Aside from being a perpetual gaffe machine‚ Joe Biden also constantly lies about his life‚ his bio‚ his experiences‚ his family‚ and his achievements‚ but his lie about how his son Beau died is especially egregious. If you are unaware‚ Beau Biden seems to have been one of the few...

The Messenger‚ a digital news startup that launched with $50 million in funding‚ ceased operations after eight months. The Associated Press reports that founder Jimmy Finkelstein sent an email about the shutdown to employees‚ which led to roughly 300 workers being laid off. The website removed all its content and now displays the name and a general email address.  With The Messenger’s sudden shut down‚ the outlet becomes the latest media outlet to experience mass layoffs. Online news site The Messenger shuts down after less than a year https://t.co/m3CnT4mzCx — The Associated Press (@AP) February 1‚ 2024 From the Associated Press: In his email‚ Finkelstein said he hadn’t shared the news with employees earlier because he had been trying desperately to raise enough funds to become profitable “literally until earlier today.” “We exhausted every option available‚” Finkelstein wrote‚ saying he was “personally devastated.” The Messenger website carried only its name and an email address Wednesday night. Finkelstein noted in his email that “economic headwinds have left many media companies fighting for survival.” Indeed‚ The Messenger’s collapse follows large-scale layoffs by once-powerful and influential outlets‚ including the Los Angeles Times‚ which cut its newsroom staff by 20% last week‚ as well as Sports Illustrated and Business Insider. Planned cuts also have sparked walkouts by employees at other venues‚ including the New York Daily News and Forbes magazine. The Messenger was launched last May and spent heavily — some would say excessively‚ given the current media climate — in hopes of becoming a media heavyweight. According to Just the News‚ at least one journalist said he learned of his termination through other news sites. Getting The Message | News Start-Up The Messenger Shuts Down | At least one journalist with the outlet confirmed his layoff on Wednesday‚ indicating he learned of his termination through other news sites… https://t.co/tua6pQmTs5 — Just the News (@JustTheNews) February 1‚ 2024 “I just got laid off. One would expect to learn this news from their employer but instead‚ @TheMessenger employees learned of it via @nytimes and @semafor – there is no severance. Healthcare will cease. I have to go clean out my desk from the DC office‚” James LaPorta wrote. I just got laid off. One would expect to learn this news from their employer but instead‚ @TheMessenger employees learned of it via @nytimes and @semafor – there is no severance. Healthcare will cease. I have to go clean out my desk from the DC office. — James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) January 31‚ 2024 Axios reported The Messenger is not offering any severance to its employees. “Unfortunately‚ as a new company‚ we encountered even more significant challenges than others and could not survive those headwinds‚” Finkelstein said in the staff memo. Axios reports: The Messenger was founded by Finkelstein in 2023‚ two years after he sold The Hill — a Beltway-based print and digital publication co-founded by Finkelstein’s father in 1994 — to Nexstar for $130 million. Finkelstein had previously co-founded a media holding group that purchased outlets like Adweek‚ Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter from Nielsen in 2009. The Messenger hired 300 people across a few short months and paid them above market wage. The Messenger was built on the flawed premise that a big‚ generic news audience has value. It doesn’t anymore. Social media giants — eager to get out of the news business — no longer distribute traffic for free to news sites‚ forcing most news companies to rely on search traffic‚ which takes time to grow‚ or buying visitors. The deprecation of third-party tracking cookies has put a premium on monetizing smaller‚ more loyal audiences with first-party data. A broader slowdown in the ad market has made subscriptions a critical revenue stream in addition to advertising. The Messenger sold mostly automated digital ads at scale using third-party data. It also sold event sponsorships.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will send up to 1‚000 members of his National Guard to help protect the US-Mexico border in Texas. Ron DeSantis is sending 1‚000 Florida National Guard and State Guard to Texas:"What the hell are we doing!? These illegals don't even need photo ID! They can fly on our planes without photo ID. It is a total farce." pic.twitter.com/Kdo5emfw3g— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 1‚ 2024 Gov. DeSantis to send ‘up to 1‚000’ Florida National Guard troops to border https://t.co/FP2JSlxMtu pic.twitter.com/IYZY2KqYkm— New York Post (@nypost) February 1‚ 2024 From the NY POST: Up to 1‚000 Florida National Guard troops will be sent to the Texas border to stop the influx of migrants‚ Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday morning. The soldiers will be deployed “based on Texas’ needs‚” according to a press release on the Florida governor’s website. The Florida State Guard will also be sent to Texas to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to repel migrants at the border – which is the first time the group has been deployed out of state‚ the release noted. These deployments are in addition to officers from the Florida Highway Patrol‚ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission‚ and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that are already at the border‚ the office said. The governor‚ 45‚ made the announcement standing in front of members of the Florida National Guard and an orange sign that read “stop the invasion” in bold‚ black letters. “States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border‚” DeSantis added. “Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers‚ including razor wire along the border. We don’t have a country if we don’t have a border‚” he added.

President Biden spewed another lie at two grieving parents Thursday‚ telling the parents of a slain soldier he too “lost his son” in Iraq. JOE BIDEN to GRIEVING PARENTS: "My son spent a year in Iraq. That’s how I lost him."pic.twitter.com/FWlWxIqVF4— The First (@TheFirstonTV) February 1‚ 2024 Beau Biden died from brain cancer years after returning to the United States. It remains unclear if the tumor had any connection to his time in the military. Watch the moment above.

An illegal migrant who attacked members of the NYPD was released from custody without bail Thursday just hours after the incident. As he walked away‚ the culprit flipped the bird at members of the press. Here’s what was on the itinerary for these illegal immigrants: Come to America illegally Got free food Got free housing Beat up cops Got out of jail without bail Flipped you off pic.twitter.com/TRSIsosNSx— OutKick (@Outkick) February 1‚ 2024 Watch the moment above.  

The White House officially sanctioned Israeli settlers in the West Bank Thursday for allegedly “attacking Palestinians and other activists.” From the AP: President Joe Biden on Thursday issued an executive order that targets Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the occupied territory‚ imposing financial sanctions and visa bans in an initial round against four individuals. Those settlers were involved in acts of violence‚ as well as threats and attempts to destroy or seize Palestinian property‚ according to the order. The penalties aim to block the four from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them. U.S. officials said they were evaluating whether to punish others involved in attacks that have intensified during the Israel-Hamas war.  Biden’s order is a rare step against America’s closest ally in the Mideast who‚ Biden says‚ has the right to defend itself. But the Democratic president has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to show greater restraint in its military operations aimed at rooting out Hamas. Netanyahu denounced the U.S. penalties.

Centrist digital news startup The Messenger has announced that they are officially shutting down after less than a year of operation.