Vance takes jab at Biden’s 28th Amendment declaration with Pete Rose comparison
President Biden’s recent declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is now “the law of the land” has prompted mockery in his final days in office. Biden isn’t even safe from insults from Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Vance responded to Biden’s declaration in a post on X, joking that Biden should put the late disgraced MLB icon Pete Rose in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Hey Joe if we’re doing fake s— on the way out can you declare Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame?” Vance wrote. “See you in two days!”
Rose, who died back in September, was banned from MLB for life for illegally betting on games.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Rose was banned in 1989 after an investigation concluded that he not only gambled on MLB games, but went so far as to wager on games involving the Cincinnati Reds when he was managing the team.
Rose signed an agreement with Commissioner Bart Giamatti declaring him permanently ineligible for baseball but allowing him to petition for reinstatement and avoid a formal declaration that he bet on baseball. Multiple appeals by Rose for reinstatement over the last few decades have failed.
As a player, Rose won three World Series titles, two with the Reds and one with the Philllies, while making 17 All-Star games and winning NL MVP in 1973. He famously still holds the record for most hits in MLB history with 4,256.
PETE ROSE ON MLB BAN FOR GAMBLING IN LAST INTERVIEW: ‘OTHER GUYS WILL KILL SOMEBODY AND BE BACK IN THE GAME
Yet, his betting scandal has made him one of the most controversial holdouts of the baseball Hall of Fame since his retirement. His absence from the Hall of Fame is one of the sport’s most fiercely debated controversies.
So Vance had no reservations about referencing Rose’s famed Hall of Fame controversy to mock the outgoing president.
Citing the American Bar Association in the statement, Biden argued that the ERA has “cleared all necessary hurdles to formally be added to the Constitution.” Biden added that he agreed with “the ABA and with leading constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.” However, despite Biden’s argument, the National Archives disagreed.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a post on X calling the ERA the “law of the land,” implying that it is already part of the Constitution, which is not the case. Social media users were quick to point this out, with some calling the president a “dictator.”
The ERA, a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee “equal rights under the law” to all Americans regardless of sex. Its latest iteration was a rapid response by New York Democrats to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022.
TikTok puts users on notice with shutdown hours away from taking effect
Hours before the U.S. TikTok ban goes into effect, TikTok released a statement on its app, notifying users of the latest developments.
In the notification, which was alerted on customers’ “For You page” on Saturday night, the company confirmed the law banning TikTok will take effect on Sunday.
Leadership noted the ban will “force” the company to make its services “temporarily unavailable.”
“We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support,” the statement read. “Please stay tuned.”
The social media platform said it would “go dark” on Sunday without a “definitive” statement from the Biden administration.
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said in a statement posted to X.
PRIVACY GROUPS, EXPERTS, PARENTS LAUD SCOTUS TIKTOK BAN WHILE OTHERS SLAM DECISION AS ‘ANTI-DEMOCRATIC’
The White House said this week Biden didn’t plan to enforce the ban, that it would be up to Trump, who takes office Monday.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld the bipartisan law passed last year banning TikTok unless its Chinese-owned company ByteDance sells it by Sunday, citing national security risks because of its ties to China, Fox News Digital reported.
KEVIN O’LEARY PUTS $20 BILLION TIKTOK CASH OFFER ON THE TABLE: ‘MOST INTERESTING, COMPLICATED, CRAZY SITUATION’
Trump said he needed to “review” the ban before making a decision, and that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension from the Jan. 19 deadline after he takes office.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew thanked Trump in a video on Friday for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.”
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would “never ban TikTok” after joining the platform, but led the calls for the ban during his first term in office.
City official in charge of LAFD sidelined weeks before deadly fires for alleged threat
As wildfires wreaked devastation across Los Angeles, the city official in charge of the fire department was out of the picture – placed on administrative leave in December while he remains under investigation for an alleged bomb threat against City Hall earlier this year.
LA Deputy Mayor Brian Williams’ Pasadena, California home was raided by the FBI last month in connection to the investigation of a bomb threat which was made against City Hall in September. The Los Angeles Police Department referred the case to the FBI after it determined Williams was likely the “source of the threat,” FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
“Due to the department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI,” the LAPD said in a statement at the time. “The FBI remains the investigating agency.”
Embattled Mayor Karen Bass’ office said Williams was placed on administrative leave immediately after the FBI notified the mayor of the search. That happened three weeks before the fires erupted in Los Angeles County, scorching nearly four square miles of urban area, according to the Associated Press.
LA DEPUTY MAYOR PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER FBI RAIDS HOME FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING BOMB THREAT
The Palisades and Eaton Fires are still burning, though heroic efforts by firefighters and calming winds have greatly reduced the rate of spread. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 12,000 buildings and homes destroyed in the blazes. The fires are likely to be among the most destructive in California history, the state fire agency CalFire said.
When the first flames ignited, Bass, 71, was overseas on a diplomatic mission to Ghana. She was part of a delegation President Biden sent to the African nation for the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She hurried home on a military plane soon after news of the fire emergency reached her, but she did not return to Los Angeles for a full 24 hours after disaster struck.
LA MAYOR KAREN BASS POSED FOR PHOTOS AT A COCKTAIL PARTY AS PALISADES FIRE EXPLODED
Her initial absence has prompted harsh criticism from LA residents, who are questioning Bass’ leadership amid the crisis. In that context, her decision to put Williams on administrative leave is also under fresh scrutiny.
The Los Angeles mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Bass appointed Williams to be deputy mayor in February 2023 and charged him with overseeing public safety in the city.
EX-OBAMA STAFFER AND LIBERAL PODCASTER SLAMS LA MAYOR FOR BEING OVERSEAS DURING WILDFIRES
Williams was placed in charge of the city’s police department, fire department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, the Los Angeles World Airport Police and the city’s Emergency Management Department, local news station KABC reported. Williams previously served seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.
He also served as deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, during which time he oversaw the Department of Transportation, Public Works and Information Technology Agency.
Williams’ attorney Dmitry Gorin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gorin previously released a statement denying that his client had anything to do with the bomb threat made against City Hall.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Mr. Williams strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations. Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through attorneys. He has a lengthy career of public service and is presumed innocent of these allegations. We urge the public to allow the investigation process to play out and not to prejudge the facts of this case before they are known,” Gorin said last month.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.
CNN insider’s blunt message after network loses multimillion-dollar legal battle
A CNN employee says losing a high-profile defamation case this week might have been expected inside the network, but that didn’t stop it from leaving a mark.
“Being found liable for defamation and dishonesty is a bad thing,” the employee said bluntly in a message to Fox News Digital.
Navy veteran Zachary Young successfully alleged CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by branding him an illicit profiteer who exploited “desperate Afghans” during the Nov. 11, 2021, report that first aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
After a chaotic trial that was held over two weeks in Florida, the jury ruled Young was to be awarded $4 million in lost earnings and $1 million in personal damages, and it also found punitive damages were warranted against CNN. Before the jury could rule on the latter amount, CNN and Young reached a settlement.
JURY FINDS CNN COMMITTED DEFAMATION AGAINST NAVY VETERAN, SETTLEMENT REACHED ON PUNITIVE DAMAGES
Afterward, Young said he felt “vindication.”
“It’s been a long three years, and to have the outcome that we wanted, which was vindication publicly, is an incredible feeling, and I’m glad that it’s over, and we don’t have to spend more years and more time arguing about the meaning of a word,” Young told Fox News Digital on Friday.
While sparsely covered at first in the press, as the trial wound down, the case drew more attention from mainstream outlets, and the verdict on Friday was widely covered. CNN’s own media unit has offered minimal coverage of the case. Media correspondent Hadas Gold published a short item about the verdict, and chief media analyst Brian Stelter made brief mention of the outcome in his Reliable Sources newsletter Saturday, in addition to a blurb at the outset of the trial on Jan. 6. According to a Grabien search, CNN has not covered the lawsuit or the jury’s decision on the air.
During the trial, Young’s legal team revealed CNN internal messages obtained through discovery that repeatedly showed staffers expressing hostility toward the Navy veteran.
Among those presented to the jury included one calling him a “s–tbag” and an “a–hole,” and another one saying he has a “punchable face.” It was also revealed that Alex Marquardt, the CNN correspondent who led the on-air report, told a colleague “we’re gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” which was cited repeatedly during the case, and said the report was going to be “your funeral bucko,” referring to Young in an exchange with a colleague.
A CNN spokesperson said the network would take “useful lessons” from the case.
PLAINTIFF IN CNN DEFAMATION TRIAL CELEBRATES ‘VINDICATION’ FOLLOWING COURTROOM DRAMA: ‘I’M GLAD IT’S OVER’
“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” CNN said in a statement after the settlement.
The CNN employee told Fox News Digital that they didn’t think the issues that arose in CNN’s journalism with this story reflect cultural issues within the company.
“The messages were bad… But I don’t think it’s a network-wide cultural thing,” they said. “It seemed to me it was an overzealous reporter — just someone who believed something was true and framed info in that context… found info to support that and didn’t critically look at their own conclusions.”
They added this comes at a time when morale is poor at the network, which is grappling with low ratings and reported pending layoffs, and there didn’t appear to be any internal “rallying behind” the flag internally.
A spokesperson responded to reports about CNN’s financial health by calling it “very healthy” and noting a report showing parent company Warner Bros. Discovery was making an investment of over $70 million in its digital pivot.
Another CNN insider told Fox News Digital that the private messages that came out in discovery were “damning stuff.”
CNN DEFAMATION TRIAL: EDITOR WHO SAID STORY WAS ‘FULL OF HOLES LIKE SWISS CHEESE’ GRILLED ON WITNESS STAND
At another point in the trial, CNN senior national security editor Thomas Lumley was grilled after internal messages showed he was highly skeptical of the “pretty flawed” report. Lumley was called as a witness after internal messages showed he felt the report was “full of holes like Swiss cheese.”
Another reporter involved in the story, Katie Bo Lillis, acknowledged she didn’t think about how much the segment could affect Young; the plaintiff said it wrecked his reputation and also had a drastic effect on his personal life, leaving him depressed and emasculated.
Several CNN figures also testified they didn’t agree with the network’s decision to apologize in 2022 for suggesting Young operated on a “black market.”
“The woeful performance of CNN journalists on the witness stand… juices the impact of Young v. CNN,” The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple wrote “They stumbled under questioning; they failed to defend a key wording choice; and in certain instances, as in the case of Lillis, they appeared clueless about the impact of their own massive network, which reaches more than 70 million households in the United States.”
“CNN should be deeply embarrassed that despite layers and layers of editorial staff, they could not perform basic journalistic functions nor overcome clear dysfunction among overpaid, arrogant TV stars playing journalist and cowardly editors,” a former CNN staffer who still works in the industry told Fox News Digital.
After the case ended, Young told Fox News Digital he didn’t have any animosity toward the network but did hope CNN and other media organizations learned from the experience.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I hope that they take this as an opportunity to look in the mirror and realize that, you know, there is room for change and improvement, and if that’s the outcome that it has on CNN, then maybe others in the media also can see that as something that’s positive,” he said.
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry called local villains by neighbors in ritzy town
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly are called local villains by neighbors of the ritzy California town the couple fled to after leaving their royal roles behind.
One Montecito resident, who has never met the couple but spoke to Vanity Fair, referred to the duo as the prince and “the starlet.”
The neighbors of the quiet Santa Barbara area attribute many of the new annoyances to Markle and Prince Harry, including increased housing prices, busy streets and more.
The neighborhood has seen much more tourist traffic since Markle and Harry’s arrival in 2020, anonymous residents told the outlet. Vanity Fair also reported that several people they spoke with noted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have become local villains.
MEGHAN MARKLE POSTPONES LIFESTYLE SERIES RELEASE DUE TO CALIFORNIA FIRES
“You know, the thing about [Meghan and Harry] that is so great is they didn’t come here to live off of our community. They came here to be a part of our community.”
Markle’s latest business endeavor, American Riviera Orchard, is also located in Montecito, Vanity Fair reported. According to the outlet, a book published by the Southern Pacific Company rail lines in 1898 states, “The Montecito is known as the American Riviera.” However, that honor reportedly now belongs to Santa Barbara.
“It’s such a kind of hucksterism,” a resident told Vanity Fair. “It’s just finding every way she can to monetize something.
“I still think they’re the most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet,” the resident added. “They moved away from England to get away from the scrutiny of the press, and all they do is try and get in the press in the United States.”
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Meanwhile, the couple’s arrival has been praised by their celebrity neighbor, Sharon Stone.
“You know, the thing about them that is so great is they didn’t come here to live off of our community. They came here to be a part of our community,” she told Access Hollywood in 2020.
“My friend said she was sitting in her car, and they bicycled across the street and waved at her while she was sitting at the red light,” she recalled. “They’re a part of our community. They’ve become a giving, caring, participating part of our community. They’re not here to be like, ‘Would you like to kiss my butt?'”
Montecito has been home to a handful of celebrities, including Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adam Levine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Keaton and Oprah.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Despite moving to the United States five years ago after stepping back from his senior roles in royal life, Prince Harry reportedly doesn’t have a social life aside from his nuclear family.
“[Meghan] was up front about the fact that Harry hadn’t made many friends yet,” a source, who previously interacted with Markle professionally, told Vanity Fair.
Markle and Prince Harry threw themselves into work and landed a bombshell Netflix contract months after establishing Montecito as their home in 2020. They first released their docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” in 2022. The show earned the biggest one-day audience for any Netflix series since monitoring began in October 2022. One year later, they followed up with the “Heart of Invictus” docuseries in 2023 and produced “Polo” in 2024.
However, multiple sources described Markle and Prince Harry as having “really great ideas” for shows that never got made.
“I think Harry doesn’t know what he wants because he grew up in a fishbowl, and so he doesn’t know what real life really is,” an insider, who worked on media projects with the couple, told Vanity Fair. “I think he probably wants to be left alone and be able to go kiss babies every once in a while but not have to worry about money. I don’t think he wants to be famous the way Meghan wants to be famous.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Taylor Swift draws mixed reactions with guest-of-honor at Chiefs game
Caitlin Clark’s surprise appearance alongside Taylor Swift at the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff game excited many fans Saturday, but some dreaded the sight.
The initial sight of Clark and Swift in a suite together after the pop star previously extended an invitation to Clark months ago provided a joyful dose of fan service for some.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
However, many fans have lamented the constant broadcast shots of Swift during Chiefs games dating back to last season, when the pop star first started showing up to support Travis Kelce. But now with Clark there too, it’s double trouble for some.
In her recent Time magazine Athlete of The Year Interview, Clark said, “As a White person, there is privilege.”
The comment provoked backlash against the WNBA phenom. And some fans who tuned in Saturday expressed their displeasure, taking issue with Swift’s past endorsement of Kamala Harris and other Democrats.
USC’S JUJU WATKINS OPENS UP ON CAITLIN CLARK’S WHITE PRIVILEGE COMMENTS AND EMBRACING CONTROVERSIAL NEW FANS
Clark, a lifelong Chiefs fan, said in her interview with Time that Swift and Kelce extended an invitation to Clark when she attended a Swift Eras Tour concert at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in early November.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Clark was also recently pictured next to Swift on the cover of Time magazine’s Inspiring Women special edition issue at the end of October.
Clark has said she is a lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan. She congratulated Swift after the pop star went public with her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce in September 2023.
“Taylor Swift welcome to the good side,” Clark wrote Sept. 24, 2023, in a post on X with the hashtag “Chiefs Kingdom.”
Social media gives attorney general rough send-off as video of DOJ departure goes viral
Social media users laid into U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland after video of him leaving the Department of Justice in celebratory fashion went viral online.
A DOJ video depicted Garland exiting the department Friday to cheers and applause from department staffers and other government officials who had lined the halls to see him off. However, critics of the attorney general gave him quite a different reception on X, formerly Twitter.
“Good riddance, Merrick Garland — you pathetic hack. @PamBondi will finally restore dignity to the DOJ. MAGA!” RNC Research wrote on X.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The embattled attorney general was a regular target of conservatives and GOP leaders who called him corrupt throughout the four years of the Biden administration.
Critics accused Garland of weaponizing the department against President-elect Donald Trump after the official launched an investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records that included a raid of Mar-a-Lago. Garland admitted he “personally approved” the raid.
Conservatives have grilled Garland over his department’s treatment of Catholics in multiple instances — one being where GOP lawmakers accused the DOJ of refusing to “bring justice” after attacks on Catholic churches.
Garland was also grilled at a congressional hearing over Catholics being allegedly targeted by the FBI.
Conservatives went after the attorney general in 2021 after he directed the FBI and U.S. attorney offices to hold meetings with federal, state and local law enforcement leaders about ways to combat what the DOJ called an “increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation’s public schools” coming from parents.
Prominent conservatives on X apparently had not forgotten his record in their responses to the clip.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., condemned Garland’s record, posting, “Merrick Garland has left @TheJusticeDept for the FINAL TIME. His DOJ attacked concerned parents. His DOJ attacked religious Catholics. His DOJ attacked political opponents. His DOJ was unprecedentedly weaponized. This disgraceful era of brazen political lawfare is FINALLY OVER.”
Republican communications adviser Matt Whitlock called Garland, “One of the greatest disappointments in recent political history.”
He added, “Garland went from Chief on the DC Circuit to lawless political hack for the dark money groups that controlled the Biden White House. The guy sent the FBI after parents for speaking out at school board meetings.”
PURPORTED FBI DOCUMENT SUGGESTS AGENCY MAY BE TARGETING CATHOLICS WHO ATTEND LATIN MASS
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., press secretary Jeremy Redfern savaged the attorney general, posting, “Never thought we’d see someone do more damage to the credibility of the DoJ than Eric Holder, but then Merrick Garland happened.”
Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., condemned the official, stating, “Merrick Garland presided over the wicked weaponization of the federal government against the American people. He has caused irreparable damage to the institution. Good riddance.”
Conservative columnist Tim Young decried the DOJ staffers for applauding Garland in the video of his exit.
“Fire every single one of the DOJ staff applauding Merrick Garland. If you can cheer for him, you should have ZERO influence on the justice system in this country once Trump takes office,” he wrote.
The Federalist CEO Sean Davis went after the applauding staffers as well, saying, “Identify and fire everyone in the photos applauding Garland or crying about his exit.”
The Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry agreed with Davis, replying, “Just fire all of them. Empty it out completely.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital has reached out to Garland for comment.
As anti-Trump protesters swarmed the steps below the Lincoln Memorial Saturday, media outlets painted a feel-good portrait. NBC4 Washington declared on social media: “Grassroots groups are descending on the capital for the People’s March before President-elect Trump’s inauguration.” The Associated Press reported that anti-Trump “demonstrators” “converge” on Washington, D.C., for protests led by the Women’s March, a “grassroots movement.”
The Washington Post described the protests as a “joint effort among civil rights, racial and social justice and reproductive health organizations,” highlighting the event’s “diverse mix of people.”
While this positive media coverage may have captured the energy of ordinary protesters, they omitted one critical detail: the name of for-profit professional machine behind the protest.
THOUSANDS OF LEFT-WING DEMONSTRATORS DESCEND ON WASHINGTON TO PROTEST TRUMP INAUGURATION
Far from a spontaneous outpouring of civic action, the event was coordinated by Movement Catalyst LLC, a for-profit company based in Silver Spring, Md., and the official permit holder for the protests, according to a copy of the permit, which I obtained from the U.S. National Park Service. In the 1990s, covering international trade for the Wall Street Journal, I was among the first reporters to put the term “AstroTurf” into the paper’s pages, describing a coalition against tariffs on minivans that the auto industry called “grassroots” but was actually manufactured by an industry lobbying group. Protest organizing isn’t much different nowadays, and today’s “People’s March” is more AstroTurf than “grassroots.” So too is the march planned for Monday, when we can expect more aggressive rabble-rousers to show up, as I reported earlier this week.
A plan, marked “Confidential Document – Not for Distribution” and submitted as part of the permit application, reveals that Movement Catalyst and its team of professional protest organizers coordinated everything from security to dumpster pickups, “port-a-potties” and a meticulously detailed “run of show,”
The confidential document reveals the extraordinary precision with which this event was constructed, down to the golf carts, water stations and even snack distribution for staff.
Why does this matter? Because the public deserves transparency. When media outlets frame such events as grassroots, led by ordinary Americans gathering to voice their concerns, it misrepresents the reality. These are highly coordinated, well-funded initiatives driven by professional organizers. The lack of scrutiny obscures the financial, strategic and political interests behind these movements. It’s critical to follow the money and understand the players using the imagery of grassroots activism to advance their agendas. Often, media outlets will look at conservative events, like the March for Life, with skepticism and scrutiny, while deeming progressive causes as “grassroots.” We should have equal-opportunity transparency.
So, what is Movement Catalyst LLC? According to Washington, D.C., government records, it is a limited liability corporation established in February 2021. On its website, Movement Catalysts promotes its for-profit services, writing it’s an “experienced and interdisciplinary team of strategists, organizers, campaigners, and researchers” who launch “strategic projects to meet the moment,” partnering with organizations to “expand their ability to have an impact, and anchor movement infrastructure.” Its officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The People’s March is one of those “strategic projects,” and the company’s services include “strategy & campaign development” and “creative protests & events.” A look at its funding reveals the scale of its operations. In 2021, Movement Catalyst LLC received $592,050 from the New York-based Sustainable Markets Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for “web campaign development,” according to its IRS Form 990 filing. Then, in 2023, Philadelphia-based Workers United, working on “organizing the unorganized collective bargaining,” paid Movement Catalyst LLC a total of $319,600, according to its tax filing. The services provided? “CONSULTANT.” This is far from a “grassroots,” mom-and-pop operation run over a kitchen table.
The confidential document lists four top officials at Movement Catalyst, as “protest leads”:
- Abby Henderson, a partner at Movement Catalyst and the organization’s registered agent, is the protest’s “Production and Vendor Lead.”
- Bill Ragen, a partner at Movement Catalyst, is the “Production and Vendor Lead.”
- Liz Butler, another partner at Movement Catalyst,” is also “Production and Vendor Lead.”
- Samantha “Sam” Miller, a “collaborator” at Movement Catalyst, is in charge of “Overall Coordination.” On the National Park Service application, she is the “person in charge.” Miller was the director at a previous professional protest company, DC Action Lab, that the Women’s March and others hired to mount protests during the first Trump administration.
The document also includes a polished map for staff and volunteers, marked “FOR INTERNAL USE – STAFF & VOLUNTEERS,” detailing traffic flow and staging areas at Franklin Park, McPherson Square and Farragut Square. The “Production Schedule for People’s March” reveals the granular level of planning: “Portable restrooms,” “Golf carts,” “Tents,” “Stage,” Tables,” “Chairs,” “Leaflets, pamphlets,” “Signs, banners,” “Bullhorns” and Movement Catalyst for “Paid Team Clean Up.”
“Miscellaneous” items include walkie-talkies, “500 cardboard trash receptacles,” “5000 masks,” hand sanitizer, earbuds, “snacks for volunteers and staff,” “coffee and catering for staff,” sweatshirts, scarves, t-shirts, “office supplies” and “badges for staff.”
Mortell Industries provided restroom trailers, “Metro Golf Car” delivered golf carts, and Bell Visuals managed live-streaming. The permit lists “Site Security” as “Omni Ranger Solutions.” Bell Visuals, a D.C. company quietly behind many of protest messages projects around the nation’s capital, is listed among the vendors for live-streaming.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
The “PRODUCTION SCHEDULE” and “RUN OF SHOW/RALLY PROGRAM” was scripted with leaders and performers from many big-money organizations, including the Women’s March, Popular Democracy in Action, Standing Up for Racial Justice, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Dream Defenders. Movement Catalyst promised to provide at least 750 “identifiable marshals,” each wearing “hi-visibility vests and volunteer credentials.”
This level of professionalism is not new in modern protests, but rarely are the details disclosed so explicitly. The public has a right to know when well-financed organizations use the guise of grassroots activism to promote their interests. Transparency ensures accountability and enables a more informed discussion about the role of professional activism in shaping public discourse.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Behind the music, speeches and banners lies a highly coordinated operation, far removed from the grassroots imagery projected by the media. This matters because democracy thrives on truth, and understanding who pulls the strings is essential for an informed citizenry. Professional organizing is most certainly legal, but in this day of misinformation, it’s critical to examine who is driving movements cast as “grassroots,” so the public isn’t misled.
Sunday morning’s plans, from 4 a.m. until 5 a.m., includes a final essential: “Load out dumpsters and portable restrooms.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM ASRA NOMANI