Pam Bondi’s Epstein Files Meltdown Was CRAZY
PDS Published 02/11/2026
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Whatever the founding fathers imagined politics would look like 250 years later, I can tell you one thing: this is not it.
[Clip, 04:42 - 04:49, 04:55 - 05:08, 05:53 - 05:56, 05:59 - 06:07]
That’s Donald Trump’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, taking an absolute beating in front of the House Judiciary Committee today. [Zoom in and freeze on her face]
And of course, with her being the head of the Justice Department, the topic everyone grilled her on was Jeffrey Epstein.
Now in her defense, she tried to make it out like Trump has been the one pushing to release the files.
[Clip, 08:12 - 08:26]
This of course flying in the face of almost an entire year of feet-dragging, lies, distractions, and countless deployments of the word “hoax” that we all witnessed.
But Bondi argued that nobody asked all these questions when Biden’s attorney general was on the stand, and that Democrats only care about Epstein now because they want to distract from … Trump’s stock market?
[Clip, 08:54 - 09:07, 09:22 - 09:28]
This of course flying in the face of numerous economic indicators — inflation, jobs numbers, debt, health insurance premiums — as well as Trump’s dismal polling on economic performance.
Not that any of that’s relevant to Epstein, and also, I know we’ve just collectively forgotten this, but Pam Bondi’s not a political operative; she is the attorney general.
Right, her role is supposed to be nonpartisan, non-political, independent from the White House.
So for anyone who remembers what American politics was like just a couple years ago, seeing America’s top lawyer glaze Trump from head to toe is kind of wild.
But anyway, back to Epstein, a group of his victims were actually there at the hearing, and Pramila Jayapal [Pronounce 00:02] had them stand up, then said: [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 02:49 - 03:04] Caption: “Please raise your hands if you have still not been able to meet with this Department of Justice. … Please note for the record that every single survivor has raised their hand.”
Then, at another point after Bondi licked Trump’s toes a little more and claimed there is no evidence he has committed any crimes, Ted Lieu [Loo] leveled this serious accusation at her.
[Clip, 00:30 - 00:51, 00:58 - 01:08]
You also had Thomas Massie, who has been leading the charge on the release of the Epstein files calling her out, first for accidentally publishing the names of victims, and then for redacting the names of implicated men.
“To my right is an email that was sent by the victim’s lawyers to the DOJ, it was a list of names not to redact, sorry, a list of names not to release. What did the DOJ do with this email? They released this email in the document production. Literally the worst thing you could do to the survivors.” (0:11-0:32)
Then he pulled up another document referring to co-conspirators in sex trafficking, and he noted that while billionaire Les Wexner’s name is found in other parts of the files, it is redacted here.
And Wexner’s name was unredacted after Massie called this out earlier in the week, but today, he got to confront Bondi on it directly, where she no surprise brushed it off.
“Who is responsible? Are you able to track who in your organization made this massive failure and released the victim’s names? Are you able to track who it was that obscured Les Wexner’s name as a co-conspirator in the FBI document? Do you have that kind of accountability?...I believe Wexner’s name was listed more than 4,000 times.”(2:25-2:49)
“You are acting like everyone is trying to cover up Wexner’s name, he was [crosstalk.] (3:00-3:09)
“Within 40 minutes Wexner’s name was added back in…withing 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed!...Red handed? It was one redaction out of…he was listed as a co-conspirator!” (3:35-3:47)
And so you have some slamming Bondi for not answering questions, some even calling for her to be held in contempt of Congress. []
And others calling this a massive cover up. []
But the DOJ isn’t the only department that has a problem with the abuse of children.
Because Homeland Security’s now been accused of zip-tying dozens of kids during a raid in October on a horse racing track in Idaho. [B roll, 00:09]
Right, officially they were targeting an alleged gambling ring, with some 300 U.S. citizens and 100 undocumented immigrants getting taken into custody. [Same B roll]
But only five people were ultimately arrested for the gambling ring, all on non-violent offenses, and now the ACLU alleges in a lawsuit that the whole thing was just cover for an immigration raid. [Same B roll]
Describing how in the process of rounding folks up and herding them onto the racing track, federal agents smashed car windows where children had taken refuge from a chilly rain. [Quote, find “chilly”]
With one 8-year-old boy saying he had to pick tiny shards of glass out of his mouth. [Same quote]
Other kids adding that guns were pointed at them, more recalling rubber bullets whizzing over their heads. [Quote same link, find “rubber”]
And according to the lawsuit, multiple children were zip-tied, leaving welts and bruises on their wrists, including a 14-year-old girl seen in this photo. [Image]
Now both DHS and the local FBI office flat out denied that any children were zip-tied, but later some FBI officials clarified that no “young” children were zip-tied. [Quote same link, find “amended”]
Then, local police acknowledged that in fact, minors had been zip-tied. [Same quote]
And this week, CBS News confronted the sheriff who led the raid, and to give you an idea of his character, he did the operation on horseback and describes himself as a cowboy. [Image]
Anyway, at first he denied it, then they fact checked him right there on the spot, and then he justified it. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:36 - 00:14]
But that’s only one of many cases where the authorities were caught lying, speaking of which, we’ve gotta dive into these revelations about Marimar Martinez [Pronounce 39:19].
Right, we talked about her in depth last week; she’s the woman who survived being shot by Border Patrol five times while she was following them in her car. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 43:49 - 43:52, 44:01 - 44:05] Caption: “I could hear my back passenger window shatter. … I looked down and I noticed blood gushing out of my arms and legs.”
With the agents claiming afterward that she rammed their car, and Martinez claiming the opposite, that they sideswiped her before getting out and shooting.
Well now, we have the body cam footage from that incident, and it does not appear to back up the agents’ story.
Right, it starts with them in their vehicle, protesters honking horns at them, and then they say: [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:29 - 00:33, 00:39 - 00:42] Caption: [Agent 1:] “Alright, it’s time to get aggressive and get the fuck out, because they’re trying to box us in.” … [Agent 2:] “We’re gonna make contact and we are boxed in.”
Then the driver, Charles Exum, appears to jerk the steering wheel to the left, in the direction of Martínez’s vehicle. [Continue B roll]
At which point the video jolts, and then this happens. [Same B roll]
[Clip, 00:49 - 00:54]
Right, that’s Exum firing the five shots at Martinez’s vehicle, and when they radio it in, this is what they say: [Continue B roll]
[Clip, 01:27 - 01:32]
With one agent explaining to another agent on the scene a few minutes later: [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 07:46 - 07:52] Caption: “Vehicle struck us twice, then when we stepped out, she floored it and tried to run him over.”
Then, later that afternoon, while Martinez was in the hospital being treated for several gunshot wounds, then Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino sent Exum an email reading:
“I would like to extend an offer to you to extend your retirement beyond age 57…. In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much left to do!!” [Quote]
Meanwhile, Exum was texting a group chat with fellow agents labelled the “Posse Chat” where they heaped praise on him for his supposed heroism.
With one writing, “You are a legend among agents you better fucking know that. Beers on me when I see you at training.” [Quote same link]
As well as another adding, “That’s awesome! You did REAL GOOD” with a heart eyes emoji. [Quote same link]
Though it’s not clear whether they knew what really happened, because Exum said he fired through Martinez’s front windshield, not the back passenger window, as she claimed. [Quote same link, find “windshield”]
Which is important because, you know, one would seem to suggest he was in front of it as it came at him, while the other suggests he was back and off to the side.
Also, Exum shared a link to a news story headlined, “Federal agents taunted Chicago woman to ‘do something’ before shooting her, attorney claims,” then captioned it: “LMAO.” [Quote]
In another message, someone asked him if the bosses had been supportive, and he replied: [Image]
“Big time. Everyone has been including Chief Bovino, Chief Banks, Sec Noem and El Jefe [Heff-ay] himself … according to Bovino.” [Same image]
With “El Jefe” there translating to “the Boss,” which the Chicago Tribune interpreted as meaning Donald Trump.
And then there’s the disgusting text message we saw last week, where Exum wrote: “I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys.” [Quote same link]
Now for context, this guy’s not some fresh hire; he’s a 23-year veteran of the Border Patrol.
So you can imagine what else he’s done throughout his career that we don’t know about, but for now he hasn’t been charged.
In fact, DHS still maintains that Martinez is a domestic terrorist, even though the charges against her were dropped months ago.
Meanwhile, the agents who shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti are also still free men, though there have been some people arrested.
With an Associated Press review finding at least two dozen ICE employees and contractors who have been charged with crimes since 2020. [Quote, find “two dozen”]
And these stories are just crazy; right, you’ve got one detention facility official admitting he grabbed a handcuffed detainee by the neck and slammed him into a wall last year. [Quote same link, find “slammed”]
There’s another facility official who admitted to sexually abusing a detainee for five months last year while telling other detainees to act as lookouts. [Quote same link, find “lookouts”]
An assistant field office supervisor allegedly abused his girlfriend for years, fracturing her hip and nose, causing internal bleeding, and attempting to strangle her, with the judge calling him “a volatile and violent individual.” [Quote same link]
Another ICE agent was found by local police passed out in a crashed car with his agency firearm on him. [Quote same link, find “passed out”]
Yet another ICE employee went to meet someone he thought was a 17-year-old prostitute, discovered it was a sting, then told the cops: “I’m ICE, boys.” [Quote same link]
A third agent was pulled over for driving drunk with his two children in the car, then demanded to know whether one of the deputies arresting him was Haitian and threatened: [Quote same link, find “Haitian”]
“I’ll run him once I get out of here and if he’s not legit, ooh, he’s taking a ride back to Haiti.” [Same quote]
And lastly, a deportation officer allegedly took cash bribes from bail bondsmen in exchange for removing detainers ICE had placed on their clients targeting them for deportation. [Quote same link, find “cash bribes”]
Now many of those happened over the past year, others go further back, but experts warn the AP that this kind of shit is likely to just get worse and worse.
Arguing that by weakening oversight, shortening training, doubling its workforce, making its culture more aggressive, and arguing agents have “absolute immunity” for their actions on duty, the Trump regime has left the door wide open to abuse.
But at least one group, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, is trying to appeal directly to Trump to end this madness.
Because they say they wanted to air a segment during one of Fox and Friends’ ad breaks, since the president is known to watch it from the Oval Office.
And it starts with a VoiceOver saying: “Federal agents are executing and terrorizing American citizens. Detaining and teargassing children, creating chaos.” [Quote]
Then, it cuts to Rogan.
[Clip, 00:13 - 00:17] Caption: “Are we really going to be the Gestapo? Where’s your papers? Is that what we’ve come to?”
And then the voiceover returns, saying, “ICE are out of control. When the government kills Americans and lies about the victims to cover up the crime, it’s not law and order and it’s not leadership. Those responsible must be fired. President Trump, stop the abuse, investigate the killings, it’s gone too far.” [Quote]
But while CNN and MS NOW are running that this week, reportedly Fox refused, offering no explanation to the group as to why.
So with that, our president just slumped even deeper into his echochamber of Fox & Friends, Truth Social AI slop, and whatever Stephen Miller’s whispering into his ear.
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The Trump administration suddenly and without explanation imposed an unprecedented ten-day shutdown over a major American city’s airspace, lifted the restrictions, and then lied about why it happened – all within the span of just a few hours.
That’s how you have many understanding what just happened in El Paso, Texas.
Right, because late last night, the Federal Aviation Administration issued what’s known as a “temporary flight restriction” or TFR for the airspace around the city.
And it said that for the next ten days everywhere up to 18,000 feet in altitude and in a ten-nautical-mile-radius would be off limits to all pilots – excluding Mexican airspace.
With an accompanying NOTAM (no-tam) or “Notice to Air Missions” giving them a clear warning – saying:
“Pilots who do not adhere to the following [procedure] may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel.”
Also stating that any pilot who does not comply may face civil penalties or criminal charges – and finally adding:
“The United States Government may use deadly force against the airborne act, if it is determined that the act poses an imminent security threat.” []
But with all that, as far as why this was actually happening? You had the TFR simply citing “special security reasons.” []
And the FAA actually gave the same explanation for a second TFR issued last night for the small community of Santa Teresa in New Mexico – which is about 15 miles northwest of the El Paso airport.
But the attention has largely been on El Paso because it’s such a major city.
It’s located right on the river dividing the US and Mexico, and it’s the 23rd-most populous city in the nation according to the latest census – with roughly 700,000 people living there.
And that’s not counting Ciudad (see-you-dahd, pronunciation) Juarez, which is just across the border, and together with El Paso form a metropolitan area with well over two million inhabitants.
And with all that, while El Paso isn’t the busiest airport in the US, you still had nearly 3.5 million passengers passing through last year alone.
And when it posted on its Instagram that all commercial, cargo and general aviation flights would be closed through February 20th you understandably had a lot of people who were frustrated and confused.
Right, to be clear, the FAA issues temporary flight restrictions all the time for lots of different reasons – including natural disasters, such as wildfires and hurricanes, and major sporting events, like the Super Bowl.
But it's highly unusual to shut down the airspace over a big city for an extended period of time with almost no explanation.
And it’s also apparently pretty uncommon for this type of notice to be issued without carve-outs for first responder and military aircraft. []
With a CNN correspondent covering transportation and aviation giving some key context early this morning – saying:
“...the El Paso TFR is not like the 9/11 nationwide airspace shutdown. DC & NY restrictions were created later.”
“A ban on all flights over a U.S. city—including medevac and police helicopters—has no modern precedent.”
And you had Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, striking a similar note – saying in a statement:
“The highly consequential decision by the FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and resulted in significant concern in the community.” – going on to say:
“From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas” – and adding:
"There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations.”[]
And with that, you had her urging the FAA to “immediately lift’” the airspace restrictions.
And it wasn’t long after that the agency actually did just that, saying the temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted – and adding:
“There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”
Also, around this time, you had an unnamed Trump administration official telling reporters that the reason all this had happened was because Mexican cartel drones had breached the airspace but that the military had dealt with it and it was now safe.
And that’s the version of events you quickly had Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy giving to the public – writing on social media:
“The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.”
“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
“The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
Now, notably, Duffey didn’t say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
And even more notably, we very quickly started seeing reports that contradicted what he had said – or at least suggested that he had left out some key information.
Right, you had Escobar, the congresswoman, claiming that cartel drones being the reason for the closure was “not the information” Congress had been given – also saying:
“There have been drone incursions from Mexico going back to as long as drones existed. So this is nothing new.” []
And she has a point – right, back in July, you had the deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Homeland Security Department telling Congress pretty much the same thing.
With him reporting that 27,000 drones piloted by organizations hostile to law enforcement had flown within 500 meters of the border over just six months in 2024. []
And he also said that these drones and the effort to defend against them had the potential to cause major disruptions to American infrastructure – although he also assured lawmakers that his program works with the FAA:
“...to properly coordinate the use of each piece of equipment at specific locations and times to ensure that impacts to the national airspace system are minimized.” []
He also didn’t go into any details about any of the anti-drone technology the DHS was testing but it increasingly seems like that may have been a factor in El Paso.
Right, soon after the airspace was reopened, for example, you had one source telling The New York Times that the shutdown had something to do with a test of new counter-drone technology by the military at a nearby Army base. []
And at least one more person reportedly briefed by Trump officials soon backed up that story – saying the FAA’s decision was prompted by concerns about the risks the technology being tested could pose to other aircraft in the area. []
You also had MS Now getting even more specific – claiming to have been told by Congressional officials that the military had been planning to test a high-energy laser that could be used against drones.
And adding that the FAA had abruptly announced the 10-day closure upon learning about those plans. []
And while we wait to learn more local officials have made it very clear that they are not happy – with El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson saying at a news conference:
“I want to be very, very clear that this should’ve never happened. You cannot restrict air space over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable.” (0:21-0:44)
And with that, to show that this wasn’t just annoyance, but to something that had a real impact, he noted that surgical equipment destined for city hospitals hadn’t shown up.
And he said that medical evacuation flights were forced to divert to a city in New Mexico more than 40 miles away. []
And that’s with the shutdown only lasting for a few hours – so had this gone on the impacts would’ve just continued to grow.
Now, all that said, the military isn’t testing anti-drone technology at the southern border for no reason.
Right, going back a decade, you had one of Mexico’s major cartels starting to make what’s been described as systematic, large-scale use of drones.
With them adapting different models for surveillance, combat and transport.[]
And fast forward today officials have reportedly documented conflicts between cartels in which drones are being used to carry and deploy up to 50 kilograms of explosives at once. []
With US officials having expressed concern that they may eventually target Americans or law enforcement in the border region.
Although, so far, with all those thousands of drones that have been spotted near the US, they’ve been for either drug smuggling or surveillance – not killing.
And when it comes to killing and the cartels it’s worth noting that the weapons and ammo involved may often come from the US.
And in fact, this week, you had Mexico’s defense secretary revealing that roughly half of the high-powered fifty-caliber cartridges seized from cartels since 2012 could be traced back to an ammunition factory in Missouri – one that is owned by the US government!
And that’s something we actually had an idea of thanks to an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The New York Times – which found that ammo from that plant had become staple for organized crime groups in Mexico and has also been used by mass shooters in the US.
And a spokesperson for the Army reportedly defended all this by noting that commercial sales from the plant has saved taxpayers around $50 million annually, primarily by lowering the government’s cost for ammunition.[]
And that’s just ammo.
Right, Mexico’s defense secretary also said that nearly 80% of weapons seized by the current administration have come from the US.
And the Mexican government has actually already sued major American gunmakers in the US – alleging that their business practices have helped fuel violence in the country.
But the Supreme Court ultimately threw that case out of court.
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Then, back to the news, authorities detained a man over the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, but he says he has nothing to do with this case and doesn't even know who she is.
Right, so yesterday the Pima County Sheriff’s Office announced that deputies detained a suspect during a traffic stop south of Tuscon, and then questioned him in connection with the Guthrie investigation.[]
We then learned that the FBI was conducting a search at a home in Rio Rico, Arizona which is about an hour south of Tuscon, just above the Mexican border. []
And this felt like it could have been a major breakthrough, because it came just hours after the FBI released photos and videos of a potential suspect, who was seen at Nancy’s door the night she went missing in a ski mask.
So people were really hoping this would turn the investigation around, especially since that footage reportedly led to a big increase in tips.
But as the search was being conducted, the woman who owned the home said it was her son-in-law who was the subject, but she claimed no one in her family was involved in this, that he was just a delivery driver out working.
“No, that’s not him. No. I can assure you that’s not him.” (4:13-4:19)
And then, multiple outlets reported that the subject had been released.
His name is reportedly Carlos, and he told Telemundo that his house had in fact been searched per a warrant, and both the front and back doors were damaged in the process.
He claimed that agents told him he looked like the person seen in the footage released by the FBI yesterday, though he disagreed.
And he again insisted that he has nothing to do with this, he does not watch the TODAY Show, he does not know who Savannah Guthrie is, and he had no clue her mom was missing.
“When they finally told you this had to do with some kidnapping, what were you thinking?...what the fuck am I doing here? I didn’t do anything, to be honest, I am innocent.” (0:00-0:09)
“I hope they get the suspect, because I’m not it. They better do their job and find the suspect who did it so they can clear my name.” (0:00-0:06)
With him saying he doesn’t even know why authorities were interested in him, they gave him no details on if it was his car, license plate, anything.
In fact, he said they didn’t even really pull him over, he noticed law enforcement was following him so he pulled to the side, and he claimed it took hours for his rights to be read.
Adding he does deliver packages in Tuscon, but he does not remember if he has delivered anything to Nancy’s home.
So now, you do have some criticizing the FBI’s handling of this, with people like Senator Chris Murphy seeing Carlos’s interview and saying:
“The FBI - now run by online influencers, hair tonic salesmen, and talk show hosts - has become a shell of its former self. The next President is going to have an enormous job to rebuild it.”[]
But last night, Kash Patel was discussing the case on Fox News and suggested the FBI was following some leads:
"I will say we have made substantial progress in these last 36, 48 hours thanks to the technical capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships. I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest." (3:11-3:22)
Then, this morning we got more weird news when TMZ claimed it received a note from someone offering to give information about the kidnapper up in exchange for one bitcoin.
And this comes as multiple media outlets have previously received alleged and unverified ransom notes, so TMZ again said the legitimacy of this one is unclear.
But the sender claims they have unsuccessfully have tried to reach Savannah and her family, before adding:
"If they want the name of the individual involved then I want 1 Bitcoin to the following wallet. Time is more than relevant."
So we will have to see if other outlets get a similar note, if it even ends up being legit or not.
And again, we hope they find her soon, and we are continuing to send our well wishes to her and her family.
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A federal judge just shut down Trump’s attempt to obtain sensitive voter data in Michigan, delivering a major loss in a state that Trump has made a key target.
Right, last summer, the DOJ began requesting that every state turn over complete voter rolls, including driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, party registrations, and voter participation histories.
Now, the Trump administration, for its part, has argued that the move is part of a broader effort to centralize election data in a national voting database.
But in a draft agreement sent to the states that was obtained by the Brennan Center, the DOJ specifically said it would conduct its own analysis of states’ voter files and then order the states to remove specific voters from the rolls.
Right, to be clear, that is something that has NEVER happened before.
States, not the federal government, are given legal authority to add and remove voters.
And many experts have raised concerns that the Trump administration will try to improperly remove valid voters from the rolls in order to directly suppress Democratic votes and boost the Republicans' chances of winning.
And that’s especially alarming given the fact that around 11 states have already complied or said they would comply with the requests to turn over incredibly sensitive voter information.
But the majority of states — both Democratic and Republican — have refused the administration’s demands.
So, as a result, the DOJ has sued over 20 states — most of which have Democratic governors — to try and force them to hand over the data.
And in its lawsuit against Michigan, the DOJ specifically argued that it was entitled to know the personal information of Michigan voters in order to “prevent the inclusion of ineligible voters” and to combat “voter fraud.”
But yesterday, a federal judge in Michigan — who was actually appointed by Trump — rejected those claims and dismissed the case.
Ruling that there was no basis to seize these records under the federal laws that the DOJ used to justify its request.[]
Right, and the fact that this took place in Michigan is especially notable because it was one of Trump’s top targets in his efforts to overturn the election in 2020, and he has made it clear that the state is on his radar again in the upcoming midterms.
He has continually spread false claims about the voter fraud in Michigan, even though he literally won the state himself in 2024.
And more recently, he listed Detroit while talking about the need to nationalize elections, claiming — without any evidence — that there are high levels of fraud.
But this also goes beyond Michigan — right, two OTHER federal judges have ALSO struck down the DOJ’s attempt to obtain the sensitive voter data.
Just last week, a federal judge in Oregon ruled against the DOJ’s efforts in the state, arguing that the Trump administration couldn’t be trusted to keep the sensitive data private or use it only for the limited purposes it said it would.
Just last week, a federal judge in Oregon ruled against the DOJ’s efforts in the state, arguing he didn’t trust the Trump administration to keep the data private.
And adding he also didn’t believe the administration’s claims that it would only use these voter rolls for the limited purpose of election administration, raising concerns that it would weaponize the information for immigration enforcement.
Beyond that, you also had another federal judge blocking the DOJ’s efforts in California last month, ruling that the request was an “unprecedented and illegal” power grab meant to disenfranchise voters, writing:
“The foundation upon which American democracy has been built is the right to vote [...] Now it seems the Executive Branch of the United States government wants to abridge the right of many Americans to cast their ballots.”
So the fact that a third judge has now ruled the same way indicates that Trump will continue to face roadblocks with this specific authoritarian campaign.
But, of course, there are still many, MANY other fronts in this battle — on top of all the other states the DOJ has sued for refusing to turn over voter data, it’s also very possible that they will appeal the three decisions we’ve already seen.
And, what’s more, we’ve also seen AG Pam Bondi weaponizing other branches of the government in order to coerce at least one state to hand over the records.
Right, last month, amid the Minnesota ICE takeover, Bondi sent Gov. Tim Walz a letter demanding that he turn over the voter data if he wanted to restore order in his state.
But, of course, that drew widespread backlash, with some experts even describing the letter as “a ransom note” and “blackmail.”
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YouTube is NOT a social media platform.
That’s what the company’s own lawyers argued during the kickoff a massive, landmark trial that could revolutionize social media and cost tech giants billions of dollars.
Right, the case in question centers around a now 20-year-old woman — identified by her initials, KGM — who accused Meta and YouTube of building addictive platforms that hooked her at a young age and hurt her mental health.
Now, notably here, while the current suit only names Meta and YouTube, it did initially include Snap and TikTok as well — but they were able to avoid the trial after reaching settlements under undisclosed terms.
But, as for the specifics here, the suit alleges that Meta and YouTube made calculated design choices — like infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithmic recommendations — to make their apps more addictive to kids and to boost their own profits.
And during the trial, KGM’s lawyer claimed that Meta and YouTube are just “digital casinos” intentionally designed to get children and teens addicted.[]
Claiming that the two platforms “have engineered addiction in children’s brains,” and arguing that tech executives knew the risks, and adding:[]
“They didn’t just build apps, they built traps. They didn’t want users, they wanted addicts.”[]
Meanwhile, on the other side, you had lawyers for the tech companies claiming that KGM’s mental health issues were caused by her difficult family life, not social media.
Denying the allegations that their products intentionally harm children, noting a number of safeguards they have enacted in recent years, and arguing that there’s no scientific evidence to prove that their apps cause addiction.[]
With them also claiming that federal law makes it so they aren’t liable for content posted on their platforms. []
And during the proceedings yesterday, we saw YouTube’s lawyers trying to separate themselves from Meta, making the bold claim that the platform isn’t a form of social media.
Arguing that YouTube is actually an entertainment platform that more closely resembles sites like Netflix than social networks like Facebook, and claiming that it's different because people use it for streaming helpful videos, not endless scrolling.
With one lawyer also pushing back on the claim that YouTube’s algorithms drive addiction, saying:
“It’s not trying to get in your brain and rewire it. It’s just asking you what you like to watch.”
Right, and those are just some of the key highlights we’ve seen so far from this groundbreaking trial.
But, VERY notably here, this case is not a one-off — it’s just the first to go to trial out of THOUSANDS of similar suits that have been filed alleging that social media platforms deliberately addicted adolescents and caused personal injury or other harms.
And all four tech giants are named in various combinations across the other suits, which rely on the novel legal claim that these apps can be as addictive and as harmful as cigarettes.
Right, specifically, these cases draw from the legal playbook used against Big Tobacco in the 90s, where plaintiffs claimed that cigarette makers knew how harmful their products were but hid that information from the public.khh cigarette companies reaching a $206 billion master settlement and agreeing to stop underage marketing, effectively paving the way for strict tobacco regulations and a decline in smoking.[]
And because KGM’s suit is the first to go to trial, it has been seen as a test case that could determine how the thousands of other similar cases might play out.[]
So if this case swings in her favor, it could cause a cascading effect similar to what we saw with Big Tobacco in the 90s, potentially putting tech firms on the hook for billions of dollars in damages and forcing them to totally redesign their platforms, effectively revolutionizing the entire industry.[]
But this is one where I’d really like to know your thoughts on — both in regards to tech addiction and whether you think YouTube should be considered a social media site like TikTok or a streaming platform like Hulu.
