For those asking who owns and controls TikTok in the U.S.: TikTok’s American operation is now TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each own 15%. ByteDance retains 19.9%, with the remainder held by other investors. The U.S. entity is led by CEO Adam Presser and says it has decision-making authority over U.S. trust & safety and content moderation. Congress is also asking questions. On September 15, TikTok U.S. Chief Security Officer Will Farrell is scheduled to testify before the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party about Chinese involvement, data privacy and national-security concerns. CEO Adam Presser is not currently expected to testify. The committee is chaired by Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Michigan).

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces questions about his family’s reported Muslim Brotherhood connections and his own published positions defending the prospect of Brotherhood rule in Egypt. What is the Muslim Brotherhood? Its history, ideology, and U.S. terrorist designations.

Just because something supports what you believe doesn’t make the evidence authentic. The narrative may be true. Or it may be false. Question everything. Especially what you want to believe.

Can compassion become dangerous? At what point does helping someone become enabling them? And who is paying the price for our empathy? Suicidal Empathy?

The Presidential Fitness Test taught me something I’ve carried my entire life. I struggled. I was embarrassed. But I kept trying. And when I finally succeeded, the pride was unforgettable. What happens when we lower the standards to spare children the struggle?

Five days. A new White House record. Katie Zacharia’s tenure as press secretary was shorter than any of her predecessors. Some served briefly because presidents died. One resigned over a presidential pardon. Even Anthony Scaramucci lasted longer. A little White House history most people won’t hear about.

Meet Justin Murphy, the Republican challenging Senator Cory Booker in New Jersey. Asked what advice he would give President Trump on Iran, Murphy delivered an answer that’s making the rounds. Booker called it “cowboy foreign policy” and “false bravado.” You decide.

An old Soviet joke captured an economic problem in just eleven words. When hard work and productivity no longer lead to greater rewards, what happens to ambition, innovation, and the incentive to produce? The Soviet Union learned the consequences. History has a way of reminding us what happens when incentives disappear.

Genocide. A word we hear constantly. But where did it come from, and what does it actually mean? Coined in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin, its origins reveal an important distinction between the killing of individuals and the deliberate destruction of a people. Sometimes understanding history begins with understanding a single word.

France may be showing us something larger than the grievances that brought people into the streets. The grievances are real. But there is also evidence they are being organized and amplified into greater unrest. With France approaching a potentially significant political shift, the timing matters. Look at the organization. Look at the timing. Look at who benefits. What’s happening in France may be the pattern worth watching elsewhere in Europe. Don’t trust anything. Question everything.

Yesterday, we asked why twelve U.S. B-1 bombers suddenly left Britain. Today, we have part of the answer. President Trump says the aircraft were moved because of a threat. “They didn’t fly out by accident.” What remains unanswered is whether Britain’s handling of the terrorism suspects played any role in Washington’s decision. What we now know is that the threat was serious enough for the United States to move twelve B-1s.

Twelve B-1 bombers just left the United Kingdom. America only has 44. Nearly half a million pounds at takeoff. More than 900 mph. 75,000 pounds of weapons. Intercontinental range. And with aerial refueling, they can leave the United States, strike targets halfway around the world, and come home. This is why moving twelve of them matters.

Twelve U.S. B-1 bombers have left RAF Fairford. Days earlier, terrorism suspects connected to an investigation involving the base were arrested — and released on bail. President Trump questioned the releases. Secretary Rubio raised concerns about foreign involvement. Now the bombers are gone. Coincidence? Force protection? Or something larger happening in the U.S.–UK security relationship? The timeline is worth examining.

You. Sometimes you need to hear it again.

Mosquitoes. What good are they? Turns out, they actually have a purpose. There are thousands of mosquito species. Only a small fraction regularly bite humans, and fewer still spread disease. Apparently, it’s just a few assholes giving everybody else a bad name.

Two opposing sides can make the same mistake. One begins with innocence and works backward. The other begins with guilt and works backward. When every piece of evidence somehow confirms the same conclusion, pay attention. Discernment requires being willing to follow the evidence even when it weakens what you already believe. Question everything. Especially the theory that explains everything.

Two people agreeing doesn’t make something true. In this video, the speaker claims John McAfee identified the Surfside condominium as the location of his hidden files. That assertion traces back to a fabricated tweet, debunked in 2021. He then claims Israel was the only party allowed to investigate the building collapse. Also false. American authorities conducted investigations, and rescue teams from multiple countries participated. Rather than challenge these assertions, the interviewer helps advance the narrative. Conspiracies can be real. But agreement isn’t evidence, and repetition isn’t verification. Question the speaker. Question the interviewer. Question your sources. And especially question what you already believe. Question everything. Sources: AFP Fact Check (July 2, 2021); Miami-Dade Police; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Sovereignty cannot exist in two places at once. Either a nation has ultimate authority over its own future — or it doesn’t. Sovereignty vs. Globalism. Two declarations. Two fundamentally different ideas about where power belongs.

If two alliances provide equal strategic benefits at the same cost, should we judge them differently? The purpose of this exercise isn’t to tell you which alliances America should keep. It’s to ask whether you’re applying the same standard.