The Candace Owens Erika Kirk Problem is So Bad, Kristi Noem GRILLED, & Trump's “Affordability Hoax”
PDS Published 12/11/2025
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The battle between Candace Owens and Turning Point USA is heating up - and now Erika Kirk herself is weighing in.
Right, quick recap for those who are jumping in at chapter 73 of this insane tale - Candace Owens has been insisting that there is more to the story of Charlie Kirk’s assasination than what we’ve been told.
She’s cycled through pretty much everybody at this point accusing them of being involved in his death - with a particular fixation on the French.
As well as Egyptian planes following Erika Kirk for years but I’m going to be honest, nothing about that train of thought makes any sense to me.
Anyway, most recently she’s taken aim at Charlie’s own organization Turning Point USA - saying that she thinks Charlie was betrayed by those close to him.
We talked about it fairly extensively last week but the big thing to note here is that Candace has been speculating and spreading these conspiracy theories for months.
Without much reaction from the organization itself or anyone inside of it.
But yesterday in an interview with Fox News, Erika Kirk finally responded to it - at least, vaguely.
["I do not have time to address the noise. My silence does not mean that I'm complacent." 2:23-2:38]
[“Come after me, call me names, I don't care. Call me what you want, go down that rabbit hole, whatever. When you go after the people that I love and you're making hundreds of thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow they're in on this? No." 3:18-3:25, 3:31-3:46]
[“This is not okay, it's not healthy. This is a mind virus." 3:52-3:58]
[“This is a duty to my husband, and it's an absolute honor. And I will never back down. And so my message to them is to stop — to stop.” 5:54-6:04]
Though Erika never mentioned Candace by name, Candace did seem to take it personally - slamming Erika’s response in her latest video as overly emotional.
[“Woahhh! Woah! Erika Kirk shuts down the consp - no, she didn’t even respond to one of the conspiracies. She gave us emotion. She gave us emotion. She said, ‘I’m a mother. I’m a wife,’ and we never asked about whether she was a mother or wife. We want to know if she is a CEO and a Chairman. And a CEO and a Chairman has to compartmentalize … A CEO does not get to respond and say, ‘That’s my family.’” 16:12-35, 16:53-16:59]
[“If you really care about your team, answer the questions. Okay? Just demystify the entire event. Answer the - come out, sit down, answer the questions so Turning Point USA doesn’t look so suspicious. Don’t try to like Mom the organization. Say well, Mother’s upset because people are coming after her kids and all of these multi-million dollar subsidiaries. That’s my children.” 15:20-15:43]
And she pushed back HARD to the idea that Erika “doesn’t have time for the noise,” - highlighting every stop on her recent press tour as well as her appearance at the swearing in ceremony for the new ambassador to India.
[“Erika Kirk has time. She has time. It is just - what she means to say, not her priority. Which is - you are allowed to prioritize things in your own life. But this is not a matter of time constraint. It is not her priority to respond to the majority, actually. The majority of people think that this is BS. The majority of people think Turning Point is acting suspicious.” 12:04-12:32]
As well as Erika’s accusations of “people” making money from spreading these conspiracy theories online,
[“So since Charlie has died, that organization has taken in 140 million dollars. But gosh darn you people that are making hundreds of dollars every day on YouTube talking about Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the BS narrative that is being fed. And the very obvious psychological operation that is being employed to make you accept the BS that they are trying to sell to us. Gosh darn you. Did you make a thousand dollars today talking about Charlie Kirk? Well, you should be ashamed of yourself. Says Turning Point USA.” 13:20-13:55]
Candace later added to that argument in a tweet saying,
“It is a positively ABSURD notion that you cannot critique a 150 million dollar organization because the CEO says they are like a family, and are grieving. It is the exact same emotional strategy deployed by BLM in the wake of George Floyd’s death, when I called out their shady financial dealings. I rejected it then and I wholly reject it now.” []
Besides just responding to Erika, Candace’s video also addressed Tucker Carlson - who has recently started asking his own questions about Charlie’s assassinations and expressing some doubt about the official story.
Going on Theo Von’s podcast to say,
[“The FBI has this case and of course, the state of Utah. It’s their job to not only find out what happened but also present it to the public in such a way that restores some confidence that you can have justice in this country. That we have functioning law enforcement. I don’t have confidence in that because there’s a lot of evidence that we don’t have that. So restore confidence by being honest and telling a story that makes sense. If they don’t do that, and they haven’t done that, how can you be mad at Candace Owens or anyone else for filling a vacuum that they left?” 2:20:56-2:21-30]
And then later reiterating his distrust for the official story as well as the FBI in his own video posted on X,
[“Of course, we shouldn’t invent theories to discredit the FBI but it’s not enough to have government officials tell us, ‘This is the truth.’ We have a right - probably an obligation - to say, ‘Well, can you prove it? And if you can’t, I don’t have to believe you.’” 4:02-4:18]
[“It is the job of the FBI to find out what happened and to tell the rest of us. Not hide behind ‘national security, confidential sources.’ No, tell us what happened. Show us what happened. Convince us what happened. That’s your job.” 4:38-4:54]
It’s also worth mentioning that this situation has continued stoking the flames between Candace Owens and Tim Pool.
Who have been consistently trading shots on X as well as on their respective shows - each accusing the other of being mentally unwell.
Then while all of this is happening, there’s the matter of the TPUSA livestream that Blake Neff, the producer of the Charlie Kirk show, sort of invited Candace onto but only on the condition that she make an in-person appearance.
Right, with her responding to that saying she didn’t receive any official communication and that she couldn’t make the date they picked - December 15th - work in person.
But noting she’d be more than happy to appear virtually.
To that, Blake Neff responded, again on X, by saying,
“Yesterday, we made it clear that we would be scheduling a formal response to the allegations and accusations you have made. We've decided that response will be delivered during a livestream on December 15th. Thank you for your response letting us know you will not be joining the in-person conversation. We will be proceeding without you.” []
Before responding to another user accusing them of mishandling this whole thing by saying,
“Of course it isn’t how you book a guest. We are not booking a guest and never said we were. We are delivering a response to several months of escalating harassment and lies. She was given the opportunity to join and declined.” []
Of course, Candace hit back on that - saying that at no point did they say her presence in-person was mandatory.
In fact, she quotes the initial statement from Blake Neff saying that TPUSA would, “SINCERELY welcome her participation in that livestream,” - before adding,
“There was nothing sincere about what you did following that announcement and you deserve the ratio you’re getting. Frankly, nothing has felt sincere about the organization since Charlie passed.” []
But it wasn’t just Candace and her fans that took issue with the way that Blake and TPUSA handled this whole situation.
You even had someone calling into the Charlie Kirk show asking why they’ve been so difficult about this.
[“One thing I’m trying to make come together in my head is why the invitation was extended to Candace but not to Candace directly?” 1:00:18-1:00:28,
[“Of course, Gina. First of all, our initial statement was on the show on Wednesday. I made it at the request of Erika. All of this has been at the direction and approval of Erika because she heads this. So what we were announcing there, what we said was that she has said things that are not true and he did not address them for a long time - we stated the reasons why.” 1:01:04-1:01:30,]
[“What was approved was we announced that we are going to respond to this. And what I said was we are going to announce a date soon. We actually hadn’t agreed on it at the time that I read the statement. We’re going to announce a date where we respond to this and once we announce it, Candace is free to attend in person. That is what we announced. And so once we agreed on a time, I announced what the time was going to be. Candace, for her part, said you name the time and you name the place. That’s what we did.” 1:01:55-1:02:22,]
[“Lastly, on the point of why it’s in person, I think it’s pretty intuitive that given what is being said, the way that this has worked, that it is critical to be in person if you want to be authentic and if you want to be detailed. And that is what we think is a fair request to make if she is going to participate. But regardless, it is going to go forward because we have decided that some response needs to be made.” 1:02:36-1:03:05]
It’s worth noting that while Blake Neff is making that argument that you need to be in-person to be “authentic and detailed,” his co-host is appearing virtually.
Just a little tidbit to throw in there.
Anyway, it looks like a longshot for the TPUSA/Candace Owens confrontation livestream we were promised.
But this is definitely a situation we’re going to have to watch as it develops further.
In the meantime, let me know your thoughts about this in those comments down below.
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While Trump is calling affordability a hoax, people have been increasingly turning to GoFundMe just to pay for their basic needs.
Right, GoFundMe does a Year in Help, which is like a Spotify Wrapped recapping donations on the platform.
And while it is meant to kind of uplift you about all the millions of donations that helped worthy causes, all the people that stepped up during natural disasters and other times of need, I mean, it is also kind of a bummer to see how many people needed help at all.
Right, because essential expense fundraising for needs like rent and utilities went up by 20% this year, with that money going directly to individuals or to nonprofits providing those resources.[]
And with that, the fastest growing categories this year were charity, followed then just by monthly bills.[]
More fundraisers were started for foodbanks than any other community-related cause.
And yes, while it is obviously good that there are people helping, it points to the fact that a ton of people are really struggling just to make ends meet.
Right, between the end of October and start of November, there was a sixfold increase in food-related fundraisers on the site, and that obviously lines up with the government shutdown pausing SNAP and government employees missing paychecks.[]
And it is worth noting, it is not the first time we have seen staggering amounts of people use the platform for things like food and housing.
Right, essential needs fundraisers have been increasing over the last three years on GoFundMe in all of the country’s major English-speaking markets. []
But this obviously comes as affordability is a major, major issue right now.
A recent Politico poll just found that nearly half of Americans find groceries, utilities, healthcare, housing, and transportation difficult to afford. []
And roughly a quarter skipped either a medical checkup or prescription dose in the last two years because of costs.
Childcare costs are up 30% since 2020, []
I mean, the list goes on.
But of course, if you saw the show yesterday, you know that to the president, this whole “affordability” thing is just a democratic hoax.
“But they have a new word, you know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability.” (3;05-3:10)
Right, that is how he kicked off a whole tour…about affordability.
But when you go back to the GoFundMe news and see that the most used words in fundraiser descriptions included, work, home, bill, and food. ][
Well, you get the sense that affordability is in fact a very real issue.
With GoFundMe’s CEO even telling the AP that people needing to ask for help on rent and other bills:[]
“That’s a function of what’s going on in these economies. And what is interesting is that people do step up and support folks in those situations.”
So I would love to know your thoughts on this one, especially as it relates to the overall affordability issue here.
Just go to Zocdoc and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!
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The US Navy are just pirates.
That’s what the Venezuelan government - and a lot of people online -- are saying after US ships seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The US isn’t hiding it either, with the Department of Defense quickly releasing footage of the incident showing a helicopter landing troops onto the tanker to take it over.
And right before that was made public, President Donald Trump delivered the news by saying:
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually.” @0:08-0:18
But that’s about all we knew, since he didn’t give a real reason for WHY the tanker was seized and just said “It was seized for a very good reason.”
That lack of transparency has led to a lot of questions and demands for answers.
One question was what exactly will be done with the oil, to which Trump just said the US will probably keep it.
While internationally Cuba and Iran called it piracy, and Russian officials used the incident to reiterate their support for Venezuela and say:
“I really hope that the United States, although they consider themselves entitled to conduct such operations, will somehow explain, out of respect for other members of the world community, what facts led them to take such actions.”
Not to mention that just a month ago Iran did a similar operation and the US denounced it:
“Iran's use of military forces to conduct an armed boarding and seizure of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law, undermining freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce. We call on Iran to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions.”
Which obviously made many feel the Trump administration was being a bit hypocritical here since it has yet to give a legal basis for the seizure.
This is obviously a big escalation in the ongoing tensions between the US and Venezuela and comes just a day after that Politico interview we covered yesterday where Trump refused to rule out a ground invasion. [broll]
It’s also likely this will send a chilling message to companies looking to export crude Venezuelan oil.
Although it might also have a small ripple for US oil.
That’s because despite tensions, Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC and sends us about 132 thousand barrels of oil a day -- which may change because of all this.
Coming back around, what do you think?
Does the Trump administration need to give a good answer for why this ship was seized?
Or at the end of the day does it not matter because both sides are just going to go with their respective narratives?
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For the first time since she was confirmed as head of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem stood before Congress today for a beating.
And going into this, it initially looked like she might be on shaky ground, not because of opposition from Democrats, but because of her own boss.
Because recently MS NOW and other outlets reported that Donald Trump was considering replacing Noem with someone else as early as January. [Quote, find “January”]
With one official saying she was on “very thin ice,” that Stephen Miller was leading the charge, and that he and others were frustrated with her because she wasn’t building new detention centers fast enough. [Quote same link]
Also, several governors had reportedly called Trump to voice complaints about Noem's handling of FEMA and disaster relief funds. [Quote same link, find “FEMA”]
But yesterday, Trump himself dispelled those rumours. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:03:54 - 01:04:08] Caption: “I read a story recently that I'm unhappy with Kristi — I'm so happy with her... We have a border that's the best border in the history of our country. Why would I be unhappy? She's fantastic, actually.”
So when Noem went before the House committee today, she had the president’s endorsement behind her, but that didn’t stop protesters from bursting in. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 54:06 - 54:13] Caption: [Kristi Noem:] “I’m very privileged and honored today to have my family with me …” [Protester:] “Stop ICE raids! The power of Christ compels you!”
In case you couldn’t hear that, they yelled “the power of Christ compels you” at her, because, you know, she’s the devil. [Continue B roll]
But once she actually started getting questioned by lawmakers, the Democrats weren’t too much friendlier.
[Clip, 02:14:35 - 02:14:51 - 02:14:57 - 02:15:03] Caption: [Delia Ramirez:] “You have misused resources appropriated by Congress. You have engaged in unethical behavior. You have repeatedly made false and misleading statements to Congress and to the press. And you’ve undermined the separation of powers and disregarded the role of Congress and the courts. … Your options are limited. Either you’re going to resign, Trump’s going to fire you, or you will be impeached.”
And on that, Delia [Delly-uh] Ramirez, who you just heard, is now pressing the House Judiciary Committee to begin impeachment hearings into Noem. [Headline]
With this coming as Democrats have filed articles of impeachment against Health Secretary RFK Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the past week as well. [Headline and headline]
But as for Noem, the alleged unethical conduct stems from reports that her DHS awarded grant money to a firm with ties to herself. [Headline]
As well as that the Coast Guard spent 172 million dollars to buy two private jets for her. [Headline]
Not to mention allegedly lying to Congress and ignoring the courts.
And then, Congressman Daniel Goldman pressed her on yet another alleged illegality. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 02:01:06 - 02:01:13, 02:01:19 - 02:01:35, 02:01:49 - 02:01:58, 02:02:27 - 02:02:36] Caption: [Daniel Goldman:] “Immigrants with ongoing asylum applications are legally in this country.” … [Kristi Noem:] “It’s a lawful pathway.” [Daniel Goldman:] “Okay, so if your department then deports anyone with an ongoing asylum application, you are violating the law, correct?” [Kristi Noem:] “Joe Biden left us with 9.5 million cases of backlogged asylum.” [Daniel Goldman:] “I’m not asking about Joe Biden. I’m asking you a specific question. … Why are you filibustering? Why can’t you answer the question? It’s a simple question. If your department deports anyone …” [Kristi Noem:] “Your president and your secretary did not follow the law.” … [Daniel Goldman:] “You are not following the law! Don’t tell us to change the law. If you don’t like the asylum system, you change the asylum system law.”
Now unfortunately, the grilling got cut short because Noem left the hearing early, but her department’s in some hot water outside the House chamber as well.
Because in case after case, federal judges have been chastising ICE agents for abusing their power.
So for example, in Oregon there’s a law that used to ban “creating a loud or unusual noise, noxious odor or other nuisance” on federal property, but which was recently broadened to include “areas outside federal property that affects, threatens or endangers federal property or persons on federal property.” [Quote]
So as a result, federal agents have arrested or threatened to arrest protesters on a sidewalk outside an ICE detention facility who were using a megaphone. [Quote same link, find “three times”]
With that leading to a lawsuit, and now a judge has temporarily barred the White House from enforcing that law outside the facility while the case proceeds. [Quote same link, find “injunction”]
And that’s not the first alleged First Amendment violation committed by federal authorities.
Right, there’s also the guy who was arrested after playing the Star Wars “Imperial March” theme at national guard members in D.C.
[Clip, 00:33 - 00:38]
Meanwhile, as the holidays approach, some churches are altering their traditional nativity scenes to make a similar statement.
With one in Boston removing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, and in their place is a sign reading “ICE WAS HERE.” [Image]
Something which ICE Director Todd Lyons called “absolutely abhorrent,” saying it adds to a “dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers.” [Quote]
But critics counter that what’s really driving the anti-ICE narrative are the actions of ICE itself.
And there’s one particular example that’s grabbing a lot of attention right now because it’s just so shocking.
With that being the case of this young man, a U.S. citizen, whom city leaders in Minneapolis say was arrested by ICE for no other reason than he looked Somali. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:19 - 00:46]
With him saying he offered to show them his digital passport on his phone, but they declined, so he offered to provide his name and date of birth, but they declined again.
Then adding that after about an hour, they put him in the car and drove off.
[Same clip, 02:13 - 02:36]
After that, he says they brought him inside the facility and kept him there for another 20 or 30 minutes, telling him there was no medical aid available even though his hands were numb and his back hurt.
Then eventually, someone looked at his passport, took his fingerprints, and let him go, but …
[Same clip, 03:49 - 03:54]
Though eventually, he said, his parents picked him up, but he stresses that the whole episode was so outrageous, not just because he’s a citizen, but because if they’ll do this to him, imagine what they’ll do to people with even fewer rights.
And in fact, you even had the Minneapolis police chief saying this to him at a press conference: [Lead b roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:07 - 00:16]
