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'Sick to my stomach': Hit show The Pitt applauded as it takes direct aim at ICE

Viewers of HBO's hit hospital drama The Pitt are full of praise as the show took on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in its Thursday episode.

The show, which has picked up five Emmy Awards and 13 nominations, featured ICE agents as a crucial plot point in episode, as they bring in a suspiciously injured woman detainee for treatment.

As the agents — one masked — stand in the emergency room, multiple patients and staff members flee in fear. A nurse is then detained as he tries to protect the original detainee.

Dr. Robby, played by Noah Wyle, lashes out. “Patients come in here for help, because they’re either sick or they’re injured,” he angrily tells an agent. “Documented or undocumented, they have a right to emergency care.”

The political episode was applauded by viewers.

One, who claimed to be a student doctor, took to X and wrote, "I created this account to share my perspective on the show as a medical student. The ICE storyline? That’s real.

"I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and that hurt. Inhumane treatment of immigrants. Violence against those who try to help. Fear of being detained. The Pitt got it right."

Another user suggested that, for non-Americans watching the show, The Pitt only just scratches the surface of public opinion on ICE agents. "For any non-Americans surprised at the behavior of the ICE agents I can assure you they're worse in real life," they wrote.

"Like that whole ordeal was harrowing but it's only a fraction of the things that those monsters are capable of and have done and will continue to do."

A third fan of the show added, "I haven’t caught up with The Pitt but I feel sick to my stomach seeing that scene."

Slate writer David Mack suggested the show had referenced Donald Trump's administration throughout the season, without even mentioning the president's name. He wrote, "Donald Trump may not be mentioned by name in The Pitt, but throughout this season in particular, it’s clear the show takes place in his shadow.

"Episode 11, though, is where our current politics manifest themselves most undeniably in a scene that directly evokes the chaos and brutality we’ve witnessed from federal agents in states across the country."

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, show creator R. Scott Gemmill confirmed the episode had been written and recorded shortly before the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"We looked at what’s going on, and we don’t try to prophesize; we just naturally extrapolate what could happen," he said. "And that happened with the measles case. It happened with the cyberattack, and it’s happened with ICE. Things unfortunately have gotten much more severe with that than what we had ever imagined."

Elon Musk's X hit by 'large-scale' child porn probe weeks after $139M fine

Elon Musk's X is to undergo a large-scale probe from the European privacy watchdog following a multi-million dollar fine and office raid.

The X CEO had initially pushed back against the European Commission and its threat of investigation until a $139 million fine was issued to his company in December. An office raid earlier this month was conducted by the French authorities and the European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol. The raid was part of an ongoing criminal probe into the potential “dissemination of child pornography."

The European Union’s data privacy watchdog has since confirmed an investigation into Elon Musk's X over sexualized images generated by Grok, the AI Chatbot featured on the social media site.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), which is chiefly responsible for enforcing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), issued a statement confirming the inquiry.

It read, "The inquiry concerns the apparent creation, and publication on the X platform, of potentially harmful, non-consensual intimate and/or sexualized images, containing or otherwise involving the processing of personal data of EU/EEA data subjects, including children, using generative artificial intelligence functionality associated with the Grok large language model within the X platform."

Graham Doyle, the DPC's deputy commissioner, said, "As the Lead Supervisory Authority for [X Internet Unlimited Company] across the EU/EEA, the DPC has commenced a large-scale inquiry which will examine XIUC’s compliance with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand.”

The European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen had leveled fines at Musk's company in December last year, and said the fine is not about being a financial strain, but making sure the right course of action is taken by X.

Virkkunen said, "We’re not here to impose the highest fines, we’re here to make sure that our digital legislation is enforced. If you comply with our rules, you don’t get a fine." They added the fine was "proportionate" to the value of the company, with DSA regulations meaning a maximum fine of 6% of a company's worth can be issued.

While the fine may not come as a surprise to X, Vice President JD Vance warned the EU Commission they should not be aiming for Musk's website, something the tech billionaire made clear he did not appreciate.

Vance wrote, "Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech, not attacking American companies over garbage." Musk replied, "Much appreciated."

MAGA being torn apart by right-wing squabbles as Elon Musk's X makeover backfires: report

Elon Musk's takeover and rebrand of Twitter — now X — is now ripping apart the MAGA movement, according to a report Monday.

Musk rebranded the platform in 2023, changing its moderation rules and prompting a rise in hate speech that has created a series of complaints among conservatives, Politico reported.

"Three years later, Musk’s control of the platform, now re-branded as 'X,' has delivered its fair share of benefits for conservatives — not least of which was Musk’s successful full-court press to elect Donald Trump in 2024," according to Politico. "But as the elite echelons of the MAGA movement slowly descend into obscure online disagreements and testy turf wars between rival influencers, conservatives are starting to confront an unpleasant possibility: that the right’s domination of X is doing more to divide the MAGA movement than unite it."

Several notable MAGA voices have made "digital exits" and left the app, citing their concerns about its divisive nature, including Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam.

Changes under Musk, including his push to stop bots, has also unveiled something MAGA did not expect to happen.

"Musk’s efforts to combat bot activity have in turn backfired on conservatives: A new feature rolled out earlier this year displaying the country where an account is based inadvertently revealed that many of the most active pro-Trump and MAGA accounts are based abroad," Politico reported.

And that's not the only worry among MAGA followers.

"Increasingly, some big names on the right are coming to worry that X’s algorithm — which elevates short-form video and audio clips over links to articles or essays — is undermining the right’s political cohesion by promoting the most outlandish and conspiracy-minded members of Trump’s coalition," according to Politico.

Charlie Kirk's death and the rising conspiracy theories surrounding his killing have also revealed rising battles among MAGA influencers and just how much infighting has emerged in the movement.

"The turmoil and division generated on X is becoming a problem for elected Republicans, too," Politico reported. "Even as MAGA voters remain largely united behind Trump and his agenda, Republicans are being forced to spend time and political capital addressing squabbling among MAGA’s elite activists and influencers."

'We're not going to back down': UK hits back at Trump admin over Elon Musk probe

The UK government has hit back at a US administration official's threat over a probe into Elon Musk and X.

Online safety watchdog OFCOM is investigating the social media app for the sharing of non-consensual sex images which are artificially generated through the Grok tool, Sky News reported. Concerns over the deepfakes spread on the platform have since been aired in the UK's House of Commons, the elected house of representatives.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, "I have been informed this morning that X is acting to ensure full compliance with UK law. If so, that is welcome, but we're not going to back down, and they must act."

"We will take the necessary measures. We will strengthen existing laws and prepare for legislation if it needs to go further, and Ofcom will continue its independent investigation."

Donald Trump's administration representative, Sarah B. Rogers, weighed in on the investigation into X yesterday (January 13).

Rogers, an under secretary of state for public diplomacy, says the department will wait for the verdict of OFCOM on Musk's platform before it responds.

Rogers, speaking to GB News, said, "I would say from America's perspective... nothing is off the table when it comes to free speech. Let's wait and see what OFCOM does and we'll see what America does in response. This is an issue dear to us, and I think we would certainly want to respond."

"Our leadership understands this because President Trump was himself a target of censorship," Rogers said. "President Trump was banned by Twitter - the old regime before Elon bought it."

"You have to take that comparison seriously. That's why our President cares about this issue - because people couldn't deal with his popularity, they couldn't deal with his success, and they tried to just shut him up so no one could hear him."

OFCOM's powers fall under the Online Safety Act, which states that online platforms have to make sure they're not hosting illegal content.

If X is found to not comply with the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can issue a fine of up to 10% of its worldwide revenue or £18m, and if that is not enough, can go as far as getting a court approval to block the site.

Trump admin issues ominous threat as UK mulls banning Musk's X: 'Nothing is off the table'

The Department of State has warned "nothing is off the table" should the UK move to ban Elon Musk's social media platform, X.

Donald Trump's administration representative, Sarah B. Rogers, weighed in on the investigation into X. Rogers, an under secretary of state for public diplomacy, says the department will wait for the verdict of OFCOM on Musk's platform before it responds. OFCOM, the UK's online safety and communications watchdog, is investigating X over concerns about AI-generated deepfakes spread on the platform.

The Department of State representative said there was an increased interest from Trump and the administration in the investigation because the President and Vice President, JD Vance, are "huge champions" of free speech.

"Our leadership understands this because President Trump was himself a target of censorship," Rogers said. "President Trump was banned by Twitter - the old regime before Elon bought it."

The Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer, says the government will act fast should X fail the OFCOM investigation. He said, "If X cannot control Grok, we will - and we'll do it fast, because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate."

Despite Rogers' claims for protecting free speech, it appears Vice President JD Vance is on the side of regulating the social media app's AI tool. According to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, both he and Vance are in agreement on what needs to happen with Grok's AI-generated images.

Lammy told The Guardian last week, "We discussed Greenland and I also raised with him the Grok issue and the horrendous, horrific situation in which this new technology is allowing deepfakes and the manipulation of images of women and children, which is just absolutely abhorrent. He agreed with me that it was entirely unacceptable."

"I think he recognised the very seriousness with which images of women and children could be manipulated in this way, and he recognised how despicable, unacceptable, that is and I found him sympathetic to that position. And in fact, we’ve been in touch again, today, about this very serious issue."

Trump admin eyes yanking visas of Musk critics: report

The Trump administration has considered revoking visas of two prominent critics of billionaire Elon Musk — a once close ally of President Donald Trump — and his X social platform, according to a new Zeteo report on Thursday.

New documentation viewed by Zeteo indicated that high-level talks were underway among top government officials to decide whether to make the decision.

"Per a draft for an action memo outlining options for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration is weighing a move to revoke the visas of former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate," according to the outlet.

It could be the first attempt for the Trump administration to revoke visas of people it deems are censoring Americans.

"Just last week, the State Department reportedly directed officials to screen out applicants for skilled worker visas who have previously worked to combat online misinformation and disinformation," Zeteo reported.

The news comes as the Trump administration on Wednesday signaled it would begin a new Department of Homeland Security policy that would require visitors to undergo social media inspections. Under the new rule, international travelers would have to provide their social media history over the last five years.

Trump's festering resentment blamed for visa crackdown

A columnist Tuesday described why President Donald Trump's crackdown on factchecker visas was actually "personal, as everything with him tends to be."

The Guardian's Margaret Sullivan recounted how Trump's urge to "control the message," and a festering resentment from the past, has driven him to pull the visas and target international applicants who work on content moderation.

In early 2021, after Trump posted his claims about a "stolen election" that provoked the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Twitter decided to permanently suspend him.

"That evidently hurt. For years, Twitter had been his favorite place for bluster, bombast and straight-up lies," Sullivan wrote. "Other major social-media platforms locked him out too, at least for a while, and there were unsubstantiated charges that the platforms were colluding with Democrats."

Trump developed a disdain for people "who try to make the internet safer, to point out lies and misinformation," Sullivan explained.

That changed with Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter and renamed it X. Musk pushed out many workers on the content moderation team and Trump had conveniently formed his own social platform: Truth Social.

"But the pain of being barred has clearly lingered," Sullivan wrote.

And although Trump has claimed he was a victim of content moderation, "retribution lies at the heart of this crackdown."

"Thus, Trump’s special animus toward content moderators, trust and safety teams, and fact-checkers. It seems he didn’t forget the sting," she added.

Elon Musk's company hit with $139 million fine despite 'garbage' tough talk from JD Vance

Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has received a $139 million fine by the European Commission.

The penalty is the first-ever issued under the content moderation laws and was issued today (December 5) to the social media site, Politico confirmed. Plans to fine X were aired earlier this year, which prompted vice president JD Vance to suggest the EU should not follow through with a "garbage" notion of fining "free speech".

The EU Commission confirmed that X was in breach of their transparency obligations, with the fine sent to X because of a "deceptive" change of how blue check verification worked. The European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen said it was not about the highest fines possible, but about making sure appropriate changes were considered and made.

While the fine may not come as a surprise to X, vice president JD Vance warned the EU Commission that they should not be taking aim at Musk's website, something the tech billionaire made clear he did not appreciate.

Vance wrote, "Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage." Musk replied, "Much appreciated."

Virkkunen would respond to Vance's comments, saying, "The DSA is having not to do with censorship, this decision is about the transparency of X. On this subject, we have agreed to disagree with the way that some people in the U.S. look at our legislation."

"It's not about censorship, and we have repeated several times from this podium, so on this we really agree to disagree on how it is perceived."

'Extraordinary moment' as US watches 'unravelling of bromance' of Trump and Musk

CNN's Dana Bash was stunned by the events that unfolded between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during an Oval Office press conference Thursday.

Musk live tweeted responses as Trump answered reporters' questions about the Tesla founder's disdain for the spending bill that's now in the Senate.

"The most interesting and perhaps important issue — political issue and policy issue — is what President Trump said about his now former friend, at least it seems, Elon Musk," Bash said on CNN shortly after the press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz.

"It seems as though we saw kind of the unraveling of a bromance, real time. And what our viewers saw was what it turned out to be one side of a fight. The other side was Elon Musk, real time, using his platform X to respond and kind of push back on many of the things that President Trump said."

Bash then showed a scroll of Musk's tweets in response to the president's statements, calling it an "extraordinary moment just a few days after he gave a big, glowing goodbye to Elon Musk from the White House."

"Yeah, it's not even a week, Dana, since we saw them both praise each other from the Oval Office. Two days later now, and actually the first time reporters are actually having the opportunity to ask the president about this," said Correspondent Alayna Treene "We're now seeing this completely fraying relationship on full display. It's very remarkable, given just how close...the president and Musk have been for months now, really him being one of the president's favorite people on this white house complex."

Treene described the president's tone as "strikingly somber."

"You could see kind of the emotion in his tone and on his face as he was discussing this. He said, quote, 'I've always liked Elon.'"

Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.

'I’m the reincarnation': Book claims Musk thought himself reborn 'spirit' of ancient king

When Elon Musk was a 20-something entrepreneur pushing his first startup, he claimed to a potential investor that he couldn't possibly fail at business because he was the reincarnation of one of the greatest warriors in all of human history, according to a new book.

Washington Post reporter Faiz Siddiqui recounted the exchange between Musk and venture capitalist Derek Proudian in "Hubris Maximus," out this week.

Musk reportedly told the investor that his fledgling company, Zip2, which promised to put the Yellow Pages online, was “going to be the biggest company ever.”

When Proudian tried to change the subject, Musk retorted, “No—you don’t understand. I’m the reincarnation of the spirit of Alexander the Great," the book said.

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Proudian, who "brushed off Musk's words" in the 1990s, is now worried after seeing what Musk has become, The Daily Beast reported.

“I am really concerned because I know how smart this guy is and I know how much money he has and I know how ruthless he is, and it’s playing out in front of my own eyes,” Proudian said.

In another example of Musk's "arrogance," a former Tesla investor told Siddiqui that "Musk cannot stand being told what to do—even by the Securities and Exchange Commission," adding, “He just basically has a complete disdain for any authority period."

A former Tesla software engineer is quoted as saying, "We saw with definitive proof his true colors,” over subjects like racial justice during the George Floyd protests. “I don’t know if he doesn’t want to empathize or if he feels he’s just too busy to empathize.”

The Daily Beast article stated that Siddiqui "has long covered Musk’s antics at Tesla and Twitter for the Post," and that when asked for comment, Musk would often quip, “Give my regards to your puppetmaster,” referring to fellow multibillionaire Jeff Bezos.

Musk did not comment for the Daily Beast article, according to its author.

Read the Daily Beast article here.