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A guest post from The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, find additional guest posts in 24sight’s The Vox Populi section.

FIRE/Morning Consult poll shows voters support more speech, not less, in AI debate

By John Coleman and Sean Stevens

As artificial intelligence plays a growing role in political discourse, lawmakers across the country have rushed to propose new regulations over fears that misinformation will proliferate with the new technology. But new polling suggests these efforts may not fully reflect public sentiment and serve as a red flag for lawmakers when their state legislatures reconvene in the fall.

A recent national survey conducted by Morning Consult for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression finds that American voters strongly support prioritizing free speech when crafting AI regulations, even amid growing concerns about AI’s impact.

Sixty percent of voters say AI-generated content poses a greater threat to elections than government regulation of it. Yet when pressed to choose between stopping deceptive content and protecting free speech, voters side with free speech, 47% to 37%. That support cuts across political lines.

These numbers also tell a complicated story: Americans are uneasy about AI, but they’re more concerned about the government using AI regulation as a tool to silence dissent, just like many Americans feel about the government regulating content on social media. Our most recent survey shows a striking 81% worry that rules governing election-related AI content could be misused to suppress criticism of elected officials. And over half fear that making it a crime to publish altered political content could chill legitimate political commentary.

These aren’t abstract fears. Across the country, lawmakers have introduced, and even enacted, bills that would target the mere sharing of AI-generated political content, no matter the context or intent. In Texas and Vermont, for example, proposed legislation cast such a wide net that distributing satire, parody, criticism, or even memes would have been banned or otherwise ensnared in regulation. Ordinary citizens, not just political campaigns, would face penalties for posting altered images of politicians online.

Americans have the right to speak, joke, criticize, and comment freely, regardless of whether they use AI as an expressive tool in doing so. When lawmakers write vague or sweeping rules about what people can say about candidates, they silence the very public discourse that elections foster.

Indeed, 28% of voters say government regulation of AI-generated or AI-altered content would make them less likely to share content. That’s not just a statistic, it’s a warning sign. Lawmakers risk silencing voters when their voices matter most. And the effect is even greater among young people, who are significantly more likely to engage with and create AI-generated content. When nearly a third of voters, especially the next generation of political voices, are deterred from participating in public discourse, we’re not just regulating technology — we're shrinking the space for political engagement.

Not every datapoint in the polling breaks in favor of free speech. Protecting speech commands broad support, yet many voters also favor checks on misinformation. In the same FIRE survey, while 77% of voters think preserving the right to freedom of speech should be the government's main priority when making laws that govern the use of AI, 74% of voters believe it’s more important to protect people from misinformation than it is to protect free speech.

Even so, the poll suggests many voters want any effort to curb misinformation to have firm safeguards for open debate. Many bills on the table this year definitely missed that mark.

Technologies evolve. The principles of the First Amendment do not. In our system of government, the answer to bad speech isn’t censorship. It’s more speech.

John Coleman is legislative counsel and Sean Stevens is chief research advisor for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

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Programming Notes

Congressional ace is up on the Hill today getting all the goods on the sweeping tax and immigration (and other items) bill House Republicans advanced last night. Stay here for more throughout the day.

Stop by Substack Live this week for chats with and more. And tune in for Part 2 of Trygve’s rules for dealing with autocrats at 4p ET Thursday. (In case you missed Part 1: Play the game you’re in, catch it here.)

And if you missed ’s updates from the courtroom — from the Diddy trial to the Supreme Court — catch it here.

Medicaid attacks, fake threats only ramp up the cost for GOP candidates

By Scott Reed

The Republican Party is learning the hard way what happens when control over its message is ceded to unelected ideologues. In key districts across the country, House Republicans are being forced to spend millions defending vulnerable GOP members against a wave of attacks over alleged Medicaid cuts — attacks that are clearly landing. This is putting seats at risk in critical 2026 battlegrounds from California to Maine.

Since President Donald J. Trump took office, Democrats have made Medicaid the centerpiece of their paid media strategy, pumping huge sums into this issue because they know it resonates. The Democrats’ attacks are false, but the mainstream media is nowhere to be found to hand out any Pinocchios. But the danger for Republicans is simple: the attacks are sticking, and they’re not just coming from the left — they’re being enabled by voices within the party itself.

Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have explicitly said there will be no cuts to Medicaid for Americans, period. You would think that would be the final word on the issue. And yet, so-called conservative think tanks and self-appointed policy experts in Washington, D.C. — most notably Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase — continue to push an agenda that undercuts the party’s leadership and gives campaign fodder to the Democrats. Blase recently wrote and organized a letter signed by 20 House Republicans advocating for Medicaid cuts and even told Politico that Republicans should outright disregard Trump’s position on the issue.

The reality is the view that Republicans should gut Medicaid as part of budget reform would be a political disaster at the ballot.

According to internal polling conducted by Trump’s own pollster, the idea of cutting Medicaid is overwhelmingly unpopular, not just among Democrats but among most Trump voters and nearly two-thirds of swing voters. The centerpiece of these alleged cuts, reducing or eliminating the Medicaid provider tax, would disproportionately impact hospitals in the reddest Republican states and rural areas, which is the lifeblood of many of these communities.

Red states like Texas and Florida would be crushed by this nonsense. We know why Democrats and the mainstream media are pushing this false narrative, but why in the world are some Republicans parroting it?

The answer, unfortunately, lies with the fact that outlier GOP voices get disproportionate attention in the mainstream press. Despite President Trump’s clear stance on Medicaid, the mainstream press is not interested in fact checking Democratic attacks and that is why they elevate voices like Blase. Internal GOP divisions, even if far overblown, are a sexy political story.

Republicans are used to taking fire from Democrats. What they didn’t expect is to be sabotaged by their own side. The party has a choice: allow think tank operatives to define the GOP’s health care agenda, or reassert the authority of Trump and Johnson, who were elected because of working-class and rural voters.

If Republicans want to win in 2026, the path is simple. Make it crystal clear that they reject the Medicaid cuts. Reject the fringe policy experiments coming from D.C. think tanks. Embrace the leadership of Trump and Johnson, who understand that safeguarding Medicaid is good policy and smart politics.

GOP operations like the American Action Network (AAN) are already being forced to spend millions now to stop this false attack. If the GOP doesn’t get this right, it risks fighting a two-front war it can’t win: one against Democrats, and one against itself.

Scott Reed is a veteran Republican strategist, he was the campaign manager for Bob Dole in 1996 and later the top strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

To inquire about submitting an opinion piece, email tom@24sight.news.

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***

Editor’s note: Join myself and for a Substack Live discussion with Virginia House of Delegate candidate at 12p ET on the Substack App

Read all of our coverage of the Virginia House of Delegates races in the newsletter, “Sic Semper Tyrannis” (that’s the state motto, for all the non-Dominion folks.)

In case you missed me on CBS News’ “America Decides”, Friday, you can catch me here. I was on with Major Garrett and Mychael Schnell talking about the state of things, offering some perspective on what the country is going through.

The following is a guest post from 24sight friend , veteran Hoosier and head of Connector, Inc., on a Sine Die surprise slipped into the state budget before lawmakers left town last week.

Cheers,

Tom LoBianco

***

The GOP supermajority promised to defend small business and low taxes. Instead, they sacrificed Indiana’s retailers to cover bad budgeting.

By Rob Burgess, CEO of Connector, Inc.

Indiana has long been seen as a beacon of conservative governance — a place where low taxes, personal freedom, and pro-business policies weren’t just slogans, but principles. Sadly, with the passage of House Bill 1001, that reputation is crumbling.

In the early morning hours of April 25, 2025, Indiana’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a two-year, $43 billion budget. Hidden deep in the budget was a blow to small businesses and individual liberty: a sharp tax hike on premium cigars and other tobacco products.

The numbers are clear, and they are damning:

• Tobacco Products Tax Rate: Increased from 24% to 36% of wholesale price.

• Cap on Cigar Tax: Tripled from $1.00 to $3.00 per cigar, applying to cigars wholesaled above $8.33.

This move, endorsed by Republican majorities in both chambers and set to be signed by Republican Governor Mike Braun, is nothing short of a betrayal of the very small businesses and entrepreneurs that conservatives claim to support.

Premium cigar retailers across Indiana — family-owned, community-focused, and compliant businesses — were blindsided. No public hearing. No targeted fiscal impact study. Just a late-night deal that sacrificed them to cover a $2.4 billion projected revenue shortfall.

And like most government “projections,” that shortfall is almost certainly inflated, based on flawed assumptions that will shift long before the ink on this budget is dry.

Across the state — from South Bend to Bloomington, from Muncie to New Albany — Indiana’s small businesses are now under siege.

Premium cigar businesses already operate in a challenging environment, facing federal excise taxes and standard state sales taxes. Piling a new 36% wholesale tax on top — capped at $3.00 per cigar — will place Indiana among the worst states in the nation for premium cigar taxation.

Here’s where Indiana now stands:

It’s a stunning fall for a state that once prided itself on attracting and nurturing small businesses. Indiana now stands closer to New York, Minnesota, and Vermont than to states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire — all of which have chosen growth over punitive taxation.

The arguments for the new cigar tax collapse under scrutiny.

Premium cigars represent a tiny share of tobacco sales, and their consumers are overwhelmingly adults. Even federal regulators have acknowledged that premium cigars are fundamentally different from mass-market tobacco products.

Instead of bringing in meaningful revenue, Indiana’s tax hike will:

• Drive consumers to lower-tax states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan.

• Accelerate the shift toward out-of-state online retailers.

• Lead to layoffs, closures, and lost community gathering spaces across Indiana.

• Deprive towns and cities of local sales tax revenue and economic vitality.

The tax won’t fix the deficit. It will hollow out the backbone of Indiana’s retail economy.

For years, Indiana Republicans campaigned on promises to cut taxes, grow small businesses, and defend economic liberty. Yet when pressure mounted, they abandoned those principles in favor of expedient, shortsighted policymaking.

Limited government was replaced with targeted industry punishment. Free markets were replaced with burdensome taxation. Supporting Main Street was replaced with sacrificing it.

Conservatives expect — and deserve — better.

Voters didn’t elect a supermajority to grow taxes quietly in the dead of night. They elected a supermajority to make the hard choices: cut waste, reform spending, and unleash small businesses to create growth.

Instead, they got a betrayal.

Please RSVP here, we look forward to seeing you.

The damage from HB1001 will not be abstract. It will be felt in empty storefronts, lost jobs, shuttered lounges, and weakened communities.

The premium cigar industry — and every small business sector that believes in freedom and entrepreneurship — must:

• Identify every legislator who voted for this bill.

• Mobilize voters, consumers, and small business owners.

• Support candidates who understand real conservative governance.

• Challenge incumbents who betrayed their base.

But fighting back doesn’t just mean punishing betrayal — it means offering a better path forward.

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Indiana’s path is clear, repeal the premium cigar tax hike and restore the previous rates and cap. Carve out premium cigars from punitive tobacco tax categories, following the lead of Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, which exempt premium cigars from state OTP taxes entirely.

Voters must demand Indiana Republicans repeal the tax hike, restore fairness to Indiana’s tax code and deliver the pro-growth, pro-freedom policies conservatives were promised.

Indiana doesn’t have to fall into the ranks of New York and Minnesota. But it will, unless the people who built this state stand up and take it back.

Indiana’s leadership made their choice. Now it’s time for small business advocates and conservatives to make theirs.

Indiana’s future — and the future of free enterprise — is too important to leave in the hands of politicians who forgot who they serve.

It’s time to stand up. It’s time to fight back. And it’s time to remind those in power that Main Street matters — and that the people who built this state aren’t going anywhere.

Rob Burgess is a national Republican strategist and Chief Executive Officer at Connector, Inc. — a boutique government relations and political affairs firm with offices in Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Texas.

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In a bold move that has sent ripples through the educational landscape, President Donald Trump is actively pursuing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, aiming to transfer its responsibilities to individual states. This initiative, while aligning with a vision of localized control, raises pressing questions about the future of federal educational mandates, particularly the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Established in 1979, the Department of Education has been a central figure in shaping national educational policies, administering federal funding, managing student loans, and ensuring compliance with federal laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The proposed dissolution of the department signifies a monumental shift, entrusting states with greater autonomy over educational governance.

IDEA mandates that children with disabilities are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) tailored to their unique needs. Historically, the federal government, through the Department of Education, has played a pivotal role in overseeing and enforcing IDEA compliance, ensuring that states adhere to standardized requirements.

The Risk to our Children

The potential closure of the U.S. Department of Education poses significant risks to students with disabilities, primarily due to the anticipated absence of federal oversight. The Department has been instrumental in enforcing IDEA, ensuring that students with disabilities receive FAPE tailored to their unique needs. Without federal oversight, there is a substantial risk that states may not uniformly uphold these standards, leading to disparities in educational quality and access.

Recent data underscores the challenges already present in state-level compliance with IDEA. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released its annual determinations, revealing that only 20 states and the Republic of the Marshall Islands earned the highest rating of "meets requirements." This number is down from 22 states the previous year. Consequently, 38 states, territories, and the District of Columbia were categorized as "needs assistance" in implementing special education requirements and improving student outcomes. For states categorized as "needs assistance" for two or more consecutive years, the Education Department must take enforcement actions, including requiring the state to access technical assistance, designating the state as a high-risk grantee, and directing the state to set aside funds to improve in lower-performing areas.

These statistics highlight the critical role of federal oversight in maintaining and enforcing educational standards for students with disabilities. Without the Department of Education's guidance and enforcement capabilities, there is a heightened risk that non-compliance issues will go unaddressed, leading to significant disparities in the quality of education that students with disabilities receive across different states.

In the absence of federal oversight, state leaders must proactively commit to upholding the principles of IDEA. This includes establishing robust monitoring systems, allocating adequate resources, fostering inclusive educational environments, and engaging with stakeholders to ensure that the rights and educational opportunities of students with disabilities are protected and advanced.

The potential dissolution of the Department of Education serves as a clarion call for state governments to reaffirm their dedication to educational equity. The future of countless students with disabilities hinges on the unwavering commitment of state leaders to uphold the standards and protections that have been established to ensure their right to a quality education.

The Imperative for State Leadership

With the potential absence of federal oversight, the onus falls squarely on state governments to uphold the principles of IDEA. This transition is not merely a bureaucratic shift but a moral imperative to protect the rights and futures of students with disabilities.

State leaders must proactively embrace this responsibility by:

1. Establishing Robust Monitoring Systems: Develop comprehensive frameworks to ensure that local educational agencies (LEAs) comply with IDEA mandates, providing necessary support and interventions where needed.

2. Allocating Adequate Resources: Dedicate sufficient funding and resources to special education programs, ensuring that the quality of education for students with disabilities is not compromised.

3. Fostering Inclusive Educational Environments: Promote policies that encourage the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings, reflecting the least restrictive environment principle of IDEA.

4. Engaging Stakeholders: Collaborate with parents, educators, and advocacy groups to create a transparent and responsive educational ecosystem that addresses the diverse needs of all students.

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A Call to Action

The potential decentralization of educational oversight presents both challenges and opportunities. State leaders are now at a crossroads, with the power to either uphold the foundational principles of educational equity or risk the erosion of hard-fought gains for students with disabilities.

It is imperative that, even in the absence of federal oversight, states remain steadfast in their commitment to IDEA. The future of countless students depends on the unwavering dedication of state governments to provide an inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education for all.

As the educational paradigm shifts, let this be a message to state leaders: Embrace this responsibility with the gravity it deserves, ensuring that every child, regardless of ability, has access to the education they rightfully deserve.

Jake Fishbein is the co-founder and CEO of Highlighter, an AI program which helps guide and write individualized education plans (IEP) for families, tailored to specific school districts. Highlighter launched in September and is available in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and an expanding roster of states. Fishbein is a veteran educator and civic technologist.

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Hi, friends, before I punch out for Christmas, I’m sending along a post from my friend and author of the excellent Substack, “The Poisoning”, . If you’re not already, you should subscribe to her newsletter, an in-depth and reported look at the continuing Fentanyl crisis across the nation.

Subscribe to “The Poisoning”, by Erin DeLullo.

Erin has been covering all facets of this issue and has an in-depth look from her interview with Fred Hampton, author of “Fentanyl Nation” on something which frequently gets missed in the national debate on Fentanyl and opioids, the demand side of the problem. (This piece republished with permission.)

I hope you and yours have a relaxing holiday season, I may post a thing or two in the coming week. But if you don’t hear from me before then, I look forward to catching you in the new year. As always, you can find me at tom@24sight.news.

Cheers,

Tom LoBianco

Editor and co-founder, 24sight News

America’s Failed War on Drugs

This week, I had the chance to interview Fentanyl Nation author Ryan Hampton.

As Hampton argues — and I tend to agree — Americans are rightly concerned about the supply side of the drug problem, but inadequately focused on reducing the DEMAND for drugs.

By allowing Big Pharma to advertise on TV — and by allowing them to basically skate on starting the opioid crisis, to begin with — we tacitly helped stoke demand.

Moreover, while there is lots of talk about closing the border and “getting tough on drug offenders,” there is far less focus on the kinds of treatments and education that might actually reduce demand in the long run.

Interestingly, Hampton tells me that some of the most innovative solutions are coming out of deep red counties in America. Check out this inspiring story about Chesterfield County, Virginia:

Of course, while focusing on stemming the supply and demand of drugs, another important mission is to keep victims of fentanyl poisoning alive long enough that they might have a chance to recover.

I always ask my guests if (and where) they keep Narcan. Hampton’s response was so funny AND substantive that I just had to share it with you:

As you can imagine, we have just scratched the surface of this wide-ranging conversation. Please watch our FULL conversation here:

News Roundup

• THE NEW YORK TIMES: What RFK’s Approach to Addiction Gets Wrong

• The U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Unveils Bipartisan Legislation

• SOUTH DAKOTA: Record Drop In Overdose Deaths Connected To Narcan Use

• KFF: How Are States Spending Opioid Settlement Cash?

• MICHIGAN: New Drug Helps Michigan County Lower Overdoses Amid Fentanyl Crisis

• MARYLAND: They entered treatment. Drugs, overdoses and deaths followed

• NORTH CAROLINA: Mother Wants Justice After Children Die From Fentanyl

• OHIO: Student Expelled After Fentanyl-Laced Gummies Passed Out At Cleveland Catholic School

• KENTUCKY: 19-Year-Old Louisville Woman Charged With Manslaughter After 1-Year-Old Overdoses on Fentanyl

• PENNSYLVANIA: 'Lethal Threat': Judge Sends Munhall Mom to Prison in Fentanyl Death of Son, 2

• CALIFORNIA: Northern California Man Arrested After Toddler Suffers Suspected Fentanyl Overdose At Home

• THE NEW YORK TIMES: Giant Companies Took Secret Payments to Allow Free Flow of Opioids

• REUTERS: The shadowy ‘brokers’ helping Mexico’s cartels smuggle fentanyl chemicals from China

• SOUTH DAKOTA: Rep. Johnson Introduces Legislation to Stop Fentanyl Trafficking from China

• NEVADA: Toddler Survives Suspected Fentanyl Overdose: Guardian In Custody

• KENTUCKY: Elizabethtown Police Issues Warning About Fentanyl-Laced Percocet Tablets After Recent Overdose Death of a Teenager

• MISSOURI: 7-Week-Old Was Dead Inside Drug House for Hours Before Police Were Called, Authorities Say

• THE NEW YORK TIMES: Opioid Addiction Ravaged A Kentucky Town, Then Rehab Became Its Business

• FOX: CDC Warns of Deadly Drug 100 Times More Potent Than Fentanyl, Overdoses Spike In Past Year

• OHIO: Child Found in Car with 89 Fentanyl Pills During Orrville Traffic Stop

• NPR: An Opioid Settlement Ruling Could Have Far Reaching Implications For Other Lawsuits

• FLORIDA: Ocala Man Who Bragged About His Fentanyl Killing People Gets 14 Years in Prison

• MICHIGAN: Health Officials Warn Freezing Temperatures Can Render Narcan Ineffective

• CONNECTICUT: This CT Pharmacist Has Watched People Overdose From Fentanyl. He Wants Everyone to Have Narcan

• COLORADO: Independent Intrafraternity Council at CU Boulder Does Not Offer Narcan to its 21 Fraternity.

• NEVADA: While National Rates Dropped, Nevada Saw a 26% Increase In Drug Overdose Deaths. Why?

A Meme Worth a Thousand Words

Finally…

Thank you for reading this newsletter. And don’t forget to check out past episodes of the podcast, including conversations with:

1. Journalist Ben Westhoff, the author of 'Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic.'

1. Tony Mattivi, Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), shares his insights and experience.

2. Rolling Stone senior writer Paul Solotaroff authored a piece called “Inside Snapchat's Teen Opioid Crisis.”

3. Former Army Intelligence Officer Dale King uses CrossFit to treat addicts.

4. Ed Bisch, founder of Relatives Against Purdue Pharma RAPP, took on Big Pharma after his 18-year-old son Eddie overdosed on Oxycontin in 2001.

5. Dr. Kristin Martin, an accomplished osteopathic physician with extensive experience in emergency medicine, family medicine, and addiction medicine.

6. Former Alabama and Georgia strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochrantalks about his battle with addiction.

7. Charles Fain Lehman, a crime and drug policy researcher at the Manhattan Institute, discusses marijuana legalization.

8. Reuters senior correspondent based in Mexico, Drazen Jorgic.

9. Freelance journalist Philip Eil talks about his debut book, “Prescription for Pain: How A Once Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer.’”

10. Emmy-Winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality and chef, Andrew Zimmern talks about the hidden dangers of alcohol.

Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple. And please tell a friend.

Together, we can stop the poisoning!