If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Washington has decided to pull the plug on a series of international agreements crafted under the Biden administration to coordinate campaigns against what governments labeled “disinformation.” More than twenty nations in Europe and Africa had signed on, but the memoranda are now void, closing the book on an effort tied to the controversial Global Engagement Center (GEC). That office, which long caused controversy over its role in urging platforms to restrict online content, was wound down at the end of 2024, briefly rebranded as the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub, and ultimately shuttered after months of political and legal battles. According to European officials, partner governments were informed last week that the United States would no longer take part in the cooperative framework. The Biden White House had originally pitched the initiative as a collective shield against propaganda from Russia, China, and Iran. The GEC was created more than a decade ago to counter terrorist recruitment online before shifting its attention toward foreign state messaging. That change, however, placed the center at the center of a heated fight over free speech. Republican lawmakers accused it of veering into domestic censorship, even as its defenders insisted the work was limited to hostile operations overseas. More: Head of Controversial Global Engagement Center Admits Europe’s Regulatory Power Over Social Media Censorship Enforcement The Trump administration took a very different view from that of the Biden administration. The disagreements over the GEC illustrate the deep divide between those who argue for centralized, government-led coordination against foreign propaganda and those who see such structures as a direct threat to free speech, especially when those agencies were found to be used to suppress the speech of Americans. For many, the center became a symbol of how counter-disinformation policies could be weaponized to stifle domestic political speech under the guise of national security. Around 22 countries had signed onto the agreements, which the Biden administration saw as laying the foundation for a unified response to foreign information campaigns. With Washington walking away, those allies are left to decide whether to continue their efforts without American coordination. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post US Withdraws from Biden-Era Global “Disinformation” Agreements appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Thunberg: Ah, We Were Hit By a Drone! Tunisia: A Drone? Thunberg: ... We Got Better

We thought it was DDT. We were wrong.

Data on 40,000 people shows that we do not seek what's unfamiliar as we age.

In the aftermath of defunding, PBS stations like WETA in Washington DC are sending out fundraising letters with the slogan "Defunded, not defeated." PBS CEO Paula Kerger made an appearance on the podcast To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes, and she was still lying to the public about the liberal bias of PBS, which we have repeatedly proven in our studies.  Sykes asked Kerger if PBS was unfairly lumped in with NPR, as if one was guilty of bias and the other wasn't. On April 14, the White House issued a press release headlined "The NPR, PBS Grift Has Ripped Us Off for Too Long." Kerger claimed the PBS examples of bias didn't really count, because they were made by taxpayer-funded PBS stations, not taxpayer-funded PBS. They aired on hundreds of affiliates across America on taxpayer-funded PBS! But somehow this wasn't real bias:  PAULA KERGER:  There was a, the press release that that came out of the White House that had a series of facts of why we were biased media -- because that's how we were we were labeled in the executive order and most of them were public radio, but there were a few public television you know examples thrown in. Ironically, most of the references on the public television side, I can't comment on the radio side, but most of them were actually not PBS programs. There were programs that had come from our stations. This itself is false, because Trump listed three of our studies of PBS News content: In 2023, a study found that congressional Republicans saw 85% negative coverage while congressional Democrats saw 54% positive coverage on PBS’s flagship news program.   According to a 2024 study, PBS news staff used 162 variations of the term “far-right,” but only six variations of “far-left.”   A 2024 Media Research Center study found that PBS’s coverage of the Republican National Convention was 72% negative, while coverage of the Democratic National Convention was 88% positive. Kerger recalled the March 26 House DOGE committee hearing chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and bizarrely claimed “We're not a news organization so we are in slightly different position than [NPR] radio, which is you know largely news they also do music of course but um you know why we have ended up in the place that we are right now is really fully difficult to understand.” It's not difficult to understand. Trump's listing of bias also included our report on Washington Week With The Atlantic boasting in 2023, that Joe Biden was "mentally quite acute." That's produced by DC station WETA and airs all over the country, and PBS identifies it as a "news" program. The Independent Lens series airs on PBS stations through the federally-funded Independent Television Service (ITVS), and Trump noted in 2017, they aired the documentary Real Boy, about a girl who wants to fake being a boy.  Trump noted an exploration of reparations for slavery, which was independently produced by something called "World Channel," but it's there for viewing on the PBS streaming service. The same goes for a panel discussion devoted to what it “mean[s] to be woke” and “white privilege” and how to move beyond awareness to action. The show A Seat at the Table is produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting. It's like claiming an article on NewsBusters not written by staff -- say, a syndicated column by Larry Elder or John Stossel -- is somehow not a NewsBusters article, although it was an article published on NewsBusters for everyone to read. 

According to HBO’s John Oliver, the Trump administration’s push to get anti-Semitism out of college campuses is just a ruse to exert control for its own sake. The Last Week Tonight host claimed on Sunday that Trump’s demands on Columbia University represented an “extreme degree of government intrusion” and that Columbia is now “the little birch university” for accepting them. After explaining he doesn’t think Trump is sincere in his concerns over campus anti-Semitism, Oliver lamented, “And yet, that's how Trump is justifying his current assault on higher education. And it is worth looking at exactly what he's doing, because it's pretty grim. And let's start with one of his first major targets, Columbia. It was a prominent scene of protests over Gaza and at the beginning of March, it was notified by Trump's anti-Semitism Task Force—y'know, this guy's [Leo Terrell] team—that its grants were under review.”     Oliver continued mourning, “And while those sorts of Title VI investigations typically take months and sometimes years, just four days later, it announced its conclusions, and the administration, citing Columbia's 'Continued failure to end the persistent harassment of Jewish students,' canceled $400 million in contracts and grants. Just a week later, it sent Columbia a letter giving them seven days to comply with a new list of demands, which were extensive, including calling for the university to deliver a plan of comprehensive admissions reform and install new oversight of the university's Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies department.” Earlier, Oliver conceded that some of the demonstrators did engage in anti-Semitism, but instead of demanding accountability for the departments that “educate” such people, he complained, “It was an extreme degree of government intrusion, which is what made it so dispiriting when this happened.” After a March clip of NBC reporter Tom Costello announcing, “Columbia has agreed to pretty much all of the president's demands,” Oliver reacted, “Yeah, they caved in about five seconds, officially solidifying Columbia's reputation as the little bitch university, rather than what it was known for before: being the place Timothée Chalamet went for five minutes before realizing he didn't need it.” It is almost certain that the reason why Columbia folded wasn’t so much because they were a “little bitch” but because they were terrified about what civil rights investigators might find. Even if Oliver honestly thinks Trump doesn’t genuinely care about anti-Semitism, it still does not necessarily follow that Columbia did not or does not have an anti-Semitism problem. Here is a transcript for the September 7 show: HBO Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 9/7/2025 11:37 PM ET JOHN OLIVER: And yet, that's how Trump is justifying his current assault on higher education. And it is worth looking at exactly what he's doing, because it's pretty grim. And let's start with one of his first major targets, Columbia. It was a prominent scene of protests over Gaza and at the beginning of March, it was notified by Trump's anti-Semitism Task Force — y'know, this guy's team — that its grants were under review.  And while those sorts of Title VI investigations typically take months and sometimes years, just four days later, it announced its conclusions, and the administration, citing Columbia's ‘Continued failure to end the persistent harassment of Jewish students,’ canceled $400 million in contracts and grants. Just a week later, it sent Columbia a letter giving them seven days to comply with a new list of demands, which were extensive, including calling for the university to deliver a plan of comprehensive admissions reform and install new oversight of the university's Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies department.  It was an extreme degree of government intrusion, which is what made it so dispiriting when this happened. TOM COSTELLO: Just in the last few minutes, we are learning that Columbia University will give in to demands from the Trump Administration in order to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. It appears that in some way, shape, or form, Columbia has agreed to pretty much all of the president's demands. OLIVER: Yeah, they caved in about five seconds, officially solidifying Columbia's reputation as the little bitch university, rather than what it was known for before: being the place Timothée Chalamet went for five minutes before realizing he didn't need it.  But here's the thing: That capitulation didn't put an end to it. Because the administration kept escalating further, freezing all of Columbia's remaining NIH funding, amounting to about $700 million in total. And even threatening Columbia's accreditation. And there's no guarantee the administration's going to stop making demands from Columbia, and why would they when they keep getting met.

One anti-woke comedian whose life was changed by Monday nights is about to try weekends on for size.Kam Patterson, known mostly for his appearances on the viral comedy podcast "Kill Tony," has already landed roles in Kevin Hart's upcoming Netflix comedy "72 Hours" as well as the David Spade/Theo Von buddy pic "Busboys." Turns out he'll also be trying his hand at another, more established, weekly variety show.'Seeing people try to attack a black kid because he said he "voted for Trump" is absurd.'"Monday nights changed my life, let's see how I do on Saturdays," Patterson wrote on Instagram, tagging his new employers, NBC.Last week, "Saturday Night Live" revealed Patterson would be joining the cast for the 51st season, alongside four other rookies."Welcome to the cast!" the company wrote. Others in the media were not so sanguine about the Orlando native's new job. RELATED: 'I apologize to absolutely nobody': Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe says media used Puerto Ricans as 'political fodder' Pajiba's Dustin Rowe attributed the hiring to SNL head Lorne Michaels' desire to tap into the "alt-right comedy space.""He still uses 'gay' as a pejorative in the way it was tossed around in the ’80s," sniffed Rowe, while also noting that Patterson voted for President Trump. Meanwhile, NPR's only note about Patterson's stand-up career was his defense of friend Tony Hinchcliffe, who dared to make a joke about Puerto Rico at an October 2024 Trump rally.Syracuse.com took umbrage with Patterson's attacks on upstate New York, noting that the Orlando native had likened the food in Rochester, New York, to "pig slop" during one "Kill Tony" appearance, prompting Hinchcliffe to add that people in upstate New York settle down with "the first person that said they like you" before getting "stuck there, forever in eternal hell, while literally the rest of America laughs at you."RELATED: Dave Landau slays on 'KILL TONY' BlazeTV's Dave Landau offered a different take, however."Kam is a genuinely kind person and comedian that crowds really love," the comedian said. "I think 'SNL' is making the right choice with Kam because it’s about being funny, and comedy should never be about filling a quota or an agenda."Landau continued, saying that Patterson has already won, despite what critics are saying."Seeing people try to attack a black kid because he said he 'voted for Trump' is absurd. I hope he hits superstardom."On top of his many, many appearances on "Kill Tony" as an act, Patterson has also appeared on the panel at least four times ("Kill Tony" #633, #664, #700, and #710), despite outlet Pajiba claiming the reason he "hasn’t sat on a panel is because he’d overshadow everyone else."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The race for John Cornyn's Senate seat is becoming more crowded as another Democrat announced his bid for the seat on Tuesday. Texas Representative James Talarico, a self-described "progressive Christian," announced on Tuesday that he will be throwing his hat in the ring to challenge incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. Talarico's bid is the most recent challenge in an already crowded field of Senate hopefuls. 'We're the underdogs in this fight. We're going up against a rigged system and a lot of money.'"I get the sense that there is a deep hunger across the political spectrum for a fundamentally different kind of politics," Talarico said in an interview ahead of his announcement, according to the AP. "It's been 10 years now of Trumpian politics, politics as a blood sport, ... and there is a hunger 10 years later for a return to more timeless values of sincerity and honesty and compassion and respect."Talarico gained increased attention on social media when he sat down with Joe Rogan on "The Joe Rogan Experience" on July 18.RELATED: ‘Progressive Christian’ claims abortion is biblical on Joe Rogan Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images"Billionaires have taken over Texas and taken over America — but together, we can take power back for working people," Talarico said in a Tuesday morning X post.In a request for campaign funding, Talarico delivered a similar message about punching upward in the race: "We're the underdogs in this fight. We're going up against a rigged system and a lot of money. Big Money is powerful, but it's nothing compared to People Power."Talarico was also a leading figure in the Texas redistricting fight during July and August. Democrats fled the state in an attempt to delay the vote on the redistricting motion, which was ultimately passed in late August. Senator John Cornyn will be running for a fifth term in the Senate. Democrats see a path to victory if Attorney General Ken Paxton beats Cornyn in the March primary. Talarico joins a crowded field of Democrat candidates, including former NFL player Colin Allred and former astronaut Terry Virts. Beto O'Rourke has also reportedly not ruled out joining the race. Talarico will reportedly launch his campaign with an event on Tuesday in his hometown of Round Rock, Texas, which is north of Austin. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A 34-year-old homeless man with a long criminal history has been arrested on charges of murdering a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee — who fled the war in Ukraine for a better life here in America.Decarlos Brown Jr. allegedly viciously stabbed Iryna Zarutksa on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22. CCTV footage revealed that the young woman was stabbed several times, including once in the neck.She died on the spot.“She was seeking the safety and the freedom and the promise that America still stood for something good. She never made it off that train alive because of the guy in the red hoodie. He’s a repeat offender, a man with a long rap sheet,” Blaze media co-founder Glenn Beck says, disturbed.“Her name should be everywhere. Her story, when you see it, is like watching a horror film. It is extraordinarily evil and disturbing. Yet, outside of local coverage, you’re not seeing this anywhere,” he continues.“No, there’s no wall-to-wall coverage, no breathless reporting, no endless panels on this,” he adds.Glenn believes the mainstream media is ignoring this story because it “does not fit the narrative.”George Floyd’s death in 2020 “generated tens of thousands of articles, cities were burned, corporations bent the knee,” and “media made it the moral center of the universe.”“Why is this one completely invisible to the legacy media?” Glenn asks. “A young woman, an immigrant, a refugee, brutally loses her life on American soil, career criminal. Silence.”“It brings up and makes you ask all the wrong questions. It shines a spotlight on a justice system that keeps turning violent men loose on the streets, over and over again. It reveals the double standard that screams louder than words, that some lives are politically useful,” he says, adding, “others are disposable.”Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

HA! John Fetterman's Response to Israel Striking Hamas Leadership in QATAR Sets Off Pro-Terrorist Lefties