This week, in a stunning volte-face, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would now be revising its censorship policies to accord with his older vision of free speech. Specifically, Zuckerberg committed Facebook to revising a series of standards: reliance on left-wing fact-checkers will end, replaced by an X-like community notes system in which fact-checking will be crowdsourced; political content will no longer be artificially muted; censorship will be ended around controversial issues like transgender ideology and immigration; the content moderation team will be shifted from California to Texas to better account for the varying views of Americans; and Facebook will work with the Trump administration to push American-style free speech standards around the world. This is all happening for one reason: the reelection of Donald Trump. While Democrats claimed for years that Trump represented tyranny, the truth is that it was the Democratic Party and its media apparatchiks that routinely used the tools of power to silence their opposition in authoritarian ways. The cudgeling of Facebook represents a perfect example of such quiet authoritarianism. Before the 2016 election, Facebook was considered a darling of the left: an open platform that could be used by heretofore underrepresented people to spread their political messages. Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign met with high praise for its creative use of Facebook, for example. The same held true for the Arab Spring. And then Donald Trump won. Democrats and the legacy media decided that social media had to be clubbed into place. Alternative media outlets like my own company, The Daily Wire, were far too successful: Democrats were upset that conservative content was reaching a wide audience, and legacy media were upset at the competition. And so by early 2017, the Democrat-Media Human Centipede set its narrative: that only the perversity of social media–and its hijacking by evil Russian masterminds–had allowed the election of Donald Trump. By 2017, Sen. Dianne Feinstein was openly threatening Facebook with governmental action if the social media company refused to crack down on speech Democrats didn’t like. In 2019, Zuckerberg himself responded in an excellent speech at Georgetown University, pledging his company to free speech: “We can continue to stand for free expression, understanding its messiness, but believing that the long journey towards greater progress requires confronting ideas that challenge us. Or we can decide the cost is simply too great. I’m here today because I believe we must continue to stand for free expression.” But then, in 2020, Facebook began to cave under pressure from the federal government on issues ranging from COVID-19 coverage to the Hunter Biden laptop story. By 2021, the Biden White House was openly lobbying Facebook to change its standards to downgrade the traffic of the Daily Wire, among others. That same year, in April, our traffic began to plummet. Overall, our reach dropped by 90%. Facebook got comfortable with censorship; Zuckerberg has admitted as much. The Biden administration, Zuckerberg claims, pushed for censorship. And Facebook conceded. Not anymore. As Zuckerberg explained this week, “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech.” That is absolutely correct. And it is also a damning indictment of a Democratic Party that always values power above principle. Free speech has become a Republican principle because Democrats abandoned it. And now free speech is returning. Let’s hope that remains a permanent feature of the social media landscape, not merely a temporary move to buy off the resurgent Trump administration. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post The Age of Censorship Is Ending appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As wildfires continue to rage in California, many are understandably upset with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. One of those people is President-elect Donald Trump. During an Wednesday interview on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" with host Anderson Cooper, Newsom was asked about the incoming president's comments, which blamed Newsom for the...

Of all the things to set the Internet on watch, Melania’s shirt collar is stealing the show today at the Jimmy Carter Funeral. First of all, the collar is gigantic, so I guess people have been taking a close look at what is on that collar, and it’s leading to a lot of debate about what exactly it shows. Take a look here: Melania’s Collar… Is that who I think it looks like?https://t.co/XHfkKSjary pic.twitter.com/Nxhj7B6PoI — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) January 9, 2025 Backup video here: Here’s a still frame I captured: So….what do you see? I’ll show you what the most common responses are…. A lot of people think it’s the famous Sailor kissing the Nurse image: I think the sailor kissing nurse pic.twitter.com/yD4HdYdJVR — Rollin (@Leatherneck1978) January 9, 2025 Others disagree: It’s not the famous WWII picture because there’s no dog bowl on his head in the pic on her collar. — Anne (@SC_Patriot47) January 9, 2025 But the most interesting theory is that it shows JFK. Let me show you, and you can see what you think: Do you see it? Do you think they’re right? This person asked Grok, and Grok told them it saw an Eagle, which would be appropriate: Although I see a human arm around what appears to be a child… Grok says this: pic.twitter.com/RIv9mOMa9A — Pamela Raspino Eskine (@PenelopePi15850) January 9, 2025 I asked Grok and it told me essentially the same thing: This is feeling like the White/Gold vs. Black/Blue dress all over again! What do you see? An Eagle? The Sailor kissing the Nurse in Times Square? Or JFK? It’s not the first time Melania’s outfit has stolen the show and led to a lot of chatter online…. Remember when she wore this Blockchain dress on Election Day in 2020? Ummmmmm, is this Melania Trump wearing a “blockchain” dress on Election Day? Just a coincidence, I’m sure……. pic.twitter.com/UxPZakTYqz — DailyTruthReport (@DailyTruthRpt) November 12, 2020 Let me know what you think!

In the wake of the horrific Southern California fires, President Trump said California Gov. Gavin Newsom “should resign.” “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump said. “Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days — ZERO CONTAINMENT. Nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before! Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass….And Biden’s FEMA has no money — all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!” he added. From The Hill: FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has authorized the use of federal funds to assist with combating the California fires. FEMA said in a release that its Fire Management Assistance Grant can provide funding for up to 75 percent of firefighting costs, including field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization activities for fighting the ongoing fires. Trump said earlier Wednesday that Newsom should have signed a declaration to pump additional water through California to avert the situation, casting blame on the Democratic governor. Currently, regulations limit the amount of water that can be pumped from the nearby Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in order to protect a fish called the smelt. “Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this,” he posted online. “On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) also said Newsom should resign. Gavin Newsom must resign — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 9, 2025 Other X users shared similar sentiment: Gavin Newsom has completely failed his state and needs to resign IMMEDIATELY! pic.twitter.com/5uXYorhUrj — alyssa (@alyssamariiee7) January 8, 2025 Imagine this is your expensive home or you’re a neighbor and there are no firemen to put out this blaze. That’s what’s going on in California. With the billions wasted on illegals, Newsom could’ve prevented much of this loss. Newsom needs to resign.pic.twitter.com/2FCXWAUZ6U — Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) January 8, 2025 It's time for Gavin Newsom to resign as governor of California. — SOVEREIGN BRAH (@sovereignbrah) January 9, 2025 In an interview with Anderson Cooper, Newsom accused President Trump of ‘politicizing’ the fires. WATCH: Gavin Newscum speaks with a forked tongue as he accuses President Trump of "policizing" the wildfire for pointing out that he has spent years doing a horrible job at forest management. pic.twitter.com/ARiws5XFqv — Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 9, 2025 From the New York Post: Trump has long supported diverting supply from California’s main water hub, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, to farmers who have struggled with repeated droughts. But his plans faced resistance from environmental groups that argued they would disastrously hurt the population of delta smelt – small fish that were once crucial California’s ecosystem, but has since been rendered effectively extinct. Trump first promised to redirect California’s northern runoff south to benefit farmers during his first presidential bid in 2016, and made good on his promise in 2020 with a federal memorandum that redirected millions of gallons of water he said was otherwise “needlessly flushed” into the ocean, according to Courthouse News Service. But days later Newsom’s administration sued to block Trump’s move, and succeeded in limiting the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The two politicians have spent the ensuing years duking it out over the state’s water plans – which are regulated by both state and federal laws. In September, Trump said that if elected he would cut off wildfire aid to California if Newsom refused to change a policy protecting the smelt and allow water to flow on his terms, the Hill reported. “If we don’t give him money to put out his fires, he’s got problems,” Trump said at the time.

The deadly wildfire in Los Angeles has resulted in over 30,000 people evacuating their homes, including big-time celebrities. The wildfire has spread to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is home to Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, and Michael Keaton. The Hill Stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have already lost their home to the blaze. General Hospital actor Cameron Mathison also revealed his home was burned down due to the blaze. Other stars whose homes were burned down by the wildfire are Adam Brody, Miles Teller, and Leighton Meester. Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have homes in the areas affected by the wildfires. https://t.co/PyIGDPz8fj — 12 News (@12News) January 8, 2025 Per Newsweek: Over 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire threatens homes in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. The impacted area is home to many celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Keaton. The wind-driven wildfire has spread to over 5,000 acres with no containment reported as of Wednesday. Over 1,000 structures have been destroyed by the Pacific Palisades fire, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday night and that “all hands are on deck” to fight the Palisades fire. The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag lost their home in the fire on Tuesday, TMZ reported. The family safely evacuated earlier that day. Pratt shared a video of fire officials dumping water on the wildfire on his Instagram Story. General Hospital actor Cameron Mathison shared a video of what was left of his home after the fire on Instagram. “We are safe,” Mathison said. “But this is what’s left of our beautiful home. Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday.” Actors Adam Brody and Leighton Meester lost their home in the fire, according to TMZ. Mom Actor Anna Farris lost her home as well, the outlet reported. “The homes of Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman and Miles Teller among those destroyed, while dozens of other stars now face an anxious wait alongside their neighbors to learn if anything could be saved … Paris Hilton’s beachfront mansion in Malibu was also razed. The fires reached… pic.twitter.com/EqrWbxIgLI — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 9, 2025 Per People: A series of wildfires has devastated swaths of Southern California, causing thousands of residents to have to flee their homes as it rapidly engulfs large parts of the Los Angeles area. Among the more than 80,000 people displaced were celebrities, many of whom have called the area home for decades. Some, including Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, Anna Faris, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes, Cameron Mathison, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, have confirmed that their homes have been destroyed. The first fire started in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Videos show devastation in the seaside community; as Pacific Palisades resident Maria Shriver wrote on Instagram, “Heartbreaking, devastating, beyond belief. Everything is gone. Our neighborhood, our restaurants. All our friends have lost everything.”

David Bowie didn't get a huge amount of respect from Johnny Rotten when the two musical icons first met