The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1:

3:05pm- On Wednesday night, President Joe Biden delivered a farewell address from the Oval Office where he warned Americans of a developing “oligarchy” within big tech—claiming that Meta and X are allowing for the dissemination of disinformation by not actively censoring speech. Biden cited President Dwight Eisenhower’s famous warning about the dangers of the military-industrial complex and explained that big tech presented a similar, modern-day challenge to Americans.

3:15- While appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his decision to end censorship on Facebook, citing previous editorial errors and a desire to restore free speech online. Zuckerberg revealed that the Biden Administration pressured his platforms to censor certain posts regarding COVID-19 vaccine side effects. While Rich is glad Zuckerberg and Meta are backing away from censorship, he refuses to believe the decision was made for anything other than political reasons.

3:20pm- Last week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in TikTok, Inc. v. Garland—which will determine whether or not the federal government can ban an application owned by a foreign country designated as a foreign adversary. The potential ban could occur as soon as Sunday, January 19th. According to reports, Donald Trump—who will be sworn in on the 20th—is looking to save the app, potentially via an executive order or a partial sale of the company. Trump, according to The Washington Post, is also considering adopting “Project Texas” which would provide the U.S. government with a “kill switch” for TikTok should the app violate norms.

3:30pm- What president would you want to have a beer with? PLUS, have you ever heard audio of Lyndon Baines Johnson ordering a pair of slacks?

3:40pm- Speaking with The Washington Post, First Lady Jill Biden revealed that she was disappointed in Nancy Pelosi for her actions that led to Joe Biden being replaced as the Democrat Party’s presidential nominee. She explained, “we were friends for 50-years.”