Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg surprisingly opened up to podcast host Joe Rogan about the massive pressure the Biden administration and global governments put on Big Tech companies to censor speech. Despite years of acquiescence and censorship, Zuckerberg is now calling for action. During the Friday edition of The Joe Rogan Experience, Zuckerberg discussed not only government pressure on Meta but also how America has allowed foreign governments to prod and punish American tech companies for disfavored speech. Zuckerberg claimed that the European Union had fined tech companies “more than $30 billion” in the last decade or two. The Meta CEO called for this to end, saying, “The U.S. government should be defending its companies, right? Not be the tip of the spear attacking its companies.”  Zuckerberg continued to discuss the EU pressure campaign, telling Rogan, “If some other country was screwing with another industry that we cared about, the US government would probably find some way to put pressure on them. But I think what happened here is actually the complete opposite. The U.S. government led the kind of attack against the companies, which then just made it so like the EU is basically in all these other places just free to just go to town on all the American companies and do whatever you want.” The Biden administration absolutely “led” the “attack” against free speech on social media abroad, outsourcing the censorship to foreign governments. These governments could impose fines that the U.S. government was prohibited from imposing in America. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken used the State Department’s Global Engagement Center to promote pro-censorship organizations and push governments to fight so-called disinformation.  On Jan. 7, Zuckerberg announced that Meta would scale back censorship on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. In the announcement video, Zuckerberg also brought up state-mandated censorship in the EU, Latin America and China, suggesting that the U.S. government had a role to play in fighting this.  The Meta CEO’s recent remarks represent a massive break with past Meta policy. Not only has MRC Free Speech America recorded 1,725 cases of censorship from Facebook, Instagram and Threads in its exclusive CensorTrack database, but Meta has taken a very different approach to EU censorship in the past.  Meta had previously heaped praise on the EU’s draconian Digital Services Act (DSA), a major driver of government pressure on tech companies to censor content.  In 2023, then-Meta Global Affairs President Nick Clegg claimed in a post that “from early on, we’ve been supportive of the objectives of the DSA and the creation of a regulatory regime in Europe that minimises harm effectively, protects and empowers people, and upholds their fundamental rights.” Clegg repeatedly praised the DSA, insisting that it take precedence over existing and future European laws.  A Nov. 2024 corporate post also praised the DSA while stressing Meta’s cooperation with EU regulators:  “From early on, we’ve been supportive of the objectives of the DSA and the creation of a harmonised regulatory regime that effectively protects people’s rights online, while continuing to enable innovation. We have had productive conversations with the European Commission throughout this process and we look forward to continuing to work transparently as the DSA develops.” Nevertheless, Zuckerberg took a very different approach during his Rogan interview, recommending that the United States defend her economic “strategic advantage” by going to bat for American companies abroad. He added, “It's one of the things that I'm optimistic about with President Trump is [that] I think he just wants America to win.” Zuckerberg went on to state that he believed Trump would fight back against censorious foreign governments: “So I think to some degree if the U.S. tech industry is going to continue being really strong, I do think that the U.S. government has a role in basically defending it abroad, and that's one of the things that I'm optimistic about will happen in this administration.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

As Monty Python might say, “And now for something completely different.” On Monday’s edition of her PBS show that originally airs on CNN International, Christiane Amanpour welcomed Babygirl director Halina Reijn to discuss the film and its place in society. As Reijn tried to claim that discussions of the difference between male and female orgasms and post-menopausal sexuality are the next stage of feminism akin to winning the right to vote, Amanpour used it and other works surrounding extra-marital affairs to promote older women “claiming their sexuality.” Babygirl is a movie that gives itself the tagline “A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.” During both the interview with Amanpour and the movie itself, Reijn portrays the power dynamics of that as male-dominated.     Later, Amanpour asked, “Halina, talk about the bigger picture. Because frankly, there's a lot of reporting, of storytelling in documentary, in real-life, as well as in the world of culture about younger women claiming—sorry, older women claiming their personhood, claiming their sexuality, even post-menopausal women. Look at Miranda July's recent book, On All Fours, and a lot of the, frankly, parts that Nicole Kidman has played over the last couple of years. What's going on, in your view, in society around women of a certain age?” On All Fours is also about an older woman who has an affair. Wikipedia summarizes it like this: “All Fours is a 2024 novel by Miranda July. The novel follows a 45-year-old perimenopausal woman who, after having an extramarital affair during a road trip, has a sexual awakening. The narrator begins a sexually charged relationship with Davey, a married man, and then a sexual relationship with Audra, an ex lover of Davey's. She tells her husband and they decide to stay together and each have separate lovers.” What is it with Christiane Amanpour and tying affairs to “older women claiming their personhood, claiming their sexuality”? For her part, Reijn replied, “Look, I think we are still exploring each other and ourselves. We have such a long road to go. We just basically got the right to vote. In 1987, we still had to take a male guardian to a bank in order to get a business loan, you know. So, what does that mean for feminism? We have no idea who we are yet. So, I'm so grateful that finally we're getting a little more space.” She continued, “And if you look at the scientific facts about the orgasm gap, it is very, very sad. It takes a woman, you know, on average 18 minutes to [bleep] at the hands of a man. That's a long time. A lot of women struggle with that. Some women don't even know how to have an orgasm with a man, and we are not talking about these subjects.” The idea that society is squeamish about sex is rather silly, but Reijn also added, “And looking around me right now, seeing Miranda July telling stories about this, older women embracing menopause, talking about all these taboo subjects that still—you know, it is in a way incredible that they are still taboo, but also looking at Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson, all these actresses that are really in a moment right now, having a moment right now, I think it's amazing. And I hope—you know, again, I still think we have a long way to go. We're not there yet, unfortunately.” Are movies and books about affairs really necessary to have that conversation? Does taxpayer-funded media need to promote them? No and no. Here is a transcript for the January 13 show: PBS Amanpour and Company 1/13/2025 CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: And, Halina, talk about the bigger picture. Because frankly, there's a lot of reporting, of storytelling in documentary, in real-life, as well as in the world of culture about younger women claim — sorry, older women claiming their personhood, claiming their sexuality, even post-menopausal women. HALINA REIJN: Yes. AMANPOUR: Look at Miranda July's recent book, On All Fours, and a lot of the, frankly, parts that Nicole Kidman has played over the last couple of years. What's going on, in your view, in society around women of a certain age? REIJN: Look, I think we are still exploring each other and ourselves. We have such a long road to go. We just basically got the right to vote. In 1987, we still had to take a male guardian to a bank in order to get a business loan, you know. So, what does that mean for feminism? We have no idea who we are yet. So, I'm so grateful that finally we're getting a little more space. And if you look at the scientific facts about the orgasm gap, it is very, very sad. It takes a woman, you know, on average 18 minutes to [bleep] at the hands of a man. That's a long time. A lot of women struggle with that. Some women don't even know how to have an orgasm with a man, and we are not talking about these subjects. And looking around me right now, seeing Miranda July telling stories about this, older women embracing menopause, talking about all these taboo subjects that still — you know, it is in a way incredible that they are still taboo, but also looking at Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson, all these actresses that are really in a moment right now, having a moment right now, I think it's amazing. And I hope — you know, again, I still think we have a long way to go. We're not there yet, unfortunately.

Jimmy Kimmel — the eternally woke and predictably tearful late-night TV host — once again put his hatred for President-elect Donald Trump on display for a nationwide audience Monday night.His voice shaky and frequently breaking and his eyes glassy with tears, Kimmel made sure to tear into Trump and others early in his monologue amid the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area.'Did he cry for NC, TN & FL? Many of those people are still living in tents several months later.'"Tonight, I don’t want to get into all the vile and irresponsible and stupid things our alleged future president and his gaggle of scumbags chose to say during our darkest and most terrifying hour," Kimmel told a revved-up crowd. "The fact that they chose to attack our firefighters who currently aren’t white enough to be out there risking their lives on our behalf ... it's disgusting, but it’s not surprising."You can view Kimmel's anti-Trump comments here. The relevant portion starts after the 1:20 mark.As readers of Blaze News are well aware, Kimmel has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he's no fan of Trump.'Sure he did, Jimmy'However, a number of observers on X pushed back hard against Kimmel. The following are but a few such reactions:"Sure he did, Jimmy," one commenter wrote."Did he cry for NC, TN & FL?" another commenter wondered. "Many of those people are still living in tents several months later.""Does he ever NOT cry? My word," another user asked."The birth of another hoax: very fine people on both sides 2.0," another commenter stated."They just so badly want Trump to be what they claim he is, and Trump just isn't," another user noted."Way to spread the hate and racism, @JimmyKimmel," another commenter said. "Crying over screwing yourselves might not be such a good idea, though. Trying to pass the buck isn't going to stop the wildfires. Making better decisions just might. I'm just sayin...""The sad thing is he still thinks he can deflect the blame to Trump (who isn't even inaugurated) [from] the people in power in California who are responsible for years of squandered resources, years of failed policies," another user wrote, adding that "they promise infrastructure but steal the money.""It’s sad, but not surprising, that Jimmy can’t admit that criticism of political leaders in California is warranted and has nothing to do with first responders," another commenter reacted.Anything else?Trump has vehemently criticized far-left California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) since the fires began. While an ABC News story pushes back against some of Trump's claims surrounding the disaster, it doesn't name Trump as criticizing diversity, equity, and inclusion — as Kimmel implies Trump did.Comedian Adam Corolla — who hosted "The Man Show" in the late 1990s with Kimmel — was even more blunt than Trump with his criticisms: "You guys all voted for Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles. You all voted for Gavin Newsom. And now you f**king get what you get."California Democrats in the state legislature were blasted for continuing with a plan for a special session to oppose Trump policies, all while the L.A. fires raged.Christopher Bedford — senior editor for politics and Washington correspondent for Blaze Media — came down hard on Democrats over the fire in a Friday op-ed: "California has effectively been looted by Democrats. Sure, California’s climate has changed over the century since the grand buildings and mansions of the Palisades were erected, but we all knew that. We knew the risks and had the money to contain and mitigate them, but certain players made conscious decisions to spend it elsewhere, including on the city’s dangerous and growing homeless population and on illegal immigrants."Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a reporter to task Thursday for apparently wanting criticism directed at Trump rather than on Democrats amid the fire: "If Newsom was a Republican ... you would have him nailed to the wall for what they're doing over there. And I know we've dealt with it. We just assume in Florida, any time something happens, it's gonna be politicized by the media. So you guys sitting in judgment of Donald Trump — I mean, excuse me, I think your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad."Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck last week noted that “California has spent decades neglecting its water infrastructure while prioritizing projects that make no meaningful impact on people's lives. This is not a failure just of government; it is a failure of vision.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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