Biden admin asks Facebook to 'change the algorithm' to divert users away from 'polarizing' conservative news, promote corporate media outlets: Report



The Biden administration asked Facebook to "change the algorithm" to divert users away from "polarizing" conservative news and promote corporate media outlets, according to a memo recently obtained by the House Judiciary Committee and shared with Just the News.

According to the documents, the White House's digital director, Rob Flaherty, met with Facebook executives several times in 2021 to discuss the platform's algorithm. In particular, Flaherty was focused on reducing vaccine skepticism and steering social media users away from conservative-leaning news sources, including the Daily Wire and Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren, the meeting notes revealed.

Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio confirmed the Biden administration's attempted meddling and manipulation of social media content.

On Thursday, Jordan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "The Biden White House wanted to control what you saw on Facebook."

"They questioned whether Facebook could change its algorithm so users saw more posts from the New York Times and less from the @realDailyWire and @TomiLahren," he added.

Jordan shared a screenshot of Facebook meeting notes dated April 14, 2021, that claimed Flaherty stated, "If you were to change the algorithm so that people were more likely to see [New York Times], [Wall Street Journal], any authoritative news source over Daily Wire, Tomi Lahren, polarizing people. You wouldn't have a mechanism to check the material impact?"

Flaherty also asked the social media platform what it was doing about articles published by the New York Post "every day about people dying."

"Does that article get a reduction, labels?" he asked, according to meeting notes from March 26, 2021.

One Facebook employee reportedly explained the platform's procedures for removing or reducing the reach of certain content.

"If we can't remove it, at least we need to contain it," the anonymous employee stated regarding the content.

Flaherty pushed further by requesting more information about what the company was "doing to reduce the spread of bad information" to ensure "platforms are not funneling people towards bad content."

"That's our primary concern," he noted. Other meeting notes revealed Flaherty told the platform that it is his "dream for FB to play ball."

Jordan explained, "The company ADMITTED to the White House that it reduced content of certain posts – even if the posts didn't violate the company's terms and contained TRUE information."

According to the meeting notes, a Facebook employee told Flaherty, "We remove content that can lead to imminent physical harm. For content that doesn't meet that threshold, we instituted borderline demotions. For example, someone sharing negative side effect posts. Similarly, posts questioning whether you should get a vaccine under a mandate, whether it's government overreach. We demote those."

"That's not false information, but it leads to a vaccine negative environment," the employee reportedly continued. "When it comes to looking at COVID misinformation, it's a different approach. What we normally do is just remove or leave to fact checkers."

Lahren replied to the findings on Wednesday, telling Just the News, "The fact that I've been living rent free in Biden's head is flattering."

"But the fact his team would go to such great lengths to silence me for simply saying I won't personally get the COVID vaccine is disturbing to say the least. Free speech is on its last leg under Joe Biden," she added.

Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro told the news outlet on Wednesday, "The Biden White House's pressure on Facebook to target Daily Wire for traffic reduction is an obvious, disgusting, and predictable First Amendment violation."

"Government action is still government action even when the government is cudgeling private corporations to do the dirty work of censorship," he continued. "We sued the Biden administration to stop the OSHA vaccine mandate, and we're not afraid of taking them to court again to preserve free speech rights. We're looking into all available remedies as we speak."

Neither the White House nor Facebook's parent company Meta responded to a request for comment, Just the News reported.

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'Shame on those who advocate this!' Elon Musk says he will push 'to criminalize making severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent'



Elon Musk has indicated that he will actively push to criminalize the performing permanent gender-transition measures on children who have not reached the age of consent.

"This is a major problem. I will be actively lobbying to criminalize making severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent. Shame on those who advocate this! It is utterly contemptible," Musk wrote in a tweet on Thursday.

\u201c@TheRabbitHole84 @jimjimmiejames This is a major problem. I will be actively lobbying to criminalize making severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent. \n\nShame on those who advocate this! It is utterly contemptible.\u201d
— The Rabbit Hole (@The Rabbit Hole) 1685661825

In an April tweet, Musk had noted, "My position is simply that we should wait until an individual is mature enough to make their own decisions before other adults make permanent, serious physical changes to them."

Musk, who owns Twitter, has said that he uses people's preferred pronouns, just like he uses preferred names, as a matter of "good manners."

\u201c@JeremyDBoreing @realDailyWire This was a mistake by many people at Twitter. It is definitely allowed. \n\nWhether or not you agree with using someone\u2019s preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws. \n\nI should note that I do personally use someone\u2019s preferred pronouns, just as I\u2026\u201d
— Jeremy Boreing (@Jeremy Boreing) 1685624363

The Daily Wire's Jeremy Boreing published a tweet thread on Thursday detailing the company's experience planning to share and promote Matt Walsh's "What Is a Woman?" documentary on Twitter.

Boreing said that the social media platform offered the chance "to buy a package to host the movie on a dedicated event page and to promote the event to every Twitter user over the first 10 hours."

The conservative company signed an agreement, Boreing said, but after Twitter reviewed the documentary, the social media platform not only rescinded the advertising opportunity but also said it would limit the movie's reach.

"After reviewing the film, though, Twitter let us know that not only could we no longer purchase the package they offered, they would no longer provide us any support and would actually limit the reach of the film and label it as 'hateful conduct' because of 'misgendering,'" Boreing tweeted. "When we asked how much they would limit the visibility if we posted the film anyway, Twitter replied that our own followers would not be able to see it in their feeds. This, they said, is part of their 'speech not reach' policy," he noted.

Boreing noted that the company planned to post the film on Thursday evening anyway.

The Daily Wire's tweet containing the movie currently carries a "Visibility Limited" label that says the tweet might breach the platform's "rules against Hateful Conduct." Comments, retweets, and likes are all currently disabled on the post.

"We're updating the system tomorrow so that those who follow @realDailyWire will see this in their feed, but it won’t be recommended to non-followers (nor will any advertising be associated with it)," Musk said of the Daily Wire's post. "Commenting & deliberate sharing will be allowed. Sensitive content just won't be pushed to people unless they ask for it or a friend sends it to them," Musk tweeted.

\u201c@robbystarbuck @realDailyWire @MattWalshBlog @Twitter @JeremyDBoreing We\u2019re updating the system tomorrow so that those who follow @realDailyWire will see this in their feed, but it won\u2019t be recommended to non-followers (nor will any advertising be associated with it)\u201d
— Robby Starbuck (@Robby Starbuck) 1685666102
\u201c@stillgray @robbystarbuck @realDailyWire @MattWalshBlog @Twitter @JeremyDBoreing Commenting & deliberate sharing will be allowed. Sensitive content just won\u2019t be pushed to people unless they ask for it or a friend sends it to them.\u201d
— Robby Starbuck (@Robby Starbuck) 1685666102

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Biden says cops, first responders should be fired if they refuse COVID vaccination, mocks Americans' 'freedom' — and receives raucous applause



President Joe Biden on Thursday said he believes police officers and first responders who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should be fired over the decision.

What are the details?

During a CNN Town Hall event Thursday night , Biden told moderator Anderson Cooper that it's unacceptable for emergency services workers to remain unvaccinated.

Noting that as many as 1 in 3 emergency responders in cities across the country are balking at city vaccine mandates, Cooper asked, "I'm wondering where you stand on that. Should police officers, emergency responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be, stay at home, let go?"

Biden responded, "Yes and yes."

Cheers and applause broke out in response to the president's remarks.

Biden responded to Cooper's question by stating that he and his administration decided to hand down vaccine mandates because he didn't feel there was any other reasonable choice. He also added that he highly doubts there will be mass revolts against required vaccines, or that employees will stage large-scale walkouts over the requirement.

"I waited until July to talk about mandating because I tried everything else possible," he said. "The mandates are working. All the stuff about people leaving and people getting it, you have everyone from United Airlines to Spirit — all these airlines, we're not gonna get ... Ninety-six, 97% of the people have gotten the vaccine. All the talk about all these folks who are gonna leave the military if they are mandated, not true. You got about a 90-some percent vaccination rate. I mean, so the idea is that, look. The two things that concern me. One, are those who just try to make this a political issue."

He then mocked those who are against COVID-19 vaccines on the basis of personal choice.

"'Freedom! 'I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID,'" Biden joked, and was met with applause, laughs, and cheers. "No, I mean, come on, freedom."

He continued, "Number two, the second one is that the gross misinformation out there."

“...should police officers, emergency responders be mandated to get vaccines and if not should they be, stay at hom… https://t.co/KF7ctZG2dI

— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) 1634869694.0

Anything else?

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) appeared on Fox News Friday morning, where she slammed the president for his remarks on police and first responders as well as for mocking the American public, much of which prides itself on freedom of choice.

"My reaction is this is absolutely absurd and sadly it's very typical of Joe Biden and the Biden administration to attack Americans' everyday freedoms," she said. "First of all, they're turning their backs on law enforcement officers and first responders who put their lives and their health on the line every single day, particularly during the COVID pandemic. ... These mandates are unconstitutional and it's an attack on our very freedoms in this country and to have the President of the United States mock freedom, frankly, that's un-American."

You can listen to the rest of Stefanik's remarks in the video below.

Fauci: America has an 'independent spirit,' but 'now is the time to do what you're told'



Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that while he acknowledges the "independent spirit" of America, U.S. citizens should recognize that "now is the time to do what you're told" in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

What are the details?

During a televised COVID-19 discussion with other top experts at the Washington National Cathedral, Fauci recalled, "I was talking with my U.K. colleagues who are saying the U.K. is similar to where we are now, because each of our countries have that independent spirit." He added, "I can understand that, but now is the time to do what you're told."

Prior to the comment, Fauci noted that "right now, it seems that every county is suffering" with COVID-19 cases and said that it was not fair to compare the United States to other nations that have been hailed for their coronavirus response.

"We are not a little island of five million people that we can shut off," the infectious disease expert pointed out. "We're not a country that would accept if a ruler tells us, 'You must do this.'"

Dr. Fauci: America has an “independent spirit” but now is the time “to do what you’re told” https://t.co/t7uY4nHyGk
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott)1605301941.0

Fauci went on to decry how some Americans have viewed the government response to COVID-19 as "authoritarian."

CNBC reported:

Fauci noted that scientists have been perceived throughout this pandemic as "authoritarian" by members of the public, because of the steps taken to combat the virus. He noted that it's unfortunate that science "has been lumped into politics."

In a "divisive" society, he said, people's willingness to follow the advice of scientists has often been portrayed a political decision. Surveys have found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to view Covid-19 as a major threat to public health.

"All of a sudden science gets caught in a lot of this divisiveness," he said.

But Fauci's remarks did not go over well with conservatives on social media.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio) responded, "Dr. Fauci: 'Do what you're told.' Americans: 'We can decide for ourselves.'"

Dr. Fauci: “Do what you’re told.”Americans:“We can decide for ourselves.”https://t.co/JOSgdh8Ojr
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Rep. Jim Jordan)1605293509.0

Former One America News Network host Liz Wheeler tweeted, "Dr. Fauci: 'America has an independent spirit but now is the time to do what you're told.' WTF. These are tyrannical words. Why on EARTH should we blindly obey 'experts' who are trampling our freedoms with ANTI-SCIENCE lockdown policies?"

Fox News' Lisa Boothe added, "Fauci is a little tyrant."

@realDailyWire Fauci is a little tyrant
— Lisa Boothe (@Lisa Boothe)1605276549.0