MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Trump has appointed Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special envoys” to Hollywood, aiming to restore a “Golden Age” and challenge the industry’s entrenched liberal bias. According to RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson, the move highlights the necessity of reclaiming cultural institutions from leftist control.

Key Details:

• Trump’s Truth Social post described the trio as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, advising on business and social policy.

• Hollywood’s leftist dominance, as seen in Disney’s political agenda and the cancellation of Gina Carano, has alienated conservatives.

• Watson argues that Trump understands “politics is downstream from culture” and that influencing Hollywood is vital to shaping American values.

Diving Deeper:

President Trump’s latest move to reshape Hollywood has the entertainment industry buzzing. By appointing Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as his “special envoys” to Tinseltown, Trump is signaling that conservatives no longer need to cede cultural institutions to the left. As RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson writes, “Donald Trump understands something many right-wingers haven’t for a long time: It’s time to take back institutions.”

Trump, who has long criticized Hollywood’s liberal slant, sees the entertainment industry as a battleground for shaping public opinion. “Although studies have shown that many Americans, particularly younger people, are unaware of the biggest news story of the day, nearly all of them consume media produced by Hollywood,” Watson notes. This cultural dominance, Watson argues, has been exploited to push a left-wing agenda, alienating conservative voices.

The case of Gina Carano exemplifies Hollywood’s intolerance toward dissent, Watson writes. The former “Mandalorian” star was fired by Disney in 2021 after posting a historical comparison on social media. “In truth, her cancellation was most likely due to her mocking pronoun virtue signaling and COVID-19 precautions that were essentially an entrance fee into the upper echelons of Hollywood,” Watson states. The politicization of entertainment didn’t stop there—Disney executive Latoya Raveneau openly admitted to inserting a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” into children’s programming.

Watson pushes back against the idea that conservatives should simply “build their own” Hollywood, arguing that the industry is too integral to American culture to be abandoned. “Casting it aside would be like trying to create an alternative to Mount Rushmore or baseball – it’s irreplaceable,” he writes. Trump’s decision to highlight conservative-friendly stars like Stallone, Voight, and Gibson sends a powerful message: conservatives in Hollywood no longer have to stay silent.

Trump’s envoys are a step toward restoring balance in an industry that has become a one-party echo chamber. “Hollywood, along with social media, has become the ‘town square,’ the medium by which Americans share ideas,” Watson explains. With leftist cancel culture stifling dissent, Trump’s initiative is not just about entertainment—it’s about ensuring freedom of expression in America’s most influential industry.

MxM News

Quick Hit:

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended the acceptance of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong, citing security and policy concerns. The move comes as President Donald Trump enforces new tariffs to curb the flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.

Key Details:

• The suspension affects international parcels but does not impact letters or flat mail from China and Hong Kong.
• Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1st, imposing a 10% tariff on imports linked to China’s synthetic opioid supply chain.
• In response, China has announced retaliatory tariffs and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into U.S. tech firms.

Diving Deeper:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the immediate suspension of inbound package acceptance from China and Hong Kong, a move aligned with President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to crack down on illicit drug trafficking. While the suspension blocks parcels from entering the country, it does not impact letters or flat mail, according to the USPS statement.

The decision comes as Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1st, imposing a 10% tariff targeting Chinese chemical companies accused of fueling the fentanyl crisis in America. The order alleges that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has subsidized firms exporting fentanyl precursors, which are frequently used to manufacture synthetic opioids that have contributed to tens of thousands of American deaths.

“These companies exploit international trade loopholes, using fraudulent invoices, deceptive packaging, and re-shippers to evade detection,” Trump stated. The administration argues that these tactics enable the smuggling of lethal drugs into the U.S. under the guise of legitimate commerce.

China has responded swiftly to the escalating trade measures, announcing countertariffs on key U.S. exports, including coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil, and agricultural equipment. Additionally, the Chinese government has initiated an anti-monopoly probe into Alphabet Inc.’s Google while adding U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina to its “unreliable entities list.” Beijing has also imposed export restrictions on rare earth metals essential to high-tech industries.

The USPS suspension, combined with the new tariffs, signals a renewed push by Trump to hold China accountable for its role in the opioid crisis while reinforcing his America First trade agenda. With tensions mounting between the two global powers, further economic retaliation from Beijing remains a possibility.