not going to give any, any of the information away.” As he headed toward the church, an unnamed demonstrator told Lemon that “they had to ‘catch up’ to the others,” to which Lemon replied: “Let’s go, catch up” as he continued to livestream, stating, “We can’t say too much. We don’t want to give it up.” Lemon entered the church with the “first wave of agitators,” and allegedly “oppressed, threatened, and intimidated the Church’s congregants and pastors by physically occupying most of the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the Church, engaging in menacing and threatening behavior, chanting and yelling loudly at the pastor and congregants, and/or physically obstructing them as they attempted to exit and/or move about within the Church,” according to the indictment. Lemon told his livestream audience that he saw a “young man” who appeared to be “frightened,” “scared,” and “crying,” acknowledging “that the congregants’ reactions were understandable because the experience was ‘traumatic and uncomfortable,’ which he said was the purpose.” Lemon also said that “the whole point of [the operation] is to disrupt.” He also asked Armstrong: “Who is the person that we should talk to? Is there a pastor or something?” as she pointed toward the pastor, who she said “might have run away.” Lemon then “approached the pastor and largely surrounded him (to his front and both sides), stood in close proximity to the pastor in an attempt to oppress and intimidate him, and physically obstructed his freedom of movement while” he “peppered him with questions to promote the operation’s message.” Lemon was standing “so close to the pastor” that he caused the religious leader’s “right hand to graze” him before he “admonished the pastor, stating ‘Please don’t push me.'” Lemon even tried to block fearful congregants from leaving. “At one point, defendant Lemon posted himself at the main door of the Church, where he confronted some congregants and physically obstructed them as they tried to exit the Church building to challenge them with ‘facts’ about U.S. immigration policy,” the indictment read.

Chicken Little has nothing on today’s celebrities. Stars large and small are spreading fear throughout the culture, and the topics won’t take anyone by surprise. They typically involve an orange man behaving badly and his so-called Gestapo foot soldiers. The recent Sundance Film Festival affair, the last to be held in Park City, Utah before moving to The Republic of Boulder, is giving celebrities all the red-carpet room they need to spread fear. David Becker/Getty Images The media is doing the rest, regurgitating their comments without a fact check in sight. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman used her festival pulpit to decry the rise of ICE agents corralling illegal immigrants, many of whom have been charged with heinous crimes like rape and murder. For Portman, the scary part is enforcing immigration laws. “It’s very joyful to be at a film festival and in a creative community celebrating film together, but what is happening in our country is just obscene … What Trump, and Kristi Noem and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] are doing to our citizens, and undocumented people, is outrageous and needs to end.” Bryan Steffy/GC Images The comments came shortly after ICE agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti, a Jan. 24th incident with many questions left unanswered. Pretti was armed at some point in the altercation, and new video shows he previously spat at ICE agents, kicked another agent’s vehicle, shattering its taillight, and resisted arrest. His death remains tragic, but context cannot be left out. This wasn’t a peaceful protester simply waving a placard or warbling a protest song. Actress/director Olivia Wilde doubled down on Portman’s comments, once again from a glamorous red-carpet affair. “We can’t go another day just sort of accepting this as our new norm. It’s outrageous. People are being murdered. And, I don’t want to normalize seeing people being murdered on the internet. On film. It’s. It’s hideous.” Oscar-nominee Edward Norton took a cue from too many Democrat politicians by ratcheting up the rhetoric with the Nazi Card. “These days it’s ‘What are we gonna do about mass Gestapo shooting American citizens? … We are sitting here talking about movies while an illegal army is being mounted against US citizens.” Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Casamigos He didn’t back up his charge that the ICE agents are acting in an illegal manner. Nor did he wonder why there’s so much violence associated with Minneapolis “protests” when other cities are also flooded with ICE agents without incident. Others are relying on social media, not glitzy film festivals, to peddle fear. Comedian Kathy Griffin, whose career came to a screeching halt in 2017 when she shared a photograph of her holding a bloodied Trump head aloft, ISIS style, also spread distrust via social media. She told her followers to find out if their neighbors are “MAGA” and start planning accordingly. For what, she didn’t say, but the implications were ominous. “Breaking Bad” alum Giancarlo Esposito, not someone normally associated with political banter, offered what might be the most fear-based comments of them all. The actor played the Race Card while suggesting we could be staring down the barrel of a Civil War of sorts. And there will certainly be blood. It sounds like he can’t wait. “This is time for a revolution — and they don’t even know that’s what they’re starting,” the actor said. “We have to stand up to it. They can’t take us all down. If the whole world showed up on Putin’s doorstep or the Iranians’ doorstep or in Washington, they’d kill 500 or 50 million or however [many], but the rest of us would survive with a new [world]…” “This is all a preparation for a very insidious problem that’s happening in our world. And for me, I have to speak out. We will not be ICE’d out. This is not going to happen.” Some fears don’t directly involve ICE or President Trump, but the connective tissue is easy to spot. Take Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, who proved his acting chops anew with this unhinged and reality-free take on the death of free speech in Trump’s America. “There’s a kind of fear in the air that I’ve never felt before … And it’s not America. To get to be an artist in a free country, I’ve had enough of an education to know what a privilege that is. And I don’t feel that way anymore. And that’s something that has to change.” Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Hawke has been mum on the new Hollywood Blacklist that keeps too many conservatives out of Hollywood or shamed into silence. He also stood down when Gina Carano’s social media post pleading for tolerance cost her the biggest job of her career – a slot on Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.” Pop superstar Lady Gaga isn’t in the United States at the moment, but she still felt compelled to spread fear via a Tokyo concert appearance. “In a couple of days, I’m gonna be heading home and my heart is aching thinking about the people, the children, the families, all over America, who are being mercilessly targeted by ICE. I’m thinking about all of their pain and how their lives are being destroyed right in front of us.” Laura Ingraham’s “Shut Up and Sing” mantra rushes to mind.  Jesse Grant/Getty Images Late-night comics are doing their fair share of spreading fear, with one in particular making a ghoulish Nazi comparison to heighten his audience’s apprehension for the daily headlines. Stephen Colbert, whose “Late Show” goes the way of the pager and 8-track tape come May, slammed ICE agents in a way that should make even Left-of-Center souls shudder. “Yes, do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.” The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” broke into tears, twice, in the first episode following Pretti’s death. He regurgitated the same Nazi rhetoric coming from the Legacy Media and his Hollywood brethren. “Decide for yourself if that’s making America great,” Kimmel cried. The country these stars describe is scary, no doubt. Yet none of them act as if they’re actually afraid. A Nazi-like state wouldn’t take kindly to these outbursts. Threats would be made. Professional punishments might commence. Some might disappear, never to be seen again. Yet nothing of the kind has happened, nor will it. The only thing America has to fear is fear itself, and celebrities who twist the truth for deeply partisan gains. * * * Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Don Lemon has been arrested by federal agents. The former CNN talking head, who went out on his own and formed his own podcast, either trailed or was involved with a protest that pretty clearly violated the FACE Act, which was designed to guarantee access to abortion clinics for people who didn’t want to go through protests, and also designed to protect churches in their actual attempts to perform their services. The New York Times reported: “The former CNN anchor Don Lemon and three other people have been arrested on charges that they violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., this month, lawyers and Justice Department officials said on Friday, reviving a case that was rejected last week by a magistrate judge.” Lemon was arrested late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law. The case had been rejected last week by a magistrate judge. Lemon claims that he was simply reporting as a journalist when he entered Cities Church on January 18 to observe a demonstration against immigration crackdowns in the area. The protesters then got up and disrupted the service, where an ICE official serves as a pastor, chanting ‘ICE out!’” The Trump administration attempted to charge eight people over the episode, including Lemon. The magistrate judge approved charges against three of the eight people and rejected the evidence against Lemon and the others as insufficient. So the DOJ petitioned the federal appellate court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants they were denied. The claim being made by the Trump administration is that when these people invaded a church and disrupted services and started shouting at the pastor in violation of the FACE act, Lemon wasn’t just a person who followed them in there with a microphone, or even a journalist who knew beforehand that he was complicit in the organization of the event. He was involved in a conspiracy to disrupt services here for political purposes, they claim. Lemon insists he “didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them there.” It appears that this is not true. Lemon said, “Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization. That’s it. That’s called journalism.” Again, doesn’t seem particularly true. Lemon claims that once the action started, he did not join them; he was simply reporting on it. Pretty clearly, they’re blurring the lines. To be fair to Lemon and speaking legally, there is a fine line between a journalist doing a ride-along, even with people who are committing criminal acts, and journalists being involved in the planning and commission of the crime, which is what he’s accused of. Naturally, people are claiming that this is a crackdown on the First Amendment. They are suggesting that this is an attempt by the Trump administration to “silence people.” That seems like a stretch to me. We’ll have to see what evidence they have, particularly in terms of prior planning from Lemon and the people involved in this. Was he involved in recommending sites they should go to? Was he involved in organizing transportation? Was he involved in determining how they should protest? Those will be the questions that come up in court. But it’s pretty clear that Lemon was involved in some capacity. I’m not going to prejudge this case legally, but for people to claim that the federal government has no case at all, that they’re just arresting him for being a journalist on the scene, is a stretch to me. I’m not going to assume his guilt or innocence for the alleged crime. We’ll have to see the evidence of that. But the attempt to treat this as a violation of the First Amendment, as an attempt to destroy journalistic capability and all the rest — that’s not accurate either.