Mairead Elordi

Hey, John. So some employees at Meta say the company rushed to get these new digital companions or chatbots up and running on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp. And because these bots can perform sex role plays, there's now a problem where children can get exposed to sexually explicit discussions.

These chatbots can flirt over text, they can have live voice conversations, and they can even share selfies. This all came out in the Wall Street Journal's bombshell report last week.

That's right. And another related issue is that sometimes the AI chatbots will have sexual discussions even when they're programmed to pretend to be children. So that's also concerning. And then also, MetaMate deals with celebrities like John Cena and Kristen Bell to use their voices for the chatbots.

The company promised these actors that their voices would not be used in sexually explicit discussions, but the Wall Street Journal tested this out and found that a bot using Cena's voice was willing to engage in a graphic sexual scenario with a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl creepily promising to cherish your innocence.

And a bot using Kristen Bell's voice flirted with a user posing as a 12-year-old boy, and the bot did it as Bell's character Princess Anna from the Disney movie Frozen. Disney put out a statement demanding Meta put a stop to this.

Yes, and it's bipartisan. GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday demanding answers. We spoke to Blackburn, who's also calling for legislation, and here's what she had to say.

Blackburn also pointed out how the Internet still has a Wild West quality to it when it comes to children's safety.

Yes, they have. Meta said that the way the journal tested the chatbots was, quote, manipulative. But they did make some changes, including banning kids' social media accounts from being able to do sexual roleplays with the Meta AI bot and cracking down on it being able to do those roleplays using celebrities' voices.

And by the way, Mark Zuckerberg himself reportedly pushed Meta to loosen restrictions on the chatbots to make them more engaging.

Hi, Georgia. Minnesota has over 600 turkey farms and produces about 39 million Thanksgiving turkeys a year. And the industry creates more than 26,000 jobs. But the Biden-Harris administration, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and even politicians in California have pushed for regulations that have deeply affected not just the turkey industry, but Minnesota's large agriculture industry generally.

We spoke to Jim Schultz. He's the president of the Minnesota Private Business Council about the effects on the state's agriculture and what the Trump administration might do differently.

Schultz said a major issue on the federal level is environmental land grabs, which is when the government decides that an area, sometimes just a wet area the size of a puddle, is a wetland and says farmers can no longer use the land even though they've been cultivating it for generations in some cases.

That's right. Proposition 12 in California went into effect at the beginning of this year, and it mandates certain living spaces for different animals, such as more space for egg-laying hens, and it prohibits the sale of products that don't comply with these regulations.

Animal rights groups like PETA are behind the regulations, and even though it's a California regulation, it affects Minnesota farmers who want to sell their products in California. This applies to all states that sell products in California. The Supreme Court upheld the California regulations in May, so it looks like they're here to stay.

Schultz said that while there can be a narrative that farmers don't care about their own land or animals, that's not the case at all.

Most of what they're discussing is just a lighter touch on regulation, a friendlier EPA and an administration that is pro-farmer, which Schultz is looking forward to. And finally, Schultz shared that he would love for people enjoying a Minnesota turkey tonight to appreciate the state's great agriculture.

Hi, Georgia. Well, the market has been all over the place amid uncertainty over these tariffs. The Dow plummeted on Monday, but then, as Tim mentioned, spiked again on Tuesday.

Investors are more hopeful after the Trump administration said it made significant progress on trade with India this week, and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said he expects a de-escalation of the trade war between the U.S. and China.

That's right. Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan spoke to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. They've been working hard on a plan to get egg prices down from their high point under Biden. And Rollins told us their work is paying off. Here's Rollins.

Rollins also told us that part of Trump's plan with tariffs is working on correcting the agriculture trade deficit that widened under Biden. Here's Rollins again.

So again, lots of factors affecting the economy from egg prices at home to tariffs abroad. In a sign of how unpredictable the situation is, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday that the global economy could be hit hard by tariffs and slashed its forecast for U.S. growth to 1.8 percent this year, down from the 2.8 percent it had predicted in January.

But even they acknowledge that the tariff situation is unpredictable due to the Trump administration using tariffs as a negotiating tactic. Right.

The Trump administration's decision follows the national controversy sparked by UPenn swimmer Leah Thomas, a trans-identifying male who won a national title in women's swimming. While the PAWS funding represents a small portion of UPenn's total federal funds, the university could face further cuts if the investigation finds violations.

The investigation also includes San Jose State University and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Yesterday, a Biden appointed federal judge blocked President Trump's executive order banning trans identifying people from military service, ruling it's likely unconstitutional.

Trump administration lawyers argue that military officials have broad discretion to decide how to assign and deploy service members without judicial interference. They have until Friday to appeal.

Hey, Georgia. So the Education and Justice Departments announced this joint task force to protect female athletes from what they say is, quote, the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities. The Education Department says they're currently receiving a staggering volume of Title IX complaints.

This task force will have investigators and attorneys thoroughly investigate violations, which will include males in women's sports, as well as bathrooms and locker rooms.

Right. Several have made headlines in recent weeks. One is professional disc golfer Abigail Wilson. She walked off the course at a tournament in Nashville on Friday to protest a male player in the women's division. In case you couldn't hear that, Wilson said, females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play.

I talked to Wilson afterward, and she said she was pressured not to speak out by the disc golf world tour.

Another protest just happened at the University of Maryland. Stephanie Turner was disqualified from a fencing tournament last weekend after forfeiting a match against Redmond Sullivan. Sullivan used to compete as a male, but after switching to the female division, he won first place at the Connecticut Division Junior Olympic qualifiers. Turner has talked about her protests.

We reached out to USA Fencing for an explanation about their decision to disqualify Turner. They said while the conversation on this topic is evolving, they'll always err on the side of inclusion.

It happens quite a lot. A U.N. report found last year that over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports. To cite just one example, Zachary Rose, who now identifies as Leah, easily won the high jump at the Portland Interscholasket League varsity relays. He beat the girls in the competition by two inches.

For context, in 2023, Rose came in dead last in the same event for boys JV.

So last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture paused federal funding to Maine's athletic programs. That followed Governor Janet Mills refusing to comply with President Trump's executive order on Title IX. Yesterday, Maine's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the Department of Agriculture's halt to the state's federal funding.

This is the first such suit over a Title IX dispute and will likely not be the last.

So when a Pope dies, the Cardinals convene a papal conclave where they cast ballots for the next Pope. Famously, white smoke appears from the Sistine Chapel's chimney when a new Pope is elected, and a Cardinal comes out to announce the new Pope to cheering crowds in St. Peter's Square. Here's what that sounded like in 2013 when Francis was elected.

The big question on many Catholics' minds is whether the new pope will lean conservative or progressive on controversial issues. As Megan noted, Francis was pretty strong on Catholic doctrine, but he often sent mixed messages that endeared him to progressives.

One of the more conservative names we're hearing is Cardinal Robert Seurat, an African cardinal from Guinea who's been an outspoken critic of Francis. Seurat was critical of Francis' restrictions on the traditional Latin mass and his statement on blessings for same-sex couples that caused confusion. Here's Seurat talking about the church's purpose when it comes to the global migrant crisis.

Cardinal Wim Ejk is also considered a conservative potential successor. Ejk is a former medical doctor from the Netherlands, and he's been a sharp critic of Francis. He's one of the authors of a 2015 document opposing the Pope's approval of civil remarriages among people who have not received an annulment. Cardinal Malcolm Rangith is another conservative from Sri Lanka.

He criticized bishops who did not obey Pope Benedict on allowing the Latin Mass. And Cardinal Raymond Burke is one of the few potential successors from the United States. Burke said that Catholic politicians who support legal abortion, like former President Joe Biden, should not receive the Eucharist.

Yes, there are a number of progressive and politically moderate candidates who are also likely to take the reins of the church. We're hearing Cardinal Luis Antonio Tegli, who's been called the Asian Pope Francis and would likely continue Francis' more left-leaning stances.

Tegli's defended the church's teachings on abortion and contraception, but he has also criticized the church for using harsh words for LGBT people and divorced and remarried Catholics. Another more progressive cardinal in the running is the French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, who was reportedly Francis' favorite to succeed him and is well-liked in left-wing circles.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin is an Italian cardinal who's been in the Holy See's diplomatic service since the 1980s. He's considered a political moderate and has played a role in many political issues, including moderating 2014 talks between Cuban and American officials. Cardinals with global diplomatic experience are often considered seriously for Pope.

In a Truth Social post today, Trump instructed EPA Chief Lee Zeldin to reinstate his first-term environmental orders, loosening restrictions on sinks, showers, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers, and light bulbs. He argues Biden's rules made appliances more expensive and less effective.

Republican lawmakers are also pushing bills to block Biden's efficiency mandates on coolers, freezers, and water heaters. With GOP control of Congress, Trump's pro-energy agenda could move quickly.

Hi, John. Sure. So Trump's order commits that the U.S. will not fund or support what it describes as the, quote, so-called transition of a child from one sex to another. And it vows that the administration, quote, will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.

The order says child transgender medical transitions are a dangerous trend that will be a stain on our nation's history, and they must end now.

Right.

Well, it means that any institution that receives federal funding like research or education grants must end the transgender chemical and surgical mutilation of children, as the order puts it. This would be hospitals or medical schools. The order also aims to slash Medicare and Medicaid funding to health providers that offer transgender drugs and surgeries to children.

And it also calls for legislation that would allow children and their parents to sue doctors who provided them with these drugs and surgeries. And it directs the Attorney General to investigate transgender sanctuary states that try to strip custody from parents who oppose these medical interventions.

The order also acknowledges rapid-onset gender dysphoria, and it gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who would be RFK Jr. if he's confirmed, 90 days to review research and submit a report on how to best help children with gender dysphoria.

Trump's order also gives federal agencies 60 days to report on their progress, which includes scrapping any policies that rely on the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which the order calls junk science.

Well, it's taken a cultural shift and that's been driven by a lot of investigative work. And as you mentioned, we have to note that The Daily Wire, while certainly not alone in exposing this, often took the lead in several key ways. And I'd like to highlight a few of those moments. It's a pretty long list, so just bear with me here. Sure. Mm-hmm.

Then, as many of our listeners might remember, our 2021 investigation into the alleged cover-up by Loudoun County Public Schools of a boy wearing a skirt sexually assaulting a ninth-grade girl in a girl's bathroom alarmed parents and became a flashpoint in the national discussion. Matt Walsh has also been a major voice on this as well.

He starred in the Daily Wire documentary, What is a Woman?, which really galvanized the criticism of gender ideology. Walsh also posted an expose on Vanderbilt University's pediatric gender clinic offering these drugs and surgeries to children. That prompted Tennessee lawmakers to ban them. That legislation is now before the Supreme Court.

Right. This proved to be a crucial campaign issue that drew a lot of support for Trump. The trend of males encroaching on women's sports often came up. And that's something we've also highlighted on this show, where female athletes have been seriously injured by trans-identifying male players or lost out on victories or felt violated sharing a locker room with male teammates.

So again, we weren't alone, but The Daily Wire has approached this as an urgent issue that has needed to be exposed for what it is. And the tide appears to have turned now.

Thanks, John.

Congressional Republicans are considering their options to combat what they call activist judges who have slowed down President Trump's agenda. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the details.

The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Maine, giving a deadline to remove males from women's sports. So far, the governor has refused to do so. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services said Maine's in violation of Title IX by allowing such competition to happen. HHS gave the group 10 days to adhere to Title IX rules, warning of enforcement if they don't.

Morning Wire spoke to State Representative Laurel Libby about how she thinks this will play out.

And I believe this will ultimately resolve in the courts. Democrats in the state show no signs of backing down either as they push forward a bill to put tampons in men's restrooms statewide. That's despite how wildly unpopular the issue is with voters. Here's Libby again.

A controversial law allowing illegal immigrants in New York City to vote has been struck down. A New York Court of Appeals ruled six to one today, saying the law violated the state's constitution, which restricts voting to US citizens only. The 2021 law had been supported by some city leaders and aimed to give the city's 800,000 green card holders a voice in local elections.

However, Republican opponents argued it was unconstitutional and undermined the integrity of the voting process. And nine South African explorers are trapped in Antarctica, with one member of the team reportedly gone mad. The three women and six men are locked in a research station outpost 2,000 miles from civilization and cannot be relieved until December, when the weather is at its warmest.

American citizen George Glezman is heading home after over two years in Taliban captivity. Daily Wire reporter Mairead Elordi has the latest.

One unidentified male member of the crew is accused of violently beating, threatening, and sexually harassing at least two of his colleagues. According to emails sent to authorities, the unidentified crew member became, quote, deeply disturbed within weeks of embarking on the 13-month expedition.

The 65-year-old was taken hostage while visiting Kabul as a tourist in December of 2022. His release comes after negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials with the Taliban calling it a goodwill gesture. Glesman left Kabul and flew to Qatar, where he was met by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Bowler.

This release follows direct talks with Afghan officials, though it's unclear if this signals a shift in U.S.-Taliban relations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated the release, welcoming Glesman home.

The person took my daughter so violently and so gruesomely and so graphically. These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country.

Hi, John. Yes, so on Wednesday, Duffy testified to lawmakers on a House Appropriations Subcommittee about the Transportation Department's new budget request. He's asking for billions of dollars to fix the country's air traffic control system, which, as you know, has been the target of a lot of criticism after several deadly disasters and major snarls in the system.

Right now, there's a crisis at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the country's busiest airports. Hundreds of flights were grounded last week when air traffic controllers couldn't see, hear, or talk to the planes for about 90 seconds. This has actually happened twice, one last month and then again this month. Newark needs 38 air traffic controllers, and it only has 24 right now.

And five of them actually took a 45-day trauma leave afterwards due to the stress of the outage situation. Also construction at Newark has caused about 34 flight cancellations per day. Duffy actually said he moved his wife's flight to avoid Newark because of all the delays. Duffy blamed the Biden administration for failing to fix the broken system.

On Wednesday, airlines met with the FAA to address the situation at Newark. The FAA is already working on the Newark airport. It did a software update to prevent another outage, and it's slashing the number of flights for now. But the crisis just points to a larger problem with this country's air travel system.

Right. That horrific crash between a commercial flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft of the Potomac River. That happened the day after Duffy was sworn in. And just after that crash, President Trump raised concerns about DEI in air traffic control hiring.

So now DEI in air traffic control hiring is one of the main issues Duffy wants to address. Here's Duffy again talking about how they're reforming the testing standards that Biden lowered.

Yes, infrastructure is another huge issue for Duffy. He wants to make a huge investment in brand new equipment, new radios for air traffic controllers, radar on the ground, sensors for tarmacs, and a new flight management system to improve airspace efficiency. Here's Duffy on infrastructure spending.

As he was testifying to Congress on Wednesday, Duffy's Transportation Department announced it just approved dozens more infrastructure grants for a total of 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion so far. The department says it's cleared about 13% of the backlog under Pete Buttigieg, who was Transportation Secretary under Biden.

Thanks, John.

Hi, Georgia. So there's a lot of catastrophizing going on right now around the economy. The GDP shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter and the Dow dropped about 200 points yesterday at that news rate. But if we dig into the numbers a little bit, the truth is that the data is mixed and there are actually some significant positives in the latest numbers.

During President Trump's Wednesday cabinet meeting, which was broadcast live, Trump and other administration officials poked holes in the media's narrative about the economy. Trump said they are turning Biden's economy around and explained that core GDP is actually up.

Well, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro broke down how the administration crunched the numbers. And he said, we really like where we are at now when it comes to the economy.

Well, that's also another thing the media is downplaying, the surge in domestic investment in response to the tariffs. Here's Navarro again.

In that same cabinet meeting, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick laid out details about how another semiconductor company, which is the main chip supplier for Apple, is building a major manufacturing plant in Arizona. Here's Lutnick.

Trump also said he has gotten $8 trillion in new investments in the United States since taking office.

There are also other good economic markers right now. Inflation slowed to its lowest rate since September and consumer spending surged 135 billion or 0.7%. Much of that was Americans buying cars and other big ticket items, partly to get ahead of Trump's tariffs. Meanwhile, prices stayed the same in March and personal incomes rose by 116.8 billion or 0.5%. These are all healthy markers.

Of course, we can't predict everything with the volatility of the tariffs, but it's certainly not all doom and gloom.

AAA Auto Club estimates 80 million Americans will go at least 50 miles for the holiday this year. Most of those will be driving. Gas prices are cooperating. The average price for a gallon of gas is $3.06, down 20 cents from last year. The Transportation Security Administration is expecting to screen 18.3 million flyers at U.S. airports.

Already on Monday, more than 1,600 flights have been delayed due to weather. And a 24-hour strike at Charlotte Douglas International Airport among a contractor that cleans the planes is also causing delays.

Hi, John. Yes, so Cardinal Robert Provost, who's from Chicago, was elected pope on the second day of the conclave. This was signaled by white smoke billowing out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel as the cardinals burned their ballots. The crowd in St. Peter's Square erupted at that moment. Now, as you know, the Pope adopts a new name and Provost has chosen Pope Leo XIV.

He's the church's 267th Pope and he will lead 1.4 billion Catholics around the world. Pope Leo appeared visibly emotional as he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and addressed the massive crowd in the square.

Yes, so Provost is only 69. He was born in Chicago, but he spent much of his priesthood in Peru. He became Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru for eight years until 2023 when he was made a Cardinal by Pope Francis. He also led the religious order started by St. Augustine. Francis then made Provost the Prefect of the Dicastery for bishops.

This means he was a Vatican official responsible for recommending priests to be made bishops around the world. Provost was not considered the most likely Cardinal to become Pope, but Vatican officials are often considered for Pope.

So, Pope Leo has been strong on church doctrine, but he's overall seen as a centrist on political issues. We spoke to Sean Carney. He's CEO of the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life, and he had some insight on what Pope Leo could mean for the church.

President Trump weighed in on the election of the new pope yesterday.

Catholics are certainly rejoicing this week, and there's a sense of optimism around Pope Leo.

Thanks, John.

Was there any assurances that you guys got on that front?

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a $447 million school voucher program, which is seen as a major win for Governor Bill Lee. The bill expands school choice statewide, clearing the Senate 20-13 and the House 54-44, despite bipartisan opposition. The program will offer 20,000 taxpayer-funded scholarships for private and public school students with some income-based requirements.

Supporters say it gives parents more options when educating their kids. The bill now heads to Lee's desk where he is expected to sign it into law.

Yes, so this case, it's called Mahmood v. Taylor. It involves Montgomery County Public Schools, which is Maryland's largest school district. A group of parents that includes Muslims, Catholics, and a Ukrainian Orthodox Christian brought this case against the school district, which is just outside D.C. Thomas Taylor is the superintendent of the school district.

In 2022, the district announced a new gender and sexuality curriculum, and at first they allowed parents to opt their kids out. But then the school district decided it was too difficult to allow opt-outs, so it's mandatory now. One of the books in the new curriculum is called Prince and Knight, about a prince who rejects princesses and falls in love with a knight.

Another book is called Born Ready, about a boy named Penelope. And another book tells the story of a girl attending her uncle's same-sex wedding. Yet another book is called Pride Puppy, about a puppy who gets lost during a pride parade.

One mom who protested on the steps of the Supreme Court on Tuesday said she pulled her kids out of Montgomery schools when she couldn't opt them out of the LGBT books. Here's that mom talking to local news.

Well, the more conservative justices seemed highly skeptical of the school district's arguments. Justice Samuel Alito quizzed the lawyer for the school superintendent about why it's supposedly too hard to let parents opt their kids out from reading LGBT books in class. Take a listen.

Amy Coney Barrett also seemed critical of the school district's claims. Here's Barrett.

Even some of the usual critics seemed sympathetic to the parents in this case. Teachers Union boss Randy Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers admitted she would not actually recommend these books to elementary schoolers, although she still called for inclusivity.

Hi, John. Yes, so Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed this bill quietly on Friday without any fanfare. The House Bill 1312 officially made misgendering a discriminatory act under Colorado law. This applies to places like workplaces and schools.

The law is drastically pared down from its original version, which said parents in custody battles who misgender or deadname their child were guilty of coercive control and could lose custody of their child. Under Colorado law, coercive control is a serious category that includes things like threatening to kill someone.

But the custody part is not in the bill poll assigned thanks to Colorado parents who came out in force to fight it. More than 700 Coloradans signed up to testify against this bill and tens of thousands more signed petitions against it.

Still, the new law bars Colorado courts from cooperating with other states' laws that protect children from parents who want to give them transgender hormones or surgeries. It also requires schools that have dress codes and policies about names to allow children to use a transgender name or wear the school uniform of the opposite gender.

The bill also allows people to change their gender marker on their driver's license three times up from just once. We spoke to the Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Puglisi about the bill.

Fuglisi said Colorado's Democratic majority was able to use House rules to shut our voices down.

They are. We spoke to Erin Lee. She's executive director of Protect Kids Colorado. She warned that Colorado Family Courts and CPS already favor the gender-affirming parent, but she said this bill was a turning point.

We also spoke with Pastor Jay Chase Davis of the Well Church in Boulder who organized two rallies at the Colorado Capitol against the bill.

And by the way, Colorado has other controversial bills on transgender ideology coming down the pike, including one that would ban health insurers from limiting so-called necessary transgender treatments.

Hi, Georgia. So this is some really striking data. In 2023, about 11.2% of a total of more than 150,000 women experienced a serious adverse event after taking the Mifepristone abortion pill. This is according to a new research commissioned by the Foundation for the Restoration of America. That works out to about 17,310 women, all just in 2023, who suffered serious adverse events.

This can include hemorrhaging, needing a blood transfusion, an emergency room visit, and even deadly conditions like sepsis. This is about 22 times higher than what the FDA claimed on its label for mifeprex, which is mifepristone, in 2023. The FDA cited clinical studies saying less than 0.5% of women suffered serious adverse reactions to mifepristone.

Morning Wire spoke to Doug Truex, founder of the Foundation for the Restoration of America, which commissioned this study.

The research analyzed data from insurance claims for government insurers like Medicare and Medicaid between 2017 and 2023. So the data set only captures official complaints where treatment was sought. So if anything, it's an undercount. By the way, medication abortion is a two-pill regimen.

Mifepristone is usually followed by misoprostol to expel all of the fetal tissue, which can cause life-threatening complications. We spoke to Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OBGYN who has been in practice for two decades. She said women aren't being properly monitored by their doctor when they take these pills.

That's right. So Mifepristone was originally approved by the FDA in 2000. For many years, women had to see a doctor in person to obtain the abortion pill. But a few months before Roe versus Wade was overturned in 2022, the FDA scrapped that requirement. So now women can get it through the mail.

This came as abortion advocates argued that the abortion pill should be more available to order online because some Republican-led states were looking to ban abortion. Frances, the pro-life OBGYN, said she visited her hospital's emergency room when one woman came in with severe complications from the drug.

Over the seven years this study looked at, the number of chemical abortions jumped dramatically from less than 100,000 to over 150,000 a year. The abortion pill is also likely the main factor driving up the country's total number of abortions in recent years, even with states passing pro-life laws. Medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in 2023, up from 31% in 2014.

That's according to the Pro-Abortion Guttmacher Institute.

Well, the new head of the FDA, Marty McCary, recently left the door open on restricting the abortion pill if new data about it came to light, although he said they don't currently have any plans to do that.

It looks like they might be hitting some resistance in red states. Florida and both North and South Dakota rejected ballot measures that would have legalized recreational marijuana. Here's Governor Ron DeSantis talking about how one big weed company put nearly $100 million towards the failed push for legalization in Florida.

In Nebraska, voters approved a measure allowing medical marijuana but not recreational cannabis. Currently, 24 states permit recreational use of marijuana and 38 states plus Washington, D.C. allow medical marijuana. As John mentioned, music icon Elton John called legalizing marijuana, quote, one of the greatest mistakes of all time.

He's been sober since 1990 and said he believes marijuana is addictive and leads to other drugs. It looks like he's not alone in that assessment.

While there's still broad support, about 57% of Americans support legalizing recreational marijuana as of March of this year, and only 1 in 10 say it should not be legal at all, even for medical purposes. We're over a decade into the push to legalize recreational pot, so it's been normalized in quite a few states by now.

Plus, legalizing recreational marijuana is often presented as a way to reduce incarceration, particularly of minorities. We should note, too, a majority, 56% of Florida residents, voted in favor of recreational cannabis, but the measure needed 60% to pass.

But not only did several states reject recreational marijuana last month, polling shows people are getting sick of it in states where pot has already been legalized. And where are we seeing that? Well, the pungent smell of pot has become a huge complaint in places where it's popular.

In many cities across the country, people complain that they can smell weed everywhere, on city sidewalks, in parks, drifting into people's homes, and even in places where children are around. The smell is making people rethink the whole idea of smoking weed anytime, anywhere. A Washington, D.C. woman won a lawsuit against her neighbor for the smell of pot drifting into her apartment.

And New Jersey residents say the smell of pot is everywhere there. One in five New Jersey residents say it bothers them a great deal, and over a quarter, 28%, say it bothers them slightly, according to a poll from last year. Last year, two Minnesota cities, St. Paul and Duluth, banned smoking marijuana in parks, and St. Paul banned smoking it close to the entrances of businesses.

Another notable shift is that the legacy media is starting to call out the dangers of marijuana. The New York Times recently reported in depth that doctors are seeing a spike in marijuana-causing psychosis, addiction, and a rare syndrome called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which involves severe vomiting and pain and is caused by heavy pot consumption.

Marijuana misuse is especially common among young adults. The culprit appears to be readily accessible marijuana products that are often stronger than the weed that was available in the 90s.

Yes, Oregon voters are definitely walking back their progressive drug policies. They effectively legalized even hard drugs back in 2020, but voters changed their minds this year. Back in March, they voted to recriminalize those drugs. There was only one ballot measure relating to harder drugs in November of this year. That was in Massachusetts.

Their voters also rejected a proposal to legalize certain natural psychedelics by about 57%. Psychiatric experts in the state warned that patients with depression or trauma might actually be destabilized further by psychedelics not helped by them.