But even as conservatives are reclaiming the debate around modern dating, coasting on the momentum of Trump 2.0, there are noticeable fractures and hypocrisies in their approaches.
On the podcast Culture Apothecary, Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark educates women about optimal fertility health and well-being. In an episode of Relatable titled “Be a Godly Woman, Not Just a Trad Wife,” host Allie Beth Stuckey discusses the appropriation of the trad wife trend, saying it “can be a great thing to aspire to” but Christian motherhood is “not just an aesthetic.” More recently, in response to polycule family structures, Stuckey noted that “the sexual revolution is reaching new lows.” Much of what the women discuss—on marriage, faith, and the importance of childbearing—dovetails with the agenda of the Trump administration.
On social media, however, where Lacey has more than 1 million followers between TikTok and Instagram, she often straddles her conservatism with a wink and a smile. In one video, Lacey jokes about the consequences of not performing oral sex on your partner. In the next, she’s prancing through a green meadow declaring love for “my bible,” sundresses, and conservative men.
Still, as the womanosphere grows louder, its influence is creating a less stigmatized environment for singles who no longer feel the shame of their values. “Of course that trickles down into the dating scene as well,” says right-wing influencer Debra Lea of the cultural shift, who adds that the “the popularity of monogamy, marriage, and starting a family is growing far beyond just the conservative movement.”
Though she hasn’t prioritized finding a partner, Lea, 25, has dated a range of conservative men over the last few years. In the post-Biden era of young romance, she’s noticed a key difference; “politics seem to be more commonly discussed both on and before dates.” The hardcore moderates always “bring out my ultraconservative side,” she says. “I would never marry or seriously date somebody unaligned with me politically, but I believe there are many more important factors to align on, such as religion, healthy lifestyle, and hobbies.”
The third right-wing influencer Trump was likely referencing as being on the receiving end of alleged antifa attacks was Andy Ngo, another Post Millennial blogger and right-wing influencer, who was also in attendance on Wednesday. Ngo has spent years attending protests across the country filming them and defining the right-wing narrative of antifa as a domestic terrorist threat. Ngo has spent years targeting Mark Bray, a Rutgers historian and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook. Following social media posts from a number of right-wing influencers, including Ngo, Bray is now trying to flee the US after receiving death threats.
Samuel Woolley, a researcher who studies digital propaganda at the University of Pittsburgh, believes the blurring of lines between state messaging and influencer content serves a strategic purpose. “Politicians and government officials will use influencers as a means to legitimize either the information they’re spreading or the actions they’re taking,” he says. “Oftentimes, influencers are now used to create the illusion of popularity for particular ideas to manufacture consensus around those ideas.”
The feedback loop created by these influencers and leveraged by the Trump administration is exemplified best by Johnson’s own X account. Johnson, a right-wing creator and former Turning Point USA contributor, shared clips of his Portland trip with Noem, including a video of the secretary praying at the start of a meeting and later interrogating someone who was purported to be an immigrant in the back of a government vehicle. From there, those clips are reposted and shared by other right-wing creators and sometimes plastered onto television news. In this case, Johnson was interviewed by Newsmax about his experience in Portland on Wednesday.
“Kristi Noem had to walk the premises with body armor men standing beside her, because the left is so violent here. Every time we came or went, left-wing protesters had to be cleared out of the streets,” Johnson said on Newsmax. “They spat on the vehicles.They screamed at us.”
These creators were some of the few media figures allowed to tour the Portland ICE facility. On Wednesday, The Oregonian reported that its reporters were denied access to the facility despite multiple conservative news outlets and creators being granted access. The paper first asked for access on September 25. Eight days later Fox News reporter Bill Melugin filmed a report on the facility’s roof. Reporters for the paper tried again on October 6, receiving no answer. Three days before, Daviscourt had toured the building.
“They can be used as a conduit for pushing manufactured stories or pushing particular propaganda messaging,” Woolley says of these right-wing creators. “They’re incredibly potent.”
The Trump administration has created a seamless loop of content inspiring policy and policy inspiring new content as the government performs its own justification in real time. First comes the boots on the ground. Then comes the content. Rinse and repeat.
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said prey upon children with exploitative algorithms as the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence” adds to their concerns that technologies’ benefits are inseparable from its dangers.
To underscore that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cited research from advocacy group ParentsTogether that found researchers posing as children experienced harmful interactions every five minutes they spent with an artificial intelligence chatbot.
“This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” said Prince Harry at Spring Studios in Manhattan Thursday night as he and Markle were named Humanitarians of the Year by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”
To build their movement of families fighting for online safety, the couple also announced Thursday that their foundation’s Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether.
Their remarks came at the annual gala for Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial- and Gen Z-driven tech nonprofit that runs a free online marketplace aiming to connect patients with the exact mental health care they seek.
The couple has made youth mental health a cornerstone of their philanthropic work since launching the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping aside as working royals. Through its network for families who have experienced online harm and support of youth-led organizations shaping responsible technology, the nonprofit works to make digital spaces safer.
Prince Harry has previously stressed the need to hold powerful social media companies accountable. He warned last year that young people are experiencing an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation driven by negative experiences online.
According to numerous studies, few guardrails exist to mitigate kids’ exposure to age-inappropriate content including pornography and violence on social media, where they also face cyberbullying and sexual harassment.
The issue could also be considered personal for the couple. Markle has been open about her mental health struggles due to what she describes as the royal family’s intense pressures and tabloid attacks. Harry’s own personal life has been the subject of much tabloid reporting, including targeted phone hacking and surveillance.
Prince Harry brought his awareness campaign to a reception Wednesday night hosted by men’s health nonprofit Movember. In a conversation with television journalist Brooke Baldwin, he emphasized that men should not feel isolated because he repeatedly hears the same struggles when he speaks with them.
“The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand,” he said in comments reshared on his blog. “Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”
“Culture makers” such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are important voices in mental health conversations because they inspire their enormous audiences to seek care, according to Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer.
But Schermer emphasized that the “moment of inspiration is fleeting” and it’s important for celebrities to take the extra step of partnering with trusted organizations that can actually deliver care.
He pointed to NBC television personality Carson Daly, the gala’s host, as an example. Daly opened up about his own anxiety on the air after reading a 2018 essay by NBA champion Kevin Love about an in-game panic attack.
Daly, a Project Healthy Minds board member, said mental health is now the most common topic that comes up when fans recognize him in public.
“I was like, ’I want to put all my eggs in this basket’ because I see the power even when I tell my story, it unlocks so many other people telling their story,” Daly told the Associated Press. “And I think that process — that’s how the destigmatization works.”
The money raised Thursday night will help the nonprofit build new filters that break down care options by their insurance providers and preferences for in-person or telehealth service options, according to Schermer. He compared the features to those on travel planning sites such as Expedia that allow users to choose the times, prices and airlines of their flight options.
Schermer said that having a recognizable host in Daly also helps “make it cool to talk about your emotions.”
“It’s not just the absence of a stigma,” Schermer said. “It’s also the presence of a sense of pride that by being vulnerable, being honest, being open, that that’s actually your greatest superpower.”
Thursday night’s other honoree was Indianapolis Colts co-owner and chief brand officer Kalen Jackson. The NFL executive — who talks openly about dealing with anxiety — has continued the team’s staunch support for mental health after the death of her father and beloved former owner Jim Irsay.
Project Healthy Minds recognized Jackson with its inaugural Sports Visionary of the Year Award, presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Jackson leads her family’s Kicking The Stigma initiative, which raises awareness about mental health disorders and tries to expand access to care across Indiana and country.
______
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said prey upon children with exploitative algorithms as the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence” adds to their concerns that technologies’ benefits are inseparable from its dangers.
To underscore that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cited research from advocacy group ParentsTogether that found researchers posing as children experienced harmful interactions every five minutes they spent with an artificial intelligence chatbot.
“This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” said Prince Harry at Spring Studios in Manhattan Thursday night as he and Markle were named Humanitarians of the Year by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”
To build their movement of families fighting for online safety, the couple also announced Thursday that their foundation’s Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether.
Their remarks came at the annual gala for Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial- and Gen Z-driven tech nonprofit that runs a free online marketplace aiming to connect patients with the exact mental health care they seek.
The couple has made youth mental health a cornerstone of their philanthropic work since launching the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping aside as working royals. Through its network for families who have experienced online harm and support of youth-led organizations shaping responsible technology, the nonprofit works to make digital spaces safer.
Prince Harry has previously stressed the need to hold powerful social media companies accountable. He warned last year that young people are experiencing an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation driven by negative experiences online.
According to numerous studies, few guardrails exist to mitigate kids’ exposure to age-inappropriate content including pornography and violence on social media, where they also face cyberbullying and sexual harassment.
The issue could also be considered personal for the couple. Markle has been open about her mental health struggles due to what she describes as the royal family’s intense pressures and tabloid attacks. Harry’s own personal life has been the subject of much tabloid reporting, including targeted phone hacking and surveillance.
Prince Harry brought his awareness campaign to a reception Wednesday night hosted by men’s health nonprofit Movember. In a conversation with television journalist Brooke Baldwin, he emphasized that men should not feel isolated because he repeatedly hears the same struggles when he speaks with them.
“The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand,” he said in comments reshared on his blog. “Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”
“Culture makers” such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are important voices in mental health conversations because they inspire their enormous audiences to seek care, according to Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer.
But Schermer emphasized that the “moment of inspiration is fleeting” and it’s important for celebrities to take the extra step of partnering with trusted organizations that can actually deliver care.
He pointed to NBC television personality Carson Daly, the gala’s host, as an example. Daly opened up about his own anxiety on the air after reading a 2018 essay by NBA champion Kevin Love about an in-game panic attack.
Daly, a Project Healthy Minds board member, said mental health is now the most common topic that comes up when fans recognize him in public.
“I was like, ’I want to put all my eggs in this basket’ because I see the power even when I tell my story, it unlocks so many other people telling their story,” Daly told the Associated Press. “And I think that process — that’s how the destigmatization works.”
The money raised Thursday night will help the nonprofit build new filters that break down care options by their insurance providers and preferences for in-person or telehealth service options, according to Schermer. He compared the features to those on travel planning sites such as Expedia that allow users to choose the times, prices and airlines of their flight options.
Schermer said that having a recognizable host in Daly also helps “make it cool to talk about your emotions.”
“It’s not just the absence of a stigma,” Schermer said. “It’s also the presence of a sense of pride that by being vulnerable, being honest, being open, that that’s actually your greatest superpower.”
Thursday night’s other honoree was Indianapolis Colts co-owner and chief brand officer Kalen Jackson. The NFL executive — who talks openly about dealing with anxiety — has continued the team’s staunch support for mental health after the death of her father and beloved former owner Jim Irsay.
Project Healthy Minds recognized Jackson with its inaugural Sports Visionary of the Year Award, presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Jackson leads her family’s Kicking The Stigma initiative, which raises awareness about mental health disorders and tries to expand access to care across Indiana and country.
______
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Here’s a new element of the East Coast vs. West Coast beef: The City of New York is reaching across the country to sue tech giants headquartered in California over allegations that their platforms have created a youth mental health crisis. The city, along with its school districts and health department, alleges that “gross negligence” on the part of Meta, Alphabet, Snap, and ByteDance has gotten kids hooked on social media, which has created a “public nuisance” that is placing a strain on the city’s resources.
In a 327-page complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the city alleges that tech companies have designed their platforms in a way that seeks to “maximize the number of children” using them, and have built “algorithms that wield user data as a weapon against children and fuel the addiction machine.” The city also alleges that these companies “know children and adolescents are in a developmental stage that leaves them particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects of these features,” but “target them anyway, in pursuit of additional profit.”
The claims that social media is addictive to underage users aren’t necessarily new. New York state, in fact, is part of a coalition of states that have sued social media companies for allegedly exploiting young users. But the New York City suit does bring some unique and jurisdiction-specific information. It cites data from the New York City Police Department, for instance, that show at least 16 teens have died while “subway surfing”—riding outside of a moving train—a dangerous behavior which the lawsuit claims has been encouraged by social media trends. Two girls, ages 12 and 13, died earlier this month while subway surfing.
It also cited survey data collected from New York high school students, which shows that 77.3% of the city’s teens spend three or more hours per day on screens, which it claims has contributed to lost sleep and, in turn, absences from school—corroborated by the city’s school districts, which provided data to show that 36.2% of all public school students are considered chronically absent, missing at least 10% of the school year.
According to Reuters, this lawsuit from New York City is part of a larger effort by other governments to hold social media firms accountable. There are more than 2,050 similar lawsuits in litigation. The city withdrew a previous lawsuit, announced by Mayor Eric Adams in 2024, to join this wider effort in federal court. By doing so, New York City immediately becomes one of the largest plaintiffs, with a population of 8.48 million and nearly two million residents under the age of 18.
“These lawsuits fundamentally misunderstand how YouTube works, and the allegations are simply not true. YouTube is a streaming service where people come to watch everything from live sports, to podcasts to their favorite creators, primarily on TV screens, not a social network where people go to catch up with friends,” José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, told Gizmodo. “We’ve also developed dedicated tools like Supervised Experiences for young people, guided by child safety experts, that give families control.”
Gizmodo reached out to Meta, Snap, and ByteDance for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said.Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was evaluated at a hospital Tuesday before being released. He posted on social media that he was doing well.“Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he said on X.The 76-year-old’s SUV crossed several lanes before hitting a parked car along the highway, agencies that responded to the crash told several media outlets. Simmons was then transported to a hospital, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.Kiss retired from a half-century of touring in 2023, but Simmons and his bandmates plan to play in November at a special event in Las Vegas. In August, President Donald Trump announced that Kiss will be among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.
MALIBU, Calif. —
Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said.
Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was evaluated at a hospital Tuesday before being released. He posted on social media that he was doing well.
“Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he said on X.
The 76-year-old’s SUV crossed several lanes before hitting a parked car along the highway, agencies that responded to the crash told several media outlets. Simmons was then transported to a hospital, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Kiss retired from a half-century of touring in 2023, but Simmons and his bandmates plan to play in November at a special event in Las Vegas. In August, President Donald Trump announced that Kiss will be among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.
J.K. Rowling’s response to an act of vandalism against Harry Potter has gone viral online.
Newsweek reached out to Rowling’s representative via email for comment on Thursday.
Why It Matters
The creator of the Harry Potter series quickly generated widespread discussion among fans and critics alike for her comment. Over the years, the author has been the subject of controversy due to her views on gender identity, and she recently traded barbs with Harry Potter actress Emma Watson.
What To Know
On Tuesday, social media commentator Ian Miles Cheong posted a video of someone breaking several Harry Potter Milk Chocolate Frogs in a store.
“Breaking all the chocolate frogs to stick it to JK Rowling,” Cheong captioned his post, which racked up more than 906,400 views at the time of publication. “What a well adjusted adult.”
“I’m breaking all the chocolate frogs,” the person in the video tells the camera. It is not known who originally posted the clip.
X user @HazelAppleyard_ later reposted the video, garnering an additional 996,900 views: “He’s breaking all the chocolate frogs to own @jk_rowling. I don’t think this affects her in any way.”
After seeing @HazelAppleyard_’s post, Rowling responded via her official X account: “That’s where you’re wrong. I personally hand pour every single one AND deliver them to shops on my push bike.”
Rowling’s note currently has 508,600 views and 51,000 likes.
According to Jelly Belly’s website, the Harry Potter chocolate is a collectible item. “Harry Potter fans delight! These delicious Chocolate Frogs are modeled after the ones featured in your favorite books and movies about a boy wizard,” a description of the candy reads. “While these frog chocolates won’t come to life and start hopping away from you while you ride the train to Hogwarts, they will provide a delicious treat that you or your kids are sure to love. Each frog is made from milk chocolate and filled with crisped rice for a delightfully crunchy texture. They also come with collectible cards inspired by your favorite Wizarding World characters.”
What People Are Saying
Watson—who starred as Hermione Granger in eight Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011—discussed her relationship with Rowling on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast on September 24: “There is just no world in which I could ever cancel her out… It’s not so much what we say or what we believe, it’s how we say it. I just see this world right now where we seem to giving permission to this throwing out of people, or that people are disposable. I will always think that’s wrong. I just believe that no one is disposable. And everyone as far as possible, whatever the conversation is, should and can be treated with, at the very least, dignity and respect.”
Rowling responded to Watson’s comments in a lengthy message shared to X on September 29: “Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them.
“However, Emma and [Daniel Radcliffe] in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right—nay, obligation—to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.
“Like other people who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”
In a separate X post, Rowling said: “She could have contacted me privately any time to say her views had changed, if they have. I’d have been entirely supportive. What she’s chosen to do instead is yet another bit of public brand repositioning, without talking to me, but using me for her purpose. It’s getting old.”
Most entrepreneurs think of Instagram, TikTok, or even X (formerly Twitter) when they think about building an online presence. But those platforms are designed for entertainment, not business. LinkedIn is different. It’s where decision makers, investors, clients, and partners spend their time. With over 1 billion users, LinkedIn is built for professionals and in my opinion, it remains one of the most underutilized resources for entrepreneurs.
For anyone starting out, LinkedIn provides credibility that no other social media channel can match. And for experienced business owners, it’s the ultimate amplifier of authority.
The compound effect of presence
The power of LinkedIn isn’t about one viral post. It’s about consistent visibility. When you show up regularly, your name becomes familiar to prospects, peers, and potential partners.
Being top of mind creates opportunities: client introductions, speaking invitations, new hires, and even unexpected investment conversations. For beginners, this consistency builds trust and establishes a reputation. For seasoned entrepreneurs, it keeps you relevant and positions you as a leader in your space.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
How to build presence
LinkedIn rewards consistency and authenticity. The good news? You don’t need to overthink it. Here are five practical steps: 1. Optimize your profile: Your photo, headline, and about section should clearly communicate who you are and the value you bring. 2. Show up consistently: Share short, authentic posts two or three times a week. Don’t wait until you have a “perfect” idea. 3. Engage with others: Comments are as valuable as posts. Add thoughtful insights to your network’s updates. 4. Share lessons, not pitches: People follow insights, not ads. Talk about what you’ve learned, not what you’re selling. 5. Leverage direct messages: Warm intros scale faster than cold calls. A personalized message can open doors that mass outreach can’t.
Why it matters now
We’re living in a hybrid world where relationships often start online before they ever move offline. Entrepreneurs who build trust on LinkedIn gain an edge because they meet people where they already spend their professional attention. LinkedIn has become a credibility engine. If you ignore it, you risk being invisible to the very people who can change your business trajectory.
Whether you’re just starting out or leading a company worth hundreds of millions, your LinkedIn presence is your digital handshake. It makes an introduction before you even walk into the room. If you’re not investing in building it, you’re leaving money, influence, and opportunities on the table.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dolly Parton “ain’t dead yet,” the country superstar said on social media Wednesday following public speculation about her health.
“There are just a lot of rumors flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” the 79-year-old singer said in a new two-minute video posted on Instagram. “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working.”
Her post, which appeared on numerous of Parton’s social media accounts and her website, was captioned, “I ain’t dead yet.”
She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for “Dolly: Live in Las Vegas” between Dec. 4 and Dec. 13, overlapping with the National Finals Rodeo. Her dates have been moved to next year — Sept. 2026.
She did not provide specific details at the time, writing, “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”
In the new video clip shared Wednesday, Parton is seen sitting on a set speaking directly to camera, telling her audience that she’s about to record a few commercials for the Grand Ole Opry, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
“Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you who seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” she continued. “And I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything.”
On Tuesday, a Facebook posted shared by her sister Freida Parton escalated concerns around Parton’s health when she wrote that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly.” Hours later, Freida Parton followed up with another post.
“I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote. “She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer.”
“I want you to know that I’m OK. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned. Back when my husband Carl was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of,” she said. “So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”
And in true Parton fashion, she ended with a joke. “But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying. Did you see that AI picture of Reba (McEntire) and me, oh Lordy! I mean, they had Reba at my death bed, and we both look like we need to be buried,” she laughed.
“If I was really dying, I don’t think Reba would be the one at my death bed. She might come visit me earlier.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up an appeal from Laura Loomer, the far-right personality and ally of President Donald Trump, in a lawsuit she filed against social media companies.
The justices did not explain why they decided not to hear the case. But a brief order said that Justice Samuel Alito “took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.”
The reason for his recusal was not provided, but it is likely because he owns stock in Procter & Gamble (P&G), which is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, according to advocacy group Fix the Court.
Newsweek has contacted a court spokesperson for comment via email. Loomer has been contacted for comment via social media.
Why It Matters
Federal law requires Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from cases in which their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” The nation’s highest court also adopted an ethics code to guide the justices after fierce criticism over undisclosed gifts, trips and other scandals, although there is no real means of enforcing either.
Loomer filed the lawsuit against Meta, X and others, alleging the companies violated civil racketeering laws by removing her from the platforms as she ran for Congress in Florida in 2020 and 2022.
She was banned from Facebook in 2019 and from X, then known as Twitter, in 2018, but her account on the latter platform was reinstated after Elon Musk bought the company.
In a complaint, her attorneys alleged “a conspiracy involving government pressure, corporate collusion and biased content moderation” that “stifled” Loomer’s ability to “communicate with voters, raise funds, and compete in federal elections.”
It also alleged P&G provided Meta, then known as Facebook, with a list of individuals, including Loomer, to be banned from the platform “unless they publicly disavowed affiliation with the Proud Boys” and threatened to withdraw advertising if they were not.
Loomer repeatedly lost in lower courts.
The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes political and cultural violence.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year agreed with a federal judge’s decision to dismiss the Loomer case, saying there was no plausible argument the companies had violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The federal judge ruled that Loomer’s claims against Meta and X were barred because previous lawsuits had already addressed the same underlying facts and that both companies were protected from liability for their content moderation decisions under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
Meta, X and P&G waived their right to respond to Loomer’s petition.
What People Are Saying
Laura Loomer wrote on X on Monday, in part: “If the Supreme Court isn’t willing to address Big Tech supremacy & election interference NOW, then when? We can’t allow Big Tech to wield more power than the President of the United States & to silence the voices of the American people.”
She added: “Today is a sad day in US history, but I will keep fighting for free speech & I will keep fighting for accountability from Big Tech for the American People, President Trump & his supporters, because TRUTH AND JUSTICE matter!”
Decision 2.0, however, is likely just an ad for Amazon
LeBron James has the internet in a stir after the four-time NBA MVP teased on his social media channels that “the decision of all decisions” will be handed down tomorrow, Oct. 7, at 12 pm EST.
LeBron James announces he’s taking his talents to South Beach and the Miami Heat on July 8, 2010. James says he’ll hand down the “decision of all decisions” on Oct. 7, 2025, but it’s likely nothing more than an Amazon ad. (Image: ESPN)
James, of course, is playing off his July 8, 2010, infamous “The Decision” television spectacle in which he proclaimed to the world, “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” James, an Ohio kid born and raised in Akron who had played his first seven seasons in the NBA with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, was criticized for not telling the Cavs and owner Dan Gilbert beforehand and drawing out the announcement.
James’ tease of Decision 2.0 tomorrow has naturally generated a flurry of speculation. Is he retiring? Is he seeking a trade, or is one already in place? Will he return to Cleveland for a final season before retiring?
Or, perhaps, it’s something much less relevant to the court, such as an advertisement for Amazon.
LeBron Odds Favor Prime ‘Big Deal’ Days
In today’s sports betting culture, King James’ social media post quickly spurred odds (no legal sportsbook is taking action on tomorrow’s announcement). Most of the hypothetical odds favor James announcing that it’s the start of Amazon Prime Big Deals Day. James has long had a sponsorship deal with the tech giant.
While Amazon Prime Day in 2025 was July 8-11, the online retailer is running a second promotion this year called Prime Big Deal Days. The special runs tomorrow, Oct.7, through Wednesday, Oct.8.
Despite most insiders predicting that James’ “decision of all decisions” will simply be a marketing ploy for the world’s largest online retailer, bettors on wagering exchange Kalshi are buying up considerable positions in James announcing his retirement before the 2026-27 season.
LeBron James announces retirement before the 2026-27 season?” has seen “yes” shares surge 10% over the past six hours.
Other hypothetical prop bets for James’ second decision include the self-proclaimed “taco Tuesday” enthusiast announcing that he’s becoming a spokesperson for Chipotle. Others think he could announce new ads for Doritos, Nike, or even sportsbook DraftKings.
2025-26 Odds
The 2025-26 NBA Regular Season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with two games, including one with LeBron. James’ Lakers host the Golden State Warriors, with tipoff set for 10 pm ET.
The Lakers executed the trade of last season when Los Angeles shipped Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic, the latter the 2024 scoring champion and a five-time NBA All-Star. Many NBA and sports analysts called the trade among the most shocking and unexpected in American sports history.
With a little more than two weeks from the start of the NBA regular season, the Lakers have the sixth-shortest odds of winning the NBA Finals at +1400. The only other teams with shorter odds are the Oklahoma City Thunder (+245), Denver Nuggets (+600), Cleveland Cavaliers (+850), New York Knicks (+850), and Houston Rockets (+1100).
The Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, and Utah Jazz are tied for the longest title odds at +100000.
Last week, “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth called America’s troops fat. Every “warrior,” he said, will now be required to train every duty day and pass fitness tests twice a year. “Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations … and see fat troops. Likewise it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
Equating physical appearance with battle-ready fortitude has become a consistent talking point for Hegseth and other Republicans in his orbit. In August, Hegseth and US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched the “Pete and Bobby Challenge” across their social media feeds, completing a workout of 100 pushups and 50 pull-ups, with the goal of finishing in under five minutes. (Within hours of its publication, left-wing accounts began making fun of Kennedy’s pull-up form and questioning his decision to wear denim while exercising.)
After the young male vote flipped toward Trump by almost 30 points in the last election, the fight for their attention has taken center stage in the US political culture war. Both parties are vying for the male half of the most fitness-obsessed generation in recent memory.
Though there is nothing inherently right-wing about lifting weights, fitness influencers have been at the forefront of the rightward shift of young men in recent years; exercise content represents a key bloc of the so-called manosphere. However, a small but rapidly growing subset of progressive gym bros are moving into the online fitness space, and influential figures on the left are taking notice.
Colin Davis, a 24-year-old from North Carolina, is one of those men. In a series of videos shared to TikTok and Instagram, Davis flexes under dim lighting that accentuates his massive biceps and showcases dumbbell bench presses to heavy metal music. He also posts about his leftist beliefs.
“You don’t need a side hustle, you need a union,” Davis captions one video that has almost 60,000 likes. In a TikTok post that has been liked over 187,000 times, he discusses the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the value of political protest, while leaning on a squat rack
Davis first went viral in April when he published a video of himself seated in a lawn chair in the middle of the woods, ridiculing the “warrior” culture that has grown to dominate much of the male-oriented fitness space. “You are not a warrior, you are not a protector, you are not defending your homeland. You are a guy that lifts weights a couple times a week and maybe goes for a run,” he says, staring into the camera deadpan.
Though the aesthetic similarities can be undeniable, Davis’ content is a stark departure from the deluge of “trad” fitness that inundates many young men’s Instagram and TikTok feeds. Those often include compilation videos of men flexing their muscles, cut between clips that ridicule partying women, body-positivity influencers, and gay men. “Embrace Masculinity,” one such video emblazons across the center of the screen.
They say business is cutthroat, and I guess it is in many ways. However, most businesspeople I know share the philosophy that a rising tide lifts all boats. As such, people want to help their friends, and sometimes even their competitors.
One way to increase your visibility is to increase your presence on LinkedIn. No, the work and job focused social media platform isn’t sponsoring this post, and there are a number of issues with LinkedIn’s algorithm and what the platform promotes. You can decide what you want to do, depending on your goals.
But if you want to help out a friend, these tactics always work, and they are super easy for you to do. It won’t take you much time at all, and it can really boost your friends’ visibility.
Expand their posts – LinkedIn only shows the opening couple of lines of a post. All except the shortest posts require you to expand it to read the whole thing. You may want to just hit like without expanding, but expanding tells LinkedIn that you’re interested. So make sure you expand that post!
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Comment and then like the post – LinkedIn is weird, and yes, the order matters. A comment on LinkedIn tells you that you’re invested in the content. Liking is also a good thing to do, but because LinkedIn gives more credence to comments, it helps boost the post if you do it in the right order.
Make sure your comment is meaningful – Typing “thanks!” or “good idea” is helpful, but if you really want to help your friends, make a meaningful comment. And don’t use AI to do it. AI comments are obvious and bad. Add your actual thoughts on the topic.
Keep up with the comments – If you comment on your friend’s post and someone replies to you, go back and reply to them, or at least hit a response button.
Tag your friend (but only if they’ll comment) – Lots of people tag strangers on posts because they want that person’s audience to come over. Do not do that. First of all, if you tag someone and they don’t interact with your comment, it doesn’t help your reach. But if you tag someone and they untag themselves, it tanks your post. It tells the algorithm that you are spamming the timeline.
So, yes, you can boost your friend’s visibility by tagging them, but make sure they will comment on your post if you do. Otherwise, you’re risking damaging your own credibility and not really helping them.
Open their newsletter – If your friend has a newsletter, of course, you already subscribed. But LinkedIn, in all their wisdom, doesn’t send the newsletter to every subscriber. So if you get it in your inbox or in your notifications, or find it scrolling through your feed, open it. Make a comment or hit like to give it an extra boost.
Choose something besides “like” – While I haven’t tested the impact of this myself, it stands to reason that since hitting ‘like’ is much faster than choosing ‘support’ or ‘celebrate’, LinkedIn would perceive you as more invested in the content, and therefore boost the post. It’s absolutely worth trying to help your friend out.
Share your friend’s posts the right way -Shares are always appreciated, but they do better if you add your own commentary before hitting share. Additionally, another way to share your friend’s post is to write your own commentary about the post without sharing, tag your friend, add a picture (the algorithm loves pictures), and hit post.
Then, once it’s live, hit edit, and go back in and add the link to their post. I know this is a bit more time-consuming, but it does seem to help.
These aren’t entirely selfless actions, though. While I believe in doing things to help people just because I want them to succeed, all of these tips also boost your own visibility. It’s a win-win situation.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has plans to build out a 24/7/365 surveillance team that focuses on scouring social media for case leads, as revealed in documents first discovered by Wired. According to public records, ICE has put out a request for information — which allows the agency to detail its preliminary scope of work to gauge any interest from contractors — that details using social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and YouTube to develop leads on wanted individuals.
For “urgent cases,” the team is expected to work on leads with ICE’s Top 10 Most Wanted within a 30-minute timeframe. However, the breadth of work ranges all the way to low-priority cases, like those involving someone convicted of a non-violent misdemeanor or “has no convictions but has a significant arrest history,” with a more generous eight-hour window to generate leads.
According to the documents, ICE wants at least 12 full-time staff to work at its National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, Vermont, which will require three staffers on duty at all times. On the other side of the country, ICE is looking for a minimum staff of 16 full-time contractors for its Pacific Enforcement Response Center in Santa Ana, California, that will also have a duty rotation of at least two staffers on for “after-hour requirements and emergency situations.”
While the plans are in the very early stages, ICE’s plans are aggressive and even ask how prospective contractors would use artificial intelligence to achieve its goals. The federal agency is no stranger to controversial tech though, as it has previously been accused of using facial recognition.
DRACUT — Superintendent of Schools Steven Stone intends to sue Town Manager Kate Hodges and Board of Selectmen Chair Josh Taylor, alleging defamation of character and abuse of power.
The news was disclosed at a special meeting of the School Committee in which committee member Rebecca Duda was removed from all subcommittee assignments because of several documents she posted on social media.
The documents were related to a purported overpayment of retirement benefits to Andrew Graham, who worked for the School Department as a post-retirement employee.
Notice of Stone’s suit was delivered to Hodges and Taylor on Thursday night. The first public hint of the superintendent’s action came Friday morning when Shannon Rowe, executive assistant to the Board of Selectmen, posted the agenda for a selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The email announced an executive session, rather than a regular session, “to discuss strategy with respect to threatened litigation in the matter of the School Superintendent vs. the Chair of the Selectmen and Town Manager as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the public body’s litigating position.”
The School Committee held its own special, but public, meeting on Friday afternoon to review the department’s payroll process, committee roles and the School Department, the board’s code of ethics and governance norms, and the committee response to criticism and claims.
The meeting was called after nearly six weeks of arguments conducted primarily over Facebook, beginning in August with a description of the Parker Avenue School lease to Community Teamwork Inc.
During that six-week interval, some school board members, a selectman and others posted a daily blizzard of criticism of each other in less-than-respectful terms. In one post, School Committee Chair Renee Young called on selectmen to remove Taylor as chairman of that board.
Neither the town manager nor the superintendent directly participated in the Facebook fight, although their names came up frequently.
School Committee member Linda Trouville may have spoken for many who have witnessed the social media exchanges when she said, “I’ve been taken aback by the slander I’ve seen.”
In the course of the school board meeting, School Committee member Allison Volpe made the motion to remove Duda from all her committee assignments because she posted several public records documents on Facebook regarding Graham.
“I respect you but I can’t trust you,” Volpe told Duda.
In a long introductory section, Duda said, “For approximately the past month and a half, I have been researching post retiree earnings with the Dracut Public Schools and our internal processes as it relates to these employees.”
That and similar statements may be what led to allegations of violations of School Committee norms. One of those norms reads, “The School Committee will lead by example and work to build trust. We agree to avoid words and actions that create a negative impression of an individual, the School Committee, or the district. While we encourage debate and differing points of view, we will speak with care and respect.”
SEATTLE – The eighth episode of “Seattle News Weekly,” FOX 13 Seattle Anchor Bill Wixey takes a deep dive into the First Amendment — what it protects, what it doesn’t and how those lines play out in today’s media landscape.
In this episode, Wixey hosts Seattle University’s Dr. Caitlin Carlson, chair of the Department of Communications and Media, to unpack the law and its real-world impacts on press freedom, social platforms, consolidation, misinformation and protest.
The conversation explores how foundational rights interact with modern challenges, from content moderation to government pressure on media companies, and why an informed public and robust local journalism are essential for a healthy democracy.
What does the First Amendment actually cover?
Wixey and Carlson’s discussion starts with a baseline: the First Amendment, which includes five freedoms — speech, press, assembly, free exercise of religion and protection from a government-established religion.
Carlson emphasizes that while it’s “first,” it sits alongside many other constitutional protections and isn’t a blanket shield for all expression.
Where are the legal limits?
Carlson outlines the categories that fall outside First Amendment protection, including true threats, incitement to imminent unlawful action, child pornography and “fighting words,” alongside torts like defamation, and areas like copyright and trademark. Hate speech, she noted, is generally protected in the U.S. unless it crosses those lines.
How does First Amendment apply to social media?
Because social media platforms are private spaces, the government doesn’t set their moderation rules — companies do.
Platforms can go far beyond constitutional limits and ban categories of speech at their discretion, provided users agree to the terms.
Government pressure, consolidation, the press
In this episode, Carlson differentiates between protected criticism of the press by public officials and more troubling patterns, like lawsuits intended to chill reporting or regulatory pressure tied to ownership approvals.
She warns that media consolidation reduces the number of local journalists and narrows the range of voices and stories the public can access.
Misinformation, disinformation, and accountability
According to Carlson, misinformation and disinformation aren’t illegal in the U.S., and the government doesn’t referee truth. Instead, accountability often comes through civil litigation, like high-profile defamation cases, rather than regulation.
This conversation emphasizes the importance of media literacy and the risks of any authority declaring disfavored reporting as “fake news.”
What protections exist for protesters?
Protest rights hinge on location. Peaceful demonstrations in traditional public forums — like parks and sidewalks — receive strong protection; private institutions, like private universities, have more discretion to set rules.
This episode explores recent controversies over campus protests and the tension between First Amendment principles and funding or immigration-status threats.
Join us every Thursday to stay up to date on weekly news around the area.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible, or YouTube.
The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
There’s plenty of talk online about echo chambers and the way that certain ideas can get amplified when stuck in a silo of like-minded people. But the controversy earlier this year over American Eagle’s “Good Jeans” advertising campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney is an example of how motivated political actors can pluck otherwise insulated discourse out of parts of social media and spin it into full-blown drama to serve their own means.
According to data collected by open-source social intelligence platform Open Measures, pushback against the American Eagle ad campaign, which was criticized as dabbling in eugenics and winking at white supremacists, was a relatively small part of the conversation surrounding the marketing effort. From July 16 to August 12, 2025, just 6% of posts mentioning the ad included mention of its perceived racist undertones. But if you caught wind of the discourse about it, you’d think it was the only thing anyone was talking about.
That, per Open Measures, is because right-wing accounts online spotted some of the backlash and turned it into the story. By July 27, the researchers found that conservative personalities started to boost selected posts to suggest that liberals were outraged by the ads. The accounts used this to generate backlash against what they painted as the entire Left crying “racism” about a jeans advertisement. But, as the New York Times reported in August, most of the posts that got presented as representative of a larger political ideology had fewer than 500 views before being amplified. Meanwhile, the amplification efforts were being done by accounts like LibsOfTikTok, which has 4.5 million followers on Twitter.
The ability to take these smaller accounts offering criticism and turn them into the stand-ins for the “woke left” allowed the Online Right to generate an entire news cycle about the advertisement and the supposed backlash against it, grabbing mainstream news coverage, including multiple segments on Fox News. The biggest period of conversation about the ad, according to Open Measures, wasn’t the days following its launch, but rather about two weeks later, between July 30 and August 5, when the conservative amplification was at its highest—and culminating in President Donald Trump commenting on the whole situation and saying he “loved” the ad.
Open Measures further notes, “a larger share of posts discussing the ads that also claimed the ads echoed bigoted ideologies were represented on alt-platforms with predominantly conservative communities than those without, indicating that the claims were more popular with conservative critics of liberals than with liberals themselves.”
There were undoubtedly people levying real and genuine critiques of the American Eagle campaign, but the idea that those voices were somehow exemplary of the entirety of the Left simply doesn’t match up to the data. The Right managed to take a handful of outliers, turn them into the representatives of something bigger, and then spin up an entire effort to push back against that narrative that it amplified in the first place.
PARIS (Reuters) -Cyclist and social media sensation Aurelien Fontenoy became the fastest athlete ever to climb to the second floor of France’s Eiffel Tower on an all-terrain bike, the monument’s operator said on Friday.
Fontenoy on Thursday climbed 686 steps of the monument to reach the second-floor platform, the last accessible by stairs, in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, the Societe d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel said in a statement.
He broke the previous record by almost seven minutes. In order to claim the title, Fontenoy’s feet were not allowed to touch the ground.
“I did not expect to take this little time,” Fontenoy said after the feat. The Eiffel Tower “is really a symbol, it is really the monument that I wanted to climb,” he added.
As part of his project “The Climb”, Fontenoy cycled in 2021 to the top of the 140-metre high Trinity Tower, also in Paris, and this year he climbed Tallinn’s TV Tower in Estonia.
(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Manuel Ausloos, editing by Ken Ferris)
United States immigration authorities are moving to dramatically expand their social media surveillance, with plans to hire nearly 30 contractors to sift through posts, photos, and messages—raw material to be transformed into intelligence for deportation raids and arrests.
Federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED show that the agency is seeking private vendors to run a multiyear surveillance program out of two of its little-known targeting centers. The program envisions stationing nearly 30 private analysts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Vermont and Southern California. Their job: Scour Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, converting posts and profiles into fresh leads for enforcement raids.
The initiative is still at the request-for-information stage, a step agencies use to gauge interest from contractors before an official bidding process. But draft planning documents show the scheme is ambitious: ICE wants a contractor capable of staffing the centers around the clock, constantly processing cases on tight deadlines, and supplying the agency with the latest and greatest subscription-based surveillance software.
The facilities at the heart of this plan are two of ICE’s three targeting centers, responsible for producing leads that feed directly into the agency’s enforcement operations. The National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center sits in Williston, Vermont. It handles cases across much of the eastern US. The Pacific Enforcement Response Center, based in Santa Ana, California, oversees the western region and is designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Internal planning documents show that each site would be staffed with a mix of senior analysts, shift leads, and rank-and-file researchers. Vermont would see a team of a dozen contractors, including a program manager and 10 analysts. California would host a larger, nonstop watch floor with 16 staff. At all times, at least one senior analyst and three researchers would be on duty at the Santa Ana site.
Together, these teams would operate as intelligence arms of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division. They will receive tips and incoming cases, research individuals online, and package the results into dossiers that could be used by field offices to plan arrests.
WASHINGTON (AP) — On Thursday morning, as thousands of federal employees stayed home and faced potential layoffs because of the government shutdown, President Donald Trump got right to work on social media.
He started by sharing praise from supporters. Then he falsely claimed that “DEMOCRATS WANT TO GIVE YOUR HEALTHCARE MONEY TO ILLEGAL ALIENS.” And then he announced that he would meet with his top budget adviser to figure out where to make permanent cuts to federal programs that “are a political SCAM.”
All that was before 8 a.m., just one flurry in a blizzard of online commentary from the president as the government shutdown entered a second day. Like so many other times when he’s faced complex crises with no easy solutions, Trump seems determined to post his way through it.
The stream of invective and trolling has been remarkable even for a 79-year-old president who is as chronically online as any member of Gen Z. His style is mirrored by the rest of his administration, which so far seems more interested in mocking and pummeling Democrats than negotiating with them.
Government websites feature pop-up messages blaming “the Radical Left” for the shutdown, an unusually political message for ostensibly nonpartisan agencies. When reporters email the White House press office, they receive an automated reply blaming slow answers on “staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown.”
Trump’s White House is accustomed to take-no-prisoners political messaging, continuing its aggressive style from last year’s campaign that critics describe as callous and vindictive. The administration rarely misses an opportunity to get under the skin of its opponents.
The president took a similar online approach to the last government shutdown, which began in December 2018 and lasted until January 2019 during his first term in office. On the 30th day of that shutdown, Politico tallied 40 tweets from Trump, including a complaint that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was acting “so irrationally” and gratitude for federal employees for “working so hard for your Country and not getting paid.”
Back then, Trump took most of the blame, with an Associated Press-NORC poll showing about 7 in 10 Americans saying he had “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility. He ultimately backed down from his demand for border wall funding, signed legislation allowing the government to reopen.
It remains to be seen who will face the most blowback this time. Democrats say they won’t vote for any spending legislation unless it extends health care subsidies, used to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act, that are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. Republicans accuse them of being obstructionist, insisting that government operations should be funded while other policies are negotiated separately.
A recent New York Times/Siena poll, which was conducted before the shutdown began, found slightly more registered voters would blame Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats. About one-third said they’d blame both sides equally.
There was another red flag for Trump in a one-day text message poll conducted Oct. 1 by the Washington Post. The results showed 47% of Americans saying they thought the president and Republicans in Congress are mainly to blame, compared with 30% saying that of Democrats in Congress.
Trump appears determined to move the needle — or at least blow off some steam — with his account on Truth Social, a social media platform founded by Trump after he was banned from Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The presidential trolling began on Monday after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Trump and Republicans at the White House. Trump posted a deepfake video of the lawmakers, with Schumer saying, “nobody likes Democrats anymore.” Jeffries was depicted with a cartoon sombrero and mustache.
“It’s a disgusting video, and we’re going to continue to make clear that bigotry will get you nowhere,” Jeffries said on MSNBC this week.
Trump posted a clip of his appearance, but with a soundtrack of mariachi music. The sombrero and mustache were back, too.
“Every day Democrats keep the government shut down, the sombrero gets 10x bigger,” the White House wrote on social media.
Hours before the shutdown began on Tuesday night, the president posted photos from his meeting with Jeffries and Schumer. The pictures showed red “Trump 2028” hats on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, a nod to his talk of running for an unconstitutional third term.
Trump did not have any public appearances scheduled on Thursday. An event to commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month was postponed because of the shutdown.
The White House did not respond to questions about how he was working to resolve the situation. But for at least a few hours, Trump’s social media account went quiet.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
