The TwitchCon Problem is Scary & Bigger Than They Are Willing To Admit
PDS Published 10/20/2025
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“TwitchCon isn’t safe and you shouldn’t go!”
That’s what top streamers and fans are saying after this happened to Emy-roo -- one of the platform’s biggest stars -- this weekend: [NOTE: Emiru is often shortened to “Emi” so we’ll use both interchangeably].
In the video you see a massive dude just walking up to her during a meet-and-greet and attempting to kiss her before being shoved off by security.
All of which sparked a ton of questions about how this was even possible and whether Twitch was taking security seriously.
On paper they claimed to be -- especially because leading up to the event figures like Pokimane, Hasan Piker, Valkyrae, and QT Cinderella all claimed they weren’t going over safety concerns.
After which, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy bent over backwards to say that security would be beefed up at this event.
And you’d think that’d especially be the case for Emiru, who was one of the only massive creators still going to the event.
It was only after the clip of the assault went viral that Twitch addressed it, saying in a Tweet:
“The safety and security of all those attending TwitchCon is our highest priority. The behavior displayed by the individual involved in the incident yesterday involving a high profile streamer was completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting. “ []
They went on to say that “We immediately blocked this individual from returning to the TwitchCon premises, and they are banned indefinitely from Twitch, both online and in-person events.”
On top of that, they changed the system to stop allowing people at official meet and greets to bring a +1.
But we quickly saw people pushing back against Twitch’s statement -- for example in the entire two minute, twenty second version of the video you can clearly see the attacker just walk away.
And probably the person to push back the most was Emiru herself.
Not only did she tweet about it, but she also went live to talk about the situation, how she feels Twitch failed completely, and how parts of their statement are misleading at best.
For example, according to her, it wasn’t Twitch’s security that stepped in to save Emiru, but her own private security.
And it’s not like Twitch's security wasn’t around -- the dude had to pass 3 or 4 OTHER checkpoints to even get close to Emriu… it’s just they stood around during the incident and afterwards.
The livestream itself shows how angry she is because she’s understandably on the verge of crashing out the entire time and is a little jumbled with how she wants to talk about it.
But one of the first things she does is thank the person who posted the video because:
“I don’t think that Twitch would have put out an official statement if that clip wasn’t posted and going viral. And even after the fact that clip was posted and going viral, as far as I know the other people who had meet and greets today weren’t reached out to and asked if that wanted extra security.” @2:19-2:40
Emi also confirmed a lot of things people were speculating about online.
For example,
“I was doing my meet and greet and I’ve been seeing people say it was an obligation given to me in order to be a ‘featured creator’ and to have my show I had to do a meet and greet -- which is true. I was told I had to do meet and greet.” @3:37-4:02
She also confirmed that Twitch had perma-banned her favorite security guard after he held onto a stalker until law enforcement came at a previous TwitchCon.
(This was something that a lot of people were shocked about, because clearly Emiru needs security and at a glance it looks like Twitch’s response to her effective security was to ban them).
She notably pushed back on the claim that Twitch quickly dealt with the guy because:
1. It was her manager who called the police and talked with them.
2. It apparently took HOURS for the guy to be tracked down.
And 3, it took Twitch two hours to approach Emiru’s team about the assault and:
“My manager comes back to me and she’s upset. She’s like, ‘okay, I’ve been talking to Twitch people and I’m really upset because I’ve noticed a lot of negligence around the event and I’m not happy with how they’re handling it. I asked them what they’re going to do about this and you know what they said? Oh, well he’s banned from the platform for 30 days… These two people are the HEAD OF SECURITY FOR AMAZON AND THE HEAD OF SECURITY FOR TWITCH.”@10:41-11:43
Emi also spent a lot of time asking how smaller creators are supposed to feel safe during this if she can’t.
Right, she spends tens-of-thousands on security for these events and clearly people with 50,100, or even 1,000 viewers can’t do that… Even though they’re just as in danger with crazy fans.
What’s really crazy is Emiru only spent a few minutes to calm down after the attack before finishing her meet and greet and then went live on stage for a show.
Despite that, she made it VERY clear that this was her last TwitchCon and she would never be attending again and that she is definitely pressing charges against the guy.
After ALL OF THAT, there was still a cascade of reactions to all of this.
Right, Taylor Lorenz actually spoke to Twitch CEO Dan Clancy and asked what Twitch was doing to prioritize safety and he said:
“The safety of our creators is a top priority and the challenge we face is a challenge we face in today’s society and isn’t limited to Twitch... I do think that when you’re live streaming, in many ways since you control your community and you can ban people, you can make it so that the people you don’t want aren’t there… No, what happened yesterday is obviously something we care deeply about securing this environment… So I want to see how we can support her.” @0:23-1:03
That response felt anemic to most and just reinforced statements from people like MoistCritikal who have long avoided live events like this over safety concerns.
Right, in a video he said:
“Now as a result of the assault Emiru experienced they’re going to have a stronger security presence for their meet and greets. The question begs to be asked: why wasn’t that a priority beforehand?... And this again this is a huge streamer, Emiru is one of the biggest. So what happens to streamers that aren’t her size?” @9:52-10:36
Moist also added that his apprehension about going to events stems from Christina Grimme's death years ago -- and he, Emi, and others have all pointed out how quickly this recent assault could’ve been much worse.
Asmongold took the opportunity to say that this is just another example of Twitch’s failings and that:
“The moderation team at Twitch is completely deranged.The advertising team is completely misguided. And the executive team is completely disconnected. At all levels of this organization they fail.” @0:09
“I think this is going to be the last TwitchCon by the way. I cannot imagine ANYONE ever thinking of going to another TwitchCon after this?” @0:40
He goes on to point out that Emiru’s experience isn’t an isolated event and that at every TwitchCon there are horror stories of assaults and groping.
Emiru herself also mentioned this and asked people to send her examples from this past weekend since she’s positive she wasn’t the only one.
So with all that said, Twitch has another PR nightmare on their hands.
The question is whether Amazon thinks any of this is worth changing leadership at the platform.
Because the general consensus is that the ball was MAJORLY dropped at the event and that the promise to take security more seriously was not real.
And for that we’ll just have to wait and see.
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Police in the U.K. are probing claims about Prince Andrew and Trump is trying to oust politicians fighting for the Epstein files to be released.
Those are just some of the major headlines we are seeing around the Epstein case, and we’ll start with Trump vs. Rep. ThomasMassie.
Right, Massie is a Republican known for bucking his party on a few issues, especially Epstein, and so on Friday Trump called him:
“a sick Wacko, who refuses to vote for our great Republican Party, MAGA, or America First. It’s really weird!!!”[]
And Trump then followed that up with another post saying that Massie:[]
“must be thrown out of office, ASAP!”
With him then endorsing a Navy SEAL veteran, Ed Gallrein (Gal-ryan), to take the seat, even though Gallrein has not even entered the race yet.
Right, arguing that Massie has made life “very easy for the Radical Left” and adding:
“Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. Should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, ED, RUN — MAGA!”[]
For some context, Gallrein previously ran for state Senate in Kentucky in 2024, but narrowly lost the primary. []
And in response to Trump’s comments, he said he was honored by the support and would announce “what’s next” for him soon.
But Massie slammed this endorsement, calling Gallrein a “failed candidate and establishment hack.”[]
And Trump’s post prompted a ton of responses, with most people noting that Massie is one of few Republicans supporting, and even leading the charge on, getting the Epstein files released.
Right, he filed a discharge petition that would force a floor vote on legislation requiring the files to be released.[]
And we have talked quite a bit about how the representative elect in Arizona will be the last signature he needs, but speaker Mike Johnson is holding that up.
So many see Trump’s attack on Massie as him being evasive yet again about Epstein, especially since this is not even the first time Trump has tried to take a shot at his seat.
You even have some pushing for Massie to jump on this attention with a presidential run, though to that Massie said:[][]
“I doubt I’ll run for POTUS… I’d be happy if we could just get 4 or 5 more voices in Congress who don’t always just do what their party tells them.”[]
And regarding this whole situation, he also wrote this morning:[]
“Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. There’s a reason some of the world’s richest and most powerful people are trying to get me out of Congress. I’m just one of 435 votes but I bring transparency to an otherwise dark and corrupted institution of government.”
But like I said, this is far from the only Epstein headline right now.
Especially since more and more excerpts from VirginiaGiuffre’s upcoming memoir are getting published ahead of the book’s release tomorrow.
Right, if you need a reminder, she is a prominent Epstein accuser who actually died from suicide earlier this year, but her memoir was completed prior to her death.
And according to BBC News, in her book, she says that in her years with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell:
“they lent me out to scores of wealthy, powerful people. I was habitually used and humiliated - and in some instances, choked, beaten, and bloodied. I believed that I might die a sex slave."[]
Other outlets noting she specifically said she was bloodied after an encounter with a former prime minister, who she did not name over fears he might harm her. []
But some reports have said that she previously named Ehud Barak (A-hood barack, like obama), the former prime minister of Israel, in court documents, though he denied allegations that he raped her. []
And this comes as previous excerpts already dove into allegations she made against Prince Andrew, calling him:[]
“entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
And on Friday, Prince Andrew announced he would stop using his royal title, the Duke of York, amid this fallout.
Writing that after speaking with the King:
“We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.[]
“I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
And he had already stepped away from his royal duties back in 2019.
But this news also does not mean he isn’t still a royal, right.
With BBC explaining that since he is the son of Queen Elizabeth, he remains a Prince and is still eighth in line for succession.[]
But many feel more needs to be done to hold Prince Andrew accountable here, that him deciding on his own to just stop using the title is not enough.
So there is a ton of pressure now on both the royal family and the UK government to use powers that would formally strip him of his titles, with Virginia Giuffre’s brother saying it needs to go past his Duke honor, and he should no longer be a prince.
You also have the Metropolitan Police in London saying they are looking at claims about Prince Andrew.
Though, they are not investigating sexual assault claims directly, right, instead they are looking into media reports claiming that Andrew asked his police protection officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre in 2011,
Which would have been just before the Mail on Sunday published a photo of Virginia and Andrew together.
With leaked emails showing Andrew allegedly claiming he gave his officer Virginia’s social security number and birthday and suggested she had a criminal record. []
With leaders in the UK calling these reports concerning, saying this is not how officers should be used.
So we will have to see where that goes, if that ends up being a new avenue of potential accountability.
But for now, I would love to know your thoughts on any of this, whether it be about Tomas Massie, Virginia’s memoir, Prince Andrew, anything at all.
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Is being a Trump supporter now a get-out-of-jail-free card?
That’s one thing you have people asking now that disgraced former Congressman George Santos has become the latest Republican to benefit from the president’s power to grant clemency.
With Trump announcing his decision in a social media post on Friday, writing:
“George Santos was somewhat of a “rogue,” but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison”
With him then pointing to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal’s false and misleading claims in the past that he had served in Vietnam – and arguing:
“This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated.”
“Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”
But with that, while I guess you can decide for yourself if one thing or another is worse, we should talk about what exactly George Santos actually did.
Right, he was elected as the representative for New York's 3rd congressional district in 2023.
But you soon had outlets reporting that he had made up key details on his campaign biography, including about his education, past work experience, and religion.
Then, in 2023, a congressional ethics investigation found that he had improperly spent campaign funds on things like Botox, designer clothes, and OnlyFans – leading to him actually getting expelled from Congress.
And in 2024, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft in federal court.
With him admitting to lying to Congress, stealing money from campaign donors and fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits.
But in April, you had Santos writing that the 7 years he received was “an over the top politically influenced sentence” – adding:
"I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I'm more than the mistakes I've made."
And with that, now, after serving less than three months of his seven year sentence, he’s a free man.
And of course, the whole thing has sparked a lot of criticism – especially from his former colleagues and constituents from New York.
With New York Rep Nick LaLota saying:
“George Santos didn’t merely lie — he stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence.”
You also had Andrew Garbarino, another congressman from the state, and one who sat on the House Ethics Committee panel that investigated Santos, saying the victims of Santos’s crimes “still have not been made whole.” []
And with that, you had one man who claimed Santos helped him start a GoFundMe for his dog’s surgery and then kept the money telling the New York Times:
“I feel like I got personally stabbed in the gut by the president of the United States.”
“I don’t think he even realizes what George did, what he was guilty of.” []
And also connected to that, as part of his sentencing, Santos was ordered to pay back more than $370,000 in restitution to some of his victims – along $205,000 in forfeiture – and he’s now said he will only do so if he’s required by law.
But it seems like he isn’t, at least based on the clemency grant posted by S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin.
Which said Trump granted Santos an "immediate commutation of his entire sentence to time served with no further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, or other conditions."
But moving on, besides taking issue with letting anyone off the hook for their crimes, the obviously partisan nature of all this is also rubbing people the wrong way.
Right, Trump made it very clear that Santos being Republican was a factor in his decision – and it seems to be part of a broader pattern.
I mean, besides things like the January 6th pardons, you have the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington claiming that Trump has granted clemency to 16 corrupt politicians.
And the vast majority of them were Republicans – though at least two were Democrats.
That said, several Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Santos himself, have pushed back – pointing to Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son Hunter:
“And then there's a lot of people who are upset with President Biden who pardoned his entire family before he left office in an unprecedented move.”
“So pardon me if I’m not paying too much attention to the pearl-clutching of the outrage of my critics and of the people predominantly on the left who are going to go out there and try to make a big deal out of something like this.” (8:46-9:08)
And with that, you also had Santos claiming a guy who worked on his campaign and was later sentenced to one year in prison for wire fraud was a victim of “arbitrary sentencing” – saying he “should have a commutation afforded to him” as well.
And you’ve had him continuing to argue that the sentence he received was “disproportionate” – but also saying his time in prison was a “large slice of humble pie”.
With him actually claiming the experience was so transformative that he would now be devoting his time to advocating for prison reform.
So we’ll see what comes from that, but in the meantime, I gotta ask you all what your thoughts and reactions are to this whole thing.
Just go to Zocdoc and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!
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Millions of people showed up across the country for the second “No Kings” protest over the weekend and Team Trump’s response to it just proved their point!
Right, more than 2,700 rallies were held on Saturday with organizers saying there were some 7 million people marching under the “No Kings” banner. [B Roll 0:00-0:04, 0:11-0:19, 0:30-1:00]
New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Portland, LA, DC, and on and on and on - including many rallies in smaller cities and even districts that squarely voted for Trump in the last election.
Hell, there were even some international rallies held in solidarity in places like Paris, London, Rome, and Lisbon.
Now, this was the second iteration of the “No Kings” protest against Trump and the chaos that his second term has caused so far.
With the first one back in June drawing some 5 million demonstrators.
This time around, we saw new protestors joining the fray to stand against the new issues that have cropped up since the first “No Kings Day.”
Including immigration raids, federal troops in cities, government layoffs, rollback of vaccine requirements, and the “Big Beautiful Bill” that was signed into law back in July. []
With protestors from this weekend saying things like,
[1:51-2:09 - "I’m crying for the pride of all these people gathered here and all over our country—the pride in the belief that our Constitution means something and that we all have the right to fight for what we believe in. That is what makes my heart happy and sad at the same time — that we actually have to do this."]
[1:28-1:39 - “It's really important to me that America was founded on immigrants, by immigrants and the fact that they are trying to shut that out and rewrite history is a really big deal.”]
With big names like Bill Nye laying into Trump at the rally in DC:
“Rather than abandoning a war against an elusive, perhaps sometimes imaginary foe, we are confronting the possible end of our republic. We are here to tell our lawmakers that what's going on in our government is wrong. They must stop the abuses of this petulant president and his circle of sycophants. No thrones.” (2:51-3:18)
And another notable difference this time around was the costumes - many people at these rallies were seen wearing silly costumes, including inflatables. [B Roll 0:00-0:09]
With some saying they’re doing so to establish that these protests are, in fact, peaceful and nonviolent.
With one protestor in LA saying,
“It’s really hard to call something a war zone, when you look at something and it’s just a block party and people in Halloween costumes.” []
There are also those doing it as a response to a viral video of an ICE agent firing pepper spray directly into the air vent of one protestor’s frog costume.
But the use of costumes has resulted in its own specific kind of backlash - with people on X, amidst other things, saying that looking at an inflatable frog or axolotl or dinosaur makes it hard to take the cause of the protest seriously.
Though that is hardly the only backlash we’ve seen to Saturday’s events.
As you can imagine, Team Trump has had several things to say about the protests.
With maybe the most notable coming from Trump himself.
Right, because part of his response to millions of people across the country protesting his administration, accusing him of trying to be a king was to share an AI-generated video of him in a crown, flying a jet, spraying sewage on them.
And that wasn’t the end of it - he also shared another AI-generated video originally posted by JD Vance on Bluesky of him putting on a crown and robe in front of kneeling Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
With Trump saying those posts were meant to be a tongue-in-cheek moment - and he further responded to the protestors by telling reporters while on Air Force One,
And that sentiment was echoed by Speaker Mike Johnson - whose own response included a statement to ABC News saying,
“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the mall.” []
As well as going on to say that the protests were essentially “hate America rallies” and saying they pushed a hateful, “Anti-American” Marxist message,
“It’s not about the people, it’s about the message. It’s about the ideology. It is a dangerous ideology, and it is anti-American. It goes against everything that we stand for.” []
Also this morning, you had a reporter confronting Johnson about the AI video of Trump and asking him this:
Reporter: “What does it say that president released a video of him pooping on the American people?”
MIKE JOHNSON: You can argue he's probably the most effective person who has ever used social media. He's using satire to make a point. He's not calling for the murder of his political opponents.” 0:00-0:24
Now, as for other responses from Team Trump and Republicans, it’s been a bit mixed - with some dismissing these protests as inconsequential.
Including White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson - who responded to a request for comment about the protests with the incredibly professional,
“Who cares?”
And Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins - who posted on X the day of the protest,
“Good Morning to my fellow Americans who are celebrating No Kings Day today. While most of us celebrate this reality on July 4th, you do you!”
Others, however, have agreed with Johnson, denouncing the protests as “un-American” and accusing the left of catering to a part of their base that is, quote, “made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
But with that, I’m going to pass the question off to you - what are your thoughts here?
About the No Kings Day 2.0, Trump’s videos, or any of the other responses to the protest.
Let me know in those comments down below.
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The Israel-Hamas ceasefire barely survived the weekend – and not without dozens more being killed in Gaza.
Right, it’s been ten days since the deal came into effect
Under the agreement, Israel still controls more than half of Gaza – and the so-called “Yellow Line” is the line behind which Israel has withdrawn its troops.
But on Sunday, the military claimed Hamas fired towards its forces beyond the Yellow Line several times – in one case killing two soldiers in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
With the military describing the attack as “a blatant violation” of the truce. []
Although, notably, you had Hamas’s military wing saying in a statement that it was “unaware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the control of the occupation” –
adding that “contact has been cut off with [its] groups that remained there." []
And also notably, you later kind of had Trump backing that up – speaking to reporters on Air Force One last night, and saying:
“We want to make sure that it’s gonna be very peaceful with Hams, and as you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious. They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that, you know, some rebels within, but either way it’s gonna be handled properly. It's going to be handled toughly, but properly." (0:09-0:30)
But before all that, Israel decided to close all crossings into Gaza and halt the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The military also announced that it had launched strikes in the area the soldiers had been killed to, quote, “eliminate the threat” – including by taking out tunnel shafts and other military structures.
And by the afternoon, the military had widened the assault, saying it struck dozens of Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
With the strikes yesterday reportedly killing at least 44 people overall throughout the territory – bringing the total to at least 97 Palestinians killed since the start of the ceasefire according to Gaza's government media office. []
And notably, with that, even before yesterday, several were reportedly killed in connection to alleged violations of the Yellow Line.
On Friday, for example, the Israeli military fired on a vehicle in northern Gaza – killing at least nine people, including four children, according to a rescue service that is part of Gaza’s Interior Ministry. []
With the military claiming that in addition to crossing the line the vehicle appeared “suspicious” and ignored soldiers’ warning shots. []
But on the flip side, many have noted that Gazans are confused about where exactly the line is actually located – if they even can access the internet and figure out the maps.
That said, the Israeli military is now reportedly putting up physical markers along the yellow line to make it more clear – so we’ll have to see if that helps.
Although, I will say, that’s not the only way we’ve seen violence flaring up around this boundary.
Right, in addition to tension between Hamas and Israel, we’ve seen clashes between Hamas and rival groups in Gaza – including an incident that ended with the apparent public execution of eight people in a public square in Gaza City (0:07-0:11).
With that being part of what Hamas has called a “security campaign” aimed at “collaborators, mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and those cooperating with the Zionist enemy throughout the Gaza Strip.” []
Right, and connected to that, we know that Israel has been arming several militias in an attempt to counter Hamas.
And now, according to a Gaza expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, these groups are operating from the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, from which they, quote:
“...descend on the other half of Gaza, carry out attacks, then go run back to those protected areas.”[]
Right, so ultimately, the situation on the ground remains incredibly complicated.
But you did at least have the Israeli military saying in a statement last night that it had “begun the renewed enforcement of the cease-fire” – saying that it would “respond forcefully to any violation of the agreement."
And with that, you also had it saying the flow of aid would continue – and since that was only a few hours after cutting it off it’s actually possible deliveries weren’t affected at all. []
Although, notably, that still might not be enough – with an official from the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency having said that while it’s a “relief” the crossings have reopened, the volume of aid is still “way below what is needed.
And actually even, with that, one crossing – the Rafah one? It’s still closed.
With Israeli authorities having delayed its opening in response to Hamas's inability to return the bodies of all hostages.
Right, because as of now, in addition to freeing all the remaining living hostages, the group has turned over the bodies of 12 captives according to the Israeli government.
With Hamas saying finding and returning the rest will take time if it’s even possible, noting that some are buried deep under rubble and require heavy equipment to extract them. []
But in the meantime, this will likely remain a point of contention, and just one of several things that could have this whole ceasefire collapse completely.
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