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DAVID MARCUS: Why are we letting foreign foes use X payouts to wage war against us?
Imagine if, during World War II, the Germans had been able to pay millions of dollars to minor American celebrities to run pro-Nazi short films in U.S. movie theaters. It sounds absurd, but it is actually miniscule compared to what our enemies can achieve today through social media.
On Tuesday night, Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, dropped a stunning thread on X alleging that several high-ranking figures in the conservative politics orbit were engaged in a 22-month “foreign-linked influence network” attacking her and the Trump administration.
Wilkins convincingly purports to show that online campaigns in 2024 painting her as an Israeli spy were coordinated through foreign online accounts such as Russia Today. The detailed evidence she provides is confusing to laymen, but what it clearly shows is inorganic growth for the conspiracy.
This same network, she alleges, is operating to undermine the Trump administration’s military efforts in Iran by applying this inorganic pressure to American social media.
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The FBI declined to comment on Wilkins’ post. But just two hours after it went up, X Head of Product Nikita Bier took to the platform to announce that, starting Thursday, the company would update monetization, the payments users receive, to give more weight to “impressions from your home region.”
In this key section of the statement, Bier admitted the reason for this change is to thwart foreign interference in our elections, writing, “While we appreciate everyone’s opinion on American politics, we hope this will disincentivize gaming the attention of U.S. … accounts.”
And, boy, has there been a lot of foreign gaming of late, which no doubt helped to spur the announcement.
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But at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, X owner Elon Musk posted a message saying, basically, not so fast,. His message was in response to an account claiming to be an American living in France who could see their income stream decline by the move. Musk said the change would be delayed and reviewed.
Wherever the policy finally lands, it is very welcome news indeed that the platform is taking the threat of foreign information operations on American social media seriously.
Thus far, however, the focus of the reaction to this proposed change by X has gotten the priority exactly backwards, celebrating that foreign accounts would be barred from making money by obsessing on U.S. politics.
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That is a benefit, but it pales in comparison to the other consequence of the proposal, which is that foreign foes will no longer be able to use bot farms to funnel millions of dollars to divisive American content creators.
When a Russian bot farm floods an anti-American post with 20,000 impressions and shares, it boosts the income of the account it is juicing, even if the creators themselves have no idea and think the growth is totally organic.
To return to our analogy, imagine if, in 1943, your radio was giving you a steady stream of Nazi-purchased German propaganda every night. The government would have shut it down, of course. But, online, that option doesn’t really exist.
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At least not yet.
At that time, there were barriers and gatekeepers to protect Americans from foreign information operations. Today, there are virtually none, and it is an asymmetric information war.
Hopefully, Musk can find a way to implement this localization of monetization to crack down on enemy propaganda, but if he and the industry can’t close this open informational wound, then the government might have to.
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Recently, for example, X changed its platform to show the country of origin of its accounts, but this is easily overcome by foreign bots with VPNs. Again, a good instinct, but no ability to truly police the platform.
Musk is in a tough spot here. He doesn’t want to censor anyone, but he also doesn’t want X to be a bustling marketplace of foreign-funded anti-U.S. propaganda, and these proposed changes to localize the profits seem like a very good compromise.
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Meanwhile, whether the industry can fix this problem itself or if more state regulation is needed, the government must investigate just what percentage of our political social media is pushed by foreign bots.
This must be done not to punish the social media companies, but to punish the foreign foes who are engaging quite literally in a form of cyberwarfare against our nation.
President Donald Trump ran on strong borders to keep out migrants, tariffs to keep out products that make us less competitive and voter ID to protect elections. Now, he must focus on a strong wall to protect American social media from our adversaries.
Put simply, if we cannot protect our information ecosystem, then we can’t protect anything.
At least three people were killed and two others injured Thursday when a helicopter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii.
According to the Kauaʻi Police Department, dispatchers received a call at approximately 3:45 p.m. that a helicopter had crashed into the ocean near Kalalau Beach.
The helicopter was operated by Airborne Aviation, with one pilot and four passengers onboard, officials said.
Officials confirmed in a news release that the crash resulted in three fatalities. Two others were taken to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment.
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The crash location along Kauaʻi’s north shore is a popular spot for helicopter tours, with views of cliffs, beaches and waterfalls along the Nā Pali Coast.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Airborne Aviation for comment.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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TSA officers lose homes, can’t pay medical bills, can’t afford Easter baskets for their children
FIRST ON FOX — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are receiving their third paycheck of zero dollars on Friday as the DHS shutdown drags on — with President Donald Trump saying late Thursday he would sign an executive order to “immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation” and “quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports.”
TSA exclusively shared with Fox News Digital stories of officers stationed at various airports across the nation who have been experiencing great personal hardship as a result of the shutdown and its consequences, with names omitted for privacy reasons.
One officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia had his dream of owning a home abruptly shattered — forcing him to make life-altering decisions.
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His bank denied him a loan for a home in Georgia due to his current inability to make rent payments.
The officer now has to move nearly 1,000 miles to go live with family in New York.
Here are other stories.
Yet another TSA officer, this one working at Tulsa International Airport in Oklahoma, suffered a devastating house fire last week on top of the challenges of receiving no pay.
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As a result, she lost her home, her belongings, her car and a beloved pet.
She and her family now have to rebuild their lives without knowing when she’ll be paid.
Another TSA officer had uprooted her life to move to New York to work at Albany International Airport.
Now, due to the back-to-back shutdowns and her lack of steady pay, her credit score has dropped from 800 to 500.
To survive, she moved into a camper, the agency reported. The electricity in the camper has since gone out — and she can’t afford to have it fixed.
At the beginning of the month, powerful storms ripped through Michigan, with tornadoes reducing some homes to rubble and causing widespread damage in the Great Lake State.
Multiple TSA officers working at Detroit Metropolitan Airport were left with damaged homes and vehicles. Today, these officers cannot afford to fix them, the TSA told Fox News Digital.
A TSA agent working at Portland International Airport in Oregon is the sole caregiver for his mother. He also supports his brother.
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Now, his mother has been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and his brother has suffered a severe leg infection — putting him out of work.
The TSA officer is responsible for these family members’ medical expenses.
A TSA agent at Bismarck Airport in North Dakota has worked there for nearly 10 years — enduring multiple government shutdowns.
She has had to make the tough choice now of leaving the job she loves after realizing she can’t even afford to buy Easter baskets for her children this year.
Since the start of this partial government shutdown, more than 480 TSA officers have been forced to quit their jobs.
“I can tell you right now that the reverberations that will be felt from this will be long-standing,” TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News Digital this week.
“They will continue for days [even] after we get a re-appropriation and funding, particularly for the TSA.”
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“We are already taking proactive measures to make sure that we’re going to get our people paid as quickly as possible,” he added.
Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed reporting.
In just his second season at the helm, Curt Cignetti led Indiana to its first national championship.
During the Hoosiers’ title run, Cignetti became known for his demanding coaching style. Indiana opened spring practice Thursday, and incoming transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh got a crash course in what it means to play for Cignetti.
Marsh, who transferred from Michigan State, arrived at practice in gold cleats. After noting Marsh’s productive two-year stint in East Lansing, Cignetti pivoted to the wideout’s footwear.
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“I didn’t love those gold shoes he came out in today,” Cignetti said. “He learned what getting your a– ripped is all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started.”
Marsh totaled 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Michigan State. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover also headlines Indiana’s transfer additions.
Cignetti added that the coaching staff has “more work to do with this group than the first two teams,” noting the group is still learning more about players the team will likely rely on next season.
Indiana went 16-0 en route to a thrilling win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship in January.
Cignetti framed his callout of Marsh’s cleats as an early message about expectations.
“That was a wake-up call,” Cignetti said of the receiver’s pre-practice cleats. “But he’s really worked hard, done a great job for us.”
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TSA officers lose homes, can’t pay medical bills, can’t afford Easter baskets for their children
Helicopter crashes into ocean off Hawaii coast, leaving multiple dead and injured
DHS shutdown breakthrough comes at cost for Republicans as funding fights nears end
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