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| | | | | 🗳️ Election Day is coming up fast. Make sure you're ready to vote — and it doesn't stop there. Talk to friends, family, and neighbors about having a plan to vote, too. Every vote matters, in every state. This is our moment. Let's show up. |
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| | | I'm Ari, and this is Upward News. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won't find in the mainstream media. Sign up here |
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| What We're Searching With. | | Oh, the internet. It can be a scary place… but less so with Freespoke. Freespoke is a search engine that does a few important things differently: | News results show all sides with media biases labeled (left, middle, right) Their new election portal delivers unbiased election coverage so you can make up your own mind No adult content by default – they're a partner in protecting your families from bad content.
| Freespoke is the search platform that respects your privacy and doesn't manipulate the information you find online. | Try searching on Freespoke, and search beyond the bias. |
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| | | WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | | 💔 Tim Walz had a secret romance with the daughter of a CCP official. Tim Walz reportedly had a secret relationship in 1989 with the daughter of a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official. The two supposedly met while Walz was teaching in China, developing a private relationship to avoid her father's disapproval. The relationship soured when Walz declined marriage, leaving her feeling "betrayed" and contemplating suicide. | 🔫 A Jewish man in Chicago was shot by an attacker yelling "Allahu Akbar." A 39-year-old Jewish man was shot by a 22-year-old alleged illegal migrant, reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar," in Chicago's Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. The suspect was charged with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, after exchanging gunfire with police and paramedics on the scene. | ⚖️ Philadelphia DA sues Elon Musk over alleged illegal lottery. Philadelphia's district attorney filed a lawsuit claiming Elon Musk violated Pennsylvania's lottery laws by offering $1 million to individuals who signed a pro-First and Second Amendment petition. Ironically, DA Larry Krasner himself has faced fines for violating state campaign finance laws, including unreported contributions from Soros-funded groups. | 💥 CNN removed a conservative guest after an explosive exchange. Conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky was removed from NewsNight with Abby Phillip after telling the pro-Palestine Mehdi Hasan, "I hope your beeper doesn't go off." The remark, seemingly referencing the Israeli attack on Hezbollah involving rigged pagers, came during a debate over media coverage of Trump's recent NYC rally. | |
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| | | WHAT WE'RE HEARING | Ben Shapiro accused the mainstream media of actively pressuring YouTube to demonetize conservative content just ahead of the election. Mark Levin accused Barack Obama of campaigning for Harris "as if he's the shadow power" behind her. Jeff Bezos wrote an opinion article on Americans' declining trust in newspapers, like his own Washington Post. Joe Rogan revealed that Kamala Harris wanted him to travel to her for his podcast, and only wanted to talk for an hour.
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| | | IN THE LOOP | Republican early-voting turnout in North Carolina is at historic highs. Black voter turnout in Georgia appears to be at a 20-year low. Donald Trump Jr. just went public with the damage that "the most socialist ticket in history" will do to America's economy. In particular, he is warning 401(k) and IRA owners to take evasive action ASAP. Read his urgent announcement here.* A new poll shows Trump slightly up on Harris in New Hampshire. USA Today declined a presidential endorsement despite backing Biden in 2020.
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| *Indicates content from our sponsors | | | MY THOUGHTS | Musk vs. Bezos | Good morning. The two richest men on the planet are racing to Mars, and they're also vying for influence. One is winning both: Elon Musk. | Musk bought Twitter, took a stand against platform bias, rallied half its users, and dismantled the censorship machine. | Bezos bought the Washington Post. In a cautious op-ed yesterday, he admitted that the paper has lost public trust, that media bias is real, and that endorsing Kamala Harris would only deepen the divide. | But here's the catch: Washington Post readers want the bias. For them, it's not deception — it's a reflection of their worldview. So Bezos hinting that it's flawed won't wake them up; it'll just enrage them, which is exactly what's happening. | Bias at institutions like the Washington Post isn't accidental — it's the genuine, distorted worldview that elites believe and readers want reinforced. | Because of that, it's clear that calling out bias won't change anything. That's why we're building Upward News. | |
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| | | WASHINGTON | Kamala Harris vows a "misinformation" crackdown. Trump wants robust First Amendment protections. | | Trump aims to apply First Amendment protections to the internet His administration pushed for online censorship on his watch, but he promises to stop such activity in a second term The Biden-Harris administration embraces the suppression of dissenting viewpoints from the top down
| Where Trump stands | Donald Trump has pledged to protect free speech if re-elected, targeting what he describes as censorship under the current administration. | Trump's own officials were at the forefront of censorship during the 2020 election and at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, he even created an agency in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that went on to police online speech. Now, he promises a massive change in course. | During his 2024 campaign, he's promised to fire any federal employees engaged in "domestic censorship" and to issue an executive order preventing government collusion with tech platforms to limit speech. | Trump's policy plan also proposes a sweeping rollback of federal involvement in social media content moderation, aiming to prevent agencies from influencing information shared online. | In a 2022 Free Speech Policy Initiative, Trump spoke on protecting free speech and dismantling federal and corporate censorship partnerships, starting with an executive order to prevent agencies from suppressing lawful speech. Specifically, Trump called out "Silicon Valley tyrants" and the corporate media for colluding to "manipulate and silence" Americans. | Trump's current plan includes stricter requirements for social media platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, criminal penalties for federal employees engaged in censorship, and a proposed digital Bill of Rights to ensure transparency and accountability in content moderation. | Section 230 is a law that protects online platforms from liability for user content while allowing them to moderate in "good faith," though it enables Big Tech companies to target conservative views with impunity, so Republicans have called for it to be repealed or reformed. | During his administration, Trump signed an executive order targeting Section 230, directing the Federal Communications Commission to review and narrow the protections granted to online platforms. This order was signed in May 2020 in response to censorship of voices online questioning the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. | He also signed an executive order that required colleges receiving federal funds to protect free speech, threatening the removal of federal funds for those that didn't allow diverse viewpoints to be expressed. | Trump's supporters, including some of his tech-industry allies like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, view his track record as having demonstrated a commitment to dismantling what they see as bureaucratic overreach in policing online content. | Where Harris stands | In her current role, Kamala Harris has faced criticism for supporting government interventions against "misinformation," particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Recently, the Supreme Court ruled with the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to "communicate" with social media platforms to monitor content. Writing as one of the three dissenting voices, Justice Samuel Alito deemed that "the White House coerced Facebook into censoring" information on COVID-19. | Documents brought to light by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) revealed that the Biden-Harris White House pressured Facebook to suppress content that questioned COVID-19 vaccines, often by demoting or limiting the reach of conservative voices, including those of The Daily Wire, Tomi Lahren, and Tucker Carlson. | Harris' vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), has drawn further scrutiny for his stance on free speech. Walz has said publicly that there is "no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech," a view that aligns with Harris' position but contrasts with the First Amendment. | Additionally, Walz's comments during a recent debate comparing misinformation to "shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater" reflect his more restrictive stance on speech rights — not to mention that it actually is legal to yell "fire" in a crowded theater. | Harris has made clear that she believes unchecked content on social media threatens the established consensus on a variety of issues. In 2019, Harris promised to sic the Justice Department on social media companies "profiting off of hate." | More recently, she made a similar statement on how platforms like Facebook and X need additional oversight and regulation to curb disapproved speech. | If elected, Harris' administration can be expected to pursue expanded federal control over "misinformation" and "hate speech" online, and may risk clashing with the First Amendment. | Why it matters | The future of free speech in America could take two vastly different paths depending on which candidate is elected this year. | Although online social media platforms have become the de-facto public square, many politicians won't apply the First Amendment to online spaces. The left is more comfortable suppressing perspectives that challenge its worldview, while the right often allows free speech to flourish. | | |
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| | | The Crown Heights riots and the rise of black antisemitism | | Michael Pack is a documentary filmmaker and served as CEO of the US Agency for Global Media under President Trump. He partnered with The Wall Street Journal Opinion section to create his most recent film, "Get the Jew": The Crown Heights Riot Revisited. | On the Crown Heights riots exploding into a pogrom | "It started with a traffic accident where a Chabad man … ran a yellow or red light, hit another car, and careened off that car, pinning two young black children playing in the street. Tragically, one of them was killed." | In Crown Heights, they were chanting things like, 'Heil Hitler' and 'Hitler didn't finish the job' … They said, "Get the Jew! There's one; get him!" They beat him and stabbed him, and he died." | On the parallels with today's college campus antisemitism | "On college campuses last year … there were antisemitic chants from groups saying things like, "From the river to the sea," and "Intifada revolution, there is only one solution." | "But, college presidents were reluctant to condemn it … and I think that's because it often comes from the left." | |
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| | | OUR QUESTION TO YOU | 📊 Should social media platforms be forced to abide by the First Amendment? | | | POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY | Do you support an isolationist or interventionist foreign policy approach? | 🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Isolationist (156) | 🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Interventionist (80) | 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 In the middle (476) | Isolationist: "Sick and tired of Americans dying." — Anonymous Isolationist: "We need to focus on fixing our own problems right now." — R.K. Interventionist: "There is so much turmoil, war violence, killing of innocents around the world. If somebody does not intervene, these problems may only get worse." — Steven In the middle: "Intervene only when American interests are clear at stake AND we have a clear exit strategy." — Matt In the middle: "We should walk softly but carry a big stick." — Ray | | | | 712 votes |
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| Today's newsletter was written by Brandon Goldman and Ari David. | |
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