Source: YouTube

Summary

‘The Five’ on Hasan Piker’s SICK SING-ALONG

Why It Matters

This video provides visual context for the story and helps readers quickly understand the key development from the original source.

Watch Original Video

That’s it. He hasn’t developed a new political philosophy, created an innovative technology, run a significant organization, or served in our country’s military. He is not a thought leader or an especially witty speaker. Nonetheless, he has gathered millions of followers on Twitch, a platform mostly used by video game enthusiasts, by saying outrageous things like, “America deserved 9/11”.

Most people have never heard of Piker, but suddenly stories about him are popping up everywhere. Rolling Stone, for instance, published a fawning piece that described Piker as a “matinee-handsome progressive icon who’s uniquely talented at translating radical-left politics for Gen Z bros.”

HASAN PIKER TORCHED OVER PLAYBOOK TO DODGE HIS PAST CONTROVERSIES: ‘BATS— CRAZY’

Why the sudden acclaim? Piker is the new favorite of the radical Left, campaigning with the likes of Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for a vacant senate seat in Michigan, and is the darling of progressives like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Democrats, though, are divided about how to handle Piker. On the one hand, his f-bomb-laden self-absorbed commentary offends most people. On the other, he appeals to a cohort Democrats are desperately trying to woo: young men. President Trump made inroads with numerous Democrat-aligned groups in 2016 and 2024, but none was more consequential than his appeal to young males. In 2024, Trump won men by 12 points after winning that cohort by only 2 points in 2020. Men ages 18-49 went for Trump by 1 point after they chose former President Joe Biden by 10 points in 2020. The hectoring “me-too”-empowered feminism of the Democrat Party, which hates “toxic masculinity” has understandably alienated America’s young men.

Democrats have embarrassed themselves in recent years trying to reverse those losses by concocting stunts aimed at attracting male Millennials (29-45 year-olds) and members of Gen Z (13-29 year-olds). Kamala Harris’ running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz set out to show off his red-blooded Midwestern hunting prowess during the 2024 presidential campaign, but fumbled around loading a shotgun; he was further humiliated by staging a video in which he tinkers with his International Harvester Scout engine like, you know, a real guy, but with spotlessly clean hands.

The same quest has led Democrats to seek out rugged candidates like Graham Platner, their pick to run against Senator Susan Collins in Maine. Platner had it all – an oysterman and veteran who was described by GQ as “the virile, earthy working man many male politicians wish they were.” Given that he so perfectly fit the script, Platner was forgiven many peccadillos by Democrats before facing accusations of rape and being drummed out of the race.

WISCONSIN DEMOCRAT DOWNPLAYS APPEARING ON HASAN PIKER’S SHOW, DOESN’T ‘ENDORSE’ EVERYTHING HE SAYS

All Democrats seem to lace their discourse today with foul language; they apparently think that’s part of Trump’s locker-room appeal. With Trump, the f-bombs sound genuine; from his opponents, they do not.

Except for Hasan Piker, who curses routinely and appeals to young men online looking for someone to hate.

Piker has chalked up some wins, like being an early supporter of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and some notable losses, like backing Francesca Hong, a gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin who lost to a moderate Democrat despite polls showing her up by some 20 points. Evidently Hong’s past comments about wanting to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish the police did not sit well with voters. AOC and Bernie were smart enough to steer clear of Hong’s comically bad run, but Piker jumped all-in. He was furious that she lost and blamed her defeat on Boomers, saying “Outlaw Thanksgiving and outlaw boomers.”

Most recently, Piker whined that Democrats should be defending him. In one of his daily streams, Piker demanded, “Not because you love what I have to say, not because I’m part of this coalition, even though I am, whether you like it or not…”

HALEY STEVENS URGES EL-SAYED TO DITCH HASAN PIKER AFFILIATION AFTER MICHIGAN PRIMARY

His plea surfaced after several Democrats distanced themselves from Piker, declaring him a danger to their party. Lefty media host Joe Scarborough blasted Democrat leaders for not denouncing Piker after the streamer said about Hamas: “it doesn’t matter if rape happened on Oct. 7.” Scarborough is not alone. Shannon Watts, a Democratic activist, recently mocked his efforts to scrub past incendiary remarks, saying he uses his “defense Bingo card: ‘It’s a joke, satire, hyperbole. It’s out of context. It was years ago.” Watts elaborated, “English is my second language. I stream for hours. Bad faith clipping. Smear campaign. Critics are being paid for Israel.’”

But many in the party see Piker as helping to drive turnout and enthusiasm. El-Sayed reportedly saw a 29% boost in volunteer sign-ups after rallying with Piker, as well as a jump in donations. And, they see engagement with those all-important young male voters.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Piker wants to be taken seriously, but his appeal comes after refusing to endorse Democrats who support Israel, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats’ long-time support from the Jewish community, that has put him at odds with many in the party.

Piker’s impact will be tested anew, when Florida primary voters will pick either two-term incumbent Democrat Jared Moskowitz or DSA-backed Oliver Larkin to run for the House in Florida’s newly-drawn district 25. Moskowitz is running as a “DeSantis Democrat”, trading on the Republican governor’s popularity and on his own history of working with state officials in emergency management and bringing federal funding to Florida.

Larkin is a Democrat activist and “proud DSA candidate”, who is campaigning hard, along with Hasan Piker. Polls show the race is close. Larkin has blasted Moskowitz for taking AIPAC money and supporting Israel. It’s a risky posture in a district where Jews account for roughly 25% of voters.

But then, so is campaigning with Hasan Piker.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM LIZ PEEK

As Fox News Digital first reported Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee sent subpoenas to three nonprofits, including media outlet BreakThrough News, as part of a wider investigation into alleged malign foreign influence by China in U.S. politics. The three groups have received about $39 million from Singham, who left the U.S. several years ago to live in China.

The other two groups are the People’s Forum Inc., a New York-based activist and political-education hub, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a think tank that says its work is anchored in “national liberation Marxism.”

The committee said it is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and whether Congress needs to strengthen them. It also accused the three groups of failing to produce “a single responsive document” following earlier requests for information.

HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS 3 LEFT-WING GROUPS IN PROBE OF $39M TIED TO MARXIST TYCOON NEVILLE SINGHAM

Piker, CodePink rally behind subpoenaed outlet

Hours after Fox News Digital reported the subpoenas, pro-communist influencers and organizations mounted a social media defense of BreakThrough News, echoing similar-phrased attacks on the congressional investigation.

Among them were Piker, a prominent Twitch streamer and political commentator, and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, a pro-communist, pro-China nonprofit that has received Singham money.

Piker called the subpoenas “the McCarthy trials,” invoking the anti-communist Congressional investigations of the 1950s, led by Sen. Joe McCarthy.

“They will come for you,” Piker warned on X.

Responding to BreakThrough News host Rania Khalek appeal for support and donations, Benjamin called the move a “terrible attack on independent journalism,” adding, “We stand with you!!!”

Benjamin co-founded CodePink with Jodie Evans, who married Singham in 2017, the year he sold his technology company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million. He has subsequently poured money into a network of pro-communist, pro-China organizations.

In March, Piker, Benjamin and Evans traveled to Cuba to rally support for the island nation’s communist government. Fox News Digital previously reported that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is investigating whether they violated U.S. sanctions restricting dealings with Cuba, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

Their warnings about political repression come despite longstanding restrictions on dissent and independent media under the communist governments of Cuba and China.

The three organizations occupy different roles within the Singham network.

Breakthrough BT Media Inc., which runs BreakThrough News, is based at the People’s Forum W. 37th Street address in Manhattan. It serves as a propaganda arm of the network, producing media and protest coverage and “agitprop,” or agitation propaganda. It’s often the first on the scene of major hotspots, like Glam Doll Donuts in Minneapolis, where a local activist, Alex Pretti, was killed by U.S. immigration agents earlier this year.

The People’s Forum organizes demonstrations and political programming, often the first to arrive at protests, handing out pre-printed signs from an affiliated group, the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Tricontinental, led by Singham friend Vijay Prashad, supplies Marxist research and ideological material and hosts events like a “Global South” conference last November in Shanghai, where Singham spoke, expressing support for the “new world order” of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

GOP LAWMAKERS URGE TREASURY TO PRESS AHEAD WITH PROBE OF HASAN PIKER OVER CUBA TRIP

As Fox News Digital first reported, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton from has separately launched a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and other financial improprieties by Singham in financing these organizations. Meanwhile, the State Department issued a report on Monday, naming People’s Forum and CodePink as “fellow travelers” in Cuba’s foreign influence campaign to sell communism.

The synchronized defense illustrates how organizations and personalities tied to the Singham network can rapidly mobilize around a common message, just as they’ve done in the past to oppose everything from data centers to President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the war with Iran, Israel and the U.S. arrest of Venezuela strongman Nicholas Maduro.

Rather than addressing the committee’s allegations about foreign-linked funding, financial transparency and compliance with congressional document requests, many of the network’s most prominent voices characterized the investigation as political persecution, invoking themes of the “red scare,” “McCarthyism,” “censorship” and a broader “war on the left.”

Messaging and fundraising push spreads

The wider campaign began Wednesday evening with a coordinated petition and fundraising push, before spreading through the Singham-linked network overnight and into today.

At 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, the People’s Forum launched the messaging counterattack, sharing a new petition and a fundraising appeal on the platform Give Lively LLC, requesting tax-deductible donations to finance its legal response and “mass organizing work.”

A few hours later, at 9:44 p.m, Khalek, the BreakThrough News host, urged her social media followers to “sign, share, donate” to the outlet’s new fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform and sign a petition, “Tell Congress: Drop the Witch Hunt Against BreakThrough News!”

The petition is hosted on Action Network, a big Democratic Party organizing platform. BreakThrough News said it sought “emergency funds to fight back.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Khalek wrote on X. “We’re going to fight this assault on our journalism. The only rights we have are the ones we’re willing to defend.”

According to Breakthrough BT Media’s tax filings, Khalek received $101,449 in 2024 and $108,160 in 2023 for “consulting.”

Khalek hosts the outlet’s “Dispatches” program and co-hosts “The Freedom Side.” Fox News Digital previously reported that she promoted the Chinese government’s claimed “eradication of extreme poverty” during a 2021 program with Tings Chak, a China-based researcher at Tricontinental, linking the media output of one subpoenaed organization to the ideological work of another.

WATCH: How funding from Marxist tycoon Neville Roy Singham flows to organizations

SINGHAM-BACKED, PRO-CHINA GROUP DROPS HUGE SUM ON MANHATTAN HQ AS FEDS PROBE SHADOWY NETWORK

About an hour later, at 10:52 p.m, Hartzell Gray, a congressional candidate in Missouri supported by Democratic Socialists of America and CodePink’s Benjamin, declared: “Truth isn’t partisan. Journalism isn’t a crime.”

Soon after, at 11:45 p.m., Benjamin replied to Khalek, expressing her support, and at 11:51 p.m., Piker posted his condemnation of the subpoenas.

By 2:11 a.m. the next day, socialist congressional candidate Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City councilwoman, shared Khalek’s message and told followers she had signed the petition supporting BreakThrough News. She described the subpoenas as a “shocking increase in repression of independent media and left activists.”

Later that morning, at 9:34 a.m., the campaign had spread to propagandists for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor and former adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, shared BreakThrough News’ response and declared: “The US is an intolerant and authoritarian regime.”

Marandi’s accusation comes against the backdrop of Iran’s own crackdown on dissent. A United Nations fact-finding mission said the Iranian government had intensified its repression in a “concerted effort to crush dissent,” while Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 177th out of 180 countries for press freedom in 2026.

About an hour later, at 10:39 a.m, Craig Mokhiber, a former senior U.N. human-rights official who previously directed the New York office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the subpoenas an “outrageous attack” by the “US-Israel Axis.” He said they threatened freedom of opinion, expression and information.

Foreign-linked funding at heart of probe

At the heart of the committee’s inquiry is the network’s layered financial architecture.

The panel alleges that Singham’s money traveled through shell companies and donor-advised funds before reaching the three tax-exempt organizations. Such arrangements, the committee said, can move foreign-linked funding through layers of intermediaries that “by design, obscure the original source of the contribution.”

Fox News Digital previously documented $278 million flowing from Singham into six core nonprofits in a wider transnational network spanning media operations, activist organizations and ideological think tanks. The committee’s current investigation focuses on about $39 million it says reached BreakThrough News, the People’s Forum and Tricontinental.

The committee requested records concerning foreign-linked funding and projects whose finances the groups managed. It also sought contracts involving foreign individuals or organizations, communications with Singham about the groups’ finances or operations, contacts with other foreign interests, information about foreign donors who contributed more than $5,000 and records of grants sent overseas.

By Thursday night, the counterpropaganda campaign went global with the World Socialist Website, a pro-communism platform, parroting the rhetoric of the Singham network and blasting the “anti-communist witchhunting” to its readers.

As Fox News Digital first reported Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee sent subpoenas to three nonprofits, including media outlet BreakThrough News, as part of a wider investigation into alleged malign foreign influence by China in U.S. politics. The three groups have received about $39 million from Singham, who left the U.S. several years ago to live in China.

The other two groups are the People’s Forum Inc., a New York-based activist and political-education hub, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a think tank that says its work is anchored in “national liberation Marxism.”

The committee said it is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and whether Congress needs to strengthen them. It also accused the three groups of failing to produce “a single responsive document” following earlier requests for information.

HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS 3 LEFT-WING GROUPS IN PROBE OF $39M TIED TO MARXIST TYCOON NEVILLE SINGHAM

Piker, CodePink rally behind subpoenaed outlet

Hours after Fox News Digital reported the subpoenas, pro-communist influencers and organizations mounted a social media defense of BreakThrough News, echoing similar-phrased attacks on the congressional investigation.

Among them were Piker, a prominent Twitch streamer and political commentator, and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, a pro-communist, pro-China nonprofit that has received Singham money.

Piker called the subpoenas “the McCarthy trials,” invoking the anti-communist Congressional investigations of the 1950s, led by Sen. Joe McCarthy.

“They will come for you,” Piker warned on X.

Responding to BreakThrough News host Rania Khalek appeal for support and donations, Benjamin called the move a “terrible attack on independent journalism,” adding, “We stand with you!!!”

Benjamin co-founded CodePink with Jodie Evans, who married Singham in 2017, the year he sold his technology company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million. He has subsequently poured money into a network of pro-communist, pro-China organizations.

In March, Piker, Benjamin and Evans traveled to Cuba to rally support for the island nation’s communist government. Fox News Digital previously reported that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is investigating whether they violated U.S. sanctions restricting dealings with Cuba, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

Their warnings about political repression come despite longstanding restrictions on dissent and independent media under the communist governments of Cuba and China.

The three organizations occupy different roles within the Singham network.

Breakthrough BT Media Inc., which runs BreakThrough News, is based at the People’s Forum W. 37th Street address in Manhattan. It serves as a propaganda arm of the network, producing media and protest coverage and “agitprop,” or agitation propaganda. It’s often the first on the scene of major hotspots, like Glam Doll Donuts in Minneapolis, where a local activist, Alex Pretti, was killed by U.S. immigration agents earlier this year.

The People’s Forum organizes demonstrations and political programming, often the first to arrive at protests, handing out pre-printed signs from an affiliated group, the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Tricontinental, led by Singham friend Vijay Prashad, supplies Marxist research and ideological material and hosts events like a “Global South” conference last November in Shanghai, where Singham spoke, expressing support for the “new world order” of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

GOP LAWMAKERS URGE TREASURY TO PRESS AHEAD WITH PROBE OF HASAN PIKER OVER CUBA TRIP

As Fox News Digital first reported, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton from has separately launched a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and other financial improprieties by Singham in financing these organizations. Meanwhile, the State Department issued a report on Monday, naming People’s Forum and CodePink as “fellow travelers” in Cuba’s foreign influence campaign to sell communism.

The synchronized defense illustrates how organizations and personalities tied to the Singham network can rapidly mobilize around a common message, just as they’ve done in the past to oppose everything from data centers to President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the war with Iran, Israel and the U.S. arrest of Venezuela strongman Nicholas Maduro.

Rather than addressing the committee’s allegations about foreign-linked funding, financial transparency and compliance with congressional document requests, many of the network’s most prominent voices characterized the investigation as political persecution, invoking themes of the “red scare,” “McCarthyism,” “censorship” and a broader “war on the left.”

Messaging and fundraising push spreads

The wider campaign began Wednesday evening with a coordinated petition and fundraising push, before spreading through the Singham-linked network overnight and into today.

At 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, the People’s Forum launched the messaging counterattack, sharing a new petition and a fundraising appeal on the platform Give Lively LLC, requesting tax-deductible donations to finance its legal response and “mass organizing work.”

A few hours later, at 9:44 p.m, Khalek, the BreakThrough News host, urged her social media followers to “sign, share, donate” to the outlet’s new fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform and sign a petition, “Tell Congress: Drop the Witch Hunt Against BreakThrough News!”

The petition is hosted on Action Network, a big Democratic Party organizing platform. BreakThrough News said it sought “emergency funds to fight back.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Khalek wrote on X. “We’re going to fight this assault on our journalism. The only rights we have are the ones we’re willing to defend.”

According to Breakthrough BT Media’s tax filings, Khalek received $101,449 in 2024 and $108,160 in 2023 for “consulting.”

Khalek hosts the outlet’s “Dispatches” program and co-hosts “The Freedom Side.” Fox News Digital previously reported that she promoted the Chinese government’s claimed “eradication of extreme poverty” during a 2021 program with Tings Chak, a China-based researcher at Tricontinental, linking the media output of one subpoenaed organization to the ideological work of another.

WATCH: How funding from Marxist tycoon Neville Roy Singham flows to organizations

SINGHAM-BACKED, PRO-CHINA GROUP DROPS HUGE SUM ON MANHATTAN HQ AS FEDS PROBE SHADOWY NETWORK

About an hour later, at 10:52 p.m, Hartzell Gray, a congressional candidate in Missouri supported by Democratic Socialists of America and CodePink’s Benjamin, declared: “Truth isn’t partisan. Journalism isn’t a crime.”

Soon after, at 11:45 p.m., Benjamin replied to Khalek, expressing her support, and at 11:51 p.m., Piker posted his condemnation of the subpoenas.

By 2:11 a.m. the next day, socialist congressional candidate Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City councilwoman, shared Khalek’s message and told followers she had signed the petition supporting BreakThrough News. She described the subpoenas as a “shocking increase in repression of independent media and left activists.”

Later that morning, at 9:34 a.m., the campaign had spread to propagandists for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor and former adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, shared BreakThrough News’ response and declared: “The US is an intolerant and authoritarian regime.”

Marandi’s accusation comes against the backdrop of Iran’s own crackdown on dissent. A United Nations fact-finding mission said the Iranian government had intensified its repression in a “concerted effort to crush dissent,” while Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 177th out of 180 countries for press freedom in 2026.

About an hour later, at 10:39 a.m, Craig Mokhiber, a former senior U.N. human-rights official who previously directed the New York office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the subpoenas an “outrageous attack” by the “US-Israel Axis.” He said they threatened freedom of opinion, expression and information.

Foreign-linked funding at heart of probe

At the heart of the committee’s inquiry is the network’s layered financial architecture.

The panel alleges that Singham’s money traveled through shell companies and donor-advised funds before reaching the three tax-exempt organizations. Such arrangements, the committee said, can move foreign-linked funding through layers of intermediaries that “by design, obscure the original source of the contribution.”

Fox News Digital previously documented $278 million flowing from Singham into six core nonprofits in a wider transnational network spanning media operations, activist organizations and ideological think tanks. The committee’s current investigation focuses on about $39 million it says reached BreakThrough News, the People’s Forum and Tricontinental.

The committee requested records concerning foreign-linked funding and projects whose finances the groups managed. It also sought contracts involving foreign individuals or organizations, communications with Singham about the groups’ finances or operations, contacts with other foreign interests, information about foreign donors who contributed more than $5,000 and records of grants sent overseas.

By Thursday night, the counterpropaganda campaign went global with the World Socialist Website, a pro-communism platform, parroting the rhetoric of the Singham network and blasting the “anti-communist witchhunting” to its readers.

Piker, the popular far-left Twitch host who many Democratic hopefuls have courted for support, reacted to the explosive claim made by Platner ex Jenny Racicot while reading Politico’s report on his livestream.

The host was particularly alarmed when he read that Politico “also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office.”

EXPLOSIVE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION ROCKS PLATNER CAMPAIGN AHEAD OF KEY DEADLINE IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE

“That is curtains,” Piker told his audience. “That is the trifecta, ok? That is the trifecta of a reliable allegation. It’s — holy s—.”

“Personal first-hand testimony to a friend, a close confidant, back from way before Graham Platner ever f—ing ran for Congress? And also direct testimony from a therapist?” Pike continued, later adding, “I believe this, this accusation. I believe this allegation.”

‘HE HATED WOMEN’: EXPLOSIVE ABUSE, NEW NAZI TATTOO ALLEGATIONS FROM EXES ROCK PLATNER’S CAMPAIGN

Others in the liberal media are also taking aim at Platner and speculating on how much longer he will last on the campaign trail.

“If these allegations are true, to this extent, I don’t see how he can be the nominee for senator in Maine for the Democratic Party,” MS NOW host Luke Russert reacted to the breaking news.

FORMER PRIMARY RIVAL RESURFACES TO CHALLENGE SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER IN MAINE SENATE RACE

The Bulwark’s Tim Miller blasted Graham’s video statement saying his campaign is “taking time to reflect on the best path forward.”

“I’m sorry but ‘we are taking time to reflect on the best path forward’ is not an option on the table,” Miller wrote on X. “Either it’s false and you campaign with vigor or it’s true and you get out / apologize to everyone you let down.”

“Platner needs to drop out ASAP – these are awful, credible allegations,” Pod Save America co-host Jon Favreau said. “It’s now abundantly clear that he just hasn’t been honest about his past and can’t be trusted as a candidate for office. Saving grace is that the party can find a replacement by the 27th as long as he drops by the 13th, which I very much assume he will.”

The Platner campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.