Federal law enforcement officials raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, a Democrat, on Thursday morning, according to reports and video of agents at the home. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that several other properties that were raided were “connected to a politically influential family that runs the city’s curbside recycling program.” More than a dozen agents entered the home and removed a variety of items from the search, including paper boxes, clipboards, and large plastic tubs. The report said that the other warrants were served at the homes of David Duong, the president and CEO of recycling company Cal Waste Solutions, his son Andy Duong, and their company offices. “The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane,” the FBI said in a statement. “We are unable to provide additional information at this time.” Investigative reporter Dan Noyes said that law enforcement sources told him the raid was part of a “public corruption investigation of Thao and her boyfriend.” Noyes added that the investigation also reportedly involves the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP BREAKING: Sources tell ABC News that the FBI raid at home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao also involves the IRS and U.S. Postal Service. I just arrived at the scene. Spotted FBI Agent briefly on balcony. pic.twitter.com/KrUb0yL6uk — Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) June 20, 2024 FBI NOW CLEAR FROM OAKLAND MAYOR SHENG THAO’S HOUSE. Good law-enforcement source tells me this is a public corruption investigation of Thao and her boyfriend. pic.twitter.com/LnQbrs3NPp — Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) June 20, 2024 Coincidence — as I’m leaving Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s house after the FBI raid, I saw this truck from California Waste Solutions nearby. We also saw FBI at that company’s offices, and at Andy Duong’s home, whose family owns Cal Waste. You may recall that Duong funded Thao’s… pic.twitter.com/ffJWUfEPea — Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) June 20, 2024 The news comes as multiple Democrats have found themselves caught up in federal criminal investigations in recent months, including Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Hunter Biden. Federal law enforcement officials have also seized devices from New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) and raided properties tied to George Soros-backed District Attorney Jody Owens.

'I saw a man on top of a woman and the woman was on the ground'

'The Cleveland Browns have waived DE Lonnie Phelps'

'If it’s shut down entirely, then there goes the trafficking'

Biden's Public Decline Tests Limits Of White House Spin Operation

'Get rid of the idea that electricity is available at all times'

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., demanded Thursday that the Global Disinformation Index provide specifics on its efforts to blacklist conservative news sites, in a letter exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. GDI, a nonprofit based in the United Kingdom, compiles lists of sites—such as conservative media outlets—that it deems as spreading “disinformation” and shares these lists with advertising firms to demonetize the outlets, the Washington Examiner first reported. Despite describing itself as “nonpolitical,” the Global Disinformation Index consistently assigns higher ratings of disinformation risk to conservative media while rating liberal outlets as safer in its “Disinformation Risk Assessment.” Schmitt expressed concern in the letter about GDI’s previously receiving funds from the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which the Daily Caller News Foundation first reported. He asked the organization to answer how it handles “disinformation” and to provide information on partnerships and funding sources. “Cheap fake” is the new “Russian disinformation”The Left will do anything to hide the truth.— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) June 19, 2024 “The Global Disinformation Index has masqueraded as a source of truth and accountability for far too long, all while trampling freedom of the press and demonetizing conservative news outlets using taxpayer dollars,” Schmitt said. “This is yet another example in a long list of examples of the Biden administration using taxpayer dollars to censor information and sources they don’t agree with,” the Missouri Republican added. I’m proud to have led numerous efforts to expose the Biden administration’s censorship industrial complex, and I will continue to fight to protect freedom of speech and combat government-funded censors.” The Global Disinformation Index’s mission of “disrupting the business model of disinformation” has caused substantial financial damage to the media outlets it targets, the Washington Examiner reported. GDI publicly rated National Public Radio and The New York Times as “minimum” risk level, The Washington Post and BuzzFeed as “low” risk level, the New York Post and The Daily Wire as “high” risk level, and The Federalist and Newsmax as “maximum” risk level. The organization also produces confidential “exclusion lists” that it sells to online advertising companies for the purpose of demonetizing sites, the Examiner reported. Schmitt asked for GDI to detail its processes for determining “disinformation” and how it makes sure it is “neutral and independent,” as well as details about GDI personnel who work on the “exclusion lists.” He also asked GDI to “provide a list of any factors that contribute to the total score of an individual media outlet’s risk rating.” Moreover, the senator asked for details about the Global Disinformation Index’s research partners and funding, including from government entities Through its “exclusion lists,” GDI “has operationalized a government-funded, Orwellian truth test—the ‘disinformation risk rating’ of news organizations—led by a censorship team of ‘trained intelligence analysts,’” Schmitt writes, adding: This ‘risk assessment’ assigns an arbitrary risk scale seemingly based on a nebulous set of left-leaning values. GDI then disseminates this rating to the largest advertising companies, who serve as gatekeepers for advertising across all online marketplaces, search engines, and social media platforms, pressuring ad servicers to throttle advertising on any outlet or website labeled as ‘high risk.’ “Not surprisingly, reports show that your apparent ‘unbiased and non-political’ risk scale has led to major outlets with conservative editorial philosophies,” Schmitt tells GDI in the letter. The state of Texas, the New Civil Liberties Alliance, The Federalist and The Daily Wire in December sued the State Department in December, arguing that the federal agency financed organizations that allegedly seek to suppress conservative speech online. Schmitt, when he was Missouri’s attorney general, filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration over its attempts to influence social media firms to take down conservative-leaning content, as well as information about COVID-19 vaccines. The Supreme Court currently is considering the case. “As an elected representative of the people of Missouri, it is my duty to shine a light on government and quasi-government actors seeking to silence and undermine citizens’ ability to exercise their right to view and express opinions of their choosing,” Schmitt wrote to GDI. “Frankly put, no single organization or person should have the ability to act as the arbiter of truth.” The Global Disinformation Index, the State Department, and its Global Engagement Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Sen. Schmitt Demands Answers From State Department-Funded Censorship Org appeared first on The Daily Signal.

85,000 'Lost' Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Sad and Hilarious at the Same Time

“Stand up,” “Be Honest, Be Brave, Protect women!” This was the message that TikTok decided was too “offensive” to remain on its platform. XX-XY Athletics founder and CEO Jennifer Sey posted a screenshot of a TikTok censorship notice in an X post. “Your [ads] account has been permanently suspended because it doesn't comply with out advertising policies.” The platform cited that the clothing brand may have violated its policies by featuring so-calledoffensive content.” Undeterred, Sey told MRC Speech America in an exclusive interview that she is applying the same resilience she learned as an elite gymnast to how she approaches her business promoting women’s sports. “I will not be quiet, sit down, be nice,” she said. “We won’t back down because a bunch of bullies call us names or tell us we are violating some unknown policy. We’ll succeed regardless of TikTok’s ban.” Although XX-XY Athletics is only banned from posting ads and not from the platform entirely, the suspension could have a serious impact on the business and its ability to market to its target customer base. “TikTok is denying my brand the ability to reach the close to 50% of people under the age of 30 who spend time on TikTok,” Sey explained. “They have thrown up a significant barrier to reaching the population of women under 30, a primary target for us. But, I’m not giving up.” The platform cited no specific policy for why it suspended the athleticwear company’s account. However, Sey is determined to uncover whether what TikTok did was an intentional act of censorship. “I am an advocate for free speech,” she said. “While public debates are waged on large platforms like TikTok, it’s important for businesses like mine to know if there was a mistake in deciding to ban the content, or if this was a conscious decision made by a human with an agenda who is threatened by viewpoint diversity.”  And here's the notification lest I be accused of lying by my "fans." pic.twitter.com/lUJ6cjuDYQ — Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) June 18, 2024 In recent years the inherently toxic cultural climate has made it increasingly difficult for Americans to freely express opinions that counter the leftist gender narrative.  The powerful video ad that led TikTok to suspend XX-XY Athletics’ ad account depicted women and girls encouraging the viewer to “stand up” and defend women’s sports. Sey noted that she chose to include these words in the ad precisely because of the cultural backlash and online censorship she and so many others experience for protecting women’s sports from being infiltrated by biological males.  “We know that as awareness of the issue grows, so does public support. But still, many are too afraid to stand up [and] say so for fear of being called ‘offensive,’ as did TikTok about this video.” She added, “[This] is why I wrote the words in that ad. Stand up. No one is going to do it for us. We have to do it together.” Sey additionally drew attention to the fact that when censorship impacts business it in turn impacts free markets. “If only one viewpoint is allowed, we never have the right conversations to reach truth.Rather, truth is dictated by government and corporate propaganda. And it does seem there is always one political ‘side’ that is censored these days,” she said. Sey concluded by ripping apart the dystopian trend plaguing American society: The requirement for ideological conformity is enforced by both government and corporations and that is extremely problematic in a supposed free country like the US. In the world of business, consumers should be able to find brands that align with their values. If a brand like ours is censored, that isn’t possible. That’s not democracy. That’s not free market capitalism. That’s not freedom.  TikTok did not immediately respond to MRC Free Speech America's request for comment. 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 so-called 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