If you’d like to support my mission of speaking the truth, become a paid subscriber here.

It’s a sad feature of modern America that whenever we take action on the international stage, half the country assumes we’re the bad guys.

Meanwhile, China and Russia have zero qualms about doing everything they can to undermine us. Their power plays are subtle — often invisible to the average American. So when Trump responds to power plays with his own, people see it as unjustified authoritarian overreach.

It’s not. It’s exactly what every president should be doing: putting America’s interests first and securing our position in our own backyard.

Trump isn’t the first president to make a power play. He’s just the first to be honest about it.

I welcome it.

And evidently, the Venezuelan people do too.Happy New Year everyone.

My parents are from Ghana. They moved here in the ‘80s. I was born in the Bronx in 1990.

My parents knew multiple languages from Ghana, but they didn’t teach me any of them. I didn’t understand why until a few years ago when I finally asked.

Their answer: they wanted me to be as American as possible.

When they came to this country, there was actually a stigma against not speaking English. So they made a choice - they raised me in English only. Would it be cool to be bilingual? Sure. But I appreciate their intention: to raise me as a member of this country, not an export from another.

Immigration is difficult to talk about because criticisms of immigration inevitably touch on identity. People hold their identity dearly. They’re sensitive to anything that feels like an attack on who they are.

That’s why I use the hardware vs. software distinction.

Cultures are software. And the beautiful thing about software is that anyone can update it. I believe anyone from any country can come to America and adopt American culture - but that adoption needs to be a requirement, not an option.

America is more than an economic zone. It’s a community.

Somalis, Mexicans, Venezuelans - none of them would want people moving to their countries and refusing to adopt their customs. America should be no different.

Here’s the uncomfortable reality: as amazing as America is, we cannot accommodate everyone who wants to come here. There are millions of people waiting in line for visas and green cards. Many will never get them.

So what’s the most rational way to decide who gets in?

Merit. And part of that merit is compatibility with American values.

Those values aren’t hard to define - they’ve been enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But in the modern era, many people don’t seem love being American. They don’t seem to believe America is a place worth protecting, a place that should be difficult to get into.

There seems to be more concern for people who want to come here than for people who already live here. We have to shift this narrative.

None of the countries immigrants are coming from would accept people who aren’t a net asset to their society. We should apply the same standard.

We can find solutions. But we can’t find them if every discussion gets shut down by accusations of racism, or if bad faith is assumed between the camps.

This video is my attempt to help end that.Thanks for watching and reading. If you’d like to support my work as a paid subscriber, the link is below.

For months, people have been saying she feels fake. A few have said the quiet part out loud: they think she’s hiding something about Charlie’s death.

They haven’t considered a different possibility: that she’s trying to be real, but it’s hard. So sometimes she fails. Just like we all would if we were carrying what she’s carrying.

But this post isn’t really about Erika Kirk. It’s about how we process uncertainty.

How smart people stay wrong

Everyone is saying how they feel. And feelings are data. But feelings are not conclusions.

Here’s what happens when we don’t make that distinction:

Step 1: Confirmation bias. We have a feeling - something feels off - and we start looking for information that confirms it. We find some. We stop there. We repeat what we feel, louder, but without considering rigorously considering alternatives.

Step 2: Motivated reasoning. We go further. We start with our conclusion and work backward, building a case like a prosecutor. We’re not interested in the defense. We’re interested in winning.

Step 3: Motivated research. We dress up our motivated reasoning with “evidence.” We investigate - but only in one direction. The research feels rigorous because we’re finding things. But we’re only finding things that support what we already believe.

The antidote

Steel-man the possibilities you don’t like.

This is uncomfortable. It takes time. It takes patience. It requires being open to being wrong. And being wrong isn’t life-threatening - but it is ego-threatening. In the social media era, where people are rewarded for consistency and punished for changing their minds, staying open can feel dangerous.

But rigorous thinking requires it.

That’s what I tried to do in this video. Not tell you what to think. Just model what it looks like to consider more than one option.

What do you think?Let me know below.

I want to continue this conversation with you. I’m hosting a live AMA for paid subscribers this Friday at 5:15pm PT where I’ll share more about the memorial experience and we can discuss these critical issues together. Drop your questions in the comments below, and feel free to ask more when we’re live.

Now, about why I think we’re here in the first place...

Part of the answer lies in the breakdown of language itself - facilitated by social media.

When “fascist” can mean anything from Hitler to someone who disagrees with you, when we operate on a political spectrum but pretend everything is binary, when words become tribal weapons instead of tools for understanding - we create the conditions where speech gets conflated with violence.

This isn’t just an academic problem. It’s getting people killed.

The solution starts with precision. Let’s practice it together.

Key insights in this video:

* Why social media gave fringe minorities the power to redefine language for everyone

* The FIRE study showing 36-37% of both far-left AND far-right college students support violence against speakers

* How the political spectrum actually works (hint: a 20 isn’t a 100, even if they’re on the same side)

* My real-time example from Jubilee of demanding precision in heated conversations

Links and references:

* FIRE Study on Campus Violence Support

* Join Clear Thinker Academy Less than one week left to get the discount and bonus October 1st call access

Today, people are celebrating his death.

They don’t realize that the assassin’s bullet wasn’t just aimed at Charlie.

It was aimed at civilization itself.

This isn’t just about politics anymore. This is about how algorithmic echo chambers have radicalized us to the point where we’ve become disconnected from each other and basic humanity.

If you’re tired of the tribalism and want to be part of building bridges instead of burning them, Clear Thinker Academy is a community of people committed to truth over tribal loyalty.

It’s a sane space where we learn the tools to spot bias and find the courage to call it out. Learn more at ClearThinkerAcademy.com

You might have noticed I’ve been wearing a shirt with that cool logo in recent videos…

Well, it’s not just a cool logo.

It’s actually the design for my new offering: Clear Thinker

If you’re tired of being overwhelmed by information, manipulated by the media, and want to feel calm amidst the chaos, I think you’ll find this incredibly useful.

You can get a taste of Clear Thinker by going here: ClearThinkerAcademy.com

DC has maintained crime rates more than double the national average for decades, while LA's homelessness increased 73% from 2015-2023. Even with recent improvements, both cities face chronic issues that have worsened significantly over the past decade.

DC's Persistently High Crime Rate:

Council on Criminal Justice:

* "While the level of violence in Washington remains higher than average in our sample" of large U.S. cities SOLACHAN 2025 Chapter – Houseless Angelenos – Neighborhood Data for Social Change

USAFacts (Official Government Data):

* 2023: DC violent crime rate was 1,200 per 100,000 - 207.4% higher than the national average

* If DC were a state, it would rank #1 in violent crime rate among all 50 states

NPR Analysis:

* 2012: DC homicide rate was 13.9 per 100,000 (historic 50-year low) State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition - National Alliance to End Homelessness

* 2024: DC homicide rate was roughly 25 per 100,000 - nearly double the 2012 rate State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition - National Alliance to End Homelessness

* "FBI data shows that the homicide rate in D.C. has been steadily climbing since 2012" State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition - National Alliance to End Homelessness

LA Homelessness - Massive Decade-Long Increase:

Neighborhood Data for Social Change (Academic Research):

* 2015: 41,174 people experiencing homelessness in LA County

* 2023: Peak of 71,320 people - 73% increase over the decade

LA Homeless Services Authority (Official Data):

* 2025: 72,308 people experiencing homelessness (4% decrease from 2024)

* Despite recent small decreases, still 75% higher than 2015 levels

LA Almanac:

* 2025: Unsheltered homelessness decreased 9.5% from 2024 to 2025, but homeless families increased by 5.9%

What do you think? Drop a comment below.

When Charlie Kirk stated this fact, the response mixed some valid fact-checking with character attacks and deflection.

I break down what Kirk got wrong, what his critics got wrong, and why we can’t solve problems we refuse to honestly discuss.

The real issue isn’t the statistics - it’s how we’ve made productive conversation impossible.

When black Americans are murdered at 7x the rate of whites (mostly by other black people), deflecting from data isn’t helping anyone. We can acknowledge both systemic injustices and community responsibility - but only if we stop treating FBI statistics as hate speech.

🔔 Coming up for paid subscribers: Exclusive AMA on race, taboo topics, and truth-telling. Details coming soon

Before I got into politics about a year ago, I didn’t really think about race because it was never a problem for me. I was born in the Bronx to Ghanaian immigrant parents who never once racialized anything. They never spoke about white people differently than black people or brown people. Growing up, people were just people.

I’ve never been political. I was a Democrat by default. I was excited when Obama got elected in 2008 because it felt like a cool historic moment—having someone who looked like me in office.

I don’t know if racial relations have always been this bad or if it’s a product of social media, but something troubling is happening in America.

I believe America is objectively the best place to be a black person on earth, and this is the best time in history to be alive as a black person. Yet I constantly see narratives pushed that seem determined to convince everyone that life is horrible—that we’re oppressed, and if the oppression isn’t visible, it’s invisible. These unprovable assertions must be believed, or you’re either a bigot or self-hating.

I worry particularly about young people subscribing to these self-defeating, disempowering beliefs. These racial divisions don’t just push us apart—they hurt our relationships with each other and with ourselves.

Black people are being taught to hate white people. White people are being taught to hate themselves. White people feel that hatred, and some are resentful.

This became particularly evident after Karmelo Anthony’s murder of Austin Metcalf. What appeared to me as a tragic inability for two young men to resolve conflict peacefully—with Karmelo engaging in a massively disproportionate response to Austin’s minor provocation—was justified by people in the black community as “self-defense” or saying Austin “had it coming.” I saw many black people rush to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to Karmelo and justify his actions, acting on racial preference rather than principle.

Several weeks later, I witnessed white people do the same thing. When Shiloh Hendrix called a little black kid the n-word, rather than condemning a grown woman’s actions toward a small child, I saw resentful white people rush to her defense and donate upwards of $1 million to her cause.

We’re well aware that modern media is biased. What hasn’t fully dawned on us is that historical information is biased too. Many people walk around assuming slavery is an evil that belongs to or originates with white people. Neither is true.

I’ve seen people engage in motivated reasoning, which is interpreting facts or events in a way that protects your pre-existing beliefs or identity, rather than looking for the full truth.

I see them determined to hold onto race essentialism and the idea that white people are inherently evil. They’ll say, “Okay, maybe white people didn’t invent slavery, but they did it more, and were more brutal”.Or “the transatlantic slave trade was uniquely brutal.”

These people aren’t looking for disconfirming evidence. They don’t realize the Arab- run trans-Saharan slave trade spanned nearly two millennia and involved systematic castration of young boys and atrocities rivaling the transatlantic trade. They castrated men and boys so that they wouldn’t reproduce, and thus needed to “replenish” their slave supply regularly.They operated at industrial scale - they just weren't as technologically and organizationally advanced as the Europeans were by the time the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

But the point isn’t to engage in comparisons or weigh scales of evil. That is a distraction from the core message.The point is to help people see that group identities and making morality a matter of melanin—causing us to believe some people are inherently damned—is in fact damning us all.

I made this video to introduce a more comprehensive view of humanity and the sins of our forefathers. To help us acknowledge choices made in the past, which were none of our faults, while taking responsibility for the choices we can make in the present.

I recorded this because I wanted to have a real conversation with you - the kind I can't have on X or Instagram without it getting completely twisted.

Everyone's talking about Epstein files and client lists, but there hasn’t been much discussion about what we can reasonably expect and should demand from this administration.

In this 18-minute video, I break down:

* The difference between Epstein files (which exist) and the client list (which might not)

* Three theories about what's really going on with Trump's handling of this.

* Why I think this is more about bad leadership than conspiracy.

* What the administration could actually release that would restore some trust.

Let me know your thoughts below.

Also: this is the kind of private, unscripted, subscriber-only content I’d like to do more of.

Do you prefer it to written essays? Too long? Too short? More of this, or something else?

I’m disappointed to see Elon responding in the way that he is.

This never needed to get personal. It never needed to be about Elon vs Trump. It always was about the deficit, and whether the Big Beautiful Bill reduces it.

Going forward, our President should focus on giving the people one Big Beautiful Explanation, not retaliation.

I hate that this needs to be clarified but I’ve seen people saying Elon criticized Trump personally first.

No, Elon did not criticize Trump personally first.

Trump criticized Elon first. Elon criticized Trump’s bill first. Below is the timeline of events.

The bill and moving forward is what we should focus on, but the truth matters.

June 3: Elon posts on X:

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

June 5: 12:08 pm ET, Trump says in a press conference:

“I would have won Pennsylvania regardless of Elon…I’m very disappointed with Elon. He knew this bill better than anyone and he only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate… When he left he said the most beautiful things about me, he hasn’t said anything bad yet but I’m sure that will be next…I’ve helped Elon a lot… Elon worked hard at DOGE and I think he misses the place…I think he got out there and he’s no longer in this beautiful Oval Office…it’s not just Elon, I think when some people leave they miss it so badly they develop a type of Trump Derangement Syndrome…some embrace it and some become hostile.”

12:46 pm ET: Elon posts on X:

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”

2.37pm ET: Trump on Truth Social

"Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!"

"The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!"

3:10pm ET: Elon posts on X

Time to drop the really big bomb:

@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!

Things may continue to escalate from here. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and these two men regain sight of what’s important.

$5000 or more. It costs ~$17,000 to deport someone, and it’s extremely difficult and stressful for everyone involved.

If we can incentivize more people to self-deport for significantly less than it would take to forcefully deport, that’s a worthy investment.

Ground News is a great news app - I used it well before we became partners. It helps me research videos. They understand that there is no unbiased media - the best solution is to make the bias transparent. This gives you a discount, and supports me:

https://www.ground.news/kaizen

2. Want to partner with me? Email partnerships@kaizenasiedu.com with:

– What your brand does

– Who you serve

– Why you think we align

3. Kaizen Supporting Partners - Transparency Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rEeFRYGfoSf_etUG-kQRQpbncygnf7C_Bccw35qGwRg/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0

Moralizing doesn’t create peace, practicality does.

Unfortunately it’s become a political weapon despite the vast majority of Americans supporting it.

DOGE found evidence of illegal immigrants, or people using their SSN, voting in the 2024 election.

We don’t know how many. But it merely confirms what was already true - there is a vulnerability in our voting system.

Regardless of how much that vulnerability has been exploited, the mere perception of insecurity is a huge public trust concern.

The two party system is hard to change. But we can at least change the incentives of people in the system by letting it be known that we will not allow common sense popular policy to be undermined by political tribalism.

Use your voice, spread the message, make yourself heard.

In this video, I break down how I stayed calm and clear during my appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, even when the debate got heated. I walk you through the mindset, strategies, and real-time decisions I made to speak powerfully—without being loud.

This is for anyone who wants to:

• Communicate with conviction without chaos

• Challenge bad ideas without being reactive

• Build a new culture of leadership through presence and clarity

Whether you’re left, right, or just looking for sanity—this is your blueprint.

3:24 – Tip 1: Focus on Listening, Not Just Talking

5:57 – Tip 2: Enforce Your boundaries

9:28 – Tip 3: Lead with Agreement Before You Disagree

12:10 – Tip 4: Make Your Point with Precision, Not Volume

14:21 – Tip 5: Stay Curious, Not Combative

16:35 – Tip 6: Speak to the Person, Not the Label

18:05 – Tip 7: Lighten Up

Key Points:

* 00:00:02 - Introduction: State of the American Dream

* 00:02:53 - Understanding the National Debt and Deficit

* 00:05:30 - Trump's Four-Part Economic Plan

* 00:07:17 - Step 1: Raising Revenue via Tariffs

* 00:12:45 - Importance of Cheap Energy

* 00:20:11 - Addressing Tariff Concerns

* 00:23:45 - Step 2: Eliminating Income Tax

* 00:28:47 - Step 3: Bringing Back Manufacturing Jobs

* 00:31:33 - Step 4: Reducing Spending with Doge

* 00:36:33 - Bonus: Gold Card Initiative

Watch to understand how these policies could shape your future and the American economy. Drop a comment: Do you feel safe with this plan to make America wealthy again?

Trump and Hegseth denied this.

Regardless of who you believe, the New York Times' follow up to this reveals their consistent undisclosed bias.

Rather than acknowledging that their sources might be wrong, they positioned the meeting's purpose as having been changed due to their reporting.

They've been on a campaign against Trump for years.

It's ok for a publication to have a point of view they assert.

It's not OK for them to assert it and call themselves an independent news source.

That’s activism, not journalism.

This release includes 2,400 newly discovered FBI records and 1,124 unredacted files, adding fresh intrigue to a 6.2 million-page collection that’s been 99% public since 1964. Early highlights include a claim by Gary Underhill that the CIA killed JFK, though his “suicide” six months later raises questions. Still, with this being just 1% of the total records, will it change the story? Historians lean toward Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone, but new tidbits—like JFK’s rocky CIA ties—keep alternative theories alive.

Stay curious, stay skeptical—I’ll update you as experts dig deeper!

TdA is infamous for murdering Laken Riley, and Trump's deportation is a follow-through on his campaign promise of invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove them.

Critics argue that Alien Enemies Act is being abused, and that it's a wartime act being abused in peacetime, without due process.

Proponents argue that these are violent criminals who needed to be removed, it's not upn to the judicial branch, and the President has the sole discretion to do so.

This is a clip from my thrice-weekly show - Nuanced Live.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1pm I'll provide a nuanced take on the top headlines. The goal is to help you with how to think through the morass of conflicting takes.

I'll also share my personal opinions, but my goal is to empower you to form yours. You can catch it live on X, YouTube, and Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/@thatskaizen

https://www.x.com/thatskaizen

https://www.instagram.com/thatskaizen

Sorry, in hindsight that’s a helpful detail to include. I considered including it, but didn’t consider it highly important because the point of the video isn’t technicalities of tariffs, but the purpose of tariffs from an American perspective.

I don’t have an opinion on what the tariffs should be. The point of the video is that very few people are in a position to have an opinion on this topic, which requires expertise and consideration of multiple domains of expertise. Tariffs are being spun as bullying, or people are overly confident about the impact they’ll have, and the goal of this video is to hold up a mirror and illustrate the larger dynamics at play. Hope you find it valuable despite me failing to include that one nuance.

This was a fun one to film 🧈

5:16 Zelenskyy calls Putin a terrorist

13:10 Trump cracks joke with Zelenskyy

15:07 Zelenskyy interrupts Trump

18:30 Zelenskyy throws his hands up in seeming frustration

19:55 Reporter asks Zelenskyy why he’s not wearing a suit

20:30 Trump commits to sending arms to Ukraine

20:54 Zelenskyy raises eyebrows at Trump’s statement

24:13 Trump takes the edge off of the suit question by joking with Zelenskyy that he likes his outfit

25:00 Zelenskyy contradicts Trump and keeps painting Putin in a negative light

25:30 Zelenskyy says Putin will never accept ceasefire and pushes for American security guarantee

27:06 Zelenskyy says Putin hates Ukrainians

28:10 Zelenskyy says Putin should pay all reconstruction costs

30:30 Zelenskyy shakes head as Trump speaks

33:22 Zelenskyy says Putin wants to annex Poland

33:41 Zelenskyy says Putin will attack America

34:10 Zelenskyy interrupts Trump

40:20 Trump goes on the offensive by calling out Zelenskyy’s hatred for Putin and starts to escalate

41:07 Vance says Zelenskyy has been disrespectful, and conversation continues to escalate

43:51 Curses while Vance speaks by saying cyka blyat, which has meanings ranging from "f**k", "f**k you", to "b***h", under his breath.

00:25 Critique of Special Access

01:36 Concern About Influencer Selection02:21 Optics and Public Perception02:54 Addressing the Phased Release03:30 Conclusion and Call for Trust

Today, tensions flared again when he posted an AI video of “Trump Gaza”. Americans are concerned, Palestinians are offended, and Israelis are confused.

This is a breakdown of what Trump did, the reactions to it and a fact-based perspective on why this might be 4D chess in a game between Israel, Hamas, Arab nations, and America that has been in a stalemate for over a year.