00:00Reality is under fire today after the White House was caught allegedly using AI altered images to
00:05celebrate an arrest. So why did the White House think that it was appropriate to alter this with
00:10AI and make it look like she's crying? That question has gained significant traction online
00:15as users point to the altered image of civil rights attorney and activist Nakima Levy Armstrong's
00:20arrest. Her arrest follows a January 18th protest where demonstrators entered city's church in St.
00:25Paul targeting Pastor David Easterwood who allegedly leads a local Icefield office. The
00:30protest was also live streamed by independent journalist Don Lemon and in a major legal
00:34escalation the DOJ sought conspiracy charges against both the protesters and Lemon alleging
00:39he was an active participant rather than a reporter. But Lemon quickly went on the offense and his
00:44attorney released a statement noting that the journalist is prepared to quote fight any charges
00:49vigorously and thoroughly in court. However that fight may have ended before it began because the
00:54federal magistrate judge recently rejected the criminal complaint against Lemon, a move his
00:58publicist claims vindicates his First Amendment protections. So while Lemon is clear for now,
01:03Armstrong is being charged under 18 U.S.C. 241 conspiracy against rights. And this is a heavyweight
01:10federal statute that's used to prosecute people who intimidate others in their free exercise of rights
01:15and in this case religious freedom. Operation pull up more of a clandestine operation. We show up
01:20somewhere that is a key location. They don't expect us to come there and then we disrupt business as usual.
01:28After the protest, Secretary Noem posted, there is no First Amendment right to obstruct someone from
01:33practicing their religion. And while the legal battle plays out in court, a different battle is happening
01:38on X. After the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, the internet noticed that the photo Christy Noem posted
01:44looked nothing like the one the White House posted 30 minutes later. In the White House version,
01:48Armstrong has digital tears streaming down her face. And digital forensics expert Dr. Haney Farid
01:54of UC Berkeley confirmed the manipulation, warning that the use of false imagery could severely
02:00undermine the administration's efforts to maintain public trust. The manipulation was so glaring that
02:05even X's community notes stepped in, flagging the post as a digitally altered image and providing
02:10links to the original unedited arrest photo. Since the meme was created, the call for transparency
02:15grew even louder in the comments. Political podcast Vitus Touch directly challenged the
02:19administration asking,
02:21Can you please provide comments on why this image was manipulated using AI to make it appear that the
02:26woman was crying? But instead of an apology, the White House doubled down on the trolling.
02:30If you journey over to the account of White House Deputy Communications Director,
02:33Callan Doerr, whose banner literally reads,
02:35OMG, did the White House really post this? He makes the mission clear.
02:39Re-sharing the altered image, Doerr wrote,
02:41Yet again to the people who feel the need to reflexively defend perpetrators of heinous crimes,
02:46enforcement of the law will continue, the memes will continue. So in other words,
02:50this isn't just a fake photo, it's the definition of slopaganda. The government's use of AI to meme a
02:55citizen into looking like a crybaby just to satisfy a digital fan base. And it's a tactic that's
03:01become a hallmark of this administration. The Washington Post recently reported that the White House has
03:05frequently turned to edited or AI-generated imagery as a tool to capture attention and score quick
03:11political points, signaling a bold and arguably dangerous new era of official updates. But not
03:17everyone's upset. One user summed up the pro-administration side, stating,
03:22It's called being trolled. If she wasn't crying then, she will be when she realizes she's facing
03:26federal charges. For now, Armstrong has officially been released from pre-trial detention after a federal
03:31judge rejected the government's request to keep her jailed. And emerging from custody,
03:35Armstrong condemned the, quote, trumped-up charges and the White House's attempt to
03:39criminalize dissent by altering her image. But what's your take? Should the official White
03:43House account, historically used for professional records, take part in a meme war with citizens
03:48accused of crimes? Share your thoughts and follow what's trending for more updates.
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