Tucker in Russia, Border Bill, Taylor Swift Meme War, The War On Children
Tucker in Russia, Border Bill, Taylor Swift Meme War, The War On Children
The People's News for the People's Coin 1/31-2/6
Hey everyone,
This news digest covers the following stories from the past week:
1. Tucker Carlson’s trip to Russia to interview Putin
2. Three big border stories
3. The meme war over Taylor Swift
4. Robby Starbuck’s documentary, The War On Children
Don’t miss videos, memes, and news bites at the end!
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Tucker in Russia
Over the weekend, massive news broke that Tucker Carlson was in Russia to interview Vladimir Putin.
A Tucker/Putin interview has been in the works for a while.
Last year, Tucker revealed that the NSA hacked Signal—an encrypted messaging app—in 2021 in an effort to scuttle his plans to interview Putin for Fox News.
Opinion on Putin is highly polarized in American politics.
Democrats, neoconservatives, and mainstream media represent a coalition that is aggressively pro-Ukraine and therefore anti-Putin.
This coalition’s strategy has been to paint anyone opposing continued funding of the Ukrainian military as pro-Putin.
In opposition, populists on both the left and right tend to argue that Putin’s actions in Ukraine are bad, but America is better off not getting involved in a territorial dispute with a nuclear power on the other side of the world.
This perspective is not represented in legacy journalism, but does get a significant hearing from independent online media.
The differences between these political camps is reflected how Putin is covered by the two media ecosystems.
Long clips of the Russian President speaking routinely circulate on the Internet, where his words are closely analyzed.
Mainstream media depicts Putin as a Hilter-like figure: negative sentiment about him is permitted, but access to his actual speeches and interviews is strictly limited.
For these reasons, Tucker’s 2024 visit has elicited a strong negative reaction from both mainstream media and establishment politicians, who’ve equated interviewing Putin with supporting him.
Notably, after news of Tucker’s Russia visit broke, neocon guru Bill Kristol called on the United States to block his re-entry into the United States, while CNN pundit Adam Kinzinger said he was a “traitor”.
By contrast, RFK Jr argued in favor of free speech by asserting that Tucker was within his rights as a journalist to interview one of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The transformation of Putin into an establishment bogeyman is taken for granted now, but is a surprisingly recent phenomenon.
Not long ago, various Western leaders—including Obama, Bush, Clinton, and Biden—praised Putin as a trustworthy ally.
Relations between Putin and the West took a turn for the worse in 2014, when the West-backed Maidan coup overthrew Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
The coup was in response to Yanukovych’s decision to strengthen trade agreements with Russia instead of the EU.
The new government, which Putin claimed was illegitimate, favored the West over Russia. In response to the Maidan coup, Russia annexed Crimea.
In 2016, the US foreign policy establishment further alienated Putin by attempting to paint then-candidate Trump as a Kremlin asset.
The idea that Trump was secretly controlled by Russia would have been one of the craziest things ever to happen in America politics…but instead, it turned out to be a bogus conspiracy theory paid for by the Clinton campaign and propagated by its media allies.
Despite years of investigations, no proof has ever emerged that Trump was a Russian asset. Rather than walk back its claims, the media has continued to operate under the presumption that Putin is secretly in league with America First figures, including Trump and Tucker.
For his part, Putin has become an increasingly sharp critic of the Western establishment over time, claiming the West’s abandonment of traditional values would lead to the legitimization of pedophilia
The 2022 war in Ukraine marked another major escalation in the Russia Man Bad narrative.
The establishment portrayed Russia’s military campaign as an unprovoked invasion, and used that depiction to justify sending unlimited weapons and money to the Ukrainian military effort.
Populists and non-interventionists argued that Putin’s invasion was well telegraphed reaction designed to repel NATO expansion after years of rising tensions between Russia and the West.
Establishment media’s strong reaction to news of the Tucker interview likely stems from fear that if Westerners hear Putin’s uncensored speech, he will come across not as a monomaniacal dictator, but more like a pragmatic and rationally self-interested politician whose country’s own needs are at cross-purposes with the goals of American empire.
This, in turn, could cause Americans to question the establishment’s obsessive support for the war in Ukraine.
It also might lead them to doubt the media’s (at this point absurd) depiction of Trump as a Kremlin asset.
Yesterday, Tucker released a short video in which he confirmed he was interviewing Putin.
He explained, “We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. We are here because we love the United States….we are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it.”
After Tucker’s video, Elon liked a post arguing that Tucker was changing journalism as we know it…
…while also endeavoring to keep things light-hearted…
Whenever the video drops, it has a good chance to become the most-watched interview ever.
What do you think: is their something wrong with Tucker interviewing Putin? Or should the American people have the option to hear the Russian President’s own words?
For more on the history of the US’s involvement in Ukraine, take a look at the excellent documentary Ukraine on Fire. Here’s what Russian citizens had to say about Tucker.
Border Bill, Voter Fraud, Mayorkas Impeachment
Debate over the US southern border has stayed red hot over the last week.
Discussion followed three main currents: the connection between illegal immigration and voter fraud, new border legislation, and attempts to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Voter Fraud
On Friday, Elon began openly accusing the Biden Administration of enabling illegal immigration as an electoral strategy.
In his strongest assertion about immigration yet, he agreed with the statement that the White House was carrying out a “controlled demolition” of America through open-border policies.
Over the weekend, he continued to highlight the connection between illegal immigration and elections.
In one post, he pointed out loopholes in the census that incentivize illegal immigration for congressional districting.
In another, he highlighted documents from a liberal think tank arguing that granting citizenship to illegal immigrants is a winning electoral strategy.
In a third, he criticized state-level policies that undermine electoral security and allow non-citizens to vote without detection.
He also highlighted several memes about illegal immigration.
As the border debate has gained momentum, immigration memes have proliferated 𝕏.
Importantly, these memes aren’t overtly anti-immigrant, mean-spirited, or bigoted.
Instead, they plainly communicate the alarming consequences of allowing millions of people to circumvent the lawful immigration process.
So far, Elon’s focus is on 2024. He hasn’t questioned the results of any past elections.
However, his recent posts and memes are nudging the Overton Window toward a re-evaluation of 2020.
The discussion hasn’t reached that point yet, but looks like it’s headed in that direction.
A related sub-discussion was the US’s overly friendly treatment of illegal immigrants to the point of giving them preference over American citizens.
The topic briefly blew up when an illegal immigrant accused of beating up an NYC cop was released without bail—and gave cameras the finger on his way out.
The same day, New York City launched a new $53M program to give pre-paid credit cards to migrant families.
Elon argued that leniency toward illegal immigrants was explicable through electoral politics: “This explains why there are so few deportations, as every deportation is a lost vote. As happened this week, you can literally assault police officers in broad daylight in New York, be released with no bail, give everyone the finger and *still* not be deported!! Outrageous.”
On Saturday, Trump pushed the discussion further by claiming the Chinese Communist Party is paying Mexican drug cartels to move Chinese migrants across the border.
The comments played on a recently viral Tucker/Bret Weinstein interview about mysterious camps of Chinese migrants in the Darien Gap.
Trump’s statements led to the accusation that he was pushing “Immigration Conspiracy Theories.”
What do you think: is there a connection between illegal immigration and voter fraud?
Border Bill
As citizens take an increasingly dim view on the federal government’s handling of immigration, incumbent politicians are feeling pressure to appear as if they’re doing something about about border security.
Last week, Biden called on Congress to pass new border legislation.
On 𝕏, the call was met with skepticism that the President already has sufficient authority to close the border without additional powers.
Still, on Sunday night, Senate leaders and the White House released a new border bill.
The $118B bill allocated $20B to the US border as part of a larger package that included $60B in aid to Ukraine, $14B to Israel, $10B to Gaza, $2.4B for the Yemen war, and $2B to Taiwan.
Critics also pointed out that the new law granted illegal immigrants work permits and budgeted money for their lawyers.
Elon called the bill a ”major scam.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said it was dead on arrival.
Even Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell came out against it, sealing its fate.
Trump took a similar view, calling on Republicans not to pass the law.
In response, Democrats accused Trump of blocking border solutions for political purposes.
On Tuesday, Biden blamed Trump for disfunction at the border, telling reporters, “The only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends.”
The bill’s failure has led to a strange and at times hilarious dynamic where Democratic Party, which spent nearly a decade attacking Trump as racist for his border hawkishness, suddenly finds itself blaming him for keeping the border open.
What do you think: who is responsible for the US’s open border?
Mayorkas Impeachment
The third main current in border debate centered on the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Conservative border hawks have been clamoring to impeach Mayorkas since November for dereliction of duty.
At the end of January, House Republicans introduced articles of impeachment alleging "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law."
On Saturday, Elon criticized Mayorkas for writing guidance that made it harder to deport illegal immigrants.
He also ran a poll on 𝕏 about impeaching Mayorkas. 89% of 460k respondents voted in favor.
Last night, the House vote to impeach Mayorkas failed 214-216, with a handful of conservatives crossing party lines to side with Democrats.
Following the vote, news broke that a new vote will take place next week, which Republicans expect to pass.
What do you think: should someone in the Biden administration be held accountable for the border? Or is new legislation the right approach?
For a closer look at the migrant situation, Bret Weinstein traveled to the Darien Gap to investigate the migrant experience. Viva Frei broke down media’s hysterical reaction to Elon’s voter fraud posts.
Taylor Swift Meme War
Over the last year, Taylor Swift’s stardom has reached new heights.
Her ongoing Eras tour is the highest-grossing musical tour of all time.
This fall, her relationship with NFL star and Pfizer spokesman Travis Kelce has simultaneously brought millions of new fans to the NFL and made her a Sunday afternoon fixture on TV.
As Kelce’s Chiefs advanced through the playoffs to the Super Bowl, Swift has come into the spotlight for another reason.
Last week, when a meme war broke out between conservative influencers and legacy media over Swift’s expected Presidential endorsement (in 2020, she backed Joe Biden).
Swift’s unparalleled cultural influence could make her endorsement this year more momentous than perhaps any other single individual on the planet in determining the outcome of the 2024 election, so much so that the Biden campaign reportedly asking job applicants to describe their “Taylor Swift strategy.”
The combination of Swift’s expected Biden endorsement and Super Bowl presence led conservatives to speculate that aspects of her recent virality are manufactured.
The evidence backing these claims is thin, but not nothing.
Doubters point to an old clip of Swift complaining about how the rights to her music were purchased by political Democrat mega-donor George Soros.
There’s also unearthed slide with a picture of Swift from a presentation given by a NATO contractor about using celebrities to “spread desired messaging.”
For the most part, the Swift theories have been a mildly entertaining sideshow on 𝕏.
However, they did provoke a vocal response from television pundits.
Print outlets also took the opportunity to skewer the theories. In particular, the Washington Post has maintained near-daily coverage of the phenomenon.
At some point, the story of the existence of the Swift-theories took on a life of its own, even drawing parody from conservative humor outlet Babylon Bee.
It also caused the Department of Defense to issue a statement that “Taylor Swift is not part of a DOD psychological operation. Period.”
On the other hand, a conspicuous Swift endorsement by anti-Trump politician Liz Cheney caused left-leaning journalist Michael Tracey to wonder if perhaps there might be something to the psyop angle.
‘As with anything related to Swift, the meme war drew massive coverage.
There’s a good reason the media are so fixated on the theories: just as immigration is a winning issue for the right, Taylor Swift is probably a winning issue for the left.
Swift is a cultural proxy for modern feminism. Conservatives who attack Swift’s political leanings can easily be spun to appear backwards, anti-woman, misogynistic.
At the same time, while coverage of the theories has been very loud, the theories themselves have been fairly benign.
People should be free to speculate about anything. Since there’s an undenaible element to stagecraft with Swift’s public persona, it’s fair to ask where real life ends and artifice begins.
At this point, the reality of the situation is probably more mundane that most of the wildest speculations: entertainment and media industries are closely intertwined with the Democratic Party.
This is no different than the way in which the big oil and defense contractors are bound up with the GOP—each political machine has its industry-level supporters, who back their preferred party in exchange for political favors.
For this reason, celebrities learn early on that espousing the right liberal political opinions is the only way to advance in the entertainment industry.
Those who buck the trend quickly find themselves out of work.
In this respect, Swift is no different than anyone else in her position. Her probable endorsement for Joe Biden doesn’t need any more explaining than this.
For his part far, Elon wisely stayed out of the fray.
On Monday, he celebrated the promotion of Swift’s next album on 𝕏.
He also sympathized with Swift, who has become the subject of a private jet tracker account like the one that followed his own movements in 2022.
What do you think: why have the Taylor Swift psyop stories garnered so much attention?
The War on Children
This week, a new documentary was released on 𝕏 called The War On Children.
The documentary looks at the impact of social media, LGBTQ+ ideology, pornography, changes to public education, and other sexualizing influences on young minds.
Elon highlighted The War On Children by posting its trailer to his account.
Other major social media platforms refused to allow advertising for the film.
Overall, the film argues that changes to the lives of children are the deliberate result of bad actors attempting to weaken the US’s national identity by targeting its most vulnerable population.
What do you think: is there anything suspicious to changes in children’ lives over the last decade? Is there an agenda to sexualize children?
The War On Children can be viewed by subscribing to Robby Starbuck on 𝕏 or going to TheWarOnChildren.com
Top Videos
1. Man realizes he’s in a cult, goes viral:
2. The All-In Podcast discusses Elon’s voided pay package:
3. CEO of Microsoft says that inflation-adjusted data shows no economic growth in the world:
4. Confessions of an economic hit man part 1 and 2
5. Dr. Drew said RFK Jr changed his view of the media: "I've realized that everything in the news is BS. Everything. There is nothing I can consume on legacy media that I can trust and that is shocking."
6. The Great Awakening:
7. Russell Brand on independent media:
8. Rogan Joey Diaz on Trump; Killer Mike on Biden or Trump
9. Edward Snowden: US shares data on its own citizens with Israel
10. Scientist: fluoride exposure lowers IQ
Dogey Treats: News Bites
𝕏
Across Gina Carano filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm for firing her based on her political opinions. The case is being backed by Elon, who wrote, “If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support
Elon highlighted post looking at the connections between Delaware judge who voided his Tesla compensation plan and the Biden Administration.
US Politics
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel will step down after the South Carolina primary.
Newly released emails show the White House pressured Amazon to censor books about vaccines from search results.
New polling from Bloomberg showed Trump ahead in seven swing states. An NBC poll found Trump with a five point lead over Biden, his largest ever. A Quinnipiac poll found Trump trailing Biden by six points.
Biden White House spokesman said Friday’s Middle East strikes were the beginning of the administration’s response to the deaths of three US soldiers in Jordan.
Nikki Haley was roasted for posting obviously fake messages from supporters.
Elon praised Ken Griffin for withdrawing support for Harvard over its DEI policies.
Joe Biden appointed John Podesta to be his climate czar. As a result, the Podesta brothers art collection and strange history came back into the news.
RFK Jr called Joe Biden’s history serving black Americans into question. He also said he looked forward to debating Trump after Trump attacked him as “radical.” Rand Paul praised RFK’s new book, The Wuhan Cover-Up. RFK called to remove US troops from the Middle East. In another post, he wrote, “As president, I’m going to order the CDC to take every step necessary to remove neurotoxic fluoride from American drinking water.”
Elon highlighted a list from House Speaker Mike Johnson of 64 instances of the Biden Administration undermining border security.
Biden was Community Noted for a post about the gender wage gap.
The data in the most recent federal government jobs report was widely questioned.
Geopolitics
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele won re-election with a record 87% of the vote.
Farmers protests descended on the EU Parliament in Brussels in opposition to regulations. Are the Canadian truckers going global?
Global Financial System
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told 60 Minutes, “the US government is on an unsustainable fiscal path.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged Congress to pass legislation regulating stablecoins.
The Chinese stock market plunged after Trump said he would impose a 60% tariff on Chinese goods.
Rand Paul warned of a black swan event that could destroy the value of the US Dollar “over a period of days”
Health
Tucker’s interview with Callie Means about Ozempic and the healthcare industry provoked a response from RFK Jr on the chronic disease epidemic. RFK called the interview an “an extraordinary piece of television.”
A major study is investigating the use of Ivermectin for cancer. A video of a man using anti-parasitic Fenbendazole to bring stage 4 cancer into remission went viral.
Misc
Russell Brand sat with Tucker for his first interview since being accused of sexual misconduct.
A man who destroyed a satanic statue in Iowa’s capitol building was charged with a hate crime. Elon asked “What has become of America?”
Memes of the Week
Elon’s Memes
Thank You!
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