My picturesque and diverse home state of California has become overrun with crime, illegal drugs, and homelessness under “progressive” policies. Yet, following the November elections, it appears there may be hope for the state after all.   While illegal immigration is a huge problem for the Golden State, it was legal immigrants who redeemed one voting center worker’s faith in the fight for conservative values in California.   My father, Mark Streb, worked in an Orange County, California, voting center this past election, where he met a number of legal immigrants and escapees of communist regimes that yearned for the return of conservative leadership in America.   “I will never forget one older woman in particular,” Streb said. “She required some assistance with the [voting] machine, and after getting her ballot fed, stopped and engaged with me. Our eyes met, and hers filled with tears as she told me, ‘I came from a communist country. We are headed in the wrong direction and are making terrible mistakes. We need Trump!’ Her voice was soft enough to not be overheard by others, yet desperate and emphatic at the same time.”  As a poll worker, Streb needed to remain as unbiased as possible, yet he stated, “I was moved by this exchange. I later learned from a colleague that this woman was from Venezuela. It struck me again that the people who have immigrated to the United States from dark and sinister regimes understand what is truly at stake—freedom, liberty, and life itself.”  Another worker at the polls—the only other professing to be a Donald Trump voter—also escaped a communist regime.   Svetlana Ramsay, 63, told The Daily Signal after the election, “As an immigrant from Russia—I moved to California in 1990—I feel great about the future now that Trump is going to be our next president. It feels like there will be change for the better in domestic and foreign policy.”  Increased support for Trump and conservative values in California is undeniable. Over 70% of Golden State voters passed Proposition 36, which cracks down on drug trafficking and theft. Trump gained a lot of ground in California, flipping 10 counties to red, according to Fox 5 San Diego.    “California had the joint biggest swing towards Trump of any state in 2024, at 12 percentage points,” Newsweek reported earlier this month.  Despite this red shift, Gov. Gavin Newsom is determined to “Trump-proof” California, advising state lawmakers to prepare funding for litigation against the approaching Trump administration.   “Newsom wants to show that he is on the side of poor people, [that] he protects immigrants’ rights, but in reality, he is a wealthy politician who is detached from reality,” Ramsay said. “During the pandemic, he was enforcing masks while dining without masks in a very expensive restaurant in Northern California. He is a professional politician and hypocrite. And it is not good for California residents if your governor constantly quarrels with the federal government.”  Newsom wrote on X, “California is ready to fight. … We refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked.”  Legal immigrants like Ramsay, as well as results from California ballot measures like Proposition 36, prove that there is a “progressive disconnect with real California values,” according to the Orange County Register.  Streb concluded from his time at the voting center: “I was thrilled with the number of people who came out to express their voice via vote … After all, it was for this reason so many men and women have sacrificed, dating back to our Founding Fathers.” Following his exchange with the immigrant from Venezuela, he noted, “I could not have been prouder to be an American at that moment.” The post The Legal Immigrants This Voting Center Worker Met Gave Him Hope for California appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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The attorney general of Texas is investigating an effort by advertising firms to demonetize X and other platforms and coerce the platform into censoring its own users. AG Ken Paxton announced Thursday that he’s launching an investigation into an alleged conspiracy by advertising firms using boycotts to pressure companies like X into censoring users. "It is completely unacceptable and un-American that the Department of Justice under the Biden Administration failed to enforce antitrust laws against its perceived political allies,” he wrote in an X post. Paxton is specifically investigating whether the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) violated the Texas Free Enterprise and Antitrust Act of 1983 and whether or not the Biden administration failed to enforce antitrust policy. WFA controls 90 percent of all ad spending worldwide, according to the Foundation of Freedom Online. It then uses its massive market control and its peer pressure campaign, GARM, to steer advertisers away from sites and audiences that allow certain speech — oftentimes conservative speech. GARM weaponized its “Brand Safety Standards” to pressure advertisers into boycotting Twitter (now X) after Elon Musk bought it and promised to make it pro-free speech, according to a July House Judiciary Committee report. GARM also tried to redirect ad revenue away from Spotify to pressure it to cancel podcaster Joe Rogan, according to the report. In his press release about the investigation, Paxton said, “Trade organizations and companies cannot collude to block advertising revenue from entities they wish to undermine. Today’s document request is part of an ongoing investigation to hold WFA and its members accountable for any attempt to rig the system to harm organizations they might disagree with.” WFA and GARM have been under scrutiny on multiple different fronts this year, as Rumble and X filed a lawsuit against GARM, and the House Judiciary Committee has scrutinized GARM. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

One of Donald Trump’s priorities upon returning to the Oval Office in January is to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. This move is welcome news for those who oppose the decarbonization agenda, which undermines freedom, prosperity, and mobility. Given that petroleum the bête noire of the global climate cult, you might expect major oil companies would support U.S. withdrawal from the agreement. That doesn’t appear to be the case.Soon after Trump’s intentions for the Paris agreement became clear, major oil companies signaled their opposition to his decision. Instead, they favor continuing down the path of heavy regulation and government subsidies for their industry, aligned with the priorities of the global climate community. As reported by Fox News, “Big Oil is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement after withdrawing from the treaty during his first term.”It’s disheartening to see a once-iconic American oil company transform into a post-capitalist entity that depends heavily on government funding for its revenue.Why would companies whose primary business is extracting and selling petroleum align themselves with an unelected body openly hostile to oil and committed to achieving "net zero" production within a generation?Unfortunately, this approach is a betrayal to those who have long defended Big Oil as a pillar of capitalism. Big Oil’s actions now appear to be in direct conflict with free-market principles.By supporting government-mandated climate compliance, major oil companies can eliminate competition from smaller players in the short term, consolidating their market dominance. In the long term, they aim to secure government grants and subsidies for carbon-related initiatives, positioning these as a significant revenue stream.ExxonMobil has made it clear that it sees the government as its future largest customer, carbon-related initiatives as its primary product, and government funding as its main revenue source. In the short term, the company seeks to leverage government power, under the Paris Climate Agreement, to eliminate competition from independent oil producers.The Wall Street Journal reports that ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods opposes Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the climate accord. According to the article, Woods argues against the withdrawal, citing ExxonMobil’s efforts to expand outreach to government officials and advocate for “global carbon accounting measures.”While the specifics of “global carbon accounting” remain unclear, it seems far removed from real-world generally accepted accounting principles. It is reasonable to assume that this concept involves government officials distributing taxpayer money to favored entities — a group Woods clearly intends for ExxonMobil to join.The WSJ story goes on to say that ExxonMobil and other major oil companies are lobbying the incoming GOP leadership to preserve tax credits included in Joe Biden’s “signature climate law,” the Inflation Reduction Act. These credits reward technologies like carbon capture, in which the companies are heavily invested.The IRA is a boon for Big Oil’s carbon-related projects. During an energy conference last March, Woods voiced his support for the legislation, stating, “I was very supportive of the IRA — I am very supportive of the IRA …”In plain terms, ExxonMobil wants more taxpayer money and federal tax credits to fund its carbon mitigation initiatives. Meanwhile, you better believe small, independent drillers in West Texas are left out of these taxpayer subsidies. ExxonMobil, by contrast, is angling to make taxpayer subsidies a major source of revenue.The Guardian in August highlighted how ExxonMobil has pivoted its business strategy to heavily rely on government subsidies for its carbon capture and storage operations. The company launched its Low Carbon Solutions division in 2021 and began lobbying for direct government funding. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, ExxonMobil secured a subsidy of $85 per ton of captured carbon. Dan Ammann, head of the Low Carbon Solutions unit, said the carbon capture business could eventually become “larger than ExxonMobil’s base business.”It’s disheartening to see a once-iconic American oil company transform into a post-capitalist entity that depends heavily on government funding for its revenue.Trump’s selection of Chris Wright as energy secretary offers a glimmer of hope for the American petroleum industry.In the oil patch, Wright’s appointment has been met with much rejoicing. As the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, Wright understands well the challenges faced by independent oil producers. Unlike major oil company executives who apologize for their industry and align themselves with climate activists, Wright unapologetically defends the petroleum sector. Described as a “dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” Wright has earned respect across the industry.But Wright’s fight to protect American oil won’t just involve battling left-wing advocates of net-zero policies. He will also face opposition from major oil company executives who have aligned with radical climate agendas, working to suppress independent producers while ceding control of the oil business to the government. He’ll need all the help he can get.

Strinova has got a very clear game plan - take the competitive, tactical shooter gameplay from the likes of Valorant and Counter-Strike 2, make it third-person, and turn every character into anime eye candy. Is it a recipe for success? To an extent. The shooter’s first 24 hours on Steam have gone well when it comes to player counts, but on the other side of the coin, it’s suffering from a real mixed bag of user reviews. Continue reading Strinova, the third-person tactical shooter with anime waifus, has arrived MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Best anime games, Best multiplayer games

Games from super talented solo developers are becoming more and more common these days, but sometimes one comes along that makes you question how just one person is behind it. Trench Tales is one such game. It’s a stunning yet haunting WW1 third-person shooter that feels like a blend of Resident Evil and Sniper Elite (albeit with fewer slow-motion exploding organs). While it's a way off releasing at the moment and is without a launch date or window, there is still a chance for you to try it early, because its creator is hosting a series of playtests. Continue reading Resident Evil like WW1 horror shooter Trench Tales kicks off new playtests MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best war games, Best WW2 games

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