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What We’re Using

I use AI all the time—it’s made things like proofreading and working with numbers easier in countless ways.

But all the AI apps are owned by Big Tech giants who track you, censor you, and profit off your data. That’s why we’re teaming up with Venice.ai. Venice offers everything you’d want in an AI—text, image creation, AI characters, and code generation—without Big Tech’s restrictions or snooping.

Venice is private, uncensored, and puts you in control of your data and creativity. If you’re ready to break free from Big Tech’s grip, give Venice a try.

Head over to venice.ai/upward and use promo code UPWARD to unlock a truly uncensored AI experience.

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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

📊 Trump sued Iowa pollster over “brazen election interference.” President-elect Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and famed pollster J. Ann Selzer, accusing them of intentionally releasing a flawed poll showing Kamala Harris leading him in Iowa. Trump, who won the state by over 13 points, claims the manipulated results were leaked to damage his campaign and influence the election.

🧑‍💻 Trump vowed to end federal telework and threatened mass firings. President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to fire remote-working federal employees who refuse to return to the office. Backed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump's administration plans to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, arguing that taxpayers shouldn’t fund “empty buildings” or pay employees for “COVID-era privileges.”

🍎 Americans support RFK Jr.’s food reform proposals. A YouGov poll shows Americans overwhelmingly back Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s food reform ideas, with nearly 80 percent supporting mandatory nutrition education in medical schools and majorities favoring bans on harmful additives and processed school lunches. However, Kennedy remains polarizing, with Republicans viewing him favorably (+63) and most Democrats expressing disapproval (-41).

🕵️‍♂️ House GOP accused Liz Cheney of witness tampering, calls for FBI probe. A new House report claims former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) secretly influenced Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson, potentially violating federal laws against witness tampering and perjury. The report also exposes missing evidence, collusion with Special Counsel Jack Smith, and failures by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Pentagon to secure the Capitol. Cheney denied the allegations as "fabricated lies."

WHAT WE’RE HEARING

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to Trump raising concerns about "conflict of interest" rules regarding Elon Musk. In response, Trump's team dismissed her and called her "Pocahontas.”

• Donald Trump slammed New York Judge Juan Merchan for refusing to overturn his felony conviction, calling the judge “deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent.”

• Sohrab Ahmari asserted that “the Ukrainians are trying to draw the United States and the world into WWIII while they still can.”

• Nate Silver believes scrapping Daylight Savings Time is a “terrible idea” because it would eliminate “40 minutes of waking daylight per year in the summer.”

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IN THE LOOP

• Luigi Mangione, the man arrested for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been indicted on multiple charges, including murder.

• 41 percent of Americans under 30 found the murder of Brian Thompson “acceptable.”

• Public schools skip facts. Did you know that FDR’s New Deal actually prolonged the Great Depression and hindered recovery? Learn the truth.*

• The federal government is looking to hire up to 1,200 DEI employees ahead of the Trump administration.

• The top Border Patrol union endorsed Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.

MY THOUGHTS

Say It Out Loud: The Associated Press Is Not Neutral

Good morning. There was a time, not too long ago, when most people believed the New York Times was neutral. But when Trump came down that escalator, it quickly became clear that it wasn’t.

Shortly after, many still considered the Associated Press a bastion of neutrality. Yet during Trump’s presidency and the conflicts in the Middle East, it became clear that the AP wasn’t neutral either.

In fact, a while back, the Associated Press ran a hit piece on Upward News to censor our coverage of the migrant crisis. It’s no surprise, given that many AP board members are tied to left-wing advocacy groups.

The media has had a tough time. It lost credibility trying to prop up Democrats — and failed. The public simply doesn’t agree with their positions. Now, outlets like the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post are scrambling, hiring token conservatives to feign balance.

Recently, AllSides (a great bias-rating organization) added us to their media bias chart, rating us as lean-right. Personally, I think that’s fair. They also rated the Associated Press as left. Also fair.

But here’s the reality: when mainstream media outlets try to appear more neutral as their audiences shrink, don’t fall for it. Nothing will really change. These outlets have always had token conservatives — or really, just gatekeepers.

In the meantime, we’ll keep doing what we do best: watching them, debunking their narratives, and delivering the news and explanations you need — concisely.

NATIONAL SECURITY

“They’re gaslighting us”: New Jersey official responds to drone mystery

Yesterday, I had a call with an elected official from New Jersey. They requested to remain anonymous, so the information here will be kept that way.

What’s happening now is that, across all of New Jersey, people have been seeing unidentified flying objects for at least three weeks since mid-November — many of which appear to look like drones.

The presence of these drones is indisputable at this point. The official I spoke to has received countless inquiries from constituents about them. He even noted how, on many nights, he and other high-ranking state officials have observed swarms of these drones flying into New Jersey from the ocean.

Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris White House had a briefing with these officials two days ago, during which they claimed the drone story isn’t happening. The administration’s framing is that these drones are either hobbyists, planes, or stars.

Nobody buys it. Not the people of New Jersey, nor the state government. But the drones persist, continuing to fly over sensitive areas such as reservoirs, near Trump’s home in Bedminster, and even near military facilities, prompting the state to close certain areas.

New Jersey officials maintain that the federal government is gaslighting them. While there is no consensus on the origin of the drones, most believe they are unlikely to be from enemy nations, and more likely something the federal government knows about but is keeping highly confidential.

There is, of course, the possibility that the government simply doesn’t know much about the drones. Local police have tried to track them and get closer to them but have been unsuccessful. Some officials have claimed they are unable to track the drones in the same way they would with other radio-controlled aircraft.

There are also now reports of drone sightings in Europe — specifically above American military facilities in Germany. An Ohio Air Force base was shut down due to drone sightings.

What’s happening here in New Jersey — and the scale of it — is unprecedented, a word often misused in describing current political events.

There is one story from the seventies with similarities, however. The Washington Post reported in 1979, “During two weeks in 1975, a string of the nation's supersensitive nuclear missile launch sites and bomber bases were visited by unidentified, low-flying and elusive objects, according to Defense Department reports,” which “led to extensive but unsuccessful Air Force attempts to track and detain the objects.”

According to their reports, the objects appeared to be “helicopters” and were “brightly lit, fast-moving vehicles that hovered over nuclear weapons storage areas and evaded all pursuit efforts.”

What we know is that the sightings are real. The exact magnitude of the situation may be exaggerated, but it remains the most significant event of its kind. All else is still up for speculation.

CRIME AND JUSTICE

Democrats continue to get it wrong on school shootings

On Monday, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow opened fire on her classmates and teachers inside the K-12 Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. She managed to slay a teenage student, a substitute teacher, and injure six others.

A 2nd-grader dialed 911 at 10:57 am, and the police arrived within four minutes of the shooting. When they arrived, the shooter had already taken her own life…

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COMMENT OF THE DAY

On What Trump’s TIME Interview Revealed About His Lofty Ambitions:

“Presidents represent every American. Sometimes, that means making a few concessions. What bathroom one transgender rep uses is nowhere near as big an issue as keeping men out of women’s sports. Let Capitol Hill sort out their bathroom problem. Trump needs to make sure tax dollars aren't used to fund sex changes, and Title IX doesn't enshrine men in women's sports.” — Joy C

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OUR QUESTION TO YOU

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Do you believe Trump will compromise too much as president?

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👍 Yes (187)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👎 No (852)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (261)

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