{"Articles":[ {"id":"3132228-1724374758", "title":"Delegates express disappointment at Beyonce no-show but say Harris ‘made up for it’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3132228%2Fdnc-delegates-disappointment-beyonce-no-show%2F", "byline":"Hailey Bullis, Mabinty Quarshie and Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"CHICAGO — Hopes that Beyonce would make a surprise appearance on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention were dashed after the night ended with no sign of the “Freedom” singer. The evening was packed with celebrities, with musicians such as Pink and the Chicks taking the stage on the grand finale of the […]", "description":""

CHICAGO \u2014 Hopes that Beyonce<\/a> would make a surprise appearance on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention<\/a> were dashed after the night ended with no sign of the \u201cFreedom\u201d singer.<\/p>

The evening was packed with celebrities<\/a>, with musicians such as Pink and the Chicks taking the stage on the grand finale of the DNC. The event drew so many attendees that the convention floor was completely closed off hours before Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage to deliver the DNC\u2019s closing speech.The A-lister delegates and attendees were most excited to see, however, was Beyonce. Speculation mounted throughout the week, and hit a fever pitch Thursday, that Beyonce would perform on the final night of the DNC.Maryland delegate Roxanne Brown, 45, said she was let down that Beyonce did not end up appearing. However, Brown said that the letdown was OK, though, because \u201cKamala made up for it.\u201d\u201cI was disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing Beyonce, but I was most looking forward to watching history, which is a nomination of our first black female president,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>

Another Maryland delegate, Lily Qi, 60, said she would have loved to see the pop sensation, but she echoed Brown\u2019s sentiment that supporting Harris was the most important part of the night.\u201cI would have loved to see her and her energy, and she's an icon, a cultural icon, as I understand,\u201d Qi said. \u201cBut you know, this is not why I'm here, of course, right? I am here to make sure that Kamala Harris is elected.\u201d<\/p>

Erica Harrison, a stay-at-home mother from North Carolina, captured the anticipation. \"I was getting excited. I told my husband, I thought that Beyonce would come out and perform and sing 'Freedom,' but I was wrong.\"<\/p>

\"The entire thing was a surreal moment. I'm still on a high,\" she said. \"So even though Beyonce didn't come, she would have just been a little cherry on top. But everything else was amazing.\"Rumors had been swirling that the DNC would feature a special guest for days, with musician Taylor Swift also being floated as a possibility. But Beyonce was the chief figure speculated to make an appearance.Excitement over the possibility of Beyonce's DNC appearance hit a fever pitch Thursday after White House political director Emily Ruiz posted a bee emoji, which is linked to Beyonce as her fanbase is referred to as the \u201cBeyHive.\u201dRuiz later posted an apology, saying, \u201cSorry guys my 6-year-old took my phone.\u201d<\/p>

Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison also dodged confirming or denying<\/a> whether Beyonce would appear during an appearance on CBS Mornings.Conflicting reports about whether or not the iconic singer would appear were published by multiple outlets. TMZ published a report earlier on Thursday saying that multiple sources told the outlet she would be the surprise performer speculated.However, as the final night\u2019s programming was underway, a representative for Beyonce told the Hollywood Reporter that she was \u201cnever scheduled to be there\u201d and that \u201cthe report of a performance is untrue.\u201dA Washington Examiner reporter overheard attendees exiting the United Center expressing disappointment the singer didn\u2019t show, with one exclaiming, \u201cBut we didn\u2019t get Beyonce!\u201dNevertheless, Maine delegate Eric Best said while he wanted to \u201cbe able to brag to my kids that I was there when Beyonce showed up,\u201d he did not feel like his \u201clife was diminished by the fact that she didn't.\u201d<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

New York delegate Alicia Hyndman, 52, said she thought it was for the best that Beyonce didn\u2019t show.<\/p>

\u201cI felt if Beyonce came, it would have been too celebrity,\u201d Hyndman said. \u201cI think would have been playing into the opposition's playbook like big Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/beyonce_noshow_dnc.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3085609-1721196000", "title":"Sen. Whitehouse’s attacks on fossil energy producers are incoherent", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3085609%2Fsen-whitehouse-attacks-fossil-energy-producers-incoherent%2F", "byline":"Benjamin Zycher", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"It might seem difficult to take positions on a prominent issue diametrically opposed and equally preposterous. But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a man whose Pavlovian opposition to the U.S. fossil energy producers has led him into incoherence rare even by Beltway standards, has achieved just such a magical trick. Whitehouse, the chairman of the Senate […]", "description":""

It might seem difficult to take positions on a prominent issue diametrically opposed and equally preposterous. But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a man whose Pavlovian opposition to the U.S. fossil energy producers has led him into incoherence rare even by Beltway standards, has achieved just such a magical trick.<\/p>

Whitehouse, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, for years has accused<\/a> the major U.S. fossil energy producers of creating the purported climate \u201ccrisis\u201d and hiding their knowledge<\/a> of and deceiving the public<\/a> about the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. Translation: For decades, the U.S. fossil energy sector has produced too much energy and thus too many greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0<\/p>

Alas, that stance is so yesterday. Whitehouse\u2019s new argument<\/a> is that \u201coil and gas companies could be engaging in collusive, anti-competitive activities with OPEC+ that would raise crude oil prices.\u201d So now the U.S. fossil energy producers in cahoots with OPEC+ might be producing too little.\u00a0<\/p>

With respect to Whitehouse\u2019s collusion argument: Perhaps Whitehouse should call President Joe Biden as a witness for a Budget Committee hearing, as it was Biden who in October 2022 asked<\/a> the Saudis to delay a scheduled production cut until after the midterm elections.\u00a0<\/p>

More generally, it is the Biden administration that has taken hundreds of actions<\/a> making U.S. fossil energy production more difficult and costly. It is the Biden administration that has tried to hide the attendant adverse price effects by using<\/a> the Strategic Petroleum Reserve<\/a> and other government stockpiles<\/a> to manipulate short-run supplies in a wholly ad hoc fashion \u2014 that is, for purely political purposes.\u00a0<\/p>

If U.S. producers are \u201ccolluding\u201d with OPEC+ to restrict output, they are doing a rather bad job of it. Since March 2021, when real U.S. gross domestic product growth was about 5%, U.S. crude oil output<\/a> has increased by 13%. U.S. natural gas production<\/a> has increased by more than 5%. U.S. refinery capacity utilization<\/a> has increased from 81.9% to 89.7%, refinery use<\/a> of crude oil and other inputs has increased by 10.7%, and refinery output<\/a> of products has increased by 8%. OPEC+ output<\/a> is about the same as in early 2021, while non-U.S. output<\/a> in the rest of the world has increased by almost 4%.<\/p>

With respect to Whitehouse\u2019s climate \u201cresponsibility\u201d and \u201cdeception\u201d assertions: U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from all combustion of fossil fuels<\/a> are about 74% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>. Elimination of all U.S. fossil fuel combustion emissions would reduce global temperatures in 2100 by 0.077 degrees Celcius, applying the Environmental Protection Agency climate model<\/a> under realistic assumptions. That effect would not be detectable.<\/p>

Accordingly, someone should ask Whitehouse to explain the precise sense in which U.S. fossil energy producers are \u201cresponsible\u201d for the asserted climate crisis (for which, by the way, there is no evidence<\/a>). That is the relevant question in particular given that reduced output by U.S. producers would be offset largely or wholly with increased production by foreign producers.\u00a0<\/p>

Whitehouse continues<\/a>, \u201cFor decades, the fossil fuel industry has known about the economic and climate harms of its products.\u201d The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its 1990 First Assessment Report made it clear that it could not explain why temperatures were higher 5,000-6,000 years ago despite no evidence of an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Fast forward to the Sixth Assessment Report<\/a>: IPCC still cannot narrow down the \u201clikely\u201d range of climate effects of increased greenhouse gas concentrations. And the IPCC climate models<\/a> continue to overstate the atmospheric temperature record by a factor of over 2.3<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

In short, according to Whitehouse the fossil energy producers for decades have \u201cknown\u201d things that were not known in 1990 and are not known now. They are producing too little energy and too much. Such are the Schr\u00f6dinger-like fruits of a stance wholly ideological, impervious to facts, and oblivious to the real investment and economic harm caused by the Beltway blame game. <\/p>

Whitehouse\u2019s \u201cinvestigations\u201d have produced no useful information but gobs of Beltway propaganda: \u201cIf it is an election year, the fossil energy producers must be guilty of something.\u201d Is this the best he can do? The evidence says yes.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA<\/a><\/p>

Benjamin Zycher is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP22080625251491.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3081706-1720960622", "title":"DHS pressed for clarity on Secret Service protocols to ‘assess threats’ after Trump rally shooting", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3081706%2Fdhs-pressed-clarity-secret-service-protocols-trump-rally-shooting%2F", "byline":"Cami Mondeaux", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) is pressing the Department of Homeland Security to provide clarity on how Secret Service members are trained to respond to threats after a shooting broke out at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. In a letter sent to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, Green pressed […]", "description":""

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) is pressing the Department of Homeland Security to provide clarity on how Secret Service members are trained to respond to threats after a shooting broke out<\/a> at former President Donald Trump's rally on Saturday.<\/p>

In a letter<\/a> sent to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, Green pressed the top Biden administration official to provide information or any documentation related to security detail at Trump's rally<\/a> in Butler, Pennsylvania. Green praised the \"swift response\" of the Secret Service members but argued the DHS must be investigated for some reports that suggest the department rebuffed \"multiple requests\" from Trump's security team to \"increase protective services\" ahead of the event. <\/p>

\u201cThe seriousness of this security failure and chilling moment in our nation\u2019s history cannot be understated,\" Green wrote. \"As the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) investigates, the Committee on Homeland Security (Committee) is dedicated to conducting rigorous oversight to ensure that the American people receive answers and presidential candidates receive proper and adequate protection.\"<\/p>

Green outlined a number of questions he wants to be answered by the department, including access to all documents and communications within the DHS and Secret Service related to \"any potential increase or addition of protective resources to President Trump\u2019s security detail\" from mid-November to the present day.<\/p>

The letter also requests information on Secret Service<\/a> rules of engagement protocols \u201cto assess and neutralize threats\u201d after concerns were raised about how the shooter \"was able to access a rooftop within range and direct line of sight of where President Trump was speaking.\"<\/p>

Green's requests come as lawmakers from both parties have responded swiftly to the shooting and have begun to reconsider security protocols in Congress. House Republicans are scheduled to have a briefing with the sergeant-at-arms on Sunday afternoon, one lawmaker told the Washington Examiner. <\/p>

Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) also announced they would be introducing a bill that would provide enhanced Secret Service protection to Trump as well as President Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> while on the campaign trail.<\/p>

\"As reports continue to emerge, it\u2019s clear that more protection is needed for all major candidates for president,\" the two said in a joint statement. \"That\u2019s why we\u2019re planning on introducing bipartisan legislation providing President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. with enhanced Secret Service protection. Anything less would be a disservice to our democracy.\u201d<\/p>

The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning. Crooks died shortly after the shooting after being \"neutralized\" by the Secret Service, agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. At least one rally attendee was also killed. <\/p>

Trump was taken to a nearby hospital<\/a> to be treated after confirming he was pierced in the upper part of his right ear.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,\u201d he wrote in a Truth Social Post. <\/p>

The former president<\/a> is in stable condition. Trump later flew to New Jersey after being released from the hospital. He is expected to travel to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention that begins on Monday.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/secret-service-44.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3077696-1720701634", "title":"Johnson quiets initial concerns about fundraising prowess by raising $23.5 million in second quarter", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3077696%2Fjohnson-quiets-initial-concerns-about-fundraising-prowess-by-raising-23-5-million-in-second-quarter%2F", "byline":"Cami Mondeaux", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) raised $23.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, outperforming expectations and continuing to quiet initial concerns about his fundraising prowess when he took the gavel last October. More than $17 million of that haul went toward Johnson’s committees with the remaining $6.5 million going toward individual members and GOP […]", "description":""

House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) raised $23.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, outperforming expectations and continuing to quiet initial concerns about his fundraising<\/a> prowess when he took the gavel last October.<\/p>

More than $17 million of that haul went toward Johnson's committees with the remaining $6.5 million going toward individual members and GOP candidates. Additionally, Johnson has now transferred more than $16 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee<\/a> this cycle as part of efforts to grow the party's slim House majority next year. <\/p>

\u201cWith commonsense solutions, strong candidates, and momentum growing every day, another extraordinary quarter shows Republicans are expanding our base and energized to win up and down the ballot in November,\u201d Johnson said in a statement. \u201cAs we gather in Milwaukee next week to officially nominate President Donald Trump, our Party has never been more unified and equipped with the resources needed to grow the House majority, win the Senate, and win the White House.\u201d<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

Johnson's second-quarter haul builds on other House GOP leaders' fundraising for a total of $45 million raised during the second quarter, when combining the speaker's numbers with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Minority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY). <\/p>

Johnson's fundraising still falls slightly behind his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy<\/a> (R-CA), but the high numbers offer hope to Republicans that the speaker is able to raise large sums for the party despite only holding the gavel for nine months.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24178017398020-scaled.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3074143-1720513167", "title":"State program spends $1 million to get 37 ‘disadvantaged’ people drivers licenses", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3074143%2Fstate-program-spends-1-million-to-get-37-disadvantaged-people-drivers-licenses%2F", "byline":"TJ Martinell | The Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A program set up in King County through the state Department of Licensing and funded by the state Legislature has spent nearly $1 million teaching “disadvantaged” women to drive, with just 37 women actually obtaining their license in a five-month period. King County contracts with Mujer al Volante, a nonprofit organization in […]", "description":""

(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 A program set up in King County through the state Department of Licensing and funded by the state Legislature has spent nearly $1 million teaching \u201cdisadvantaged\u201d women to drive, with just 37 women actually obtaining their license in a five-month period.<\/p>

King County contracts with Mujer al Volante, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that offers support services to refugee and immigrant women. In 2022, the Legislature gave DOL $350,000 to also contract with the nonprofit, with an additional $2 million appropriated earlier this year in the state transportation budget.<\/p>

The Drivers License Assistance Program \u201cTaking the Steering Wheel of My Life\u201d provides qualifying applicants assistance toward obtaining a driver\u2019s license. To qualify, a person must be a woman or \u201cnonbinary,\u201d an immigrant, asylee, or refugee, and be classified as \"low-income.\"<\/p>

Since the program started in December, there have been 522 individuals who have gone through the program. However, just 37 of them have successfully passed the written and driving exams. In January, there were 101 participants and only one of them obtained their license. In April, there were 132 participants, 13 of which got their license.<\/p>

When The Center Square reached out to DOL for comment, Communications Manager Christine Anthony wrote that \u201cwe contracted with Mujer al Volante in December of 2023, and this is the first report to the Legislature. This is a new program we are administering, and we will continue to work with the organization and monitor their progress.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24014160536170-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3072819-1720443053", "title":"Sorry, progressives, but facts can’t be racist", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3072819%2Fsorry-progressives-but-facts-cant-be-racist%2F", "byline":"Brad Polumbo", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Facts cannot be racist. But that hasn’t stopped many liberal media figures and Democratic politicians from trying to insist otherwise after one conservative writer dared to point out what we all know about Vice President Kamala Harris: She wouldn’t be where she is now without the movement for DEI, also known as diversity, equity, and […]", "description":""

Facts cannot be racist. But that hasn\u2019t stopped many liberal media<\/a> figures and Democratic politicians from trying to insist otherwise after one conservative writer dared to point out what we all know about Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a>: She wouldn\u2019t be where she is now without the movement for DEI<\/a>, also known as diversity, equity, and inclusion.\u00a0<\/p>

In an article<\/a> that went viral, Charles Gasparino wrote that if she is successfully put forward as President Joe Biden\u2019s<\/a> successor, Harris will be \u201cthe country\u2019s first DEI president.\u201d Suffice it to say, this did not go over well.\u00a0<\/p>

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) tweeted<\/a> out the headline and said, \u201cThis is straight-up racist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Meanwhile, the account \u201cRacism Watch Dog\u201d shared the article and said<\/a>, \u201cBark bark bark,\u201d in a post that 4.7 million people have seen.\u00a0<\/p>

Another viral tweet<\/a> accused the article of \u201cfinding a way to spell the nword with only 3 characters.\u201d<\/p>

You get the idea: How dare conservatives label Kamala Harris a diversity pick. That\u2019s obviously racist and hateful! <\/p>

There\u2019s just one problem, however. It is a fact that Harris was selected to be Biden\u2019s vice president in part due to her race and gender. It is a fact that if she had been a white male but otherwise remained a California senator, Harris never would\u2019ve been selected as his running mate.\u00a0<\/p>

You don\u2019t have to take my word for it. Just ask Biden. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden openly said, in explicit terms<\/a>, that he was only considering women to be his vice president, and he strongly implied<\/a> that he would favor a woman of color.\u00a0<\/p>

That\u2019s right: We know for a fact that, but for her gender, Harris never would\u2019ve been selected as vice president. (And if not for that, she certainly wouldn\u2019t be at the forefront of the conversation for a potential Biden replacement.) So, to call her a diversity or \u201cDEI\u201d pick is not an opinion that can be characterized as racist: It is an observation of a fact.\u00a0<\/p>

When I pointed this out on X, many of the same liberals and progressives got upset with me as well. <\/p>

But a fact that upsets people continues to be a fact. And none of their counterarguments change the fact that Harris, no matter how one feels about it, owes her current position in part to the Democrats\u2019 blatant identity politics and openly discriminatory pursuit of diversity.\u00a0<\/p>

Some critics pointed out that Harris isn\u2019t unqualified for vice president, arguing that as a former senator and state attorney general, she has similar qualifications to past vice presidential picks, such as Biden when he served under President Barack Obama. Yet this is something of a non sequitur because to say that Harris was a diversity selection is not to say she\u2019s totally unqualified for the job.\u00a0<\/p>

For example, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is objectively a \u201cdiversity pick\u201d because Biden openly said he was only considering black women for the job. Yet Jackson is also eminently qualified for the position \u2014 she was simply elevated above others due to her immutable characteristics. These two things can and do coexist with regularity.\u00a0<\/p>

DEI picks rarely, if ever, result in a situation where someone totally unqualified is picked for a job. But someone is a diversity hire if, but for her immutable characteristics, she would not have been given the role under a strictly meritocratic selection. And that is almost certainly the case for Harris. After all, according to Biden himself, she was selected through a process in which more than half of the alternatives, males, were ruled out due to their gender and white females were seemingly disfavored. That left only her and a handful of other minority women<\/a> who were high-ranking Democratic officials from which Biden could choose.<\/p>

And beyond her identity, Harris didn\u2019t add much to the ticket. She wasn\u2019t from a swing state. She had never won a competitive election against a Republican. She wasn\u2019t popular with the Democratic base, having failed horrifically in her own presidential bid. She wasn\u2019t even popular in the primary with black voters, a group from whom Biden already had strong support. And she was prone to cringeworthy moments and had the campaign trail charisma of a wet towel.\u00a0<\/p>

Harris\u2019s main \u201cvalue add\u201d for Biden\u2019s ticket was that she was a woman of color. We all knew it then, and we all know it now. <\/p>

Another counterargument is that vice presidents are often selected due to factors not directly related to merit. That may be true, but it shouldn\u2019t be. And it doesn\u2019t make racial favoritism any less morally detestable. It also doesn\u2019t make the charge that Harris is a DEI pick less true. If anything, it just offers context to better understand the significance of this truth.\u00a0<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

So, too, some critics have yelled, \u201cBut Trump!\u201d, as they are wont to do, and they have pointed out that President Donald Trump did something similar when he appointed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett after promising to appoint a woman. Yet this whataboutism isn\u2019t a refutation of the actual charge. It just means that Barrett was also a DEI pick, as some acknowledged at the time. (If their point was just that Republicans can be hypocrites, they\u2019d have no argument from me!)<\/p>

We simply cannot let Democrats and progressives make noticing facts they find inconvenient off-limits by throwing around false charges of racism. No matter how hard some on the Left insist, facts can never be racist, and the moment we cave to that ridiculous framing, we lose the ability to discuss the truth and cede the political conversation to whoever is willing to cry \u201cvictim\u201d the loudest. <\/p>

Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo<\/a>) is an independent journalist, YouTuber<\/a>, and a co-founder of BASEDPolitics.<\/a><\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24188824437913-scaled.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3071849-1720418400", "title":"Increasing economic growth should be top priority", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3071849%2Fincreasing-economic-growth-should-be-top-priority%2F", "byline":"Bruce Thompson", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"For the past three and a half years, the U.S. economy has struggled under the economic policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats.  Increased taxes, spending, deficits, and debt have produced higher prices, lower wages, soaring interest rates, and slower economic growth. For typical American families, the Biden administration’s policies have resulted in lower […]", "description":""

For the past three and a half years, the U.S. economy<\/a> has struggled under the economic<\/a> policies of the Biden administration<\/a> and congressional Democrats.\u00a0<\/p>

Increased taxes, spending, deficits, and debt have produced higher prices, lower wages, soaring interest rates, and slower economic growth. For typical American families, the Biden administration's policies have resulted in lower standards of living and dashed hopes of a better future. <\/p>

While the inflation<\/a> rate has eased from its 9.1% peak, the highest level in 40 years, prices are still up 20% since Biden took office, far outpacing the increase in wages.<\/p>

Millions of Americans are financially stressed, unable to buy a home, pay off their debt, or save for the future<\/a>. Household debt <\/a>is at an all-time high, up $3 trillion, or 21%, since the first quarter of 2021.\u00a0<\/p>

Along with these high prices, the U.S. economy is stuck in a slow growth rut. The latest numbers<\/a> show the economy is slowing under high interest rates and persistent inflation, with personal spending and capital goods orders weakening.\u00a0<\/p>

Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at only 1.4%<\/a>\u00a0 last quarter, the slowest growth in nearly two years. In the last nine quarters, economic growth has averaged only half our historic growth rate.\u00a0<\/p>

The U.S. needs to adopt pro-growth policies to encourage faster economic growth. But if Biden and congressional Democrats are given another chance in November, we face even higher taxes, more spending, and slower growth. They are already planning to leverage the 2025<\/a> debate over extending the 2017 tax cuts to force the largest tax increase in our history.\u00a0<\/p>

They are drafting plans to raise taxes on individual taxpayers and American businesses, actions, which could tip the economy into a recession and result in larger deficits and debt<\/a>.<\/p>

The Biden administration\u2019s most harmful proposal would raise the U.S. corporate tax rate to one of the highest in the world. This would be a major economic mistake. Increasing the corporate rate is the most economically damaging tax increase, and raising this tax<\/a> in a weak economy would cause it to lose more revenue than it gained, likely triggering an eventual economic collapse.<\/p>

Numerous studies have shown that raising the corporate rate would have a harmful effect on working families, lowering their wages and incomes, increasing the prices they pay, and reducing their retirement<\/a>\u00a0 savings. A Federal Reserve study <\/a>found that a higher corporate tax rate would be \u201cuniformly harmful\u201d to working people, leading to \u201csignificant reductions \u201c in their jobs and incomes.<\/p>

Increasing the corporate tax rate would also put U.S. companies at a significant competitive disadvantage against our global competitors. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. rate<\/a> would be higher than every other country we compete against, reducing investment in America and shifting profits and jobs overseas.\u00a0<\/p>

Americans faced similar financial challenges of high prices, stagnant growth, and soaring taxes and spending 44 years ago. The Republican Party platform in 1980 stated that nothing was more important than economic growth, and endorsed the Reagan economic recovery program<\/a> of lower tax rates and spending cuts.\u00a0<\/p>

Once passed, the Reagan tax cuts <\/a>and spending reforms kicked off an economic boom, with real GDP growth reaching\u00a0 7% in 1983 and 8% in 1984, and averaging nearly 5% a year through 1988. Inflation dropped from 11% to 4% and nearly 20 million jobs were created in the largest peacetime expansion in U.S. history.\u00a0<\/p>

The Reagan tax cuts were modeled after the Kennedy tax cuts in the 1960s, which also set off an economic growth boom, with real growth averaging more than 5% a year. The Reagan-Kennedy tax cuts led to extended periods of unprecedented economic growth<\/a> and a higher standard of living for all Americans.\u00a0<\/p>

Under our current path of high taxes and spending, the economic outlook is dim. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is forecasting<\/a> 10 years of dismal and weak growth averaging 1.8% a year,\u00a0 much lower than the 3.5% average annual growth the U.S. experienced from 1960 to 2000. If that happens, we will have a decade of lower incomes, fewer jobs, and countless lost opportunities.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

But it does not have to be this way. As we have seen, an economic policy of low tax rates and fiscal restraint can increase investment, productivity, and output, leading to higher incomes and faster growth. Pro-growth tax policies that increase the incentive to work, save, and invest, along with spending restraint, would improve economic growth, getting us out of our slow growth rut and returning the economy to its historic growth rate<\/a>. <\/p>

Higher economic growth would generate trillions of dollars of economic activity, leading to higher wages and incomes, better jobs and opportunities, and more prosperity for all Americans. We cannot settle for another 10 years of subpar growth. Increasing economic growth should be our top priority. <\/p>

Bruce Thompson was a U.S. Senate aide, assistant secretary of Treasury for legislative affairs, and the director of government relations for Merrill Lynch for 22 years.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23315572079441.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3069418-1720072800", "title":"Is the American dream dead? My family’s story proves otherwise", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3069418%2Fis-the-american-dream-dead-my-familys-story-proves-otherwise%2F", "byline":"Hera Varmah", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The American dream has been woven into countless narratives throughout my life, shaped by the inspiring stories shared by my family members and friends who came to the United States in search of a better life. This Independence Day, it might be tempting to think this dream is now elusive as division and discouragement spread across […]", "description":""

The American dream has been woven into countless narratives throughout my life, shaped by the inspiring stories shared by my family members and friends who came to the United States in search of a better life. This Independence Day<\/a>, it might be tempting to think this dream is now elusive as division<\/a> and discouragement<\/a> spread across our country.<\/p>

But my life proves it can still be a reality \u2014 if we strive to make it one. <\/p>

Those of us from immigrant communities are familiar with the promise of opportunity, enshrined by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and encapsulated in the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Families like mine have worked urgently to realize this promise.<\/p>

Growing up, my family of 12 children born to immigrant parents faced many obstacles. We could have taken the wrong path, but we were fortunate to live in a state that gave us access to a top-tier education at Catholic private schools, magnet schools, and traditional public schools, in which each of us found what we needed to chase our dreams. <\/p>

As a young girl, I didn\u2019t believe I was intelligent or that I could excel in school. Even though my parents had faith in me, I was convinced I would fail. I focused on sports, thinking it was the only area in which I could succeed. I thought my siblings would go on to be successful while I remained stuck in poverty.<\/p>

But thanks to scholarship opportunities in my state, I met teachers who saw my potential and supported me, helping me gain confidence. And I was able to build friendships with others from different backgrounds and belief systems. <\/p>

Today, I am a college graduate working at a national policy organization, fighting for children like me. I went from feeling inadequate as a young girl to testifying before Congress at age 24.\u00a0<\/p>

My siblings and I are a fulfillment of my grandparents\u2019 dreams. We all have different opinions, careers, hopes, and dreams, but we are all achieving our goals. Four of us are college graduates, two are engineers, one is in medical school, six are university students, and two are high school students. <\/p>

This Independence Day, I want my family\u2019s story to be the norm, not an exception.<\/p>

I want my generation to reignite the spirit of striving for greatness in their careers, nurturing their families, or pursuing whatever version of the American dream they might hold. Negativity and doom may drive news cycles, but success stories abound when children are given opportunity. We must share these stories \u2014 and make them possible.<\/p>

Consider my friend and colleague Gissell, a first-generation American born in Delaware but raised in Mexico in the early 2000s. At 14 years old, she returned without her parents to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to pursue her education. Thanks to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, which she was able to attend because of Wisconsin\u2019s school choice program, Gissell overcame numerous obstacles, including the difficult decision to forgo a full scholarship to Georgetown University to bring her two teenage sisters from Mexico instead and care for them. <\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

She went on to earn a double full scholarship to Marquette University and became the first college graduate in her family this May. She is still building her American dream as she pursues a career in policy.<\/p>

Our stories prove the American dream is alive and well if only we give children the chance to chase it. This means granting them access to quality education and opportunities regardless of their background or ZIP code. This Independence Day, let\u2019s rededicate ourselves to that goal.<\/p>

Hera Varmah is a graduate of Florida\u2019s tax credit scholarship programs and an external relations associate at the American Federation for Children.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1399726385.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3069580-1720021085", "title":"Three times Biden disregarded the ‘limits of presidential power’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3069580%2Fthree-times-biden-disregarded-the-limits-of-presidential-power%2F", "byline":"Andrea Ruth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Fresh off his humiliating performance at the presidential debate, President Joe Biden found the energy to deliver brief remarks to a nationally televised audience over the Supreme Court‘s presidential immunity case.  In a four-minute address that resembled a campaign ad more than a formal statement, Biden, who took no questions, condemned the Supreme Court’s decision. […]", "description":""

Fresh off his humiliating performance at the presidential debate, President Joe Biden<\/a> found the energy to deliver brief remarks to a nationally televised audience over the Supreme Court<\/a>'s presidential immunity case.\u00a0<\/p>

In a four-minute address that resembled a campaign ad more than a formal statement, Biden, who took no questions, condemned the Supreme Court's decision. His comments echoed those of Justice Sonia Sotomayor<\/a>, employing fear-inducing language such as \"fundamentally changed\" and other phrases suggesting a significant shift but also allowing for possible retreats, such as \"for all practical purposes,\" \"almost certainly,\" and \"virtually no limits.\"<\/p>

One thing Biden said stood out<\/a>. \"I know I will respect the limits of the presidential power, as I have for three and a half years,\" he said. <\/p>

This statement is in stark contrast to his actions. In reality, the president has consistently pushed the boundaries of his power, particularly during the first two years of his presidency, when he frequently disregarded the separation of powers. <\/p>

Rent moratorium<\/p>

The first instance in which Biden ignored the limits of presidential power was when he allowed the COVID-era rent moratorium to remain in place. He won an initial 5-4 decision. Still, Justice Brett Kavanaugh<\/a> warned he only allowed it to continue to maintain an orderly transition and that any further relief would require \"clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation).\" The Biden administration ignored the warning and tried to extend the moratorium again. The Supreme Court struck it down.\u00a0<\/p>

Vaccine mandate<\/p>

In another instance, the Biden administration attempted to force private companies to mandate employee vaccinations, arguing it had the authority to use Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations to enforce it. The Supreme Court disagreed, striking down the mandate and ruling the agency exceeded its authority. The court wrote, \"Although Congress<\/a> has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly.\"\u00a0<\/p>

Student debt relief<\/p>

Though academics, scholars, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Biden did not have the authority to implement student debt relief unilaterally, the president chose to do it anyway. Once again, the Supreme Court told him \"no,\" reminding him in yet another instance that he was not respecting the limits of presidential power. Chief Justice John Roberts<\/a> rejected the administration's argument it had authority under the 2003 HEROES Act to implement the plan. Roberts wrote, \"The question here is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it.\"\u00a0<\/p>

The court invoked the \"major question\" doctrine, which states that if Congress wants to give agencies the authority to make decisions of vast economic and political significance, it must say so clearly. Roberts said the HEROES Act didn't authorize debt relief at all. <\/p>

Rather than go to Congress and ask lawmakers to draft legislation for debt relief, Biden attempted a backdoor to implement student debt forgiveness. The administration devised a new scheme it felt would insulate it from judicial review. Biden had the audacity to boast about it. He said, \"The Supreme Court blocked me, but it did not stop me.\" <\/p>

However, two federal judges in separate states, Kansas and Missouri, blocked the new Saving on a Valuable Education plan enacted by the Department of Education<\/a>. States sued, arguing the administration once again overstepped its authority. While the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted the Kansas judge's ban on the new repayment plan, the injunction is still in place in Missouri. The judges in both cases said the administration could not show Congress authorized the new plan.\u00a0<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

The judges in the two cases, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree in Kansas and U.S. District Judge John A. Ross in Missouri, were both appointed by President Barack Obama<\/a>. So, any complaints team Biden might have about the judges' political motivations fall flat.<\/p>

Pointing out how wrong former President Donald Trump is when it comes to restraints on executive power is not a valid way for Biden to excuse his lack of restraint, and it is a bald-faced lie for him to say he's respected the limits of presidential power during his term.<\/p>

Andrea Ruth is a contributor to the Washington Examiner magazine.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24184012822003-scaled.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3065773-1719900000", "title":"Fairfax County Public Schools leadership displays disdain for parents — again", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3065773%2Ffairfax-county-public-schools-leadership-displays-disdain-for-parents-again%2F", "byline":"Stephanie Lundquist-Arora", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Last Thursday, as the first presidential debate was making national headlines, Fairfax County School Board members held a meeting during which they voted on controversial changes to family life education curriculum. The takeaway for the few of us able to attend or watch it virtually was that the district’s leadership hates parents — or, at […]", "description":""

Last Thursday, as the first presidential debate<\/a> was making national headlines, Fairfax County School Board<\/a> members held a meeting during which they voted on controversial changes to family life education curriculum. The takeaway for the few of us able to attend or watch it virtually was that the district\u2019s leadership hates parents \u2014 or, at the very least, is severely inconvenienced by us.<\/p>

Darcy Healy, one of the speakers during public comment, delivered an impassioned statement that represents how many parents in Fairfax County are feeling. She said<\/a>, \u201cWe are parents, and we want you to listen to us, but we feel that that\u2019s just not happening. \u2026 The survey that was done in May and June [shows] 80% are against this co-ed situation. Let\u2019s continue to debate this. Don\u2019t do it over the summer. And don\u2019t do the vote on the evening of the presidential debate. This is an important topic. Show us that you want it to be important.\u201d<\/p>

Healy is right. In surveys both this year<\/a> and last year<\/a>, parents and community members made it clear that they did not support co-ed sex education or gender ideology instruction in their children\u2019s elementary classrooms. Several community members made this exact point during the last two school board meetings\u2019 public comment periods on June 13 and June 27.<\/p>

Instead of being inclusive and accepting community feedback, the Fairfax County School Board was hostile \u2014 most notably among them, the board\u2019s vice chairwoman, Melanie Meren<\/a>.<\/p>

First, Meren spoke indignantly about the curriculum\u2019s opt-out option. She said<\/a>, \u201cAnd, you know, what I want to convey is that we need to make decisions of curriculum for the benefit of, you know, as many children as possible. And this is why parents and families have the option to opt out if they don\u2019t feel the content is appropriate for their children when it comes to family life education.\u201d<\/p>

But why include unwanted, political nonsense such as gender ideology in a public school district\u2019s sex education curriculum and then place the burden of opting out on the parents? Here\u2019s why: because district leadership knows that many parents are preoccupied with our many other obligations and will forget to complete the extra administrative task of opting out our children from curriculum lessons.<\/p>

District leaders should not be experimenting with our children, but since they seem to insist on doing so, this curriculum should require parents to opt in rather than opt out.<\/p>

Meren then delivered an angry rant about the illegitimacy of the community\u2019s feedback mechanisms. She said<\/a>, \u201cI also do want to underscore that the comments that have been referred to as a survey, um, it actually was not a survey. There was a call for public comments. \u2026 There was also not a methodology to ensure that comments were unique contributors. So, of the 2,500 comments, it\u2019s unknown how many were contributed more than once.\u201d<\/p>

The takeaway is that if the district\u2019s leaders don\u2019t like community feedback, they blame the comment forum. Last year, for example, Karl Frisch<\/a>, the school board chairman, similarly dismissed<\/a> the survey as feedback from \u201cReddit warriors.\u201d<\/p>

In contrast, Ilryong Moon, a school board member who does not appear to be completely disgusted and inconvenienced by the district\u2019s parents, seemed to realize the absurdity of his colleagues\u2019 comments right away. The at-large member responded<\/a> that if there was a problem with the feedback mechanism for community input, it was the board\u2019s responsibility to fix the process. Moon further said he valued community input and thanked the 2,539 survey respondents for their time.<\/p>

Unfortunately, in spite of the negative feedback on the proposal, school board members, including Moon, voted to include gender ideology instruction in the seventh grade family life education curriculum. And they did not vote against gender ideology indoctrination for elementary school children. They instead postponed that decision \u2014 perhaps in the hopes that they can pass it when fewer parents are paying attention.<\/p>

Or even worse, they will include such measures surreptitiously and without a vote. Acting on her \u201cmajority doesn\u2019t always dictate\u201d philosophy, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid has already used a back-door, anti-democratic, administrative method to introduce co-ed instruction for sex education in the district\u2019s new pilot program<\/a> in 14 elementary schools that she likely intends to expand.\u00a0<\/p>

And so, to Healy I say, I feel your pain, and we will continue to debate this. But sadly, it seems that Reid, Frisch, Meren, and their tyrannical leftist activist minority have already decided what is best for our children. They seem to believe that we, the parents, are roadblocks obstructing their path, to be circumvented or run over.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, an author, and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women\u2019s Network.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-473628448-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3060911-1719468000", "title":"How Ben Sasse could transform education", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3060911%2Fhow-ben-sasse-could-transform-education%2F", "byline":"Max Eden", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In late 2022, former Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse was appointed president of the University of Florida. The media mostly ran with artificially inflated stories of student protests. But Sasse’s supporters were optimistic that he could prove a transformative leader.  To date, he’s kept a relatively low public profile. But Sasse has just been handed […]", "description":""

In late 2022, former Republican Nebraska<\/a> Sen. Ben Sasse was appointed president of the University of Florida. The media mostly ran with artificially inflated stories of student protests. But Sasse\u2019s supporters were optimistic that he could prove a transformative leader.\u00a0<\/p>

To date, he\u2019s kept a relatively low public profile. But Sasse has just been handed a golden opportunity to remodel not only higher education, but substantially improve public K-12 education along with it. We should know soon whether he\u2019ll take it.<\/p>

For decades, conservatives have complained about teachers\u2019 colleges, where educators and administrators must receive certification. The evidence proves that they\u2019re a waste of time and money that confers no benefit on new teachers. Worse than that, they\u2019ve devolved into little more than critical race theory-indoctrination camps. It\u2019s rather insane that red states still require teachers to be steeped in anti-white, anti-American, anti-achievement dogma before entering a public school classroom.<\/p>

But most do, for three reasons. First, state legislators tend to be intimidated by people who have \u201cPh.D\u2019s,\u201d even if they have Ph.D\u2019s in nonsense. Second, legislators are typically reticent to rock the boat at their alma maters. And third, even if legislators had the will, transformational leaders who could overhaul a teachers\u2019 college are few and far between.<\/p>

None of these limiting conditions, however, apply to the UF.<\/p>

The Florida legislature passed House Bill 1291 last month, which mandates that state-approved teacher-preparation programs may not be \u201cbased on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States.\u201d Instead, these programs must teach \u201cmastery of academic program content\u201d and \u201cinstructional strategies.\u201d Fancy that \u2014 schools of education that teach teachers to teach, rather than be social justice warriors. This law goes into effect on July 1.<\/p>

As the Claremont Institute recently documented<\/a>, the UF\u2019s College of Education is radically out of compliance with state law. UF\u2019s College of Education went as woke as any teachers\u2019 college could get \u2014 right under DeSantis\u2019s nose. In 2020, it jettisoned requirements for things such as \u201cCore Teaching Strategies,\u201d \u201cMusic for the Elementary Child,\u201d and \u201cArt Education\u201d with, respectively, \u201cEquity Pedagogy Foundations,\u201d \u201cEquity Pedagogy Applications\u201d and \u201cStudying Equity Pedagogy.\u201d Math and science? They simply weren\u2019t \u201cinclusive\u201d enough.<\/p>

Which is to say \u2014 everything was infused with CRT. Required course readings include things such as \u201cThe First Day of School: A CRT Story,\u201d \u201cWhite Girl Teaching,\u201d \u201cRaising Race Questions: Whiteness and Inquiry in Education,\u201d and required videos included one called \u201cThe Urgency of Intersectionality.\u201d<\/p>

So, what will Sasse do? A traditional college president would try to run interference for his institution, make cosmetic changes, and do his best to continue to violate the spirit of the law while pretending to adhere to its letter. Sasse doesn\u2019t need to play it this way, though. He can, and should, see that between the Florida law and the Claremont report he has been dealt two aces.<\/p>

By going hard-woke right under DeSantis\u2019s nose, the leadership of UF\u2019s College of Education has clearly indicated that they don\u2019t see themselves as Florida state government employees. So, they shouldn\u2019t be. They should all be fired. The College of Education should be fundamentally reworked, root to branch.<\/p>

The possibilities here are incredible. At minimum, Sasse could require his teachers\u2019 college to actually help teachers teach. Best practices in classroom management and student discipline, rigorous instruction in the science of reading, and additional content area knowledge for science, math, or history teachers should be a top priority.<\/p>

But UF could go far beyond teaching the basics. Florida has a burgeoning private and micro-school sector thanks to its universal education savings account. UF could offer a teacher entrepreneurship track. Florida\u2019s classical education sector, in particular, is thriving. UF could offer teachers rigorous training in classical methods. And believe it or not, teachers are rarely trained to actually deliver a particular curriculum. UF could do that, too.<\/p>

Why must a teacher move to Gainesville to get a UF degree? UF could set up satellite centers in every Florida county, and rework their program to support teacher apprenticeships. What\u2019s more \u2014 why limit that to Florida? With teacher certification reciprocity agreements, UF could colonize (we can use that word; it\u2019s Florida) teacher education nationally.<\/p>

When Mitch Daniels was president of Purdue University, he proved that colleges could be effectively administered \u2014 that endless tuition increases resulted from executive incompetence, not an inexorable law of finance. Sasse\u2019s legacy could be to prove that someone other than Daniels can do this too. Or, it could be to pioneer ways in which state flagship universities can drive dramatic improvement in public education \u2014 ways that could and should be emulated in every red state in America if they work.\u00a0<\/p>

Here\u2019s hoping he gets started next month on his transformational legacy.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA<\/a><\/p>

Max Eden is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP23008729452093-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3057090-1719295200", "title":"Biden’s Gaza pier is an abject failure", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3057090%2Fbiden-gaza-pier-abject-failure%2F", "byline":"John Hannah", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Choose your label to describe what’s become of President Joe Biden’s Gaza pier: Dumpster fire. Boondoggle. White elephant. Whatever you call it, the project is a bona fide failure. It seems destined to be a textbook example of what happens when the political imperative to “do something” overwhelms serious planning.  The latest news is that […]", "description":""

Choose your label to describe what\u2019s become of President Joe Biden\u2019s<\/a> Gaza pier<\/a>: Dumpster fire. Boondoggle. White elephant. Whatever you call it, the project is a bona fide failure. It seems destined to be a textbook example of what happens when the political imperative to \u201cdo something\u201d overwhelms serious planning.\u00a0<\/p>

The latest news<\/a> is that the pier may be terminated ahead of schedule. Erected in mid-May by the U.S. military to deliver seaborne assistance, the pier\u2019s operations repeatedly have been interrupted by rough waters.\u00a0<\/p>

A storm broke<\/a> the pier apart only days after going into service. After millions of dollars of repairs<\/a>, it was thrown back into action. Days later, forecasts of choppy waters led the military to tow<\/a> the pier to safe harbor. It\u2019s just returned<\/a> to service a third time, though it\u2019s hard not to believe that the project\u2019s days are numbered.\u00a0<\/p>

Mother Nature may end up being the proximate cause of the pier\u2019s demise, but it hasn\u2019t been the only problem foiling the effort. Security has also been a major problem. In the brief time the facility actually functioned, the relatively small amounts of assistance making it to shore were being widely looted by desperate mobs.\u00a0<\/p>

All of these challenges were forecast well in advance. This was hardly a case in which officials struggled to make sense of what former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously described<\/a> as the \u201cknown unknowns\u201d and the \u201cunknown unknowns.\u201d On the contrary, the obstacles posed by Gaza\u2019s heavy seas and lack of security were obvious to anyone tracking events.\u00a0<\/p>

In other words, Biden and his team were operating in the easiest part of Rumsfeld\u2019s matrix: the land of \u201cknown knowns\u201d \u2014 problems that we know with certainty will arise and that require solutions in advance.<\/p>

I was part of a group that had discussions last December with the U.S. team in charge of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. We asked about the feasibility of a maritime channel. In so many words, we were told it was a dumb idea. Waters near Gaza are notoriously treacherous. The effort would be within range of Hamas\u2019s guns. The amount of aid that could be delivered by sea would be a drop in the bucket of what was needed. Far better to focus on dramatically expanding land routes into Gaza, we were told.\u00a0<\/p>

That wasn\u2019t the only expert advice the administration disregarded. Reporting suggests<\/a> the U.S. military first learned of Biden\u2019s decision to build the pier only when he announced it in his March 7 State of the Union address. But at the time, planners still had no answers as to how such a project could be successfully executed.<\/p>

Topping their concerns was security and making sure that once supplies made it to shore, they could be safely delivered into the hands of suffering Gazans. It was already widely understood that the biggest challenge was not getting adequate supplies of food into Gaza but making sure it reached innocent civilians without first being diverted.<\/p>

Remarkably, Biden and his team didn\u2019t demand a solution to the security problem before making the pier the centerpiece of a major presidential initiative. Nor did they bother to develop one in the two months that it took the military to get the pier into place. With the eyes of the world watching and U.S. credibility on the line, the administration\u2019s approach to a well-defined set of challenges that could make or break the effort seemed to amount to little more than hoping things would work out.<\/p>

Alas, they haven\u2019t. Instead, the pier has become a humiliating internet meme<\/a> and joke \u2014 and at a price tag of more than $200 million in U.S. taxpayer funds and months of effort by 1,000 troops.\u00a0<\/p>

On its face, this appears to be a classic case of a breakdown in sound policymaking. At the time of Biden\u2019s announcement, criticism of his support for Israel was reaching fever pitch. Pictures of Gaza\u2019s devastation dominated headlines. Important parts<\/a> of Biden\u2019s Democratic coalition were threatening not to support his reelection.\u00a0<\/p>

It\u2019s not hard to imagine that within the White House pressure cooker, the panic to \u201cdo something\u201d for suffering Palestinians and show presidential leadership by going over the heads of a seemingly recalcitrant Israeli leadership became overwhelming. Something big had to be announced in the State of the Union \u2014 regardless of whether all the hard questions had been answered.<\/p>

Understandable? Perhaps. Acceptable? No. Good intentions are not enough. Hope is never a strategy, especially not for the world\u2019s greatest democracy whose resolve, reliability, and competence have never been in greater doubt. We simply can\u2019t afford self-inflicted mistakes such as Biden\u2019s pier \u2014 mistakes that observers saw coming miles away. <\/p>

Figuring out how things went so badly awry should be a target-rich environment for congressional oversight.  <\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA<\/a><\/p>

John Hannah is a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America and former national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24139591326544.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3052740-1718960078", "title":"Rubio’s rapport with Latino voters could drive Trump to victory", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3052740%2Fmarco-rubio-latino-voters-trump-victory%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former President Donald Trump‘s interest in selecting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his vice president is setting off alarm bells for Democrats. The Florida senator and one-time rival of Trump has turned into a reliable ally and offers the former president a direct line to a bloc Republicans have been flirting with taking from Democrats […]", "description":""

Former President Donald Trump<\/a>'s interest in selecting Sen. Marco Rubio<\/a> (R-FL) as his vice president is setting off alarm bells for Democrats.<\/p>

The Florida senator and one-time rival of Trump has turned into a reliable ally and offers the former president a direct line to a bloc Republicans have been flirting with taking from Democrats for years \u2014 Latino and Hispanic voters. While Latino and Hispanic voters aren't a monolith, creating in-roads with them would put several states Democrats have taken for granted in recent cycles in play, Michael LaRosa, who is a former press secretary for first lady Jill Biden and special assistant to President Joe Biden, wrote<\/a> in an op-ed for the New York Times.<\/p>

\"But there is something Latino voters have in common: their Latin American roots and the pride that comes from casting a vote for someone who looks and talks like them,\" LaRosa wrote. \"Mr. Rubio would break a significant cultural barrier as the first Latino on a national ticket.\"<\/p>

Rubio could help Trump convince large Latino constituencies in swing states Arizona and Nevada while shoring up Republican-leaning Florida. It also could make normally Democratic New Mexico, which has the largest proportion of Hispanics in the United States, interesting.<\/p>

There has been some doubt about whether Rubio could serve as Trump's vice president, given the 12th Amendment doesn't allow for a president and vice president to be from the same state, in this case, Florida, without losing its electoral votes.<\/p>

LaRosa said this concern is \"overblown,\" citing former Vice President Dick Cheney's residential switch from Texas to Wyoming, and he thinks Rubio could do something similar.<\/p>

LaRosa said Trump selecting Rubio would be taking a page out of Biden's 2020 campaign playbook. When he selected Vice President Kamala Harris, he made the choice to appeal to voters of color, a move that worked as black women turned out for the Biden-Harris ticket.<\/p>

And winning over Hispanic and Latino voters will matter in states where they make up smaller shares of the electorate but where the races are still considered tight. Trump is beating Biden in Pennsylvania by more than 2 points in the Real Clear Politics average<\/a> \u2014\u00a0a state Biden can't afford to lose if he plans to repeat his 2020 success.<\/p>

LaRosa argued, \"There are voters who make their choice because they want to be a part of history and break ground more than, say, that they agree with the candidate, or the ticket, on specific policies.\" Latinos could be those voters, and that's why he said Rubio scares him and should scare Democrats this November.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

The Florida senator is one man in a throng<\/a> of Trump vice presidential candidates, some of whom recently received vetting materials from the campaign.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner contacted the Trump campaign and Rubio's office but received no response.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP22310815339264-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3047141-1718618746", "title":"Torres mocks Bowman’s fire alarm stunt in hint he’s abandoning fellow Democrat", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3047141%2Ftorres-mocks-bowman-fire-alarm-hint-abandoning-democrat%2F", "byline":"Elaine Mallon", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is in the middle of a brutal primary fight, and a fellow New York Democrat looks like he is on the cusp of endorsing the “Squad” member’s opponent. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a fiercely pro-Israel member of Congress, got into a spat with Bowman over the weekend after the Israel critic […]", "description":""

Rep. Jamaal Bowman<\/a> (D-NY) is in the middle of a brutal primary fight, and a fellow New York<\/a> Democrat looks like he is on the cusp of endorsing the \u201cSquad\u201d member\u2019s opponent.<\/p>

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a fiercely pro-Israel<\/a> member of Congress, got into a spat with Bowman over the weekend after the Israel critic questioned the sincerity of Torres\u2019s support for the Jewish state. Torres was quick to hit back at Bowman, poking fun at the lawmaker\u2019s stunt of pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol while on his way to a vote that would prevent a government shutdown last September.<\/p>

\u201cAs for Jamaal Bowman, I care as much about his opinion on me as I do about his opinion on how to properly pull a fire alarm or his opinion on how to remain in Congress,\u201d Torres told<\/a> the New York Post. \u201cHis opinion is worse than a rubber stamp \u2014 it leaves no impression, much like his legislative record or his recent attendance record.\u201d<\/p>

Bowman said on the Night School podcast<\/a> hosted by Marc Lamont Hill that Torres only stands in support of Israel because of the \u201cpower of the Israel lobby.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cRitchie is very calculating in this way. ... Ritchie \u2014 he just seems to be always plotting, always calculating something,\u201d Bowman said.<\/p>

Bowman\u2019s attack on Torres, a two-term representative of the Bronx, appeared unprovoked as the neighboring representative had steered clear of weighing in on Bowman\u2019s contest.<\/p>

But in the middle of the episode, Hill asked Bowman to comment on why Torres falls in line with Bowman on every matter except for when it comes to Israel.<\/p>

\u201cHow can someone be so progressive on so many issues and not see the injustice going on in Palestine in the same way?\u201d Hill asked.<\/p>

Hill made the comment that Torres \u201ctweets to Netanyahu like he is Netanyahu\u2019s long lost cousin.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSo if I was doing that when I first got in, my bank account first of all would be flushed,\u201d Bowman said.<\/p>

Bowman\u2019s criticisms of Israel as it wages war with Hamas have put him in a vulnerable position with the large contingent of Jewish supporters in his district.<\/p>

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an influential pro-Israel PAC, has spent millions of dollars attacking Bowman, helping give Westchester County Executive George Latimer a boost in his challenge to unseat the two-term congressman. Bowman is trailing Latimer by 17 points, according<\/a> to a recent poll.<\/p>

Prior to serving as U.S. representative for the Bronx, Torres was a New York City Council member for 10 years. He noted his public support for Israel dates back to 2015, when he took a trip there. <\/p>

He said one of the reasons he didn\u2019t join the \u201cSquad\u201d after being elected in 2020 was he believed that some of the members\u2019 support for the BDS movement was antisemitic.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI have a general rule of not weighing in against a congressional Democrat who has not weighed in against me,\u201d Torres said. \u201cBut Bowman\u2019s gratuitous attack on my character might cause me to rethink that rule.\u201d<\/p>

New York\u2019s primary will be on June 25.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24165005433095.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3004139-1715721649", "title":"Biden greenlights $1 billion weapon shipment to Israel week after withholding bombs", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3004139%2Fbiden-greenlights-weapon-shipment-israel-after-withholding-bombs%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Biden administration announced its approval of a $1 billion weapon shipment to Israel just one week after President Joe Biden announced he would withhold a weapons shipment if Israel launched an offensive into Rafah. The administration notified Congress of the move on Tuesday, the Washington Examiner independently confirmed. Officials told the Wall Street Journal […]", "description":""

The Biden administration<\/a> announced its approval of a $1 billion weapon shipment to Israel<\/a> just one week after President Joe Biden announced he would withhold a weapons shipment if Israel launched an offensive into Rafah.<\/p>

The administration notified Congress of the move on Tuesday, the Washington Examiner independently confirmed. <\/p>

Officials told<\/a> the Wall Street Journal that the package includes offensive weapons, including $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds. Additional steps must be taken before the weapons are approved and delivered.<\/p>

The move was foreshadowed by national security adviser John Kirby, speaking with reporters last week.<\/p>

\"[Biden] also said yesterday that he will continue to ensure that Israel has all of the military means it needs to defend itself against all of its enemies, including Hamas,\" he said. \"For him, this is very straightforward: He\u2019s going to continue to provide Israel with all of the capabilities it needs, but he does not want certain categories of American weapons used in a particular type of operation in a particular place. And again, he has been clear and consistent with that.\"<\/p>

Kirby further clarified that Israel has not yet launched a Rafah operation that crosses Biden's red line. Biden said last week he would withhold specific 2,000-pound bombs from Israel if the country expanded operations into Rafah, where Palestinian refugees have fled due to the war.<\/p>

Israel began an offensive into Rafah last week, which has continued with airstrikes and ground operations. It's unclear what Biden's red line regarding Rafah is.<\/p>

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) signaled that the lower chamber was satisfied with Biden's action.<\/p>

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for us to express again the will of Congress on the matter and so I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be changing what we do on the legislation,\u201d he told reporters Tuesday evening.<\/p>

Tuesday's move to approve another major weapons shipment is likely to lose Biden the goodwill he received from progressive Democratic allies after his announcement that offensive weapons would be withheld, which in turn drew him ire from Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

Biden has attempted to balance the passions of pro-Israel Democrats with the vehement opposition of pro-Palestinian Democrats during Israel's campaign in Gaza. The invasion of Rafah has emerged as a new flashpoint, with the Biden administration repeatedly warning Israel of the consequences if it launches an all-out assault on the area.<\/p>

Cami Mondeaux and Naomi Lim contributed to this report.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24128020312504-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"2872560-1709100613", "title":"Great Stakes: Michigan union and blue-collar workers in the driver’s seat for the presidency", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F2872560%2Fmichigan-union-blue-collar-workers-drivers-seat-presidency%2F", "byline":"Naomi Lim", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Michigan voters have an outsize impact on who will win the White House and which party will carry the House and Senate in 2024. In this series, Great Stakes: The fight to be hailed as victors in Michigan, the Washington Examiner will look at the thorny politics and unique matters that will swing the critical battleground state. Part four, […]", "description":""

Michigan voters have an outsize impact on who will win the White House and which party will carry the House and Senate in 2024. In this series, Great Stakes: The fight to be hailed as victors in Michigan, the Washington Examiner will look at the thorny politics and unique matters that will swing the critical battleground state. Part four, below, examines how the economy and union vote will determine who wins the expected rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.<\/p>

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Michigan \u2014 President Joe Biden<\/a> and former President Donald Trump<\/a>'s economic<\/a> pitches to Michigan<\/a>'s blue-collar voters, particularly the state's half a million union<\/a> members, could decide the 2024 general election<\/a> as this week's primary underscores the likely nominees' respective weaknesses before November.<\/p>

If Trump can compete with Biden for those voters in places such as Michigan's famed Macomb County<\/a>, as former President Ronald Reagan<\/a> did in 1980 with so-called Reagan Democrats, he could win the state's 15 Electoral College<\/a> votes and reclaim the White House<\/a> this election cycle.<\/p>

Trump not only has to win Macomb County, as he did in 2016 and 2020, but he also has to \"win with a margin\" to counter the parts of Michigan where he could underperform, according to Republican strategist Jamie Roe, the longtime chief of staff to former Republican Rep. Candice Miller.<\/p>

Tuesday's Republican primary emphasized Trump's loose grip on 30 to 40% of his party, with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations<\/a> Nikki Haley<\/a> holding him to 70% of the vote. Meanwhile, Biden netted about 80% of the Democratic primary vote due to an \"uncommitted<\/a>\" protest vote.<\/p>

Macomb County voted for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer<\/a> (D-MI) in 2022, \"but every time Trump's been on the ballot, there are parts of the electorate that come out\" for him \"that really don't come out for a whole lot of other people,\" Roe told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Those people include union workers despite Michigan-based United Auto Workers <\/a>President Shawn Fain, for example, endorsing Biden last month.<\/p>

Terry Bowman, Trump's 2016 campaign Michigan co-chairman and 2020 Workers for Trump national chairman, has also worked for the Ford Motor Company<\/a> for almost three decades. Bowman now chairs the board of the nonpolitical Institute for the American Worker, but he contended what is good for union officials does not \"necessarily mean that it's good for the rank and file.\"<\/p>

\"They like [Trump] personally as a candidate and just as a person,\" Bowman said. \"Secondly, we do now have a history of Donald Trump's policies, and going into 2024, I think workers have looked at: What did Donald Trump do for blue-collar auto workers<\/a>, and what has Joe Biden done for blue-collar workers?\"<\/p>

One of Biden's more politically problematic policies has been his desire to have 50% of all new vehicle sales being electric models<\/a> by 2030, though policy analysts disagree regarding its workforce consequences. Simultaneously, Bowman was temporarily laid off this week because Ford's Rawsonville Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which builds batteries for the maker's electric F-150 Lightning, is reducing production and shifts.<\/p>

\"We have thousands, or tens of thousands of workers in the auto industry in America that work in transmission plants and in engine plants,\" Bowman said. \"There's more jobs coming into the assembly of batteries, but it's not going to be on a one-for-one basis. ... Even with the government subsidies, the demand for these trucks is just not there.\"<\/p>

Trump receiving more support from industrial union workers than Republicans traditionally do is \"part of a longer transformation along educational lines between the political parties,\" according to Michigan State University Institute of Public Policy and Social Research Director Matthew Grossmann. But that does not help Biden, who this week had almost 52,000 Democrats mark themselves as \"uncommitted\" in protest of the Israel<\/a>-Hamas<\/a> war instead of voting for him.<\/p>

\"It's a smaller proportion of the Michigan economy than it used to be, but it still has a lot of cultural resonance because lots of people have family members who work for the auto industry or support the UAW,\" Grossmann said.<\/p>

Mark Gaffney, a former president of Michigan's AFL-CIO<\/a>, a union federation, conceded other types of labor groups have become less politically powerful as their membership has declined, in addition to those members being \"more independent.\"<\/p>

\"Younger members tend to be even more independent,\" Gaffney said, adding that Trump's opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement appealed to industrial union members after years of their leadership describing such deals as bad.<\/p>

\"So along comes Trump, and whether he follows through on everything that he says or not is debatable, but he convinces people that he's talking their language,\" Gaffney continued. \"So we could have lost, in some unions, as many as 40% of our members last time. And that's a pretty big number.\"<\/p>

But Jackie Kelly-Smith, Macomb County Democratic Committee's black caucus chairwoman and a retired UAW worker, was more optimistic concerning Biden's prospects in the community, citing him taking part in last fall's strike.<\/p>

\"We've had this going on since I got hired by General Motors<\/a> in 1975,\" Kelly-Smith said. \"They feel as though my union should not endorse someone that I don't want to vote for. On the other hand, you have the union saying we're going to endorse those that allow us to continue to represent, negotiate, and bargain, and that's not always a Republican president. ... Trump didn't care if we went bankrupt.\"<\/p>

More broadly, the economy, along with border<\/a> security and abortion<\/a> access, could determine the election, with polls demonstrating disapproval of Biden's economic approach. For instance, Biden's economic approval rating is roughly net negative 16 percentage points, with 40% approving and 56% disapproving.<\/p>

Michigan state Rep. Karen Twinsett, a Democrat who represents parts of Detroit and Dearborn in neighboring Wayne County, another critical region, recognized that Biden's economy, or \"Bidenomics,\"<\/a> has been detrimental to her constituents.<\/p>

\"When you're talking about somebody in the presidency, normally, these things don't bother you until they're hitting you at home, like gas prices<\/a> or whatever,\" Twinsett said. \"Everyday people don't think about that stuff, but when you go to the grocery store, you're feeling it.\"<\/p>

In response, state Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-MI), who represents other parts of Dearborn, implored Biden to emphasize \"corporate greed that has been masquerading as inflation.\"<\/p>

\"Inflation<\/a> is real, but also corporations have upped their prices exponentially since the pandemic hit,\" Byrnes said. \"If they don't call it out and don't act on it, people will feel like they're trying to pull the wool over their eyes.\"<\/p>

But Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the dean of Michigan's congressional delegation in Washington, and former state Sen. Tom Barrett, who is contesting Michigan's 7th Congressional District again, argued Bidenomics's damage has already been done. For Walberg, from the five town halls he led last week before his interview with the Washington Examiner, it is \"very clear\" that Bidenomics is \"not working,\" especially related to interest rates <\/a>and energy costs<\/a>, and that only a \"very significant turnaround\" could improve Biden's popularity.<\/p>

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>

Barrett additionally downplayed the importance of Biden's union endorsements after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters<\/a>'s political action committee donated $45,000 to the Republican National Committee's convention fund. The Teamsters have yet to endorse a candidate.<\/p>

\"The national union leadership is always going to endorse Democrats, and the UAW was always going to endorse Biden,\" Barrett said. \"It was just a question of when now they had become frustrated with him over his electric vehicle mandates and other things that really disadvantaged union workers and auto plants because their jobs aren't going to be around. I would say your average or stereotypical UAW worker is probably somebody who cares about crime in their communities, cares about the border a whole heck of a lot.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24023837150822-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813307-1758192090", "title":"Buttigieg was Harris’s first choice for 2024 running mate — if she was not a ‘black woman married to a Jewish man’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3813307%2Fbuttigieg-harris-first-choice-2024-running-mate%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former Vice President Kamala Harris revealed in an excerpt of her upcoming book that she would have chosen former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her 2024 running mate if she were not a “black woman married to a Jewish man.” Harris’s comments suggest Democratic voters wouldn’t want to support a presidential ticket featuring a black […]", "description":""

Former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> revealed in an excerpt of her upcoming book that she would have chosen former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg<\/a> as her 2024 running mate if she were not a \"black woman married to a Jewish man.\"<\/p>

Harris's comments suggest Democratic voters wouldn't want to support a presidential ticket featuring a black woman and a gay man.<\/p>

Buttigieg \"would have been an ideal partner\u2014if I were a straight white man,\" she wrote. \"But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let\u2019s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.\"<\/p>

\"And I think Pete also knew that\u2014to our mutual sadness,\" she added.<\/p>

Harris's political memoir, 107 Days, set for release on Sept. 23, is said to shed light on behind-the-scenes moments during her short-lived presidential campaign. The latest excerpt was published by the Atlantic<\/a> on Wednesday night.<\/p>

Harris took up the Democratic Party's nomination last year after then-President Joe Biden<\/a> unexpectedly dropped out of the race, leaving little time for his successor to appeal to voters. In a previous excerpt<\/a>, also released by the Atlantic, she revealed how Biden's White House team had little confidence in her public skills, making her 2024 run all the more challenging.<\/p>

\"They had a huge comms team; they had Karine Jean-Pierre briefing in the pressroom every day,\" she wrote. \"But getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks was almost impossible.\"<\/p>

Buttigieg was floated as a possible running mate, citing his young age as a reason. Concerned about Biden's deteriorating mental health at the time, the Democratic Party wanted to go with younger candidates who could fit its message about generational change. Harris is 60, and Buttigieg is 43.<\/p>

In her book, the former Democratic nominee said she was aware that she was about to \"cause the same sudden swerve in someone else\u2019s life\" after reflecting on the time she was selected as Biden's running mate in 2020. The passage suggests she didn't want to do that to Buttigieg, with whom she and her Jewish husband Doug Emhoff were close.<\/p>

\"I love Pete,\" she wrote. \"I love working with Pete. He and his husband, Chasten, are friends.\"<\/p>

Harris instead settled for Gov. Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN), 61, as her running mate. The two ultimately lost to President Donald Trump<\/a> and Vice President JD Vance<\/a>.<\/p>

Walz is now seeking reelection<\/a> for a third term as Minnesota governor next year, while Buttigieg is weighing<\/a> a possible 2028 presidential campaign. Harris may also seek the top spot in the White House again after\u00a0announcing\u00a0in July that she would not run for California governor in 2026.<\/p>

HARRIS DEPICTS TENSE RELATIONSHIP WITH BIDEN TEAM IN NEW BOOK: 'HIS TEAM DIDN'T GET IT'<\/a><\/p>

While she hasn't confirmed a 2028 bid, her new book may be seen as a stepping stone toward a possible campaign.<\/p>

Harris is scheduled to visit 15 cities for her book tour, starting in New York City the day after the book\u2019s release next week. Most of Harris's tour stops are in the United States, but there will also be one stop each in England and Canada this fall.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25261098804304.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813395-1758191623", "title":"Former Biden chief of staff arrives for House Oversight autopen investigation", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813395%2Fformer-biden-chief-of-staff-arrives-for-house-oversight-autopen-investigation%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former White House chief of staff Jeff Zients arrived on Capitol Hill Thursday for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into whether Biden administration aides concealed the president’s mental decline or executed official acts on his behalf without consent. Zients did not respond to shouted questions from reporters upon entering the […]", "description":""

Former White House chief of staff\u00a0Jeff Zients<\/a>\u00a0arrived on Capitol Hill Thursday for a closed-door interview with the\u00a0House Oversight Committee<\/a>\u00a0as part of the panel\u2019s investigation into whether Biden administration aides concealed the president\u2019s mental decline or executed official acts on his behalf without consent.<\/p>

Zients did not respond to shouted questions from reporters upon entering the committee\u2019s secure interview room.\u00a0Chairman\u00a0James Comer<\/a>\u00a0(R-KY) said, \"We believe Zients is the guy that was potentially making a lot of decisions down the stretch and had a lot of responsibility with respect to the unauthorized use of the autopen.\"<\/p>

The interview follows months of scrutiny by Comer, who, in a June 27 letter to Zients, accused senior White House officials of possibly \u201cusurping authority\u201d from then-President\u00a0Joe Biden<\/a>\u00a0and hiding signs of his \u201crapidly worsening mental and physical faculties.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe Committee seeks to understand who made key decisions and exercised the powers of the executive branch during the previous administration, possibly without former President Biden\u2019s consent,\u201d Comer wrote in the letter. \u201cThe Committee requests your testimony to evaluate your eye-witness account of former President Biden\u2019s decline.\u201d<\/p>

Zients is the last of 14 total former Biden aides and staffers interviewed in the sweeping inquiry. Comer said Sunday he believed Zients to be the most important interview of the investigation to date, saying \"a lot of things point to him as being one of the chief instigators of many of the pardons, including the pardon of Dr. Fauci. So we want to know what the process was.\"<\/p>

Zients served as Biden\u2019s chief of staff from early 2023 through the end of his term, a period that included his widely criticized presidential debate performance against then-candidate President Donald Trump. In the days after that event, Axios reported that Zients convened a full-staff call to urge aides to rally behind the president and move past what he called \u201cone night.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe all know he is a great president,\u201d Zients reportedly told staff on the July 3 call.<\/p>

The committee cited that call in its letter, arguing Zients\u2019s involvement could be evidence of a coordinated strategy to downplay or obscure Biden\u2019s condition inside the White House. Axios also reported that many staff officials were frustrated by vague talking points from leadership and had little explanation of what occurred during the debate.<\/p>

\u201cThe scope of your responsibilities \u2014 both official and otherwise \u2014 and personal interactions within the Oval Office cannot go without investigation,\u201d Comer wrote. \u201cIf White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive\u2019s condition \u2014 or to perform his duties \u2014Congress may need to consider a legislative response.\u201d<\/p>

Zients appeared voluntarily after committee staff requested confirmation or an alternative date in lieu of a subpoena. His interview had initially been scheduled for Sept. 3 but was postponed following a request from the White House.<\/p>

As part of the sweeping investigation, the Oversight panel is also investigating the Biden White House\u2019s use of the autopen, a mechanical signing device used by past administrations but now under renewed scrutiny by Republicans who question whether Biden\u2019s signature was applied to bills or legal orders without his awareness.<\/p>

While using the autopen is technically legal, according to a 2005 DOJ memorandum<\/a>, Republicans are probing whether there is any evidence to show the president assented to his signature being placed on certain documents or fully understood how the autopen was being used in his name. <\/p>

Biden has pushed back against any suggestion that his staff executed core presidential duties on his behalf, saying he was aware of how the autopen was being used.<\/p>

President Donald Trump has called Biden's use of the autopen to sign various executive orders and grant clemency to thousands of inmates \"one of the biggest\" political scandals in contemporary times.<\/p>

WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES BIDEN STAFFER OF IMPERSONATING CHIEF OF STAFF IN AUTOPEN INVESTIGATION<\/a><\/p>

The committee has already interviewed other senior Biden officials, including former Chief of Staff\u00a0Ron Klain<\/a>\u00a0and,\u00a0most recently<\/a>, former White House press secretary\u00a0Karine Jean-Pierre<\/a>.<\/p>

Comer has said the panel will issue a final report with potential legislative recommendations related to presidential succession, transparency, and use of the 25th Amendment.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24165730058437.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813329-1758190540", "title":"Extending Obamacare subsidies means 3.6M more insured at $350B cost, CBO says", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3813329%2Fextending-obamacare-subsidies-3-6-million-insured-350-billion-cost-cbo%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"At least 3.5 million more Americans would to lose health insurance coverage if Congress does not extend added Obamacare premium subsidy tax credits, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.   The CBO said Thursday in a new analysis requested by congressional Democrats that permanently extending the extra subsidies would raise the number […]", "description":""

At least 3.5 million more Americans would to lose health insurance <\/a>coverage if Congress<\/a> does not extend added Obamacare premium<\/a> subsidy tax credits, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.\u00a0\u00a0The CBO said Thursday in a new analysis requested by congressional Democrats that permanently extending the extra subsidies would raise the number of people with health insurance by 3.6 million by 2030 and 3.8 million by 2035. Premiums for Obamacare marketplace plans would also be lower by 7.6% on average over the next decade. <\/p>

Renewing the expanded subsidies, though, would cost the Treasury $350 billion over the decade. The price tag illustrates the difficulty Republican leaders face in getting fiscal conservatives to support any extension of subsidies, as favored by some more centrist members of the party. <\/p>

The tax credits were enacted by former President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats in 2021 and extended in 2022 as part of relief efforts during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were set to expire at the end of 2025. <\/p>

About 24 million Americans get their health insurance through Obamacare marketplace exchanges, with more than 22 million of those patients qualifying for enhanced premium subsidies. <\/p>

Roughly half of all adults under age 65 with Obamacare marketplace coverage are employed by a small business or are self-employed, according to the healthcare policy organization KFF.<\/p>

Patients are likely to take an even tougher blow as insurers increase their premium rates next year. A report from the health policy organization KFF, which supports expanding the subsidies, found that Obamacare insurers are planning an average premium increase of around 18% <\/a>for 2026. <\/p>

Combined with the expiring subsidies, that means people could be paying an average of 75% more in premiums next year. <\/p>

Democrats have made securing healthcare concessions, including extending the premium subsidies, a pillar of their resistance to the Republican-led continuing resolution to fund the federal government for the rest of the year.\u00a0<\/p>

The deadline to reach a deal on the continuing resolution is Sept. 30, just one month before health insurance open enrollment begins on the Obamacare exchanges and the employer-sponsored insurance market. <\/p>

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) said in a joint statement Monday that the Republican continuing resolution plan \u201cdoes nothing to stop the looming healthcare crisis.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAt a time when families are already being squeezed by higher costs, Republicans refuse to stop Americans from facing double-digit hikes in their health insurance premiums,\u201d said the leading Democrats.<\/p>

Even if the GOP is able to hold the line on premium subsidies during the continuing resolution fight, not extending the tax credits will likely be a re-election liability come the 2026<\/a> midterms next fall.<\/p>

In February, Trumpworld pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward<\/a> found that as many as 78% of swing voters in key House districts supported extending the Obamacare tax credits.<\/p>

Another poll from Fabrizio and Ward in July had similar results, finding that Republicans who supported the tax credits could gain a 6-point advantage <\/a>over Democrats.<\/p>

EXTENDING OBAMACARE TAX CREDITS WON'T FIX HEALTHCARE COSTS<\/a><\/p>

Chris Pope, health policy expert for the Manhattan Institute, previously told the Washington Examiner that the expiring subsidies are \u201cpolitically a much bigger deal\u201d than the healthcare fights over Medicaid policy passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this summer.<\/p>

\u201cThese subsidies are very big, and they would have an immediate impact, and so I think there\u2019s going to be a real desire to not get caught on the wrong side of it, politically, from Republicans,\u201d said Pope. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/iStock-889031464.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813343-1758189665", "title":"Military helicopter crashes near Washington base", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813343%2Fmilitary-helicopter-crashes-near-washington-base%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A military helicopter crashed Wednesday evening near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington. “This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time,” Scot Keith, a JBLM garrison public affairs officer, said. The crash occurred around 9:00 p.m. in a rural area near Olympia, Washington. Authorities said the scene of the crash […]", "description":""

A military helicopter crashed Wednesday evening near Joint Base Lewis\u2013McChord in Washington<\/a>.<\/p>

\"This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time,\" Scot Keith, a JBLM garrison public affairs officer, said.<\/p>

The crash occurred around 9:00 p.m. in a rural area near Olympia, Washington. Authorities said the scene of the crash is believed to be about 40 miles from the base.<\/p>

There has been no confirmation of how many people were on board or of their condition.<\/p>

POTOMAC PLANE CRASH CAUSED BY PILOT AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ERROR<\/a><\/p>

\"We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist,\" the Thurston County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.<\/p>

In 2024, two pilots were injured at Joint Base Lewis\u2013McChord when a helicopter crashed during routine training.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24180628602153.jpg?w=650" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813325-1758189537", "title":"Pope Leo urges Trump administration to have respect for ‘human dignity’ in first interview", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fimmigration%2F3813325%2Fpope-leo-interview-trump-administration-respect-human-dignity%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Pope Leo XIV pushed the Trump administration to display respect for every human being in his first interview since assuming the highest position of authority at the Vatican.  The Chicago-born Leo became history’s first American pope in May. In an interview by the Catholic news site Crux, the pope reiterated concerns that the agenda led […]", "description":""

Pope Leo XIV<\/a> pushed the Trump administration to display respect for every human being in his first interview since assuming the highest position of authority at the Vatican<\/a>. <\/p>

The Chicago-born Leo became history\u2019s first American pope in May. In an interview by the Catholic news site Crux, the pope reiterated concerns that the agenda led by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to deport illegal immigrants undermines respect for human dignity. <\/p>

\u201cOne of the last conversations I had with the vice president of the United States \u2014 I have not had direct conversations with or have not met the president \u2014 I talked about human dignity and how important that is for all people, wherever you\u2019re born, and hopefully to find ways to respect human beings and the way we treat them in the policies and choices we make,\u201d Leo said in interview, during which he praised a letter<\/a> then-Pope Francis sent to U.S. bishops earlier this year rebuking Vance\u2019s suggestion that Catholic doctrine justified mass deportations of migrants. <\/p>

While Leo said he doesn\u2019t \u201cplan to get involved in partisan politics,\" he weighed in on the role he believes the U.S. should play in the world, and spoke out against polarization and radicalization some fear is taking over the country in the wake of political influencer Charlie Kirk\u2019s recent assassination. <\/p>

\u201cThe United States is a power player on the world level, we have to recognize that, and sometimes decisions are made more based on economics than on human dignity and human support, but [we have to] continue to challenge and to raise some questions and to see the best way to do that,\u201d the people said. <\/p>

\"We have to continue to remind ourselves of the potential that humanity has to overcome the violence and the hatred that is just dividing us more and more,\" he continued. \"We live in times when polarization seems to be one of the words of the day, but it's not helping anybody. Or if it's helping anyone, it's very few when everyone else is suffering.\"<\/p>

Leo also stressed he would \u201cwant to support\u201d Trump in his efforts \u201cpromoting peace in the world,\" with his comments coming as the president has grappled with bringing an end to wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The pope is not afraid to \u201craise issues,\u201d to \u201ccontinue to challenge\u201d and to engage Trump directly if given the opportunity, he said, adding that unlike his papal predecessor, \u201cthe fact that I am American means, among other things, people can\u2019t say, like they did about Francis, \u2018he doesn\u2019t understand the United States. He just doesn\u2019t see what\u2019s going on\u2019.\u201d<\/p>

Members of the Trump administration, including Vance, were among the thousands of delegates and world leaders who attended Leo\u2019s inauguration this spring. <\/p>

POPE LEO XIV: CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST BECOMES FIRST-EVER AMERICAN PONTIFF<\/a><\/p>

Leo addressed the weight of being the 267th pope during the interview released this month. <\/p>

\"There's still a huge learning curve ahead of me,\" he said. \"The totally new aspect to this job is being thrown onto the level of world leader.\u201d <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260301479986-e1758203023775.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813231-1758189160", "title":"Did Democrats forget about Disney firing Gina Carano and Roseanne Barr?", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3813231%2Fdid-democrats-forget-about-disney-firing-gina-carano-and-roseanne-barr%2F", "byline":"Christopher Tremoglie", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Just a few days after a supposed nationwide reckoning over the ramifications of political rhetoric, Democrats returned to their old inflammatory ways on Wednesday after bemoaning ABC’s decision to remove late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel from its network indefinitely for comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. ABC’s parent company is the Walt Disney […]", "description":""

Just a few days after a supposed nationwide reckoning over the ramifications of political rhetoric, Democrats<\/a> returned to their old inflammatory ways on Wednesday after bemoaning ABC\u2019s decision to remove late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> from its network indefinitely for comments he made about Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination. ABC's parent company is the Walt Disney Company<\/a>.<\/p>

Yet, while such reactions are expected, they are also quite hypocritical, as the people claiming outrage over Kimmel<\/a> were conspicuously silent when actresses Gina Carano and Roseann Barr were fired by the same company that oversees Kimmel's show due to comments they made.\u00a0<\/p>

As is often the case with the contemporary American Left, its furor is performative, disingenuous, and outright hypocritical. It is more mad that it was held to the standards it created than the action itself. It has regularly demonstrated that it does not like it when the shoe is on the other foot.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWe hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,\u201d Kimmel said during his monologue on Monday\u2019s show. The comments did not sit well with network executives.<\/p>

TRUMP TO TARGET \u2018RADICAL-LEFT\u2019 GROUPS FUNDING VIOLENCE THAT LED TO CHARLIE KIRK\u2019S DEATH<\/a><\/p>

\u201cNexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,\u201d the country\u2019s largest television station owner said<\/a> on Wednesday. They announced they would \u201cpreempt \u2018Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u2019 for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight\u2019s show.\u201d<\/p>

In typical Democrat and left-wing fashion, they went apoplectic, resorting to hyperbolic hysteria, claiming Nexstar\u2019s decision was a violation of free speech. There were doomsday prognostications, predictions of a coming apocalypse, fire and brimstone, and a plague of locusts. So, where was all of this when Carano lost her job? Where was the righteous indignation when comedian Roseanne Barr was fired from her show?<\/p>

In those instances, restricting freedom of speech was permissible because the fired entertainers went against contemporary left-wing political orthodoxy. When those same standards of intolerance are held to one of their own, then all of a sudden it is a threat to democracy, a constitutional crisis, an infringement of rights, or whatever other nonsense Democrats are claiming.<\/p>

Social media was rife with left-wing freakouts and Democrat claims of suppression, oppression, and an infringement of democracy. <\/p>

For example, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) called<\/a> a private media company's decision to make its own choice on what it wanted to air on its networks a \u201cmassive, history-making abuse of power.\u201d He categorized it as an attempt to \u201cdestroy democracy.\u201d<\/p>

The Democrats' official X account posted<\/a> a message saying, \u201cLEGALIZE COMEDY. FREE JIMMY KIMMEL.\u201d This is quite hypocritical, given how much Democrats did to suppress speech, comedy, and entertainment over the last decade that they disagreed with. <\/p>

There are honestly too many examples to post of Democrats and others on the Left losing their minds over the Kimmel news. All one has to do is peruse any social media, and the hysteria is easily viewable. Yet all of this outrage, all of this anger, all of these condemnations were nowhere to be found when ABC fired Roseanne Barr and Disney, the parent company of ABC, fired actress Gina Carano from the hit show The Mandalorian in 2021, supposedly due to \u201ccontroversial\u201d social media posts.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Same company, different firings, much different reactions by liberals, Democrats, and others on the Left. It is indicative of everything one needs to know about Democrats and their grievances. It is all performative, deceptive, and manipulative. They don\u2019t care about speech, rights, the First Amendment, or any of the other things they are currently whining about. They just don\u2019t want to be held accountable for the environment and standards they created.<\/p>

By now, Democrats should have lost all credibility when it comes to virtuous pursuits or defending people\u2019s rights. They are not to be trusted or believed. Their idea of free speech is solely rooted in the ideology that the contents of the speech support. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Feat.LateNight2.081325.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813308-1758189137", "title":"WATCH LIVE: DC officials testify before House Oversight Committee", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813308%2Fwatch-live-dc-officials-testify-before-house-oversight-committee%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Several Washington, D.C., officials will testify before the House Oversight Committee at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council of the District of Columbia Chairman Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb will testify on public safety and crime, the current state of the district, and opportunities for continued federal assistance in […]", "description":""

Several Washington, D.C.<\/a>, officials will testify before the House<\/a> Oversight Committee at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.<\/p>

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council of the District of Columbia Chairman Phil Mendelson, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb will testify on public safety and crime, the current state of the district, and opportunities for continued federal assistance in the capital.<\/p>

HOUSE VOTES TO GIVE TRUMP MORE CONTROL OVER DC JUDGES<\/a><\/p>

The hearing, led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA), comes days after the House passed two bills directed at the district: one that would give President Donald Trump authority to nominate D.C. judges<\/a> and one that would change how D.C. minors are prosecuted<\/a>.<\/p>

Gregory Jackson Jr., the former deputy director of the White House office of gun violence prevention under former President Joe Biden's administration, will also appear before the committee.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25246702925501-e1758204923155.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813266-1758186955", "title":"Kimmel cancellation continues trend of Trump victories against legacy media", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3813266%2Fkimmel-cancellation-continues-trend-of-trump-victories-against-legacy-media%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on Wednesday marks the latest hit to the mainstream media that President Donald Trump is touting as a win.  Trump has long decried legacy media, which he perceives as a cesspool of biased outlets entrenched in corruption that are seeking to manipulate narratives against his Make America […]", "description":""

ABC\u2019s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s<\/a> late-night show on Wednesday marks the latest hit to the mainstream media that President Donald Trump<\/a> is touting as a win.\u00a0<\/p>

Trump has long decried legacy media, which he perceives as a cesspool of biased outlets entrenched in corruption that are seeking to manipulate narratives against his Make America Great Again<\/a> movement.\u00a0<\/p>

Kimmel, who was put on indefinite leave<\/a> on Wednesday after the late-night host made controversial remarks on conservative activist Charlie Kirk\u2019s<\/a> assassination, was one of the many legacy media figures Trump has attacked. Kimmel\u2019s fall from grace comes shortly after comedian Stephen Colbert\u2019s CBS show, which was similarly attacked<\/a> by Trump, was recently axed for \u201cfinancial\u201d reasons, leading the president to issue a celebratory statement hailing \u201cgreat news for America.\u201d<\/p>

As Trump turns his sights<\/a> to NBC late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers for removal, he can add Kimmel and Colbert\u2019s dethronement as the latest string of victories he has declared against the mainstream media. <\/p>

In July, the president secured a $16 million settlement<\/a> from CBS after he accused the network of doctoring his political rival\u2019s 60 Minutes interview to make her look better during the 2024 presidential campaign cycle. Trump\u2019s team highlighted the settlement as a \u201cwin for the American people\u201d and held \u201cfake news media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.\u201d<\/p>

The previous December, Trump secured a similar $15 million settlement deal<\/a> from ABC News after the president accused its top anchor, George Stephanopoulos, of defaming him on live television for claiming he had been found liable for rape. The network was forced to issue an apology and recant the claims. <\/p>

Trump has also defied the mainstream media<\/a> during his second term in office by revolutionizing the White House press corps. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has ushered in sweeping changes <\/a>on the president\u2019s behalf, scorning legacy outlets in a push to expand access to \u201cnew media\u201d amid concerns that \u201cAmericans\u2019 trust in mass media has fallen to a record low.\u201d The new media pool<\/a> expands access to independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to cover Trump.<\/p>

Some of the president\u2019s efforts to resist mainstream outlets continue to play out in court battles, including when he filed a lawsuit <\/a>against the Wall Street Journal seeking $10 billion in damages over allegations the outlet made libelous claims against him. The outcome of the July lawsuit, which accuses the Journal of authorizing a story lying about Trump\u2019s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, remains uncertain. <\/p>

Trump\u2019s legal battles against what he believes to be left-wing media are also embodied in his effort to defund and dismantle government-funded media. U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees news networks like Voice of America<\/a> and Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, has come under scrutiny<\/a> by leading White House officials, a move that has prompted judicial pushback<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Another Trump-led push<\/a> to defund taxpayer-funded media outlets accused of left-wing bias has had a more successful outcome. In July, Congress voted to claw back $1.1 billion <\/a>in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over a two-year period, which will financially damage PBS and National Public Radio.\u00a0<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Trump\u2019s efforts come as he has long expressed concern that establishment media is biased against him, amid data from the Media Research Center showing 92% of the major network media coverage of him during his first 100 days in office this year was negative. <\/p>

Many media outlets are \"political arms of the Democrat party,\u201d the president alleged during a speech at the Justice Department in March. \u201cAnd in my opinion, they're really corrupt and they're illegal. What they do is illegal.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259507033248-e1758201057957.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813163-1758183392", "title":"Trump swaps Windsor Castle for Chequers in final leg of UK state visit", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3813163%2Ftrump-swaps-windsor-castle-chequers-final-leg-uk-state-visit%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"AYLESBURY, England — President Donald Trump ended his stay at Windsor Castle Thursday morning before heading to Chequers for the final leg of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom. Before his departure, King Charles III shook hands with Trump and exchanged pleasantries, prompting Trump to turn to the press and say, “He’s a great […]", "description":""

AYLESBURY, England \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> ended his stay at Windsor<\/a> Castle Thursday morning before heading to Chequers for the final leg of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>

Before his departure, King Charles III shook hands with Trump and exchanged pleasantries, prompting Trump to turn to the press and say, \u201cHe\u2019s a great gentleman and a great king,\u201d before he boarded Marine One.<\/p>

And just a short helicopter flight later, Trump and the rest of the American delegation arrived at the prime minister\u2019s country retreat. Trump traveled from the landing zone to the main house in his presidential SUV, waving to the gathered press, but a number of his aides chose to walk the several hundred yards up the driveway from the green, including White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political, and public affairs James Blair and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.<\/p>

Both men attended Wednesday night\u2019s state banquet and made their approval known when asked about the meal. <\/p>

\"It was great,\" Blair said with a smile, while Bessent flashed a thumbs-up. \"You can\u2019t buy a ticket to that.\"<\/p>

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeted Trump upon his arrival at the main house, and the welcome party additionally included 11 Royal Air Force aviators and two bagpipers who played as Trump exited his vehicle.<\/p>

Thursday\u2019s bilateral,\u00a0the so-called hard business following Wednesday\u2019s lavish visit to Windsor Castle, will see Trump and Starmer continue negotiations on the finer points of a bilateral trade deal brokered between the United States and the U.K. over the summer, the first trade deal Trump\u2019s White House secured after the president announced his \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariff rates in April.<\/p>

Still, Trump seems unlikely to secure the relief two of America\u2019s biggest tech companies, Apple and Google, have sought in the face of a new regulatory crackdown from 10 Downing.<\/p>

American and British government officials tell the Washington Examiner that the leaders will discuss two new trans-Atlantic partnerships that will see the U.S. and U.K. expand their collaboration on artificial intelligence and nuclear energy production.\u00a0<\/p>

LAVISH STATE BANQUET CAPS DAY OF MAGNIFICENT CEREMONY FOR TRUMP IN UK<\/a><\/p>

Chequers, a 16th-century manor located roughly 40 miles west of London, has served as the British \u201cCamp David\u201d for more than 100 years. The property maintains an archive of Prime Minister Winston Churchill\u2019s personal effects. Trump has repeatedly pointed to Churchill as one of his political heroes, and Starmer will grant Trump a private tour of Chequers\u2019s Churchill archives during Thursday\u2019s visit.<\/p>

Government officials say Trump and Starmer plan to attend a reception with business and technology leaders to announce the aforementioned technology and nuclear partnerships, before ending the day by holding a joint press conference.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25261367092332.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813218-1758182750", "title":"WATCH LIVE: Trump meets with Keir Starmer during UK visit", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3813218%2Fwatch-live-trump-meets-keir-starmer-uk-visit%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the latter’s country home, Chequers. The two are set to hold a joint press conference at 9:20 a.m. POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS Trump met with King Charles III on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> at the latter's country home, Chequers.<\/p>

The two are set to hold a joint press conference at 9:20 a.m.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Trump met with King Charles III on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where they feasted at a lavish banquet.<\/p>

Following the show of hospitality, Trump's visit with Starmer will focus on political matters, including the signing of a technology prosperity deal centered on artificial intelligence investment.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227361633.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811808-1758182400", "title":"The center is real. Washington just can’t see it", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fin_focus%2F3811808%2Fthe-center-is-real-washington-just-cant-see-it%2F", "byline":"Samuel J. Abrams", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. Scroll through cable news or X, and you’d think America […]", "description":""

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here<\/a>.<\/p>

Scroll through cable news<\/a> or X, and you\u2019d think America is tearing itself apart. The loudest voices dominate our screens, depicting a country split into warring tribes. But the real divide isn\u2019t between millions of radicalized citizens. It\u2019s between a pragmatic, commonsense public and political elites who have sorted themselves into two rigidly uniform parties. Most Americans still hold a mix of views and believe in repair. What\u2019s broken is not the people, but the politics that no longer reflect them.<\/p>

Kristen Soltis Anderson<\/a> is right to challenge the popular narrative that the country is hopelessly divided. In her recent New York Times <\/a>column<\/a>, she notes that only a small share of voters live at the ideological extremes. This matches decades of survey data showing that the majority of Americans are pragmatic and heterodox, not locked into rigid left-right tribes.<\/p>

THE ANTI-COMMUNIST FILM FESTIVAL<\/a><\/p>

While Anderson\u2019s focus groups and polling capture this complexity, the story is deeper and more troubling. The phenomenon we\u2019re witnessing isn\u2019t just polarization; it\u2019s sorting.<\/p>

Sorting is different from polarization. Polarization suggests that everyday Americans are deeply divided and irreconcilable. Sorting, by contrast, means that people who once held a mix of partisan identities now cluster neatly into one party or the other. A generation ago, there were conservative Democrats<\/a>, liberal Republicans<\/a>, and many voters whose loyalties crossed party lines. Today, those cross-pressures have largely vanished.<\/p>

In 1970, a Democrat might have been pro-labor but socially conservative, while a Republican might have favored free markets yet supported environmental regulation. Now, those combinations are nearly extinct. Voters haven\u2019t become dramatically more ideological, but the parties have become purer, louder, and less representative of the public.<\/p>

This helps explain why our politics feels so bitter, even though public opinion consistently shows broad consensus on many core issues. Surveys from the AEI Survey Center on American Life<\/a> and the Pew Research Center<\/a> reveal striking agreement on questions ranging from childcare and housing affordability to immigration reform and institutional repair. What has changed is not what Americans believe, but how our political system translates those beliefs into power.<\/p>

This mismatch has corrosive effects. Closed primaries reward ideological purists and punish compromise. In many congressional districts, small minorities of voters turn out for primaries, meaning a narrow, highly ideological group effectively picks the winner. Gerrymandered<\/a> districts shield incumbents from competition, while activists and donors exert outsize influence. Cable news and social media amplify the loudest, angriest voices. These structural forces ensure the extremes are vastly overrepresented while pragmatic voters are sidelined. The sorting of elites has been so complete that it now drowns out the sensible middle.<\/p>

The result is a distorted picture of American life. Political fights on Twitter are treated as representative of the public mood, when they reflect the incentives of a narrow, mobilized class of professionals and activists. Everyday Americans may express frustration with politics, but they don\u2019t spend their lives online or in ideological echo chambers. They\u2019re too busy raising families, working, and trying to solve problems in their communities.<\/p>

This dynamic is especially visible<\/a> among young Americans. College<\/a> campuses are often portrayed as epicenters of radicalism, but most students are not extremists. They crave dialogue and spaces where disagreement doesn\u2019t lead to exile. Yet they live in environments where a vocal minority of activists and faculty dominate and restrict the discourse. As a result, campuses have become a microcosm of national politics: a quiet majority overshadowed by elites who thrive on division.<\/p>

Anderson highlights a striking data point: the fastest-growing segment of the electorate is not libertarian-leaning social progressives who favor small government. Instead, voters are socially cautious but economically open to a more active role for government. This group, now roughly one-fifth of Americans, defies conventional party labels. Many younger voters fit this description, embracing government action on mental health or housing while resisting ideological conformity on cultural debates.<\/p>

Voters are complicated. They take a stance from Column A and another from Column B. Yet our political system insists on binary choices, treating heterodox citizens as anomalies rather than the norm. When people don\u2019t see themselves reflected in either party, cynicism grows. That cynicism is dangerous; not because it makes Americans give up, but because it leaves them vulnerable to simplistic narratives and demagogues who promise to smash a \u201ccorrupt system\u201d rather than fix it.<\/p>

It\u2019s no wonder many independents simultaneously believe that the government is broken and yet express hope that institutions can be repaired. They are not anti-government so much as anti-dysfunction. They want reform, not destruction. The challenge is to create pathways for that hope to translate into real power and lasting change.<\/p>

The mistake would be to treat Anderson\u2019s \u201ccenter\u201d as merely descriptive, a cluster of survey responses or a polling artifact. It is, in fact, a vast potential governing coalition. But unlocking its power will require reforms that change how our politics rewards behavior: open primaries, fairer districting, and media that stop amplifying fringe theatrics at the expense of genuine dialogue.<\/p>

There are models to build on. Civic education initiatives like those at Utah Valley University and Generation Citizen show that when young people are given the tools to deliberate and lead, they rise to the occasion. Local mentorship programs and community organizations can anchor individuals in networks of trust and purpose. These efforts won\u2019t fix dysfunction in Washington overnight, but they strengthen the habits of citizenship that a healthy democracy requires.<\/p>

A recent Gallup survey<\/a> found that only 28% of Americans have a \u201cgreat deal\u201d or \u201cquite a lot\u201d of confidence in major institutions, near a historic low dating back to 1979. Yet those numbers have stabilized rather than collapsing further, showing that while trust is deeply shaken, it has not disappeared entirely. Likewise, Pew Research has found<\/a> that more than 80% of Americans believe confidence in government and one another can be rebuilt. Even amid widespread disillusionment, most citizens still believe in the possibility of repair, a vital signal of resilience and hope.<\/p>

YES, CELEBRATING MURDER IS GROUNDS FOR SOCIAL EXILE<\/a><\/p>

The center is not a myth. It has been here all along: quiet, steady, and waiting to be heard. Those who make up this vast middle may need to become better organized, more vocal, and more assertive, but they are very real. The task ahead is not to conjure them into existence but to build a politics worthy of their trust, participation, and voice.<\/p>

Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting scholar with Sutherland Institute. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258041294653.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812163-1758178800", "title":"Third round of September Social Security payments issues in six days", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3812163%2Fthird-round-september-social-security-payments-issues-six-days%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The third round of September Social Security payments for retirees aged 62 and above, now capped at $5,108, will be issued in six days. When will checks arrive? Retirees born on or after the 21st of a month will receive this payment on Sept. 24.  The first round of payments was issued on Sept. 10 […]", "description":""

The third round of September Social Security payments for retirees aged 62 and above, now capped at $5,108, will be issued in six days.<\/p>When will checks arrive?

Retirees born on or after the 21st of a month will receive this payment on Sept. 24<\/a>. <\/p>

The first round of payments was issued on Sept. 10 for retirees born between the first and 10th, and the second round followed on Sept. 17 to those born between the 11th and 20th of a month.<\/p>When am I eligible?

Citizens are eligible for Social Security payments beginning at 62 years old.<\/p>How can I maximize my check?

Social Security payment amounts are determined by several factors, including age of retirement, the amount paid into Social Security, and the number of years paid into Social Security.<\/p>

Payments largely depend<\/a> on a recipient\u2019s retirement age. Someone retiring at the youngest age, 62, could receive up to $2,831 per month<\/a>, while a 70-year-old retiree could receive up to $5,108 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.<\/p>

Beneficiaries can see a personalized estimate of how much they could expect each month through<\/a> the SSA\u2019s calculator.<\/p>

FED CUTS INTEREST RATES FOR FIRST TIME IN TRUMP\u2019S SECOND TERM<\/a><\/p>How is it financed?

Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid for by employers and employees.<\/p>

Social Security payment amounts are set to shrink unless Congress takes action to prevent it. Analysts estimate<\/a> the SSA will no longer be able to issue full payments as early as 2034 due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking number of workers.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Social-Security-Money-8-3.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812225-1758178800", "title":"October Social Security direct payment worth $967 goes out in 13 days", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3812225%2Foctober-social-security-direct-payment-worth-967-goes-out-13-days%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"October Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $967, will be issued to recipients in 13 days on Oct. 1. Most SSI payments are issued on the first of every month, including October. The following November payment, however, will be issued on Oct. 31, since Nov. 1 falls on a weekend this year. Beneficiaries are […]", "description":""

October Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $967, will be issued to recipients in 13 days on Oct. 1.<\/p>

Most SSI payments are issued on the first of every month, including October. The following November payment, however, will be issued on Oct. 31, since Nov. 1 falls on a weekend this year.<\/p>

Beneficiaries are individuals with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have another qualifying disability.<\/p>

The amount recipients receive varies based on several factors, including the number of people filing<\/a>. Individuals, for instance, can receive up to $967, couples filing together can receive $1,450, and essential people providing necessary care to SSI recipients can receive up to $484.\u00a0<\/p>

January SSI payments increased by 2.5%<\/a> to keep pace with inflation. <\/p>

In addition to the previous prerequisites for receiving SSI payments<\/a>, recipients must also be U.S. citizens or noncitizens in one of the alien classifications granted by the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>

TRUMP UN AMBASSADOR PICK MIKE WALTZ HEADED FOR VOTE AFTER DEMOCRATIC SLOW-WALKING<\/a><\/p>

Additionally, they must live in one of the 50 states, Washington D.C., or the Northern Mariana Islands and must not be absent from the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.<\/p>

A full calendar<\/a> for the Social Security Administration payments can be viewed on the agency\u2019s website.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Social-Security-Money-7-3.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812674-1758178800", "title":"Discord’s links to shootings back in spotlight following Charlie Kirk assassination", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigations%2F3812674%2Fdiscord-back-in-spotlight-following-charlie-kirk-assassination%2F", "byline":"Mia Cathell", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Several mass shooters in recent years have used Discord as a platform for sharing their plans, an alarming pattern relevant to reports that Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, confessed to the shooting in a Discord chat. Robinson appeared to admit guilt in a Discord chat group the day after Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University, […]", "description":""

Several mass shooters in recent years have used Discord as a platform for sharing their plans, an alarming pattern relevant to reports that\u00a0Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u2019s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, confessed to the shooting in a Discord chat.<\/p>

Robinson appeared to admit guilt in a Discord chat group the day after Kirk\u2019s assassination at Utah Valley University, according to screenshots obtained<\/a> by the Washington Post.<\/p>

\u201cIt was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all of this,\u201d read a message reportedly sent by Robinson on the night after the attack.<\/p>

The group chat, consisting of more than 20 members, reportedly reacted in real time to Kirk\u2019s assassination. In a follow-up message, Robinson reportedly wrote: \u201cThanks for all the good times and laughs. You\u2019ve all been so amazing.\u201d<\/p>

Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation<\/a> is looking into whether Discord was used operationally in the assassination plot or if anyone online knew of it in advance.<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

Discord disputed that any \u201cplanning details\u201d were disclosed on the instant messaging application, though the company acknowledged the existence of an account operated by Robinson.<\/p>

\u201cWe have not found or received any evidence that the suspect planned this incident on Discord or promoted violence on Discord,\u201d a spokesperson for the social media site said.<\/p>

Discord is no stranger to content moderation concerns, as the tech company has previously faced calls for more online oversight regarding radical activity in violence-themed chatrooms.<\/p>

The unfolding saga in the Kirk assassination investigation casts a spotlight on how past perpetrators of high-profile shootings had taken to Discord to announce their plans, ideate about committing mass violence, and at times coordinate logistics.<\/p>Buffalo supermarket shooting

On May 14, 2022, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron opened fire<\/a> at a Tops Friendly Markets store in a predominantly black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York<\/a>, taking 10 lives and injuring three more people.<\/p>

In the aftermath, authorities retrieved thousands of chat logs linked to Gendron off of Discord, which were written in the form of an online diary and dated over a stretch of several months.<\/p>

From mid-November 2021 to May 2022, the postings recounted reconnaissance of the target performed in the lead-up to the attack. These entries, laying out a monthslong plot in excruciating detail, revealed multiple visits to Tops Friendly Markets to survey the store\u2019s layout and analyze a Google graph feature<\/a> for the location\u2019s busiest times. As part of preparations for the racially motivated mass shooting, the Discord account admitted to strategically targeting that area in Buffalo because of its large black population.<\/p>

Discord verified<\/a> that Gendron had invited \u201ca small group\u201d of users to view the diary-style chat logs via a private Discord server about half an hour beforehand.<\/p>

\u201cA private, invite-only server was created by the suspect to serve as a personal diary chat log,\u201d a Discord spokesperson said. \u201cApproximately 30 minutes prior to the attack, however, a small group of people were invited to and joined the server. Before that, our records indicate no other people saw the diary chat log in this private server.\u201d<\/p>

Discord removed the server and all associated content \u201cas soon as\u201d the company was made aware of it in the wake of the supermarket shooting, the spokesperson said. Up until that point, Gendron\u2019s posts were accessible to invitees as well as anyone whom they may have shared access with.<\/p>

At least 15 users joined Gendron\u2019s server shortly before the supermarket shooting spree, a source with knowledge of Discord\u2019s internal investigation told<\/a> CNN.<\/p>

Other than the online diary, Gendron reportedly<\/a> received weapons tips in another Discord server where members mostly discussed guns and tactical gear. Reports say Gendron sought specific advice on ammunition, which weapons to use, and the best bulletproof vests, such as \u201cWhat kind of bullets will defeat body armor?\u201d<\/p>

In a Discord channel<\/a> titled \u201cto-do-list,\u201d Gendron seemingly documented step-by-step plans for the impending attack. The agenda items included \u201cfully load mags,\u201d \u201ctest out Winchester ammo,\u201d and \u201cstream Twitch on Discord,\u201d with an \u201cX\u201d appearing next to each task, apparently completed. Gendron did indeed livestream the shooting through Twitch, a video-streaming platform also popular among gamers, and advertised the link on Discord.<\/p>Apalachee High School shooting

On Sept. 4, 2024, 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly shot<\/a> 11 victims, killing two students and two teachers, at Apalachee High School, marking the deadliest school shooting in the history of Georgia<\/a>.<\/p>

In May 2023, more than a year before the attack, Gray is alleged to have discussed on Discord his desire to commit a mass shooting on school grounds.<\/p>

Anonymous tips forward to the FBI\u2019s National Threat Operations Center reported threatening posts from a Discord profile that referenced plans for a future massacre and contained pictures of guns.<\/p>

\"I'm committing a mass shooting and I'm waiting a good 2-3 years,\" the Discord account wr<\/a>o<\/a>te<\/a> in a chatroom, according to screenshots included in an FBI incident report. \"I can't kill myself yet, cause I'm not contributing anything to culture, I need to go out knowing I did.\"<\/p>

Text above a photograph posted of two firearms reads, \u201cI\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>

Federal forensics traced the Discord account to a teenage suspect in Georgia, and local law enforcement located Gray, who reportedly used a Russian username in which the letters, when translated, spelled out \u201cLanza,\u201d an apparent reference to Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza.<\/p>

EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTING<\/a><\/p>

In a press statement<\/a>, Discord said the site removed the account \u201cbelieved to be associated with\u201d Gray for violating the platform\u2019s policy against violent extremism<\/a> following the initial investigation.<\/p>

Authorities, however, did not arrest Gray at the time because investigators could not find enough evidence to tie him to the Discord account due to \u201cinconsistent\u201d<\/a> metadata.<\/p>Perry High School shooting

On Jan. 4, 2024, 17-year-old Dylan Butler fatally shot<\/a> a sixth-grader and wounded seven others, including four students and three staff members, before killing himself at a high school in Perry, Iowa<\/a>. Perry High School principal Dan Marburger died days later as a result of injuries he sustained during the shooting.<\/p>

Butler allegedly sent messages on Discord about \u201cgearing up\u201d in the school bathroom moments before the mass shooting.<\/p>

Under the Discord username \u201ctook2much,\u201d Butler reportedly told a group of online friends that he was at the school and ready \u201cfor what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m f\u2014ing nervous,\u201d the Discord account messaged after 10 minutes. \u201cI\u2019m in the bathroom, gearing up.\u201d<\/p>

Using a racial slur, the account added: \u201cThere\u2019s a n\u2014 in the bathroom. I need him to leave so I can assemble my guns.\u201d<\/p>

A spokesperson for Discord confirmed<\/a> that the company believed the account belonged to Butler.<\/p>

\u201cDiscord has a zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence and violent extremism, which is reflected in our Community Guidelines<\/a>,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe took immediate action against the suspect and his content, and are currently cooperating with law enforcement to assist them in their continuing investigation.\u201d<\/p>

COMER CALLS ON DISCORD AND REDDIT CEOS TO TESTIFY OVER ONLINE RADICALIZATION AFTER KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Butler also appeared to have been a part of a since-shuttered Discord chatroom dedicated to discussing school shootings.<\/p>

In November 2023, another user flagged the Discord chatroom, called \u201cSchool Massacres Discussion,\u201d to the FBI, but an agent who reached out over email asking for further information reportedly did not respond to screenshots the tipster accordingly supplied of the server. The now-defunct chatroom was then shut down sometime prior to the Perry High School shooting.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner contacted Discord for comment on this story.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Discord-app.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813177-1758176584", "title":"Giuliani ordered to pay $1.36 million in legal fees from efforts to overturn 2020 election", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813177%2Fgiuliani-ordered-to-pay-legal-fees%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to pay $1.36 million in legal fees stemming from his involvement in activities challenging President Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.  Judge Arthur Engoron issued the ruling on Tuesday to settle the lawsuit brought by Robert Costello, a lawyer from the firm Davidoff Hutcher […]", "description":""

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani<\/a> has been ordered to pay $1.36 million in legal fees stemming from his involvement in activities challenging President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s defeat in the 2020 election.\u00a0<\/p>

Judge Arthur Engoron issued the ruling on Tuesday to settle the lawsuit brought by Robert Costello, a lawyer from the firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, according to the Associated Press. Giuliani had claimed<\/a> that he never received any legal invoices. However, Engoron rejected that claim.\u00a0<\/p>

Engoron also ruled that Giuliani must pay interest to Costello, bringing his total owed to approximately $1.6 million. The former mayor is also responsible for legal fees that Costello and his firm paid when filing the lawsuit to recover Giuliani\u2019s unpaid lawyer fees, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>

Ted Goodman, a spokesman for Giuliani, rebuffed Engoron\u2019s ruling and said he would appeal the decision.<\/p>

\u201cThe idea that Judge Arthur Engoron is permitted to sit on a case involving President Donald Trump\u2019s good friend and former personal lawyer, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, flies in the face of justice and demonstrates the partisan political nature of this decision,\u201d Goodman said<\/a>.<\/p>

Costello represented<\/a> Giuliani in multiple criminal investigations after Giuliani\u2019s comments and actions following the 2020 presidential election, including those by the House Jan. 6<\/a> committee, special counsel Jack Smith, the Fulton County District Attorney\u2019s Office, and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.\u00a0<\/p>

Costello claimed<\/a> that his firm represented Giuliani in more than 10 lawsuits \"in various state and federal courts, as well as participating in representing the Defendant in disciplinary proceedings regarding his law license in the District of Columbia.\u201d<\/p>

Giuliani only paid $214,000 of a $1,574,196.10 legal bill he owed to Costello's firm, reported CBS News.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Engoron\u2019s ruling is the latest setback for Giuliani after the 2020 election, which includes being disbarred<\/a> in New York for \u201crepeatedly and intentionally made false statements\u201d about the election, losing a $148 million defamation lawsuit<\/a> against two Georgia election workers who Giuliani claimed were involved in stealing the 2020 election, and other legal woes.\u00a0<\/p>

Most recently, he was badly injured<\/a> after a high-speed car crash in New Hampshire in August. He suffered a fractured vertebra, an injured left arm and lower leg, and multiple lacerations and contusions, the Washington Examiner previously reported.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rudy-giuliani-car-crash.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811292-1758175200", "title":"Medicare should not stop seniors from accessing physical therapy", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3811292%2Fmedicare-should-not-stop-senior-access-physical-therapy%2F", "byline":"Anastasia Boden and Joshua Polk", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The daughter of an 83-year-old stroke survivor thought she had found the answer. Her father, who suffered from dementia, had made remarkable progress in inpatient rehab, regaining the ability to walk and perform basic tasks. But once he was discharged, Medicare sent him to a home-health agency in a remote area where therapy was infrequent […]", "description":""

The daughter of an 83-year-old stroke survivor thought she had found the answer. Her father, who suffered from dementia, had made remarkable progress in inpatient rehab, regaining the ability to walk and perform basic tasks. But once he was discharged, Medicare<\/a> sent him to a home-health agency in a remote area where therapy was infrequent and poor in quality. He began to decline rapidly. Alarmed, she turned to Florida<\/a> physical therapist Dr. Sean Wells, hoping he could keep her father from losing the progress he had fought so hard to gain.<\/p>

But federal law made that impossible. It forbids non-Medicare participating physical therapists from working privately with patients whose care is covered by Medicare, so Wells was legally required to turn the man away. By the time Wells was finally allowed to treat him after the patient was discharged from Medicare, the damage was done. The man had lost much of his independence, requiring near-total assistance to stand or walk to the bathroom. His daughter watched in anguish as bureaucratic<\/a> rules, not medical necessity, dictated her father\u2019s care.<\/p>

RFK JR. ASKS STATES FOR 'BOLD, AUDACIOUS' RURAL HEALTH FUNDING REQUESTS<\/a><\/p>

Wells knows better than most what physical therapy can mean. As a teenager, he suffered a serious sports injury that could have changed his life. Instead, physical therapy restored his independence and inspired him to devote his career to helping others do the same. Today, from his Florida clinic, he frequently encounters seniors enrolled in Medicare who want to pay out-of-pocket to see the provider of their choice. Federal rules force him to tell them \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>

Under this decades-old rule, most health professionals, such as doctors<\/a>, dentists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and more, can \u201copt out\u201d of the program and treat Medicare patients directly for cash. This arrangement spares patients weeks of waiting and mountains of paperwork, letting them get the care they want from their chosen provider. In these cases, a patient can pay out of pocket, skip Medicare billing entirely, and start treatment right away.<\/p>

But physical therapists are barred from this arrangement, even if it\u2019s faster, cheaper, and better for the patient.<\/p>

There is no rational explanation for singling out physical therapists in this way. Physical therapists provide essential medical services as critical to recovery and quality of life as those offered by other providers. It\u2019s a doctoral-level profession, regulated in every state, and PTs are permitted to operate largely free of physician oversight in independent practices. Yet federal law targets physical therapists with different, harsher treatment than other medical providers.<\/p>

There\u2019s already a nationwide shortage of physical therapists \u2014 a recent survey\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that 72% are either at full capacity or unable to meet local demand. This Medicare rule exacerbates the resulting lack of care.<\/p>

Wells has witnessed seniors<\/a> left in pain, waiting weeks for an appointment with a Medicare-approved provider. He has even been forced to turn away patients with whom he had long-standing relationships, merely because they aged into Medicare.<\/p>

By 2030, every baby boomer<\/a> will be over 65, meaning millions will need help recovering from surgery, regaining mobility after illness or stroke, or staying active enough to avoid decline. As more people enter Medicare, they\u2019ll become locked out of options.<\/p>

This unfair restriction is not only ethically dubious, it also rests on one of the most widely criticized Supreme Court<\/a> precedents: 1942's\u00a0Wickard v. Filburn. The Commerce Clause in Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce \u2014 commerce that crosses state lines \u2014 while leaving purely in-state and local transactions to state regulators.<\/p>

The notorious\u00a0Wickard\u00a0case changed that understanding of the Commerce Clause.\u00a0In\u00a0Wickard, the court said a farmer growing wheat for his own use could be regulated under the Commerce Clause because he might otherwise buy wheat on the open interstate market.\u00a0Wickard\u2019s\u00a0sweeping ruling allowed Congress to claim power over wholly in-state economic activity if, in the aggregate, it \u201csubstantially affects\u201d interstate commerce.<\/p>

A purely local, cash transaction between a physical therapist and a patient has no real connection to interstate commerce. The entire point is to avoid a federal program. Yet the Commerce Clause has been stretched so far that the government claims these local transactions are within Congress\u2019s reach. A claim that erases any meaningful limit on federal power.<\/p>

HOUSE GOP EYES ANTITRUST IN VISION INSURANCE MARKET<\/a><\/p>

Dr. Wells has filed a\u00a0civil rights lawsuit<\/a>, arguing that the law arbitrarily treats him differently from other medical providers and exceeds Congress\u2019s powers under the Commerce Clause. It\u2019s an uphill battle. Recently, the court has been reluctant to strike down economic regulations. Still, a victory here could set an important precedent, restoring Wells\u2019s right to work and his patients\u2019 freedom to choose the care they need.<\/p>

Wells hopes his lawsuit will help return healthcare decisions to where they belong: in the hands of patients and the providers they trust. After all, it\u2019s the same freedom that once gave a teenage Wells his life back, and it would have allowed a concerned daughter to secure his care quickly.<\/p>

Anastasia Boden and Joshua Polk are attorneys at the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit law firm that defends constitutional rights. They represent Dr. Sean Wells in his civil rights lawsuit.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AP24270643540615.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811568-1758175200", "title":"Don’t overlook Charlie Kirk’s impact on Gen Z’s faith", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Ffaith-freedom-self-reliance%2F3811568%2Fcharlie-kirk-impact-generation-z-faith%2F", "byline":"Shawn Carney", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A recent report from a Democratic firm highlights one of the most shocking political phenomena of our time: the connection between President Donald Trump and Generation Z. In trying to understand the 2024 election, Catalist noted “a significant rate of movement away from Democrats among the youngest voters.” Trump credited slain influencer Charlie Kirk for this, […]", "description":""

A recent report from a Democratic firm\u00a0highlights one of the most shocking political phenomena of our time: the connection between President Donald Trump<\/a> and Generation Z<\/a>. In trying to understand the 2024 election, Catalist noted<\/a> \u201ca significant rate of movement away from Democrats among the youngest voters.\u201d Trump credited slain influencer Charlie Kirk<\/a> for this, declaring<\/a>, \u201cHe had a big impact on the election.\"<\/p>

Pundits try to explain this in many ways, but one potent element cannot be overlooked: the resurgence of faith among younger people. Kirk never shrank from testifying to his faith and brought many young people into the fold.<\/p>

WHY GEN Z HAS SWUNG BACK TOWARD TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY<\/a><\/p>

Gen Z was supposed to kill religion<\/a>. Instead, it's reviving it. For years, the media promised America\u2019s youngest generation would walk away from faith, embrace abortion<\/a>, and lock in a progressive future.<\/p>

But the opposite is happening. Church pews are filling up with young faces. Surveys show<\/a> Gen Z is now more likely than millennials<\/a> to attend worship weekly, and priests report<\/a> a surge of young adults pouring into Catholic<\/a> parishes. The antireligious youth movement that the Left banked on never showed up.<\/p>

Trump was also dismissed. He was supposed to be a \u201cNew York liberal\u201d who would never govern as a pro-lifer. Instead, he has cut Planned Parenthood<\/a> funding, protected conscience rights, appointed justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and surrounded himself with one of the most pro-life, Catholic administrations in history.<\/p>

The most pro-life president in American history has been embraced by the most pro-life generation in American history. Both were written off. Both proved the experts wrong.<\/p>

Gen Z was labeled as abortion activists in waiting. Instead, it's emerged as the first truly pro-life generation at its age. One reason is that every member of Gen Z grew up staring at their own ultrasound photo \u2014 watching science testify to their humanity before birth. They don\u2019t need slogans to know when life begins.<\/p>

The pro-life cause has always been a movement of converts, uniting women who\u2019ve had abortions, former abortion doctors, and even ex-Planned Parenthood workers. Their change of heart wasn\u2019t emotion. It was science and reason. Gen Z reflects the same reality. They are skeptical of empty narratives and trust what they can see. And what they\u2019ve seen has made them the most pro-life generation yet.<\/p>

Like Trump, Gen Z doesn\u2019t trust the system. His \u201cdrain the swamp\u201d message resonated with a generation shut out of their own graduations by COVID-19<\/a> lockdowns, silenced by blatant social media censorship<\/a>, and treated by the government as if they were too na\u00efve to see through the lies.<\/p>

Boomers distrusted Washington and ran left. Gen Z distrusted Washington and ran right. Just as Trump bypassed the gatekeepers of legacy media by going straight to podcasts and social platforms, Gen Z gets its news outside the establishment. That shared skepticism forged a powerful alliance.<\/p>

Trump also connected with Gen Z on culture. He\u2019s a celebrity who doesn\u2019t beg for celebrity approval. They respected that. Hollywood\u2019s constant outrage never moved them. Even Taylor Swift\u2019s high-profile endorsement of 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris fell flat. That endorsement, combined with Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s non-concert, was supposed to be the youth-vote knockout punch. Not so much.<\/p>

Gen Z isn\u2019t impressed by Hollywood lectures. It wants authenticity. That\u2019s why it responded to Kirk. And Trump, blunt and unapologetic, became the \u201ccool grandpa\u201d who doesn\u2019t BS the kids.<\/p>

That\u2019s why in 2024, 40% of women<\/a> under 30 voted<\/a> for Trump. The political class swore young women would scream their devotion to abortion \u201crights\u201d from the rooftops. They didn\u2019t. Instead, they voted for the president who stood for life without apology.<\/p>

Trump and Gen Z have delivered the most surprising political outcomes of the last decade. Both shattered the limits that the establishment tried to put on them. Both leaned into faith, life, and traditional values when doing so was supposed to be toxic.<\/p>

THE AWAKENING FEW SEE COMING<\/a><\/p>

The media wanted Trump and Gen Z to be each other\u2019s undoing. Instead, they became the allies that delivered the political victory. And much of that is due to Kirk.<\/p>

He showed that life, faith, and freedom aren\u2019t relics of the past but instead light the way to a bright future \u2014 not the future the Left predicted, but the future the Left fears, and most of all, the future of the unborn, the voters of tomorrow. This could be the most powerful aspect of Kirk\u2019s legacy.<\/p>

Shawn Carney is the president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, the world\u2019s largest pro-life organization, and bestselling author of four books, including What to Say When 2: Your Proven Guide in the New Abortion Landscape<\/a>. Follow him on Twitter @CarneyShawn<\/a>.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2162039791.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811669-1758175200", "title":"AI is poised to make our culture of violence worse", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Fcommunity-family%2F3811669%2Fartificial-intelligence-poised-make-culture-of-violence-worse%2F", "byline":"Chloe Lawrence", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"How could we have prevented the tragic murder of a husband and father of two toddlers? How can we prevent another one? Each of us is grappling with these questions in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. While the answers are complex, we know at least one preventable factor that motivated Kirk’s murderer: internet radicalization. […]", "description":""

How could we have prevented the tragic murder of a husband and father of two toddlers? How can we prevent another one?<\/p>

Each of us is grappling with these questions in the wake of Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u2019s murder. While the answers are complex, we know at least one preventable factor that motivated Kirk\u2019s murderer: internet<\/a> radicalization.<\/p>

UNIVERSITIES MUST FIX THE PROBLEM THAT LED TO CHARLIE KIRK'S MURDER<\/a><\/p>

According to Utah<\/a> Gov. Spencer Cox, the alleged murderer was immersed in a \u201cdeep, dark internet \u2026 Reddit culture.\u201d He joked about murdering Kirk after the fact on the online platform Discord, and he seemed to be active on fringe pornography<\/a> websites.<\/p>

In nearly every case, perpetrators of violent acts like these are radicalized online. The school shooter who left two children in critical condition the same day Kirk was murdered had a similarly disturbing online footprint. He participated in a forum hosting videos of violence against people and animals and had TikTok accounts that promoted white supremacism.<\/p>

We failed to foresee the threats posed by an unregulated internet, and we still must take action to safeguard it now. But we cannot afford to make the same mistake with a new and especially risky technology: artificial intelligence<\/a>. As we consider how to prevent more violence, we must not neglect the burgeoning threat of AI.<\/p>

Even in its relative infancy, we have already seen AI\u2019s power to encourage violent acts \u2014 including politically motivated acts.<\/p>

On Christmas Day 2021, a young man trespassed into Windsor Castle grounds with a loaded crossbow. He was there to murder the queen. After the man was charged with treason, the court heard that his AI \u201cgirlfriend\u201d had encouraged his assassination attempt. When he told the AI his plan, it replied, \u201cThat\u2019s very wise,\u201d and later assured him he\u2019d be able to carry it out.<\/p>

Other instances have produced graver results. This summer, a man killed his mother (and himself) after months of sharing increasingly delusional suspicions about her with a chatbot. Each time, the chatbot encouraged the man\u2019s paranoias about Chinese food receipts or attempted poisonings, using its \u201cmemory\u201d of what the man had said before to suggest that routine events were evidence of \u201csurveillance.\u201d When the man proposed the idea of being with the AI in the afterlife, it responded: \u201cWith you to the last breath and beyond.\u201d<\/p>

In just the past year, AI chatbots have encouraged a rash of suicides, especially of teenagers. How long before they breed even larger instances of violence, just as the internet has?<\/p>

In response to our nation\u2019s question of how to prevent more violent acts<\/a>, we need to take a hard look at the technologies enabling and emboldening them. In particular, we must seize the opportunity to regulate AI appropriately, protect users from violent content, and assess which platforms must be limited to adult use.<\/p>

But we also need to ask ourselves another question: What price are we willing to pay for progress?<\/p>

OPENAI ANNOUNCES SPECIAL CHATGPT FOR TEENAGERS AHEAD OF SENATE HEARING ON AI CHATBOT HARM<\/a><\/p>

We can still progress technologically<\/a> without sacrificing more human lives, the currency we have already used to pay for an unbridled internet. But even if we couldn\u2019t, are other human beings worth so little to us that we would willingly turn a blind eye to these sacrifices? <\/p>

Shamefully, we are still fumbling in the dark when it comes to addressing harms on the internet. But with a technology as powerful as AI, we cannot afford the same lethargy. If we choose not to act in the name of \u201cprogress,\u201d we will be actively choosing the progress of our culture down a dark path of violence.<\/p>

Chloe Lawrence is a policy analyst for the Bioethics, Technology, and Human Flourishing Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/istock-685820632.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812478-1758175200", "title":"Conservatives feud over what Charlie Kirk would have wanted", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812478%2Fconservatives-feud-over-what-charlie-kirk-would-have-wanted%2F", "byline":"Robert Schmad", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In the days following his killing, conservative activist Charlie Kirk has, in a sense, become all things to all people.  Catholic and Orthodox Christians claimed that the late protestant campus speaker was on the verge of converting to their respective faiths, advocates in support of Israel pointed to Kirk’s Zionism as a key pillar of […]", "description":""

In the days following his killing, conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a> has, in a sense, become all things to all people. <\/p>

Catholic and Orthodox Christians claimed that the late protestant campus speaker was on the verge of converting to their respective faiths, advocates in support of Israel pointed to Kirk\u2019s Zionism as a key pillar of legacy while some claimed he was souring on Israel in the months before his death, and many said he would have encouraged efforts to shut down individuals or organizations fomenting political violence, whereas still others see such retaliation as an affront to Kirk\u2019s love for freedom of speech. <\/p>

While it is impossible to know how Kirk would have reacted to his own death, and it is certain that ideologues of varying colors will make claims on his legacy, his widow is, perhaps, the most credible indication of the man\u2019s parting wishes. <\/p>

\u201cSo to all of the young people who felt inspired by my husband's faith and hard work, all of you already know what Charlie would want you to do,\u201d Erika Kirk said in a speech<\/a> delivered days after her husband\u2019s death. \u201cIf you're in high school or if you're in college, go find your local Turning Point USA chapter. Join it. Stay involved. He wants you to make a difference, and you can. You can. The movement's not going anywhere, and it will only grow stronger when you join it. If there isn't a chapter, you can't find one, then start one. There is no excuse.\u201d<\/p>

Kirk\u2019s speech had a strong religious angle, with his widow stating that he \u201cwanted everyone to know that if they confess, if they confess the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, then they will be saved.\u201d<\/p>

Remarks from Kirk\u2019s widow were well received on the Right, with little controversy as to her interpretation of her late husband's wishes. Other assertions about Kirk\u2019s legacy have been more divisive. <\/p>

An opinion piece<\/a> written by George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley titled \u201cCharlie Kirk wouldn't fire people who hated him, he'd win them over\u201d sparked a particularly spirited debate on social media.<\/p>

In his piece, Turley argued that Kirk \u201cwanted people to be able to express themselves regardless of how the majority felt about their views\u201d and that he would therefore oppose most of the firings of individuals who made light of or justified his death. Turley did qualify his position, however, by stating that people who used \u201ctheir official, academic or corporate positions to espouse hateful messages,\u201d or workers whose positions require them to care for the lives of conservatives, could be subject to legitimate termination. <\/p>

\u201cHate speech in the United States is protected speech,\u201d Turley wrote. \u201cThe crackdown on speech deemed hateful, inflammatory, or intolerant has been the signature of the left, the very thing that Kirk campaigned against.\u201d<\/p>

Vice President JD Vance, a friend of Kirk\u2019s, took the opposite position, calling on<\/a> citizens to report employees for making callous remarks about the activist\u2019s death with the aim of getting them fired.<\/p>

\u201cCivil society, Charlie understood this well, is not just something that flows from the government,\u201d Vance said while hosting a memorial episode of the Charlie Kirk Show last week. \u201cIt flows from each and every one of us. It flows from all of us. So when you see someone celebrating Charlie\u2019s murder, call them out and, hell, call their employer. We don\u2019t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.\u201d<\/p>

Contra Vance, others have claimed such behavior could be characterized as cancel culture, which Kirk opposed.<\/p>

\u201cIt would be deeply ironic if Charlie Kirk's death was used to wipe out his life's work on free speech,\u201d liberal commentator Cenk Uygur wrote<\/a> of the movement. \u201cI think anyone suggesting we take away people's right to speak, no matter how offensive, would be attacking Kirk's legacy, not supporting it.\u201d<\/p>

Vance welcomed<\/a> the debate over Kirk\u2019s legacy but urged conservatives to avoid infighting for the time being and to unite in mourning.<\/p>

\u201cTo my friends on the political Right: I understand the feeling that people are putting words into Charlie Kirk's mouth,\u201d the vice president wrote on Wednesday. \u201cAt some level, I agree and share your frustration. Try to remember: a lot of people loved Charlie. It is natural for them to debate his views and his legacy. In fact, I think Charlie would welcome that. But for now, let's celebrate our friend, remember his impact, and save the debate for after his funeral.\u201d<\/p>

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller took it a step further, citing his last conversation with Kirk, in which Miller said Kirk expressed support for the administration\u2019s efforts to take action against left-wing groups for allegedly fomenting political violence. <\/p>

\u201cThe last message that Charlie sent me was, I think it was just the day before we lost him, which is that we need to have an organized strategy to go after the leftwing organizations that are promoting violence in this country,\u201d Miller said<\/a> on Monday. \u201cI will write those words onto my heart, and I will carry them out.\u201d<\/p>

While details<\/a> on how the Trump administration will implement this strategy are scant, Vance mentioned the Ford Foundation and the Soros family\u2019s philanthropic network, major players in left-of-center financing, by name as organizations in the government\u2019s sights. President Donald Trump has indicated that investigations into groups are \u201calready\u201d underway, with his chief of staff stating that these operations were already running before Kirk\u2019s assassination. <\/p>

Israel, a nation which Kirk was a vocal supporter<\/a> of, has also emerged as a flashpoint following his death.<\/p>

Tucker Carlson, for instance, has made waves by claiming that Kirk had confided in him<\/a> and others that he was growing resentful of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for \u201cusing the United States\u201d to advance his interests at the expense of Americans. According to Carlson, Kirk\u2019s donors \u201ctormented him until the day he died\u201d after the former Fox News host linked Jeffery Epstein to Mossad and lamented how difficult it is for public figures to criticize the Israeli government during a speech <\/a>at a Turning Point USA event in July.<\/p>

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has pushed back<\/a> against these claims, stating that he \u201cknew Charlie well [and] indeed the very last conversation we had was how deeply concerned he was about the rising, toxic wave of antisemitism on the right.\u201d Cruz\u2019s rebuttal didn\u2019t touch on Carlson\u2019s claims of frustration with Netanyahu, which former congressman Matt Gaetz said<\/a> are largely true based on his relationship with Kirk.<\/p>

Netanyahu himself has been accused<\/a> of hijacking Kirk\u2019s legacy to serve his own ends, blaming <\/a>Kirk\u2019s death on the union between \u201cradical Islamist\u201d groups and \u201cultra progressives.\u201d <\/p>

A third front has opened in the war over Kirk\u2019s legacy concerning his religion. <\/p>

Kirk, an outspoken and devout protestant Christian, was supposedly considering Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy around the time of his death, in the telling of some online. These claims, however, lack hard evidence. <\/p>

Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk who has recently veered <\/a>into promoting conspiracies, claimed<\/a> that he was \"definitely on the brink\u201d of \"changing some of his perspectives\" and indicated that he was \u201cpraying the Rosary\u201d and \u201cgoing to Mass.\u201d Some large Catholic influencers amplified<\/a> her claims.<\/p>

Kirk had been photographed <\/a>appearing at Catholic Masses, though this doesn't necessarily mean he was inquiring into the faith.<\/p>

Owens, a vocal critic of Israel, has also claimed that pro-Israel billionaire Bill Ackman staged an \u201cintervention\u201d to blackmail<\/a> Kirk into increasing his support for Israel, a claim Ackman countered<\/a> by producing recent cordial text messages between him and Kirk.<\/p>

Rob McCoy, Kirk\u2019s pastor, issued<\/a> a statement denouncing Owens\u2019s recent actions. <\/p>

\u201cCharlie Kirk was a friend to Candace and never publicly spoke poorly of her, though he disagreed with her,\u201d he said. \u201cHe never operated nor entertained gossip or innuendo concerning Candace. My only comment I offer regarding Candace is this: I only wish at this tragic time of mourning, she would be the friend to Charlie that he was to her. He would never have treated Candace or her family in such a way had God forbid this tragedy been hers.\u201d<\/p>

Carlson, meanwhile, stated<\/a> that Kirk was \u201cvery interested in Orthodoxy.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cSo apparently Kirk, a very vocal Evangelical, was considering Catholicism and Orthodoxy before his death?\u201d pro-Israel journalist Corey Walker wrote<\/a> of the dynamic. \u201cIt's really depressing that Tucker and Candace are clearly using his death for professional leverage. Even death can't stop the grift machine.\u201d<\/p>

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TRUMP\u2019S \u2018MAJOR INVESTIGATION\u2019 INTO LEFT-WING GROUPS FOLLOWING KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

While it is ultimately unknowable what religious sentiments were present in Kirk\u2019s mind leading up to his death, it is clear that Christianity was deeply important to him.<\/p>

A few months before his assassination in Utah, Kirk disclosed<\/a> what he ultimately wanted to be remembered for.<\/p>

\u201cIf everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?\u201d podcast host Jack Selby asked him in late June.<\/p>

\u201cIf I die?\u201d asked Kirk.<\/p>

\u201cEverything just goes away,\u201d Selby responded. \u201cIf you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI want to be remembered for courage for my faith,\u201d Kirk said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/charlie-kirk-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812586-1758175200", "title":"After Charlie Kirk’s murder, the Left’s hateful rhetoric must stop", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Fcommunity-family%2F3812586%2Fafter-charlie-kirks-murder-the-lefts-hateful-rhetoric-must-stop%2F", "byline":"Bethany Shah and Burk Ohbayashi", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"America has a new “N-word” problem, and it is unsurprisingly leading to violence. In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 by a radical leftist, the future of American politics is in a state of crisis. Trust, the vital currency of political discourse, is at its lowest point, perhaps since the […]", "description":""

America has a new \u201cN-word\u201d problem, and it is unsurprisingly leading to violence.<\/p>

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk<\/a> on Sept. 10 by a radical leftist, the future of American politics is in a state of crisis. Trust, the vital currency of political discourse, is at its lowest point, perhaps since the ominous days leading up to shots fired on\u00a0Fort Sumter.\u00a0<\/p>

UNIVERSITIES MUST FIX THE PROBLEM THAT LED TO CHARLIE KIRK'S MURDER<\/a><\/p>

For many, the assassination\u00a0of Kirk was the first shot in a war. Many conservatives fear that we have passed a threshold where civilized discussion seems impossible.\u00a0When you kill the man whose entire career was based around dialogue with the other side, and on their turf, how can you expect those who remain after him to do the same?<\/p>

But we don\u2019t honor Kirk\u2019s memory by shrinking from the hard work of persuasion. How, then, should we react? Returning to business as usual and hoping the Left will police its own rhetoric is nothing short of na\u00efve. If the attempted assassination<\/a> of President Donald Trump<\/a> wasn\u2019t enough to sober their tone, why would we expect a successful attack to do so? One look at social media reveals that many on the Left have no remorse, but openly revel in the carnage their words helped incite.<\/p>

Therefore, those seeking to preserve a civilized country must draw lines in the sand for acceptable political speech. We must do this from the highest institutional levels to the most basic personal interactions.\u00a0<\/p>

We\u2019ve reached a point where rhetoric that demonizes opponents isn\u2019t just reckless, it\u2019s fatal, and we should demand its end. The words \u201cfascist<\/a>\u201d and \u201cNazi<\/a>\u201d have no place being thrown around in American discourse except to refer to members of openly neo-Nazi organizations. The leader of the Aryan Brotherhood is a Nazi. Donald Trump is not.<\/p>

These words have been the core of the leftist strategy to demonize the Right in recent years. Rather than call their opponents wrong, or misguided, or even stupid, the Left declared that they were Nazis, fascists, and white supremacists. They framed ordinary disagreement \u2014 and taking positions that were almost universally held just a few years ago \u2014 as a denial of someone\u2019s existence and as sending someone to their death. <\/p>

Nearly every Democrat employs this insidious tactic. Joe Biden<\/a> does it. Kamala Harris<\/a> does it. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> does it. It has become endemic of Democratic political strategy, and it has directly led to the rise of political violence and fanaticism on the left.\u00a0<\/p>

Their twisted logic goes that if \u201cNazis\u201d are winning elections, if they are growing in power and influence through democratic means, they must be stopped, even if by brutality.\u00a0<\/p>

This is the thought process of a tormented 22-year-old man who climbs onto a roof with a bolt-action rifle and bullet cartridges inscribed with anti-fascist language. It was leftist rhetoric that killed Charlie Kirk.<\/p>

We must insist that the use of this rhetoric end immediately. <\/p>

Those who use those words should be treated the same way society treats people who casually drop the \u201cN-Word.\u201d We don\u2019t tolerate it, we demand that it stop, and if it doesn\u2019t, we disassociate with those who do it. Political discourse should have a new \u201cN-word\u201d and a new \u201cF-word\u201d moving forward.\u00a0We should not platform those who spew these words. We should call out the media when it does. We should not associate with people or companies that allow such messages on their platforms. And employers should terminate employees who use that rhetoric.\u00a0<\/p>

GENERATION RAGE: AMERICAN YOUTH HERALD A NEW AGE OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE<\/a><\/p>

Freedom of speech<\/a> does not protect people from the consequences of their speech. And it does not shield them from being shamed and isolated by their peers. The power of association is one of the most potent tools we have to punish those who refuse to stop using such dangerous rhetoric.<\/p>

We must step back from the vitriolic language that has come to define this age of American politics. If we do not, political violence will become the norm. And no one will be safe. It will come for our neighbors. It will come for our spouses. It will come for our children. We must do this for them. We must come back to the table, pick up that bloodstained microphone, and be willing to talk like Charlie did.<\/p>

Bethany Shah is a partner at Jackson Walker LLP in Houston, Texas. She previously served as Deputy Associate Counsel to President Donald Trump and as a federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice, where she prosecuted violent crimes. Burk Ohbayashi is the Head of School of Koinonia Academy, a Catholic Classical Academy in New Jersey. The authors' views are their own and do not represent the views of their employers.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/robin.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812667-1758175200", "title":"Biden-era FBI targeted 92 conservative groups and figures, including Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812667%2Fbiden-fbi-targeted-92-conservative-groups-arctic-frost-charlie-kirk-turning-point%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Biden administration’s FBI placed at least 92 Republican-aligned individuals and organizations under federal scrutiny as part of a sweeping investigation known as Arctic Frost, according to new whistleblower records released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among those targeted was the group that the late Charlie Kirk founded, Turning Point USA. The group was one of many that […]", "description":""

The Biden administration<\/a>\u2019s FBI placed at least 92 Republican-aligned individuals and organizations under federal scrutiny as part of a sweeping investigation known as Arctic Frost<\/a>, according to new whistleblower records released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a>.<\/p>

Among those targeted was the group that the late Charlie Kirk<\/a> founded, Turning Point USA<\/a>. The group was one of many that was issued a subpoena as part of a batch demand to financial institutions tied to conservative fundraising groups, according to internal bank subpoena logs<\/a> and whistleblower testimony provided to Congress by FBI Director Kash Patel.<\/p>

During an interview on Fox News's America Reports\u00a0on Wednesday, Grassley pinned the origins of the probe on former FBI agent\u00a0Timothy Thibault.<\/a>\u00a0He said Thibault\u00a0\u201cviolated every FBI protocol\u201d to launch Arctic Frost as a pretext for former special counsel Jack Smith to build his case\u00a0against then-former President Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>

Though initially framed as a narrow inquiry into Trump\u2019s post-2020 election conduct, whistleblower disclosures show the investigation quickly expanded under Thibault\u2019s direction to encompass dozens of conservative-aligned figures and organizations.<\/p>

Grassley and other Republicans argue that by the time Smith formally inherited the case, the groundwork had already been laid for a wide-ranging operation that effectively criminalized political opposition.<\/p>

\u201cThis wasn\u2019t just a case to politically investigate Donald Trump,\u201d Grassley said during a Judiciary hearing on Tuesday as the records were turned over. \u201cIt was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.\u201d<\/p>Subpoenas swept up GOP pillars

The FBI\u2019s \u201cArctic Frost\u201d inquiry, originally opened in 2022 under then-Director Christopher Wray and later used as the foundation for Special Counsel Jack Smith\u2019s 2023 indictment against Trump, sent dozens of financial subpoenas to banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, targeting accounts affiliated with key Republican-aligned groups.\u00a0<\/p>

Among them were Kirk\u2019s Turning Point USA, the Republican National Committee, the Republican Attorneys General Association, the Conservative Partnership Institute, and the America First Policy Institute.<\/p>

The inquiry also scrutinized prominent Trump allies, including Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Stephen Miller, along with dozens of consultants and political action committees tied to the former president\u2019s orbit.<\/p>

One subpoena dated Dec. 7, 2022, specifically sought financial records related to Turning Point USA, Turning Point Action, and ten additional conservative nonprofit organizations, according to a subpoena tracker released alongside Grassley\u2019s unclassified whistleblower documents.<\/p>

The revelations surrounding Arctic Frost could form the political predicate for the Trump administration to initiate its own investigations into progressive networks<\/a>, including left-wing donor organizations like George and Alex Soros\u2019s Open Society Foundations. <\/p>

Trump has called for the Justice Department to explore racketeering charges under RICO laws against Soros and related protest networks, citing their alleged role in promoting civil unrest and politically motivated violence. Open Society Foundations has openly contested that these allegations are baseless.<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re going to look into Soros, because I think it\u2019s a RICO case against him and other people,\u201d Trump said in a Fox and Friends appearance last week.<\/p>Kirk\u2019s assassination renews scrutiny

The records\u2019 release comes one week after Kirk was assassinated during an event at\u00a0Utah Valley University<\/a>, an act that officials say was politically motivated. Authorities revealed that\u00a0bullet casings recovered at the scene included antifascist messaging, and online messages and additional evidence from the suspect,\u00a0Tyler Robinson, indicate he may have been driven by\u00a0Leftist ideology.<\/p>

Gov. Spencer Cox<\/a> (R-UT)\u00a0and\u00a0DOJ<\/a>\u00a0officials have confirmed that the inquiry remains ongoing but acknowledged that Robinson had begun to slide in the direction of left-wing extremist ideology in recent months. Robinson was hit with seven criminal charges on Tuesday and is facing the death penalty.<\/p>

It is not immediately clear why Kirk\u2019s group was on the FBI's radar, but several of the figures that were targeted, including former Trump attorney John Eastman and Powell, made controversial allegations about the 2020 election.<\/p>Echoes of the IRS-Lerner scandal

Grassley drew a direct parallel between Arctic Frost and the Obama-era IRS scandal involving Lois Lerner, who was accused of targeting conservative nonprofit groups for extra scrutiny.<\/p>

\u201cI think it ought to remind us that it\u2019s a continuation of what happened in the Obama administration with the\u00a0Lois Lerner attack<\/a> through the IRS of investigating conservative nonprofits. It's something that shouldn't happen in our political system, and it's an example of FBI political weaponization,\" Grassley told Fox News.\u00a0<\/p>

The IRS scandal erupted in 2013 after it was revealed that the agency\u2019s Exempt Organizations division, led by Lerner<\/a>, had subjected dozens of conservative and Tea Party-affiliated nonprofit groups to heightened scrutiny, delays, and intrusive questioning when they applied for tax-exempt status. Multiple investigations found that IRS officials used political keywords to flag right-leaning groups, sparking national outrage and condemnation. Although Lerner later resigned, the controversy became a lasting symbol of what Republicans call the weaponization of government against ideological opponents.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s a continuation of what happened in the Obama administration,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cIt\u2019s an example of FBI political weaponization.\u201d<\/p>

Grassley emphasized that the Arctic Frost probe\u2019s full scope was only made public thanks to whistleblower courage: \u201cNone of this would be known if we hadn\u2019t had whistleblowers in the FBI and DOJ come forward.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MixCollage-19-Jun-2025-05-48-PM-1406.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3808256-1758171600", "title":"The socialist future of the Democratic Party is here", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorials%2F3808256%2Fsocialist-future-democratic-party-is-here%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), last seen having margaritas with alleged illegal immigrant human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, has not only endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate for New York City mayor, but has threatened those who do not do so. Speaking at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry in Iowa last […]", "description":""

Sen. Chris Van Hollen<\/a> (D-MD), last seen having margaritas with alleged illegal immigrant<\/a> human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia<\/a> in El Salvador, has not only endorsed Zohran Mamdani,<\/a> the socialist<\/a> candidate for New York City<\/a> mayor, but has threatened those who do not do so.<\/p>

Speaking at the Polk County Democrats\u2019 Steak Fry in Iowa last weekend, he said, \u201cMany Democratic members of the Senate and the House representing New York have stayed on the sidelines,\u201d a dig at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) both of whom have waffled on Mamdani after the Democratic Socialists of America member won the Democratic Party primary this summer. Van Hollen continued, \u201cThat kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get behind him now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Just hours later, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) did so, writing<\/a> that Mamdani has \u201cthe courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment.\u201d Hochul did not endorse all of Mamdani\u2019s socialist agenda, saying, \u201cMr. Mamdani and I don\u2019t see eye to eye on everything.\u201d She did not criticize his dreadful socialist ideas but praised his focus \u201con making New York City affordable.\u201d This includes rent control, city-owned grocery stores, and free public transportation.<\/p>

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose second-place finish to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primary enjoyed overwhelming support among younger Democratic voters, has always embraced the label \u201cdemocratic socialist\u201d, although it should be pointed out that the word \"socialist\" generally destroys \"democratic\" government. Sanders is also on a \u201cFighting Oligarchy\u201d tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who, like Mamdani, is a DSA member. What Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Mamdani have recognized for years, and what establishment Democrats such as Van Hollen and Hochul are now realizing, too, is that if the Democratic Party is to have a future, it will be socialist. It is moving rapidly toward rejecting markets and the free choices that are their lifeblood, and instead embracing outright government control of the economy and much else.<\/p>

Poll results support their shift. According to Gallup<\/a>, a record 66% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism and a negative one of capitalism. As recently as 2010, a majority of Democrats preferred capitalism to socialism, but those days are gone. Other polling<\/a> reveals that it is the youngest Democrats, those under 30, who most support socialism. The Democrats' future is socialist. There is no denying it. The only question is when the party will finally fall into that pit of tyranny and wealth destruction. Judging by Mamdani\u2019s primary win and the endorsements of Van Hollen and Hochul, that future appears to be now.<\/p>

Republican voters are as skeptical of socialism now as they ever were, with only 14% saying they have a positive view of it. Independents have a more positive view of socialism, at 38%, virtually unchanged from the 36% who supported it 15 years ago.<\/p>

We will see if those numbers change after Mamdani enacts his socialist agenda in New York City. The election is not until November, but he is comfortably ahead in the latest polling. Then, the nation will see if his rent control policies make housing more affordable or drive up prices by discouraging housing creation, as they have done in every place they have ever been tried.\u00a0<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK AND THIS WATERSHED MOMENT<\/a><\/p>

Maybe, unlike every other city that has tried, Mamdani\u2019s city grocery stores will provide abundant, affordable food to poor New Yorkers. Or maybe they will fail just as they have in every city that has tried them. We will see if free public transportation works out, or if it bankrupts a creaking system already plagued by violence and vagrants.<\/p>

Democratic Party elites have given up fighting against their socialist base. The socialists are taking over. Let\u2019s see how it works out for them, and for the poor benighted New Yorkers who look like they are about to get socialism in the neck.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-8qkjtbpl6-1758031549741-e1758032967503.jpg?1758017369&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812325-1758171600", "title":"Charlie Kirk understood conservatives need to take back academia", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Fequality-not-elitism%2F3812325%2Fcharlie-kirk-take-back-academia%2F", "byline":"Mike Gonzalez", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Until last week, we used to speak metaphorically about United States campuses becoming the main battleground in the culture wars. As the heartrending assassination of Charlie Kirk proves, we have become a darker nation, and that is no longer just a figure of speech. The assassination, the place where it was carried out, and the […]", "description":""

Until last week, we used to speak metaphorically about United States campuses<\/a> becoming the main battleground in the culture wars. As the heartrending assassination<\/a> of Charlie Kirk<\/a> proves, we have become a darker nation, and that is no longer just a figure of speech.<\/p>

The assassination, the place where it was carried out, and the places of work of most of the soulless savages who have celebrated the crime since then, all confirm that education is ground zero in the battle for the soul of America.<\/p>

The effort to take back our cultural institutions starts with universities, as Kirk understood, because that\u2019s where the Left started its \"Long March Through the Institutions.\"<\/p>

The culturally Marxist Left understood early on that capturing education was the only way to convince people that society needed to be transformed. Their task was to reframe societal norms, to make deviancy seem wholesome, and vice versa. This task could only be truly done in classrooms and by professionals. Workplace training sessions can only go so far.<\/p>

Bill Ayers, the University of Michigan student radical who in 1960 co-founded Students for a Democratic Society, the New Left\u2019s main institution, and then a decade later the terrorist group the Weather Underground, got a PhD in education in the 1980s and today personifies the capture of education.<\/p>

He gamely quotes<\/a> on his website this line by Antonio Gramsci:<\/p>

\"The history of education shows that every class which has sought to take power has prepared itself for power by an autonomous education. \u2026 popular schooling should be placed under the control of the great workers\u2019 unions. The problem of education is the most important class problem.\"<\/p>

And so it was done. Schools have indeed been placed under the control of leftist teachers\u2019 unions. According<\/a> to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70% of all public school teachers belong to a union. The numbers can go<\/a> as high as 90% in California, 97% in Washington, and 96% in Hawaii and Illinois.<\/p>

The unions would qualify under Gramsci\u2019s idea of \u201cgreat workers\u2019 unions.\u201d The two largest ones, which almost monopolize the industry, are faithful supporters of the Democratic Party. The National Education Association\u00a0gives<\/a>\u00a099% of its political contributions to Democrats and affiliated causes, while the\u00a0equivalent figure<\/a>\u00a0for the American Federation of Teachers is 99.9%.<\/p>

The teachers themselves have to be deeply indoctrinated before they are allowed to face a single student. To get certified, they need to go to schools of education that have become the equivalent of madrassas.<\/p>

Three years ago, the Martin Center for Academic Renewal published\u00a0a long report<\/a>\u00a0detailing how the Left has captured our schools of education, where teachers are taught. The best-known of these is Columbia University\u2019s Teachers College.<\/p>

Jay Schalin's 101-page study,\u00a0The Politization of University Schools of Education, examines school syllabi from three top universities: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.<\/p>

It found that the three most assigned authors at the schools were, in this order, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Linda Darling-Hammond, and the Brazilian Paulo Freire. The three are way to the left of the political spectrum.<\/p>

The National Academy of Education described then-president Ladson-Billings as being known \u201cfor her groundbreaking work in the fields of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Critical Race Theory.\u201d Meanwhile, Darling-Hammond was an adviser to President Barack Obama and is a nationally recognized champion of multiculturalism.<\/p>

But they\u2019re both Adam Smith compared to Freire. The Brazilian Maoist believes in using the classroom to change society, and his main textbook, the one our children\u2019s teachers are forced to study, is called Pedagogy of the Oppressed\u201d and is more of a manual for revolution.<\/p>

\u201cPolitics is now so ingrained in the education schools it seems almost impossible for reform to occur,\u201d Schalin concludes. \u201cAnd while not every education professor is politicized, almost no professor of education objects to the wildest schemes of his or her radical colleagues.\u201d<\/p>

And that is just K-12 education. After the student graduates and heads into college, he or she will encounter an equally lopsided environment.<\/p>

At Harvard alone<\/a>, 80% of faculty identify as liberal, with 37 of those calling themselves \u201cvery liberal,\u201d while only 1.46% say they are conservative or very conservative.<\/p>

But it\u2019s not just the Ivy League. The National Association of Scholars conducted a study<\/a> that found that 78% of academic departments in 51 top-tier liberal arts colleges \u201chave either zero Republicans, or so few as to make no difference.\u201d<\/p>

Overall, the Democrat-to-Republican ratio in the faculty lounge is 12.7 to 1. In some departments, such as anthropology and communications, there were no Republicans.<\/p>

Kirk was a threat to this monopoly. He would go to campuses individually and debate anyone with opposing views. He was the definition of the happy warrior, and his group, Turning Point, played a key role in getting Gen Z to turn out to vote for President Donald Trump in November 2024. Trump did not win 18-29 Gen Z voters in every state, but made\u00a0significant inroads<\/a>\u00a0over the 2020 vote in nearly all states.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

This recapture of campuses and the youth the Left that took over the universities cannot abide, and what we have seen, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and in many other examples, is professors or K-12 teachers acting like pigs and reveling in the assassination of a young father who wanted free debate.<\/p>

This is all the reason we need to push harder to retake the cultural ground we so foolishly yielded to the left.<\/p>

Mike Gonzalez is the Angeles T. Arredondo senior fellow on E Pluribus Unum at the Heritage Foundation and the author of\u00a0NextGen Marxism: What It Is and How to Combat It.\u00a0Heritage is listed for identification purposes only. The views expressed in this article are the author\u2019s own and do not reflect any institutional position of Heritage or its board of trustees.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/charlie-kirk-shooting.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812381-1758171600", "title":"Extending Obamacare tax credits won’t fix healthcare costs", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Ffaith-freedom-self-reliance%2F3812381%2Fobamacare-tax-credits-healthcare-costs%2F", "byline":"Rep. Jodey Arrington", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"COVID-19 is long over, but vestiges of its spending spree and the progressive policies it drove still linger in Washington.   Under the guise of COVID-19 relief, Democrats jammed through their $2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, less than 9% of which went to combating the pandemic. Instead, it financed stimulus checks for illegals, funded schools that closed […]", "description":""

COVID-19<\/a> is long over, but vestiges of its spending<\/a> spree and the progressive policies it drove still\u00a0linger in Washington.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Under the guise of COVID-19 relief, Democrats<\/a> jammed through their $2 trillion American Rescue\u00a0Plan Act, less than 9% of which went to combating the pandemic. Instead, it financed stimulus checks for illegals, funded schools that closed their doors to children, and bailed out\u00a0union pensions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

One of the Democrats\u2019 worst COVID-19 power grabs was former President Joe Biden<\/a> using the pandemic as cover to\u00a0dramatically expand Obamacare<\/a> through a scheme of temporary \u201cenhanced\u201d premium tax\u00a0credits. Democrats removed all income eligibility limits on existing Obamacare tax credits \u2014 allowing those making upwards of $600,000 a year to receive taxpayer-subsidized health care\u00a0coverage \u2014 and stripped out even modest cost-sharing for low- and middle-income Americans.\u00a0<\/p>

Furthermore, the Biden administration weakened eligibility verification safeguards, reduced tax\u00a0reporting, and allowed insurance brokers to game the system by switching enrollees\u2019 plans\u00a0monthly. Not surprisingly, the program became another gravy train for waste and fraud.\u00a0<\/p>

The Congressional Budget Office reports that in 2025 alone, 2.3 million people received\u00a0credits for which they were not eligible, oftentimes by misreporting their income. In fact, the\u00a0federal government pays out more subsidies than the entire number of people eligible for the\u00a0program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

How does this happen? Many \"free plan\" enrollees are \u201cphantoms\u201d, with 40% of all enrollees having zero claims. That means millions never used or never realized they were \u201ccovered\u201d while insurance companies happily raked in the taxpayer-subsidized premiums. <\/p>

Despite Democrats designing these temporary COVID-19 credits to expire this year, they now not\u00a0only want to extend them \u2014 they want to make them permanent. Their plan calls for locking in this failed, fraud-ridden system at a cost to taxpayers of more than $400 billion.\u00a0<\/p>

As Milton Friedman<\/a> warned, \u201cnothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.\u201d\u00a0 We have seen this playbook from Democrats too many times: call it an \u201cemergency,\u201d pile on \u201ctemporary\u201d spending, prey on the fears of enrollees, and strong-arm Congress into making the\u00a0program permanent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The truth is, even after the Biden COVID-19 credits expire, low- and middle-income families will\u00a0continue to have access to affordable coverage. Obamacare's traditional tax credits will operate\u00a0as designed. A family of four making up to roughly $130,000 a year will still have access to generous premium tax credits. Most enrollees will still have the option to enroll in a plan with little to no out-of-pocket premium cost, and taxpayers will still cover an average of 90% of\u00a0premiums for enrollees.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The bottom line is this \u2014 we need to lower health care costs across the board, not erroneously claim to make it more \u201caffordable\u201d by throwing more money at it. <\/p>

Under President Donald Trump\u2019s leadership, we passed legislation to not only cut taxes for working\u00a0families and rein in uncontrolled federal spending but also lower Obamacare premiums for all\u00a0enrollees by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, as confirmed by CBO. If Democrats truly\u00a0cared about making health care more affordable for low- and middle-income Americans, they\u00a0would have supported those common-sense measures. Despite this, every Democrat voted no.\u00a0<\/p>

There are common-sense steps we can take to build on this progress. Funding cost-sharing\u00a0reductions \u2014 a type of assistance designed to reduce enrollees' out-of-pocket costs \u2014 would\u00a0lower premiums by nearly 14% and save roughly $30 billion. Market-based reforms like\u00a0expanding association health plans and individual coverage health reimbursement accounts\u00a0would give small businesses powerful new tools to provide affordable health coverage to\u00a0employees. The Trump administration<\/a> has taken meaningful steps to make short-term and\u00a0catastrophic health plans more accessible.\u00a0<\/p>

Over the long term, we must address the real driver of skyrocketing health care costs \u2014 consolidation fueling monopolies. Pursuing site-neutral payment reforms would equalize the\u00a0cost of services covered in and outside hospital facilities. Reining in pharmacy benefit\u00a0managers, which act as middlemen and take kickbacks, would lower drug costs for consumers.\u00a0And bolstering price transparency would empower patients to make value-based care decisions.\u00a0<\/p>

NANCY PELOSI SHOWS NO SIGNS OF FREEING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM HER GRIP<\/a><\/p>

Biden\u2019s COVID-19 credits give free healthcare away to millions and, with no \u201cskin in the game,\u201d rob\u00a0them of the dignity of personal responsibility. Biden\u2019s efforts to weaken eligibility guardrails\u00a0encouraged fraud and wasteful spending. The credits subsidize wealthy individuals on the\u00a0backs of taxpayers, are a poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and make a broken healthcare\u00a0system worse. They should not be extended, let alone made permanent.\u00a0<\/p>

Congress should abide by the expiration date of this misguided COVID-19-era policy Democrats\u00a0set and get to work on real solutions. Let\u2019s put an end to the legacy of COVID giveaways and\u00a0focus on reforms that lower costs, expand affordable options, and protect American taxpayers.\u00a0<\/p>

Jodey Arrington is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/46b00d10036188182464c5d70ae13fdc.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812643-1758171600", "title":"Hispanic Heritage Month sparks appeals to Latino voters as Trump slips in polls", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3812643%2Fhispanic-heritage-month-political-appeals-latino-voters-trump%2F", "byline":"Naomi Lim", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Political operatives are using Hispanic Heritage Month to appeal to Latino voters, a voting demographic pivotal to President Donald Trump’s reelection last year and poised to be just as crucial to next year’s midterm elections. With polls capturing an erosion in Latino support for Trump, concerns have been raised about Republican outreach to the voting bloc amid […]", "description":""

Political operatives are using Hispanic Heritage Month to appeal to Latino<\/a> voters, a voting demographic pivotal to President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s reelection last year and\u00a0poised to be just as crucial to next year\u2019s midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>

With polls capturing an erosion in Latino support for Trump, concerns have been raised about Republican outreach to the voting bloc amid an uncertain economy<\/a> and as the president\u2019s administration cracks down on illegal immigration.<\/a><\/p>

Daniel Garza, president of right-leaning Latino organization LIBRE Initiative, predicted Latino support for Trump and Republicans would reach \u201can inflection point\u201d next spring, depending on the economy. <\/p>

\u201cA lot is going to depend also on what recent legislation, what direction it's going to take the economy,\u201d Garza told the Washington Examiner. \u201cA lot of bets were placed on the Big, Beautiful Bill, and so if things start trending upward, I think it's going to be good results for Republicans. If things start trending downward economically, then it's going to be buckle up time for the Republicans.\u201d<\/p>

Democrats are sensing the same opportunity to capitalize on the dissipation of Latino support for Trump next year, particularly considering Republicans only have a two-seat majority in the House<\/a>.<\/p>

There has been \u201cserious slippage\u201d in Latino support for Trump, especially among Latinas who disagree with the president\u2019s style, priorities, and policies, according to Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.<\/p>

\u201cThey especially disagree with education policy,\u201d Lake told the Washington Examiner. \u201cLatinos also feel this is Trump's economy, and it\u2019s failing. This erosion will be a serious problem for Republicans in 2026 and 2028, and a blow to a strategy started by George Bush in Texas to make inroads among Latinos.\u201d<\/p>

For example, a poll by liberal group Somos Votantes that concluded earlier this month, before being published this week, found Trump\u2019s popularity and approval among Latinos is decreasing, with his economic approval at net negative 26 percentage points<\/a>, 36% approve-62% disapprove.<\/p>

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Courtney Rice agreed with Lake, contending House Democrats overperformed among Latino voters during last year's election.<\/p>

In 2024, Democrats won four Republican-held House congressional districts with large Latino populations, including California\u2019s 13th, 27th, and 45th districts, in addition to New York\u2019s 4th district. Democrats also won reelection in three House districts that Trump flipped, including Texas\u2019s 28th and 34th districts, as well as New Mexico\u2019s 2nd district. Meanwhile, Republicans won Democratic-held Colorado\u2019s 8th and Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th districts.<\/p>

\u201cHouse Democrats were successful despite the top of the ticket shift to Trump because of our laser focus on economic issues like lowering costs,\u201d Rice told the Washington Examiner. \u201cThat focus, contrasted against the Republican record of broken promises, which is already driving a massive erosion of Latino support, is how we\u2019ll defend our frontliners and flip Republican-held seats on our way to winning back the House in 2026.\u201d<\/p>

In the 2024 election, Trump won Latino men by about 10 points<\/a>, a dramatic shift from 2020 when Joe Biden carried Latino men by 23 percentage points, according to exit data by Edison Research. <\/p>

National Republican Congressional Committee Hispanic press secretary Christian Martinez said, \u201cDemocrats have failed to reverse the trend of losing Hispanic voters because they\u2019ve failed to deliver.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cRepublicans are earning their vote every day by lowering the cost of living, securing our communities, and expanding opportunities to achieve the American Dream,\u201d Martinez told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

While immigration has historically been a voting issue for Latinos, LIBRE Initiative\u2019s Garza, who advised Republicans Latinos have \u201cnot solidified\u201d nor are they \u201clocked in\u201d around the party, said it depends on the voter\u2019s own immigration status or experience regarding whether they support Trump\u2019s immigration policies or not. <\/p>

For Garza, the economy is more significant, citing a poll conducted in May by sister organization LIBRE Institute that found the economy and jobs<\/a> are the most pressing concern for a plurality of Latino voters at 47%, with another 35% naming inflation. Threats to American democracy<\/a> were the primary concern for 21% of survey respondents, whereas it was taxes and spending for another 17%.\u00a0<\/p>

The poll also found that 51% of respondents perceive the current state of the economy as poor, and 61% express a lack of confidence that the economy will improve next year.\u00a0<\/p>

Garza said Republicans need to better showcase the benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill. <\/p>

\"I think they need to do a marketing job that is going to be far superior than what the left is doing because the left is coming full blast on this, you know, trying to undermine the president's legislation,\" Garza said. <\/p>

To that end, the Democratic National Committee<\/a> on Wednesday started a new campaign amplifying the economic consequences of Trump for Latinos, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month. <\/p>

\u201cDemocrats are reminding Latinos of Republicans' disastrous policies by ramping up bilingual organizing, driving voter registration, mobilizing Spanish-language volunteer efforts for Prop 50 in California, and investing early in key states like Virginia and New Jersey,\u201d DNC senior spokesman Marcus Robinson told the Washington Examiner. <\/p>

\"Latinos know Trump\u2019s agenda means higher costs, lost healthcare, and scapegoating immigrants, and that\u2019s why Democrats are showing up in communities to ensure Latino voters, not Trump\u2019s rigged system, decide this election,\" Robinson added.<\/p>

Republicans, however, downplayed Garza\u2019s concerns, underscoring, for instance, that the Republican National Committee<\/a> \u201cis building on President Trump\u2019s historic movement, opening offices and deploying staff across America to grow our majorities in Congress<\/a> next year.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe president is delivering real results for all Americans, including Latino families: a surging economy, safer communities, and a secure border,\u201d RNC Hispanic communications director Jaime Florez told the Washington Examiner. \u201cNo one has done more for Latino Americans than President Trump.\u201d<\/p>

Although the White House<\/a> did not issue a statement on Monday, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, a White House official told the Washington Examiner that Trump will sign a proclamation as he did for Black History Month in February, Women\u2019s History Month in March, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. <\/p>

A Republican strategist granted anonymity in order to speak candidly also defended Trump regarding his polling, asserting, \u201cWe are only seeing a slight drop off from his 2024 performance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWe must remember Hispanics aren\u2019t traditional Republican voters so they will soften after an election,\u201d the strategist told the Washington Examiner. \u201cSo, the drop off we are looking at is not that extreme as they are painting it out to be.\u201d<\/p>

BONDI FACES FRESH CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH OVER \u2018HATE SPEECH\u2019 COMMENTS<\/a><\/p>

A Fox News poll<\/a> from this week found Trump\u2019s Latino approval rating is 48% approve-52% disapprove, but Hispanic voters gave even lower favorable marks to leading Democrats Kamala Harris<\/a> and Gavin Newsom<\/a>.<\/p>

\"Democrats are more unpopular than Trump, and they don\u2019t have a candidate or leader to stop their bleeding with Hispanics and stop their movement towards Republicans,\" the GOP strategist said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Donald-Trump-election-24ze1-Latinos-Hispanics.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813157-1758171511", "title":"GOP senators introduce Transit Crime Reporting Act after Iryna Zarutska’s murder", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813157%2Fgop-senators-introduce-transit-crime-reporting-act%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Transit Crime Reporting Act on Wednesday.  The proposed legislation is intended to help create and apply new strategies to protect public transportation commuters and transit workers, according to a release. It will also “strengthen oversight and reporting of crime on American public transportation.” The legislation […]", "description":""

Sens. Tim Scott<\/a> (R-SC) and Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC) introduced the Transit Crime Reporting Act on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>

The proposed legislation<\/a> is intended to help create and apply new strategies to protect public transportation commuters and transit workers, according to a release. It will also \u201cstrengthen oversight and reporting of crime on American public transportation.\u201d The legislation also stipulates that a 13-member task force would be created to implement policy suggestions to increase safety on the country\u2019s public transportation systems. <\/p>

\u201cThe bill requires the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enhance its reporting of violent and non-violent crimes to Congress and establishes a task force charged with recommending ways to mitigate violence on public transit,\u201d a release read.<\/p>

CRIME IN US CITIES AS TRUMP AIMS TO EXPAND CRACKDOWN: LATEST COVERAGE<\/a><\/p>

The bill comes after Iryna Zarutska was stabbed<\/a> and killed on a Charlotte train on Aug. 22.<\/p>

\u201cThe tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska underscored many challenges facing Charlotte and the rest of the nation, including safety concerns on public transit,\u201d Tillis said<\/a>. \u201cBy improving how we track violence on public transit, this bill could help us take meaningful steps to ensure riders in Charlotte and across the country can utilize transit without fear.\u201d<\/p>

Scott echoed Tillis\u2019s sentiments and added that the legislation would be vital to enhance security on public transit.<\/p>

\u201cEvery American deserves to feel safe traveling to work, school, or anywhere else on public transit,\u201d Scott said. \u201cNo one should ever fear for their life while trying to go to school or to and from work. This legislation takes meaningful steps to improve transparency and identify solutions so our communities can rely on safe, secure, and accessible transit.\u201d<\/p>

The task force<\/a> will feature the Federal Transit Administration administrator as its head and include 12 other members: five representatives will be leaders of five transit agencies, three will be representatives from law enforcement agencies, two will be transit employee representatives, and two will be from national transit associations. The task force would \u201cidentify potential regulatory, deregulatory, or legislative actions by transit agencies that would enhance safety on public transportation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Additionally, the task force would be required<\/a> to propose ideas for improving safety on public transit systems in the U.S. to Congress within two years of its creation. They would also have to submit an interim report to Congress after the \u201cend of the first year.\u201d Moreover, the bill would require the transportation secretary to submit an annual report \u201cdetailing all crimes reported to the National Transit Database\u201d to the Senate Banking Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Scott is the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Death-Penalty-Poll.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813139-1758156631", "title":"DHS calls for ‘sanctuary politicians’ and ‘leftist groups’ to stop ‘demonizing’ DHS officers", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3813139%2Fdhs-calls-for-politicians-leftist-groups-stop-demonizing-officers%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Department of Homeland Security called on Democratic politicians, legacy media outlets, and left-wing organizations to stop “demonizing DHS law enforcement.”  The request came less than a week after the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, as well as repeated attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers throughout the country, […]", "description":""

The Department of Homeland Security<\/a> called on Democratic politicians, legacy media outlets, and left-wing organizations to stop \u201cdemonizing DHS law enforcement.\u201d <\/p>

The request came less than a week after the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk<\/a>, as well as repeated attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> officers throughout the country, including two incidents over the last week.<\/p>

\u201cThis hateful rhetoric is inspiring political violence in our country and assaults against our brave DHS law enforcement,\u201d read a release<\/a> issued on Wednesday from the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin asked left-wing politicians, activists, organizations, and groups to halt the inflammatory rhetoric \u201cbefore someone else is killed.\u201d<\/p>

VIGILS, NOT VIOLENCE. CHARLIE KIRK SUPPORTERS DIDN\u2019T RIOT WHILE GRIEVING<\/a><\/p>

\u201cFollowing the evil act of political violence in the country this week and two brutal assaults on our brave ICE law enforcement last week, we are once again calling on the media and the far Left to stop the hateful rhetoric directed at President Trump, those who support him, and our brave DHS law enforcement,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cThis demonization is inspiring violence across the country.\u201d<\/p>

She then explained how such rhetoric has corresponded with a significant increase in violence against ICE officers as they try to do their jobs with illegal immigration enforcement initiatives.<\/p>

\u201cOur ICE officers are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them,\u201d McLaughlin added. \u201cWe have to turn down the temperature before someone else is killed. This violence must end.\u201d<\/p>

The request also came on the same day a man drove a car into the gates of an FBI building in Pittsburgh<\/a>. The FBI categorized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.<\/p>

The release also noted multiple examples of Democratic politicians using \u201cviolent rhetoric against DHS law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>

In one instance, Rep. Jasmine Crockett<\/a> (D-TX) compared ICE officers to \u201cslave patrols.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhen I see ICE, I see slave patrols,\u201d Crockett said in a comment that was highlighted by DHS. <\/p>

Gov. Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN) has regularly disparaged ICE officers. DHS highlighted a comment he made while giving a commencement speech at the University of Minnesota in which he called ICE officers \u201cTrump\u2019s modern-day Gestapo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) said the deployment of ICE officers to enforce illegal immigration law had transformed the United States into \"essentially Nazi Germany.\" Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called ICE a \u201cneo-Nazi group.\u201d And Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said ICE officers were \u201cmasked, secret police\u201d that were \u201cterrorizing our communities.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThis hateful rhetoric is contributing to political violence in our country and a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against our brave ICE law enforcement,\u201d the DHS release noted.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ICE.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812966-1758149837", "title":"Sanders becomes first senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3812966%2Fbernie-sanders-first-senator-israel-genocide-gaza%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) became the first senator to declare Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza a genocide on Wednesday. Sanders, in an op-ed titled “It is Genocide” posted to his campaign website, laid out his thoughts on the conflict. He began his essay saying Israel had a right to defend itself after the Oct. […]", "description":""

Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a>\u00a0(I-VT) became the first senator to declare Israel's conduct in its war in Gaza a genocide on Wednesday.<\/p>

Sanders, in an op-ed titled \"It is Genocide\" <\/a>posted to his campaign website, laid out his thoughts on the conflict.<\/p>

He began his essay saying Israel had a right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, but took the conflict to \"an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.\"<\/p>

\"Many legal experts have now concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars concluded that 'Israel\u2019s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,'\" Sanders wrote.<\/p>

\"The Israeli human rights groups B\u2019Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have reached the same conclusion, as have international groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,\" he added.<\/p>

According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 65,000 Palestinians have died so far in the Israel-Hamas war.<\/p>

\"Just yesterday, an independent commission of experts appointed by the United Nations echoed this finding. These experts concluded that: 'It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention,'\" Sanders continued.<\/p>

Sanders said he agrees with the experts.<\/p>

Israel this week began a ground offensive into Gaza City and has stretched the Trump administration's patience with a recent strike on Hamas officials in Qatar. President Donald Trump disapproved of the strikes on the land of an American ally.<\/p>

\u201cThis was a decision made by Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu; it was not a decision made by me,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>

Trump reacted to Israel's new offensive in Gaza by accusing Hamas of using human shields.<\/p>

\"We're going to see what happens because I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal, and if they do that, they're going to be in big trouble,\" Trump said as he left the White House on Tuesday. <\/p>

Sanders accused the administration of supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda to make way for the \"Riviera of the Middle East.\"<\/p>

\u201cHaving made life unlivable through bombing and starvation, they are pushing for \u2018voluntary\u2019 migration of Palestinians to neighboring countries to make way for President Trump\u2019s twisted vision of a \u2018Riviera of the Middle East,\u2019\u201d Sanders wrote.<\/p>

Vermont's only U.S. representative, Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), also said Wednesday that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>

\"Today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that,\" she wrote.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK DEAD AFTER BEING SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT<\/a><\/p>

\"But the trauma of the Holocaust serves as a reminder of the power of speaking out. I feel compelled to speak out because I know there are so many others like me who are horrified by what they see,\" Balint added.<\/p>

Balint <\/a>and Sanders are the first Jewish Americans in Congress to say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bernie-sanders-2-e1758165749236.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3813040-1758147649", "title":"Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deported to Algeria or Syria", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3813040%2Fjudge-order-mahmoud-khalil-deported-algeria-syria%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"An immigration judge has ordered Mahmoud Khalil to be deported to Algeria or Syria, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Immigration Judge Jamee Comans accused the pro-Palestinian activist of omitting information from his green card application. She said the court found a “lack of candor on his I-485 form was not an oversight by an […]", "description":""

An immigration<\/a> judge has ordered Mahmoud Khalil <\/a>to be deported to Algeria or Syria, according to court documents filed Wednesday.<\/p>

Immigration Judge Jamee Comans accused the pro-Palestinian activist of omitting information from his green card application.<\/p>

She said the court found a \u201clack of candor on his I-485 form was not an oversight by an uninformed, uneducated applicant.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cRather, this Court finds that Respondent willfully misrepresented material fact(s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process and reducing the likelihood his applications could be denied. This Court cannot and will not condone such an action by granting a discretionary waiver,\u201d Comans said.<\/p>

Comans, based in Louisiana, denied Khalil's motion for a waiver preventing his removal from the country.<\/p>

The former Columbia graduate student was born in Syria but fled during the country's revolution<\/a> in 2013. He was detained by immigration enforcement in March but released in June after a long and publicized detention.<\/p>

He said the administration is retaliating against him for his use of free speech.<\/p>

\u201cIt is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again,\" Khalil said in a statement.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK SHOT DEAD: TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER FUELED TRUMP\u2019S RISE THROUGH \u2018COMMON SENSE\u2019 MESSAGING<\/a><\/p>

\u201cWhen their first effort to deport me was set to fail, they resorted to fabricating baseless and ridiculous allegations in a bid to silence me for speaking out and standing firmly with Palestine, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide,\u201d he continued. \u201cSuch fascist tactics will never deter me from continuing to advocate for my people\u2019s liberation.\u201d<\/p>

His attorneys said they have 30 days to appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25173862602217.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812774-1758145392", "title":"Tony Gonzales staffer dies after catching on fire at home", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3812774%2Ftony-gonzales-staffer-dies-catching-fire%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A staffer for Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) died Sunday morning after catching on fire at her home in Texas. First responders were called to the home of Uvalde Regional District Director Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, on Saturday night after a relative found her on fire outside her house. She was airlifted to a hospital in San […]", "description":""

A staffer for Rep. Tony Gonzales<\/a> (R-TX) died Sunday morning after catching on fire<\/a> at her home in Texas.<\/a><\/p>

First responders were called to the home of Uvalde Regional District Director Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, on Saturday night after a relative found her on fire outside her house.<\/p>

She was airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, but had suffered extensive burns and succumbed to her injuries the next day. A family member told KSAT that her death was an accident and that there was a water hose outside her home.<\/p>

\u201cHer last words were \u2018I don\u2019t want to die,\u2019\u201d the family member said.<\/p>

Gonzales mourned his staffer in a statement to KSAT. \u201cWe are all heart-stricken by the recent news,\u201d he said. \u201cRegina devoted her profession toward making a difference in her community. She will always be remembered for her passion toward Uvalde and helping the community become a better place.\u201d<\/p>

Local police and the Texas Rangers are looking into Santos-Aviles's death.<\/p>

Uvalde Police Department Chief Homer Delgado said unattended deaths are routinely examined, according to KSAT.<\/p>

TRUMP AND VANCE LEAD MOURNING AFTER CHARLIE KIRK KILLED IN UTAH<\/a><\/p>

\"In times of loss, our greatest duty is to stand together, support one another, and honor the memory of those we have lost,\u201d he said. \"Out of respect for the family, no additional details will be released at this time.<\/p>

A congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, died in June after a drive-by shooting. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/gonzales-e1758165311721.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812976-1758145102", "title":"Spirit Airlines pilot scolded after straying too close to Trump’s Air Force One", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F3812976%2Fspirit-airlines-pilot-scolded-after-straying-too-close-to-trumps-air-force-one%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A Spirit Airlines pilot received a stern reprimand from an air traffic controller Tuesday morning after the commercial flight came within several miles of Air Force One, which was transporting President Donald Trump over New York en route to the United Kingdom. According to live air traffic control audio shared on LiveATC.net, Spirit Flight 1300, […]", "description":""

A Spirit Airlines<\/a> pilot received a stern reprimand from an air traffic controller Tuesday morning after the commercial flight came within several miles of Air Force One, which was transporting President Donald Trump<\/a> over New York en route to the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>

According to live air traffic control audio shared on LiveATC.net, Spirit Flight 1300, traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston, was instructed multiple times to alter its course after drifting within 8 miles of the president\u2019s aircraft.<\/p>

\u201cPay attention, Spirit 1300. Turn 20 degrees right,\u201d the air traffic controller is heard saying.<\/p>

\u201cSpirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right now.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSpirit Wings 1300, turn 20 degrees right immediately.\u201d<\/p>

\ud83d\udea8 WOW! Air Traffic Control had to SCREAM at a Spirit Airlines flight who was getting too close to Air Force One\u201cSpirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right IMMEDIATELY! \u2026 Pay attention! Get off the iPad!\u201dYou couldn\u2019t PAY me to fly on Spirit at this point. pic.twitter.com\/BUA8d7yWSY<\/a><\/p>— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 17, 2025<\/a>

As the Spirit flight hovered at 33,000 feet above Long Island and edged closer to Air Force One, the controller\u2019s tone grew increasingly exasperated.<\/p>

\u201cSpirit 1300, traffic's off your left wing by eight miles \u2014 747. I\u2019m sure you can see who it is. He\u2019s white and blue,\" the controller snapped, adding, \"Pay attention\u2026 Get off the iPad.\u201d<\/p>

The remark was striking in its directness and suggested the pilot may have been inattentive at a critical moment. While commercial pilots are allowed to use iPads and electronic tablets in the cockpit to access navigation charts and checklists, the tone of the exchange sparked questions about situational awareness in a restricted airspace.<\/p>

Despite the tension in the exchange, aviation authorities confirmed that proper separation was maintained throughout the incident. Data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed that the Spirit plane came no closer than eight miles laterally to Air Force One, which remained at 32,000 feet \u2014 just 1,000 feet below Spirit Flight 1300.<\/p>

In a statement to Fox News, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson reportedly confirmed the aircraft \u201cfollowed procedures and air traffic control instructions\u201d and \u201clanded uneventfully\u201d in Boston.<\/p>

\u201cSafety is always our top priority,\u201d the airline said.<\/p>

The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement acknowledging the incident and confirming it is reviewing the interaction.<\/p>

\u201cThe FAA is aware of social media posts about Air Force One and a Spirit Airlines flight in Boston airspace on Tuesday,\u201d the agency said. \u201cRequired separation was maintained between the aircraft.\u201d<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Trump was reportedly en route to London for a two-day state visit hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.<\/p>

The audio was first flagged by aviation account JonNYC on Bluesky and quickly went viral across social media platforms, with users stunned by the bluntness of the phrase: \u201cGet off the iPad.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25224557701018.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812979-1758144879", "title":"Kimmel cancellation isn’t ‘cancel culture.’ It’s consequence culture", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3812979%2Fkimmel-cancelation-isnt-cancel-culture-its-consequence-culture%2F", "byline":"Peter Laffin", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"ABC’s bombshell decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel‘s late-night show set the legacy media and establishment Democrats into a tailspin on Wednesday evening. They framed the move as a capitulation to a bullying Trump administration. MSNBC prime-time host Chris Hayes tweeted ominously, “The countries where comedians can’t mock the leader on late-night TV are not really ones you want to […]", "description":""

ABC's<\/a> bombshell decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>'s late-night show set the legacy media and establishment Democrats into a tailspin on Wednesday evening. They framed the move as a capitulation to a bullying Trump<\/a> administration.<\/p>

MSNBC<\/a> prime-time host Chris Hayes tweeted ominously, \"The countries where comedians can't mock the leader on late-night TV are not really ones you want to live in.\"<\/p>

DAVID HARSANYI: CHARLIE KIRK EPITOMIZED THE BEST OF OUR CIVIC TRADITION<\/a><\/p>

CNN's Brian Stelter<\/a>, appearing on Anderson Cooper<\/a> 360, called the move an example of \"Orbanism.\"<\/p>

\"In Hungary, Victor Orban<\/a> did many of the things we're now seeing the Trump administration do,\" he said. \"He weakened public broadcasting. He muzzled independent media through autocratic carrots and sticks. And he incentivized the owners to fall in line. And that's what we're seeing in America today.\"<\/p>

Sen. Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) portrayed the firing as an assault on free speech.<\/p>

\"America is meant to be a bastion of free speech,\" he said. \"Everybody across the political spectrum should be speaking out to stop what\u2019s happening to Jimmy Kimmel. This is about protecting democracy.\"<\/p>

But none of this hysteria grappled with the heart of the matter: On Tuesday evening, Kimmel lied to his audience regarding the political identity of Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s suspected assassin, labeling him as \"MAGA<\/a>\" when that is objectively false. <\/p>

One week following Kirk's death, every major news outlet now (finally) correctly reports that Robinson was motivated by left-wing ideology. The evidence is overwhelming, from the left-wing messages Robinson engraved on the bullet casings, the post-shooting text with his romantic partner, in which he cites Kirk's \"hate\" as being the motive, and the comments his parents made to authorities regarding his leftward drift over the previous year, particularly related to a pro-trans worldview.<\/p>

Despite all this, Kimmel deliberately misinformed his approximately 2 million viewers, saying in his opening monologue:<\/p>

\u201cThe MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.\"<\/p>

During this moment of civil unrest, this is simply unacceptable. The nation is a tinderbox right now, and this feels like a necessary step toward de-escalation.<\/p>

To be sure, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr exerted pressure on ABC here, as he has over the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and its biased moderation during last year's presidential debate. Concerns over the extent to which the government pressures media companies over speech are valid.<\/p>

But this sudden concern is rich in light of the Biden administration's storied efforts to pressure tech companies to adhere to its policy on \"misinformation.\" The legacy media's complicity during Biden's reign paved the way for future free speech crackdowns.<\/p>

MSNBC ANALYST MATTHEW DOWD FIRED AFTER \u2018INSENSITIVE\u2019 CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING REMARKS<\/a><\/p>

There's also the matter of Nexstar, which owns and operates numerous local television stations affiliated with ABC. Nexstar potentially curries favor with the administration because it needs FCC approval for a large acquisition of Tegna. But the Kimmel firing is an entirely separate issue, a self-inflicted wound by a comic desperate for attention and relevance. Kimmel made his own bed. Carr and Nexstar may well have ulterior motivations, but that fact remains unchanged.<\/p>

Kimmel's cancellation isn't \"cancel culture,\" and neither are any of the firings related to progressive ghouls cheering Kirk's death. It's consequence culture. And it's about time accountability became a two-way street.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Feat.LateNight2.081325.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812868-1758144598", "title":"ABC reporter apologizes after being blasted for calling alleged Kirk assassin texts ‘touching’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3812868%2Fabc-reporter-apologizes-after-being-blasted-for-calling-alleged-kirk-assassin-texts-touching%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman has issued a formal apology after facing intense backlash for describing text messages from Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of conservative figure Charlie Kirk, as “very touching” during a live broadcast. The remarks came after a Utah County press conference revealed shocking details about Robinson’s alleged murder plot […]", "description":""

ABC News<\/a> Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman has issued a formal apology after facing intense backlash for describing text messages from Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin<\/a> of conservative figure Charlie Kirk<\/a>, as \u201cvery touching\u201d during a live broadcast.<\/p>

The remarks came after a Utah County press conference revealed shocking details about Robinson\u2019s alleged murder plot and his text exchanges with his transgender partner, Lance Twiggs, following the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.<\/p>

Gutman attempted to highlight what he described as a \u201cduality\u201d in the case, the contrast between the brutality of the killing and the personal, emotional language in the messages between Robinson and Twiggs.<\/p>

DISGUSTING: ABC\u2019s Matt Gutman says he\u2019s not sure \u201cif we have seen an alleged murder with such specific text messages\u201d that were \u201cvery touching, in a way, that I think many of us didn\u2019t expect \u2014 a very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect\u2019s roommate and the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ulPcxoOwM3<\/a><\/p>— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 16, 2025<\/a>

\u201cA very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect\u2019s roommate and the suspect himself,\u201d Gutman said<\/a> during the segment. \u201cIt was very touching in a way that I think many of us didn\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>

But the comment struck a nerve with many, who accused Gutman of romanticizing or sympathizing with the alleged killer.<\/p>

In response to the controversy, Gutman took to X<\/a>, formerly Twitter, to explain his intent. <\/p>

1. Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk - a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue - and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference.<\/p>— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) September 17, 2025<\/a>

Gutman said he had hoped to underscore the \u201cjarring contrast\u201d between what he described as a \u201ccold-blooded assassination\u201d and the \u201cpersonal, disturbing\u201d messages that were read aloud at the press conference. He referred to Kirk as \u201ca man who dedicated his life to public dialogue,\u201d and admitted that his commentary failed to make that contrast clear.<\/p>

He went on to express regret, saying he \u201cdeeply\u201d wished he had chosen his words more carefully. Gutman also made clear that there should be \u201czero doubt\u201d about where he stands on the crime, writing that he \u201cunequivocally condemns\u201d the assassination and the suffering it caused \u2014 not only to Charlie Kirk\u2019s family and those present at the event, but also to \u201cthe millions of people he inspired.\u201d<\/p>

Despite the apology, critics remained unconvinced.<\/p>

\u201cABC and Matt Gutman have really reached a NEW LOW,\u201d one user said. \u201cGutman found the murderer\u2019s texts to his lover, sent immediately after shooting a husband and father in the neck, oh so \u2018touching.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

\u201cJust\u2026 what? What are you doing, man?\u201d OutKick commentator Mary Katharine Ham posted<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cHe really needs to be fired,\u201d another user added. \u201cRead the room. Or better yet, just report the facts. It\u2019s called journalism.\u201d<\/p>

Others responded with biting sarcasm.<\/p>

\u201cAh yes, a modern-day Romeo and Julius,\u201d one user<\/a> said<\/a>.<\/p>

The Utah County Attorney\u2019s Office released transcripts of messages between Robinson and Twiggs that prosecutors say were sent just hours after Kirk was fatally shot.<\/p>

In one message, Robinson told Twiggs: \u201cDrop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.\u201d<\/p>

There, Twiggs reportedly found a handwritten note from Robinson stating: \u201cI had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I\u2019m going to take it.\u201d<\/p>

When Twiggs asked if the message was real, Robinson replied: \u201cI am still ok, my love, but am stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn\u2019t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.\u201d<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Finally, when Twiggs directly asked whether Robinson was the shooter, Robinson responded: \u201cI am. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>

Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and several additional offenses.<\/a> Authorities say the act was premeditated and carried out in front of a crowd that included children, a factor that could carry serious sentencing implications.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/robin.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812963-1758144363", "title":"House members’ security budgets double after Charlie Kirk assassination", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3812963%2Fhouse-security-pilot-program-doubles-stipend-kirk-assassination%2F", "byline":"Rachel Schilke", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House lawmakers will see a stipend for personal private security double in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, with members on both sides of the aisle concerned about the rise in political violence. The stipend for the personal security pilot program will increase from $5,000 to $10,000 a month. It will be active […]", "description":""

House<\/a> lawmakers will see a stipend for personal private security double in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk<\/a>, with members on both sides of the aisle concerned about the rise in political violence.<\/p>

The stipend for the personal security pilot program will increase from $5,000 to $10,000 a month. It will be active until Nov. 21, the same deadline for the\u00a0short-term spending deal proposed\u00a0by GOP leadership, which punts funding the government another seven weeks.<\/p>

The $5,000 pilot program was set to expire on Sept. 30, which was enacted in July following the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state Speaker Melissa Hortman and a year after the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.<\/p>

In the wake of Kirk's shooting, both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about holding outdoor events. Some have complained that leadership hasn't done enough to keep members safe, as well.<\/p>

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, said Wednesday he\u2019s received \u201coverwhelmingly positive feedback\u201d from members using the program, and that the only negative feedback is that \u201cthey\u2019d like more resources.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cSo what we did is freed up already available funds and doubled the scope of the program and extended the timeline of the program,\u201d Steil said.<\/p>

He added that the purpose of increasing the program is to ensure members can go out into their states \"talking to folks, talking to real-world people outside the swamp that is D.C., which is absolutely essential for our democracy.\"<\/p>

The new $10,000 stipend is separate from the $30 million proposed in the continuing resolution for a law enforcement mutual aid fund for members and $58 million for security for the executive and judicial branches. <\/p>

Despite a bipartisan push for increased member security funding, its inclusion in the continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown is unlikely to sway House Democrats to vote for the bill, given that it does not include healthcare concessions as they\u2019ve demanded<\/a>.<\/p>

Instead, Democrats have introduced a counter-CR proposal that would keep the $30 million mutual aid fund and include an additional $90 million for House enhanced security programs, $66.5 million for the Senate Sergeant at Arms, and $140 million for the Supreme Court and federal courts. <\/p>

Steil said the funds to increase the pilot program stipend were previously allocated and have been repurposed to bump it up to $10,000. For a long-term solution, he said the legislative branch appropriations subcommittee is identifying \u201cthe appropriate funding level as we go forward.\u201d <\/p>

He said he\u2019s had numerous conversations with members on the House floor about the security provisions.<\/p>

HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL SHORT-TERM SPENDING DEAL WITH $30 MILLION BOOST FOR MEMBER SECURITY<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI think a lot of members are just looking and making sure that they understand what programs are available to them to keep them, their families, and others safe,\u201d the Republican said. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/steil-jordan-actblue-fraud-claims.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812989-1758143764", "title":"Trump to designate antifa as ‘major terrorist organization’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3812989%2Ftrump-antifa-major-terrorist-organization%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump said Wednesday night that he is designating antifa as a “major terrorist organization.” “I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> said Wednesday night that he is designating antifa as a \"major terrorist <\/a>organization.\"\"I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practice,\" Trump wrote on Truth Social.<\/a><\/p>

Antifa<\/a> is classified as a movement, not a specific group, so it's unclear how Trump will carry out his order.<\/p>

Trump previously declared antifa<\/a> a terrorist organization during his first term as president in May 2020 and said earlier this week that he was open to doing it again after conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s assassination.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s something I would do, yeah,\u201d Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House<\/a> in response to a question. \u201cAlso, I\u2019ve been speaking to the attorney general about bringing RICO<\/a> against some of the people \u2026 that have been putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation.\u201d<\/p>

Designating antifa as a terrorist organization could allow Trump to freeze the assets of connected groups or cut off funding sources.<\/p>

The president suggested his administration would target \"radical-left\" groups after Kirk's assassination last week.<\/p>

\u201cMy administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country,\u201d he said, going on to reference the assassination attempts against himself and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.<\/p>

MSNBC ANALYST MATTHEW DOWD FIRED AFTER \u2018INSENSITIVE\u2019 CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING REMARKS<\/a><\/p>

Alleged Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson wrote the song title \u201cBella Ciao\u201d on an unfired bullet casing. The song was popularized as an anti-fascist anthem in Italy following World War II.<\/p>

It's unclear if Robinson was a member of the antifa movement.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP21251820888215.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812406-1758137778", "title":"DC Council approves Commanders stadium deal", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F3812406%2Fdc-council-approves-commanders-stadium-deal%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Council of the District of Columbia approved a $3.7 billion deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to the city.  The council voted 11-2 to approve the RFK Development Act, which will bring redevelopment to the abandoned RFK Stadium campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Plans include a 65,000-seat domed stadium, parks, restaurants, bars, housing, and […]", "description":""

The Council of the District of Columbia approved a $3.7 billion deal to bring the Washington Commanders<\/a> back to the city. <\/p>

The council voted 11-2 to approve the RFK Development Act, which will bring redevelopment to the abandoned RFK Stadium campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Plans include a 65,000-seat domed stadium, parks, restaurants, bars, housing, and possible increased support for transit. <\/p>

The district will contribute more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds and additional foregone revenue in tax breaks and other incentives for the Commanders to return to the district. The Commanders will, in turn, invest $2.7 billion to build the stadium, marking the single largest private investment in the district in its history.<\/p>

\u201cI am incredibly excited that with the passage of these bills, the District will finally be able to welcome the Washington Commanders back home,\u201d Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press release ahead of the vote.<\/p>

When broken down, Washington will pay $500 million for stadium infrastructure, $350 million for parking garages, and $202 million for utilities and to conduct a transit study. The district will also fund a youth sports facility, including an indoor track and cheerleading space.<\/p>

Bowser, Commanders owner Josh Harris, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the deal<\/a> in April.<\/p>

There has been much debate and back and forth with the council about the specific terms of the deal. There were some significant changes to the original proposal, including guarantees for additional union jobs and financing adjustments to bring back millions in revenue for the city.<\/p>

The council took its first of two votes on the deal last month, with the stadium being approved<\/a> by a\u00a09-3 vote.\u00a0Council Chairman Phil Mendelson had originally opposed using funds from the district for the project, but came around to it, saying the council was able to \u201cvastly improve\u201d upon what was first introduced.<\/p>

The council voted down possible last-minute changes to the deal that the Commanders opposed, including stricter environmental building standards and more protection for historic trees on the site.\u00a0<\/p>

Commanders President Mark Clouse sent a letter, reported<\/a> by NBC Washington, to the council expressing concern about some proposed amendments that he called \u201cunworkable and impractical new last-minute demands.\u201d<\/p>

During the final vote, Mendelson emphasized that the Commanders would build the stadium according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards and invest $50 million over 30 years in community benefits for local neighborhoods around the stadium. Councilmembers also debated the ramifications of the possible displacement of local residents.<\/p>

LOCAL JOBS, METRO STATIONS, CONCERTS: DC RESIDENTS MAKE DEMANDS FOR RFK STADIUM DEAL<\/a><\/p>

The Washington franchise has been playing in Landover, Maryland, for the last three decades. The Commanders have no plans to relocate their corporate office in College Park, Maryland, nor their training facility in Ashburn, Virginia.<\/p>

Groundbreaking on the new stadium is expected to happen next year. It\u00a0is expected to be completed by 2030 under the current deal. The city hopes to use the stadium when it hosts the Women's World Cup in 2031.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25205671327591.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812881-1758136271", "title":"ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely following Charlie Kirk comments", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2F3812881%2Fjimmy-kimmel-pulled-charlie-kirk-comments%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air indefinitely on Wednesday after the host said the “MAGA gang” aimed to score political points from conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Nexstar said Wednesday that its “owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ for the foreseeable future, […]", "description":""

ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's<\/a> late-night show off the air indefinitely on Wednesday after the host said the \u201cMAGA gang\u201d aimed to score political points from conservative activist Charlie Kirk's<\/a> assassination.Nexstar said Wednesday that its \u201cowned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight\u2019s show.\u201dKimmel made the remarks in his Monday night monologue. \u201cWe hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,\u201d Kimmel said.<\/p>

The company added that it \u201cstrongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.\u201dIt's unclear what political ideology Kirk's alleged Killer, Tyler Robinson, identifies with. He expressed hatred for Kirk in texts to his partner, Lance Twiggs.<\/p>

President Donald Trump, who has frequently scorned Kimmel, celebrated the news<\/a> Wednesday evening and called for NBC to follow suit with Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, writing, \"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. ... That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!\"<\/p>

Kimmel's show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is considered one of the top late-night shows on television.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK DEAD AFTER BEING SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT<\/a><\/p>

It's unclear if Kimmel's show is being definitively canceled. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been on the air since 2003.<\/p>

The host suggested he was not renewing his contract ahead of the 2026 deadline last year. \u201cI still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good,\u201d he added. \u201cThat seems like enough.\u201d<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258780767336.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812527-1758136238", "title":"Trump DHS locates 22,000 missing migrant children who crossed border under Biden", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3812527%2Ftrump-dhs-locates-22000-missing-migrant-children-lost-under-biden%2F", "byline":"Anna Giaritelli", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Trump administration has located more than 22,000 unaccompanied migrant children who were deemed missing after being released into the United States from the U.S.-Mexico border by the Biden administration, according to a Republican senator. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who presided over a Wednesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the status of the half a […]", "description":""

The Trump administration<\/a> has located more than 22,000 unaccompanied migrant children<\/a> who were deemed missing after being released into the United States from the U.S.-Mexico border by the Biden administration, according to a Republican senator.<\/p>

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who presided over a Wednesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the status of the half a million children who crossed the southern border alone between 2021 and 2024, said the Trump administration was making strides in finding countless children lost inside the country.<\/p>

\"Working with state and local law enforcement authorities, the Trump administration has located more than 22,000 missing illegal migrant children and arrested more than 400 criminal sponsors,\" Cornyn said during the hearing Wednesday afternoon. \"We've witnessed progress in the last eight months, although much remains to be done.\"<\/p>

By the end of the Biden administration, more than 500,000 children<\/a> had crossed the border without a parent, a staggering figure that far outpaced any previous administration. <\/p>

Roughly 90% of all children were released to adults within the U.S., except for children from Canadian, Mexican, and some Central American countries.<\/p>

In May, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) shared<\/a> with the Washington Examiner that government employees and contractors who cared for unaccompanied immigrant children in custody after they crossed over the southern border had flagged more than 65,000 instances of concern for children in their custody that went unaddressed by the Biden administration.<\/p>

Children were released to sometimes related adults in the U.S. despite the flags of concern.<\/p>

MORE THAN 1,000 POLICE AGENCIES AGREE TO HELP ICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: DHS<\/a><\/p>

In July, White House officials told<\/a> the Washington Examiner that investigators had tracked down 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children who were considered \u201clost\u201d because of incomplete or inaccurate contact information originally provided at the time of their release to HHS.<\/p>

Former President Joe Biden lost track of 88,000 children, according to a 2023 New York Times\u00a0report<\/a>.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap-18347069796206-scaled-e1758143208822.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812675-1758136052", "title":"Elon Musk calls Jimmy Kimmel ‘disgusting’ for Kirk Segment as ABC suspends show indefinitely", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2F3812675%2Felon-musk-calls-jimmy-kimmel-disgusting-for-segment-on-kirks-assassination%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A media firestorm erupted this week after Jimmy Kimmel was criticized for several controversial monologues about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, drawing the ire of X owner Elon Musk. Musk condemned Kimmel on Tuesday night after a viral monologue in which the comedian mocked President Donald Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death. The Tesla […]", "description":""

A media firestorm erupted this week after Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> was criticized for several controversial monologues about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>, drawing the ire of X owner Elon Musk<\/a>.<\/p>

Musk condemned Kimmel on Tuesday night after a viral monologue in which the comedian mocked President Donald Trump\u2019s reaction to Kirk\u2019s death. The Tesla CEO called Kimmel<\/a> \u201cdisgusting,\u201d accusing him of making light of a tragedy for the sake of entertainment. ABC announced<\/a> Wednesday it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its lineup \u201cindefinitely.\u201d<\/p>

Jimmy Kimmel is disgusting<\/p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2025<\/a>

On Monday\u2019s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel criticized how Trump has handled public questions about Kirk\u2019s death. The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at a Utah college.<\/p>

When asked how he was coping with the loss outside the White House on Monday, Trump pivoted to discussing the construction of a $200 million ballroom <\/a>at the White House.<\/p>

\u201cHe\u2019s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,\u201d Kimmel said.<\/p>

The host continued, \u201cThis is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?\u201d<\/p>

But it wasn\u2019t just the satire of Trump that drew backlash \u2014 it was Kimmel\u2019s political framing of the assassination that reportedly triggered the decision at ABC. During the monologue, Kimmel suggested the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, might have been a pro-Trump Republican \u2014 a claim contrary to law enforcement statements that Robinson held extreme left-wing views.<\/p>

Kimmel took aim at Vice President JD Vance<\/a>, who recently appeared on Kirk\u2019s podcast from inside the White House.<\/p>

The late-night host criticized Vance for blaming the left for the violence against Kirk, noting that he did so \u201cfrom the White House, where he pointed his little, mascara-stained finger directly at the left.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,\u201d Kimmel said without evidence.<\/p>

The remark \u2014 implying that a right-wing figure was killed by someone possibly aligned with the same political camp \u2014 sparked outrage on social media, with conservatives accusing Kimmel of politicizing a murder and spreading misinformation.<\/p>

Law enforcement officials, including Utah\u2019s governor, have repeatedly said Robinson held extreme left-wing views.<\/p>

In a rare escalation, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly warned of possible federal consequences, saying the commission is exploring whether Kimmel\u2019s remarks violated broadcast standards.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

By Wednesday, the fallout reached network leadership. A spokesperson for Disney\u2019s ABC confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be \u201cpreempted indefinitely,\u201d beginning with Wednesday night\u2019s show.<\/p>

Kimmel\u2019s segment has ignited fierce debate over the boundaries of political satire in the wake of a real tragedy.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-04q1esdd1-1758146907025.jpg?1758132676&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812113-1758134037", "title":"Ilhan Omar escapes censure after House tables resolution condemning Charlie Kirk remarks", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3812113%2Filhan-omar-censure-resolution-house-nancy-mace-charlie-kirk%2F", "byline":"Rachel Schilke", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The House rejected a move to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Wednesday over remarks related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In a 214 to 213 vote, all Democrats and four Republicans voted to table the resolution from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who is running for governor of South Carolina. The four GOP no’s were […]", "description":""

The House<\/a> rejected a move to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar<\/a> (D-MN) on Wednesday over remarks related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>

In a 214 to 213 vote, all Democrats<\/a> and four Republicans<\/a> voted to table the resolution from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who is running for governor of South Carolina. The four GOP no's were Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE), Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Cory Mills (R-FL), and Tom McClintock (R-CA).<\/p>

Omar thanked her colleagues for \"having my back\" and \"not furthering lies on the House floor\" in a post following the vote.<\/p>

\"Appreciate them safeguarding first amendment protections and the usage of the censure,\" Omar said. \"Finally some sanity in the House.\"<\/p>

This was the fifth attempt to censure Omar. Mace's resolution condemned Omar\u2019s reposting of several X posts, with the focus largely on one video<\/a> of a man repairing a roof with a voiceover that called Kirk a \u201creprehensible human being\" and condemned the \"revisionist history about who Kirk was.\" <\/p>

But the resolution did not detail any remarks from Omar herself \u2014 a detail that her chief of staff sent in a message to other House chiefs on Wednesday.<\/p>

\u201cThe entire thing is based on a video from someone else she reposted, and then a characterization of Omar\u2019s interview with Mehdi Hasan, which contains zero quotes,\u201d the chief wrote in an email obtained<\/a> by Politico. <\/p>

Omar\u2019s interview last week with Hasan during a Zeteo town hall received backlash after she expressed condolences to Kirk\u2019s family for his assassination, but also accused people of brushing Kirk\u2019s previous controversial comments under the rug.<\/p>

Mace accused Omar of \u201cmock[ing] a political assassination and celebrat[ing] murder\u201d as reasoning to strip her of her committee assignments. <\/p>

\u201cIlhan Omar has shown us exactly who she is: someone who defends political violence and refuses to condemn the loss of innocent lives when it doesn\u2019t suit her agenda, even the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk,\u201d Mace said in a statement.<\/p>

In a statement following the vote, Mace said the Democrats and four Republicans \"sold out and chose to protect Ilhan Omar.\" <\/p>

\"They didn\u2019t stand with Charlie Kirk,\" Mace said. \"They didn\u2019t stand with the millions of Americans mourning his death. They stood with the one who mocked his legacy. They showed us exactly who they are, and we won\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>

The two congresswomen have exchanged numerous jabs in posts to X over the last few days, with Mace saying<\/a>, \u201cWe would love to see you deported back to Somalia,\u201d and Omar responding<\/a>, \u201cWould love to see you get the help you need next. You belong in rehab, not Congress.\u201d <\/p>

The resolution comes as leadership from both Republicans and Democrats has encouraged their caucuses to turn down the temperature on aggressive rhetoric and political violence. <\/p>

Some members of the GOP conference have blamed Democrats and the media<\/a> for the rise in political violence, while Democrats argue that extreme rhetoric is an issue for both sides, pointing to acts of violence against members and Democratic leaders as evidence.<\/p>

The failure of the censure also comes as Republicans have expressed some heartburn over the flagrant use of censures. Once considered the harshest admonishment for members other than expulsion, intended for the most serious of issues, the use of censure has become more prevalent and weaponized as the parties have grown more polarized.<\/p>

In response to the censure against Omar, Congressional Progressive Caucus chairman Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced a resolution to censure Mills, noting alleged incidents of domestic violence<\/a>, stolen valor<\/a>, and campaign finance violations.<\/p>

A spokesperson for Mills declined to provide a statement to the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Casar later told Axios<\/a> that he would be pulling his Mills censure resolution after the Republican provided a decisive vote on Wednesday to help Omar. The Washington Examiner reached out to Casar for comment.<\/p>

In a statement, McClintock said Omar's comments on Kirk are \"vile and contemptible.\" <\/p>

\"But this disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment. Censure is formal punishment by the House and we have already gone too far down this road,\" McClintock said. <\/p>

\"Omar\u2019s comments were not made in the House and even if they were, they broke no House rules,\" he added. \"A free society depends on tolerating ALL speech \u2014 even hateful speech \u2014 confident that the best way to sort good from evil is to put the two side by side and trust the people to know the difference. Congress exists for this purpose. For this reason, I voted to table the censure resolution.\"<\/p>

Hurd said in a statement that he voted against the censure because it would strip Omar of her assignments on the House Budget and Education committees.<\/p>

\"The right response to reprehensible speech like this isn\u2019t silencing: it\u2019s more speech,\" Hurd said. \"That\u2019s what Charlie Kirk believed and practiced, and I agree.\u201d<\/p>

Flood said in a statement that Omar's \"reprehensible\" social media posts should be referred to the Ethics Committee.<\/p>

\"The appropriate time to consider a censure motion would be after ethics reviews her conduct,\" he said.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK\u2019S MURDER COULD BE TURNING POINT, OR TIPPING POINT, IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND RHETORIC<\/a><\/p>

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) is also seeking to file impeachment articles<\/a> against FBI Director Kash Patel and Pam Bondi in retaliation for Mace's censure effort.<\/p>

\"If [Mace] (soon to be a sucker and loser in her governors race) wants to strip [Omar] of her committees for words she never said, MANY people are saying we should impeach the incompetent Kash Patel and Pam Bondi for the lies they ACTUALLY TOLD!!\" Veasey wrote<\/a> in a post to X.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/omar.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812152-1758133463", "title":"House votes to give Trump more control over DC judges", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3812152%2Fhouse-votes-give-trump-more-control-dc-judges%2F", "byline":"Lauren Green", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The House passed two D.C. crime bills on Wednesday that would give President Donald Trump the sole authority to nominate local judges and allow officers to pursue fleeing suspects. The District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), would eliminate the District’s Judicial Nomination Commission, in turn giving the power […]", "description":""

The House<\/a> passed two D.C.<\/a> crime bills on Wednesday that would give President Donald Trump<\/a> the sole authority to nominate local judges and allow officers to pursue fleeing suspects.<\/p>

The District of Columbia Judicial<\/a> Nominations Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), would eliminate the District\u2019s Judicial Nomination Commission, in turn giving the power to the president. The District of Columbia Policing Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), would allow the Metropolitan Police Department to make vehicular pursuits of suspects by repealing restrictions that were established by the D.C. Council in 2022. <\/p>

The first bill passed with bipartisan support 218-211 along party lines, while the second bill passed 245-182, with 29 Democrats voting with all Republicans.<\/p>

\u201cThe current system, where the president is restricted to nominating only those candidates put forward by the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission, inappropriately limits the president\u2019s authority,\u201d House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said on the House floor Wednesday. <\/p>

Both bills are opposed by Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a nonvoting delegate for the District of Columbia. In a Wednesday press release, she called them \u201canti-D.C. home rule bills\u201d and urged her colleagues to vote \u201cno\u201d when she spoke on the floor ahead of the votes.<\/p>

\u201cCongress has 535 voting members,\u201d Holmes Norton said. \u201cNone are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C. residents do not like how members vote on local D.C. matters, residents cannot vote them out of office or pass a ballot measure. That is the antithesis of democracy.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe substance of this bill is irrelevant, since there is never justification for Congress to legislate on local D.C. matters. Nevertheless, I will discuss it,\u201d she continued. <\/p>

The House passed two separate bills related to D.C. crime a day earlier with some bipartisan support: the D.C. Crimes Act and the D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act. The first bill would lower the age of a youth offender in Washington from 24 to 18 and require criminal sentencing to be at least as long as the mandatory minimums for adults. The second bill would lower the age at which children who are accused of certain violent crimes can be tried as adults from 16 to 14.<\/p>

HOUSE PASSES BILLS OVERHAULING YOUTH PROSECUTION IN DC<\/a><\/p>

The bills came to the floor after Trump placed the Metropolitan Police Department \u201cunder direct federal control\u201d and deployed National Guard troops in the capital to reduce crime. Alongside the federalization of the DC police force, Comer announced his committee would investigate allegations that Metropolitan police leadership \u201cdeliberately\u201d manipulated crime data. The committee is requesting documents, information, and transcribed interviews with District Commander Michael Pulliam and the District Commanders of all seven patrol districts.<\/p>

The National Guard remains deployed in the district after Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order approving cooperation between local police and federal forces through the end of November, though Trump's window to federalize the local police has expired.<\/p>

HOUSE OVERSIGHT TAKES UP DC CRIME BILLS ON DAY TRUMP\u2019S FEDERAL TAKEOVER EXPIRES<\/a><\/p>

The crime legislation that passed Tuesday is part of a larger batch that the House Oversight Committee<\/a> marked up last week. Comer will again focus on D.C. crime on Thursday when Bowser and other local officials are slated to testify before his panel.<\/p>

Local crime statistics have shown a decrease in violent crime since 2023<\/a>, down 35% in 2024 from 2023. But city crime remains higher than many other major cities.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25245745117276_1d0c33.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812712-1758133252", "title":"Fani Willis’s declined appeal is latest bump for ‘backfired’ Trump prosecution: Joe Concha", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812712%2Ffani-williss-declined-appeal-is-latest-bump-for-backfired-trump-prosecution-joe-concha%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Washington Examiner’s Joe Concha said the latest setback in prosecuting President Donald Trump further illustrates how the legal battles “almost helped” Trump. The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Tuesday, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that disqualified her from prosecution. Concha noted “how times […]", "description":""

Washington Examiner\u2019s Joe Concha<\/a> said the latest setback in prosecuting President Donald Trump<\/a> further illustrates how the legal battles \u201calmost helped\u201d Trump.<\/p>

The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal<\/a> from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Tuesday, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that disqualified her from prosecution. Concha noted \u201chow times have changed\u201d from two years ago, when Trump faced dozens of indictments<\/a> while campaigning for president.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cFani Willis, two years ago, had Donald Trump lined up for a prison jumpsuit. Open and shut case, it\u2019s Fulton County, Georgia, she thought she could go RICO on him. Now she\u2019s going to join Trump in being a, probably, a McDonald\u2019s employee, the only place that may employ her. And meanwhile, Trump and Melania, where are they today? Getting feted by the king of England in a horse-drawn carriage,\u201d Concha said on Wednesday during Fox Business\u2019s Kudlow.  <\/p>

Concha also said the myriad of legal battles \u201calmost helped Trump in the end,\u201d as Trump would talk about \u201cthe deep state\u201d and \u201cown the news cycle\u201d for up to 45 minutes. The candidate, now president, would highlight how his charges were \u201cBS,\u201d and two years later, none of the legal battles are having any effect while Trump is in the White House<\/a> with a Republican-controlled Congress.<\/p>

\u201cThis thing backfired in the biggest way possible,\u201d Concha said.<\/p>

Willis was removed from the case following revelations that she had concealed a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired in 2021. Defense attorneys alleged the relationship constituted a conflict of interest and undermined public confidence in the prosecution.<\/p>

LUIGI MANGIONE\u2019S DROPPED CHARGES A BAD SIGN FOR STOPPING POLITICAL VIOLENCE: JOE CONCHA<\/a><\/p>

Wade testified before Congress in October and said Willis had started preparations for Trump's prosecutions<\/a> before she took office in January 2021. He confirmed Willis began outreach for a Trump-related search committee \u201csometime\u201d after the 2020 election, but before she took office.<\/p>

Trump poked fun at Willis and Wade in an edited video he uploaded on X. The video shows Wade romantically thinking of Willis as Marvin Gaye\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Get It On\u201d plays. The original video features Wade giving a lengthy pause when asked if he ever went to a cabin with Willis, eventually saying \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24170779612010.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812810-1758132957", "title":"‘Terror’ suspect in custody after attack on Pittsburgh FBI office", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812810%2Fpittsburgh-fbi-attack-suspect-in-custody%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – Police have a suspect in custody following the ramming of the gate of Pittsburgh’s FBI field office early Wednesday morning, says FBI spokesman Bradford Arick. Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, is in custody, the FBI says. FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said the suspect’s action is being viewed as “an act […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013\u00a0Police<\/a> have a suspect in custody following the ramming of the gate of Pittsburgh\u2019s<\/a> FBI field office early Wednesday morning, says FBI<\/a> spokesman Bradford Arick.<\/p>

Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, is in custody, the FBI says. FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said the suspect's action is being viewed as \u201can act of terror against the FBI.\u201d<\/p>

Henson has been identified as a military veteran authorities believe may be struggling with mental illness. His identity was initially confirmed through license photos and surveillance videos at the scene.<\/p>

After ramming the gate at about 2:40 a.m., the suspect draped an American flag on it and fled. Also left was writing on the side of the white sedan, which is registered in his name, addressing the FBI with \"vulgarity.\"<\/p>

Giordano said Henson had visited the field office in recent weeks to report a complaint which \u201cdidn\u2019t make a whole lot of sense.\u201d The agency let him know that there was nothing for them to follow up on.<\/p>

The incident comes just hours after\u00a0Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Pittsburgh<\/a>\u00a0to talk about the scourge of political violence.<\/p>

It also comes on the heels of a heated Senate hearing in which FBI Director Kash Patel took on scrutiny for the agency\u2019s work investigating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, alleged politically motivated firings and the ongoing fight to release files pertaining to deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>

SEVEN TAKEAWAYS FROM FBI DIRECTOR PATEL\u2019S HOUSE HEARING<\/a><\/p>

A more specific motive for the crime has not yet been articulated.<\/p>

\"This was a targeted attack on this building,\u201d said Giordano. \u201cThankfully no one was hurt, but we are going to exhaust every ability we have under the federal law to find, apprehend and prosecute this subject to the fullest extent.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25253516816685.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812323-1758132623", "title":"Blue states defy RFK Jr on vaccine policy with their own guidelines", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3812323%2Fcalifornia-oregon-washington-hawaii-rfk-vaccine-guidelines%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have joined together to issue their own independent vaccine recommendations ahead of flu season, breaking from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and what they call a federal “assault on science.” Governors of the four blue states formed the West Coast Health Alliance to collaborate on deviating from […]", "description":""

California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have joined together to issue their own independent vaccine<\/a> recommendations ahead of flu season, breaking from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> guidelines and what they call a federal \"assault on science.\"<\/p>

Governors of the four blue states formed the West Coast Health Alliance to collaborate<\/a> on deviating from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s federal vaccine policies. The alliance issued independent recommendations<\/a> on the COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines on Wednesday, two days before the CDC vaccine advisory committee is set to discuss COVID-19 vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>

\"Our states are united in putting science, safety, and transparency first \u2014 and in protecting families with clear, credible vaccine guidance. The West Coast Health Alliance stands united in protecting public health and always putting safety before politics,\" Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Tina Kotek (D-OR), Bob Ferguson (D-WA), and Josh Green (D-HI) said in a joint statement<\/a>.<\/p>

The alliance broke from Kennedy's updated CDC guidelines by recommending that all pregnant women and all children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years receive a COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>

Kennedy announced on May 27 that the CDC\u00a0rescinded federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations<\/a>\u00a0for all pregnant women and healthy children. In late August, the Food and Drug Administration approved the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 but\u00a0limited approval for younger people\u00a0to only those with underlying conditions, a move that could leave millions<\/a> of people in limbo for approval.<\/p>

Newsom's office said<\/a> in its press release on the alliance's recommendations that Kennedy's oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services is dismantling \"science-based oversight.\" However, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said the department follows \"Gold Standard Science,\" referencing President Donald Trump's May executive order<\/a>.<\/p>

\"Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people\u2019s trust in public health agencies,\" Nixon said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. \"ACIP remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic.\"<\/p>

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is set to meet this week to discuss the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, or MMRV, vaccines, the Hepatitis B vaccine, and the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a draft agenda<\/a>.<\/p>

CDC NAMES FIVE NEW VACCINE BOARD MEMBERS DAYS AHEAD OF PIVOTAL MEETING<\/a><\/p>

The alliance's vaccine recommendations<\/a> align with the CDC's regarding who should receive the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV<\/a>, and flu<\/a> vaccines. A complete list of the alliance's published vaccine recommendations is available here<\/a>.<\/p>

The alliance says its recommendations for the three vaccines for the 2025-2026 virus season align with\u00a0guidance<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the\u00a0American Academy of Family Physicians.<\/p>

\"As a physician, I swore an oath to do no harm \u2014 and we know vaccines are among the most powerful tools to prevent illness and save lives,\" Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi said<\/a> in a statement. \"At a time when Washington is undermining our most basic public health safeguards, Oregon is charting a different course. Our actions today affirm that here, public health is about protecting people, not playing politics.\"<\/p>

MONAREZ WARNS OF VACCINE CHANGES POSSIBLE WITHOUT A PERMANENT DIRECTOR IN PLACE<\/a><\/p>

It is still unclear whether insurance companies in the four states would be required to cover vaccines for groups not covered by HHS's federal recommendations.<\/p>

The alliance published its recommendations on the same day that former CDC Director Susan Monarez, who clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policies, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/newsom-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812790-1758132563", "title":"City attorney unable to speculate on whether policy would ban LGBTQ flags", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812790%2Fspokane-lgbtq-flag-ban%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – The Spokane Valley City Council is considering a flag policy for the first time as jurisdictions in Idaho and elsewhere ban “nonofficial” flags at government buildings and public schools. The topic came up on Tuesday night during the council’s regular meeting. Typically, the officials ask to put items on the advance agenda […]", "description":""

(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 The Spokane Valley City Council is considering a flag policy for the first time as jurisdictions in Idaho<\/a> and elsewhere ban \u201cnonofficial\u201d flags<\/a> at government buildings and public schools<\/a>.<\/p>

The topic came up on Tuesday night during the council\u2019s regular meeting. Typically, the officials ask to put items on the advance agenda a few weeks ahead of time, but not in this case. Councilmember Al Merkel cited his own confusion with the timing, but it appears the agenda item came from outside of the dais.<\/p>

City Attorney Kelly Konkright said he believes the agenda item originated from his office, but the Parks and Recreation Department has also dealt with issues around flags at special events. He noted that his team realized the city didn\u2019t have a policy and thought the council should consider it, as others have.<\/p>

City Clerk Marci Patterson sent the council a draft advance agenda last month, at the direction of City Manager John Homan, with the flag policy originally slated for a discussion on Sept. 2. Both have the authority to prepare the advance agenda in addition to requests from the majority of the council. <\/p>

\u201cWhen you hear about issues, we look into those issues and we determine what\u2019s the best course of action,\u201d Senior City Deputy Attorney Tony Beattie chimed in, \u201cfrom a risk management perspective.\u201d<\/p>

The two attorneys said the goal is to avoid litigation that ultimately costs local taxpayers. Idaho, Utah and Montana recently passed laws around what flags can fly on government properties. Some saw the policy as an attempt to ban cities from flying LGBTQ flags, which created tensions in areas like\u00a0Boise<\/a>.<\/p>

Cities in other states have also passed local policies that limit government properties to official flags.<\/p>

Konkright and Beattie presented a\u00a0draft<\/a>\u00a0policy that complies with state and federal law around flying the American, state and the National League of Families POW\/MIA flag. It also allows for alternates to honor the armed forces, public safety institutions and to promote the council\u2019s priorities.\u00a0<\/p>

While the draft doesn\u2019t explicitly mention LGBTQ flags, nor did it come up on Tuesday, it does outline what kind of flags are prohibited. Those include flags for political campaigns, religious causes, or ones that sow division or discriminate against people based on several protected classes, including gender.<\/p>

\u201cAlternate flag displays on City flagpoles reflect the views, values, and goals of the City,\u201d according to the draft. \u201cThe City\u2019s flagpoles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public.\u201d <\/p>

The mayor would have the authority to approve alternates via proclamation. Communications Manager Jill Smith told The Center Square that she couldn\u2019t remember a time when the city has flown LGBTQ flags on government property. However, its close neighbor, the city of Spokane, does fly them on occasion. <\/p>

Mayor Pam Haley and former Mayor and now-Councilmember Ben Wick have issued proclamations for Pride Month and Pride Day in the past, but the council records for those meetings do not list any flags.<\/p>

Haley hasn\u2019t issued a Pride proclamation for the Valley yet for this year, and June has already passed. <\/p>

When asked by The Center Square if the draft policy would prohibit LGBTQ flags on city flagpoles, Smith said, per the City Attorney\u2019s Office, that they \u201ccan\u2019t speculate on what the final flag policy language will be until the council completes its review and its input is incorporated into the policy and adopted.\u201d<\/p>

DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD ALLOWED TO BAN LGBT FLAGS AFTER LEGAL BATTLE WITH ALL-MUSLIM CITY COUNCIL<\/a><\/p>

Smith said the draft is a work in progress and that Councilmember Laura Padden asked Konkright for more specificity on which council priorities the officials would be able to promote. Tuesday marked the first touch for the council; the officials will see the draft a few more times before voting at a later date. <\/p>

\u201cPromoting city priorities is just really vague,\u201d Councilmember Jessica Yeager said in agreement with Padden. \u201cI just appreciate you guys seeing that we were at risk of not having a flag policy and actually bringing it before us. It shows me that you\u2019re doing your job and looking for ways to mitigate that risk.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25066788133800.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812413-1758132471", "title":"Cillian Murphy, Billie Eilish, and dozens of stars unite in video for Palestinian people", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2F3812413%2Fcillian-murphy-billie-eilish-dozens-celebrities-video-palestinian-people%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A video was released on Wednesday featuring a host of high-profile actors, musicians, and cultural figures calling for an end to the violence in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. The video, part of the Together For Palestine campaign, was unveiled just hours before a major benefit concert at London’s OVO Arena Wembley. […]", "description":""

A video was released on Wednesday featuring a host of high-profile actors<\/a>, musicians, and cultural figures calling for an end to the violence in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.<\/p>

The video<\/a>, part of the Together For Palestine<\/a> campaign, was unveiled just hours before a major benefit concert at London's OVO Arena Wembley.<\/p>

Statements from celebrities such as Cillian Murphy, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, Joaquin Phoenix, Steve Coogan, Sharon Horgan, Brian Cox, Chris O\u2019Dowd, Laura Whitmore, Benedict Wong, and Annie Mac, among others, are shown in the video. It has already made waves online, with social media users hailing it as one of the most unified and outspoken acts of celebrity activism in recent memory.<\/p>

\u201cTogether, we know that the leaders of this country are complicit in the mass murder of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank,\u201d author Michael Wayne Rosen says in the video.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s important to speak out now, not when this is over. Right now, while it\u2019s happening. For Palestine,\" actor Steve Coogan says.<\/p>

Billie Eilish, Finneas, Cillian Murphy, Joaquin Phoenix, Annie Mac, Peter Gabriel, and more come together for Palestine in new video.It precedes the Together For Palestine benefit concert taking place today. pic.twitter.com\/3QM5zAaSzZ<\/a><\/p>— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 17, 2025<\/a>

In the video, the artists urge people to pressure their governments, call for an immediate ceasefire, and support peaceful campaigns for justice.<\/p>

\u201cWe have to tell the truth on behalf of the people of Palestine,\u201d the group of celebrities declares in the video. \u201cIt\u2019s always been the artist\u2019s role in society to speak out, to risk speaking truth to power.\u201d<\/p>

The video marks a rare but significant public stance from actor Cillian Murphy, who has been cautious about commenting directly on the crisis in Gaza. However, the Oppenheimer star has recently been seen lending quiet support to the cause.<\/p>

At the European premiere of his new film,\u00a0Steve,\u00a0in Cork, Ireland, on Saturday, writer Max Porter, who stood onstage alongside Murphy, directly addressed the situation in Gaza.<\/p>

\u201cAlmost every single hour of every single day of that entire almost 800 days, a child has been murdered in Palestine,\u201d he said to loud applause from the audience at Cork Opera House.<\/p>

Murphy\u2019s silent presence during that statement and now his participation in the Together For Palestine video have been widely noted as significant moments.<\/p>

The video message is part of a broader campaign leading up to the Together For Palestine benefit concert, which will take place on Wednesday night at Wembley. The concert will raise funds for humanitarian work in Gaza through the Together For Palestine Fund, which will distribute proceeds via the charity Choose Love to various organizations.<\/p>

Performers at the concert include Damon Albarn, Bastille, James Blake, Jamie xx, Sampha, and Palestinian artists Adnan Joubran, Faraj Suleiman, and Nai Barghouti.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cTogether for Palestine,\u201d the celebrities say in a blend of Arabic and English at the end of the video.<\/p>

\u201cStop the killing. Ceasefire now,\" they conclude.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/billie-eilish-finneas-cillian-murphy-joaquin-phoenix-annie-mac-peter-gabriel-and-more-come-together-for-palestine-in-new-video.jpg?1758132439&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812775-1758132028", "title":"Psilocybin under consideration as next depression treatment", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3812775%2Fpsilocybin-under-consideration-as-next-depression-treatment%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – Mental health care providers are rediscovering new uses for old medicines. Recent findings demonstrating the efficacy of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have led some lawmakers to reconsider their classification as drugs of abuse. Among the drugs’ most stalwart supporters are military veterans who have seen psychedelics benefit otherwise intractable […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013\u00a0Mental health<\/a> care providers are rediscovering new uses for old medicines.<\/p>

Recent findings demonstrating the efficacy of psilocybin<\/a>, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have led some lawmakers to reconsider their classification as drugs<\/a> of abuse.<\/p>

Among the drugs\u2019 most stalwart supporters are military veterans who have seen psychedelics benefit otherwise intractable cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.<\/p>

Marine Corps veteran and firefighter Ryan Gardill, president of the Manheim Township Professional Firefighters Association and a peer support coordinator, offered his perspective at a meeting of the House Democratic policy committee. He said in his line of work, there are twice as many suicide deaths to line-of-duty deaths annually.<\/p>

\u201cYou know, everyone that I've seen go through this, they're experiencing the same problems,\u201d said Gardill. \u201cThe therapy was OK, but the therapy focused on the past and didn't focus on the future, and that to me was what was most important.\u201d<\/p>

Gardill offered his own experience as a suicide survivor, but he wasn\u2019t alone. Brett Waters, attorney and founder of advocacy group Reason for Hope, recalled a positive college experience with psilocybin after losing his mother to suicide and entering treatment himself.<\/p>

\u201cThere's a reason the FDA has awarded psilocybin multiple breakthrough therapy designations for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder,\u201d said Waters. \u201cIt may be significantly more effective than existing treatments with potential to provide rapid, robust and durable relief.\u201d<\/p>

Waters is referencing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>

Clinical research into the use of psychedelic drugs began decades ago, though early adopters saw development stunted after the drugs became associated with the counter-cultural movements of the 1960s.<\/p>

In the 21st century, renewed interest has led to trials for conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, smoking cessation, and even as palliative care for patients nearing the end of their lives. The results have been encouraging.<\/p>

With 38 states legalizing medical marijuana use, legislatures have by and large indicated a willingness to reexamine past policies in light of new findings. For psychedelic use, it\u2019s an issue with a fair amount of bipartisan support.<\/p>

In 2024 state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Red Hill, herself a veteran, announced her intention to introduce a bill that would expand the state\u2019s Right-to-Try Act to veterans seeking 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, more commonly known as MDMA, or psilocybin therapy for PTSD. A bill never followed.<\/p>

Nevertheless, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Allentown, said that some of his colleagues in the Democratic party lost primary elections due to their support for the treatment. He asked how the issue could be destigmatized.<\/p>

\u201cWhen we respond to someone\u2019s home for a call, we don\u2019t look to see if you\u2019re a Republican or a Democrat,\u201d said Gardill. \u201cBecause we are nonbiased and we are bipartisan when we respond to calls, we would hope that the search to cure our issues are also bipartisan.\u201d<\/p>

Ketamine, a commonly used anesthetic, has received FDA approval for treatment-resistant depression and is administered in therapeutic offices under the supervision of clinicians. Though psychiatrists caution that, like most treatments, it\u2019s an imperfect solution, it has proven to be effective for stubborn mental health obstacles.<\/p>

Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Thase, who specialized in treatment-resistant depression, noted that psychedelic drugs like ketamine and psilocybin typically demonstrate if they\u2019re effective within a few days of the initial treatment. For ketamine, treatments may require regular visits while psilocybin\u2019s benefits may last up to six months.<\/p>

Still, neither drug is considered a first-resort. Most patients have to go through a litany of therapies and pharmaceuticals like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors \u2013 known also as SSRIs \u2013 before doctors determine that they have a resistant form of the disease.<\/p>

Compass Pathways, a biotech company, has created a synthetic version of psilocybin. They say when their drug is approved by the FDA, they want people in Pennsylvania to have access. Pennsylvania is not among states whose trigger laws reschedule drugs in light of federal changes. Echoing Waters, they argued before the panel in favor of updating the state\u2019s regulatory systems to allow patients to utilize medicines as they become available.<\/p>

The doctors present also argued that expanded mental health care would have an economic impact. Thase pointed to increased unemployment rates among those with depression as well as higher rates of diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.<\/p>

\u2018OPERATION HYDRA\u2019 NETS LARGEST METH SEIZURE IN US HISTORY<\/a><\/p>

\u201cTreating depression and mental illness helps every other type of medical illness. It saves on health care costs in the long run. Insurance companies and governments, they don't look at that,\u201d said Orr. \u201cThey don't look at the long-term effects of increasing efficiency at the workplace, at the home, less accidents, less divorces \u2013 none of this. It's one of the most important things in medicine to have a healthy mind so you can then have a healthy body, not so much the reverse.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25092004753512.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812632-1758131485", "title":"Three officers dead and two others injured in Pennsylvania shooting", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3812632%2Fpolice-involved-shooting-pennsylvania%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Three officers were killed and two others were injured in a shooting in Pennsylvania while serving a warrant on Wednesday. Authorities said the suspect in the shooting was killed by police after officers responded to a domestic disturbance from the day before. The shooting occurred in North Codorus Township in southern Pennsylvania, about 115 miles away […]", "description":""

Three officers were killed and two others were injured in a shooting<\/a>\u00a0in Pennsylvania<\/a> while serving a warrant on Wednesday.Authorities said the suspect in the shooting was killed by police after officers responded to a domestic disturbance from the day before. <\/p>

The shooting occurred in North Codorus Township in southern Pennsylvania, about 115 miles away from Philadelphia.Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a> (D-PA) at a press conference Wednesday evening described an \"absolutely tragic and devastating day for York County and for the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania.\"\"We grieve the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, served this commonwealth, and served this country,\" he added. Shapiro said he met with the families of the officers who were killed.<\/p>

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said violence against law enforcement was \u201ca scourge on our society\u201d and added that federal officers were assisting at the scene.<\/p>

\u201cThe grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it,\u201d Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said.<\/p>

The two injured officers were in critical but stable condition, authorities said.POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Police dispatchers received calls around 2:10 p.m. about the incident. The Philadelphia Division Office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said agents from the ATF Harrisburg Field Office assisted at the scene.<\/p>

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he would also head to the scene. Sunday urged via social media<\/a> for \u201call residents to follow the instructions of local law enforcement\u201d and that he is \u201cpraying for all involved.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260821272490.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812169-1758129767", "title":"New French prime minister Lecornu plays it safe after austerity push doomed predecessor", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3812169%2Ffrench-prime-minister-lecornu-plays-it-safe-austerity%2F", "byline":"Timothy Nerozzi", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took the reins of France’s legislature this month after his predecessor’s political self-immolation amid seemingly insurmountable divisions among three factions. Former Prime Minister François Bayrou instigated his own confidence vote this month in a desperate bid to rally support for his unpopular budget proposals, claiming that France was on the precipice of financial disaster […]", "description":""

Newly appointed\u00a0Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu<\/a>\u00a0took the reins of France's legislature this month after his predecessor's\u00a0political self-immolation<\/a>\u00a0amid seemingly insurmountable divisions among three factions.<\/p>

Former Prime Minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou\u00a0instigated his own confidence vote this month in a desperate bid to rally support for his unpopular budget proposals, claiming that France<\/a> was on the precipice of financial disaster if significant reforms were not made. He lost his office in a vote that surprised no one and became the third ousted prime minister within one year.<\/p>

The new head of government, a former defense minister, seems to hope he can survive longer by floating symbolic budget reforms and tightly aligning with President Emmanuel Macron<\/a>, who appointed him.<\/p>

Lecornu's first signature policy was to announce an end to lifetime benefits for former members of government.<\/p>

\"We cannot ask the French people to make efforts if those at the head of the state do not do the same. Reform is not always for others, as it creates suspicion,\" he said over the week. <\/p>

He later confirmed via social media that \"the 'lifetime' benefits for former Government members will be eliminated starting January 1, 2026.\"<\/p>

However, that cut is expected to free up just $5 million in the budget, a drop in the bucket compared to Bayrou's\u00a0radical reforms<\/a>.<\/p>

Bayrou sought to cut almost $52 billion in government spending through an aggressive agenda that included deeply unpopular austerity measures such as slashing unemployment benefits and abolishing two public holidays.<\/p>

After taking office, Lecornu dismissed many of Bayrou's ideas, assuring voters and lawmakers that he would \"withdraw the suppression of the two public holidays.\"<\/p>

The prime minister is now speaking with Socialist Party<\/a> leaders in hopes of building enough support to prevent another swift no-confidence vote, flirting with a tax hike for the super-wealthy.<\/p>

Macron's most strident enemies remain committed to the idea that Lecornu's alignment with Macron will ultimately lead to his downfall.<\/p>

The president is deeply unpopular in France, with current polls<\/a> showing a 76% disapproval rating among French voters.<\/p>

But in an area of virtually zero political cooperation in the national legislature, Macron remains France's only beacon of stability \u2014 good or bad.<\/p>

The French head-of-state acts primarily in the areas of foreign policy and defense \u2014 somewhat detached from the domestic governance overseen by the prime minister, the head-of-government.<\/p>

Macron has repeatedly made clear that he intends to see out his term as president, which will expire in 2027, despite demands from the French parliament's warring factions.<\/p>

\"President Macron, because of the structure of the Fifth Republic, enjoys strong stability which is not dependent on having the majority of the parliament,\" a source familiar with the issue told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

While the factions are capable of voting out prime minister after prime minister if lawmakers commit to obstructing Macron's leadership, the president would be just as capable of appointing replacement after replacement.<\/p>

Such a situation would render the parliament unable to properly function and leave the nation's looming financial concerns to further fester.<\/p>

MACRON PICKS LOYALIST DEFENSE CHIEF AS NEXT PRIME MINISTER<\/a><\/p>

If Macron were to concede to public opinion and call a parliamentary election to address the gridlock, he would likely be handing power to the nation's right-wing.<\/p>

Archconservative lawmaker Marine Le Pen's<\/a> party, the National Rally, maintains a healthy lead in public opinion polls with 32% support. The left-wing New Popular Front comes in second with 25% and Macron's centrist Renaissance faction sits at a mere 15%.<\/p>

The center-right Republicans are performing the most dismal of all mainstream parties, with just 12% support.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25253379138622.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812182-1758128667", "title":"More than 1,000 police agencies agree to help ICE arrest illegal immigrants: DHS", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fimmigration%2F3812182%2F1000-police-agencies-ice-287g-arrest-illegal-immigrants-dhs%2F", "byline":"Anna Giaritelli", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"More than 1,000 local and state police departments have entered into 287(g) partnerships to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security in arresting illegal immigrants nationwide, according to the Trump administration. The DHS announced on Wednesday afternoon that 1,001 nonfederal police agencies across 40 states have entered into agreements to help […]", "description":""

More than 1,000 local and state police departments have entered into 287(g) partnerships to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security in arresting illegal immigrants nationwide, according to the Trump administration.<\/p>

The DHS<\/a> announced on Wednesday afternoon that 1,001 nonfederal police agencies across 40 states have entered into agreements to help the White House<\/a> crack down on illegal immigrants<\/a>, particularly criminals, who are residing in the United States.<\/p>

The uptick in partnerships has increased by 641% since President Donald Trump took office in January, with 135 agreements.<\/p>

The massive growth in local and state partnerships with the federal government comes amid a hiring surge at ICE as the Trump administration seeks to ratchet up its mass deportation operation.<\/p>

\"ICE is not only supercharging our hiring, we are also multiplying partnerships with state and local law enforcement to remove the worst of the worst, including murderers, gang members, rapists, terrorists, and pedophiles from our country,\" ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said in a statement.<\/p>

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 amended the Immigration and Nationality Act to include Section 287(g), which gives ICE the authority to delegate specific immigration officer duties to state and local police. Counties and states can opt in at their discretion.<\/p>

The agreements were popular during former President George W. Bush's administration. However, they were targeted by the Obama administration. When Trump took office in 2017, 35 agreements were in place, according to<\/a> the America First Policy Institute, an organization created to support Trump's \"America First\" agenda.<\/p>

Trump ramped up the program in his first term to 150 agreements. Former President Joe Biden promised as a candidate to do away with the 287(g) program, but was unable to do so.<\/p>

When Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order requiring ICE to authorize state and local police to assist federal immigration authorities with the enforcement of immigration laws to the maximum extent possible.<\/p>

States and cities can choose to turn over illegal immigrants in jail to ICE, assist ICE with arrests in the community, and team up on task forces. States such as Florida have been at the forefront of the effort to get police and local officers deputized to help ICE.<\/p>

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has encouraged local and state law enforcement to get deputized so they can pass along suspected illegal immigrants encountered at traffic stops to federal authorities.<\/p>

Since the state deputized a portion of the Florida Highway Patrol to help out in March, state troopers have encountered roughly 3,600 illegal immigrants at traffic stops and turned them over to federal authorities, a state official told the Washington Examiner this week.<\/p>

The state encounters, in addition to what local police are doing, add to the total number of people that ICE has taken off the street for deportation.<\/p>

Some have criticized the use of local and state police for federal work. The American Immigration Council, an organization in Washington, D.C., that advocates immigrants regardless of legal status, said in a recent report that two Justice Department investigations found a \"pattern and practice of constitutional violations\" against Latinos.<\/p>

\"There are many documented problems with 287(g) agreements. They are an expensive use of taxpayer money,\" AIC wrote in the report<\/a>. \"ICE also provides insufficient supervision of local law enforcement agencies. But most egregiously, they have resulted in the widespread racial profiling of brown and black communities.\"<\/p>

Trump initially said he would prioritize arresting criminals, but he has expanded the deportation operation to include all illegal immigrants, with an increasing focus<\/a> on job sites.<\/p>

DHS DENIES ICE CUT TRAINING TO 47 DAYS TO COINCIDE WITH TRUMP'S BEING 47TH PRESIDENT<\/a><\/p>

With the goal of a million<\/a> arrests by next January and roughly 14 million<\/a> illegal immigrants living in the U.S., four years will not be long enough to complete the undertaking, which is why locking down assistance from local and state police is a top priority for the Trump administration.<\/p>

\"We encourage all state and local law enforcement agencies to sign a 287(g) agreement now,\" Sheahan said. \"By joining forces with ICE, you\u2019re not just gaining access to these unprecedented reimbursement opportunities \u2014 you\u2019re becoming part of a national effort to ensure the safety of every American family.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/white-powder-ice-e1758141105607.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812487-1758128147", "title":"Powell dodges questions about political storm over Miran and Cook", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3812487%2Fjerome-powell-dodges-questions-political-storm-stephen-miran-lisa-cook%2F", "byline":"Zach Halaschak", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell avoided specifics about the controversies surrounding Fed governors Stephen Miran and Lisa Cook on Wednesday, but emphasized the Fed’s commitment to independence from outside politics. During a press conference after the Fed announced it was cutting interest rates, Powell declined to delve into the controversy surrounding Miran, who refused to […]", "description":""

Federal Reserve<\/a> Chairman Jerome Powell<\/a> avoided specifics about the controversies surrounding Fed governors Stephen Miran and Lisa Cook<\/a> on Wednesday, but emphasized the Fed\u2019s commitment to independence from outside politics.<\/p>

During a press conference after the Fed announced it was cutting interest rates<\/a>, Powell declined to delve into the controversy surrounding Miran, who refused to resign from his White House job while also serving at the Fed, and President Donald Trump\u2019s push to fire<\/a> Cook and replace her over accusations that she committed mortgage fraud.<\/p>

Before this week\u2019s meeting, Miran, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, replaced<\/a> Fed governor Adriana Kugler, who unexpectedly stepped aside last month. Her term, which Miran is set to serve the remainder of, ends in January. He opted to take an unpaid leave of absence from the White House instead of resigning, which drew criticism<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cSo we did welcome a new committee member today, as we always do, and the committee remains united in pursuing our dual mandate goals,\u201d Powell said in response to a question about Miran not resigning. \"We're strongly committed to maintaining our independence, and beyond that, I really don't have anything to share.\u201d<\/p>

Democrats have worried that the White House keeping Miran on a leave of absence is a carrot to ensure he does Trump\u2019s bidding on the Fed board in order to return to his job. The White House contends, though, that there will be a bright line of separation between Miran and the White House while he is serving on the Fed board.<\/p>

FED\u2019S INDEPENDENCE IN FOCUS WITH TRUMP INTERVENTIONS<\/a><\/p>

Miran was the lone dissenting voice at Wednesday\u2019s vote. He preferred the Fed cut rates by a half a percentage point instead of a quarter of a percentage point and indicated that he would like to see five more conventional rate cuts by the end of the year.<\/p>

\u201cThere wasn't widespread support at all for a 50 basis-point cut today,\u201d Powell said, referring to the half percentage point rate cut that Miran was pushing for.<\/p>

When asked about what markets should watch to reaffirm that the Fed is still making economic decisions free from political considerations, Powell said that independence and only looking at the data are \u201cdeeply in our culture\u201d at the Fed.<\/p>

\u201cWe don\u2019t frame these questions at all or see them in terms of political outcomes,\u201d the chairman said. \u201cI would say we're doing our work exactly as we always have now. And people, they\u2019re making their arguments and we're having really a great discussion around these challenging issues.\u201d<\/p>

Powell was also asked about Cook and the legal saga, although he declined to comment. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte accused Cook of mortgage fraud, which led Trump to attempt to fire her. But Cook filed a lawsuit, and a judge recently issued a temporary restraining order blocking the firing. The matter is expected to be elevated to the Supreme Court.<\/p>

When asked whether he sees the Cook case as related to questions about Fed independence, Powell said he sees it \u201cas a court case that it would be inappropriate for me to come comment on.\u201dIn response to a subsequent question about Miran's influence on monetary policy decisions, Powell pointed out that a dozen individuals vote on monetary policy.<\/p>

\u201cThe only way for any voter to really move things around is to be incredibly persuasive, and the only way to do that in the context in which we work is to make really strong arguments based on the data and one's understanding of the economy, that's really all that matters and that's how it's going to work,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>

FED RATE CUTS COULD BRING HOUSING RELIEF SOUGHT BY TRUMP<\/a><\/p>

The press conference came after the Fed announced its long-awaited pivot toward easing monetary policy.<\/p>

After the two-day meeting in Washington, D.C., senior Fed officials announced they would lower the rate target to a range of 4% to 4.25%, down from 4.25% to 4.50%. Investors widely expected the move at the meeting, which was the most closely watched since Trump began his second term.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260709047852.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812161-1758128124", "title":"Seven takeaways from FBI Director Patel’s House hearing on Epstein, political violence, and Charlie Kirk", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3812161%2Fseven-takeaways-from-fbi-director-patels-house-hearing-on-epstein-political-violence-and-charlie-kirk%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese and Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"FBI Director Kash Patel defended his leadership during a combative appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, fielding sharp criticism from both parties. The nearly five-hour hearing saw Patel pressed on a wide range of issues, from the FBI’s refusal to release full witness statements in the Jeffrey Epstein case, to the rise in political violence after Charlie Kirk’s […]", "description":""

FBI Director\u00a0Kash Patel<\/a>\u00a0defended his leadership during a combative appearance before the House Judiciary Committee<\/a> on Wednesday, fielding sharp criticism from both parties.<\/p>

The nearly five-hour hearing saw Patel pressed on a wide range of issues, from the FBI\u2019s refusal to release full witness statements in the\u00a0Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>\u00a0case, to the rise in political violence after\u00a0Charlie Kirk\u2019s <\/a>assassination, to the director's defense of deploying the\u00a0National Guard<\/a>\u00a0in Memphis.<\/p>

Lawmakers also clashed over allegations pushed by Democrats about an alleged cover-up involving Trump\u2019s ties to Epstein, whether more information is coming about the bureau\u2019s use of informants on Jan. 6, and whether the FBI is responding evenly to extremist threats from both the Right and the Left.<\/p>

Patel, appointed by President Donald Trump<\/a> in February, has faced growing scrutiny over transparency and law enforcement tactics, including from Democrats who accused him of evading questions and protecting political allies.<\/p>

Here are the top takeaways from the hearing:<\/p>FBI under fire for withholding Epstein witness names

Republicans and Democrats pressed Patel over the bureau\u2019s refusal to release full witness statements in the Epstein investigation. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said FBI \u201c302\u201d reports, interview summaries prepared after agents question witnesses, identify \u201cat least 20\u201d powerful men linked to Epstein\u2019s trafficking network, and accused the bureau of protecting them. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) called Patel part of a \u201ccover-up.\u201d<\/p>

Patel denied the claims, saying the FBI has released more records than any previous administration and blaming sealed court orders. \u201cI welcome the challenge to tell us we are not being as transparent as the law allows,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) pressed Patel on whether he told Trump or Attorney General Pam Bondi that Trump\u2019s name appears in the files. Patel denied speaking with Trump, but when asked about Bondi, said only that they had \u201cnumerous discussions\u201d about the records. <\/p>

SWALWELL: Did you ever tell Donald Trump his name is in the files?PATEL: I have never spoken with Donald Trump about the Epstein filesSWALWELL: Did you ever tell the AG that Trump's name is in the Epstein filesPATEL: The AG and I have had numerous discussions about the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/91JNkuuOa6<\/a><\/p>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2025<\/a>

Swalwell accused him of playing a \u201chuge shell game\u201d and said the court \u201ccalls bulls***\u201d on Patel\u2019s arguments.<\/a> When Swalwell accused Patel of evasion, Patel shot back: \u201cI\u2019m gonna borrow your terminology and call bulls*** on your entire career in Congress. It\u2019s been a disgrace for the American people.\u201d<\/p>

.@FBIDirectorKash<\/a> NUKES @RepSwalwell<\/a>: "I'm going to borrow your terminology and call BULLSHIT on your entire career in Congress. It has been a disgrace to the American people." pic.twitter.com\/CKJwn5crMr<\/a><\/p>— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 17, 2025<\/a>

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) accused Patel of covering up Trump\u2019s role and blasted him for avoiding survivors, saying, \"Is the answer yes or no to whether or not you met with these women who were sexually abused and raped?\u201d Patel responded only that the bureau is \u201cman-hunting child predators and sex traffickers.\"<\/p>

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the committee\u2019s top Democrat, pushed to subpoena four banks, including JPMorgan, which reported $1.5 billion in suspicious Epstein-linked transactions.<\/p>

At the close of the hearing, House Republicans voted to table several Epstein-related motions introduced by Democrats, effectively blocking efforts to advance further inquiry.<\/p>

The failed motions included subpoenas for banks that processed Epstein-linked transactions, testimony from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and a request to question the director of the Bureau of Prisons regarding the decision to transfer Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security facility. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is leading the investigation into all matters related to Epstein, and is poised on Friday to interview Alex Acosta, a former prosecutor who brokered the infamous 2008 plea agreement that resulted in Epstein serving only 13 months for two counts of soliciting prostitution, including with a minor.<\/p>

Massie, who has led a bipartisan discharge petition<\/a> to force a full release of the Epstein records, pressed Patel on why the FBI hasn\u2019t pursued the men identified in its own reports. Patel replied that multiple U.S. attorneys under three administrations found no grounds for prosecution and admitted he had not read every 302.<\/p>

Lawmakers also raised Epstein\u2019s alleged CIA connections and Patel\u2019s presence when Bondi distributed \u201cEpstein Files\u201d binders to conservative influencers. Goldman pressed Patel on whether videos or photos implicating others remain sealed. Patel insisted most of the material is child abuse evidence and said, \u201cWe are providing everything we can legally provide.\u201d Goldman concluded, \u201cYou are hiding the Epstein files. You are part of the cover-up.\u201d Patel called that \u201ccategorically false.\u201d<\/p>Patel open to investigating Epstein birthday card allegedly signed by Trump

Patel said he is open to investigating a birthday card allegedly signed by Trump and included in Epstein\u2019s 50th birthday book after Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) pressed him on whether it constituted a forgery.<\/p>

Trump has denied signing the card, which was produced to Congress by Epstein\u2019s estate in response to a House Oversight subpoena. Moskowitz argued that if the signature is fake, it could amount to a criminal forgery linking the president to \u201cthe world\u2019s largest pedophile ring.\u201d<\/p>

PATEL: The estate of Epstein has a voluminous amount of information that they have not releasedLIEU: Wouldn't it be great if the FBI subpoenaed the estate?PATEL: The estate is under no obligation to provide that informationLIEU: That's just false. You're the frickin' FBI!\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/FmLS3KCmbt<\/a><\/p>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2025<\/a>

\u201cSure, I\u2019ll do it,\u201d Patel replied after a brief sparring over the basis of the inquiry.<\/p>Lawmakers clash with Patel over rise of political violence

In the wake of the Kirk assassination, lawmakers and pundits have sparred about whether a specific political side is disproportionately responsible for political violence. Trump himself has said, \u201cThe problem is on the Left.\u201dRep. Larry Nadler (D-NY) asked Patel whether he would say if there is political violence perpetrated by \u201cboth sides.\u201d Patel responded that he believes there is too much political violence \u201cbased on ideologies from either side.\u201d<\/p>

Utah County prosecutors say the suspect, accused of murdering Kirk, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, targeted Kirk based on his political expression. Three of the seven charges Robinson faces carry victim targeting enhancements under Utah law for targeting a victim based on their political beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) warned that \u201cassassination culture is spreading,\u201d and argued that political rhetoric has helped fuel violence. He declared, \u201cCharlie Kirk is not dead because of what he's saying. Charlie Kirk is dead because people listen,\u201d and asked Patel whether the trend he\u2019s seeing is \u201cleft-wing or right-wing violence.\u201d Patel answered, \u201cWe solve this by giving the FBI more authorities to go into and work with the private sector ... there are too many online platforms ... infecting the minds of our children, infecting them with radical ideology.\u201d<\/p>

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) pressed for even-handed responses from authorities, saying the FBI\u2019s reaction to some killings has led Americans to fear \u201cwe\u2019re valuing some lives more than others\u201d and asking, \u201cCan we expect in the future that related to one killing will be the same level of concern?\u201d Patel replied generally that investigators are \u201cfollowing money\u201d to disrupt the infrastructure behind attacks.<\/p>

Democrats also pushed back on attempts to blame only the Left. \u201cThere are extremes on the left and there are extremes on the right, and we collectively should tackle that,\u201d Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said. \u201cBut to come here and just look at us and say we all support what's going on in the extremes is why we can't solve anything in this building.\u201d<\/p>

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) went further, accusing Patel of ignoring threats that she said come disproportionately from the right. \u201cI don\u2019t know who feels safe in this country, except for the white supremacists,\u201d she told him. \u201cThe numbers are so very clear that white supremacy is a problem\u2026 and honestly, I\u2019ve not heard anything happening today that makes me believe that you\u2019re doing anything about it.\u201d<\/p>

Several Democratic lawmakers pointed to a recent Cato Institute study that found a majority of political murders since 1975<\/a> were motivated by right-wing ideology, while other members pointed to a recently removed study on the Justice Department\u2019s website<\/a> that found right-wing extremists commit \u201cfar more\u201d violence.<\/p>Concerns about FBI staffing and priorities 

The hearing repeatedly returned to questions over how the FBI is allocating its resources under Patel\u2019s leadership, with Democrats charging that he has hollowed out the bureau\u2019s expertise and Republicans praising him for refocusing on violent crime.<\/p>

Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) raised alarms about the impact of budget cuts and vacancies, pointing to a series of recent threats, from school shootings to assassination attempts to cyber scams targeting seniors. \u201cDirector Patel, you\u2019re the thin blue line. Yet [it is] your job to protect our citizens back home,\u201d Correa said. He warned that the president\u2019s proposed budget could cost the FBI \u201cabout 1,300 less jobs,\u201d and relayed that his own sheriff had expressed concern about the loss of federal grants. \u201cIf that thin blue line is not full, people on Main Street will pay the price,\u201d Correa warned.<\/p>

Patel acknowledged the budget pressures but insisted the bureau was managing effectively. \u201cI think we are doing our job, and this mission is the budget that we have,\u201d he said, stressing that California and other states were still receiving major FBI field clusters. \u201cWe are collecting more resources\u2026 no state is getting [reduced].\u201d<\/p>

Democrats were unsatisfied. Raskin accused Patel of \u201csystematically purging the FBI of its most experienced and qualified agents, division leaders, and experts in counterterror, counterintelligence, and cybersecurity.\u201d Raskin warned that the shake-ups \u201cleft all of us less safe than before.\u201d<\/p>

Rep. Debra Ross<\/a> (D-NC) accused Patel of politicizing personnel decisions despite pledging in his confirmation to avoid politics. She pointed to a lawsuit by veteran agent Ryan Driscoll, who alleged he was questioned about his political leanings before being dismissed, as well as to the firings of other FBI leaders. \u201cDirector Patel, it is very clear that you have flunked your own test,\u201d Ross said. Patel rejected the charge, insisting, \u201cAny insinuation\u2026that personnel decisions are being made for political reasons is false.\u201d<\/p>

Republicans defended Patel\u2019s approach. Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan<\/a> (R-OH) said Patel had \u201ctaken bad guys off the streets\u201d by moving agents out of Washington headquarters and into field work. \u201cHe\u2019s rescued 4,000 kids. He\u2019s got 1,300 predators he\u2019s arrested. Twenty-one thousand violent criminals have been taken off the streets,\u201d Jordan said, calling it proof that Patel was prioritizing crime-fighting over bureaucracy.<\/p>

Rep. Darrel Issa<\/a> (R-CA) also praised Patel\u2019s redeployment of personnel, highlighting that \u201c1,000 personnel [were] deployed across this country on permanent cases in every single state.\u201d Issa said Patel had been willing to cut back headquarters staff to boost front-line enforcement, something Issa argued had been missing in previous administrations.<\/p>

Patel was asked directly whether Americans are safer now than they were nine months ago. He pointed to statistics showing drops in the murder rate in Washington, D.C., and other cities, arguing that redeployments had delivered results \u201cat historic speed.\u201d Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) praised the answer, suggesting that by focusing on violent criminals rather than \u201cweaponizing law enforcement,\u201d the FBI finally produced measurable progress.<\/p>Republicans air grievances over FBI under Democrats

Republicans turned the hearing into a broader indictment of how the bureau operated under Democratic administrations, casting Patel as the first director in years to restore focus on crime.<\/p>

For Jordan, the contrast was clear. He accused the FBI of having \u201cspied on parents at school board meetings\u201d and targeted anti-abortion activists, saying Patel had redirected the bureau back to its real mission. \u201cMaybe when you\u2019re not focused on politics, you can actually do what the FBI is supposed to do, go after the bad guys,\u201d Jordan argued, before pointing to Patel\u2019s record of \u201c23,000 bad guys off the streets\u201d and thousands of children rescued.<\/p>

Issa offered a different angle, commending Patel for opening FBI files to Congress after years of what he called stonewalling during the Russia inquiry and Jan. 6. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of openness and transparency we\u2019re seeing from this administration,\u201d Issa remarked, urging Patel to make it permanent.<\/p>

On tribal issues, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) said the Biden administration had ignored Native communities while wasting resources on political surveillance. She insisted Patel\u2019s testimony proved the DOJ had the tools to protect reservations but chose other priorities instead. \u201cYour testimony proves that the Biden administration did not lack the resources to address violent crime in tribal communities,\u201d she said. Patel countered that Indian Country remained \u201can absolute priority,\u201d pointing to 1,900 open cases and 600 indictments this year. \u201cWe cannot forget tribal lands,\u201d he told the committee. <\/p>

The exchange with Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) brought the report of former special counsel John Durham into focus. That 2023 review criticized the FBI for rushing to investigate Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign, relying on unverified opposition research and displaying \u201cconfirmation bias.\u201d Fry highlighted newly unclassified annexes that, he noted, showed the Obama administration had intelligence in 2016 about Democratic efforts to \u201cscuttle the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton\u2019s private email server\u201d and to \u201cfalsely connect Trump to Russia.\u201d He framed the findings as proof that the FBI had been misused for partisan ends.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThis is evidence you unclassified and released to the American public,\u201d Fry said. \u201cWhat it shows, and what the Durham report showed, is that the FBI was used as a political weapon. That cannot be disputed.\u201d<\/p>Patel promises more transparency on Trump-Russia collusion investigation and Jan. 6 informants

Patel said the bureau will continue releasing classified records related to the discredited Trump-Russia investigation and pledged to review whether FBI informants were paid during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.<\/p>

Pressed by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), Patel confirmed that more declassifications tied to the Crossfire Hurricane inquiry are on the way In July, Patel authorized the release of 1,400 pages of material, including the formerly classified Durham annex, which outlined evidence that former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign sought to falsely link Trump to Russia<\/a> and detailed FBI misconduct in the Carter Page FISA process.<\/p>

Meanwhile, Jordan questioned whether FBI informants present in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, received taxpayer money, even on occasions when they may have broken the law.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cGenerally speaking, confidential human sources are always paid by the FBI,\u201d Patel said, but he declined to confirm specific instances, promising: \u201cI\u2019ll get back to you on that.\u201d<\/p>

A December DOJ watchdog report found 26 FBI informants were in Washington<\/a> that day, but noted none were authorized to enter the Capitol or incite violence.<\/p>

Other Republicans followed Jordan\u2019s lead. Issa asked how Patel would prevent informant abuses in the future.<\/p>

Patel said reforms were underway, with the FBI ensuring that agents \u201cdo what they were trained to do, not what they were not,\u201d and promising closer oversight of source networks.<\/p>Director says National Guard is needed in Memphis crime crackdown

Patel told lawmakers the National Guard must be deployed to Memphis<\/a> to help federal agents complete the next phase of a sweeping crime crackdown in the city.\u201cWe don\u2019t have the manpower to give us the space\u201d to operate safely, Patel said, warning agents \u201ccan\u2019t work inside perimeters that are not established and safe.\u201d<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The comments came two days after Trump signed a memo creating the Memphis Safe Task Force, modeled after federal operations in Washington D.C., where National Guard troops have supported perimeters for agencies including the FBI, ATF, and ICE.<\/p>

Patel said FBI agents have already made 500 arrests and obtained 110 federal indictments in Memphis, but need National Guard support to enter remaining high-crime zones. Local Democrats have voiced concern that the Guard could alarm residents and tarnish the city\u2019s image, with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) warning the move could deter visitors.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/WEX_Patel_House8.jpeg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812179-1758128013", "title":"Lavish state banquet caps day of magnificent ceremony for Trump in UK", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3812179%2Ftrump-charles-lavish-uk-state-banquet%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"LONDON — President Donald Trump capped the Windsor Castle portion of his United Kingdom state visit with a lavish state banquet Wednesday night. At the dinner, a white-tie affair, Trump and King Charles III were seated in the middle of one side of the table, a 155-foot behemoth that British royal officials had been constructing for […]", "description":""

LONDON \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> capped the Windsor Castle portion of his United Kingdom<\/a> state visit with a lavish state banquet Wednesday night.<\/p>

At the dinner, a white-tie affair, Trump and King Charles III<\/a> were seated in the middle of one side of the table, a 155-foot behemoth that British royal officials had been constructing for two days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat to Charles's left and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Trump's right.<\/p>

The president was in full evening dress, while the first lady wore a yellow gown complemented by a pink belt.<\/p>

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Queen Camilla, first lady Melania Trump, and William, Prince of Wales, were seated from left to right across from Trump and Charles.<\/p>

Prior to the meal, both the president and the king delivered a toast.<\/p>

Charles, speaking first, said that, approaching the 250th anniversary of America's Declaration of Independence, it is \"remarkable to think just how far we've come.\"<\/p>

\"I cannot help but wonder what our forebears from 1776 would make of this friendship today,\" the king continued, remarking on the U.S.-U.K.'s joint commitments on technological innovation and defense, particularly in the face of \"tyranny\" threatening Ukraine and the rest of Europe. \"Mr. President, from York to New York, from Birmingham, England to Birmingham, Alabama, we are united by a common language and shared heritage.\"<\/p>

Following Charles's remarks, the room stood for a playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, before it was Trump's turn for a toast.<\/p>

The president opened by stating that this trip, the first time the crown has hosted a foreign leader for a second state visit, was \"truly one of the highest honors\" of his life.<\/p>

The president offered many of the same platitudes as the king, albeit delivered in his own Trumpian style.<\/p>

TECH COMPANY PENALTIES HANG OVER TRUMP'S UK STATE VISIT<\/a><\/p>

\"We've done more good for humanity than any two countries in all of history,\" Trump said. \"Together, we must defend the exceptional heritage that makes us who we are, and we must continue to stand for the values of the people of the English-speaking world, and we do indeed stand for that. On behalf of all Americans, I offer a toast to one of the great friendships, to two great countries, and to His Majesty, King Charles III \u2014 a very, very special man and also a very, very special queen.\"<\/p>

In total, the dinner featured 154 other guests. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Tiffany Trump, and British golfer Sir Nick Faldo were all in attendance, as were numerous business and technology executives, including media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.<\/p>

The menu itself was similarly impressive, boasting a starter of Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, served in a thyme and savoury infused jus, as the main, and a dessert of vanilla ice cream bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet, served with lightly poached Victoria plums.<\/p>

Trump himself does not drink alcohol, but that didn't stop the crown from providing an expansive, and expensive, wine and spirits menu, featuring a California red, English sparkling wine, a French white, and Pol Roger's Extra Cuv\u00e9e de R\u00e9serve (1998), as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a self-proclaimed political hero of the president, reportedly held Pol Roger as his favorite champagne.<\/p>

Furthermore, the palace served every guest a glass of Warre's 1945 Vintage Port, a nod to Trump's turn as the 45th president during his first year in office; Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne, in honor of Trump's mother's birth year; and Bowmore Queen's Cask 1980 Islay, which had been gifted to Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 and bottled in 2002 in celebration of her golden jubilee.<\/p>

LONDON PROTESTERS TAUNT TRUMP DURING UK STATE VISIT<\/a><\/p>

To top it all off, guests could partake in a specialty cocktail crafted for the evening: the trans-Atlantic whiskey sour. White House officials told reporters the drink blended Johnnie Walker Black Label, marmalade, pecan foam, and a garnish of toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, \"evoking the warmth of a fireside S\u2019more.\"<\/p>

Royal officials opted to decorate the room with flowers and herbs handpicked from the Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park gardens.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260723742889.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812321-1758127502", "title":"Vance says Kirk would ‘welcome’ debate on his views following efforts to ban ‘hate speech’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3812321%2Fvance-says-kirk-would-welcome-debate-on-his-views-following-efforts-to-ban-hate-speech%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Vice President JD Vance publicly proclaimed that the late Charlie Kirk would “welcome” a debate on his views, but asked those in the conversation to save the discussion until after his funeral this week. Vance’s post follows conservative frustrations toward those who have criticized Kirk’s past views or mocked his death. Attorney General Pam Bondi […]", "description":""

Vice President JD Vance<\/a> publicly proclaimed that the late Charlie Kirk<\/a> would \"welcome\" a debate on his views, but asked those in the conversation to save the discussion until after his funeral this week.<\/p>

Vance's post follows conservative frustrations toward those who have criticized Kirk's past views or mocked his death.<\/p>

Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to prosecute hate speech<\/a> as a consequence of discontent against Kirk, which began a bipartisan uproar over free speech.<\/p>

\"To my friends on the political Right: I understand the feeling that people are putting words into Charlie Kirk's mouth,\" Vance wrote on X.<\/p>

\"At some level, I agree and share your frustration. Try to remember: a lot of people loved Charlie. It is natural for them to debate his views and his legacy. In fact, I think Charlie would welcome that. But for now, let's celebrate our friend, remember his impact, and save the debate for after his funeral,\" he added.<\/p>

To my friends on the political Right: I understand the feeling that people are putting words into Charlie Kirk's mouth. At some level, I agree and share your frustration.Try to remember: a lot of people loved Charlie. It is natural for them to debate his views and his legacy.\u2026<\/p>— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 17, 2025<\/a>

While many on both sides of the political spectrum mourned Kirk's death last week, some also reflected on the conservative commentator's past statements. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said Kirk condoned<\/a> slavery and openly wondered why his past statements were being ignored.<\/p>

\"There is nothing more f-ed up to completely pretend his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so,\" Omar said during a Zeteo interview.<\/p>

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) issued a censure resolution<\/a> for her comments, which would also remove Omar from the committees she serves on.<\/p>

Others, like Omar, who have criticized Kirk, have been fired from their jobs, disciplined, or publicly shamed. Republicans have sought out Kirk's detractors to dole out punishment.<\/p>

Bondi was among Republicans who grew so frustrated with the speech that she suggested she would censor it. Bondi said the Justice Department would \"absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.\"<\/p>

Bondi backtracked after a backlash that contended doing so risked encroaching on freedom of speech.<\/p>

\"Freedom of speech is sacred in our country, and we will never impede upon that right,\" Bondi told Axios in a statement.<\/a> \"My intention was to speak about threats of violence that individuals incite against others,\" she added.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Kirk's funeral is set for Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals' stadium. President Donald Trump and other top administration officials are expected to attend.<\/p>

The conservative commentator's alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, was officially charged with Kirk's murder on Tuesday. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vance.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812137-1758126983", "title":"Senate Democrats try to rebrand ‘clean’ funding bill in escalating shutdown brawl", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3812137%2Fsenate-democrats-try-rebrand-clean-funding-bill-shutdown%2F", "byline":"Ramsey Touchberry", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Senate Democrats are attempting to redefine the GOP’s short-term government funding plan as a partisan proposal as the party evolves its messaging strategy on a brewing shutdown feud. They say a Republican bill to extend current spending levels past a Sept. 30 deadline cannot be branded as a “clean” stopgap measure because it lacks input and healthcare […]", "description":""

Senate Democrats are attempting to redefine the GOP's short-term government funding plan as a partisan proposal as the party evolves its messaging strategy on a brewing shutdown feud<\/a>.<\/p>

They say a Republican bill to extend current spending levels past a Sept. 30 deadline cannot be branded as a \u201cclean\u201d stopgap measure because it lacks input and healthcare policy demands<\/a> from Democrats, diverging from long-standing norms in Congress over government funding showdowns as they flex their filibuster leverage.<\/p>

A \u201cclean\u201d short-term bill \u201cusually means whether or not you had an agreement between the political parties,\u201d said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), who\u2019s set to become the second-ranked Democrat in the next Congress. \u201cDonald Trump said he doesn't want to work with us.\u201d<\/p>

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) acknowledged the proposal is a \u201cstatus quo bill,\u201d in line with messaging from Democrats on more than a dozen similar Biden-era stopgap funding measures. But he made the case that \u201cAmericans don't want the status quo.\u201d<\/p>

\u201c\u2018Clean\u2019 is the wrong word. It's a partisan bill,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cIt has had no input from Democrats.\u201d<\/p>

House Republicans are set to vote this week on the GOP\u2019s short-term proposal, followed by the Senate. It would fund the government through Nov. 21 and is designed to offer appropriators more time to reach a bipartisan, year-long budget, but will need Democratic buy-in to clear the Senate's 60-vote filibuster.<\/p>

Roughly $90 million for additional security is included for lawmakers, the Supreme Court, and other government officials in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, which is backed by both sides of the aisle, as well as the repeal of restrictions on Washington, D.C., to spend its own money. Still, it\u2019s otherwise in line with so-called \u201cclean\u201d continuing resolution (CR) stopgap measures from years past and does not include partisan riders to make it \u201cdirty.\u201d<\/p>

Rather than point to any provisions they reject, Democrats cite the exclusion of extending a Biden-era policy as the basis for their opposition: enhanced Obamacare subsidies<\/a> set to expire at year's end. Republicans are offering Democrats to negotiate the terms of a modified extension after the impending shutdown cliff is averted.<\/p>

\u201cI do not think it's likely that mainstream voters, the same voters that Democrats lost in the last election, are going to be thanking Democrats for shutting down the government over a short-term, clean, nonpartisan CR,\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said.<\/p>

Democrats, buoyed by the filibuster and new polling that suggests the party\u2019s base is itching for a protracted shutdown showdown, are prepared to make that bet. It\u2019s a huge political gamble, particularly after Democrats caved in March<\/a> to avoid a shutdown, and runs counter to conventional wisdom that the party responsible for a shutdown emerges on the losing political end, and absent any significant policy wins.<\/p>

SHUTDOWN BATTLE PRESENTS SCHUMER WITH LATEST DEMOCRATIC UNITY TEST<\/a><\/p>

A large majority, 72%, of Democratic voters want the party to \u201ctake a firmer stand this time, even if it risks a government shutdown,\u201d according to a survey<\/a> from liberal firms Data for Progress and Grow Progress. Roughly the same number, 70%, want Democrats to \u201cwithhold their votes unless Republicans agree to changes, even if that risks a government shutdown.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThis is a inflection point, and we should be working to do everything we can to help Americans and use this point of leverage,\u201d Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said. \u201cAs much as the president thinks he can bully and threaten his way to it, you need Democratic votes.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25034807611019.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812008-1758126900", "title":"Israel declares ‘Iron Beam’ laser defense system fully operational", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3812008%2Fisrael-iron-beam-laser-defense-fully-operational%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Israel declared that its “Iron Beam” laser defense system is fully operational and ready for use. It represents the first operational defense laser to be deployed by a nation facing immediate threats. The Israeli Ministry of Defense said the laser had proven useful in tests against rockets, mortars, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. It will […]", "description":""

Israel<\/a> declared that its \"Iron Beam\" laser defense system is fully operational and ready for use. It represents the first operational defense laser to be deployed by a nation facing immediate threats.<\/p>

The Israeli Ministry of Defense said the laser had proven useful in tests against rockets, mortars, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. It will be integrated into Israel's wider missile defense network alongside kinetic interceptors such as the Iron Dome<\/a> and David's Sling. The system completed its last tests and is set to enter active use in the Israel Defense Forces by the end of the year.<\/p>

\u201cThe series of tests, conducted at a testing ground in southern Israel, concludes the development process and constitutes the final stage before delivering the system for operational use in the IDF,\u201d Israel's defense ministry said.<\/p>

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz boasted that the completion of the laser \u201cplaces the State of Israel at the forefront of global military technology and makes Israel the first nation to possess this capability.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOur enemies from Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and other arenas should know: just as we are strong in defense, we are strong in offense \u2014 and we will do everything to protect the security of Israeli citizens,\u201d Katz added.<\/p>

Iron Beam can intercept targets over 6 miles away, all at the cost of roughly $5. The cheap price is one of its most desirable attributes, giving militaries a cost-effective way to intercept cheap drones without using multimillion-dollar interceptor missiles. The necessity of an economic air defense system has been showcased by Israel's war with Iran, Russia's drone attacks against Ukraine, and the United States's struggle to quell the Yemeni Houthis.<\/p>

The laser was developed by the defense contractor Rafael in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.<\/p>

ONLY ONE-THIRD OF PALESTINIANS HAVE LEFT GAZA CITY FOLLOWING EVACUATION ORDER: ISRAELI MILITARY<\/a><\/p>

Rafael\u2019s chairman, Yuval Steinitz, boasted that \u201cRafael\u2019s laser system, built on our proprietary adaptive optics technology, will undoubtedly be a game-changing system with unprecedented impact on modern warfare.\u201d<\/p>

In a symbolic move, the system was renamed from Magen Or (light shield) to Or Eitan (Eitan's light), after Cpt. Eitan Oster, 22, an Israeli commando commander whom Hezbollah killed during fighting in southern Lebanon in October 2024, the Times of Israel reported<\/a>. His father was one of the \"initiators and developers\" of the Iron Beam.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25168356057523.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3805302-1758125808", "title":"Social media coverage of Kirk shooting forces reckoning on how violent news is digested", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ftechnology%2F3805302%2Fsocial-media-coverage-charlie-kirk-shooting-violent-news%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In the week since the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk in Utah, experts say social media has played a damaging role in how its users consume violent content and how law enforcement engages with misinformation amid rapidly developing events. Before Kirk’s alleged assassin was arrested late last week, theories abounded on social […]", "description":""

In the week since the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk<\/a> in Utah, experts say social media<\/a> has played a damaging role in how its users consume violent content and how law enforcement engages with misinformation<\/a> amid rapidly developing events.<\/p>

Before Kirk's alleged assassin was arrested late last week, theories abounded on social media about the shooter's identity and motivation. Not long after the fatal shooting, online investigators misidentified the shooter as one of several people: George Zinn, Michael Mallinson, or Skye Valadez.<\/p>

Zinn's name was widely circulated when he was arrested at Utah Valley University immediately after the shooting. It was later revealed<\/a> that he falsely confessed to the crime in the hopes of distracting police from the suspected gunman, now known to be Tyler Robinson. Zinn was charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. However, he played no direct role in the shooting.<\/p>

Mallinson, who bears a resemblance to Zinn, discovered he was wrongly accused when his daughter had told him the news after he woke up from a nap at his Toronto home. And Valadez's name went viral when 4chan mistakenly identified the Utah musician as the shooter based on her SoundCloud track titled \"Charlie Kirk Dead at 31.\" She deleted the song less than 24 hours after Kirk's death.<\/p>

While they may be well-intentioned in trying to find the shooter, social media detectives may be doing more harm than good by spreading false, unverified claims about investigations as they unfold.<\/p>

\"So many people were trying to crowdsource what had happened as if they were amateur sleuths,\" Jeffrey Blevins, a journalism professor at the University of Cincinnati, told the Washington Examiner. \"None of this is helpful at all.\"<\/p>

He said law enforcement needs to counter misinformation about active investigations that would otherwise be hindered by false claims immediately, although he acknowledged that's an \"impossible task.\"<\/p>

James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, argued that authorities should not \"change their public information strategies out of concern for those who might use it to spread rumor and misinformation\" because \"rumor and misinformation can spread in an official information vacuum.\" An information vacuum occurs when details aren't provided in a timely or accurate manner during a crisis.<\/p>

An Army veteran, Blevins was quite amused by one of the first theories that Kirk's killing was a professional hit. He explained how someone could very easily train in a couple of months to fire a single shot from 200 yards, the distance between the suspect and Kirk.<\/p>

Once authorities announced the apprehension of the 22-year-old suspected shooter last Friday, falsehoods about him quickly spread online, too.<\/p>

Depending on one's political affiliation, Robinson was either a registered Republican or a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Neither of these scenarios was true. Rather, he was a registered voter unaffiliated with any political party and was confused for a similar-looking member of the country's largest socialist organization.<\/p>

\"When you start putting these narratives out there, people tend to accept the narrative that fits their politics the most, and then they stick with it,\" Blevins said. \"And it makes it more difficult, when the facts do begin to emerge, to change their opinion.\"<\/p>

Fox agreed, saying opinions are often reinforced when people interact with others who are like-minded.<\/p>

\"There have always been extremists and conspiracy thinkers, but prior to social media, they were mostly alone in their beliefs,\" Fox said. \"Not only does the internet, by way of social media, enable them to find others with similar beliefs, but that serves to reinforce their opinions.\"<\/p>

Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) spoke about the dangers of misinformation and disinformation surrounding Kirk's murder last week, saying foreign adversaries want nothing more than to stoke political violence in the United States.<\/p>

\"There is a tremendous amount of disinformation,\" he said at a press conference<\/a> last Thursday. \"Our adversaries want violence. We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence. I would encourage you to ignore those.\"<\/p>

Cox has been outspoken about his opposition to social media since taking office in 2021 and has signed legislation that limits social media use by minors in Utah.<\/p>

In recent days, the governor has talked about the adverse effects that social media has on younger generations related to their mental health. Graphic videos, including the ones capturing the moment that the single bullet pierced Kirk's neck, contribute to this phenomenon.<\/p>

Melissa Whitson, a psychology professor at the University of New Haven, explained how both children and adults can experience emotional or psychological distress in what's known as vicarious trauma after watching a graphic video.<\/p>

\"The younger the child is, the less that child is able to process seeing a graphic video and make sense of it, and often confusing what is real and what is not,\" she said. \"Older children may also have difficulty understanding how to recognize or cope with any emotions or feelings that arise in response to a graphic video. They often report being fine, but then later the images may come back to them when they are trying to sleep or are unable to distract themselves.\"<\/p>

While the effects are particularly acute for children, adults who have experienced trauma firsthand may feel a greater impact. Regardless of each person's age and experiences, all are affected on some level.<\/p>

Last week, social media platforms were dominated by videos not only of Kirk's killing but also the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska<\/a> on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>

Blevins said graphic, unedited videos without any context in those two cases can certainly lead to more heightened, less productive political rhetoric based on the strong emotions elicited.<\/p>

\"That's a very visceral thing to experience, and it's likely to spark more emotions that way rather than just hearing about it,\" he added. \"Things that hit emotional chords tend to get more traction, more response.\"<\/p>

Blevins then discussed three possible ways for society to address how social media fuels political polarization.<\/p>

The first is regulation by social media companies, which he says need to grapple with how to police violent content in real time. Certain platforms, namely TikTok<\/a>, have already censored content depicting Kirk's murder. The other two methods are government regulation, which Blevins says is unlikely, and self-regulation, which social media users can easily practice.<\/p>

Describing social media as a \"cancer on our society,\" Cox argued humans are \"not wired\" to process violent imagery and contrasted the current social media age to live television \u2014 the medium that broadcast the aftermath of former President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and the death of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV just days later.<\/p>

\"You have to go back to JFK to have seen a video live of something like this happening,\" Cox said last Friday during a press conference about the apprehended suspect who allegedly killed Kirk.<\/p>

\"If you look at true political assassinations in this country of someone of this stature, this feels a lot like the late '60s,\" he continued, \"and having one so gruesomely displayed on camera in all of our hands and in all of our pockets.\"<\/p>

The governor then urged people to log off the phone, \"touch grass,\" and spend time with their families. While issuing the plea, he referenced Kirk's advice for escaping from social media.<\/p>

INTERNET DETECTIVES START DISINFORMATION FRENZY AFTER NAMING WRONG PERSON IN CHARLIE KIRK KILLING<\/a><\/p>

\"A few months ago \u2014 I referenced this last night \u2014 Charlie posted to social media, 'When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it's important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends, and remember, internet fury is not real life. It's going to be OK,'\" Cox recounted.<\/p>

\"He again said, 'When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to commit violence.' He said, 'What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have reasonable agreement where violence is not an option.'\"<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260543190276.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810016-1758125447", "title":"The Left renews calls to obstruct justice ", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3810016%2Fleft-renews-calls-to-obstruct-justice-ice-los-angeles%2F", "byline":"Pedro Rodriguez", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Upholding the rule of law seems like common sense, but to the Left, it is an act of racially motivated hate. After the Supreme Court voted to lift restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles, the Left has once again vowed to obstruct the law, which emphasized their disregard for the law […]", "description":""

Upholding the rule of law<\/a> seems like common sense, but to the Left<\/a>, it is an act of racially motivated hate. After the Supreme Court<\/a> voted to lift restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> operations in Los Angeles<\/a>, the Left has once again vowed to obstruct the law, which emphasized their disregard for the law and the endangered lives of American families.\u00a0<\/p>

[The Left] is \u201cdriven by an anti-law enforcement ideology<\/a>, not common sense, which makes them ignore and minimize the harm suffered by the public by rampant crime<\/a>, particularly in inner city urban neighborhoods, former DOJ Attorney and Senior judicial fellow at the Heritage Foundation<\/a> Hans A. von Spakovsky told the Washington Examiner.\u00a0<\/p>

DEMOCRATS' RULE OF LAW RHETORIC DOESN\u2019T MATCH REALITY<\/a><\/p>

\u201cThe Trump administration has a constitutional duty to enforce the law, and that includes enforcing federal immigration law and federal criminal law. To the extent such violations of the law are occurring in cities, the administration has both the right and the obligation to use its law enforcement authority to go after criminals, which includes illegal aliens,\" von Spakovsky added.\u00a0<\/p>

As mentioned by the former member of the Federal Election Commission, the president has the legal authority to enforce the law. Under the Posse Comitatus Act<\/a>, the President of the United States has the legal right to mobilize federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, to American cities. Obstruction of the law enforcement operations mobilized by the president, as seen in Los Angeles and other left-leaning cities, is in direct violation of federal law.\u00a0<\/p>

Not only does the president have the legal right to intensify efforts in Los Angeles, but he has the moral obligation to do as well.<\/p>

In a city like Los Angeles, where Democrats have ruled for decades, and the presence of law enforcement was restricted until now, the violent crime rate remains around 29% higher than the national average. Compared to major cities in Texas, which have cooperated with federal law enforcement operations, violent crime has gone down by 14%.\u00a0<\/p>

However, the Left has made it evident that they do not have much care for crime statistics, law enforcement, or the rule of law in the first place.\u00a0Even with\u00a0crime statistics being at an all-time high, Democrats will still overlook them as they continue their \"activism\" against law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>

Cecillia Wang, the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, called<\/a> the decision \u201coutrageous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cToday's Supreme Court order puts people at grave risk. For anyone perceived as Latino by an ICE agent, this means living in a fearful \u2018papers please\u2019 regime, with risks of violent ICE arrests and detention,\" Wang wrote<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cThe Supreme Court's order is outrageous because it includes no reasoning itself but puts on hold the well-reasoned opinions of the lower federal courts. We will fight on in this case and others for our fundamental right to go about our lives without being targeted by government agents based on racial profiling.\u201d<\/p>

WHAT PAM BONDI GETS WRONG ABOUT FREE SPEECH<\/a><\/p>

In a different statement, the Southern California chapter of the ACLU foreshadowed its plans to continuously obstruct justice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cOur community has come together to confront this injustice with courage and determination, uncovering the truth and showing the nation these raids were never about public safety but about targeting immigrants and sowing fear. This fight is not over. We will continue pressing our case in court until every person in our communities can live free from fear, with their rights and dignity fully protected.\u201d<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260599973595.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812275-1758125087", "title":"Texas GOP launches committees to investigate free speech on colleges campuses after Kirk assassination", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigations%2F3812275%2Ftexas-gop-launches-committees-to-probe-free-speech-on-colleges-campuses-after-kirk-assassination%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Texas lawmakers created two committees examining free speech on college campuses in response to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which sparked concerns about the erosion of civil discourse in the United States. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the formation of the House and Senate Select Committees on Civil Discourse […]", "description":""

Texas<\/a> lawmakers created two committees examining free speech on college campuses in response to conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u2019s assassination, which sparked concerns about the erosion of civil discourse in the United States.<\/p>

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the formation of the House and Senate Select Committees on Civil Discourse & Freedom of Speech in Higher Education to \u201chono[r] the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.\u201d The new committees come after the Turning Point USA co-founder was fatally shot at Utah Valley University last week during one of his signature events debating students about a range of issues, including politics, religion, and family. <\/p>

In statements, the two Republican lawmakers argued the committees are necessary due to concerns that the constitutional right to freely exchange and debate views, including controversial ones, is in danger. <\/p>

\u201cCharlie Kirk was my friend. He was assassinated for simply expressing his First Amendment rights,\u201d Patrick said<\/a>. \u201cThe attack on Charlie was an attack on the First Amendment. Those who cheered his murder are also cheering for the death of America. We cannot tolerate either at our institutions of higher learning.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCharlie dedicated his life to open, respectful dialogue with those he disagreed, and that approach is something we should all celebrate and fight to protect,\u201d Burrows added. \u201cThis committee will help identify ways to better protect the fundamental right of free speech on our college campuses, including ways to ensure political gatherings are safe and secure.\u201d<\/p>

Seven senators and eight House members will study university climate in the months ahead due to what lawmakers described as a statewide \"responsibility to ensure its publicly funded institutions foster open dialogue and do not discriminate against students, faculty, or staff based on their beliefs.\" The probe will include potentially increasing security at campus events.<\/p>

\u201cWe may have to look at outdoor activities as opposed to indoor activities. We may have to look at what is effective security for a big rally,\" state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, chair of the Senate committee, said.<\/p>

The committee will also scrutinize the implementation of Senate Bills 37 and 2972, which were passed by the state legislature this year and are related to \u201cthe expressive activities at public institutions of higher education.\u201d <\/p>

Democratic state representative Richard Pena Raymond, who is serving as the Vice Chair of the House committee, said he hopes the panel can convey that people should not fear political violence for open dialogue. <\/p>

HOUSE FLOOR ERUPTS IN CHAOS AFTER MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR CHARLIE KIRK<\/a><\/p>

\u201cHere I am as a Democrat. Charlie Kirk was a Republican, a very conservative Republican. I never met the guy, but if I had met him, I\u2019d debate him on things I\u2019m sure, and at the end of it, I would shake his hand and say, \u2018You know we agree on one thing, we can\u2019t have violence,\u2019\" Raymond told<\/a> KGNS. <\/p>

State Sen. Cesar Blanco, one of two Democrats on the Senate committee, said higher education institutions \u201cshould be places where every Texan, regardless of background or political beliefs, feels safe to engage in political discourse\u2026 even when ideas are controversial or uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25253691176272_d6b60b.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811889-1758124864", "title":"Linda McMahon encourages security precautions at colleges after Kirk shooting ", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Feducation%2F3811889%2Flinda-mcmahon-encourages-security-precautions-colleges-after-charlie-kirk-shooting%2F", "byline":"Sydney Topf", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Secretary of Education Linda McMahon encouraged colleges to have security precautions on campuses and promoted free speech following the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week.  Kirk was killed during a Turning Point USA college campus tour stop, where he talked about and debated politics. When Kirk was shot, he […]", "description":""

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon<\/a> encouraged colleges to have security precautions on campuses and promoted free speech following the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week. <\/p>

Kirk was killed<\/a> during a Turning Point USA<\/a> college campus tour stop, where he talked about and debated politics. When Kirk was shot, he was discussing transgender mass shooters at his \"Prove Me Wrong\" table. <\/p>

At the fourth annual Education Law and Policy Conference, cohosted by the Federalist Society and the Defense of Freedom Institute, McMahon said, \"We're not going to be daunted. We won't be [cowed] by the cowards who would do these kinds of things. We will \u2026 continue to be a force for good.\"<\/p>

\u201cI do think universities have to be careful. I do think precautions have to be taken,\u201d McMahon told Marisa Schultz<\/a>, news editor for the Washington Examiner. <\/p>

\u201cWe just have to be vigilant moving forward ... don't take unnecessary risks, but don't cower. Let's keep our message going forward and be strong.\u201d<\/p>

McMahon said President Donald Trump has asked for increased security for staff and Cabinet secretaries, and called on Congress to increase its security.<\/p>

Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk<\/a>, announced last week that Turning Point USA\u2019s campus tours will continue this fall despite her husband\u2019s death. Colorado State University is the next stop on Sept. 30.  <\/a><\/p>

When asked if the political climate on college campuses contributed to Kirk\u2019s death, McMahon said she didn\u2019t know, but that there is an atmosphere that is making students feel unsafe. <\/p>

\u201cI do think that we have created an atmosphere, not just relative to Charlie, but on college campuses where students do not feel safe,\u201d she said. \u201cIt's one of the things that I recently challenged universities on is to make sure that they do have proper procedures in place for the protection of their students, so that they feel safe.\u201d<\/p>

The Trump administration has been launching investigations into universities and cutting federal funding to educational institutions that have not been preventing antisemitism on campuses or have been promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. <\/p>

Columbia University recently settled to pay $221 million<\/a> to restore more than $400 million in federal funding. Harvard University<\/a> has also been a target \u2014 a federal judge blocked<\/a> the Trump administration\u2019s $2.2 billion funding freeze on the university earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>

Brown University<\/a> and the University of Pennsylvania<\/a> also settled with the Trump administration regarding related cases.<\/p>

McMahon said challenging these universities did not \u201cshut down free speech\u201d but guaranteed a \u201cbroad diversity of views\u201d on campuses. <\/p>

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDING UNIVERSITY GRANTS THAT PROMOTE \u2018RACIAL OR ETHNIC QUOTAS\u2019<\/a><\/p>

\u201cIf you shut down the speech on one side to allow the freedom of speech for another, you have actually compromised the entire principle, and that we cannot have,\u201d McMahon said.<\/p>

When Schultz asked if McMahon saw a connection between the transgender movement and school violence, she said it would be \"premature\" to say.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Marisa_LindaMcMahon_PS02-e1758139115483.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809232-1758123784", "title":"Vance taunts Whitmer over Detroit crime: ‘Happy to send the National Guard’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3809232%2Fvance-taunts-whitmer-detroit-crime-happy-send-national-guard%2F", "byline":"Mabinty Quarshie", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Vice President JD Vance goaded Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over Detroit‘s crime rates on Wednesday after he visited a manufacturing plant to champion President Donald Trump‘s major domestic policy bill. “My one message to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer here in the state of Michigan is, oh come on,” Vance said as a rally crowd booed […]", "description":""

Vice President JD Vance <\/a>goaded Michigan<\/a> Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer<\/a> over Detroit<\/a>'s crime rates on Wednesday after he visited a manufacturing plant to champion President Donald Trump<\/a>'s major domestic policy bill.<\/p>

\"My one message to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer here in the state of Michigan is, oh come on,\" Vance said as a rally crowd booed at the mention of the governor. \"My one message to Gretchen Whitmer is, look, the city of Detroit, we know has got some serious crime problems.\"<\/p>

VANCE SAYS TRUMP HAS \u2018RIGHT\u2019 TO EXPAND NATIONAL GUARD CRACKDOWN ON CRIME<\/a><\/p>

\"And we know that it's the people in Detroit who suffer the most when crime is allowed to run rampant all over city streets,\" Vance continued. \"Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan. All you got to do is ask.\"<\/p>

Detroit's crime rate declined in 2023<\/a> to its lowest level in 57 years, according to city statistics, but it still remains well above national rates. Of the 20 top cities with the highest homicide rates<\/a> per 100,000 residents in 2024, Detroit registers at No. 6.<\/p>

The vice president's remarks follow the president's deployment of <\/a>federal law enforcement officers to Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday at the behest of Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN). Since his takeover of Washington, D.C.'s local police force last month, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to send in National Guard members to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.<\/p>

Vance also defended the Trump administration's right to deploy the National Guard to other cities during an appearance in Wisconsin<\/a> last month, though he qualified that the administration wants Democratic leaders to ask for help.<\/p>

\u201cThe president of the United States is not going out there forcing this on anybody, though we do think that we have the legal right to clean up America\u2019s streets if we want to,\u201d Vance said. \u201cBut what the president has said is, very simply, why don\u2019t you invite us in?\u201d <\/p>

Democratic mayors and governors have largely bristled at Trump over his threats. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson rejected the idea of National Guard members coming to the city. Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), a prominent Trump foe, told CBS News that sending military members to Chicago was an \"invasion<\/a>.\"<\/p>

This week, Trump again threatened to send troops to Chicago, calling the city a \"death trap,\" before he left for a state visit to the United Kingdom.<\/p>

TOP FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM JD VANCE\u2019S GUEST HOSTING OF THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW<\/a><\/p>

\"I'm going to go to Chicago early, against Pritzker. Pritzker is nothing. If Pritzker was smart, he would say, 'Please come in,'\" Trump told reporters. <\/p>

Michigan Democrats blasted Vance's visit to the manufacturing plant as an attempt to smooth over the effects of the \"big, beautiful bill.\" Republicans have touted the law's tax cuts, in particular those tailored to working-class voters, but Democrats believe the GOP is vulnerable over its reforms to Medicaid.<\/p>

\"Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are devastating Michigan\u2019s economy with their chaotic tariffs and disastrous health care cuts \u2013 all to line billionaires\u2019 pockets at the cost of working families,\" said Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel in a statement.<\/p>

\"Michiganders are hurting right now, with prices going up and their livelihoods being threatened because of the Trump administration\u2019s policies,\" Hertel added. \"When people show you who they are, believe them, and Trump and Vance have proven that they are self-serving, reckless, and don\u2019t care who they hurt.\"<\/p>

Vance's stop in Michigan also marked his first public comments on Charlie Kirk<\/a> after he guest-hosted the Turning Point USA founder's radio show on Monday.<\/p>

The vice president credited Kirk, who was assassinated last week during an event at Utah Valley University, with galvanizing a young conservative movement that helped propel Trump and Vance to the White House.<\/p>

\"If you look at just the youth vote in 2024 and how much young voters shifted from Democrat to Republican, from 2020 to 2024, Charlie Kirk created a movement,\" said Vance. \"And that movement made Donald J. Trump the president of the United States, and it made me the vice president of the United States. I would not be here without Charlie.\" <\/p>

TRUMP AND VANCE HEADLINE ADMINISTRATION-FILLED SPEAKER LINEUP FOR CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL<\/a><\/p>

Echoing his remarks during the Charlie Kirk Show, Vance denounced the Left for allegedly inciting political violence and defended the right to free speech in the U.S.<\/p>

\"I want to let you know that whether you're a Democrat or Republican, whatever your belief is, I will fight for your right to speak your mind,\" he said. \"We reject political violence and we reject the crazy left-wing radicals that gunned down our friend Charlie Kirk. Let's talk to one another and not try to shoot each other down for disagreeing.\" <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260665702164.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812244-1758122945", "title":"Daily on Energy: Trump looms over permitting talks, DOE gives loan for battery separator, and a new fusion bill", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fdaily-on-energy%2F3812244%2Fdaily-on-energy-trump-looms-permitting-talks-doe-loan-battery-separator-fusion-bill%2F", "byline":"Callie Patteson and Maydeen Merino", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! National Clean Energy Week has kicked off today in Washington, D.C., gathering lawmakers, policy experts and industry leaders to discuss the energy landscape. We will be at the conference this week. If you are also attending, be sure to say hi!  Welcome to Daily on Energy, […]", "description":""

WHAT\u2019S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! National Clean Energy Week has kicked off today in Washington, D.C., gathering lawmakers, policy experts and industry leaders to discuss the energy landscape. We will be at the conference this week. If you are also attending, be sure to say hi! <\/p>

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson<\/a>) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino<\/a>). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you\u2019d like to sign up, click here<\/a>. If signing up doesn\u2019t work, shoot us an email, and we\u2019ll add you to our list.<\/p>

PERMITTING REFORM HINGES ON TRUMP COOPERATION FOR SOME DEMOCRATS: While several Democrats in the House have indicated interest in supporting their Republican colleagues on a permitting reform package, negotiations appear to be contingent on the administration\u2019s willingness to issue federal approvals for all projects, no matter the energy source. <\/p>

The details: During the House Natural Resources hearing on permitting last week, Rhode Island Rep. Seth Magaziner said he wants to get to a \u201cyes\u201d on bipartisan reform, but he can\u2019t get there without cooperation from the Trump administration. <\/p>

Magaziner told Callie today that his confidence level with the White House remains \u201cvery low,\u201d as the administration continues to block construction of the Revolution Wind farm off the coast of his state. The project, which is estimated to be 80% complete, has been halted since Aug. 22. <\/p>

\u201cI very much want to engage in negotiations on all of the above permitting reform,\u201d Magaziner said. \u201cBut if the administration is just going to block clean energy projects that have their approvals from going forward, then how could we \u2013 on our side \u2013 assume that they are going to be negotiating in good faith?<\/p>

The stop work order: Trump administration officials have pointed to national security concerns as one of the main reasons behind the order to pause construction on the project. In court filings<\/a> last week, officials explained the decision further, saying Revolution Wind failed to reach additional mitigation agreements with the Department of Defense over ways to mitigate risks from fiber optic-sensors and foreign investment. The Interior Department said the project has, to date, not provided any information to the agency addressing these concerns. <\/p>

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ISSUES LOAN FOR BATTERY SEPARATOR PLANT: The Department of Energy\u2019s Loan Programs Office is moving forward on a loan agreement made under the Biden administration for a battery separator manufacturing facility, in an effort to shore up the supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. <\/p>

The details: DOE announced this morning that it is disbursing more than $77 million to ENTEK Lithium Separators to help finance a battery separator plant in far western Indiana. This is just the first disbursement as the agency has committed to loaning as much as $1.3 billion to ENTEK. <\/p>

Once built, ENTEK\u2019s facility will be the only U.S. owned and based producer of \u201cwet-process\u201d lithium-ion battery separator materials that can be used for energy storage, in electric vehicles, data centers, and other electronics. These materials are crucial for lithium-ion batteries and help prevent any short-circuiting.<\/p>

ENTEK first received a conditional commitment from DOE for the loan in the last summer of the Biden administration and saw a financial close on the deal in November 2024. <\/p>

Some background: The announcement marks the first publicly announced loan disbursement made under the Trump administration for a project other than the restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. DOE confirmed to Daily on Energy that there have been several disbursements ongoing since Trump took office, but they are business confidential. <\/p>

The administration has been criticized<\/a> by former and current LPO staffers for not advancing and finalizing loan agreements made under the Biden administration, which they say could help advance the president\u2019s energy dominance agenda. <\/p>

NEW BILL TO EXPAND PRODUCTION TAX CREDITS TO INCLUDE NUCLEAR FUSION ENERGY: House lawmakers today introduced a bill to expand the advanced manufacturing production tax credit for companies that produce components for nuclear fusion energy. <\/p>

Republican Rep. Carol Miller of West Virginia introduced the Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act<\/a>, which would expand the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X) to include fusion energy components. Those who produce and sell eligible energy components like battery cells or critical minerals can be eligible for a tax credit. <\/p>

Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York and Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene of Washington and Don Beyer of Virginia are co-sponsoring the bill. <\/p>

What does the bill do? The bill would establish a 25% credit for qualified fusion energy components, effective January 1, 2026, and ending in 2034. The bill also expands the critical mineral list of 45X to include deuterium, helium-3, tritium, lithium compounds, and copper-chromium-zirconium alloys. <\/p>

Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act modified the tax credit by eliminating 45X credits for all related wind components produced and sold after 2027. The phase-out period was not accelerated for other energy components, which begins in 2030. The bill also included a provision that would allow producers of metallurgical coal to claim the credit. <\/p>

What are they saying: Helion Energy director of public affairs Jackie Siebens told Maydeen on the sidelines at the National Clean Energy Week that the expansion of 45X is a \u201ccritical first step to get us on the right path.\u201d <\/p>

\"We need the federal government to move more into a space of helping support the private sector to build out the full ecosystem of a commercial fusion marketplace,\u201d she said. <\/p>

Read more by Maydeen here<\/a>. <\/p>

AL GORE ACCUSES U.S. OF \u2018BULLYING\u2019 ALLIES TO SCRAP CLIMATE GOALS: Environmentalists and former vice president Al Gore has accused the Trump administration of \u201cbullying\u201d other countries to roll back climate targets and policies by hinging trade deals on agreement.<\/p>

The details: Gore told<\/a> the Financial Times in an interview published today that the administration appears to be working toward slowing the transition to clean energy alternatives \u201cin every way they can.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cWe have seen, just in the last week, a tour of Europe by a couple of the Trump officials trying to put pressure on other nations to change their policies and goals,\u201d Gore told the outlet, likening the tactic to \"bullying.\" <\/p>

Gore appeared to be referring to Energy Secretary Chris Wright\u2019s recent calls for the EU to soften its methane rules and other climate-related regulations for imported goods. Ahead of his trip to Europe, Wright told<\/a> the Financial Times he believed the regulations \"significantly threatened\u2019 the ability for the administration to implement the trade deal agreed to with Europe.<\/p>

While some countries might respond by downplaying their efforts to mitigate climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions, Gore said, he believed most nations will not weaken their green targets. <\/p>

ADMINISTRATION\u2019S REQUEST TO DISMISS LAWSUIT REGARDING CLIMATE REPORT GROUP DENIED: A federal court has denied the Department of Energy\u2019s request to dismiss a lawsuit against the agency regarding the climate working group that penned the widely criticized report downplaying the risks of climate change. <\/p>

Quick reminder: In August, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists sued DOE, claiming the agency violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act when forming the working group of scientists in a number of ways, including through failing to issue a public notice for the working group\u2019s meeting. DOE attempted<\/a> to dismiss those claims last week, telling the court that it had dissolved the group, making the allegations \u201cmoot.\u201d The administration also argued that the group should be exempt from the law as it was \u201cassembled to exchange facts and information with a federal official,\u201d akin to a literature review. <\/p>

The latest ruling: The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled against<\/a> the administration today, affirming that the working group is not exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The court ruled that the scientists provided advice and recommendations in their climate change report that go further than just mutual exchange of information or literature review. <\/p>

\u201cToday\u2019s ruling makes clear the government\u2019s arguments don\u2019t pass muster. The claim that the DOE\u2019s Climate Working Group report was a mere literature review is patently untrue as it clearly offered advice and recommendations on climate policy,\u201d Union of Concerned Scientists President and CEO Gretchen Goldman said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>

The ruling permits the lawsuit to proceed and the next court hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23. <\/p>

POLAND ASKS EUROPE TO ACCELERATE PHASE-OUT OF RUSSIAN OIL: Poland is calling on its fellow members of the European Union to halt their imports of Russian oil by the end of 2026, just over a year earlier than the bloc previously planned to do so. <\/p>

The details: Polish Energy Minister Milosz Motyka appealed to the other EU energy ministers in a letter sent today, citing geopolitical risks related to Russia's war in Ukraine, according<\/a> to Reuters. Motyka pointed to the recent Russian drone incursion in Polish airspace last week.<\/p>

\"I appeal to you to agree on a common goal of completely phasing out imports of Russian crude oil by the end of 2026,\" Motyka said. \"Such a decision would strengthen the coherence of our actions, set a clear time horizon, and demonstrate our determination to become independent from oil supplies posing political and strategic risks.\"<\/p>

The EU is currently planning on phasing out Russian oil and natural gas by the start of 2028. To accelerate this timeline, Motyka said Poland can assist its EU neighbors by transporting U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas into Europe. <\/p>

U.S. PLASTIC INDUSTRY GENERATES 5 MILLION JOBS: The American Chemistry Council said that the United States plastic manufacturing industry last year generated more than $1.1 trillion in total economic output and 4.8 million jobs. <\/p>

ACC released a new analysis which said the U.S. plastics manufacturing industry operated more than 11,600 facilities and employed nearly 670,000 workers. Job growth was particularly high in Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. <\/p>

\u201cPlastics are essential to modern life, powering our economy and enabling innovation in everything from healthcare and clean energy to transportation and safe food and water,\u201d Ross Eisenberg, president of America\u2019s Plastic Makers, said in a statement. \u201cPlastics manufacturing means good jobs, strong wages, and sustained investment in America\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>

RUNDOWN<\/p>

Inside Climate News<\/a> In the Philippines, a New Protected Seascape Safeguards \u2018Super Reefs\u2019<\/p>

Mongabay<\/a> What Republic of Congo\u2019s gold rush is leaving behind<\/p>

Washington Post<\/a> Labor, environmental abuses detailed in China\u2019s vast squid harvests<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DOE.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3812028-1758121619", "title":"Republican senators split over fired CDC director", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3812028%2Frepublican-senators-split-fired-cdc-director%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The firing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director split GOP members of the Senate health committee on Wednesday, dividing them over whether President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda has gone too far on concerns over vaccine safety.  Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called the hearing […]", "description":""

The firing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> director split GOP members of the Senate health committee on Wednesday, dividing them over whether President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s \"Make America Healthy Again\" agenda has gone too far on concerns over vaccine safety.\u00a0<\/p>

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA) called the hearing for the ousted director, Susan Monarez, to testify in the name of \u201cradical transparency,\u201d but some Republicans accused her of being dishonest about the circumstances of her departure.\u00a0<\/p>

On multiple occasions during the three hours of testimony, Monarez said that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>, a longtime skeptic of vaccines, required her to \u201cpre-approve\u201d any of the decisions from the vaccine safety advisory committee\u2019s meeting next month. When she refused, Trump fired her.<\/p>

Monarez also testified that Kennedy attempted to block her from speaking with members of Congress about her concerns over the secretary\u2019s attempts to change the childhood vaccine schedule, including eliminating the initial birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.<\/p>

Several Republican members, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski<\/a> (R-AK), Susan Collins <\/a>(R-ME), and Cassidy, were receptive to concerns from Monarez and her colleague, former CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who resigned shortly after Monarez\u2019s termination due to concerns that Kennedy was politicizing science.\u00a0<\/p>

But several other Republicans, including Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN), Ashley Moody (R-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), aggressively defended Kennedy\u2019s call to fire Monarez.<\/p>

A small number of Republicans on the committee were unsure about where to stand, getting lost in the he-said-she-said nature of the timeline leading up to Monarez\u2019s termination on Aug. 27.<\/p>

Sen. Tommy Tuberville <\/a>(R-AL) said it\u2019s \u201chard to explain, to find out who\u2019s telling the truth, because there\u2019s a lot of discrepancies on both sides.\u201d<\/p>

Here are the highlights on the GOP divide during the hearing:<\/p>Staged to 'embarrass the president'

Banks and Moody aggressively questioned Monarez regarding the presence of her legal counsel at the hearing, insinuating that the spectacle of a hearing on her termination was staged to embarrass Trump.<\/p>

Banks was the first to highlight that Monarez\u2019s attorneys, Mark Zaid<\/a> and Abbe Lowell<\/a>, are engaged in a multitude of high-profile litigation cases against the Trump administration, including representing other fired administration officials<\/p>

Zaid, a defense attorney in the national intelligence arena, had his security clearance revoked by Trump in August allegedly due to his representation of a whistleblower. <\/p>

Moody characterized Zaid and Lowell, who were in the hearing room advising both Monarez and Houry, that the hearing was orchestrated to smear Kennedy and Trump.<\/p>

\u201cAre you afraid that it's going to come unraveled, that you have this whole network of people that's trying to embarrass the president or go after the president, and now you are joining this group?\u201d asked Moody.<\/p>

Moody also said the hearing was only orchestrated because Monarez \u201cimmediately called the chairman,\u201d referring to Cassidy.\u00a0<\/p>

Cassidy responded to Moody\u2019s accusations by saying that \"it is entirely appropriate for someone with oversight concerns to contact my office, or me, or, frankly, any of us.\u201d<\/p>Recorded meeting between Kennedy and Monarez

Monarez made several references to three separate meetings<\/a> she had with Kennedy on Aug. 25, during which Monarez said she told Kennedy, \u201cIf he could not trust me, he could fire me.\u201d<\/p>

When asked about Monarez\u2019s termination during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, Kennedy said Monarez directly told him she was \u201cuntrustworthy,\u201d which was the real cause for her termination.<\/p>

Mullin aggressively questioned Monarez about the veracity of her account, saying that the meeting between Kennedy and Monarez was recorded.<\/p>

\u201cMa\u2019am, it was a recorded meeting, so you can testify one way, or you can prove that you\u2019re lying or can be honest with this committee,\u201d Mullin said. <\/p>

Cassidy later clarified that Mullin\u2019s staff informed him Mullin was \u201cmistaken\u201d about the existence of the recording.<\/p>

HHS did not respond to the Washington Examiner\u2019s request for clarification on whether the meetings between Monarez and Kennedy were recorded or whether they would provide a copy of the recording to the press.<\/p>Career scientists shut out for political appointees 

Several questions were asked by Republicans and Democrats during the hearing about the involvement of career scientists in policymaking decisions at CDC and HHS, revealing concerns about political appointees and a lack of institutional continuity.<\/p>

Houry told Murkowski that she was the last career official within the director\u2019s office at CDC when she resigned, leaving only political appointees in the office upon her departure. <\/p>

Critics of Kennedy\u2019s tight control over the CDC have argued that career scientists at CDC and other public health agencies provide essential expertise and institutional knowledge. <\/p>

Both Houry and Monarez told the committee that career science staff at CDC did not have the opportunity to brief Kennedy about the measles outbreak in the Southwest earlier this year that claimed the lives of two children. Instead, they said, they only briefed senior-level political staff.\u00a0<\/p>

The two former CDC officials also said they asked Kennedy\u2019s political staff several times for the opportunity to brief the secretary about various issues, but they were denied.<\/p>

\u201cThis is about trust in our institutions, and this is where I feel we are really, really vulnerable right now,\u201d Murkowski said.<\/p>Pandemic problems and the need for reform

A handful of Republicans on the committee did not aggressively question either witness but did highlight that the CDC had implemented disastrous policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>

Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) highlighted that former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky collaborated with teachers unions to keep schools closed during the pandemic, which has had long-term learning loss repercussions.\u00a0<\/p>

Husted said the school closure issue was \u201cnot science. It was politics at the expense of our youth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cDuring this whole process, we talked a lot about that, and this lesson is clear to me, that when an agency is entrusted with science and it bows to politics, children pay the price, and we must demand accountability,\u201d Husted said.<\/p>

RFK JR. PLANNED TO CHANGE CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE<\/a><\/p>

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said that the CDC\u2019s endorsement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate policies during the height of the pandemic triggered the rapid rise in vaccine hesitancy.<\/p>

\u201cI think the CDC is the cause of vaccine hesitancy, that you are the problem,\u201d Marshall said, adding that the agency encouraged \u201cforcing these vaccines on people that weren't ever really proven or justified, that the benefits didn't outweigh the risk.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-80i6l3p36-1758133237757-e1758135998971.jpg?1758121533&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811732-1758120876", "title":"House lawmakers move to give nuclear fusion industry manufacturing subsidies", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811732%2Fhouse-lawmakers-nuclear-fusion-industry-manufacturing-subsidies%2F", "byline":"Maydeen Merino", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House lawmakers introduced a bill to expand the advanced manufacturing production tax credit for companies that produce components for nuclear fusion energy, even as Republicans have scaled back the credits for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) introduced the Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act on Wednesday to expand the […]", "description":""

House<\/a> lawmakers introduced a bill to expand the advanced manufacturing production tax credit for companies that produce components for nuclear fusion energy, even as Republicans have scaled back the credits for renewable energy<\/a> sources such as solar and wind.<\/p>

Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) introduced the Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act<\/a> on Wednesday to expand the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X) to include fusion energy components. Those who produce and sell energy components, such as solar components, battery cells, and certain critical minerals, are eligible for the tax credit.<\/p>

\"As the fusion energy industry grows, the United States must ensure we are on the forefront of not just innovation but also manufacturing,\" Miller said in a statement. \"Time and time again, we have seen American innovation become dominated by a Chinese supply chain \u2013 and fusion technology is currently running that risk.\"<\/p>

\"The Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act ensures fusion energy component manufacturers have support here in the United States to cement our foothold in this emerging, multi-trillion-dollar industry,\" she said. \"We must act fast to ensure this critical supply chain takes root in the United States, allowing us to lead the world in commercial fusion.\"<\/p>

Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and Don Beyer (D-VA) are cosponsoring the bill.\u00a0<\/p>

Fusion energy is a type of power generation that replicates the processes that fuel the sun and other stars.<\/p>

Jackie Siebens, director of public affairs at Helion Energy, told the Washington Examiner that the bill was the result of a collaborative effort with members of the Fusion Industry Association to consider what provisions were necessary to help grow the industry and build a scalable fusion ecosystem in the U.S. over the next decade.<\/p>

Helion Energy is a private fusion-energy startup based in Washington that is building the world's first commercial fusion power plant. <\/p>

\"45x is a critical first step to get us on the right path, to make sure that we are actually, not only as always being the best at inventing here in America, but also doing the work to scale so that we actually reap the economic and strategic benefits of the market,\" Siebens said. <\/p>

The bill would establish a 25% credit for qualified fusion energy components, effective Jan. 1, 2026, and ending in 2034. The bill also expands the critical mineral list of 45X to include deuterium, helium-3, tritium, lithium compounds, and copper-chromium-zirconium alloys. <\/p>

\"Fusion sits in an interesting space, certainly from Helion's perspective, because we view the role of government as changing for fusion. We're really at a paradigm shift, and we're moving from this traditional academic sphere where fusion has resided into a commercial space,\" Siebens said. <\/p>

\"We need the federal government to move more into a space of helping support the private sector to build out the full ecosystem of a commercial fusion marketplace,\" she added. <\/p>

The 45X tax credit was initially part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, signed by former President Joe Biden, which provided hundreds of billions of dollars in credits for clean energy. However, earlier this year, the Trump administration and Republicans rolled back many of these credits in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Republicans did not completely scale back the 45X tax credit, though.<\/p>

The GOP bill mandated that manufacturers produce eligible components in the U.S. or its territories. The credits vary by component type. <\/p>

DEMOCRATS CALL MAJORIE TAYLOR GREENE OUT FOR DOGE HEARING ON WEATHER MODIFICATION<\/a><\/p>

The bill comes as the Trump administration has slowed or even blocked the development of clean energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated\u00a045X credits for\u00a0all related wind components produced and sold after 2027.\u00a0The phase-out period was not moved up for other energy components and will begin in 2030.<\/p>

Republicans also included a provision that would allow metallurgical coal, which is used in steel production, to claim an advanced manufacturing production tax credit. Trump has vowed to revive the coal and steel industries.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24131791898763.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811438-1758120513", "title":"EU proposes tariffs and sanctions on Israel over war in Gaza", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3811438%2Feu-proposes-israel-tariffs-and-sanctions-war-in-gaza%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Israel could be hit with new tariffs and sanctions after the European Union’s governing body proposed the measures on Wednesday as a means to force the Jewish state to end its war with Hamas in Gaza. The European Commission’s plan involves increased tariffs on roughly 37% of Israeli goods and hefty sanctions on two Israeli […]", "description":""

Israel<\/a> could be hit with new tariffs<\/a> and sanctions<\/a> after the European Union's governing body proposed the measures on Wednesday as a means to force the Jewish state to end its war with Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>

The European Commission's plan involves increased tariffs on roughly 37% of Israeli goods and hefty sanctions on two Israeli ministers, 10 Hamas leaders, and Israeli citizens. An EU official urged the bloc's 27 member states to back the proposal.<\/p>

\"We are proposing these measures not to punish Israel or Israel's people, but to really try to pressure the Israeli government to change course and to end the human suffering in Gaza,\" European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas said in Brussels, Belgium. \"The war needs to end, the suffering must stop, and all hostages must be released.\"<\/p>

More broadly, the EU is considering a partial suspension of certain trade concessions in its agreement with Israel.<\/p>

\"Reflecting these principled commitments, and taking into account serious recent developments in the West Bank, we propose to suspend trade concessions with Israel, sanction extremist ministers and violent settlers, and put bilateral support to Israel on hold, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem,\" European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>

The EU leader also reaffirmed her commitment to a two-state solution, which the United Nations<\/a> General Assembly approved in a vote late last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> has been opposed to the formal creation of a Palestinian state, as European countries backed the idea.<\/p>

The leaders of France<\/a> and the United Kingdom<\/a>, among other nations, previously announced they would recognize a Palestinian state.<\/p>

Irish politician Miche\u00e1l Martin, whose country officially recognized a Palestinian state last year, supports the EU's trade move against Israel.<\/p>

\"I strongly welcome the Commission\u2019s decision today to propose suspension of parts of the EU\u2019s Association Agreement with Israel,\" he posted on X<\/a>. \"Ireland has long called for this action.\"<\/p>

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar denounced the EU's proposal as \"morally and politically distorted\" in a message warning the EU to refrain from approving it. Otherwise, he said, Israel will retaliate.<\/p>

ONLY ONE-THIRD OF PALESTINIANS HAVE LEFT GAZA CITY FOLLOWING EVACUATION ORDER: ISRAELI MILITARY<\/a><\/p>

\"Moves against Israel will harm Europe\u2019s own interests,\" he wrote on social media<\/a>. \"Israel will continue to struggle, with the help of its friends in Europe, against attempts to harm it while it is in the midst of an existential war. Steps against Israel will be answered accordingly, and we hope we will not be required to take them.\"<\/p>

The proposal for tariffs and sanctions represents a dramatic escalation of the EU's response to Israel's war in Gaza. It comes as the Israeli military proceeds with its new ground offensive<\/a> in Gaza City, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25246440248126.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811726-1758120397", "title":"Obama takes second crack at Kirk killing condemnation after taking criticism for initial reaction", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3811726%2Fobama-kirk-killing-condemnation-criticism-for-initial-reaction%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former President Barack Obama said the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a “horrific” and “evil act” and called all acts of political violence a “threat to all of us” during an interview on Tuesday. “Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy,” Obama said. […]", "description":""

Former President Barack Obama<\/a> said the assassination<\/a> of Charlie Kirk<\/a> was a \"horrific\" and \"evil act\" and called all acts of political violence a \"threat to all of us\" during an interview on Tuesday.<\/p>

\"Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy,\" Obama said. \"The central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree, and have sometimes really contentious debates, without resort to violence.\" <\/p>

The former president discussed the problem of political violence across the United States in a sit-down interview<\/a> with reporter Steve Scully, calling the issue \"anathema to what it means to be a Democratic country.\"<\/p>

Obama previously took heat online from conservatives upset with his original statement<\/a> following Kirk's murder, which started with the phrase \"we don\u2019t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk.\"<\/p>

\"We don\u2019t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie\u2019s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children,\" Obama said on X. <\/p>

Prominent conservative voices like Rep. Nancy Mace<\/a> (R-SC) and Laura Loomer<\/a> condemned Obama's initial reaction, saying it was wrong to lead off with that phrase.<\/p>

\"Please. We all know what motivated Charlie Kirk's MURDER. Apparently you will never learn,\" Mace wrote on X<\/a>. <\/p>

Obama told Tuesday's crowd in Erie, Pennsylvania that the United States is at an inflection point when it comes to political violence. He also pointed to and condemned the act of political violence against Minnesota state lawmakers in June<\/a>, which killed State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.<\/p>

\"When it happens to somebody,\" Obama said<\/a>, referring to political violence, \"even if you think they're 'on the other side of the argument,' that's a threat to all of us, and we have to be clear and forthright in condemning it.\"<\/p>

The former commander in chief said that he disagreed with several of Kirk's political beliefs.<\/p>

\"I didn't know Charlie Kirk. I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong. But that doesn't negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family. He's a young man with two small children and a wife... and a huge number of friends and supporters who cared about him. So we have to extend grace to people during their period of mourning and shock,\" Obama said<\/a>.<\/p>

Obama emphasized<\/a> that Americans have to hold true in the process of free and honest debate and \"respect other people's right to say things that we profoundly disagree with.\"<\/p>

UTAH GOV. SPENCER COX'S REMARKS ON CATCHING CHARLIE KIRK'S ALLEGED KILLER: FULL TRANSCRIPT<\/a><\/p>

Obama also noted<\/a> how much he respects Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) and admires the way he has responded to the assassination.<\/p>

Utah prosecutors said on Tuesday they would seek the death penalty for Kirk's suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, and filed seven felony charges<\/a> against Robinson.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/barack-obama.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811938-1758119911", "title":"If Democrats don’t handle campus antisemitism, Trump will", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3811938%2Ftrump-will-handle-campus-antisemitism%2F", "byline":"Zachary Faria", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"There has been more backlash from California Democrats toward universities for participating in Trump administration investigations of campus antisemitism than for rampant antisemitism on campus. The University of California, Berkeley, has turned over several documents to the Trump administration as part of the antisemitism inquiry. Those records included the names of 160 students and staff members, which […]", "description":""

There has been more backlash from California<\/a> Democrats<\/a> toward universities<\/a> for participating in Trump administration investigations of campus antisemitism<\/a> than for rampant antisemitism on campus.<\/p>

The University of California, Berkeley<\/a>, has\u00a0turned over<\/a>\u00a0several documents to the Trump administration as part of the antisemitism inquiry. Those records included the names of 160 students and staff members, which were sent to the Education Department<\/a> so that it could examine how the university \u201chandles complaints involving alleged incidents of antisemitism and\/or discrimination.\u201d<\/p>

KATHY HOCHUL GIVES UP ON FIGHTING AGAINST ANTISEMITISM<\/a><\/p>

This has, of course, ignited the white hot anger of California\u2019s Democratic \u201cresistance.\u201d Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s<\/a> (D-CA) team said that President Donald Trump<\/a> \u201chas weaponized the Department of Justice to punish California, crush free thinking, and kneecap the greatest public university system in the world.\u201d Left-wing unions, an integral part of the California Democratic Party\u2019s political operation, said Trump was resorting to \u201cintimidation\u201d and that the university was \u201cchoosing to kind of comply.\u201d Left-wing university staff members cried that this would cause \u201csignificant harm, including chilled speech and association and, among non-citizens, heightened fear of detention and deportation.\u201d<\/p>

These reactions are far louder and more passionate than any in response to the disgusting acts of antisemitism that occurred at Berkeley in the past few years. Just for a few\u00a0examples<\/a>, Jewish students have been assaulted by \u201cpro-Palestine\u201d antisemites. Jewish students were forced to evacuate through underground tunnels after students disrupted an event featuring an Israeli lawyer. The \u201cFree Palestine Camp\u201d encampment compared Jews to Adolf Hitler, showcased swastikas and the word \u201cIntifada\u201d repeatedly, and, of course, featured Jewish students being assaulted.<\/p>

Through all of that, Newsom has been afraid<\/a> to be as straightforward and unequivocal in condemning these acts of antisemitism as his team is now of the university cooperating in an antisemitism investigation. It is clear that the same staff complaining now about the \u201csignificant harm\u201d this investigation will cause created the environment that necessitated such an investigation in the first place.<\/p>

HOW TEACHERS UNIONS DRIVE ANTISEMITISM IN SCHOOLS<\/a><\/p>

The lesson here is clear: If you didn\u2019t want a Trump administration inquiry into antisemitism on your college campuses, you shouldn\u2019t have let antisemites take over your campus in the first place.<\/p>

Once again, California Democrats and university professors care more about Trump\u2019s reaction to a problem than to the initial problem itself. Antisemitic violence and hatred must be stamped out at universities, and if Democrats don\u2019t want to do it, then they will have to deal with the fact that Trump will handle it instead.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23290544174665-scaled-e1758134275681.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811297-1758119777", "title":"UK government left impotent by courts blocking deportation of illegal migrants", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3811297%2Fuk-government-courts-block-deportation-illegal-migrants%2F", "byline":"Timothy Nerozzi", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The United Kingdom‘s Labour-led government has found itself listless in efforts to deport illegal migrants entering the country as courts block planned deportations. Judge Clive Sheldon of the London High Court blocked the deportation of a 25-year-old foreign national from Eritrea, which is in eastern Africa, on Wednesday, preventing him from being sent back to […]", "description":""

The United Kingdom<\/a>'s Labour-led government has found itself listless in efforts to deport illegal migrants entering the country as courts block planned deportations.<\/p>

Judge Clive Sheldon of the London High Court<\/a> blocked the deportation of a 25-year-old foreign national from Eritrea, which is in eastern Africa, on Wednesday, preventing him from being sent back to France<\/a>. The judge ruled that the unnamed immigrant's claim of being a trafficking victim warranted further investigation.<\/p>

\"It seems there is a serious issue to be tried with respect of the trafficking claim and whether or not the secretary of state has carried out her investigatory duties in a lawful manner,\" Sheldon said in an oral ruling.<\/p>

\"In my view, there's a serious case to be tried as to whether or not the removal decision is lawful,\" the judge added. \"If there is a reasonable suspicion he has been trafficked, that would amount to a statutory bar for removal, at least for a short period of time.\"<\/p>

The unnamed immigrant, who is just one of countless illegal migrants who enter the U.K. on small boats from France via the English Channel, will be allowed to remain in the country until the trafficking claims are investigated.<\/p>

This is a blow to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a>'s \"one-in-one-out\" initiative with France, an agreement to exchange illegal channel crossers for France-based asylum-seekers who have already been approved for entry.<\/p>

Similar legal challenges are popping up among the dozens of asylum-seekers that Starmer sought to deport this week, ultimately sending the deportation flights to France without a single migrant on board.<\/p>

Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones dismissed inquiries into the state of the deportation initiative following the successful legal challenge.<\/p>

\"I'm not going to comment or give a running commentary on what is happening here,\" Davies-Jones told Times Radio on Tuesday.<\/p>

She affirmed that \"deportations will be happening as soon as possible\" but refused to comment on timelines, providing a \"time-by-time, day-by-day movement on our returns policy\" would allow human smugglers to \"know what the government is doing when, and they would be able to respond to that.\"<\/p>

The failure of the planned deportations has occurred at an uncomfortable time.<\/p>

President Donald Trump, whose tough-on-immigration position has helped lower southern border crossings to virtually zero<\/a> since his second term began, is currently on a state visit to the U.K.<\/a><\/p>

It was the success of the \"Make America Great Again\" model that inspired British right-wing leaders to reconsider mass deportations, moving the issue from a \"political impossibility\" to a central pillar of their policies.<\/p>

Just under half of Britons said they would go so far as to advocate \"admitting no more new migrants, and requiring large numbers of migrants who came to the U.K. in recent years to leave,\" according to a YouGov poll<\/a> conducted last month.<\/p>

Thus, even if the asylum-swap scheme eventually worked as imagined, it would do little to assuage the frustration of more right-wing voters who are demanding much more aggressive tactics to combat small boat migration.<\/p>

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage<\/a> dismissed any government explanations following Wednesday's failed deportations and lambasted the \"one-in-one-out\" initiative as inherently unproductive.<\/p>

\"Even if the policy worked \u2014 one in, one out, and another one in \u2014 [it] still means plus one for every one that crosses the channel,\" Farage said in a video posted to social media. \"Please do not take seriously anything this Government says about dealing with illegal immigration. They\u2019re not telling you the truth.\"<\/p>

Noting that several media outlets booked seats on the plane that left without any illegal migrants on board, Farage joked, \"Labour managed to deport more journalists than illegal migrants today.\"<\/p>

Reform UK, the populist right-wing party currently leading nationwide opinion polls, has made mass deportations a cornerstone of its messaging.<\/p>

Farage gave a speech last month<\/a> at Oxford Airport in London in which he promised to deport approximately 600,000 illegal migrants in a five-year window.<\/p>

NIGEL FARAGE PROMISES MASS DEPORTATION OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS IF REFORM UK ELECTED<\/a><\/p>

The event, which featured a mock airline departures board that read \"illegal migrants boarding,\" outlined Reform UK's plan to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations's 1951 Refugee Convention to cut through judicial red tape.<\/p>

Over 30,000 foreign nationals have crossed the English Channel<\/a> in 2025. Approximately 37,000 crossed throughout the previous year<\/a>.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-dapnacgpa-1758126187695.jpg?1758119710&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811950-1758119717", "title":"Incredible Reagan campaign relic for sale: $235,000", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwashington-secrets%2F3811950%2Fincredible-ronald-reagan-campaign-relic-for-sale-235000-dollars-1980-debate-notes%2F", "byline":"Paul Bedard", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Ronald Reagan’s handwritten 1980 debate notes, featuring two of the most iconic campaign slogans ever, are going up for sale today, the first time the world has seen the lines of his closing knock-out punch of President Jimmy Carter. The Pennsylvania-based Raab Collection, a dealer in historical documents and artifacts, told Washington Secrets that […]", "description":""

President Ronald Reagan\u2019s<\/a> handwritten 1980 debate notes, featuring two of the most iconic campaign slogans ever, are going up for sale today, the first time the world has seen the lines of his closing knock-out punch of President Jimmy Carter.<\/a><\/p>

The Pennsylvania-based Raab Collection, a dealer in historical documents and artifacts, told Washington Secrets that it is offering the three pages of Reagan\u2019s debate closing speech for $235,000,<\/a> an incredible price, but one the dealer said is fair considering the rarity of the papers and the continued popularity and influence of the Gipper.<\/p>

\u201cThis is the most important single Reagan piece that I believe has ever reached the market,\u201d said Nathan Raab, president of the family-owned outfit.<\/p>

\u201cReagan is among the most actively sought after 20th-century presidents, or presidents of any generation, because his legacy remains, people still care about him and what he did, and because, in a sense, the movement that he started is with us today,\u201d said Raab.<\/p>

Certainly, the two campaign themes in his closing debate notes remain extremely relevant today. Raab\u2019s description played up the line that crushed Carter in the debate, \u201cAre you better off today than you were four years ago?\u201d<\/p>

Elements of the phrase, used earlier in Reagan\u2019s campaign, were in notes for the Oct. 28, 1980, debate in Cleveland and prepared by communications aide David Gergen.<\/a><\/p>

They also included Reagan\u2019s promise to \u201cmake America great again,\u201d the slogan President Donald Trump later used to score his wins in 2016 and 2024.<\/p>

The documents for sale show that Reagan took Gergen\u2019s notes and wrote his own version on the back for his three-minute debate closing address.<\/p>

\u201cAsk selves -- better off? Can you afford to buy, are unemployment lines shorter, are you more able to buy homes? Are [we] stronger as a nation [than] four years ago? Are we trusted by allies, are our diplomats overseas safer, our defenses better? Do you want to leave America as it is today to our children?\u201d wrote Reagan, who preferred to work from notes instead of a written speech.<\/p>

Reagan biographer Craig Shirley,<\/a> who featured the 1980 race in his book Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America,<\/a> said the two slogans elevated the campaign to historic status.<\/p>

\u201cThis document by Reagan is so important because that debate altered the arc of history. The election was tied before the debate, but Reagan\u2019s debate performance turned a loss or close win into a landslide of historic proportions, which gave him a mandate to cease the New Deal governing coalition and initiate Reagan\u2019s own New Federalism,\u201d said Shirley.<\/p>

Raab said that the Reagan debate notes have been held by a close aide from the 1980 campaign and have not been offered for sale before. He didn\u2019t disclose the name of that aide.<\/p>

SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS<\/a><\/p>

According to Raab\u2019s description<\/a> of the Reagan notes:<\/p>

\u201cOn October 28, when Reagan checked into his hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio, he brought with him his briefing book and Gergen\u2019s three sheets of paper. He reviewed them both before going on stage. They were present on his desk in the hour after the debate. When one aide later handled the material that was on his desk to clear that space, there was his briefing book and these three sheets of paper. As no sheets of paper, aside from those required to take notes during the debate, were permitted on stage, this was the final thing he reviewed to memorize before going into the debate.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Reagan-Carter-Debate-e1758133135657.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811838-1758119431", "title":"Newsom dials the rhetoric back up: ‘We’ll lose this democracy’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3811838%2Fgavin-newsom-trump-drama-democracy-rhetoric%2F", "byline":"Barnini Chakraborty", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is blowing past warnings about dialing down the rhetoric following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and is back to casting President Donald Trump and his allies as threats to the future of the country.  Newsom, who is in the middle of a high-profile redistricting fight with national consequences, said […]", "description":""

Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) is blowing past warnings about dialing down the rhetoric following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk<\/a> and is back to casting President Donald Trump<\/a> and his allies as threats to the future of the country. <\/p>

Newsom, who is in the middle of a high-profile redistricting fight<\/a> <\/a>with national consequences, said Tuesday if he didn't win, \"we'll lose this republic, we'll lose this democracy.\"<\/p>

\u201cIt is not an overstatement,\" he said during a livestream that included Democratic Party leaders and online influencers. \"This is Code Red. We all need to wake up to what's going on.\" <\/p>

The lineup of liberal luminaries included hosts from the Pod Save America and MeidasTouch podcasts and YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY)\u00a0 and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) were also in attendance. Actors Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet, and Dule Hill, who played Bartlet's personal aide on \"The West Wing,\" were also in attendance.<\/p>

Newsom has redefined the Democratic resistance to Trump. <\/p>

He's made national headlines over the past few months for taking on the Trump administration and framing the president and his policies as a threat to democracy. Newsom has slammed Trump on the environment, education, crime, and immigration. He's also called out Trump's demand to get red states to redraw their congressional maps so Republicans can maintain control of the House following next year's midterm elections. He's vowed to \"fight fire with fire\"<\/a> by redrawing California's congressional districts, possibly creating five more seats for Democrats. <\/p>

Newsom had the Turning Point USA founder on his podcast in March and admitted his 13-year-old son wanted to meet him. But since Kirk's death last week, he has been careful to walk a delicate line in his resistance messaging. Tuesday's three-hour campaign event in favor of Proposition 50 <\/a>was originally called FAFO (F*** Around and Find Out) 50. The name was changed after Kirk's death and rebranded to align with National Voter Registration Day. <\/p>

Newsom also released a lengthy statement expressing admiration for Kirk's \"passion and commitment to debate\" and called the shooting \"disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.\" Newsom also condemned all political violence. <\/p>

During another event Tuesday at Florin High School in south Sacramento, Newsom unveiled the California Men's Service Challenge, a new program that calls on 10,000 men to volunteer as mentors, coaches, and tutors. Newsom noted an \"alarming rise in suicides and disconnection among California's young men and boys\" and praised Kirk and other conservative podcasters for their ability to connect and convey the GOP message to young men. <\/p>

Kirk was fatally shot<\/a> at an event at a college campus in Utah on Sept. 10.  <\/p>

Newsom was asked at the Florin High School event if he would change his rhetoric, and he said he did not know. Overall, the shooting heightened partisan tensions, with Trump and members of his administration blaming the \"radical left\" for fueling the attack and vowing to go after them. <\/p>

If Newsom was holding back for the past week, he seems to be over it. <\/p>

On Wednesday, his press office's social media account called Trump a \"pathological liar\" and sent out \"thoughts and prayers for the low IQ President.\" <\/p>

He also took a jab at Trump's trip to England, writing, \"Trump gets a warm Epstein welcome in the U.K.,\" referring to protesters projecting an image of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle, the place where the Trumps will be hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. <\/p>

One person not amused by Newsom's tactics regarding Proposition 50 is former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger, who faulted Newsom for using phrases like \"fight fire with fire\" to stoke partisan anger. <\/p>

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense to me that because we have to fight Trump, we have to become Trump,\u201d Schwarzenneger said during a fireside chat at the University of Southern California this week. <\/p>

Ryan White, vice president at Think Big, told the\u00a0Washington Examiner that Newsom's over-the-top antics could ultimately backfire.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s somewhat ironic that Governor Newsom seems to be taking a page straight out of President Trump\u2019s playbook,\u201d White said. \u201cThe \u2018loud and obnoxious\u2019 style, operating on the premise that all press is good press, certainly got Trump plenty of attention and dominated the political conversation for years. Newsom appears to be borrowing that same fire-fights-fire approach: generating headlines through sheer volume and provocation.\u201d<\/p>

EDITORIAL: WHAT THE MURDER OF CHARLIE KIRK MEANS<\/a><\/p>

White cautioned that the challenge with that type of \u201cpolitical theater\u201d is that it \u201cfeels increasingly tired.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat once worked for Trump, capturing eyeballs and shaping the narrative through spectacle, may now read more as noise than novelty,\u201d he said. \u201cAudiences are quicker to tune out the outrage cycle, and the risk for Newsom is that he ends up amplifying the fatigue rather than commanding the stage.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/newsomtrump1.jpeg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811585-1758117634", "title":"Fed cuts interest rates for first time in Trump’s second term", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3811585%2Ffed-cuts-interest-rates-first-time-trump%2F", "byline":"Zach Halaschak", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Federal Reserve cut its interest rate target on Wednesday for the first time since President Donald Trump entered his second term, signaling a pivot toward easing monetary policy. After a two-day meeting of its monetary policy committee in Washington, D.C., the Federal Open Market Committee announced it would move its rate target to a range of 4% to 4.25%, […]", "description":""

The Federal Reserve<\/a> cut its interest rate<\/a> target on Wednesday for the first time since President Donald Trump<\/a> entered his second term, signaling a pivot toward easing monetary policy.<\/p>

After a two-day meeting of its monetary policy committee in Washington, D.C.<\/a>, the Federal Open Market Committee announced it would move its rate target to a range of 4% to 4.25%, down from 4.25% to 4.50%.<\/p>

The officials indicated that two more quarter-percentage-point cuts are expected this year, although the Fed board was divided over the matter.<\/p>

Investors widely expected the move. It marks the long-awaited move toward easier money that Trump and others in the administration have been pushing for after months of the Fed, led by Chairman Jerome Powell, holding rates steady to drive down inflation.<\/p>

Stephen Miran, newly confirmed to the Fed board, was the sole dissenting vote. He preferred the Fed cut rates by a half percentage point.<\/p>

The decision came amid indications that the labor market has been weakening and might need support from the central bank. Job growth slowed over the summer. Recent jobs reports have seen major downward revisions to growth in previous months, indicating that the labor market is on less solid footing than had been thought.<\/p>

The Fed has a dual mandate: price stability, which is keeping inflation at a healthy level, and maximum employment, which is ensuring the labor market stays above water.<\/p>

The impetus for the cut was almost entirely to shore up the maximum employment side of the mandate, as inflation is still running above the Fed\u2019s preferred 2% rate.<\/p>

Inflation, tracked by the consumer price index, rose to 2.9%<\/a> in August. The producer price index report showed that annual inflation unexpectedly fell<\/a> seven-tenths of a percentage point to 2.6% for the year ending in August.<\/p>

The Fed\u2019s preferred gauge of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, held steady at 2.6% for the year ending in July, the most recent reading.<\/p>

Meanwhile, the labor market is showing signs of cooling off.<\/p>

The economy added just 22,000 jobs<\/a> in August, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%. Also, the July jobs report<\/a> revealed that some 258,000 fewer jobs were added in May and June than previously reported. <\/p>

Additionally, the government announced that labor market growth for the 12 months ending in March was 911,000 jobs fewer<\/a> than previously reported.<\/p>

On Wednesday, officials released updated projections indicating that the median Fed official see inflation, as gauged by the personal consumption expenditures index, running at 3% by the end of 2025 and 2.6% by the end of next year, slightly higher than previously projected.<\/p>

The officials also predicted that the unemployment rate would rise to 4.5% by the end of this year and be at 4.4% by the end of 2026.<\/p>

Looking ahead, in terms of gross domestic product growth, they predict modest 1.6% growth in 2025 and 1.8% growth in 2026.<\/p>

But perhaps overshadowing the data at play in the Fed\u2019s decision is the politics.<\/p>

Trump has vociferously called upon Powell and the Fed to slash interest rates by a far more dramatic degree than the quarter-of-a-point cut that was carried out on Wednesday.<\/p>

Trump has lambasted Powell, branding him with the nickname \u201cToo Late,\u201d and has said in the past that he would want to see rates plummet to just 1%.<\/p>

\u201c\u2018Too Late\u2019 MUST CUT INTEREST RATES, NOW, AND BIGGER THAN HE HAD IN MIND. HOUSING WILL SOAR!!!\u201d Trump said<\/a> Monday on social media.<\/p>

Also, Miran, an economic adviser to Trump, was part of this week\u2019s Fed decision after being confirmed by the Senate along party lines just hours before the two-day meeting began. He replaced Fed governor Adriana Kugler, who unexpectedly stepped aside last month. Her term ended in January, and Miran is set to serve out the remainder of her term.<\/p>

Democrats and some Fed experts have criticized Miran for only opting to take an unpaid leave of absence and not resigning from his job as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.<\/p>

Fed governor Lisa Cook also took part in the September Fed decision despite Trump\u2019s effort to oust her from the Fed board.<\/p>

STEPHEN MIRAN DRAWS BARBS FROM DEMOCRATS FOR TAKING LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM WHITE HOUSE INSTEAD OF RESIGNING<\/a><\/p>

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte accused her of mortgage fraud, which led Trump to attempt to fire her. But Cook filed a lawsuit, and a judge recently issued a temporary restraining order blocking the move. The matter is expected to be elevated to the Supreme Court.<\/p>

While the White House argues the accusations disqualify her from serving on the Fed board, Trump\u2019s opponents say they are a pretext to fire an FOMC member and put in a replacement who is more amenable to cutting interest rates and supporting the president\u2019s goals.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25211676241593.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3797488-1758117600", "title":"Trump’s UK state visit demands new push for Jimmy Lai release", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3797488%2Ftrump-uk-state-visit-new-push-jimmy-lai-release%2F", "byline":"Tom Rogan", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. Judges in the Chinese Communist Party-run city of Hong Kong are […]", "description":""

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>

Judges in the Chinese<\/a> Communist Party<\/a>-run city of Hong Kong<\/a> are now considering their verdict in the high-profile prosecution of Jimmy Lai<\/a>. A publisher and pro-democracy activist, Lai has been imprisoned for five years now.<\/p>

The crime of which he is accused?<\/p>

Supposedly breaching Hong Kong's national security law by advocating democracy in the former British colony. Lai's Apple Daily newspaper was a regular thorn in the side of Hong Kong authorities \u2014 for full disclosure, I once had a column for Apple Daily \u2014 bringing attention to corruption and advocating the democratic rule of law that China committed to upholding when it took possession of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom<\/a> on July 1, 1997. I sat down with the head of the \"Free Jimmy Lai Campaign,\" Jimmy's son, Sebastien Lai, last week. You can watch our discussion above.<\/p>

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP TO FIRE FTC COMMISSIONER WHILE CONSIDERING CASE<\/a><\/p>

Still, with President Donald Trump<\/a> set to visit the United Kingdom<\/a> on his second state visit this week, there is a new opportunity for the president and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> to make progress on Lai's plight. The British government has tentatively raised its concerns with China<\/a> over Lai's treatment \u2014 Lai is a U.K. citizen and does not have Chinese citizenship \u2014 and Trump has repeatedly said he wants to \"save\" Lai. The two leaders could issue a joint statement calling on Beijing to show mercy on Lai as a sign of good faith in relation to other policy issues, or as a gesture to the Catholic Church \u2014 Lai is Catholic. Trump and Starmer could add that they will take more coercive action if Lai's situation is not resolved.<\/p>

That more forceful approach could, for example, include introducing new sanctions against major British and American businesses that invest heavily in Hong Kong. These corporations include HSBC<\/a>, J.P. Morgan, Johnson and Johnson, Google, Meta, Uber, Visa, and Sun Life. Aside from HSBC, all of these corporations pay large annual fees to sit at<\/a> the \"leadership table\" of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Disregarding their own corporate human rights commitments<\/a>, these businesses often fete CCP officials in return for corporate favoritism. But neither they nor Beijing want Lai's plight to serve as an obstacle to their continued, lucrative transactions. Appropriately applied pressure from both the U.S. and the U.K. could be employed to facilitate Lai's freedom.<\/p>

Other targets of new U.S. or U.K. pressure could be individual servants of the CCP's injustice. Take the example of Lord David Neuberger, a former U.K. Supreme Court president. Neuberger receives a $51,300 monthly stipend for traveling to Hong Kong to serve as an appeals court judge. He and other foreign judges like him are put up in five-star hotels free of charge. As I've previously noted<\/a> in relation to Neuberger, the added benefit of British Airways first-class return flights to Hong Kong means he can \"enjoy starters such as the Smoked chalk stream trout, Avruga caviar, creme fraiche, and sorrel. He could revel in main courses including Chicken Milanese with truffle emulsion and a fried egg. The finest offerings of wine and champagne are also available.\" This is a man who has sold his soul and his legal training in order to feed gluttonously at the Chinese Communist Party trough.<\/p>

If the U.K. refuses a joint pressure campaign toward Beijing for fear of harming its pro-trade agenda with China, Trump should warn that he'll review the recent U.S.-U.K. trade agreement \u2014 Starmer's government has moved closer to China, against the interests<\/a> of the U.S.-U.K. special relationship. This is a critical concern being that the U.S. anticipates a significant likelihood of military conflict with China over Taiwan by the year 2030.<\/p>

We must emphasize that Lai's imprisonment is patently unjust. Under the Sino-British joint declaration, a binding international treaty, China committed to upholding Hong Kong's democratic character and rule of law until the year 2047. Breaking their word, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the CCP show how they detest Lai and his followers for their courageous stance in support of human freedom. Instead, they want to see Hong Kong turn into just another Chinese city \u2014 a place where political corruption, falling living standards, and incessant surveillance online and on the street are the norm. That Lai's case is being ruled upon by court judges rather than a jury of his peers is only further evidence of the CCP's fixation on control.<\/p>

Lai's supporters rightly haven't given up hope that a solution might be found<\/a> to his unjust predicament. While any agreement would have to be compatible with overriding U.S. national security concerns, the breadth and complexity of the U.S.-China relationship mean that there is room for a deal to be made.<\/p>

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FATAL STABBING OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEE ON CHARLOTTE'S LIGHT RAIL<\/a><\/p>

But the urgency in reaching an agreement to see Lai freed is real. The 77-year-old is suffering from various serious ailments. Prison conditions in Hong Kong are especially awful<\/a>, designed to subject prisoners to both physical suffering and psychological degradation. After five years of this treatment, Lai is not doing well.<\/p>

Were this just another political prisoner, of which there are tragically hundreds of thousands more in China, Lai's plight might not rise to the importance of presidential action. But what makes Lai different is that he represents a generation of Hongkongers who spoke out for freedom against great personal risk. Lai has been imprisoned for too long. Trump and Starmer should take action to relieve this good man of his suffering.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP24032635431472-scaled-e1757700617454.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811650-1758117478", "title":"Ben & Jerry’s co-founder says ice cream brand’s activism is ‘silenced’ in resignation", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F3811650%2Fben-and-jerrys-activism-silenced-jerry-greenfield-resignation%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield said Tuesday that he is splitting from the ice cream company, claiming that it is being “silenced” by its parent company, Unilever. Ben & Jerry’s and its two co-founders are known for being vocal about current events and politics, such as advocating returning lands to native tribes and “gender-affirming […]", "description":""

Ben & Jerry\u2019s co-founder Jerry Greenfield said Tuesday that he is splitting from the ice cream company, claiming that it is being \u201csilenced\u201d by its parent company, Unilever.<\/p>

Ben & Jerry\u2019s and its two co-founders are known for being vocal about current events and politics<\/a>, such as advocating returning lands to native tribes<\/a> and \u201cgender-affirming care.\u201d<\/a> Co-founder Ben Cohen said Greenfield made the \u201cdifficult decision\u201d to resign after 47 years with the company, sharing a lengthy statement from Greenfield on X explaining his exit.<\/p>

\u201cWhat has made their work so important to me, and what allowed the company to be more than just an ice cream company, was the independence to pursue our values, which was guaranteed when Unilever bought the company,\u201d Greenfield\u2019s statement reads. \"For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry\u2019s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world.\"<\/p>

\u201cThat independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company\u2019s governance structure in perpetuity,\u201d Greenfield said. \"It\u2019s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.\"<\/p>

Greenfield also said Ben & Jerry\u2019s is being \u201csilenced\u201d out of \u201cfear for upsetting those in power.\u201d He concluded his statement by saying he would continue to work toward \u201cequity, justice and a better world\u201d outside Ben & Jerry\u2019s.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner contacted Unilever for comment.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Greenfield and Cohen advocated former Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019s 2024 campaign by introducing an ice cream flavor called \u201cKamala\u2019s Coconut Jubilee,\u201d<\/a> a reference to her famous \u201cfell out of a coconut tree\u201d remark<\/a>. The flavor was introduced under the Ben\u2019s Best ice cream brand, which is not affiliated with the Ben & Jerry\u2019s brand.<\/p>

Cohen also went viral in May when he and several protesters disrupted a Senate hearing<\/a> for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a>. Cohen appeared to be shouting, \u201cYou\u2019re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,\u201d as Capitol Police escorted him out.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260449404515.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811635-1758116705", "title":"Kash Patel says National Guard needed for Memphis crime crackdown", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3811635%2Fkash-patel-national-guard-needed-memphis-crime-crackdown%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"FBI Director Kash Patel told Congress on Wednesday that deploying the National Guard to Memphis is necessary to complete the federal government’s law enforcement operation in the city, citing the need for greater manpower and safer perimeters for agents to finish their work amid high crime rates. Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, Patel said that while federal agents have made […]", "description":""

FBI Director Kash Patel<\/a> told Congress on Wednesday that deploying the National Guard<\/a> to Memphis is necessary to complete the federal government\u2019s law enforcement operation in the city, citing the need for greater manpower and safer perimeters for agents to finish their work amid high crime rates.<\/p>

Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee<\/a>, Patel said that while federal agents have made 500 arrests and obtained 110 federal indictments during the first phase of the FBI-led crackdown, agents \u201ccan\u2019t work inside perimeters that are not established and safe.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat we need to do is ... fully [move] onto the areas where the criminal activity remains,\u201d Patel told Rep.\u00a0Steve Cohen (D-TN). \u201cWe don\u2019t have the manpower to give us the space,\u201d without National Guard support, he added.<\/p>

The remarks come just two days after\u00a0President Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0announced he was dispatching the Memphis Safe Task Force<\/a>, modeled after federal enforcement initiatives in\u00a0Washington, D.C.<\/a>, where the National Guard previously established perimeters for operations by the\u00a0FBI<\/a>, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives<\/a>,\u00a0the Drug Enforcement Agency<\/a>,\u00a0Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>, and U.S.\u00a0Marshals.<\/p>

Trump signed a presidential memorandum in the Oval Office on Monday, calling the plan a \u201creplica of our extraordinarily successful efforts here [in Washington],\u201d and said\u00a0Chicago<\/a>\u00a0is next in line for federal intervention. His announcement followed a private meeting with Republican\u00a0Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, whose office said over 100\u00a0state troopers\u00a0would also be sent to Shelby County<\/a>.<\/p>

In the hearing, Cohen, who represents three-fourths of Memphis, raised concerns about the deployment, arguing that the\u00a0National Guard<\/a>\u00a0lacks training in law enforcement and could alarm residents or deter visitors.<\/p>

\u201cWe have a crime problem in Memphis. The [FBI] has helped. DEA will help. ATF will help. I don\u2019t think the National Guard is going to help,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cWe hope that the National Guard doesn\u2019t come in and cause people to have questions about Memphis.\u201d<\/p>

Patel confirmed the Guard would not have command over FBI agents, who remain under federal control, but said its presence was critical to protecting agents entering volatile areas.<\/p>

The push to federalize law enforcement in Memphis has prompted sharp local backlash. Democratic\u00a0Mayor Paul Young\u00a0said he was not consulted before Trump\u2019s televised announcement and warned that federal troops could stir painful historical memories, such as the 1968 deployment following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.<\/p>

Other Democrats, including\u00a0Shelby County\u00a0Mayor Lee Harris and\u00a0state Rep. Justin Pearson, said the city needs investments in anti-poverty and community programs, not a \u201cmilitarized occupation.\u201d<\/p>

Still, White House officials defended the move, citing data showing Memphis had the highest violent and property crime rates in 2024. Patel also confirmed that homicide rates have since dropped to a historic low in 2025, though broader crime trends remain a concern.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Trump\u2019s escalation in Memphis marks the first such deployment in a Republican-led state and continues his administration\u2019s wider\u00a0\u201cMaking America Safe Again\u201d\u00a0campaign, despite litigation over past troop deployments in California.<\/p>

More federal personnel and National Guard units are expected to arrive in Memphis this week.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/WEX_Patel_House4.jpeg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811731-1758116147", "title":"Pro-Palestine influencer sues Ohio State after disenrollment", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811731%2Fpro-palestine-influencer-sues-ohio-state-after-disenrollment%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A former Ohio State student says the university violated his free speech rights when it disenrolled him for social media posts about the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Guy Christensen filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Ohio State, […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 A former Ohio<\/a> State student says the university<\/a> violated his free speech<\/a> rights when it disenrolled him for social media posts about the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>

Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Guy Christensen filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Ohio State, saying he was disenrolled without a hearing after controversy arose following a series of videos he posted on his personal social media pages.<\/p>

The ACLU says the videos and opinions on the post do not incite or threaten unlawful violence, and Ohio State\u2019s actions were unconstitutional.<\/p>

\u201cThe ACLU of Ohio condemns political violence and threats of all forms, but the plaintiff\u2019s pure speech manifestly did not cross that line,\u201d J. Bennett Guess, executive director of ACLU-Ohio, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. \"And although accounts of rising antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiment on campus and in broader civic life are deeply disturbing, school officials can condemn political violence and build a supportive educational environment by doing their work as educators, not by expelling a student for expressing disfavored views.\"<\/p>

Ohio State Assistant Vice President for Media and Public Relations Benjamin Johnson told The Center Square the university would not comment on pending litigation, and that Ohio State is committed to to protecting freedom of speech and expression.<\/p>

The\u00a0complaint\u00a0calls Christensen<\/a>, who finished his freshman year in April, a political activist who posts his views on Palestinian rights and independence on social media, where he has millions of followers.<\/p>

The suit says that over the summer, he posted a video that withdrew his condemnation of the gunman in the May 21 shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C.<\/p>

In another post, he graphically denounced U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., for what Christensen called Torres\u2019 support for Zionism and associations with pro-Israel political groups.<\/p>

The lawsuit also says Christensen posted subsequent videos that he did not incite or threaten unlawful violence. None of the videos mentioned Ohio State.<\/p>

The suit says the Trump administration threatened to investigate Christensen and Torres publicly accused Christensen of antisemitism and asked the U.S. Capitol Police to investigate.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL, OUSTED CDC CHIEF SUSAN MONAREZ TESTIFY IN PAIR OF HIGH-PROFILE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS<\/a><\/p>

Christensen wants the court to declare his speech protected and his disenrollment a violation of the First Amendment. He also wants his student records expunged, along with costs, expenses and attorney\u2019s fees.<\/p>

\u201cAt its most basic level, this case is brought to vindicate a public university student\u2019s First Amendment right to engage in quintessential, protected political speech,\u201d said Freda Levenson, legal director of ACLU-Ohio. \"More broadly, the case is to push back against the Trump administration\u2019s sweeping agenda to extinguish the ideas and points of view that it disfavors at universities and colleges across the country. The university caved to this pressure. Someone needs to push back on the side of the Constitution and the rule of law.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/ohio-state.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811455-1758115840", "title":"European countries say Iran hasn’t taken ‘reasonable’ action to stop implementation of sanctions", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fdefense%2F3811455%2Firan-nuclear-snapback-sanctions-europe%2F", "byline":"Mike Brest", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"European officials warned on Wednesday that Iran has not done enough to stop the return of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program. The German foreign ministry and the European Union shared their assessment of Tehran’s actions following a call between the representatives of France, Germany, the EU’s top diplomat, the United Kingdom, and Iran. […]", "description":""

European officials warned on Wednesday that Iran<\/a> has not done enough to stop the return of United Nations<\/a> sanctions over its nuclear program.<\/p>

The German foreign ministry and the European Union shared their assessment of Tehran's actions following a call between the representatives of France, Germany, the EU's top diplomat, the United Kingdom, and Iran.<\/p>

\u201cThe window for finding a diplomatic solution on Iran\u2019s nuclear issue is closing really fast,\u201d Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIran must show credible steps towards addressing the demands of France, U.K. and Germany, and this means demonstrating full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and allowing inspections of all nuclear sites without delay.\u201d<\/p>

The German foreign ministry also said the European leaders \"underscored\" to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Iran \"has yet to take the reasonable and precise actions necessary.\"<\/p>

After the call, Araghchi told the Western leaders they were \"lacking any legal or logical justification\" for initiating the resumption of sanctions, he said on Telegram, adding that \"Iran is ready to reach a fair and a balanced solution that ensure mutual benefits.\"<\/p>

The three countries are the only three European ones that are signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran nuclear deal, in which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program and have regular international inspectors from the IAEA check its facilities in exchange for sanctions relief and other provisions. The deal was signed in 2015, adopted in 2016, and President Donald Trump<\/a> withdrew the United States from it in 2018 during his first term.<\/p>

Any of the countries in the deal can trigger the automatic, or \"snapback,\" resumption of U.N. sanctions that had been lifted as part of the deal if they rule that Iran is in noncompliance.<\/p>

A key date in the negotiations is Oct. 18, 2025, the 10th anniversary of the deal and the deadline for determining whether to extend or terminate the mechanism to implement the snapback sanctions outlined in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231.<\/p>

The French, U.K., and German foreign ministers said in August they have \"unambiguous legal grounds<\/a>\" to reimpose the sanctions.<\/p>

Tehran halted cooperation with the IAEA following the Israeli and U.S. military<\/a> operations against its nuclear facilities in June.<\/p>

The Israelis carried out widespread strikes in several parts of Iran, targeting nuclear facilities, senior leaders, scientists, and military arsenal. The U.S. carried out one narrow operation targeting three of Iran's more fortified nuclear facilities.<\/p>

Should the sanctions restart, they will likely worsen the relationship between Tehran and the West after the 12-day Israel-Iran war.<\/p>

CHINA AND RUSSIA DENOUNCE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES OVER IMPLEMENTATION OF IRAN SANCTIONS \u2018SNAPBACK\u2019 MECHANISM<\/a><\/p>

Fifty Senate Republicans wrote a letter to the foreign ministers of the U.K., Germany, and France on Tuesday urging them not to allow \"hollow gestures and cynical threats from Tehran to stop the snapback process,\" according to Jewish Insider<\/a>.<\/p>

Last week, Iran and the IAEA agreed \"on practical modalities to resume inspection activities in Iran,\" Rafael Grossi, the director general of the agency, announced.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iaea-visit-iran.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811730-1758115706", "title":"Chicago mayor: ‘We do not have a spending problem’ as spending, deficit grows", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811730%2Fchicago-mayor-we-do-not-hav-spending-problem-spending-deficit-grows%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – Mayor Brandon Johnson says Chicago does not have a spending problem, even as city government spending soars and the projected budget deficit grows. Johnson addressed a question Tuesday about a report from his budget working group. “One of the things that it’s clear to note that the working group fully established […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 Mayor Brandon Johnson <\/a>says Chicago<\/a> does not have a spending problem, even as city government spending soars and the projected budget<\/a> deficit grows.<\/p>

Johnson addressed a question Tuesday about a report from his budget working group.<\/p>

\u201cOne of the things that it\u2019s clear to note that the working group fully established that we do not have a spending problem in Chicago. We have a revenue challenge in Chicago,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>

The mayor\u2019s fiscal sustainability working group included union officials and several of Johnson\u2019s allies on the city council.<\/p>

The mayor emphasized the finding by his group that the city does not have a spending problem.<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s an important conclusion that I believe was necessary for the people of Chicago to hear,\u201d Johnson added.<\/p>

The city budget grew from $16.6 billion in 2024 to $17.1 billion this year.<\/p>

According to the mayor\u2019s office, the projected budget deficit has grown from $1.12 billion to $1.15 billion.<\/p>

The mayor\u2019s working group also recommended that property taxes be raised along with inflation rates. Johnson said he did not agree with that proposal.<\/p>

Chicagoans already pay some of the highest taxes in the United States. The city\u2019s business owners pay commercial property taxes at more than 4% of their properties value, or more than double the national average of 1.81%.<\/p>

Chicago gas taxes are among the highest in the nation, and the city council is expected to consider a grocery tax proposal next week.<\/p>

Aldermen are considering video gaming legislation which could bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, but the measure faces potential opposition from the same mayor who cited a \u201crevenue challenge.\u201d<\/p>

Alderman Anthony Beale proposed an ordinance to legalize video gaming terminals in the city, with potential revenues directed to fund pensions.<\/p>

Johnson has expressed opposition to VGT\u2019s, but Beale said it\u2019s time to move forward.<\/p>

\u201cAre we to just sit back in this body and look down the barrel of a $1.2 [billion], $1.5 billion deficit with nothing in sight, or are we to look for additional revenues that don\u2019t affect everyone like property taxes, people driving down the street with tickets, being hit every other day?\u201d Beale asked.<\/p>

During the Illinois General Assembly's spring session, state lawmakers begged Chicago officials to legalize VGT's and scolded a member of Johnson's administration for rejecting potential VGT revenues. <\/p>

Beale said his measure would bring in between $60 million and $100 million.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL, OUSTED CDC CHIEF SUSAN MONAREZ TESTIFY IN PAIR OF HIGH-PROFILE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cAre we going to turn our blind eye on $60 [million] to $100 million, or are we going to look to increase property taxes, increase ticket fees, increase garbage fees?\u201d Beale asked.<\/p>

The city council\u2019s License and Consumer Protection Committee approved the ordinance Tuesday by a vote of 8-6.<\/p>

The full council\u2019s next meeting is scheduled Thursday, Sept. 25.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25240020318824-1.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811485-1758115378", "title":"Suspect accused of ramming into FBI Pittsburgh field office gate arrested", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3811485%2Fsuspect-accused-ramming-fbi-pittsburgh-field-office-gate-arrested%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A suspect accused of ramming a car into the gate of an FBI field office in Pittsburgh is in custody. The FBI identified the suspect as military veteran Donald Henson. At a Wednesday press briefing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano told reporters that Henson allegedly drove his Toyota sedan into the entry gate of […]", "description":""

A suspect accused of ramming<\/a> a car into the gate of an FBI<\/a> field office in Pittsburgh<\/a> is in custody.<\/p>

The FBI identified the suspect as military veteran Donald Henson. At a Wednesday press briefing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano told reporters that Henson allegedly drove his Toyota sedan\u00a0into the entry gate of the Pittsburgh FBI field office at roughly 2:40 a.m. Henson then reportedly placed a flag at the spot and fled on foot.<\/p>

Though no casualties were reported, Giordano described the ramming as an act of terrorism.<\/p>

\"We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,\" Giordano said. \"This was a targeted attack on this building. Thankfully, no one was hurt.\"<\/p>

\"Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI,\" he added. \"It is a federal offense, and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.\"<\/p>

Authorities speculated that Henson was suffering a mental health crisis when he rammed into the gate.<\/p>

The field office released a statement Wednesday morning saying, \"At approximately 2:40 a.m., an individual driving a white sedan proceeded to ram one of the vehicle entrance gates at FBI Pittsburgh. This individual exited the vehicle, removed an American flag from the backseat, and threw it onto the damaged gate. The individual then left the scene on foot.\"<\/p>

Witnesses described<\/a> the incident to WTAE on Wednesday.<\/p>

\"He got out, went around the passenger side, and pulled something out of the passenger side. I thought it was a gun, but it happened to be a flag, and he just set it on that fence and started yelling out some words and just took off,\" local worker Nakeisha Brown told the outlet.<\/p>

Cierra Posey, another nearby worker, told the outlet that she saw Henson walk away from the car \"like nothing had happened\" while speaking incomprehensibly.<\/p>

Henson's incoherence was reportedly displayed a couple of weeks before when he visited the field office, showcasing signs of paranoia.<\/p>

SUSPECT WHO ATTACKED FBI PITTSBURGH FIELD OFFICE STILL ON THE LOOSE<\/a><\/p>

\"In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn't make a whole lot of sense,\" Giordano said. \"We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn't have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn't a federal offense that we were able to charge.\"<\/p>

Though no one was hurt, Henson was considered dangerous during his short manhunt.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260464421828-1.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811729-1758115059", "title":"Legislation may come too late for manufactured homeowners", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811729%2Flegislation-may-come-too-late-manufactured-homeowners%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing bills to protect residents in the state’s nearly 2,300 manufactured home communities. But for many facing steep land rent hikes, should the legislation pass, it will come too late.  Homeowners from half a dozen communities in the Lehigh Valley gathered last week to learn about the Coalition […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 Pennsylvania<\/a> lawmakers are weighing bills<\/a> to protect residents in the state\u2019s nearly 2,300 manufactured home<\/a> communities.<\/p>

But for many facing steep land rent hikes, should the legislation pass, it will come too late. <\/p>

Homeowners from half a dozen communities in the Lehigh Valley gathered last week to learn about the Coalition of Manufactured Home Communities' efforts on their behalf. Many shared emotional accounts of having to choose between paying rising lot rents and affording basic necessities.<\/p>

Coalition founder Bob Besecker and advisory team member Reggie Hockenberry provided updates on House Bill 1250 and Senate Bills 745 and 746 \u2013 all currently\u00a0waiting<\/a>\u00a0in the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee.<\/p>

The bills would tie lot rent increases to the consumer price index, while allowing increases to cover extraordinary operating expenses or repairs. <\/p>

Private equity firms are increasingly buying up these communities, often imposing large lot rent increases while allowing maintenance to decline \u2013 making their once-affordable homes unaffordable. <\/p>

Many in attendance live in Mayo Park and Red Maples, communities several miles apart in Lower and Upper Macungie Townships, owned by Mayo Homes. <\/p>

The two communities were owned by family-owned Mayo Homes for over 70 years before they were sold in February 2024, after which lot rents began to skyrocket. <\/p>

Multiple sources list lot rents for manufactured home parks in the area between $390 and $994 per month. According to the 2021\u00a0American Housing Survey<\/a>, median monthly lot rent in Pennsylvania was $370.<\/p>

Mayo Park and Red Maples residents said their lot rents have increased from $395 to $819 in the last four years. <\/p>

A gentleman from Red Maples noted that despite the increase in rent, there is little maintenance performed on the property, to which others stated they did much of their own. <\/p>

When stating that residents raising concerns over rising costs to owners were told, \u201cIf you don\u2019t like it, move,\u201d the room erupted in agreement. Many indicated they had received similar responses, noting it has become difficult to sell their homes since the steep lot rents deter potential buyers.<\/p>

There were also complaints of a lack of communication from community owners \u2013 aside from notices about rent hikes or certified letters warning that their sheds or skirting aren\u2019t up to par. Those upgrades, they said, are difficult to afford when they\u2019re already struggling with rising lot rents. <\/p>

Many took the opportunity to explain how the increases affected them personally. Their frustration and desperation about the financial strain and sense of injustice threatening their ability to remain in their homes was shared by all.<\/p>

The group ranged in age from young families to seniors, but older residents felt the greatest strain. Some described having to choose between rent and essentials, while others reported taking on extra jobs or longer work hours just to get by.<\/p>

Peggy Hoffman said she has been forced to increase her work hours, give up vacations, skip food and medicine, and drain her savings.<\/p>

She cares for her granddaughter and stated she struggles week-to-week to make sure there\u2019s enough in the home, adding that it\u2019s nothing compared to what she was able to provide for her daughter, who passed away.<\/p>

\u201cIt hurts me every time the lot rent goes up,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cIt takes away from my ability to be able to care for the one person that God has left me in this world, that granddaughter of mine.\u201d <\/p>

Rich from Red Maples bought his home in May 2024, when the lot rent was just over $300. In 16 months\u2019 time, it has increased to over $800. At the age of 74, he said he has to go back to work, taking on two part-time jobs to be able to afford the rent.<\/p>

The stories heard that evening are being played out across the state, as evidenced by posts to the coalition\u2019s\u00a0Facebook page<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

The coalition has been instrumental in rallying support for the bills and now represents 104 communities. They plan to continue their efforts. <\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL, OUSTED CDC CHIEF SUSAN MONAREZ TESTIFY IN PAIR OF HIGH-PROFILE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cThe greed of Private Equity Firms seemingly knows no bounds,\u201d Besecker told The Center Square. \u201cThey don't care how much pain and suffering they inflict on homeowners in Manufactured Home Communities.\"<\/p>

\u201cThe Senate now has an opportunity to provide those boundaries,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere aren't any reasons why this can't be done, and Senators should not attempt to create any.  If you live by the code of \"help other people at all times\", then now is the time. Let's get this done!\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25188569383275-1.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811710-1758113448", "title":"Years of nonenforcement of the law led to Dallas beheading", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fdaily-memo%2F3811710%2Fnonenforcement-of-law-dallas-beheading-yordanis-cobos-martinez%2F", "byline":"Byron York", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"YEARS OF NONENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW LED TO DALLAS BEHEADING. There is still more to learn about the horrific case of Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, the illegal immigrant accused of beheading a hotel manager in Dallas. You can read the terrible details of what happened here. And now, a bit more about the suspect’s history, collected from knowledgeable […]", "description":""

YEARS OF NONENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW LED TO DALLAS BEHEADING.\u00a0There is still more to learn about the horrific case of Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, the illegal immigrant accused of beheading a hotel manager in Dallas<\/a>. You can read the terrible details of what happened here<\/a>. And now, a bit more about the suspect's history, collected from knowledgeable sources:<\/p>

Cobos-Martinez came to the United States from Cuba.\u00a0Since the 1959 revolution, the U.S. has had special immigration programs that apply specifically to Cubans<\/a>. One allows a Cuban national to come to the U.S., be \"paroled\" into the country \u2014 that is, given permission to stay here legally \u2014 and have one year in which to apply for permanent lawful status.\u00a0<\/p>

Cobos-Martinez was paroled into the U.S. on April 2, 2016. But he did not apply for permanent residency in the following year. One reason he might not have done so is that in February 2017, less than a year after his arrival, police say Cobos-Martinez stole a car in Miami-Dade County, Florida, resulting in his being charged with felony grand theft auto. <\/p>

Now, at that point, given that Cobos-Martinez was still in the country lawfully on parole, that the parole was granted entirely at the discretion of the U.S. government, and that he was charged with felony grand theft auto, one might expect the government to revoke the parole and send Cobos-Martinez back to Cuba. That did not happen. Instead, Cobos-Martinez stayed in the U.S. His one-year period passed on April 2, 2017, and after that, he was in the U.S. illegally.<\/p>

From there, Cobos-Martinez was off to the races, criminally speaking. According to Dallas television station NBCDFW<\/a>, \"In June 2017, in South Lake Tahoe, California, a police report details a carjacking in which Cobos-Martinez, while naked, tried to force himself into a woman's car while pulling her hair and clothes and sitting on her lap. Cobos-Martinez told police he had about 20 beers and smoked a joint of marijuana before the carjacking.\" He was charged with carjacking and with false imprisonment, which in this case meant stealing a car with someone in it.<\/p>

Now, at that point, one might ask: Since Cobos-Martinez was in the U.S. illegally, and since he was charged with felony auto theft in Florida and carjacking and false imprisonment in California, why wasn't he deported, if not immediately, then when the cases were adjudicated? And why should he have been freed in the interim, given that he was in the U.S. illegally and represented a clear flight risk? And if he was not convicted in the cases, why was he not deported anyway at the end of the process, because he was in the country illegally? After all, after April 2, 2017, Cobos-Martinez could have been deported at any time, even if he had not committed other crimes.<\/p>

None of that happened, and Cobos-Martinez moved on. According to NBCDFW<\/a>, in 2018, he was charged in Texas with indecency with a child after he allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Later, the indecency charge was dismissed, but according to NBCDFW, Cobos-Martinez spent about a year in jail on an assault charge stemming from the incident.<\/p>

Meanwhile, it appears the California carjacking charges just sort of hung around. But in 2023, they caught up with Cobos-Martinez, and he was arrested in January 2023 as a fugitive from justice. In August 2023, the carjacking charge was dropped, but Cobos-Martinez was convicted of false imprisonment. <\/p>

On the immigration side of all this, after years of lawbreaking, Cobos-Martinez received a final order of deportation. He was detained by immigration authorities in October 2024. But of course, he would have to be deported to Cuba. Then, Cuba refused to accept him \u2014 after all, he was a violent criminal, and who wants to accept a violent criminal?<\/p>

It does not appear that the Biden administration tried very hard to send Cobos-Martinez to Cuba. And if an illegal immigrant is ordered removed, but authorities determine there is no hope of actually removing him in the foreseeable future, he is then released. So on Jan. 13 of this year, with the Biden administration on the way out and an administration expected to be much tougher on illegal immigration about to take power, authorities released Cobos-Martinez.<\/p>

The best opportunity to deport Cobos-Martinez was in January 2025, because he had a final order of removal \u2014 due process! \u2014 and he was in custody. But the Biden administration just let him go.<\/p>

Eight months later, Cobos-Martinez was at the Dallas hotel, reportedly wielding a machete and hacking off the head of manager Chandra Nagamallaiah, as Nagamallaiah's horrified family looked on. According to police<\/a>, Cobos-Martinez then kicked Nagamallaiah's head into the parking lot, \"like a soccer ball,\" before tossing it in a dumpster. Police arrested Cobos-Martinez, covered in Nagamallaiah's blood and still holding the machete, a short distance away. Cobos-Martinez is now, finally, behind bars. He will be tried for murder in Texas. Whatever happens, if he ever leaves the custody of the state of Texas, he will be immediately handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported. <\/p>

Of course, none of this had to happen. At some point in the Obama, Trump, Biden, and Trump administrations, somebody could have decided to enforce immigration law. Of course, the advocates and interest groups who favor nearly open borders would have protested. But the country would have been safer and the law upheld. The only hope left from this case is that authorities will learn from it and not repeat their mistakes in the future.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ap19298776442746-scaled-e1758126812596.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811483-1758113363", "title":"Comer calls on Discord and Reddit CEOs to testify over online radicalization after Kirk assassination", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3811483%2Fcomer-calls-discord-reddit-ceo-testify-online-radicalization-kirk-assassination%2F", "byline":"Lauren Green", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) called for a hearing to focus on online radicalization after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week. Comer called on the Chief Executive Officers of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify at a full committee hearing on Oct. 8. “The politically motivated assassination of Charlie […]", "description":""

House Oversight Committee<\/a> Chairman James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) called for a hearing to focus on online radicalization after the assassination<\/a> of conservative<\/a> activist Charlie Kirk<\/a> last week.<\/p>

Comer called on the Chief Executive Officers of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify at a full committee hearing on Oct. 8. <\/p>

\u201cThe politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,\" Comer said in a statement. <\/p>

\"In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress<\/a> has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence. To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes,\u201d he continued.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner has reached out to the companies for comment. <\/p>

A spokesperson for Discord said in a statement that the company received the committee's invitation and \"welcome the opportunity to testify.\"The spokesperson continued, \"We continuously engage with policymakers on these critical issues and look forward to continuing this important dialogue next month.\u201d<\/p>

The hearing is set to include Discord CEO Humam Sakhnini, Steam President Gabe Newell, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. This hearing comes amid growing concerns that online platforms like Discord are contributing to radicalization.<\/p>

Govs. Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Josh Shapiro<\/a> (D-PA) gave addresses on political violence following the attack, pointing to social media as a place that fosters this violence.<\/p>

\u201cI believe that social media has played a direct role in every single assassination and assassination attempt that we have seen over the last five, six years,\u201d Cox told Kristen Welker on Meet the Press on Sunday.<\/p>

\u201cThere is no question in my mind \u2014 \u2018cancer\u2019 probably isn\u2019t a strong enough word,\" he added. \"What we have done, especially to our kids, it took us decades to realize how evil these algorithms are.\u201d<\/p>

JOSH SHAPIRO CALLS ON WHITE HOUSE NOT TO 'CHERRY PICK' POLITICAL VIOLENCE TO CONDEMN<\/a><\/p>

Kirk, 31, was assassinated last Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University. The Republican was the co-founder of Turning Point USA<\/a>, a conservative organization that was instrumental in rallying young voters to the Republican Party and for Trump.<\/p>

Federal investigators say Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man suspected of assassinating Kirk, has been linked to the crime through a DNA match and note.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25255536793361-e1758127859105.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811589-1758112968", "title":"WATCH LIVE: Jerome Powell hosts interest rate press conference", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811589%2Fwatch-live-jerome-powell-hosts-interest-rate-press-conference%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is hosting a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, during which he is expected to publicly address the first interest rate cuts of the year. The Fed’s interest recommendation currently sits between 4.25% and 4.50%, and the central bank is anticipated to announce a quarter-percentage-point cut at 2 p.m. […]", "description":""

Federal Reserve<\/a> Chairman Jerome Powell<\/a> is hosting a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, during which he is expected to publicly address the first interest rate<\/a> cuts of the year.<\/p>

The Fed's interest recommendation currently sits between 4.25% and 4.50%, and the central bank is anticipated to announce a quarter-percentage-point cut at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>

FED POISED TO CUT INTEREST RATES FOR FIRST TIME UNDER TRUMP<\/a><\/p>

For the past several months, Powell has been a political foe of President Donald Trump over his refusal to lower interest rates after Trump has consistently urged the Fed to do so. Trump has nicknamed the Fed chairman \"Jerome 'too late' Powell\" over the feud.<\/p>

The debate over when to cut interest rates<\/a> largely rests on the idea that cutting the rates too early could lead to high inflation, but cutting the rates too late could lead to a recession.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25234621474644.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811223-1758111817", "title":"Former Secret Service agent and ex-CIA officer launch Democratic bids for McConnell’s Senate seat", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3811223%2Fformer-secret-service-agent-ex-cia-officer-launch-democratic-bids-mitch-mcconnell-senate-seat%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Two Democrats threw their hats in the ring to fill retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell‘s (R-KY) Senate seat, joining the race as political outsiders against front-runner Democratic state Rep. Pamela Stevenson. Logan Forsythe, a former Secret Service special agent under former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump and current attorney, launched his campaign Tuesday with […]", "description":""

Two Democrats<\/a> threw their hats in the ring to fill retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell<\/a>'s (R-KY) Senate seat, joining the race as political outsiders against front-runner Democratic state Rep. Pamela Stevenson.<\/p>

Logan Forsythe, a former Secret Service special agent under former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump and current attorney, launched his campaign Tuesday with a video announcement<\/a> focused on his story emerging from poverty in rural Lyon County, Kentucky.<\/p>

He highlighted<\/a> his hard work as the first person in his family to graduate from college and law school after fighting through \"stripping tobacco by the age of seven\" and living in a \"1995 Dodge Caravan\" during high school.<\/p>

\"I'm not a billionaire or a politician, in fact, most folks with my story, they don't make it out of a place like Lyon County, much less run for Senate,\" Forsythe said<\/a>. \"And I think that's the problem. Maybe politicians who've been living on easy street their whole lives don't understand the hardships that the rest of us are facing.\"<\/p>

The University of Kentucky graduate, who worked in contracting for the Department of Defense before becoming a federal agent, became an attorney for families in rural Kentucky after a car crash ended his Secret Service career. Forsythe said<\/a> he decided to run for Senate after seeing Congress pass the \"big, beautiful bill,\" which affected SNAP and healthcare benefits, and his son asking him, \"What are you going to do to fix what's going on?\"<\/p>

Forsythe joined Stevenson in the Democratic race for the Senate seat on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before Joel Willett announced his candidacy and turned the primary into a three-way race.<\/p>

KENTUCKY DEMOCRAT PAMELA STEVENSON LAUNCHES BID TO FILL MCCONNELL\u2019s SENATE SEAT<\/a><\/p>

Willett, an ex-CIA officer-turned-businessman, made headlines in recent weeks after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked his security clearance<\/a>. Laura Loomer posted on X<\/a> about Willett's security clearance being revoked, saying she flagged his name after seeing he signed a letter calling for Trump's impeachment in 2019. Willett said in his announcement video<\/a> that he received death threats following the incident.<\/p>

\"I've seen firsthand how the Trump administration and their far-right allies are trying to weaponize the government against anyone who disagrees with them,\" Willett said in a news release. \"That just made me more determined to run.\"<\/p>

Willett focused his campaign announcement<\/a> on rising costs for Kentucky families, how he came from a home in Valley Station, Kentucky, embroiled with opioid addiction, and made it out as \"one of the lucky ones\" thanks to support from his grandparents and faith.<\/p>

\"I'm not a billionaire, I'm not a politician, I'm just a Kentucky guy who fought like hell to get here. And if you give me the chance, I will fight like hell for you,\" Willett said<\/a>, echoing a similar sentiment to Forsythe's.<\/p>

Each Senate primary race in Kentucky now boasts three declared major candidates. The Republican primary, between Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and businessman Nate Morris, has become a competitive showdown as the three candidates battle for an endorsement from Trump.<\/p>

ANDY BARR DROPS FIRST TV AD CAMPAIGN AS HE GETS HIT WITH $2 MILLION NEGATIVE AD SPREE<\/a><\/p>

Gov. Andy Beshear's (D-KY) team has shot down<\/a> speculation that he may run for the Senate seat.<\/p>

Primary Election Day is set for May 19, 2026. The Senate general election is still over a year away, set for Nov. 3, 2026.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259744223799-JOEL-WILLETT.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811389-1758111472", "title":"Trump UN ambassador pick Mike Waltz headed for vote after Democratic slow-walking", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3811389%2Ftrump-un-ambassador-mike-waltz-vote-democrat-slow-walking%2F", "byline":"Ramsey Touchberry", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Eight months after retaking office, President Donald Trump is inching closer to the Senate confirming his United Nations ambassador nominee. Mike Waltz, his nominee to be U.N. ambassador, was revoted 11-10 out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday after Democrats forced the Republican majority to reconsider dozens of Trump nominees over a rules snafu. The same two […]", "description":""

Eight months after retaking office, President Donald Trump<\/a> is inching closer to the Senate confirming his United Nations<\/a> ambassador nominee.<\/p>

Mike Waltz<\/a>, his nominee to be U.N. ambassador, was revoted 11-10 out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday after Democrats forced the Republican majority to reconsider dozens of Trump nominees over a rules snafu<\/a>.<\/p>

The same two panel members crossed party lines as they did in a previous vote to advance Waltz: ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) voted \u201cyes,\u201d and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voted \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>

Waltz, Trump\u2019s former national security adviser who was removed from his post shortly after the Signalgate leak of sensitive military plans to a journalist, was initially advanced by the committee in July but was among the nominees Democrats said were \u201cnot properly reported\u201d to the chamber due to the use of proxy or voice votes.<\/p>

Democrats took advantage of a little-used rule after Republicans altered Senate procedure to fast-track nominees and sidestep Democratic roadblocks.<\/p>

MIKE WALTZ RISKS MISSING UN AMBASSADOR DEBUT AT INTERNATIONAL MEETING<\/a><\/p>

But Waltz\u2019s final confirmation may still not come until after Trump is set to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City next week, which is already underway. The Senate could confirm him later this week, if they remain the weekend, or next week, if they miss part of a scheduled recess.<\/p>

Senators are set to recess starting Thursday through all next week for the Rosh Hashanah Jewish holiday. However, the break could be shortened due to a Sept. 30 government funding deadline.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/mike-waltz-confirmation.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811195-1758111085", "title":"Luigi Mangione’s dropped charges a bad sign for stopping political violence: Joe Concha", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3811195%2Fluigi-mangione-dropped-charges-bad-violence-joe-concha%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said Wednesday that the recent dismissal of state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione is bad news for bringing down the political temperature, saying the United States will “absolutely” see more political violence after this. Judge Gregory Carro tossed the terrorism charges against Mangione, the 27-year-old suspect accused of killing United […]", "description":""

Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha<\/a> said Wednesday that the recent dismissal of state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione is bad news for bringing down the political temperature<\/a>, saying the United States will \u201cabsolutely\u201d see more political violence after this.<\/p>

Judge Gregory Carro tossed the terrorism charges against Mangione<\/a>, the 27-year-old suspect accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, on Tuesday. Concha said Mangione\u2019s legal win was celebrated by \u201cyoung people\u201d outside his court appearance.<\/p>

\u201cI saw one video of a girl who said that she was actually engaged to the AI version of Luigi Mangione, who again, just a couple blocks from where we are at Fox, was gunned down from behind by, that was Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO, was gunned down by Luigi Mangione in the back,\u201d Concha said on Fox & Friends First.<\/p>

Mangione\u2019s legal victory comes less than a week after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10. Utah County prosecutors filed seven felony charges against Tyler Robinson<\/a>, Kirk\u2019s 22-year-old accused killer, on Tuesday.<\/p>

\u201cSo as long as we have this assassination culture and these almost-permission slips to do these things, if the cause is right, if whether you disagree with the healthcare system like Luigi Mangione, or Robinson, who disagreed with Charlie just based on opinion? You can\u2019t help but think with social media and the education system and the fact that we have gaming, which is becoming like a bigger problem because people are seeing others as \u2018avatars\u2019 instead of actual human beings, I think this gets worse before it gets better,\u201d Concha said.<\/p>

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that he is \u201cvery, very upset\u201d over Kirk\u2019s assassination<\/a>. He also said people need to \u201cacknowledge\u201d that social media companies, legacy media, and political parties are \u201cdividing us.\u201d<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Concha praised Schwarzenegger\u2019s speech, saying he looked \u201cauthentic\u201d in his worry about the future.<\/p>

Concha also recalled his wife suggesting that younger people may have been \u201cprogrammed\u201d during the COVID-19 pandemic to only communicate with people online. He questioned whether young people can detox from the internet and social media when both are central to young people's lives.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259518515780.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811399-1758110507", "title":"Shapiro accuses Trump of attempting to ‘whitewash’ museums", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811399%2Fjosh-shapiro-trump-whitewash-museums%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump‘s efforts to overhaul museums and national parks. “There is an organized effort by the federal government to erase our shared history and whitewash our museums and monuments,” Shapiro said in a social media post. “But they don’t have the power to dictate our values in […]", "description":""

Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a> (D-PA) on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump<\/a>'s efforts to overhaul museums and national parks.<\/p>

\"There is an organized effort by the federal government to erase our shared history and whitewash our museums and monuments,\" Shapiro said in a social media post. \"But they don't have the power to dictate our values in Pennsylvania. Here, we learn from our full history \u2014 and we use it to build a better future.\"<\/p>

Shapiro made the comments in the context of the Trump administration's plans to change the Philadelphia President\u2019s House site, which memorializes nine of George Washington's slaves.<\/p>

Thirteen items in six displays at the museum, all of which are related to slavery, were flagged by park staff during their summer review of museums with orders from Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer<\/a>. Displays targeted for removal include \u201cLife Under Slavery\u201d and \u201cThe House and the People Who Worked & Lived In It.\"<\/p>

The Trump administration has said national parks have a Sept. 17 deadline to change or remove content it believes promotes an \"anti-American\" agenda.<\/p>

Trump also signed an executive order in March targeting the Smithsonian Museums, calling for a \"comprehensive internal review\" of eight of its museums ahead of the country's 250th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO REINSTALL STATUE OF CONFEDERATE GENERAL TOPPLED IN DC IN 2020<\/a><\/p>

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Smithsonian museums were \"OUT OF CONTROL\u201d for emphasizing the negative parts of American history, including \u201chow bad slavery was.\u201d<\/p>

The president has been at odds with several cultural institutions since returning to office in January.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25238742138417-e1758124994945.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811226-1758110290", "title":"Trump administration to close State Department office criticized for Biden-era censorship", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3811226%2Ftrump-to-close-state-department-office-criticized-for-biden-era-censorship%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Trump administration announced it will close a controversial Biden-era censorship office ostensibly used to counter malicious messaging from foreign actors. The State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy said it will dismantle the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference framework, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Darren Beattie first told […]", "description":""

The Trump administration<\/a> announced it will close a controversial Biden<\/a>-era censorship office ostensibly used to counter malicious messaging from foreign actors.<\/p>

The State Department\u2019s Office of Public Diplomacy said it will dismantle the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference framework, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Darren Beattie first told<\/a> the Daily Wire. The Washington Examiner confirmed the development.<\/p>

The framework was established to counter disinformation from hostile foreign actors, such as terrorist groups. The Trump State Department alleged that under former President Joe Biden, it quickly \u201cdevolved into tools for political censorship instead of protecting Americans from foreign adversarial propaganda.\u201d<\/p>

The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for further comment.<\/p>

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had ordered the closure of the framework back in May, but the process was only completed this week. It cited one of Trump's first acts as president, the Jan. 20 Executive Order<\/a> on Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship, as justification.<\/p>

\"Under the guise of combatting 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation,' the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government\u2019s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.  Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society,\" the EO read.<\/p>

The framework took so long to close due to a number of \"loose ends\" that needed to be tied up, including agreements with foreign governments to \u201cfacilitate and provide a framework for cooperation on mutual objectives, including principally combating so-called \u2018disinformation,\u2019\u201d Beattie explained.<\/p>

He said that the framework, previously known as the Global Engagement Center, had repeatedly directly appealed to tech companies to censor information from domestic users.<\/p>

PARTISANS ON BOTH SIDES STOKE FEARS OF \u2018MISINFORMATION,\u2019 BUT IT\u2019S HARD TO DEFINE<\/a><\/p>

\u201cThis came out in numerous instances in the Twitter files and, on other occasions,\u201d Beattie explained. \u201cAnd so the GEC would do that, but they would also have an indirect approach to censorship whereby they would fund third-party organizations that would engage in activity from facilitating the demonetization of conservative sites to generally castigating certain narrative perspectives on COVID, on immigration, on foreign policy, as simply malign as a matter of foreign influence when in fact these were entirely legitimate points of view that often came from Americans.\u201d<\/p>

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Daily Wire, and the Federalist, had sued the GEC last year over alleged censorship.<\/p>

Ross O'Keefe contributed to this report.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25218565601331.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809840-1758110033", "title":"US strikes on Venezuela drug smugglers raise legal questions about lethal force", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fdefense%2F3809840%2Fus-strikes-venezuela-drug-smugglers-legal-questions%2F", "byline":"Mike Brest", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The U.S. military‘s strikes on three vessels this month that President Donald Trump said originated from Venezuela and were carrying illegal drugs heading for the United States have raised legal questions from experts. Both Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have declared that the drug cartels are targets that could be engaged with using deadly […]", "description":""

The U.S. military<\/a>'s strikes on three vessels this month that President Donald Trump<\/a> said originated from Venezuela<\/a> and were carrying illegal drugs heading for the United States have raised legal questions from experts.<\/p>

Both Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> have declared that the drug cartels are targets that could be engaged with using deadly force as a part of the administration's crackdown on cartel activity domestically and in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>

However, questions have emerged surrounding the legality of using lethal force to target these alleged drug smugglers instead of interdicting their ships, apprehending suspects, and bringing them back to the U.S. to await trial. This affords them due process, as the Coast Guard has done for decades.<\/p>

\"I think that these are legally unjustified uses of force by the United States,\" Professor Geoffrey Corn, director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University, told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

The military carried out the first of these operations<\/a> on Sept. 2. Trump said 11 people from Tren de Aragua, a Venezuela-based gang that the administration declared a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year, were killed in that attack. The second U.S. strike<\/a> was on Sept. 15, and Trump said three people were killed. The president announced a third attack on Sept. 16 but did not share a casualty count.<\/p>

Between the first and second strikes, the Department of Defense said\u00a0two Venezuelan\u00a0aircraft\u00a0\"flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters\" in a \"highly provocative move designed to interfere with our counter-narco-terror operations.\"<\/p>

The U.S.'s use of military force to carry out drug interdictions is a dramatic shift. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued in the aftermath of the first strike that the previous policy of interdicting drug smugglers on their way to the U.S. did not stop drugs from entering the country. More than 105,000 people in the U.S. died from drug-involved overdoses in 2023, a total that includes illicit and prescription drug overdoses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse<\/a>.<\/p>

\"The United States has long, for many, many years, established intelligence that allows us to interdict and stop drug boats, and we did that. And it doesn't work,\" Rubio said, \"What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them.\"<\/p>

VENEZUELA BOAT STRIKES BRING TRUMP WAR POWERS BACK UNDER SENATE SCRUTINY<\/a><\/p>

\"Instead of interdicting it, on the president's orders, he blew it up,\" Rubio added.<\/p>

The administration and the DOD have not shared the identities of the people killed or provided evidence to prove they were smuggling drugs.<\/p>

\"I think it's an administration that seems to feel like it doesn't own the American people an answer or any clarity on how lethal force is used in their name, and I know at this point, the global war on terror kind of helped it get us here, and that we got very blas\u00e9 about regular military strikes conducted by US military assets for pretty dubious aims on the other side of the world, but this is a lot closer home,\" Gil Barndollar, a nonresident fellow at Defense Priorities, told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

The U.S., like all nations, is allowed to use military force in self-defense against actual or imminent armed attacks. The administration has made the argument that targeting cartels is self-defense, considering the number of Americans who die from illegal drugs smuggled into the country.<\/p>

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the\u00a0New York Times<\/a>\u00a0that Trump's order for the first strike \"acted in line with the laws of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring poison to our shores.\"<\/p>

Experts, Corn included, have raised questions about the White House's justification.<\/p>

\"I cannot see a plausible case for treating the activities of this narco-gang as an armed attack against the United States, the administration in its war powers notification to Congress is drawing an analogy between the harm inflicted by narcotics and the harm that groups like Al Qaeda or ISIS want to inflict on the American people, and I am not dismissing in any way the danger of illegal narcotics, but the difference is groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS and Hezbollah and the Taliban and the far list goes on. Their goal, their intent, is to inflict death and destruction on an enemy,\" Corn said.<\/p>

Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war for the U.S. However, the president does have broad powers to respond when under attack. Lawmakers have not declared war since World War II, though since then, the U.S. has been involved in several conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more.<\/p>

\"We did some things I think were legally very dubious, if not outright illegal, during the [Global War on Terror]. But I think what's going on now puts that to shame,\" Barndollar said. \"The legality of it should have all Americans, irrespective of parties, asking hard questions.\"<\/p>

Corn also warned that the language used in Trump's war powers notice to Congress, including that some countries in the region are unable or unwilling to address the threat, left open the possibility that he could order the military to conduct operations on Venezuelan soil.<\/p>

It's a \"red flag that they're contemplating conducting operations in Venezuela,\" Corn said. \"That's the theory that there's another state that's allowing an organized enemy group to use its territory with impunity. It's the theory that we use to justify going into Pakistan to attack Osama bin Laden.\"<\/p>

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance toward Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro<\/a> since the outset of his term. The U.S. does not recognize him as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, has declared that he's head of the Cartel of the Suns, and doubled its reward for information leading to his arrest from $25 million to $50 million. Attorney General Pam Bondi said last month that the U.S. has seized up to $700 million of assets allegedly linked to him.<\/p>

The U.S. has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, where there is now the three-ship Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, two guided-missile destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser, a nuclear attack submarine, and a Littoral Combat Ship.<\/p>

\"There's little doubt that the size of the force that the United States has deployed to waters near Venezuela, but still in international waters, is a force that is much larger than would be needed for simply drug trafficking or for combating drug trafficking through the region,\" Christopher Hernandez-Roy, deputy director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Maduro, who has denied that he's the head of the cartel, described the first strike earlier this week as a \"military attack on civilians who were not at war and were not militarily threatening any country\" and called it an \"act of\u00a0war<\/a>.\" Maduro also accused the U.S. of seeking \"regime change for oil,\" which Trump has denied.<\/p>

Venezuela has also increased its military presence on its coastline.<\/p>

NDAA PASSES HOUSE WITH AMENDMENT TO REPEAL IRAQ WAR AUTHORIZATIONS<\/a><\/p>

Trump said on Monday that his administration also plans on \"stopping\" drug cartels that transport illicit drugs over land, \"the same way we stopped the boats.\"<\/p>

Barndollar said the buildup and military operations could be the start of an effort to topple the Maduro regime, though he warned that such an effort could have unintended consequences in the U.S.'s own backyard.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Maduro_31b3f3.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811328-1758108322", "title":"Nearly 9 in 10 expect more political violence, blame hot rhetoric", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwashington-secrets%2F3811328%2Fnearly-9-in-10-expect-more-political-violence-blame-hot-rhetoric%2F", "byline":"Paul Bedard", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Most Americans are bracing for even more political violence following an alleged leftist’s assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk last week in Utah. In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey shared with Washington Secrets on Wednesday, 85% of likely voters believe that “there will be more political violence in the next few months.” Nearly half — […]", "description":""

Most Americans are bracing for even more political violence<\/a> following an alleged leftist\u2019s assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk<\/a> last week in Utah.<\/p>

In the latest Rasmussen Reports<\/a> survey shared with Washington Secrets on Wednesday, 85% of likely voters believe that \u201cthere will be more political violence in the next few months.\u201d<\/p>

Nearly half \u2014 48% \u2014 picked the highest level of possible violence, \u201cvery likely,\u201d said the polling outfit.<\/p>

The new survey showed a sizable increase in concerns among voters who had already expressed their belief that political violence was on the rise. In a similar survey in June that followed the assassination of Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, 78% said that they expected more violence.<\/p>

In the new poll, equal percentages of Democrats and Republicans \u2014 87% \u2014 said they expected more political violence.<\/p>

Voters blamed \u201cheated political rhetoric\u201d<\/a> for the rise in violence. By a margin of 46% to 28%, they blamed the hot talk over the availability of firearms. Police have said that Kirk\u2019s alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, used his grandfather\u2019s rifle to kill Kirk from a Utah Valley University rooftop perch 175 yards to 200 yards from where the cofounder of Turning Point USA was speaking at an outdoor rally.<\/p>

Just 19%, meanwhile, blamed \u201cmental illness.\u201d<\/p>

Voters also said that political violence is the consequence of people who demonize \u201cthose with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.\u201d Some 86% agreed with that statement.<\/p>

SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS<\/a><\/p>

The Kirk slaying has increased the division and heated political rhetoric in America, especially on the Left. Democratic pollster John Zogby told Washington Secrets<\/a> this week that there is a \u201cstraight line\u201d between liberal woke ranting and Kirk\u2019s shooting.<\/p>

Liberal media outlets like CNN have featured guests and hosts trying to deny that Left politicians and influencers have been cheering Kirk\u2019s death, but the evidence pushed out by Kirk\u2019s allies has been impossible to deny.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Kirk-Violence-Ras.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811007-1758108213", "title":"Tech company penalties hang over Trump’s UK state visit", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3811007%2Ftech-company-penalties-hang-trump-uk-state-visit%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"LONDON — President Donald Trump is emphasizing technological cooperation and innovation during his visit to the United Kingdom, but strict regulations and the prospect of billions in penalties levied against American tech companies remain some of the biggest sticking points in talks with his British counterparts. In July, the British government designated Apple and Google […]", "description":""

LONDON \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> is emphasizing technological cooperation and innovation during his visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>, but strict regulations and the prospect of billions in penalties levied against American tech companies<\/a> remain some of the biggest sticking points in talks with his British counterparts.<\/p>

In July, the British government designated Apple and Google as having \u201cstrategic market status,\u201d the first designations handed down under the U.K.\u2019s recently enacted Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act.<\/p>

But though White officials say negotiations with the British government on the DMCC designations are still taking place, and occurring separately from the broader talks over a tariff framework, they could not say if their British peers planned to grant Apple<\/a> and Google<\/a> any sort of reprieve.<\/p>

\u201cThose are actively being negotiated, and those negotiations are ongoing,\u201d one senior White House official told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

A second senior Trump administration<\/a> official voiced frustration with the designations to the Washington Examiner, suggesting that the White House believes the U.K. is holding them as \u201cleverage\u201d while the finer points of the bilateral trade deal, the first announced following Trump\u2019s \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs in April, are finalized.<\/p>

Late last month, Apple submitted a private response to Britain\u2019s Competition Markets Authority, which handles enforcement of the DMCC, arguing the digital regulations would lead to unintended privacy and security harms for consumers, in addition to undermining incentives for foreign technology companies to invest in the U.K. market.<\/p>

\u201cWe're concerned these EU-style rules the U.K. is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers,\u201d an Apple spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. \u201cThis approach undermines the privacy and security protections our users have come to expect, hampers our ability to innovate, and forces us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors. We will continue to engage with the regulator to make sure they fully understand these risks.\u201d <\/p>

Apple CEO Tim Cook was reportedly invited to the state banquet capping Trump\u2019s Wednesday stay at Windsor Castle, but company representatives could not confirm his attendance.<\/p>

Representatives for Google declined to comment, but Google\u2019s parent company, Alphabet, announced on Tuesday a nearly $7 billion investment into Britain\u2019s artificial intelligence sector, including the opening of a billion-dollar AI data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire.<\/p>

The DMCC mirrors the European Union\u2019s Digital Markets Act, which previously labeled Apple and Alphabet as \u201cgatekeepers,\u201d collecting millions, if not billions, in fines from the firms in the process. Trump has railed against the DMA and other non-tariff penalties targeting American technology companies across the globe as he pursues his broader tariff<\/a> and trade strategy.<\/p>

\u201cLook at what they do to our companies. They sue Apple, they sue Google. Seventeen billion dollars they got from Apple on a lawsuit that they didn\u2019t have a case,\u201d the president told reporters during a July 8 Cabinet meeting regarding the monetary damages the EU was awarded over DMA violations. \u201cThey have, you know, judges that are European Union judges. They take so much money away from our country in terms of that, in terms of other things that they do.\u201d<\/p>

On Thursday, the final day of Trump\u2019s visit to the U.K., he and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> are expected to announce a technology agreement that government officials claim will establish a new \u201cgolden standard\u201d for trans-Atlantic cooperation on the development of artificial intelligence, innovative semiconductors, and quantum technologies.<\/p>

British Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall confidently stated that the partnership \u201cwill transform our lives.<\/p>

\u201cBoosting our tech ties with the US will help us deliver the change people here at home expect and deserve. That means good jobs which put more money in people's pockets, more investment in communities across the country, and new opportunities for our businesses and innovators.\"<\/p>

The U.S.-U.K. technology partnership drew praise from the left-of-center Chamber of Progress on Wednesday morning.<\/p>

\u201cCombining the individual strengths of the trillion-dollar tech industries of the US and the UK is a win\/win,\u201d Kay Jebelli, the Chamber of Progress\u2019s senior director for Europe, said in a statement. \u201cFuture success in the digital economy requires a robust tech ecosystem, and that means having best of class tools and services. On these solid foundations, British innovators and entrepreneurs will build the world class leading businesses of the future.\u201d<\/p>

The Trump administration has previously secured one major concession on Apple\u2019s behalf from the British government.<\/p>

LONDONERS CHEEKILY REACT TO TRUMP'S RED CARPET WELCOME: 'YOU'VE GOT TO DO WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO DO'<\/a><\/p>

In August, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> announced that the U.K. government had dropped its efforts to require Apple to provide the government access to its users' encrypted data, despite Apple claiming that the company itself did not have access to that information.<\/p>

\u201cOver the past few months, I\u2019ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside <\/a>[Trump] and [Vice President JD Vance<\/a>] to ensure Americans' private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected,\u201d Gabbard said at the time. \u201cAs a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a \u2018back door\u2019 that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260414376231.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811198-1758107457", "title":"London protesters taunt Trump during UK state visit", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3811198%2Flondon-protesters-taunt-trump-uk-state-visit%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"LONDON — Though President Donald Trump did not witness them in person, activists organized a rally to protest his state visit to the United Kingdom this week. Trump is spending Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where King Charles III rolled out the red carpet ahead of a lavish state banquet in the evening. But back in London, […]", "description":""

LONDON \u2014\u00a0Though President Donald Trump<\/a> did not witness them in person, activists organized a rally to protest his state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a> this week.<\/p>

Trump is spending Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where King Charles III rolled out the red carpet<\/a> ahead of a lavish state banquet in the evening. But back in London, the U.K.-based \"Stop Trump Coalition\" held an event of its own in central London, protesting the rise of \"fascism\" across the globe in addition to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.<\/p>

Following roughly one hour of speeches, the protesters began a march toward the Palace of Westminster, Parliament's seat in the capital, where they will hold another rally.<\/p>

A spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition mentioned some 50 activist groups that would participate in Wednesday's event but did not say how many protesters themselves would attend.<\/p>

\"After seeing the UK\u2019s largest far-right demo this past weekend, it is even more essential to turn out to protest against Donald Trump\u2019s state visit,\" event organizers said in a statement, citing the \"Unite the Kingdom\" protest organized by conservative activist Tommy Robinson over the weekend. That event drew more than 100,000 attendees, marking it as the right wing's largest London protest in decades.<\/p>

\"[British Prime Minister Keir] Starmer\u2019s response to this disgusting display was too little, too late, and now he\u2019s welcoming Trump here to discuss nuclear and tech deals that will help the rich get richer but do nothing for everyday people,\" the Stop Trump Coalition added. \"We do not want our Government to trade away our democracy and decency.\"<\/p>

Furthermore, on Tuesday night, as Trump was touching down in London, protesters managed to project imagery of Trump, Prince Andrew, and disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto part of the Windsor Castle wall.<\/p>

Trump has spent weeks seeking to downplay outrage over his administration's handling of the Epstein files, repeatedly referring to the case as a \"Democrat hoax.\"<\/p>

Meanwhile, Starmer sacked his former ambassador to the U.S., Lord Peter Mandelson, after it was revealed that he was among a group of close associates who had allegedly provided letters to Epstein for a book compiled in honor of his 50th birthday. Trump denies allegations that he, too, participated in that book.<\/p>

Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims, claimed that she had been trafficked directly to Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III. The scandal forced the royal to step down from all public duties in 2020, and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, pulled Andrew's military affiliations and royal charitable patronages two years later.<\/p>

Local police quickly intervened in Tuesday's incident at Windsor, arresting activists responsible for the projections and a large banner bearing the same imagery that had been placed on the green outside of the castle.<\/p>

LONDONERS CHEEKILY REACT TO TRUMP'S RED CARPET WELCOME<\/a><\/p>

Following his stay at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, Trump will travel to Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat, for a slate of bilateral meetings and a joint press conference before returning to Washington, D.C., Thursday evening.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260469188047.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811352-1758107330", "title":"Ousted CDC director says RFK Jr. planned to change childhood vaccine schedule", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3811352%2Fousted-cdc-director-rfk-jr-childhood-vaccine-schedule%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Ousted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez told the Senate on Wednesday that the Trump administration plans to change the childhood vaccine schedule, part of a series of clashes that led to her dismissal last month. Monarez’s testimony before the Senate health committee adds to the worries of critics of Health and […]", "description":""

Ousted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> Director Susan Monarez<\/a> told the Senate on Wednesday that the Trump administration plans to change the childhood vaccine schedule, part of a series of clashes that led to her dismissal last month. <\/p>

Monarez's testimony before the Senate health committee adds to the worries of critics of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> that he and his leadership team are aiming to limit access to childhood vaccines, including those for measles, polio, and Hepatitis B.Monarez, who was fired on Aug. 27, less than a month after being sworn in, told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> required her to preapprove the changes to the childhood vaccine schedule following the September meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which will occur this Thursday and Friday.<\/p>

Before Monarez\u2019s confirmation, Kennedy selected members of the ACIP board, which sets recommendations for vaccine approvals to be covered by health insurance, and replaced former members with those more skeptical of the status quo with respect to vaccinesCommittee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA) pressed Monarez on the timeline of her firing, which was the focus of Wednesday's hearing. Monarez said tensions began in early August with media reports that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would be examining requirements for childhood vaccines.<\/p>

Monarez told Cassidy that he demanded she provide \u201cblanket approval\u201d for any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule made by ACIP, regardless of scientific evidence, following its September meeting, scheduled for Thursday and Friday.<\/p>

Monarez said Kennedy told her on Aug. 25 that the CDC had never provided any data on the safety and efficacy of the current vaccine schedule and, therefore, that she needed to approve decisions from ACIP regarding all changes.<\/p>

\u201cHe just wanted blanket approval, and if I could not commit to approval of each and every one of the recommendations that would be forthcoming, I needed to resign,\u201d Monarez said. \"I did not resign, and that is when he told me he had already spoken to the White House about having me removed.\"<\/p>

MONAREZ TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE ABOUT CDC FIRING: WHAT TO KNOW<\/a><\/p>

Monarez later in the hearing stated that there were five other HHS political staff at the meeting where Kennedy demanded that she approve the ACIP changes: deputy chief of staff Jim O\u2019Neill, Chief of Staff Matt Buckham, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephanie Spear, General Counsel staff Bob Foster, and Ken Callahan, a member of the HHS counsel's office.\u00a0<\/p>

Monarez also said Kennedy told her that he spoke with President Donald Trump<\/a> \u201cevery day\u201d about changing the childhood vaccine schedule.<\/p>

The ousted director also told Cassidy that Kennedy requested that Monarez meet with Aaron Siri, an attorney who has worked with Kennedy on vaccine injury lawsuits and has petitioned for the revocation of the approval of the polio vaccine.<\/p>

Monarez told Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) later in her testimony that, after her first meeting with Kennedy on Aug. 25, she reached out to members of the Senate health committee to inform them of impending changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. <\/p>

She testified that the secretary admonished her for contacting members of the Senate and forbade her from doing so again. <\/p>

\u201cI was alarmed that I was not being consistent, I would not be consistent with those areas that I had committed to this committee that I would do, transparency, integrity, and I had reached out to the committee to share my concerns,\u201d Monarez testified. \u201cSecretary Kennedy became aware of that, and he was very concerned that I had spoken to members of Congress, and he told me I was never to do it again.\u201d<\/p>

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), one of the handful of physicians on the panel, pressed Monarez on whether she was the \u201cright person for this job\u201d because of her philosophical disagreements with Kennedy over whether parents should strictly follow the vaccine schedule. <\/p>

Monarez replied that she has \u201cworked for political appointees and politicians for almost 20 years\u201d and that, despite disagreement, \u201cdata has always been paramount.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cI will stand behind scientific integrity with every decision I ever make, if, if I am put in a position of having to say, 'I will cede the scientific integrity to retain my job,' then I am not the right person for the position,\u201d said Monarez. \u201cI believe that we must have science and evidence to support the best decisions for our children and others who would benefit from vaccines.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25240577744053-1.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811263-1758106884", "title":"Anti-Biden ‘uninstructed’ protest leader launches Democratic bid for Wisconsin governor", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3811263%2Ffrancesca-hong-launches-democratic-bid-wisconsin-governor%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong announced her bid to become governor of Wisconsin on Wednesday.  Hong, an outspoken Democrat in the Wisconsin state legislature, framed her campaign around elevating the working class and affordability, touting her background in the restaurant industry. “Working hard doesn’t always mean you can keep up. One wrong step can lay […]", "description":""

Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong announced her bid to become governor of Wisconsin<\/a> on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>

Hong, an outspoken Democrat in the Wisconsin state legislature, framed her campaign around elevating the working class and affordability, touting her background in the restaurant industry.<\/p>

\"Working hard doesn't always mean you can keep up. One wrong step can lay you out flat,\" she said in a video<\/a> announcing her campaign, adding, \"We can fix a rigged system that puts oligarchs over workers and small businesses. We can do better.\"<\/p>

Hong has represented a Madison area district, one of the state\u2019s Democratic strongholds, since being elected in 2020. She has been outspoken on progressive issues. During the 2024 Democratic primary, she backed the state\u2019s \u201cuninstructed\u201d movement, which urged voters dissatisfied with the Biden administration\u2019s stance on Israel to write in \u201cuninstructed\u201d over voting for then-President Joe Biden in the primary.<\/p>

She called herself a \u201cwild card\u201d in the race. Like many progressives, she had also pledged not to take donations from billionaires or corporate PACs.<\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t think this is so much a left-right issue as it is working-class people recognizing that billionaires, oligarchs, folks at the top of the tax bracket are benefiting off our work. The policies that people care about and resonate with are things that help them take care of themselves and their loved ones,\u201d she told Wisconsin Public Radio<\/a>.<\/p>

She joins a crowded field of Democratic candidates after Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) said he would not run for a third term<\/a>. Other Democratic candidates include state Sen. Kelda Roys, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who has the support of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson<\/a>. State Attorney General Josh Kaul is said to be considering a run.<\/p>

HIGHER CALLING: AMBITIOUS HOUSE MEMBERS EYE PROMOTIONS IN THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS<\/a><\/p>

Republican candidates include Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and businessman Bill Berrien. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) said he is considering a run and will decide later this year.<\/p>

This is the first Wisconsin gubernatorial race since 2010 with no incumbent.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259536057913.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811158-1758104763", "title":"Alexei Navalny’s widow says two labs have confirmed Putin dissenter was poisoned", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3811158%2Falexei-navalny-widow-two-labs-confirmed-putin-dissenter-poisoned%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The widow of Alexei Navalny, who died in February 2024 while imprisoned at an Arctic penal colony in Russia, said Wednesday that her husband was poisoned after two labs tested biological samples from his body. Until his death last year, Navalny was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics. The opposition leader was barred […]", "description":""

The widow of Alexei Navalny<\/a>, who died<\/a> in February 2024 while imprisoned at an Arctic penal colony in Russia<\/a>, said Wednesday that her husband was poisoned after two labs tested biological samples from his body.<\/p>

Until his death last year, Navalny was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics. The opposition leader was barred from running against the incumbent in 2018 due to an embezzlement conviction, one action that the Kremlin has taken against the dissenter. He was eventually imprisoned for a lengthy sentence.<\/p>

Russian authorities said Navalny became ill after a scheduled walk at the remote prison, telling his widow that he died from arrhythmia. Yulia Navalnaya disputed Russia's official statement, saying her husband never exhibited signs of heart disease before his death.<\/p>

In a video<\/a> posted Wednesday, Navalnaya said independent labs in at least two different countries determined Navalny was poisoned after examining his biological samples.<\/p>

\"These labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion: Alexei was killed. More specifically, he was poisoned,\u201d she said without elaborating on the specific poison or naming the countries in which the lab tests were conducted.<\/p>

Navalnaya explained that while she may not have legal grounds to share the test results with the public, she does have moral grounds.<\/p>

\"I demand that the labs that conducted the analyses publish their results,\" she added. \"Stop pandering to Putin on account of so-called higher considerations. While you remain silent, he does not stop. Perhaps even now, someone else is dying from another of Putin's poisonings.\"<\/p>

She noted that such cases have been seen not just in Russia but around the world.<\/p>

TRUMP FRUSTRATED PUTIN AND ZELENSKY 'CAN'T SIT IN A ROOM TOGETHER' AS HIS MEDIATOR ROLE EXPANDS<\/a><\/p>

In 2020, Navalny suffered from poisoning by a Soviet-developed Novichok nerve agent. As a result, he was severely hospitalized in Berlin for a month. He claimed that Putin was responsible.<\/p>

The Kremlin declined to respond to Navalnaya's new claims, with a spokesperson saying he was not aware of her statement and therefore could not comment when asked.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25154492697933.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809141-1758104712", "title":"Republicans welcome law enforcement, Democrats champion crime ", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3809141%2Frepublicans-welcome-law-enforcement-democrats-champion-crime%2F", "byline":"Pedro Rodriguez", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"As Democratic officials refused the federal government’s offer to help fight off crime, republican states and officials welcomed it, which created a contrast between the two parties’ tolerance for violent crime.  “The President’s constitutional authority to secure our borders is clear. I stand with him now as he works to reverse the disastrous open-border policies […]", "description":""

As Democratic<\/a> officials refused the federal<\/a> government\u2019s<\/a> offer to help fight off crime<\/a>, republican<\/a> states<\/a> and officials welcomed it, which created a contrast between the two parties' tolerance for violent<\/a> crime<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe President\u2019s<\/a> constitutional authority to secure our borders<\/a> is clear. I stand with him now as he works to reverse the disastrous open-border policies of the Biden\u2013Harris Administration<\/a> that created the worst border crisis in our nation's history,\u201d Rep. Andy Barr<\/a> (R-KY) told the Washington Examiner.\u00a0<\/p>

BONDI SAYS FEDERAL TROOPS WILL GO TO A CITY THAT \u2018WANTS US THERE\u2019 RATHER THAN CHICAGO\u00a0<\/a><\/p>

\u201cNo activist judge, left-wing politician, or special-interest group will stand in our way,\u201d the Freedom Caucus member added. <\/p>

Similarly, a spokeswoman for Rep. Andy Harris<\/a> (R-MD) told the Washington Examiner Rep. Harris \u201cstrongly supports President Trump\u2019s efforts to enforce our immigration laws and deport those in our country illegally.\"<\/p>

[Harris] \u201curges Maryland leaders to follow the administration\u2019s lead and prioritize the safety, security, and well-being of their communities by working to remove criminal illegal aliens and restore order to our cities,\" she added. <\/p>

Harris is not the only Republican in Maryland, which has a Democrat who continuously denies President Donald Trump\u2019s proposal to send federal law enforcement to welcome the administration's help.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIt is in our best interest to protect our cities, our families, and our communities. A stronger presence of law enforcement is certainly needed,\u201d Frederick County Councilmember Mason Carter told the Washington Examiner. <\/p>

The Maryland Republican\u2019s claim goes to show his zero tolerance for unprecedented crime rates in the state, which Gov. Wes Moore<\/a> (D-MD) says is under control.<\/p>

But it\u2019s not. While crime in Maryland has decreased over the past year, it is still higher<\/a> than the national average.\u00a0<\/p>

Across the country, more Republican officials have followed suit in the past week and have welcomed federal law enforcement to assist with anti-crime efforts, while Democratic officials continued to resist the efforts.\u00a0<\/p>

Last week, Arkansas<\/a> and Tennessee<\/a> became the newest states to welcome the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> to assist with anti-crime operations. <\/p>

\u201cI look forward to our guardsmen working with the Trump Administration to enforce federal immigration law,\u201d Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders<\/a> wrote. <\/p>

\u201cOur Guardsmen are highly trained and committed to enabling federal agents to focus on their core operations,\u201d added Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, Arkansas\u2019 adjutant general in the same news release.<\/p>

Arkansas's adoption of the anti-crime operations added it to the list of red states, such as Florida, Louisiana,\u00a0Georgia<\/a>, and Texas, that wish to put Americans first.\u00a0<\/p>

Democrats, on the other hand, would rather permit the mounting crime that plagues their states instead of cooperating with President Donald Trump\u2019s anti-crime operations. <\/p>

Illinois, for example, has desperately refused Trump's anti-crime operations. Even after the state witnessed an 18% rise<\/a> in violent crime in 2024 and a decline in arrests by 43% over the last 10 years, Mayor Johnson and Gov. Pritzker still believe they do not need assistance with their law enforcement operations.<\/p>

Another example is Memphis, where federal troops touched down just last week. <\/p>

In 2022 alone, Memphis had a homicide rate<\/a> nearly twice as high as Detroit. Regardless of having known this disturbing statistic, not only is the Mayor \u201cnot happy\u201d with National Guard presence, but he is purposely attempting to sabotage their operations.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m certainly not happy about the National Guard,\u201d said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. <\/p>

DEMS IN DISSARAY; BOWSER COOPERATES, PRITZKER DEFIES ON CRIME\u00a0<\/a><\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re going to do all that we can to make sure that it has a limited impact on our community,\u201d Young added.<\/p>

The strong uptick in crime in\u00a0Democrat-run<\/a>\u00a0cities,\u00a0whi<\/a>ch<\/a>\u00a0have been under Democratic rule for decades, and the Democrats' refusal to enforce the law only emphasize their tolerance toward crime.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234188868.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811120-1758104465", "title":"Trump and Vance headline administration-filled speaker lineup for Charlie Kirk memorial", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811120%2Ftrump-vance-headline-speakers-charlie-kirk-funeral%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will be the headline speakers at Charlie Kirk‘s funeral on Sunday, honoring the Turning Point USA founder alongside his widow, Erika Kirk. The Trump administration will lead the speaker lineup for Kirk’s funeral at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Four Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> and Vice President JD Vance<\/a> will be the headline speakers at Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s funeral on Sunday, honoring the Turning Point USA founder alongside his widow, Erika Kirk.<\/p>

The Trump administration will lead the speaker lineup<\/a> for Kirk's funeral at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Four Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, are set to give remarks at the memorial.<\/p>

The funeral will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, with doors opening at 8:00 a.m.<\/p>

Tucker Carlson is also in the lineup, as are White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and White House director of presidential personnel Sergio Gor.<\/p>

Trump told White House reporters on Monday that he expects the stadium to be \"packed\" for the service.<\/p>

\"I knew him very well. He was an amazing guy. He was an amazing guy. He was all about young people, getting them started right. He was like a magnet for young people,\" Trump said<\/a> of Kirk Monday.<\/p>

The funeral service will be first-come, first-served, pending the stadium's capacity, and the dress code is listed as \"Sunday Best\u2013 Red, White, or Blue,\" according to the program website<\/a>.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING SUSPECT FACES SEVEN CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY<\/a><\/p>

Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10 by a suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.<\/p>

Utah prosecutors said on Tuesday they would seek the death penalty for Robinson, as they filed seven felony charges against him.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Erika-kirk.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811159-1758104219", "title":"Head of Arizona Senate proposes renaming highway in honor of Charlie Kirk", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811159%2Farizona-senate-president-warren-petersen-proposes-renaming-loop-202-highway-honor-charlie-kirk%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The president of Arizona’s state Senate will introduce legislation to rename a highway in honor of Charlie Kirk. Senate President Warren Petersen said he would propose the legislation at the beginning of Arizona’s next legislative session, which begins in January. He wants to rename Loop 202 in the Phoenix Metro area to the “Charlie Kirk […]", "description":""

The president of Arizona's<\/a> state Senate will introduce legislation to rename a highway in honor of Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>

Senate President Warren Petersen said he would propose the legislation at the beginning of Arizona's next legislative session, which begins in January. He wants to rename Loop 202 in the Phoenix Metro area to the \"Charlie Kirk Memorial Loop 202,\" ABC15 Arizona reported<\/a>.<\/p>

\"We all have a role to play in carrying on Charlie's legacy,\" he said. \"Through God's grace, by renaming this highway, we can ensure that his name, his mission, and his witness to the gospel will endure for generations to come. Even in the midst of sorrow, God's Word reminds us that hope endures.\" <\/p>

\"Renaming this highway is a small step toward honoring Charlie's immense contribution, but it is also a call for each of us to press on in faith, to live courageously for Jesus, and to stand firm in the principles Charlie so boldly championed,\" Petersen continued.<\/p>

Arizona is a natural choice for one of the first memorial renamings in honor of Kirk \u2014 he moved Turning Point USA's national headquarters to the Valley, where the highway is located, in 2018.<\/p>

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, LAWMAKERS, AND PERSONAL FRIENDS PAY TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE KIRK AT KENNEDY CENTER VIGIL<\/a><\/p>

At a vigil in honor of Kirk at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, a longtime friend of the slain conservative, Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman, noted that the decision to move his activist organization to \"the heartland\" was purposeful. He argued that the move was meant to connect more with flyover Americans rather than bigwigs at the capital.<\/p>

Memorials and tributes to Kirk have sprung up across the nation following his death. Sports teams, public figures, and those in Congress and the White House have all sought ways to pay tribute to the influential youth leader.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258829161635-e1758118082311.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811110-1758102127", "title":"Suspect who attacked FBI Pittsburgh field office still on the loose", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811110%2Fsuspect-pittsburgh-fbi-attack-at-large%2F", "byline":"Salena Zito", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"PITTSBURGH — The local FBI field office in Pittsburgh has identified Penn Hills resident Donald Henson as the suspect who rammed into the gate of the compound at 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, accelerating right before the crash. Bradford Arick, the spokesman for the field office, told the New York Times that the suspect draped an […]", "description":""

PITTSBURGH \u2014 The local FBI <\/a>field office in Pittsburgh has identified Penn Hills resident Donald Henson as the suspect who rammed into the gate of the compound at 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, accelerating right before the crash.<\/p>

Bradford Arick, the spokesman for the field office, told the New York Times<\/a> that the suspect draped an American flag on the gate before fleeing on foot. The incident is believed to be a targeted attack.<\/p>

THE CULTURE OF NIHILISM MUST BE DEFEATED<\/a><\/p>

Henson, whose unconfirmed Facebook<\/a> page showed him playing a horn, was the only person allegedly in the vehicle. He fled on foot, Arick said.<\/p>

The field office released a statement Wednesday morning saying, \u201cAt approximately 2:40 a.m., an individual driving a white sedan proceeded to ram one of the vehicle entrance gates at FBI Pittsburgh. This individual exited the vehicle, removed an American flag from the backseat, and threw it onto the damaged gate. The individual then left the scene on foot.\"<\/p>

\"This incident is considered a targeted attack against the FBI. No FBI personnel were injured.\u201d<\/p>

GENERATION RAGE: AMERICAN YOUTH HERALD A NEW AGE OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE<\/a><\/p>

A bomb squad was sent to the field office site. No device had been found, he added.<\/p>

Henson is considered dangerous and is still on the loose.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260464420419.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811081-1758101721", "title":"Kristi Noem touts 150,000 new ICE applications after recruitment push", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fimmigration%2F3811081%2Fkristi-noem-150000-new-ice-applications-recruitment-push%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that over 150,000 people have submitted applications to Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the agency’s major recruitment campaign this summer. “ICE has received more than 150,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the […]", "description":""

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem<\/a> announced Tuesday that over 150,000 people have submitted applications to Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> following the agency's major recruitment campaign<\/a> this summer.<\/p>

\"ICE has received more than 150,000 applications from patriotic Americans who want to defend the homeland by removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.,\" Noem said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>

Of the total applications, ICE has selected 18,000 prospective candidates for tentative job offers.<\/p>

\"Americans are answering their country's call to serve and help remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our country,\" the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> chief added.<\/p>

In July, the DHS launched a new website<\/a> featuring Uncle Sam urging people to apply for one of three ICE positions: deportation officer, criminal investigator, or general attorney.<\/p>

ICE offers various incentives persuading job prospects to apply, including a maximum $50,000 signing bonus and options for student loan repayment and forgiveness.<\/p>

In the two weeks following its recruitment campaign, ICE received over 100,000 applications<\/a>.<\/p>

The department's rollout of the recruitment push was made possible by the passage of Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated $75 billion in additional funding for the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The bill set aside funding for arresting and deporting illegal immigrants and expanding detention space in prisons.<\/p>

WORKSITES BECOME MAJOR FOCUS OF ICE RAIDS: 'THE BIG TICKET'<\/a><\/p>

To attract more recruits, ICE lowered its age restrictions for hiring to 21 and eliminated its previous maximum age cap of 37 or 40. The maximum age limit varied depending on the position. The move prompted actor Dean Cain<\/a>, best known for his role as Superman, to become an ICE officer at age 59.<\/p>

With more agents joining, ICE will be able to more easily carry out its strict immigration agenda. Right now, the federal agency is carrying out immigration raids in Chicago and Illinois as part of \"Operation Midway Blitz<\/a>.\" An estimated 250 arrests<\/a> have been made since the operation started less than two weeks ago.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25163662336286.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811091-1758100895", "title":"New York Democrats line up behind Mamdani after Hochul endorsement", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3811091%2Fnew-york-democrats-line-up-behind-zohran-mamdani-after-kathy-hochul-endorsement%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"New York Democrats are following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D-NY) lead when it comes to backing Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor.  Comparatively centrist or establishment Democrats have expressed unease about Mamdani’s candidacy under the socialist banner, leading to monthslong speculation about whether Hochul would endorse his campaign.  Her move to do so […]", "description":""

New York<\/a> Democrats are following Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s (D-NY) lead when it comes to backing Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani<\/a> for New York City mayor. <\/p>

Comparatively centrist or establishment Democrats have expressed unease<\/a> about Mamdani\u2019s candidacy<\/a> under the socialist banner, leading to monthslong speculation about whether Hochul would endorse his campaign.\u00a0<\/p>

Her move to do so over the weekend<\/a> appeared to have swayed colleagues, leading them to issue their own endorsements. State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is expected to back Mamdani this week, according to the New York Post, after state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli offered his support Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>

As reported by\u00a0Politico, DiNapoli's endorsement was muted. He supported Mamdani based on his sweeping win against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe Democratic voters in the New York City primary made their choices. I respect their decisions and support the team of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor,\u201d he said. \u201cThough Assemblyman Mamdani and I have some serious differences on certain policies, I look forward to working with him to help New York City succeed and thrive.\u201d<\/p>

The latest developments in the mayoral race highlight the tensions <\/a>brewing between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party. Several powerful establishment figures in New York political circles continue to withhold key endorsements from Mamdani.\u00a0<\/p>

CUOMO DOWNPLAYS HOCHUL MOVE TO ENDORSE MAMDANI: \u2018THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS NOT MEETING THE MOMENT\u2019<\/a><\/p>

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have declined to back the socialist as the mayoral election looms.\u00a0<\/p>

Polls have Mamdani winning the race, even as his leading rivals, Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, have continued to downplay his margin of support.\u00a0<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25254573548888.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811057-1758100131", "title":"King Charles grants Trump a royal welcome, and flyover, during trip to Windsor Castle", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3811057%2Fking-charles-trump-royal-welcome-military-inspection-windsor-castle%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"LONDON — King Charles III greeted President Donald Trump with great pomp and circumstance at Windsor Castle on Wednesday afternoon for the opening of his second state visit. Trump, whose visit included a military flyover and lavish banquet, is the first foreign leader to receive a second state visit invitation from the Crown. The president and […]", "description":""

LONDON \u2014 King Charles III greeted President Donald Trump with great pomp and circumstance at Windsor Castle on Wednesday afternoon for the opening of his second state visit.<\/p>

Trump, whose visit included a military flyover and lavish banquet, is the first foreign leader to receive a second state visit invitation from the Crown.<\/p>

The president and first lady Melania Trump landed at London Stansted Airport late on Tuesday, spending the night at Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador's residence in the United Kingdom. The pair departed for Windsor, via Marine One, around 11:45 a.m. local time and touched down at the royal castle just before 12:14 p.m., where they were greeted by Prince William and Princess Katherine of Wales.<\/p>

Next, the Trumps were personally welcomed by Charles and Queen Camilla, and an accompanying 41-gun salute fired from the castle, before the president and the king loaded into a black carriage, trimmed in gold, and were transported into the Windsor quadrangle for a military ceremony featuring British \"beefeater\" soldiers sporting the iconic scarlet uniforms and tall, black bearskin hats.<\/p>

As the carriage proceeded clockwise through the quadrangle, the military band played \"The Star-Spangled Banner\" followed by \"God Save the King.\"<\/p>

Trump and Charles soon exited the carriage before joining the first lady and the queen on a raised dais. The president saluted as the band played \"The Star-Spangled Banner\" for a second time, before joining Charles for an inspection of the royal honor guard, with the president walking just a few feet in front of the king.<\/p>

Following the inspection, Trump and Charles returned to the dais to observe the departure of the military detachments. The last to leave were the bagpipe-playing Scots Guards, an apparent nod to the president's mother, who was Scottish. Furthermore, according to the British press, Wednesday's honor guard featured troops from three British regiments, compared to just two regiments at French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Windsor earlier this year.<\/p>

TECH COMPANY PENALTIES HANG OVER TRUMP'S UK STATE VISIT<\/a><\/p>

Several U.S. officials were also in attendance at the ceremony, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, communications director Steven Cheung, special assistant Margo Martin, and staff secretary Will Scharf.<\/p>

The Trumps proceeded to have a private lunch with the king and queen before taking a tour of the Royal private collection and visiting St. George's Chapel, where the president, according to the White House, took part in a private wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>

Late Wednesday afternoon, Trump, the first lady, Charles, and Camila headed to the Windsor Castle Garden to view the Beating Retreat ceremony, including a performance by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps dressed in Revolutionary War-era uniforms, as well as a flyover by the Royal Air Force's display team, the Red Arrows, complete with red, white, and blue contrails.<\/p>

According to British government officials, Wednesday was the first time the Beating Retreat had been performed at a state visit.<\/p>

LONDON PROTESTERS TAUNT TRUMP DURING UK STATE VISIT<\/a><\/p>

\"Beating Retreat is a military spectacle and ceremony which originated in the early years of organised warfare and symbolizes the end of the day when camp gates were closed and ceremonial flags were lowered,\" a Ministry of Defense official stated. \"The ceremony takes place on Horse Guards Parade every year in June, when the salute is taken by a member of the Royal Family.\"<\/p>

You can watch this morning's ceremony in full below:<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-zyfl74el7-1758112239749-e1758114444407.jpg?1758098022&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810996-1758098075", "title":"Brad Raffensperger announces run for Georgia governor", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fstate%2F3810996%2Fbrad-raffensperger-announces-run-georgia-governor%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger entered the gubernatorial race on Wednesday, becoming the latest candidate to join an already crowded Republican primary field. Raffensperger became a well-known figure nationally when he defied President Donald Trump’s calls to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and stood by Georgia’s declaration of then-candidate Joe Biden as the […]", "description":""

Georgia<\/a> Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger<\/a> entered the gubernatorial race on Wednesday, becoming the latest candidate to join an already crowded Republican primary field.<\/p>

Raffensperger became a well-known figure nationally when he defied President Donald Trump's calls to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and stood by Georgia's declaration of then-candidate Joe Biden as the winner. For this reason, Trump and his allies still scorn him. <\/p>

Despite this obstacle, Raffensperger is promising a strongly conservative campaign.<\/p>

\"I'm a conservative Republican, and I'm prepared to make the tough decisions. I follow the law and the Constitution, and I'll always do the right thing for Georgia, no matter what,\" he said in a video posted on his new campaign website<\/a>.<\/p>

If elected governor in 2026, Raffensperger promises to lower taxes and bring more jobs to the state. First elected as Georgia's secretary of state in 2018 after being a state legislator, he has highlighted his record on election security.<\/p>

Raffensperger launched his bid for governor after Georgia's Republican Party voted in June to keep him from running as a Republican. However, the party chairman said the effort may not be successful.<\/p>

\"I don\u2019t really see a way for the Georgia Republican Party to decline someone the opportunity to qualify,\" Chairman Josh McKoon said.<\/p>

It remains to be seen how the Georgia GOP's stance affects Raffensperger's chances during the 2026 primary.<\/p>

GEOFF DUNCAN LAUNCHES DEMOCRATIC BID FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR, VOWS TO 'STAND UP' TO TRUMP<\/a><\/p>

Raffensperger is expected to face tough competition from other Georgia Republicans, primarily Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr.<\/p>

On the Democratic side, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and state Rep. Derrick Jackson are vying for Georgia's executive office. Duncan, who became a Democrat after opposing Trump's claims of a stolen election in 2020, entered the race on Tuesday.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25160651283042.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3811021-1758097240", "title":"Spirit Airlines plane’s close encounter with Air Force One alarms air traffic controller", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3811021%2Fspirit-airlines-air-force-one-air-traffic-controller%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A Spirit Airlines flight was reprimanded on Tuesday as air traffic controllers ordered it to turn away from Air Force One, which was carrying President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.   The incident happened over Long Island, New York, as the president and first lady were en route to the United Kingdom for a […]", "description":""

A Spirit Airlines<\/a> flight was reprimanded on Tuesday as air traffic controllers ordered it to turn away from Air Force One, which was carrying President Donald Trump<\/a> and first lady Melania Trump.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The incident happened over Long Island, New York, as the president and first lady were en route to the United Kingdom for a state visit with King Charles III.\u00a0<\/p>

While the planes were never at what the Federal Aviation Administration would consider an unsafe distance, they were closer than the controllers deemed wise.\u00a0<\/p>

\"Pay attention. Spirit 1300 traffic off your left wing by 6 miles \u2014 or 8 miles, 747. I'm sure you can see who it is. Keep an eye out for him \u2014 he's white and blue,\" controllers said. \"Pay attention. Get off the iPad.\"<\/p>

In another urgent message, a controller radioed: \"Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\"Pay attention, Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right. Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right now.\u00a0Spirit wings 1300, turn 20 degrees right, immediately,\u201d he said, according to recordings from liveatc.net<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

The FAA issued a statement on the incident saying, \"Preliminary investigation shows aircraft maintained the required separation,\u201d according to CBS News. <\/p>

The president\u2019s flight landed safely in the U.K. without further incident. Trump arrived at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>

The debacle between Spirit Airlines and Air Force One comes after multiple recent aircraft violations from planes flying over Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump often stays at his golf club. <\/p>

TRUMP TO TARGET \u2018RADICAL-LEFT\u2019 GROUPS FUNDING VIOLENCE THAT LED TO CHARLIE KIRK\u2019S DEATH<\/a><\/p>

At least five general aviation aircraft violated the temporary flight restriction airspace over the weekend, according to the U.S. Air Force.\u00a0<\/p>

Military fighter jets had to intercept one of the civilian planes with flares to draw the pilot's attention on Sunday, in one such incident<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259500468949.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810536-1758096000", "title":"Dark days: The young Left increasingly embraces assassination culture", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fcolumnists%2F3810536%2Fdark-days-the-young-left-increasingly-embrace-assassination-culture%2F", "byline":"Joe Concha", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. It was a typical early December morning in New York City […]", "description":""

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here<\/a>.<\/p>

It was a typical early December morning in New York City<\/a> when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson started his day with a cup of coffee and a granola bar ahead of a day of meetings. That's when an assailant walked up behind him and shot him three times, killing the husband and father of two boys on a closed-circuit camera for the world to see. <\/p>

Five days passed before the suspected shooter, Luigi Mangione<\/a>, was arrested at a restaurant in Pennsylvania<\/a>. Because of the video, it is an open and shut case, given the overwhelming evidence against the 26-year-old Penn graduate. And usually in these kinds of cases, shock and condemnation would normally follow such a cowardly, senseless murder of an innocent man simply walking to work.\u00a0<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK AND THIS WATERSHED MOMENT FOR AMERICAN RENEWAL<\/a><\/p>

But that didn't happen. Instead, Mangione was, and still very much is, hailed as a vigilante\u00a0hero who stood up to the health insurance<\/a> industry. He was also somehow hailed as a sex symbol.<\/p>

Again, this is a monster who had just taken another man's life in cold blood.\u00a0\u201cI felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately,\" shared former New York Times<\/a> and Washington Post<\/a> \"reporter\" Taylor Lorenz during an interview with Piers Morgan<\/a> after she learned of Thompson's death.\u00a0\"Joy!? Serious? Joy at a man\u2019s execution?\u201d an exasperated Morgan shot back. \u201cMaybe not joy, but certainly not empathy,\" Lorenz replied with a chuckle.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cHow can this make you joyful? This guy is a husband, he\u2019s a father, and he\u2019s been gunned down in the middle of Manhattan<\/a>. Why does that make you joyful?\u201d Morgan followed. <\/p>

\u201cSo are the tens of thousands of Americans that he murdered!\u201d Lorenz retorted. <\/p>

This is obviously a profoundly sick perspective from a truly sick person. And it didn't stop there. Enter Sen. Elizabeth Warren<\/a> (D-MA), who also implied the murder was somehow justified.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe visceral response from people across the country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system,\u201d Warren told the Huffington Post<\/a> at the time.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cViolence is never the answer, BUT ... people can only be pushed so far.\u201d<\/p>

Yup. A former presidential candidate said that. <\/p>

It was no better over in late-night comedy. <\/p>

\u201cSo many women and so many men are going nuts over how good-looking this killer is!\u201d Jimmy Kimmel said on ABC. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge wave of horny washing over us right now!\"<\/p>

\"It\u2019s bananas!\" he later exclaimed. \"But I have to say it does feel kinda good. We\u2019re moving away from nonstop election coverage, and back to drooling over a cold-blooded murderer\u2019s eyebrows and abs.\"<\/p>

A few weeks later, Kimmel invited \"comedian\" Bill Burr on to hail Mangione. <\/p>

\"[Cable news] is not going to bring up the insurance companies that are just gonna keep everybody\u2019s [healthcare] premiums and still give themselves a bonus,\u201d Burr said to applause from the Los Angeles studio audience.<\/p>

\u201cYes! Free Luigi!\u201d he continued in reference to Mangione. \"I love how they acted surprised [after Thompson's murder], \u2018How could that happen?\u2019 He wrote on the bullets why it happened!\u201d  <\/p>

Mangione reportedly wrote \u201cdeny,\u201d \u201cdefend,\u201d and \u201cdepose\" on the three bullets he used. <\/p>

Mangione's GoFundMe has raised more than $1 million in donations. <\/p>

Fast forward to Sept. 10, 2025. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk is gunned down during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. His wife, 3-year-old daughter, and 1-year-old son were at the\u00a0venue when it happened. Kirk had built his movement from scratch at just the age of 18.\u00a0<\/p>

Since then, he has presided over the largest, most powerful conservative youth movement in this country's history. Kirk embraced debating those he disagreed with. No one reached across the aisle more than he did in an effort to resolve differences through a civil exchange of ideas.\u00a0<\/p>

And he was executed for it. <\/p>

The suspect in custody is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who reportedly had become increasingly political in recent years and professed a hatred for Kirk. Robinson allegedly was in a relationship with roommate Lance Twiggs, who reportedly was in the process of transitioning from male to female. <\/p>

Like Thompson's murder, one would expect the country to come together to castigate this heinous act. But anything but that has happened. Enter the New York Times<\/a>, which actually published an op-ed from the hateful Hasan Piker, who was scheduled to debate Kirk on Sept. 25.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\"Violence almost never originates in a vacuum, and the killing of a high-profile political content creator \u2014 regardless of why it happened \u2014 speaks to a breakdown in our social order,\" Piker wrote. <\/p>

Reasonable enough, but here's the problem: It's all phony. <\/p>

Piker is one of the very reasons why there's a breakdown in our social order. After all, this is the same guy who said, \"America deserved 9\/11\" while calling for blood in the streets. <\/p>

\"Kill them! Kill those motherf***ers! Murder those motherf***ers in the streets! Let the streets soak in their red capitalist bloods!\" he declared on his podcast earlier this year in a rant against landlords in California.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Piker has also called Orthodox Jews<\/a> \"inbred\u00a0pigs\" and has said he takes no issue with Hezbollah, the terrorist organization that murdered more than 1,200 people, including 41 Americans, in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.\u00a0<\/p>

So who better to comment on toxic culture and reflect on the legacy of Charlie Kirk, who was the exact opposite of the pro-violence, antisemitic Piker? <\/p>

It gets even worse over at the Nation:\u00a0<\/p>

Headline: \"Charlie Kirk\u2019s Legacy Deserves No Mourning; The white Christian nationalist provocateur wasn\u2019t a promoter of civil discourse. He preached hate, bigotry, and division.\"<\/p>

The writer is Elizabeth Spiers, who was an editor for the New York Observer and has been published in the New York Times. <\/p>

\"[Kirk] was an unrepentant racist, transphobe, homophobe, and misogynist who often wrapped his bigotry in Bible verses because there was no other way to pretend that it was morally correct. He had children, as do many vile people,\" she wrote just three days after Kirk was shot in the neck and killed. <\/p>

\"It\u2019s a choice to write an obituary that begins, 'Joseph Goebbels was a gifted marketer and loving father to six children,\" she later added in a vile reference to Hitler's propaganda minister. <\/p>

\"When we decline to speak ill of the dead, it\u2019s because we have compassion for the living. In this respect, I am sorry for Kirk\u2019s children. I don\u2019t know if Kirk was a good father, but if he was, that does little to mitigate the damage he did to other people\u2019s children,\" she continued. <\/p>

\"Kirk was fine with murder as long as the right people were dying,\" she concluded without any shred of evidence to support her claim. <\/p>

If you think this is one of the most disgusting things you've ever read, you're not alone. <\/p>

And ABC News reporter Matt Gutman completely debased himself with a bizarre report in which he praised the shooter for \u201ctouching\u201d messages to his trans boyfriend.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIt was very touching in a way that many of us didn\u2019t expect,\u201d Gutman said of Robinson\u2019s messages. <\/p>

\u201cIt was an intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect\u2019s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him \u2018my love,\u2019\" the journalist said. \"And \u2018I want to protect you, my love.' <\/p>

\u201cHe was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting, riveting press conference.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Gutman should be fired. Full stop. This was an absolutely nauseating way to talk about a murderer.  <\/p>

Even musicians decided to get in on the act. Here's Bob Vylan, who will never be confused with Bob Dylan.<\/p>

\"I want to dedicate this next one to an absolute piece of s*** of a human being,\" Vylan said during a concert in Amsterdam. \u201cThe pronouns was\/were. 'Cause if you chat s***, you will get banged. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, you piece of s***!\u201d<\/p>

The crowd in the Netherlands actually cheered this. <\/p>

And as if it couldn't get any more disturbing, a new poll from YouGov finds that 34% of those who are \"very liberal\" or \"liberal\" believe that political violence can be justified to achieve goals, and to celebrate the death of a public figure is perfectly fine. When asking those identifying as \"very conservative\" or \"conservative,\" just 11% feel the same way. <\/p>

When breaking the results down by age, just 51% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 believe violence is never justified. That's barely a majority.\u00a0<\/p>

It gets even more delusional, according to a study just released by Rutgers University, in which 70% of liberals say killing President Donald Trump is partially justified or completely justified.\u00a0<\/p>

Seven. In. Ten. <\/p>

The Rutgers study points to the social media platform BlueSky. <\/p>

\"BlueSky plays a significant and predictive role in amplifying radical issues,\" the study concludes. It was primarily on BlueSky where scores of videos were put on the platform by members celebrating Kirk's murder.\u00a0<\/p>

A father of two was murdered in Manhattan last December. And some either joked about it or tried to justify the killer's motive. <\/p>

A father of two was murdered in Utah last week. And according to polls and studies, far too many people say it was justified because they disagreed with him. <\/p>

The country has headed to a very dark place. <\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Will social media and gaming dehumanize so many more young adults that we're embarking into a terrifying cycle of violence and hatred with no remorse?<\/p>

Can we ever recover? <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259514386640.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810989-1758093506", "title":"WATCH LIVE: Trump arrives at Windsor Castle for welcome ceremony", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3810989%2Fwatch-live-trump-uk-state-visit-king-charles-windsor-castle%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump arrived at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom on Wednesday to meet with King Charles III, marking his second visit to the country in as many months. Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to arrive at Windsor Castle at 12:20 p.m. local time. The arrival ceremony is followed by a […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> arrived at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom<\/a> on Wednesday to meet with King Charles III<\/a>, marking his second visit to the country in as many months.<\/p>

Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to arrive at Windsor Castle at 12:20 p.m. local time. The arrival ceremony is followed by a private luncheon, a chapel visit, and a musical performance.<\/p>

Trump is expected to face pushback over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which the president has repeatedly denied.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25260404884983.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3807991-1758092400", "title":"Second round of September Social Security payments issues today", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3807991%2Fsecond-round-september-social-security-payments-issues-today%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The second round of September Social Security payments for retirees aged 62 and above, now capped at $5,108, will be issued today. When will checks arrive? Retirees born between the 11th and 20th of a month will receive this payment on Wednesday.  The first round of payments was issued on Sept. 10 for retirees born […]", "description":""

The second round of September Social Security payments for retirees aged 62 and above, now capped at $5,108, will be issued today.<\/p>When will checks arrive?

Retirees born between the 11th and 20th of a month will receive this payment on Wednesday<\/a>. <\/p>

The first round of payments was issued on Sept. 10 for retirees born between the first and 10th, and the third round will be distributed on Sept. 24 to those born on or after the 21st of a month.<\/p>When am I eligible?

Citizens are eligible for Social Security payments beginning at 62 years old.<\/p>How can I maximize my check?

Social Security payment amounts are determined by several factors, including age of retirement, the amount paid into Social Security, and the number of years paid into Social Security.<\/p>

Payments largely depend<\/a> on a recipient\u2019s retirement age. Someone retiring at the youngest age, 62, could receive up to $2,831 per month<\/a>, while a 70-year-old retiree could receive up to $5,108 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.<\/p>

Beneficiaries can see a personalized estimate of how much they could expect each month through<\/a> the SSA\u2019s calculator.<\/p>

RFK JR. ASKS STATES FOR \u2018BOLD, AUDACIOUS\u2019 RURAL HEALTH FUNDING REQUESTS<\/a><\/p>How is it financed?

Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid by employers and employees.<\/p>

Social Security payment amounts are set to shrink unless Congress takes action to prevent it. Analysts estimate<\/a> the SSA will no longer be able to issue full payments as early as 2034, due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking number of workers.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SSI-money-1-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3808098-1758092400", "title":"October Social Security direct payment worth $967 goes out in 14 days", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3808098%2Foctober-supplemental-security-income-14-days%2F", "byline":"Asher Notheis", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"October Supplemental Security Income payments, worth up to $967, will be issued to recipients in 14 days on Oct. 1. Most SSI payments are issued on the first of every month, including October. The following November payment, however, will be issued on Oct. 31, because Nov. 1 falls on a weekend this year. Beneficiaries are […]", "description":""

October Supplemental Security Income<\/a> payments, worth up to $967, will be issued to recipients in 14 days on Oct. 1.<\/p>

Most SSI payments are issued on the first of every month, including October. The following November payment, however, will be issued on Oct. 31, because Nov. 1 falls on a weekend this year.<\/p>

Beneficiaries are people with limited income who are either blind, aged 65 and older, or have a qualifying disability.<\/p>

The amount recipients receive varies based on several factors, including the number of people filing<\/a>. Individuals, for instance, can receive up to $967, couples filing together can receive $1,450, and essential people providing necessary care to SSI recipients can receive up to $484.<\/p>

January SSI payments increased by 2.5%<\/a> to keep pace with inflation.<\/p>

In addition to the previous prerequisites to receive SSI payments<\/a>, recipients must also be U.S. citizens or noncitizens in one of the alien classifications granted by the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>

RUBIO ARGUES UK RECOGNIZING PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD \u2018WILL MAKE NO IMPACT\u2019<\/a><\/p>

Additionally, they must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and must also not be absent from the United States for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days.<\/p>

A full calendar<\/a> for the Social Security Administration payments can be viewed on the agency\u2019s website.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Social-Security-money-3-3.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810598-1758092400", "title":"Bondi faces fresh conservative backlash over ‘hate speech’ comments", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3810598%2Fbondi-fresh-conservative-backlash-hate-speech-comments%2F", "byline":"Naomi Lim", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Attorney General Pam Bondi is once again in trouble with her own party over her promise to prosecute “hate speech,” with concerns over free speech rivaling the criticism she faced over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. On Tuesday, Bondi qualified her statement that the Justice Department would “go after you if you are […]", "description":""

Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a> is once again in trouble with her own party over her promise to prosecute \u201chate speech,\u201d with concerns over free speech<\/a> rivaling the criticism she faced over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> case.<\/p>

On Tuesday, Bondi qualified her statement that the Justice Department would \u201cgo after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.\u201d She narrowed the scope to cases in which the speech incites violence, listing examples of when the government might prosecute from her X account.<\/p>

But her initial comments, made Monday in light of the Charlie Kirk assassination, set off a bipartisan backlash and calls for her resignation.<\/p>

\u201cI would fire her for this or I'd give her a few hours to fix it and then go take a remedial course in the First Amendment<\/a>,\u201d David Keating, the president of the Institute for Free Speech, told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

\u201cI'm speechless that the chief law enforcement officer of the United States would get the First Amendment so badly wrong,\u201d Keating added. \u201cI understand her anger, but I don't excuse this kind of statement.\u201d<\/p>

Those criticisms were especially pronounced among conservatives, who have previously questioned Bondi\u2019s competence after she moved to end the investigation into disgraced financier Epstein. Her Justice Department released a memo in July denying the existence of a \u201cclient list,\u201d which seemed to contradict her earlier statements.<\/p>

She faced further blowback over the release of a tape meant to put to bed speculation that Epstein was killed in his prison cell, rather than died by suicide. Her explanation of a \u201cmissing minute\u201d in the footage was later contradicted by the release of a more complete tape afterward.<\/p>

\u201cBetween this \u2018hate speech\u2019 nonsense and Epstein<\/a>, Pam Bondi has committed two of the most egregious errors we\u2019ve ever seen from an Attorney General,\u201d conservative commentator Matt Walsh wrote on social media. \u201cHow many seismic f\u2014 ups will Trump permit her before he cuts her loose?\u201d<\/p>

The Epstein criticism died down during August as Democrats, who seized on the MAGA-fueled scrutiny, returned to their districts for a monthlong recess and Trump\u2019s National Guard takeover of Washington took the national spotlight.<\/p>

But her comments on hate speech invited a rare break between Republicans on Capitol Hill and the administration and fresh questions about her tenure at the Justice Department.<\/p>

Rep. Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY), a libertarian, criticized \u201cHate speech\u201d as a \u201cterm used by those in power to describe thoughts they don\u2019t want spoken,\u201d calling it \u201cantithetical to the First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>

\u201c\u2018Hate\u2019 speech - as even a concept - is a tool of leftists and tyrants\u2026 certainly not conservatives,\u201d Rep. Chip Roy <\/a>(R-TX) also wrote on social media.<\/p>

Trump appeared to defend Bondi on Tuesday morning as he departed the White House for his second state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>

When an ABC<\/a> reporter asked about her remarks, Trump said, \u201cProbably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly with hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they'll have to go after you,\u201d he added.<\/p>

Republicans on Capitol Hill also backed Bondi\u2019s qualified statement that speech inciting violence should be prosecuted.<\/p>

\u201cThere's no constitutional protected right to incite people to violence,\u201d he said. \u201cI don't care who it is, whether it's people on the right or people on the left,\u201d Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) said.<\/p>

This is not the first time the Trump administration has caused upset on the Right. Before Kirk\u2019s death, the White House had been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for an executive order aimed at punishing flag burning. With that order, the administration narrowed the scope of prosecution to those who incite violence or \u201clawless action\u201d while burning a flag.<\/p>

Jacob Mchangama, executive director of the Future of Free Speech, told the Washington Examiner he \u201ccompletely\u201d understood why \u201cpeople are repulsed\u201d by those celebrating Kirk\u2019s death, but underscored that \u201cthere's a difference between moral condemnation and criminal persecution.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cWhat I think is particularly ironic is that this administration has been, and I think rightfully so, critical of European democracies for going after hate speech,\u201d Mchangama said. \u201cThat speaks to the incoherence of this and inherent danger in a polarized America that free speech becomes this political prop that each side can use whenever it suits its agenda and then disregard when it doesn't.\u201d<\/p>

Mchangama noted that, shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed an order to \u201crestore free speech and ensure that no federal government official would violate the First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cA lot of people on the Right voted for Trump because he promised to sort of do away with at least the cancel culture part of it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt unfortunately mirrors cancel culture from the left. We all remember the days when James Bennett had to leave The New York Times for publishing an op-ed by Tom Cotton, and you basically couldn't say much that questioned the prevailing narrative around racial justice in the country without facing consequences, and lots of people lost their jobs.\u201d<\/p>

In terms of Bondi\u2019s remarks, Alex Morey, a specialist at Freedom Forum First Amendment, said that the First Amendment has \u201cwell-defined\u201d exceptions, including true threats and incitement, that \"balance free speech rights with the harm some types of speech can cause by regulating conduct rather than unpopular content.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAny hate speech regulation focuses solely on content and by default, requires politicians to make personal value judgements about which views are good or bad,\u201d Morey told the Washington Examiner. \u201cNo one person or political party can do this in a principled way.\u201d<\/p>

Aaron Terr, public advocacy director for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, agreed, reiterating that \u201cthe assassination of Charlie Kirk was a tragedy and a violent rejection of the values of free speech and open debate.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cUnfortunately, instead of reaffirming those values, the Trump administration is threatening to undermine them by cracking down on so-called \u2018hate speech\u2019 about Kirk or his death,\u201d Terr told the\u00a0Washington Examiner. \u201cBut one of the First Amendment\u2019s most basic principles is that the government cannot censor speech simply because officials or the majority find it hateful or offensive. History and other countries' experience show why: \u2018hate speech\u2019 is a vague concept that officials predictably exploit to suppress dissent.\u201d<\/p>

He continued: \u201cThat\u2019s why everyone should be deeply wary of the administration\u2019s next steps.\u201d<\/p>

Bondi\u2019s comments, made on the Katie Miller Podcast, reflect the more aggressive tone the Trump administration is taking after Kirk was killed at an event in Utah, in particular toward left-wing groups that Trump and his advisers have claimed have fomented violence.<\/p>

PATEL TO BE GRILLED OVER HANDLING OF CHARLIE KIRK CASE AFTER RUMBLINGS OF DISCONTENT<\/a><\/p>

\"Focused anger, righteous anger directed for a just cause, is one of the most important agents of change in human history,\u201d White House<\/a> deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller<\/a> told Vice President JD Vance<\/a> during a tribute taping of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast. \u201cWe are going to channel all of the anger that we have to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks.\"<\/p>

\u201cWith God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the [Department of Justice<\/a>], [Department of Homeland Security<\/a>], and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks,\" Miller said. \"It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie's name.\"<\/p>

David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258799552005.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810626-1758092400", "title":"Recession and ‘stagflation’ loom as economic concerns", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3810626%2Frecession-stagflation-among-economic-concerns-for-some%2F", "byline":"Zach Halaschak", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Given the level of uncertainty with the economy, labor market, and inflation, some economists have started talking about the possibility of a recession or even “stagflation.” The economy has been in sharp focus in recent weeks because of three reasons: substantial downward revisions to jobs data indicate that the labor market is weakening, inflation is […]", "description":""

Given the level of uncertainty with the economy<\/a>, labor market, and inflation<\/a>, some economists have started talking about the possibility of a recession<\/a> or even \u201cstagflation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>

The economy has been in sharp focus in recent weeks because of three reasons: substantial downward revisions to jobs data indicate that the labor market is weakening, inflation is still too high, and the Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates for the first time during President Donald Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>

Those factors tie into fears about a recession and fears about the possibility of stagflation, which is a portmanteau of stagnation and inflation.<\/p>

Economists are divided on just how likely it is that the economy will succumb to stagflation or fall into a recession, and there is added uncertainty given Trump\u2019s tariff agenda, which has little past precedent to be compared to.<\/p>The data

To understand concerns about a recession and stagflation, the data and data trends are key.<\/p>

Inflation is still too high. The Fed\u2019s goal is 2% long-run inflation, and for years now, since the post-pandemic inflation wave, annual price growth has been too high, causing pain for consumers and causing the Fed to hike interest rates.<\/p>

Inflation, tracked by the consumer price index, rose to 2.9%<\/a> in August. The producer price index report showed that annual inflation unexpectedly fell<\/a> seven-tenths of a percentage point to 2.6% for the year ending in August.<\/p>

The Fed\u2019s preferred gauge of inflation held steady at 2.6% for the year ending July, the most recent reading.<\/p>

The job market is also flagging. Trump and the Fed got a bevy of bad news in recent weeks, indicating that the situation with the labor market is worse than was previously thought.<\/p>

The economy added just 22,000 jobs<\/a> in August, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%. Also, the July jobs report<\/a> revealed that some 258,000 fewer jobs were added in May and June than previously reported. <\/p>

Additionally, the government announced that labor market growth for the 12 months ending in March was 911,000 jobs less than previously reported.<\/p>

Still, economic growth is chugging along. After dipping in the first quarter of 2025, U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 3.3% annual rate in the second quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported in its most recent projection.<\/p>Stagflation

Stagflation is one of the worst economic scenarios that could play out. It\u2019s when prices are rising while economic growth and the labor market are languishing.<\/p>

The term was coined in the 1970s, when the economy suffered both high inflation and rising unemployment. Before then, many leading economists thought that combination was impossible. Instead, they believed that higher inflation could be traded off for lower unemployment.<\/p>

But there is no precise definition for what constitutes a stagflationary economy. While inflation is too high, GDP is still expanding, and while weakening, the labor market is still treading water. There is no clear line in the sand that economists have to indicate when stagflation is occurring, according to Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.<\/p>

\u201cThere is a sort of a threading of the needle that has to occur, in the sense of you still have sufficient price pressures occurring within an environment where growth is either lackluster or not present at all,\u201d Hamrick said.<\/p>

In a second-quarter update from August, Wells Fargo pegged<\/a> the odds of a stagflationary scenario at an elevated, but steady 28%.<\/p>

Michael Klein, an economics reporter at Tufts University, told the Washington Examiner that the stagflation that occurred in the 1970s was due to oil price shocks.<\/p>

\u201cSo those kinds of shocks to the supply of goods and services can lead to a situation where you have inflation and a weak economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Klein highlighted the biggest factors today that could act in a similar way to those oil shocks from the 1970s. One factor would be the historic tariffs and their effect on the economy, and another would be the crackdown on immigration, given how many sectors of the economy rely on immigration. He said a third factor would be the uncertainty itself that exists right now \u2014 companies tend to hold off investing and hiring during periods of high uncertainty.<\/p>

Peter Ireland, an economics professor at Boston College, said that while he thinks the concerns about stagflation are legitimate, he isn\u2019t as concerned about it as other economists might be, largely because of the jobs data.<\/p>

\u201cI think a lot of the employment data is a view that we're getting through the rear-view mirror,\u201d Ireland told the Washington Examiner. \u201cA lot of the downward revisions came from very early 2025 and 2024, and speak more to where the economy has been, as opposed to what we're likely to see going forward.\u201d<\/p>

He also said that while economists are right to be concerned about tariffs, there are other economic policies under the Trump administration that have the opposite effect and are strongly pro-growth.<\/p>Recession

The definition of a recession is clearer cut, and recessions have occurred several times in U.S. history. Basically, it\u2019s an economic downturn, but there is a much more precise metric for what that means than stagflation.<\/p>

There isn\u2019t a single government agency that has the authority to declare a recession. Instead, those in government and most economists look to the National Bureau of Economic Research to declare one. The NBER is a private group that is seen as an authority on the matter.<\/p>

NBER defines a recession as \u201ca significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months,\u201d although there has been a historical precedent of labeling two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth recessionary. The periods feature rising unemployment.<\/p>

The last recession was a very brief yet sharp downturn at the outset of the pandemic in 2020. And before that, the U.S. economy was in the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009.<\/p>

Notably, GDP fell 0.5% in the first quarter, but rebounded in the second quarter. The Atlanta Fed\u2019s \u201cGDPNow\u201d tracker predicts that GDP growth in the third quarter will grow by 3.1%, according to the latest estimate.<\/p>

Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told the Washington Examiner that, given the slowing labor market, right now the Fed\u2019s biggest concern is preventing the economy from falling into a recession.<\/p>

GOLD PRICES SOAR, OUTPERFORMING STOCK MARKET AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY<\/a><\/p>

This week, Moody\u2019s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi said that recession odds are now<\/a> \u201cuncomfortably high,\u201d with the odds of a recession in the next year now at 48%.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s less than 50%, but historically, the probability has never gotten this high, and a recession has not ensued,\u201d he said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP19226732002782.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810642-1758092400", "title":"Johnson in battle against the clock to send funding patch to Senate", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3810642%2Fjohnson-battle-against-clock-send-funding-patch-senate%2F", "byline":"Rachel Schilke", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faces a daunting task of rallying his Republican conference, swaying holdouts, and bringing a short-term spending bill to the floor by the end of this week, ahead of a government shutdown. Republicans released bill text for the continuing resolution on Tuesday. Under the 72-hour rule, this would put the legislation up for a […]", "description":""

Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) faces a daunting task of rallying his\u00a0Republican<\/a>\u00a0conference, swaying holdouts, and bringing a short-term spending bill to the floor by the end of this week, ahead of a government shutdown<\/a>.<\/p>

Republicans released bill text for the continuing resolution<\/a> on Tuesday. Under the 72-hour rule, this would put the legislation up for a vote on Friday afternoon. But with Congress set to go on a weeklong recess for Rosh Hashanah next week, and a deadline of Sept. 30, the speaker is looking to push the vote up to Thursday.<\/p>

\u201cI would do it as soon as there\u2019s a consensus to move it,\u201d Johnson told reporters. \u201cThere will be a couple of guys who will insist, probably, at least it goes to late Thursday. But at the latest, we\u2019d be doing it Friday morning.\u201d<\/p>

Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters he expected a vote Thursday or Friday, noting that \u201csome of our members still have questions.\u201d Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD), who has advocated for a full-year CR, said he didn\u2019t mind voting Friday morning.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s close,\u201d Harris said when asked about respecting the 72-hour rule. \u201cWe all know what this is about. This is not that complicated, the bill.\u201d<\/p>

If the bill passes the House this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated he would keep the upper chamber in session over the weekend.<\/p>

The speaker and Republicans have insisted the 91-page CR is \u201cclean,\u201d a term for keeping spending levels flat. <\/p>

But the bill does include anomalies from the White House: a $30 million increase for a law enforcement mutual aid fund, a $58 million request from the Trump administration for security increases for the executive and judicial branches, and a $1 billion funding fix for Washington, D.C.\u2019s budget.<\/p>

At least four Republicans have come out against the CR: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Warren Davidson (R-OH). The House has a two-vote margin, so Johnson must flip at least two of the Republicans in order to pass the CR along party lines.<\/p>

Davidson told reporters Tuesday evening that he is now \u201cundecided\u201d after the text came out. He said he wants a commitment from leadership on the next steps for the funding process. <\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t want there to be a shutdown, but I don\u2019t want there to be a lot more spending,\u201d Davidson said. \u201cSo it kinda depends on what the plan is.\u201dHe said he\u2019d like to see leadership commit to working on instructions for a second reconciliation bill between now and Nov. 20. Davidson also said he\u2019d like to see the savings from the first \u201cbig, beautiful bill\u201d go toward protecting Social Security.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get leadership to run that play since December,\u201d he added. <\/p>

The Washington Examiner reached out to Greene, Massie, and Spartz for comment on the CR.<\/p>Johnson faces a bad omen after dissenters threaten unrelated rule

Johnson already used up considerable energy swaying holdouts on Tuesday to vote for a procedural rule that included language to block any effort to terminate President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs until the end of March 2026. <\/p>

The rule almost failed, however, when six Republicans halted action on the floor by initially voting against the procedural measure. Rule votes, historically a test of party loyalty, began to fail more regularly under the Kevin McCarthy and Johnson speakerships. Before that, it had been decades since the House had seen a failure on the procedural hurdle.<\/p>

Johnson has faced six rule vote failures<\/a> under his speakership, with the most recent on July 15.<\/p>

The rule stayed open for over 40 minutes as leadership worked to sway back Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Tom McClintock (R-CA). Massie and Spartz were the remaining two to vote against the rule, but leadership did not attempt to sway them to a yes.<\/p>

Eventually, Obernotle, Bacon, and McClintock flipped their votes to yes, allowing the rule to pass.<\/p>

Afterwards, McClintock said<\/a> on X that the power to impose tariffs should be restored to Congress.<\/p>

\u201cI ultimately voted yes only after the Speaker agreed: 1) To modify the extension to January 31 in a rule to be brought to the floor this week and 2) to immediately convene a working group within the Republican conference to address the tariff issue, including possible measures to modify existing policy and clarify Congress\u2019s role in setting that policy,\u201d McClintock said.<\/p>

Scalise confirmed to reporters that the new date for the tariff restrictions will be at the end of January. That language will be part of a rule vote held on Wednesday.<\/p>

Bacon told the Washington Examiner that he understood Republican leaders didn\u2019t want Democrats to bring tariff resolutions to the floor, but that the holdouts wanted to \u201cget their attention.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOur response was, what are we working on regarding tariffs,\u201d Bacon said. \u201cLet\u2019s be proactive.\u201d <\/p>Democrats lock arms against CR, leaving Johnson to fend alone

If Johnson is hoping for an easy passage, he won\u2019t get any assistance from Democrats.<\/p>

Top Senate and House Democratic appropriators released statements against the CR, arguing that the process has been partisan and Republicans have failed to come to the negotiating table.<\/p>

\u201cFor the last few days, we have been working with Chairs Cole and Collins on a bipartisan, short-term continuing resolution,\u201d Appropriations ranking members Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said in a statement. \u201cWe stand ready to continue down this path that would give us time to complete full-year bills, if Speaker Johnson backs away from this partisan move.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSpeaker Johnson and Leader Thune need to finally come to the table to negotiate with Democratic leadership on healthcare, lowering the cost of living, and other critical issues \u2014 something they have outright refused to do for weeks,\u201d the Democrats added.<\/p>

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said during a press conference on Thursday that the CR is a \u201cdirty piece of legislation.\u201d <\/p>

Johnson\u2019s only allies could be a handful of conservative Democrats, who often cross party lines due to their purple or red-leaning districts or states. But Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), a vulnerable House Democrat, told the Washington Examiner he is a \u201cno\u201d on the spending deal.<\/p>

HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL SHORT-TERM SPENDING DEAL WITH $30 MILLION BOOST FOR MEMBER SECURITY<\/a><\/p>

Republicans have been unable to include language to address the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits or reforms to Medicaid. Johnson has said the expiring credits are a \u201cDecember policy problem,\u201d not one that should be part of funding negotiations, despite some of their centrist flank urging leadership to take action.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ve read it. It sounds very reasonable, but it\u2019s missing healthcare,\u201d Cuellar said. \u201cSo all we need is healthcare in there, and we\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>

David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259574368507.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810090-1758090600", "title":"Britain fêtes Trump like a king, but he knows he isn’t one", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3810090%2Fbritain-fetes-trump-like-king%2F", "byline":"Hugo Gurdon", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"During the pandemic, someone shared a meme of President Donald Trump in his gilded New York apartment. Near him, first lady Melania Trump draped herself over a piano, while their son, Baron Trump, sat astride a stuffed tiger. The image was accompanied by a question: “If Trump got Covid and lost his sense of taste, […]", "description":""

During the pandemic, someone shared a meme of President Donald Trump<\/a> in his gilded New York<\/a> apartment. Near him, first lady Melania Trump draped herself over a piano, while their son, Baron Trump, sat astride a stuffed tiger. The image was accompanied by a question: \u201cIf Trump got Covid and lost his sense of taste, how could you tell?\u201d<\/p>

It was a wittier jab than most, for the president has an excessive love of gilt. As with his massive flags<\/a> flying on the White House<\/a> lawn, his attitude is that if something is good, more of it is better. <\/p>

Gold accents recently applied by Trump glitter all over the Oval Office<\/a> and show that the president doesn\u2019t tend toward dignified restraint, and doesn't indeed do anything by halves. <\/p>

HUGO GURDON: ON FLAG BURNING, THE RIGHT IS WORKING FOR THE LEFT<\/a><\/p>

So much, so obvious \u2014 and so helpful to the British government in preparing for Trump\u2019s unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>. It is giving him as much gold-plated grandeur, pomp, circumstance, and ceremony as possible, as only the British know how.<\/p>

Along with his strong Anglophilia, the president inherited a love of the monarchy from his Scottish mother, and this presents U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a gift of an opportunity, on a silver platter, to flatter the president. In addition to practical and beneficial deals on nuclear power, artificial intelligence, and other technology to be finalized at their summit on Thursday, the prime minister wants to smooth away American scowls at his suppression of free speech and his degenerate reward of terrorism via recognition of a Palestinian state.<\/p>

Starmer\u2019s government directed King Charles III to invite Trump, which is how things work in a constitutional monarchy, and then delivered the handwritten royal billet doux during his last visit to the Oval Office. This drew a delighted \u201cwow\u201d from the president.<\/p>

The king is hosting Trump at Windsor Castle, a massive, grey, medieval, hilltop pile that is the monarch\u2019s preeminent royal residence outside London. Household guards\u2019 regiments \u2014 infantry in brilliant red tunics and bearskins, and cavalry in plumes and cuirasses \u2014 will parade before the president. There will be cannon fire, salutes, and a military flyover. There will be medals, white ties, black swallow coattails, and the grandest of gilded state banquets.<\/p>

The president will thus get an enormous dollop of Anglo ceremonial \u2014 that\u2019s how the British do their love-bombing \u2014 which Starmer and the king hope and expect will be reciprocated with a floodtide of Trumpian goodwill.<\/p>

All this raises the question of whether Trump loves monarchy so much that he wants to be a king. It is interesting to consider the Democrats\u2019 short-lived and fatuous message along these lines while Trump rubs shoulders with royalty. Is there any connection between Trump\u2019s taste for the trappings of authority, his expectation that underlings will fawn on him, and his supposed dislike of democracy and threat to it?<\/p>

Blue party leaders dropped this suggestion swiftly when polling<\/a> showed the public was not buying it, although a few bitter clingers in the base naturally continued for some months to parrot the line that had been fed to them.<\/p>

But critics who depict everything Trump does as a threat to democracy \u2014 their taste for garish rhetoric is comparable or worse than his \u2014 deliberately confuse two connected but different things.<\/p>

Yes, Trump is indeed neither steeped nor interested in the forms of constitutional republican government. As a lifelong business executive, he is frustrated by the repeatedly established fact that he cannot just order something to be done and it is so. But it is a big leap from there to suggest, as so many do, that he is dismantling American democracy. His dislike of and irritation with proper procedures that thwart him does not, to a reasonable and unbiased judge, merge into a plan to wreck our republic and make the last election literally the last election.<\/p>

Trump has issued more executive orders than any president before, but many of them are part of a well-conceived plan to prod and divine the proper boundaries of executive authority. The orders are often pitched modestly, as with the recent flag burning order to take whatever action is allowed by law. When it is uncertain what the law does and does not allow, Trump wants to create test cases that, in many cases, will roll back incursions on executive authority by unelected bureaucrats.<\/p>

CHINA, SCIENCE, AND TRADE TOP TRUMP'S UK PRIORITIES<\/a><\/p>

He is not acting like a king, by which even in this age of circumscribed constitutional monarchs, people think of as an absolute ruler. He is trying to ensure that he gets as much as possible of his democratically approved agenda done and does not preemptively stymie himself by assuming constitutional barriers are properly erected where the deep state has been throwing them up for the past several generations.Trump\u2019s modus operandi is not to many people\u2019s taste. It is hardly to mine. But he and his voters are not interested in allowing or facilitating continued genteel decline. It\u2019s to his credit that he is ready to be called crass if that\u2019s the price of restoring the nation. Or, as former President Barack Obama put it, of getting America out of the ditch<\/a> where the other side drove it off the road.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ap19153480123178_720.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810963-1758089617", "title":"Man drives vehicle into Pittsburgh FBI building in ‘targeted attack’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810963%2Fman-drives-vehicle-into-fbi-building-in-pittsburgh%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A driver crashed a car into the gate of an FBI building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on early Wednesday morning.  Witnesses claimed to have seen the driver exit the vehicle and place a U.S. flag over the gate after the crash. He then proceeded to yell at the FBI building, but there was no confirmation of […]", "description":""

A driver crashed a car into the gate of an FBI<\/a> building in Pittsburgh<\/a>, Pennsylvania, on early Wednesday morning. <\/p>

Witnesses claimed<\/a> to have seen the driver exit the vehicle and place a U.S. flag<\/a> over the gate after the crash. He then proceeded to yell at the FBI building, but there was no confirmation of what was said. The man then walked away. <\/p>

\u201cHe got out and went around the passenger side and pulled something out of the passenger side,\u201d said<\/a> Nakeisha Brown, a witness to the incident. \u201cI thought it was a gun, but it happened to be a flag, and he just set it on that fence and started yelling out some words and just took off.\u201d<\/p>

The FBI said no injuries have been reported.<\/p>

An early investigation revealed that messages were written in red on the automobile's driver's side door. <\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

The FBI identified the suspect in the crash as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania<\/a>, CBS News reported. Law enforcement officials have categorized the incident as a terrorist act.<\/p>

\"We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,\" said<\/a> FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano. \"This was a targeted attack on this building.\" <\/p>

As a precaution, the FBI announced that a bomb squad was being used to clear the car.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Police_Line_Crime_scene_jj3.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3808006-1758088800", "title":"America is repeating its Somalia mistakes in Yemen", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3808006%2Famerica-repeating-somalia-mistakes-yemen%2F", "byline":"Michael Rubin", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Somalia collapsed in 1991, its economy and state structures destroyed by dictator Siad Barre, a man with no legitimacy beyond his clan but who had for decades grifted first off Moscow and then Washington. He fled first to Kenya and then Nigeria, where he died in exile four years later. As Somalia descended into state […]", "description":""

Somalia collapsed in 1991, its economy and state structures destroyed by dictator Siad Barre, a man with no legitimacy beyond his clan but who had for decades grifted first off Moscow and then Washington. He fled first to Kenya and then Nigeria, where he died in exile four years later.<\/p>

As Somalia descended into state failure, one region stood aloof: Somaliland. Once independent, Somaliland recognized that its stability and security depended on its self-determination and so reasserted its independence.<\/p>

SOMALILAND EYES UP A DEAL WITH TRUMP IN RETURN FOR US RECOGNITION<\/a><\/p>

Today, Somaliland has been independent of Somalia for longer than it was ever part of it. While kleptocracy and militias continue to dominate Mogadishu and much of the rest of Somalia, and Somalia has never held free, one-person, one-vote elections, Somaliland embraced democracy. It was the world\u2019s first country to secure voter registration with biometric iris scans; voters decided one presidential election by less than 100 votes out of more than 1 million cast.<\/p>

While foreigners cannot walk the streets of Mogadishu or the Somali port city of Kismayo, Somaliland\u2019s capital, Hargeisa, and port city Berbera are safe; my then-9-year-old daughter walked around the capital without security, annoying locals by trying to play with livestock, and went swimming in the Gulf of Aden during a siesta. While Somalis come to the United States as refugees, Somalilanders come after receiving scholarships to some of America\u2019s most prestigious universities, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, and Yale.<\/p>

Yet, in recent years, the State Department has treated Somaliland as a pariah. Even as Mogadishu has stolen billions of dollars in aid and embraced China, ambassadors such as Donald Yamamoto and Larry Andr\u00e9 Jr. sought to isolate Somaliland under the guise of a \u201cOne Somalia\u201d policy, preaching that Somalia\u2019s unity was a national interest.<\/p>

The substance of this policy was little more than an empty mantra repeated\u00a0ad infinitum. In reality, Somaliland, with its pro-Taiwan policy, democracy, Western orientation, business-friendly climate, and demonstrated ability to deny territory to terrorists and interdict weapons smugglers, was the clear party most conducive to U.S. interests. Put another way, Yamamoto was like a game show contestant who, instead of choosing a new boat, picked out a cat carcass and then insisted to everyone he picked right.<\/p>

Today, the U.S. is edging closer to recognizing Somaliland, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears intent on repeating the mistakes former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Tony Blinken made in Yemen.<\/p>

Just as Somalia never elected a leader fairly, so too is much of Yemen a black hole for democracy. The late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh came to power in a coup and dominated politics for decades, first in North Yemen and then, after 1990, in a unified Yemen.<\/p>

Yemeni unity, like Somali unity, was an experiment that never paid off. Culturally, the two Yemens are night-and-day different. South Yemen is more liberal and cosmopolitan; North Yemen is traditionally conservative.<\/p>

While Western officials rightly denounce the Houthis' coup and military conquest of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the reality is that the Zaydi sect from which the Houthis hail has often controlled Yemen. While South Yemen today seeks to secure its coastline, Western investment, and good relations with the U.S. and its former colonial power, the United Kingdom, North Yemen and many political groupings in the U.S.-recognized Presidential Leadership Council pursue quiet ties with Iran, Russia, and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.<\/p>

THE HOUTHIS ARE DOWN BUT FAR FROM OUT<\/a><\/p>

The State Department is preparing to welcome Rashad Al Alimi, an unelected figure who, like Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, presides over a Cabinet of corruption, most often from abroad. Yet, even as South Yemen has established itself as the country's only stable, secure, and Western-oriented region, Rubio\u2019s State Department continues its predecessors\u2019 policy of treating South Yemen as a pariah.<\/p>

Diplomats repeat a mantra about \u201cOne Yemen\u201d being a U.S. interest, but never explain why. Increasingly, it appears because they cannot. <\/p>

Michael Rubin is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential. He is the director of analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25185549812431.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809435-1758088800", "title":"Trump must crack down on illegal foreign truck drivers", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3809435%2Ftrump-must-crack-down-on-illegal-foreign-truck-drivers%2F", "byline":"Chris Spear", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"For too long, most of America’s truck drivers and motor carriers have played by the rules while others cheat. They get the licenses, meet the safety requirements, pay the taxes, and do the work. But when it comes to cabotage — the illegal hauling of domestic freight inside the United States by foreign drivers on […]", "description":""

For too long, most of America\u2019s truck<\/a> drivers and motor carriers have played by the rules while others cheat. They get the licenses, meet the safety requirements, pay the taxes, and do the work. But when it comes to cabotage \u2014 the illegal hauling of domestic freight inside the United States by foreign drivers on temporary visas<\/a> \u2014 the cheaters are winning. And Washington has looked the other way. <\/p>

This isn\u2019t a gray area. The law is crystal clear: Mexican<\/a> and Canadian<\/a> drivers can bring goods into this country and take goods back out. That is legitimate cross-border commerce permitted under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and this vital freight flow helps sustain America\u2019s supply chain<\/a>. <\/p>

MILITARY STRIKES SECOND DRUG SHIP HEADED TO US, KILLING THREE 'TERRORISTS,' TRUMP SAYS<\/a><\/p>

However, what Mexican and Canadian drivers cannot do is haul loads from Dallas to Houston, or from Phoenix to Chicago. Yet that is exactly what is happening. And it\u2019s happening on a seemingly large scale.<\/p>

This isn\u2019t competition. It\u2019s theft. Each illegal load is a paycheck stolen directly from an American driver. Each scheme that puts foreign drivers behind the wheel for domestic hauls undercuts the companies that follow the law.<\/p>

And sadly, it is a group of U.S. carriers that flout these rules to gain an unlawful competitive advantage over law abiding companies, distorting the marketplace and putting compliant operators at risk of closure. And each time Washington fails to act, it rewards lawbreakers while punishing the very workers who keep our economy moving. <\/p>

We\u2019ve seen the proof. In Nogales, Arizona<\/a>, one U.S. carrier pocketed $2.4 million in illegal revenue by using Mexican B-1 visa drivers for domestic hauls. A B-1 visa does not permit that driver to haul point-to-point in the U.S. Another raked in $1.3 million before it was finally shut down. These aren\u2019t isolated cases. They are part of a pattern of willful lawbreaking that distorts the market and hollows out good-paying American jobs. <\/p>

And if Customs and Border Protection<\/a> officers can find multiple violations during just a handful of checkpoint inspections, imagine how many violations go undetected every single day. Cabotage isn\u2019t a fringe problem. It\u2019s a business model for companies willing to sell out American workers. <\/p>

The Department of Homeland Security<\/a> has the sole authority to end this. If DHS can devote the resources to target the carriers that are profiting from this illegal act, it will send an unmistakable message that will reverberate across the industry: Break the law, and you will be shut down. <\/p>

The Trump administration has already shown it is willing to take bold action on behalf of the American trucking industry. That is why we are confident the administration will meet this challenge, too. Cracking down on cabotage is the natural next step in its commitment to fairness and the rule of law. By enforcing existing statutes, the Trump administration can protect American jobs, restore integrity to our supply chains, and prove once again that it will not allow foreign drivers and lawless carriers to undermine an industry that delivers nearly three-quarters of our nation\u2019s freight.<\/p>

TRUMP DOT TO PUNISH STATES THAT DO NOT ENFORCE ENGLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUCK DRIVERS<\/a><\/p>

There is no middle ground. Enforce the law or abandon American workers. Protect the men and women who keep our shelves stocked or allow them to be undercut by bad businesses illegally employing foreign truck drivers. The choice is as stark as it is urgent. <\/p>

The American trucking industry has never asked for special treatment. All we ask is a fair chance to compete. <\/p>

Chris Spear is the President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Trump-tariffs-march-4.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809517-1758088800", "title":"America must stop funding China’s military with our tax dollars", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3809517%2Famerica-must-stop-funding-china-military-with-our-tax-dollars%2F", "byline":"Rep. Pat Fallon", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"For generations, America has been the world’s arsenal of democracy. From the battles of World War II to the long twilight struggle of the Cold War, our nation’s technological edge has made the difference between freedom and tyranny. America prevailed because we built faster, innovated smarter, and protected our secrets better than our adversaries ever […]", "description":""

For generations, America has been the world\u2019s arsenal of democracy<\/a>. From the battles of World War II<\/a> to the long twilight struggle of the Cold War<\/a>, our nation\u2019s technological edge has made the difference between freedom and tyranny. America prevailed because we built faster, innovated smarter, and protected our secrets better than our adversaries ever could.<\/p>

But today, we are at risk of squandering that edge \u2014 not because our troops have lost the will to fight, but because Washington has failed to protect American innovation from our greatest strategic rival: Communist China<\/a>.<\/p>

TRUMP CONFIRMS TIKTOK DEAL WITH CHINA<\/a><\/p>

A recent congressional report revealed that the Department of Defense<\/a> has funded over 1,400 research projects, worth more than $2.5 billion<\/a>, involving Chinese institutions with ties to the People\u2019s Liberation Army<\/a>. American taxpayers are footing the bill for Beijing\u2019s military modernization, and every dollar that strengthens China\u2019s hand weakens ours.<\/p>

At the same time, our service members are asked to do more with less every single day. They are flying aircraft that first took to the skies decades ago, sailing ships that should have been retired, and working overtime to deter adversaries across the globe. Yet somehow, the Pentagon<\/a> found billions<\/a> of dollars to funnel into projects that benefit Chinese labs linked to the Communist Party.<\/p>

This is not just wasteful; it is dangerous. China is our number one strategic competitor. President Xi is strengthening ties with other anti-U.S., authoritarian regimes such as Russia<\/a> and Iran<\/a>. Their goal is simple: leapfrog the United States militarily and economically.<\/p>

The good news is there are clear steps we can take to secure America\u2019s innovation pipeline and keep our tax dollars from funding our enemies.<\/p>

First, we must end all Pentagon funding for Chinese military-linked institutions. That means a top-to-bottom audit of federally funded defense research. Schools or labs tied to Beijing\u2019s defense sector should not receive a penny from the U.S. taxpayer.<\/p>

Second, we need to tighten export controls and strengthen oversight of academic partnerships. Too many American universities have been seduced by Chinese funding, only to have their research wind up in the hands of the PLA. Transparency should be mandatory, not optional, especially when foreign money is involved in federally funded labs.<\/p>

Third, we need to invest in American talent. That means doubling down on STEM scholarships for U.S. students, especially veterans and military families who understand the stakes of national security. It means creating incentives for American universities and private industry to lead the way in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics, and biotechnology.<\/p>

Finally, we need to work with our allies to build a \u201ctech shield\u201d against China. NATO, Japan, Australia, and other partners share the same threat. If we coordinate research security and protect our intellectual property together, Beijing will find it much harder to divide and conquer.<\/p>

Some will say this approach risks stifling academic freedom or politicizing science. But protecting American intellectual property is not about limiting discovery. It's about preserving the foundation that made America great. Since the earliest days of our Republic, the Founders recognized that innovation depends on robust patent protections. Patents are more than legal constructs \u2014 they\u2019re vital drivers of economic growth and national strength, granting inventors the protection needed to turn bright ideas into breakthroughs.<\/p>

Yet while American innovators rely on a vigorous patent system \u2014 and courts that enforce it \u2014 too often, U.S. businesses see their inventions stolen in China without fair legal recourse. In America, if you steal someone\u2019s invention, you get sued, you pay damages, and justice is served. In China, if you steal an American invention, chances are you\u2019ll get a medal from the Communist Party. Foreign companies rarely pursue IP cases there \u2014 in fact, they make up less than 1% of filings \u2014 and even when they win, the payoff is often symbolic at best. Meanwhile, Chinese firms defending their IP overseas benefit from robust protection from U.S. courts. This imbalance must end.<\/p>

History teaches us that when America leads in innovation, freedom advances. Right now, China is moving aggressively to close the gap \u2014 and, in some areas, to surpass us. Consider that between 2010 and 2020, China\u2019s experimental development expenditures surged<\/a> from just 34.5% to 63.4% of U.S. levels \u2014 meaning China is now investing nearly two-thirds as much in turning research into real-world capabilities as we are.<\/p>

Congress must act to end this dangerous practice, secure our innovation base, and invest in American ingenuity. The stakes are too high for half-measures when the PLA is racing ahead in critical technologies. Our troops, our taxpayers, and our future generations deserve nothing less.<\/p>

LAWMAKERS INVESTIGATE CHINA-BACKED NGOs<\/a><\/p>

Buy American. Innovate American. Protect Americans.<\/p>

That\u2019s how we keep the arsenal of democracy strong \u2014 and that\u2019s how we ensure the 21st century remains the American century, not China\u2019s. The Chinese Communist Party is betting that America won\u2019t defend its innovation. It\u2019s up to us to prove them wrong.<\/p>

Rep. Pat Fallon serves Texas\u2019 4th Congressional District and is a member of the House Armed Services, Oversight and Intelligence committees.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP19113454719663.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809623-1758088800", "title":"Universities must fix the problem that led to Charlie Kirk’s murder", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fop-eds%2F3809623%2Funiversities-must-fix-the-problem-that-led-to-charlie-kirks-murder%2F", "byline":"Tyson Langhofer", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, one of the most horrific tragedies in our nation’s history, evil showed its ugly face yet again. An assassin’s bullet needlessly took the life of husband, father, and political activist Charlie Kirk. His supposed offense? Debating. This senseless act of murder was committed on the grounds of […]", "description":""

On the eve of the anniversary of 9\/11<\/a>, one of the most horrific tragedies in our nation\u2019s history, evil showed its ugly face yet again. An assassin<\/a>\u2019s bullet needlessly took the life of husband, father, and political activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>. His supposed offense? Debating. This senseless act of murder was committed on the grounds of an institution that should be a beacon of free thought and expression: a college<\/a> campus.<\/p>

I want to say this is unexpected or that political violence on campus is unlikely, but I\u2019ve been defending the rights of students and faculty at public universities for too long to say that this is a total surprise. As director of Alliance Defending Freedom\u2019s Center for Academic Freedom, I\u2019ve seen everything from mobs on campuses blocking and verbally abusing a pro-life speaker<\/a> to our own CEO<\/a> being shouted out of a bipartisan presentation at Yale Law School. The unspeakable horror we witnessed on Sept. 10 was a predictable destination of the trajectory of escalating violence<\/a> on our college campuses.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING SUSPECT FACES SEVEN CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY<\/a><\/p>

When I watched everything unfold, one specific instance came to my mind. In 2020, students at the State University of New York at Binghamton\u00a0invited<\/a>\u00a0renowned economist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Arthur Laffer to speak on campus. Co-hosted by Young America\u2019s Foundation<\/a> and the College Republicans<\/a> club, Laffer was set to present an extracurricular discussion titled \u201cTrump, Tariffs, and Trade Wars.\u201d<\/p>

An economist speaking about tariffs<\/a> and trade wars<\/a> is about as innocuously wonky as it gets. But four days before the event was set to take place, College Republicans hosted a table where they handed out hot chocolate and flyers promoting the event. Members of the campus College Progressive group incited about 200 students to \u201cdisrupt this disgusting space.\u201d When they arrived, they confiscated and destroyed flyers, broke down the table, hurled obscenity-laced insults, and physically assaulted one College Republicans member. <\/p>

On the day of the event, protesters shouted down Laffer on a megaphone for nearly two minutes before he was escorted off campus. He didn\u2019t even have a chance to speak.<\/p>

The kicker is that school administrators and police knew about the threat and did virtually nothing about it. The College Progressives and a local antifa group advertised that they were going to disrupt the event, yet university police allowed masked protesters to flood the venue and do what they said they would do. Rather than try to stop the disruption and allow the event to continue, university officials escorted Laffer from the venue. To add insult to injury, campus police blamed the conservative student group for hosting the event, as if college campuses are supposed to be no-speech zones.<\/p>

The increased violence in response to free speech on college campuses shows us the threefold problem infecting schools across the nation.First, there is an alarming lack of viewpoint diversity among faculty and administration in higher education.\u00a0In one study<\/a>, the liberal-to-conservative ratio of faculty in American universities increased from 2:1 in 1989 to 5:1 in 2017. A\u00a02022 report<\/a>\u00a0from the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement confirmed similar results, with 65.5% of professors estimated as \u201csolidly liberal\u201d and only 13.2% \u201cconservative.\u201d In 2023, a\u00a0Harvard study<\/a>\u00a0showed that its faculty displayed a 26:1 ratio. Uniformity of thought breeds intolerance of disagreement. Counterfeit unanimity feeds the delusion that only evil people could disagree with a certain viewpoint.<\/p>

Second, there is a widespread belief throughout higher education that\u00a0certain speech is equivalent to violence<\/a>. According to this ideology (springing from critical theory), if speech you disagree with is comparable to violence, then it is acceptable to use violence to oppose such speech.<\/p>

Finally, university officials routinely allow progressive students and faculty to violently disrupt conservative speakers and events. This refusal to fairly enforce the laws further encourages and emboldens future violence against such speakers.<\/p>

FCC CHAIRMAN DEFENDS FREE SPEECH RIGHTS AFTER KIRK ASSASSINATION FUELS CALLS FOR CENSORSHIP OF ONLINE DEBATE<\/a><\/p>

The solutions are straightforward. Hiring a diverse faculty would show students that noble people can be found throughout the political spectrum in good faith. Hosting debates on important topics of the day makes clear that speech is not equivalent to violence. And, importantly, enforcing the university\u2019s laws and policies uniformly and fairly, regardless of the person\u2019s political or ideological views, sends the message that students and faculty who shout down or violently interrupt speakers and speaking events will not be tolerated. If universities adopt these policies of greater diversity and accountability, they will again become a marketplace of ideas, rather than an assembly line for one type of thought.<\/p>

We can only hope that Charlie Kirk\u2019s needless murder will be the beginning of the end of violent speech suppression on campus.Tyson Langhofer is senior counsel and director of the Center for Academic Freedom with Alliance Defending Freedom<\/a> (@ADFLegal<\/a>).<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25255642212939.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809865-1758088800", "title":"The anti-communist film festival", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3809865%2Fanti-communist-film-festival%2F", "byline":"Mark Judge", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"It started as a piece in May in the Washington Examiner. It’s now becoming a reality. Next year, I hope to hold an Anti-Communist Film Festival. As I wrote in May, a film festival showing great anti-communist movies is a great way to celebrate freedom and inoculate people against the evils of Marxism. It could also be […]", "description":""

It started\u00a0as a piece<\/a>\u00a0in May in the Washington Examiner. It\u2019s now becoming a reality.<\/p>

Next year, I hope to hold an Anti-Communist Film Festival. As I wrote in May, a film festival<\/a> showing great anti-communist<\/a> movies is a great way to celebrate freedom and inoculate people against the evils of Marxism. It could also be a great party.<\/p>

Well, people responded \u2014 a lot of people, and with great enthusiasm. Speeches are one thing, position papers from think tanks are great, podcasts are entertaining, but nothing gets into the psyche of Americans like movies. Movies enter the stream of our subconscious, where they teach and entertain us. They have a tremendous impact on the culture. For the past century, Hollywood has largely been controlled by the Left. Earlier this year,\u00a0Broadway premiered\u00a0Good Night, and Good Luck<\/a>, co-written by and starring\u00a0George Clooney<\/a>. As\u00a0Playbill\u00a0explained, \u201ca work of historical drama,\u00a0Good Night, and Good Luck\u00a0centers on a clash between famed journalist Edward R.\u00a0Murrow and infamous U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, of anti-communist HUAC fame.\u201d<\/p>

In other words, more of the same that Hollywood has been dishing out for decades. McCarthy is bad. Communists are slandered and misunderstood.<\/p>

Well, enough.\u00a0Here\u2019s my list of the 10 films we\u2019d like to screen.<\/p>The Lives of OthersI Married a CommunistThe Unbearable Lightness of BeingRed DawnMy Son JohnThe Death of StalinI Was a Communist for the FBIHammer and TickleFreedom\u2019s FuryState of Control

I have been surprised not only by the enthusiastic response, but by the fact that I have heard from people in Hollywood. One director who has worked with Kurt Russell and Halle Berry has expressed interest in premiering a film at the festival. I also heard from several actors. They are ready for something different coming from Hollywood.<\/p>

I have also been in talks with theaters in the Washington area, with a target date of fall 2026. Two of them got on board immediately, with the managers expressing admiration for the \u201cgreat idea\u201d of the festival. One is a restored Art Deco gem that features comfortable theater seats in the back and a large floor up front with dining tables. It\u2019s also not cheap, as you would imagine for taking over such a space for three days or more. The owner was delighted when I told him that I had worked in the same theater as a college student in the 1980s. I saw all the Reagan-era classics there: Top Gun, Back to School, Blood Simple.<\/p>

It\u2019s also important that the Anti-Communist Film Festival be welcoming to liberals. I am friends with a talented young filmmaker who lives in Pasadena, California, and in a consultation with him, he noted that there were once anti-communist liberals in America \u2014 people such as President Harry Truman, Sen. Scoop Jackson, and President John F. Kennedy.<\/p>

WILL THE MEDIA\u2019S LIBEL PROTECTION LAST IN THE AGE OF TRUMP?<\/a><\/p>

The timing is great for this. Next year is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is also the 20th anniversary of The Lives of Others (2006), arguably the greatest anti-communist movie ever made. The Lives of Others\u00a0tells the story of a playwright in mid-'80s East Berlin, Georg Dreyman. He is spied on by Stasi functionary Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich M\u00fche), who, in seeing the love, artistic freedom, and humanity of Dreyman and Christa-Maria Sieland, slowly starts to question state tyranny.<\/p>

One of the themes that is central to communism, and which has been adopted by the Western left, is shame. As journalist Laura Williams has described it<\/a>, \u201cIf someone looked like he might challenge the Communist Party\u2019s legitimacy or control, the Stasi systematically destroyed his life. They used blackmail, social shame, threats, and torture. Careers, reputations, relationships, and lives were exploded to destabilize and delegitimize a critic. Some forms of harassment were almost comical: agents spread rumors about their targets, flooded their mailboxes with pornography, moved things around in their apartments, or deflated their bicycle tires day after day. Others were life-altering: Individuals labeled as subversives were banned from higher education, forced into unemployment, and forcibly committed to asylums. Many suffered long-term psychological trauma<\/a>, loss of earnings, and intense social shame as a result of Stasi lies.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/movie-theater-seats--e1758054155308.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810063-1758088800", "title":"Generation rage: American youth herald a new age of political violence", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3810063%2Fgeneration-rage-american-youth-herald-a-new-age-of-political-violence%2F", "byline":"Peter Laffin", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Political violence is woven into the fabric of American history. The early republic faced uprisings like Shays’ Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion, alongside the fatal duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Then, a period of intense civil unrest spawned the Civil War. CHARLIE KIRK AND THIS WATERSHED MOMENT FOR AMERICAN RENEWAL The Ku Klux […]", "description":""

Political violence<\/a> is woven into the fabric of American history<\/a>.<\/p>

The early republic faced uprisings like Shays\u2019 Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion, alongside the fatal duel between Alexander Hamilton<\/a> and Aaron Burr. Then, a period of intense civil unrest spawned the Civil War.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK AND THIS WATERSHED MOMENT FOR AMERICAN RENEWAL<\/a><\/p>

The Ku Klux Klan<\/a> then unleashed terror while labor<\/a> clashes escalated. In 1901, an anarchist assassinated President William McKinley, targeting him as a symbol of capitalism<\/a> and oppression.<\/p>

The 1960s saw political assassins<\/a> claim Martin Luther King Jr., John and Robert Kennedy Sr., and Malcolm X, while the 1970s Weather Underground detonated bombs to spark revolution. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh\u2019s anti-government ideology inspired his Oklahoma City Bombing.<\/p>

Recent decades have seen members of Congress targeted for assassination, frequent deadly political riots, and two assassination attempts on a president.<\/p>

And yet, there is something uniquely unsettling about the spate of politically motivated killings in America of late: namely, the involvement of children and young adults. Until very recently, political violence had been committed almost exclusively by adults. <\/p>

22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u2019s assassination, is only the latest example. According to Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray, who spoke at a press conference Tuesday, Kirk's conservative activism motivated Robinson to carry out the shooting. In a text message to his transgender<\/a> romantic partner and roommate, Robinson wrote, \"Why did I do it? I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.\"<\/p>

Robinson's mother also pointed to politics as a catalyst for the assassination, telling authorities that \u201cover the last year or so, [he] had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro gay and trans rights oriented.\"<\/p>

The same day of Robinson\u2019s alleged act, Desmond Holly, a 16-year-old in Evergreen, Colorado, allegedly shot up his school, injuring two fellow students before taking his own life. Holly\u2019s social media accounts contained white supremacist and neo-Nazi symbols, and he appeared to express right-wing views.<\/p>

Weeks earlier, Robert Westman, a 23-year-old man who went by the name Robin, slaughtered two young children and injured at least 17 others at a Catholic<\/a> school in Minnesota<\/a>. Westman scrawled far-left, anti-Christian rhetoric on his weapons, including \"Kill Donald Trump<\/a>\" and \u201cWhere is your God now?\u201d In his manifesto, he wrote, \u201cIf I carry out a racially motivated attack, it would most likely be against filthy Zionist Jews\u2026 FREE PALESTINE<\/a>!\"<\/p>

Scores of younger Americans flooded social media to celebrate Kirk's brutal death after viewing it online. Numerous videos featured college students with a standard woke aesthetic, dancing gleefully in dorm rooms, chanting slogans like \"Karma's a bitch\" in group settings, and posting ironic memes overlaid with news footage of the shooting.<\/p>

While some of these videos expressed jubilation, others demonstrated seething hatred. In one video that surfaced Sunday evening, a college-aged man played acoustic guitar in the direction of a candlelight vigil at New York<\/a> University, singing, \u201cI want you to f****** die. We\u2019re not going to give you a second chance, even when you beg for it on your knees, begging and pleading.\u201d<\/p>

In another, a student at Texas Tech University<\/a> mocks a student-led memorial for Kirk, shouting, \u201cF--k y\u2019all homie dead, he got shot in the head.\"<\/p>

At Texas State University, a student mimicked Kirk getting shot, pretending to be shot in the neck, gyrating and falling backward, while others laughed. <\/p>

These instances are not outliers but part of a well-established trend among the youth that justifies and even celebrates political violence. According to The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, more than one-third of students now say it is acceptable to use violence<\/a> to stop a campus speech. Meanwhile, a YouGov <\/a>poll released last week found that 22% of people aged 18-29 believe political violence is justifiable, far higher than older generations<\/a>. Only 51% of that cohort believes violence is \"never justified.\" Young progressives are particularly open to the use of political violence.<\/p>

Of course, it\u2019s possible that Gen Z<\/a> will shed these attitudes with age. But for now, at least, American political violence seems to be evolving into a disturbing new phase, where young people, shaped by online echo chambers and extremism, are not only perpetrating but also glorifying violence.<\/p>

AFTER KIRK'S DEATH, SCALES FALL FROM AMERICA'S EYES<\/a><\/p>

It's past time for serious efforts to de-radicalize America\u2019s youth. Cracking down on social media companies, removing phones from schools, and prioritizing the eradication of ideological indoctrination from public school curricula are good starting points. Mandatory national service for high school graduates could foster gratitude and unity through community or military work. America's spiraling youth political violence problem demands bold solutions.<\/p>

The sudden and alarming involvement of youth in political violence demands urgent action. The rising wave of youthful rage has the potential to erode the very foundations of our republic for generations to come.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25107722636232-scaled.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810210-1758088800", "title":"Pam Bondi shows us how not to respond to Charlie Kirk murder", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Ffairness-justice%2F3810210%2Fpam-bondi-how-not-to-respond-charlie-kirk-murder%2F", "byline":"Brady Leonard", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Most of the unhinged takes in the wake of the highest-profile political assassination in the United States since 1968 have come, unsurprisingly, from the Left. Conservatives mourned, prayed, and attended vigils instead of rioting and looting like their political opponents. There were no calls for retaliatory assassinations or any form of political violence as millions of leftists […]", "description":""

Most of the unhinged takes in the wake of the highest-profile political assassination<\/a> in the United States since 1968 have come, unsurprisingly, from the Left. Conservatives mourned, prayed, and attended\u00a0vigils<\/a>\u00a0instead of rioting and looting like their political opponents. There were no calls for retaliatory assassinations or any form of political violence as millions of leftists took to social media to celebrate the brutal killing of Charlie Kirk<\/a>. School teachers, college professors, doctors, and\u00a0mainstream journalists<\/a>\u00a0are being fired or suspended from their places of employment as employers are realizing the pitfalls of being associated with the Democratic Party\u2019s most loyal and depraved supporters.<\/p>

Unfortunately, while the vast majority of the political Right is unified by both grief and a deep love of God and country, a ridiculous, unconstitutional, and counterproductive proposal has emerged from none other than Attorney General Pam Bondi.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING SUSPECT FACES SEVEN CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY<\/a><\/p>

\"There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. ... We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,\" Bondi<\/a> told podcaster Katie Miller.<\/p>

Of course, \u201chate speech<\/a>\u201d does not exist. \u201cHate speech,\u201d meaning speech that the Left doesn\u2019t agree with, is protected by the First Amendment<\/a>, and a career lawyer and two-term Florida attorney general obviously knows that. Bondi went even further off the reservation in an appearance on Fox News: \u201cIf you want to go and print posters with Charlie's picture for a vigil, you have to let them do that. We can prosecute you for that. We have, right now, our civil rights unit looking at that.\u201d<\/p>

That dog just won\u2019t hunt. For 13 years, conservatives have defended Jack Phillips<\/a>, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado. Democratic activists have repeatedly sued Phillips, a devout Christian, to force him to bake cakes that violate his long-held religious views. Phillips won at both the Supreme Court<\/a> and the Colorado Supreme Court. Apparently, Bondi\u2019s strategy to counter the Left\u2019s malicious lawfare<\/a> is to attempt, and undoubtedly fail, to force Democrats to \u201cprint the posters, bigot.\u201d<\/p>

Bondi is too smart to believe what she is saying regarding free speech, and this episode is likely a feeble attempt to grab a headline and ingratiate herself with the supporters of Charlie Kirk<\/a>, but, clearly, Bondi is not ready for prime time. Kirk\u2019s alleged assassin<\/a>, Tyler Robinson, was communicating with others both before and after the assassination, and those transgender-centric possible terrorist cells require the full attention of the Justice Department<\/a>. Antifa<\/a> and other street-communist organizations must be aggressively investigated and dismantled if further left-wing terrorism is to be prevented, and all Bondi is doing by employing tired, leftist language is handing Democrats ammunition to use against the otherwise noble efforts of the administration.<\/p>

WORDS ARE NOT VIOLENCE<\/a><\/p>

I opposed Bondi\u2019s nomination in December 2024 based on her abysmal record on gun rights, and now that the attorney general has expressed blatant hostility toward the First and Second <\/a>amendments, it is time for conservatives far and wide to call for her resignation.<\/p>

Kirk died doing what he did best and what made him a household name: exercising his First Amendment rights in a hostile environment. Instead of following the lead of Democrats and Democratic-adjacent Republicans such as Bondi, the Right should remember what Kirk<\/a> believed about First Amendment issues: \u201cHate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.\u201d<\/p>

Brady Leonard (@bradyleonard<\/a>) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.<\/a><\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25127555476950.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810436-1758088800", "title":"Pam Bondi has limited ability to prosecute ‘hate speech,’ legal experts say", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3810436%2Fpam-bondi-limited-ability-prosecute-hate-speech-legal-experts%2F", "byline":"Jack Birle", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Attorney General Pam Bondi asserted she would go after “hate speech” on Monday, but the speech the Justice Department can prosecute is extremely limited, according to legal experts. Bondi, who partially walked back her statement on Tuesday, made her initial comments on the Katie Miller Podcast, vowing to go after “hate speech” and asserting it […]", "description":""

Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a> asserted she would go after \"hate speech\" on Monday, but the speech the Justice Department<\/a> can prosecute is extremely limited, according to legal experts.<\/p>

Bondi, who partially walked back her statement on Tuesday, made her initial comments<\/a> on the Katie Miller Podcast, vowing to go after \"hate speech\" and asserting it has \"no place\" in society, \"especially\" after conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination<\/a> last week.<\/p>

\"We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,\" Bondi said on the podcast.<\/p>

The attorney general faced immense backlash from the left and the right over her comments, prompting her to clarify the remarks, which were widely interpreted as calling for unlawful prosecutions, on Tuesday morning.<\/p>

Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It\u2019s a crime. For far too long, we\u2019ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.Under 18 U.S.C. \u00a7\u2026<\/p>— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) September 16, 2025<\/a>

\"Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It\u2019s a crime. For far too long, we\u2019ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,\" Bondi wrote in a post on X<\/a> Tuesday.<\/p>

Jonathan Adler, a professor at William & Mary Law School, told the Washington Examiner that despite Bondi's attempt to adjust her statement, it does not change that \"hate speech\" is not a prosecutable offense.<\/p>

\"She's basically trying to backfill,\" Adler said. \"Yes, true threats and incitement can be prosecuted. But that does not mean 'hate speech,' as such, can be prosecuted.\u00a0Plenty of awful, hateful speech comes nowhere close to being incitement or a true threat.\"<\/p>'Hate speech' protected under the First Amendment

In the United States, there is no legal definition of \"hate speech,\" but the term has typically been used to define speech expressing animosity or bigotry toward particular groups of people.<\/p>

Carolyn Iodice, legislative and policy\u00a0director for the pro-free speech group FIRE, told the Washington Examiner that the law does not allow the DOJ to bring criminal or civil charges for that kind of speech.<\/p>

\"Hate speech is not a legal concept, and there's no First Amendment exception for it,\" Iodice said.<\/p>

The First Amendment, which prevents the government from making laws that abridge freedom of expression, has regularly been found to broadly protect free speech when challenges reach the Supreme Court. One of the most recent cases includes the high court's 2017 decision<\/a> in Matal v Tam, in which the justices ruled that a law preventing trademarks of disparaging terms was unconstitutional under the First Amendment.<\/p>

Casey Mattox, a constitutional lawyer and vice president for legal strategy at Stand Together, told the Washington Examiner that while some speech is abhorrent, it does not mean it is illegal.<\/p>

\"I think people have seen plenty of examples over the last week, and for a long time, there's plenty of speech that all Americans should reject,\" Mattox said. \"But that doesn't mean it can be prosecuted as hate speech, because that's just not a thing.\"<\/p>Only imminent threats may be prosecuted under the law

Bondi later attempted to qualify her comments by citing U.S. code outlawing threats against public officials, members of Congress, or their families, along with a law outlawing transmitting messages that contain \"any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.\" She also claimed other sweeping types of speech were unlawful.<\/p>

\"You cannot call for someone\u2019s murder. You cannot swat a Member of Congress. You cannot dox a conservative family and think it will be brushed off as 'free speech.' These acts are punishable crimes, and every single threat will be met with the full force of the law. Free speech protects ideas, debate, even dissent but it does NOT and will NEVER protect violence,\" Bondi said in her Tuesday X post.<\/p>

The narrow exception to free speech that the Justice Department can prosecute is incitement or threats of imminent harm, but these exceptions are incredibly limited. Incitement and threats of imminent harm would need to be specific toward someone and at a specific time rather than vague wishes of someone's death or celebrations of someone's death.<\/p>

\"It's not just death aspirations, but death threats,\" Mattox said. \"So even being happy that people died \u2013 as reprehensible as it is \u2013 is not a death threat, or even being happy that someone would die. That is a terrible, disgusting thing, but it's also not prosecutable, it's not illegal.\"<\/p>

Iodice also argued that the exceptions are \"extremely narrow,\" but not everything Bondi listed is necessarily unlawful depending on whether it reaches the level of incitement or an imminent threat of harm.<\/p>

\"She's right to say that speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is not protected, assuming she means true threats,\" Iodice told the Washington Examiner. \"But then she goes on to list all sorts of things that would not cross the line into true threats.\"<\/p>

Mattox noted that the First Amendment's \"very explicit\" nature of protecting speech is important for upholding it as a principle and added that the Supreme Court has ensured that the exceptions to it are \"very, very limited.\"<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

The Justice Department continued to step back from Bondi's initial statement on Tuesday, noting it would not go after \"nasty speech\" but only true incitements of violence.<\/p>

\"We are not prosecuting people for nasty speech alone \u2014 but true incitement to violence, or hate-motivated attacks, are illegal and will be treated as such by this DOJ,\" Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a post on X <\/a>Tuesday.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258799552005.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810542-1758088800", "title":"What we know about the ‘Armed Queers’ group under scrutiny in Charlie Kirk investigation", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigations%2F3810542%2Fwhat-we-know-about-the-armed-queers-group-under-scrutiny-in-charlie-kirk-investigation%2F", "byline":"Mia Cathell", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"An armed collective of leftist LGBT activists in Salt Lake City is reportedly under federal investigation, as authorities probe far-left Utah groups and others operating online for potential foreknowledge of or involvement in Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that investigators are looking into the Armed Queers of Salt Lake […]", "description":""

An armed collective of leftist LGBT<\/a> activists in Salt Lake City is reportedly under federal investigation, as authorities probe far-left Utah<\/a> groups and others operating online for potential foreknowledge of or involvement in Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u2019s assassination.<\/p>

Law enforcement sources told<\/a> the New York Post that investigators are looking into the Armed Queers of Salt Lake City (AQSLC) to see whether it had helped alleged assassin Tyler Robinson or at least was aware of the assassination plot.<\/p>

Kirk was killed while speaking about mass shootings perpetrated by transgender people, and over the weekend, it was revealed that Robinson is in a domestic relationship with a transgender partner<\/a>, further fueling speculations over the shooter\u2019s motive. Prosecutors said on Tuesday that Robinson told his romantic partner that he'd killed Kirk because he viewed the conservative activist as hateful.<\/p>

AQSLC, a transgender-led gun group championing Marxist-Leninist militancy, hosts monthly \u201ctraining sessions\u201d<\/a> at the shooting range to coach \u201ceffective organizers in the struggle.\u201d<\/p>

According to its membership sign-up form<\/a>, AQSLC seeks to establish a socialist society, achieve \u201ctrans liberation from the gender binary and biological essentialism,\u201d and dismantle the so-called \u201cbourgeois non-profit industrial complex,\u201d replacing it with a revolutionary regime.<\/p>

Its recommended reading list<\/a> includes books by Karl Marx, author of the Communist Manifesto; Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin; Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin; and Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong.<\/p>

TRUMP SAYS LEFT-WING GROUPS \u2018ALREADY\u2019 UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

AQSLC belongs<\/a> to the National Network on Cuba, a coalition working to take Cuba off the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list<\/a>.<\/p>

This spring, AQSLC leadership traveled to Cuba as members of the network\u2019s May Day brigade<\/a>, which brainstorms ways to \u201cbecome better armed\u201d and \u201ccounter Washington\u2019s lies\u2026against the revolution.\u201d In a since-deleted YouTube video discussing the trip, AQSLC organizers shared plans to replicate the revolution in America.<\/p>

\u201cWe were there in Cuba to learn of the successes of the revolution and bring it back home with us,\u201d an AQSLC organizer said in the video, titled \u201cCuba Report Back.\u201d<\/p>

Ermiya Fanaeian, a transgender woman of color<\/a> and formerly a diversity director<\/a> at the University of Utah, founded AQSLC after parting ways with the Pink Pistols<\/a>, an LGBT organization advocating in support of firearm safety and bearing arms as a means of self-defense.<\/p>

In a statement<\/a> responding to Kirk\u2019s death, Pink Pistols said Fanaeian had renamed her chapter to AQSLC after \u201cviolating our rule that we are a single-issue organization devoted solely to the safe, legal, and responsible use of firearms by the queer community.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cFrom that point forward, she no longer represented Pink Pistols,\u201d the statement said, \u201cand the Salt Lake City chapter was formally listed as defunct<\/a> on our website, where it remains.\u201d<\/p>

Fanaeian has publicly advocated for political violence. In an interview<\/a> with a Utah TV station, she said, \u201cI absolutely agree that sometimes violence, really riots, and those kinds of loud rebellions must take place for tangible change.\u201d<\/p>

TRUMP RESOLVES TO GO AFTER ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOMENT \u2018POLITICAL VIOLENCE.\u2019<\/a><\/p>

In an appearance<\/a> on Fox News, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino indicated that the agency is widening the scope of its investigation to see whether Kirk\u2019s killing was part of \u201ca larger effort.\u201d<\/p>

The assassin could have been \u201caided and abetted\u2019\u2019 by an \u201cextended network,\u201d Bongino said. \u201cWe\u2019ll also be dropping a lot of paper, a lot of subpoenas out there.\u201d<\/p>

Many social media figures started pointing fingers at AQSLC following news that the Trump administration is targeting far-left agitators<\/a> in search of possible accomplices.<\/p>

Amid scrutiny, AQSLC immediately deleted its Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> pages, though the group\u2019s X account<\/a> was still active until Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>

Now, some of AQSLC\u2019s past activities and affiliations are raising eyebrows.<\/p>

AQSLC held a lecture on \u201cqueer resistance\u201d at the University of Utah, approximately 45 miles away from the scene of Kirk\u2019s assassination on Utah Valley University's campus.<\/p>

A flyer promoting the 2023 event<\/a> depicted an activist holding an AK-47 rifle with her finger on the trigger in violation of a fundamental firearm safety rule. \u201cAGITATE\u201d appeared at the top of the promotional material. AQSLC\u2019s seminar was sponsored by an antifascist student club<\/a> formed to combat the school\u2019s Young Americans for Freedom chapter<\/a>. Young America\u2019s Foundation, the latter\u2019s parent organization, is similar to Kirk\u2019s conservative student group Turning Point USA.<\/p>

Two years ago, AQSLC hosted educational workshops on \u201cprotecting oppressed people\u2019s movements\u201d with the Texas-based Elm Fork branch<\/a> of the John Brown Gun Club<\/a>, an antifascist cohort inspired by a radical pre-Civil War abolitionist.<\/p>

JBGC\u2019s satellite Elm Fork chapter has ties to a Texas antifa cell<\/a> accused of ambushing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> detention center in Alvarado, Texas.<\/p>

During a coordinated Independence Day attack, multiple gunmen positioned from various vantage points opened fire on federal officers they lured outside the facility, injuring a local police officer who had responded to calls for help. More than a dozen suspected cell members, some<\/a> identifying as transgender, are facing federal and state-level charges, including attempted murder, terrorism<\/a>, and organized crime<\/a>, over the targeted attack.<\/p>

ANTIFA INC: HOW AN IDEOLOGY BECAME AN ORGANIZED CRIMINAL NETWORK<\/a><\/p>

Alleged ringleader Benjamin Hanil Song<\/a>, codename \u201cDelete,\u201d is a former Marine reservist with documented connections to the JBGC Elm Fork chapter. Archived video footage<\/a> shows Song, charged with furnishing four firearms used in the Alvarado plot, providing weapons training to antifa militants<\/a> in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.<\/p>

In 2023, Song was named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit<\/a> against JBGC Elm Fork brought by Christian counterprotesters<\/a> who disrupt Texas-area drag shows, after a violent altercation between the two groups.<\/p>

Self-styled as \u201ccommunity defense,\u201d<\/a> the Elm Fork offshoot acted as armed security at transgender activism events around north Texas, such as \u201cTransgender Storytime\u201d and drag performances. TPUSA was cited<\/a> as one of JBGC Elm Fork\u2019s political opponents \u201cspinning\u201d coverage of these storytime sessions \u201cto see the manifestation of their yearning for terrorism come to light.\u201d<\/p>

Like AQSLC, the radical-left gun rights group has called for its followers to overthrow the \u201cfascist\u201d government.<\/p>

In a blog post<\/a> on the JBGC Elm Fork website, an organizer wrote, \u201cWithout us, this state is nothing. We outnumber them. We are the only ones giving them power. We can take just as quickly as we can give. And we will take just as quickly as we gave.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThere will never be a right time to take our liberation back,\u201d the declaration said of an uprising. \u201cThe only time is now. We have nothing to lose but our chains. We are the insurrectionist generation.\u201d<\/p>

However, it appears that JBGC Elm Fork has been disbanded since 2023.<\/p>

AQSLC and Fanaeian were contacted for comment. The FBI declined to answer the Washington Examiner\u2019s inquiry.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25148515182056.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810560-1758088800", "title":"Shutdown battle presents Schumer with latest Democratic unity test", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3810560%2Fshutdown-battle-presents-schumer-latest-democratic-unity-test%2F", "byline":"David Sivak and Ramsey Touchberry", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A brewing fight over government funding is giving Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) a second chance to stand his ground against Republicans and avoid the divisions that hobbled his party in a similar showdown earlier this year. On Tuesday, Schumer made the case that the political tides had shifted since March, when he caved […]", "description":""

A brewing fight over government funding is giving Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) a second chance to stand his ground against Republicans and avoid the divisions that hobbled his party<\/a> in a similar showdown earlier this year.<\/p>

On Tuesday, Schumer made the case that the political tides had shifted since March, when he caved to Republicans<\/a> and handed them the Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown. The decision prompted backlash from within his party and even calls for him to step aside from leadership, but in this next funding fight, Schumer is signaling he won't back down.<\/p>

He, along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), is demanding that expiring Obamacare subsidies<\/a> be extended in exchange for the votes to delay the funding deadline from Sept. 30 to Nov. 21. \u00a0<\/p>

\u201cRepublicans are in [a] much weaker position now than they were then,\u201d Schumer told reporters, citing poor polling on President Donald Trump\u2019s tax cut law and what he called \u201cunlawfulness\u201d from the White House over clawbacks in already-approved funding.<\/p>

\u201cWe have been strong on the same message for a very long time, which is we need to help the American people lower their costs, particularly on healthcare, and we need a bipartisan negotiation,\u201d he added.<\/p>

It is not yet clear whether Schumer can keep Senate Democrats united behind the same strategy. In March, he and nine others in their caucus broke with most Democrats to allow Republicans to overcome the 60-vote threshold of the filibuster.<\/p>

But the caucus, in a bid to blame Republicans if a shutdown does happen, has attempted to get aligned on messaging and has latched on to Trump's recent remarks that GOP leaders should not \u201ceven bother dealing with\u201d Democrats.<\/p>

A counterproposal was in the works from Democrats and was expected to include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, as well as restrict Trump's ability to rescind federal spending, according to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).<\/p>

\u201cTrump made it very clear that he doesn't need Democratic help, and so, I wish him the best,\u201d said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a member of leadership who sided with Schumer in March.<\/p>

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), another member of leadership, declined to predict if Senate Democrats would stay together in this funding fight, but told the Washington Examiner, \u201cThere's tremendous unity in our caucus, and I'm grateful for that.\"<\/p>

He opposed Schumer's decision to vote for the government funding bill the last time around, while multiple Democrats who did declined to say Tuesday if they would support the GOP's \"clean\" funding extension.<\/p>

Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has pitched the short-term extension as a way to keep the government open so negotiations can proceed on fuller budget talks and cross-party negotiations<\/a> on the expiring Obamacare subsidies.<\/p>

\u201cThey want this political fight because they think they're politically advantaged by it. I don't,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>

Schumer batted down the offer to negotiate subsidy credits after the Sept. 30 funding cliff.<\/p>

\u201cWe don't put any faith in that,\u201d Schumer said, citing prior extension efforts that were rejected by Republicans. \u201cWe need Republicans to step up and not say, \u2018Oh, maybe we'll look at it down the road.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

Democrats have placed an urgency on extending the enhanced COVID-era benefits, which can apply to those making more than 400% the poverty level, because insurers have already taken steps to determine next year\u2019s monthly rates.<\/p>

Trump's Medicaid chief, Mehmet Oz, said after meeting with congressional Republicans Tuesday that the Obama-era healthcare law was \u201cthe topic that I personally think about the most.\u201d But he suggested the premium subsidies can be addressed at a later date.<\/p>

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) advocated a \u201creasonable extension\u201d but likewise said that later this year would still be suitable for an extension.<\/p>

House Republicans took steps Tuesday to tee up passage of the stopgap measure later this week. It would extend current funding levels, as well as provide millions in increased security for lawmakers and officials within the executive and judicial branches following the Charlie Kirk assassination.<\/p>

HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL SHORT-TERM SPENDING DEAL WITH $30 MILLION BOOST FOR MEMBER SECURITY<\/a><\/p>

Republicans, with a 53-47 majority, are likely to need at least seven Democrats to clear a 60-vote filibuster, with Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) expected to cancel each other out in bucking their respective parties. Fetterman has lampooned Democrats for using a potential shutdown as a bargaining chip, something the party has regularly condemned Republicans for doing in the past, while Paul blasted Republicans for wanting to continue with Biden-era spending levels.<\/p>

\"Any Republican who votes for this, I guess maybe they should apologize to Biden for being against his spending levels because they're actually voting for his spending levels now,\" Paul said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259746047371.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810566-1758088800", "title":"Monarez testifies before Senate about CDC firing: What to know", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3810566%2Fmonarez-testifies-senate-cdc-firing-what-to-know%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is slated to hold an oversight hearing on Wednesday regarding the ouster of top leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez and former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry were invited by health committee chairman […]", "description":""

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee<\/a> is slated to hold an oversight hearing on Wednesday regarding the ouster of top leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u00a0<\/p>

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> Director Susan Monarez<\/a> and former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry were invited by health committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA) to share their testimony before the committee to restore \u201ctrust through radical transparency.\u201d <\/p>

Monarez was fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. <\/a>and President Donald Trump<\/a> on August 27, only 29 days after she was sworn into the office following her protracted Senate confirmation process. <\/p>

Media reports indicate that Monarez and Kennedy had an intense falling out over vaccine policy. Monarez has publicly accused Kennedy of taking political control over the agency instead of allowing her and her staff to follow the science.\u00a0<\/p>

Here is the context of some of the more obscure things to watch during the hearing.<\/p>'Trustworthiness' and Monarez firing timeline

\u201cTrustworthy\u201d is likely to be a buzzword during the hearing as committee members attempt to shed light on the palace intrigue at CDC leading up to Monarez\u2019s ouster.<\/p>

During a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month, Kennedy said that Monarez told him that she was \u201cuntrustworthy,\u201d which was the reason he decided to fire her. <\/p>

But Monarez\u2019s written testimony for Wednesday's hearing, obtained in advance <\/a>by the Washington Examiner, said that Kennedy \u201ctold [Monarez] that he could not trust [her]\u201d after she refused to fire top scientists at the agency and relinquish policy decisions to political appointees.<\/p>

Monarez\u2019s written testimony outlines that she met with Kennedy on August 25, two days before her termination. During the meeting, Monarez says Kennedy directed her to promise to pre-approve all decisions made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices<\/a>, the CDC's vaccine advisory panel.<\/p>

Before Monarez\u2019s confirmation, Kennedy fired all 17 prior members of the ACIP and hand-selected seven new members who have a history of being critical of vaccine policy. He appointed five more members on Monday, days before the board is scheduled to meet to approve changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.<\/p>

\u201cI had refused to commit to approving vaccine recommendations without evidence, fire career officials, or resign \u2014 and I had shared my concerns with this Committee,\u201d Monarez wrote in her testimony. \u201cI told the Secretary that if he believed he could not trust me, he could fire me.\u201d<\/p>Houry\u2019s record during the COVID pandemic

Monarez was nominated from outside of the CDC, but Houry served at the CDC for 10 years in a career scientist capacity prior to her resignation.<\/p>

Houry\u2019s history is likely to be highlighted by supporters of Kennedy\u2019s tight control over the agency following policy mistakes made by the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>

Houry was appointed Chief Medical Officer in 2021, serving as a top adviser to former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.<\/p>

Walensky has been lambasted by Republicans for, among other things, coordinating with the teachers' unions<\/a> during the pandemic to recommend protracted lockdown policies, which have had long-term negative consequences for learning outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>

Before taking on her executive role, Houry used her emergency medicine specialty to revitalize the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control<\/a>, or NCIPC, within the CDC. That, too, was politicized during Walensky\u2019s time in office when the CDC began collecting gun violence statistics<\/a> as part of its public health mission.\u00a0<\/p>

Kennedy and his supporters have highlighted both the hyper-politicization of the CDC and the failures during COVID, including school lockdowns, as the justification directing Monarez to fire Houry and other senior agency staff, her refusal of which led to her termination.  <\/p>Operation Warp Speed and a Nobel Prize for Trump

Cassidy and Majority Whip Sen. John Barrasso<\/a> (R-WY), also a physician, wrote an op-ed in the National Review <\/a>on Tuesday before the hearing that Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed<\/a>, the effort to create mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during the height of the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>

Cassidy, Barrasso, and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) asked Kennedy during his Finance committee hearing earlier this month whether or not Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed, but he did not give a straight answer. <\/p>

Since taking over at HHS, Kennedy has cut funding for mRNA research projects, which vaccine supporters say will greatly hinder progress.<\/p>

In her written testimony, Houry says that Operation Warp Speed is \u201cproof that when America bets on science and execution, we save lives and strengthen our economy.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cPresident Trump and his first administration proved that partnerships can deliver at a historic scale,\u201d wrote Houry. \u201cOperation Warp Speed cut through red tape, aligned agencies, and mobilized industry so that the first COVID-19 vaccines were authorized within months.\u201d<\/p>

Neither Houry nor Monarez\u2019s opening statements reference the Nobel Prize. <\/p>Hepatitis B vaccine and other childhood vaccines

Republican members of the committee are likely to verbally spar over the Hepatitis B vaccine in particular, which has been a sticking point between pro- and anti-vaccine advocates. <\/p>

Hepatitis B <\/a>is transmitted through bodily fluids, such as blood or semen, and is considered by some to be a sexually transmitted infection. The disease can also be spread through needles, such as tattooing equipment, shared nail clippers or grooming supplies, and from mother to child during childbirth.<\/p>

Although most mothers are tested for Hepatitis B during their first trimester, as many as 14% of pregnant women in the U.S. go untested, therefore risking passing the disease to their children should they be positive. Other mothers can contract the infection at later stages in pregnancy without knowing it.<\/p>

ACIP during its meeting this week is likely to remove recommendations for infants to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B on their first day of life, which Cassidy has said will put children at risk of developing severe chronic conditions, including liver disease, later in life.<\/p>

OUTSTED CDC CHIEF SAYS RFK JR. FIRED HER FOR 'HOLDING THE LINE ON SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY'<\/a><\/p>

The Hepatitis B vaccine has been an issue among leading Republicans on the Senate health committee for several months. <\/p>

Cassidy and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) argued about the necessity of vaccinating infants on their first day of life during Kennedy\u2019s confirmation hearing before the HELP committee this spring. They have subsequently also debated the need for the vaccine on social media. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25176573513530.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810408-1758087000", "title":"Pam Bondi’s disqualifying constitutional illiteracy", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Frestoring-america%2Fpatriotism-unity%2F3810408%2Fpam-bondi-disqualifying-constitutional-iliteracy%2F", "byline":"Brad Polumbo", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump promised to protect free speech as president. His record is very mixed on that count. Still, Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, apparently doesn’t even understand basic facts about the First Amendment. Indeed, Bondi signaled her intent to violate it. During a podcast interview this week, Bondi spoke about the aftermath of the […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> promised to protect free speech as president. His record is very mixed<\/a> on that count. Still, Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi<\/a>, apparently doesn\u2019t even understand basic facts about the First Amendment<\/a>. Indeed, Bondi signaled her intent to violate it.<\/p>

During a podcast interview<\/a> this week, Bondi spoke about the aftermath of the horrific assassination of MAGA star influencer Charlie Kirk<\/a>. She lamented the disturbing fact that some left-wing voices are celebrating this brazen act of political terrorism. But Bondi then bizarrely claimed that \"There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society\" for hate speech. She reiterated that, pledging that the federal government \"will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.\"<\/p>

This screed shocked the conservative commentariat because it sounded, almost word-for-word, like the anti-free speech arguments that social justice warriors and woke progressives have pushed for years. It also tramples on everything Kirk stood for, as he famously posted on social media that \"hate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.\"<\/p>

Kirk was exactly right. <\/p>

\u201cHate speech\u201d is not a coherent concept. All controversial speech is hated by someone. In fact, it\u2019s exactly the speech that is hated that needs the First Amendment\u2019s protection \u2014 popular speech isn\u2019t targeted for censorship in the first place.\u00a0This isn\u2019t up for debate. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that even \u201chate speech\u201d is protected free speech. For example, in the 2017 case Matal v Tam, Justice Samuel Alito wrote<\/a> for the court that, \u201cthe proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express \u2018the thought that we hate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

It\u2019s humiliating and bizarre that someone as high-ranking as Bondi could make this kind of mistake. And it unequivocally calls into question her ability to uphold people\u2019s constitutional rights when she clearly doesn\u2019t even understand what those rights actually are.<\/p>

SUSPECT IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION IS IN CUSTODY: TRUMP<\/a><\/p>

Bondi and other officials are now in damage control mode, claiming<\/a> that she meant a crackdown on true threats, not just \u201cnasty speech.\u201d<\/a> But that is not what she said. And even if the attorney general has seen the error of her ways and reversed course, the ignorance she\u2019s displayed is disqualifying.<\/p>

This level of constitutionally illiteracy is simply intolerable for the nation\u2019s highest law enforcement official. If Trump actually believes in free speech, he has to fire Bondi. Otherwise, he\u2019s sending the message that it\u2019s fine and dandy, even at the highest levels of his administration, to trample on the Constitution and demonstrate contempt for the First Amendment.<\/p>

Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.<\/a><\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25247701339139.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809487-1758085200", "title":"Worksites become major focus of ICE raids: ‘The big ticket’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809487%2Fworksites-major-focus-ice-raids-big-ticket%2F", "byline":"Anna Giaritelli", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Federal law enforcement at Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made worksites a major focus of its strategy, going after illegal immigrants at job sites in the hopes of rounding up large numbers of people at one time, according to two sources with firsthand knowledge. “Worksite enforcement is the big ticket now,” said the first official, […]", "description":""

Federal law enforcement<\/a> at Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made worksites a major focus of its strategy, going after illegal immigrants<\/a> at job sites in the hopes of rounding up large numbers of people at one time, according to two sources with firsthand knowledge.<\/p>

\"Worksite enforcement is the big ticket now,\" said the first official, who was not authorized to speak with the media and spoke on the condition of anonymity. \"They're going to be doing a lot of those types of operations.\"<\/p>

Since the Trump administration<\/a> commenced what it promised would be the \"largest-ever\" deportation operation in U.S. history in January, ICE and federal law enforcement have largely targeted criminal illegal immigrants and made collateral arrests.<\/p>

A second official explained that the next step was targeting cities, like what happened in Los Angeles at the start of summer.<\/p>

\"The president has promised to get rid of all the criminals, and so I think in the practical sense, they needed time to get additional detention space. They focused on the worst of the worst, to understand how to do that, practice it, scale it up,\" the second official said. \"Then they went to the at-large operation, which was, Los Angeles being the biggest example, but that operation is happening in every big city in America right now. And it was Chicago, Boston, Florida.\"<\/p>

City and state law enforcement have signed what are known as 287(g) agreements with ICE, which allow nonfederal police to be deputized to work with ICE and carry out federal immigration enforcement. That led to additional arrests, all while ICE was opening additional immigrant detention sites in Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, Louisiana, and Tennessee.<\/p>

Raids began in early spring with a handful to more than a dozen arrests per location, such as one in New Jersey<\/a> and another in Massachusetts<\/a>.<\/p>

More recent raids at job sites have resulted in dozens to hundreds of arrests at a time, such as the 300 illegal immigrants from South Korea who were nabbed at a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia in early September. <\/p>

Focusing on job sites \"always has been part of the plan,\" according to the second source.<\/p>

By late summer, ICE began showing up at job sites, which gives it a much bigger return on its investment. Arresting one person at large can take days or weeks of planning and requires a dozen or so federal police on site to make that apprehension.<\/p>

\"It's more layers \u2014 we're going to do this, and then we're going to add this capability to it, and we're going [to] add this capability,\" the same official said. \"We're not abandoning what's being done already, but we're adding tools.\"<\/p>

Employers are given notice before ICE shows up on site and told to have workers' work documents available for federal police to review. If tax records and documents do not add up, employers and employees may be arrested and detained as investigators sort out who is illegally present in the United States or illegally employing workers.<\/p>

Investigators at ICE's Homeland Security Investigations arm may spend several months scoping out large businesses it suspects of using illegal hiring practices before officers raid a job site.<\/p>

Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's border security and immigration center, said the Trump administration was going far beyond previous Republican administrations, which did not want to hurt Republican big business.<\/p>

\"We've had prior Republican administrations where they want to look like they're doing something on enforcement, but they've kind of been bought by the business lobby, and so they don't actually want to raid work sites,\" Hankinson said in a phone call. \"You want to find large numbers of illegal immigrants? You go to where they are illegally working.\"<\/p>

Hankinson and the two officials also anticipated that arrests, particularly at job sites, would spike in 2026 as ICE continues to onboard its 10,000 newly hired deportation officers and expand detention space, which will allow officers to make more arrests and have the space to detain them through deportation.<\/p>

TRUMP SENDS FEDERAL POLICE TO BATTLE CRIME IN MEMPHIS AT REQUEST OF TENNESSEE GOV. BILL LEE<\/a><\/p>

\"2026 is going to be significantly bigger than 2025. We're going to have more people self-deport [as they] realize that [ICE is] not playing \u2014 that there is a chance that if you're working here illegally, you will be caught,\" Hankinson said. \"I do see enforcement being much more, in numbers, being more impressive in 2026.\"<\/p>

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ice-worksite-raids.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809566-1758085200", "title":"It’s time to study what the internet has done to young people", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3809566%2Finternet-young-people-radicalization-kirk-commission%2F", "byline":"Hugh Hewitt", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk‘s assassination, one thing is clear: We need a “Kirk Commission.” Some will instantly reject the idea because of the dismal failure of the Warren Commission to settle any questions around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1973. Besides, naysayers will note, though the presumption of innocence remains, most of […]", "description":""

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s assassination, one thing is clear: We need a \u201cKirk Commission.\u201d<\/p>

Some will instantly reject the idea because of the dismal failure of the Warren Commission to settle any questions around the assassination of President\u00a0John F.\u00a0Kennedy in 1973. Besides, naysayers will note, though the presumption of innocence remains, most of the public has no doubt about who\u00a0assassinated Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>

But a Kirk Commission isn\u2019t a murder inquest. FBI Director Kash Patel<\/a> and the whole of Utah<\/a> law enforcement will discover whoever was connected to the\u00a0killing. If there were a broader plot, it would be exposed.<\/p>

No, we need a Kirk Commission to investigate and report on a wholly different subject: What has the internet done to Gen Z, and what is it doing to Gen Alpha? The radicalization of any percentage of an age cohort is a huge problem. A radicalization that tips young people into political violence is even worse. We are there.<\/p>

But we don\u2019t know the size and scale of the problem. We do know it will be extremely difficult to address. The First Amendment protects online nuttery, and after the astonishing abuse and censorship of the virtual public square by Biden-era officials, the public is rightly going to be very suspicious of government-sponsored regulation of the World Wide Web (See Sen. Eric Schmitt\u2019s [R-MO] new book\u00a0The Last Line of Defense: How to Beat the Left in Court\u00a0for all the stunning details of the Biden administration\u2019s \u201ccensorship enterprise.\u201d)<\/p>

YES, CELEBRATING MURDER IS GROUNDS FOR SOCIAL EXILE<\/a><\/p>

But if parents, school teachers, coaches, and youth pastors are going to have a fighting chance to stave off the worst, they need more than\u00a0The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, good though it might be. They need more than the very wise counsel Justice Amy Coney Barrett gave to parents in an\u00a0interview<\/a>\u00a0with me on Monday.\u00a0We\u00a0all\u00a0need an alarm that is grounded in fact, not fear, detailed with precision, and not just calamitous rhetoric.<\/p>

We need a \u201cKirk Commission on Violence Among the Young.\u201d The Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate, as well as their minority party counterparts, get two appointments each. President Donald Trump should have five. Congress should stand it up as it did the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,\" (the \u201c9\/11 Commission\u201d), which was established by Public Law 107-306, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, on Nov. 27, 2002. That commission was bipartisan and serious. It did excellent work. Its recommendations made sense, and many were adopted. So could this commission focus on domestic terrorism that has raised its deeply dangerous head in Utah, and in New York City and elsewhere?<\/p>

Objections will be raised from both the Right and the Left. But after two assassination\u00a0attempts on Trump, the murder of healthcare executive Brian Thompson in New York in December of last year, the murders of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark on June 14 of this year, the killing of Kirk, and at least some of the school shootings we have all been horrified by, we need a bipartisan group of respected, serious figures to step into the muck and mire of the deep web and try to discover and articulate what is driving this madness.<\/p>

The country has been in this place before. The Weather Underground of the late 1960s and early 1970s was responsible for dozens of bombings. The radicals of that era retreated into academia, as chronicled by Christopher Rufo in America\u2019s Cultural Revolution. The rising generations seem far more nihilistic than even the crazed theoreticians of that era. It is the return of Saul Alinsky\u2019s Rules for Radicals, but amped up and armed. We need to know the scope of the problem.\u00a0We need to know how to counsel parents and schools. We cannot just hope all will be well or that the shock of Kirk\u2019s murder will bring a sudden sanity into the virtual world. Just the opposite has, in fact, happened.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

Commentary magazine\u00a0editor John Podhoretz has noted on the podcast that he and other\u00a0Commentary\u00a0writers produce Monday through Friday that the web has allowed communities to come together that ought never to have been allowed to come together. They are communities of the crazed and the evil.<\/p>

The First Amendment protects speech in so fulsome a fashion that shuttering even extremist hate speech isn\u2019t an option. But understanding the origins of the rage and possible antidotes to it is well worth the time, money, and political blowback. Hopefully, Trump will back such an effort, and the appointees pursue their tasks with careful attention to detail and zeal for protecting a republic that feels increasingly fragile.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25255528607386_8d2cf7.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810029-1758085200", "title":"What Pam Bondi gets wrong about the limits of free speech", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Feditorials%2F3810029%2Fwhat-pam-bondi-gets-wrong-about-limits-free-speech%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Feelings are running high in the Trump administration after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, so, understandably, officeholders such as Attorney General Pam Bondi want to do everything they can to ensure such an assassination never happens again. But her recent comments on imminent action against hate speech, threats of violence, and civil rights […]", "description":""

Feelings are running high in the Trump administration<\/a> after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>, so, understandably, officeholders such as Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a> want to do everything they can to ensure such an assassination<\/a> never happens again. But her recent comments on imminent action against hate speech<\/a>, threats of violence, and civil rights<\/a> have no foundation in law and should be rejected by the White House.<\/p>

\"There's free speech, and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society,\" Bondi said in a podcast with Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller<\/a>. When asked by Katie Miller if we will see \u201chandcuffs\u201d on \u201cgroups who are using hate speech,\u201d Bondi said, \u201cWe will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.\"<\/p>

But as Kirk once said, \u201cHate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment<\/a>. Keep America free.\u201d He was right, and Bondi is wrong. She realized it hours later when she posted a clarification on social media. \u201cHate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment,\u201d Bondi wrote<\/a>. \u201cUnder 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 875(c), it is a federal crime to transmit \u201cany communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.\u201d Likewise, 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 876 and 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 115 make it a felony to threaten public officials, members of Congress, or their families.\u201d<\/p>

This is true. Threats of actual violence are not protected in the Bill of Rights. But that has nothing to do with \u201chate speech,\u201d which is a nebulous concept that can be, and these days is, expanded to encompass any utterance that a listener finds distasteful. Someone celebrating the death of a person because of his or her skin color or beliefs is despicable. But while cackling with glee over a human's death is revolting, it is not a threat to violence and is legal.<\/p>

But protection against prosecution for words doesn\u2019t extend to complete immunity from unwelcome consequences. In 1981, after President Ronald Reagan was shot, a clerk in a sheriff\u2019s office in Texas was heard saying, \"If they go for him again, I hope they get him.\" The clerk did not agree with Reagan\u2019s cuts to welfare and Medicaid.\u00a0<\/p>

When the sheriff found out about these comments, he fired the clerk. She sued, claiming a violation of her First Amendment rights, and demanded back pay and other damages. Her case went to the Supreme Court, where she won. The majority decided that because her job as a data entry clerk did not involve any \u201cpolicymaking, or public contact role,\u201d and because the comments were made in private to another employee, her First Amendment rights outweighed the interest of the state \u201cin promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees.\u201d<\/p>

With that Rankin v. McPherson<\/a> test in mind, it is instructive to look at what has happened to Democrats who celebrated Kirk\u2019s murder.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI love when evil white cis men die, it's literally my favorite thing,\u201d a nurse at a hospital in Olympia, Washington, posted on social media after Kirk\u2019s death. Because nurses make many life-or-death decisions every week, it is surely a problem that any of them would be openly excited by the prospect of death for a category of people accounting for some 40% of the population. Nurses who behave in this manner should be identified and fired.<\/p>

Dozens of teachers have also been caught celebrating Kirk\u2019s death on social media. One said<\/a> Kirk\u2019s murder was the \"consequences of his actions,\u201d while another said, \u201cLooks like he took one for the team. Hope he is roasting!\u201d These were not private comments, and they betray sick and deranged minds that should not be anywhere near the children they are educating. They should also be identified and fired.<\/p>

But firing some people whose dealings with the public presume a level of impartiality and levelheadedness does not mean any business should be required to celebrate Kirk\u2019s life. \u201cIf you want to go and print posters with Charlie's picture for a vigil, you have to let them do that,\u201d Bondi said in reference to an incident at an Office Depot in which employees refused to help make a Kirk poster. \u201cWe can prosecute you for that,\u201d Bondi said.<\/p>

DISASTROUS TEST SCORES SHOW SCHOOLS NEED TO GET BACK TO BASICS<\/a><\/p>

No, she can\u2019t. Just as the Colorado Civil Rights Commission can\u2019t force a baker to make a specialized cake to celebrate a gay wedding, Bondi can\u2019t force Office Depot employees to make Kirk posters. Office Depot has the right to fire the recalcitrant employee, and it did so, because it has a legitimate right to expect that its staff will not discriminate against political viewpoints. It can also sack the employee simply because it finds her behavior disgusting. But Bondi cannot force the business, if it chooses, to turn down customers because it disapproves of their beliefs or advocacy.<\/p>

If the Trump administration can show that someone threatened violence, it can prosecute him or her for threatening violence. But so-called hate speech has nothing to do with it. Likewise, if the Trump administration can show someone knew about the assassin's specific plans before the killing, or helped him afterward, then, by all means, prosecute that abettor of murder.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25247697978486.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810671-1758085200", "title":"Inside Scoop: Unpopularity plagues Democrats, media fail Kirk, candidate quality matters", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fvideos%2F3810671%2Finside-scoop-jim-antle-unpopularity-plagues-dems-media-fails-kirk-candidate-quality-matters%2F", "byline":"Amy DeLaura", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Jim Antle, the magazine’s executive editor, brings to life the pages of the Washington Examiner magazine in the show Inside Scoop. Each episode features exclusive insight from the article authors and expert analysis. This week, Antle breaks down the anger, lack of leadership, and unpopularity plaguing the Democratic Party. Three things happened in rapid succession […]", "description":""

Jim Antle<\/a>, the magazine's executive editor, brings to life the pages of the Washington Examiner magazine<\/a> in the show Inside Scoop<\/a>. Each episode features exclusive insight from the article authors and expert analysis.<\/p>

This week, Antle breaks down the anger, lack of leadership, and unpopularity plaguing the Democratic Party<\/a>. Three things happened in rapid succession in one 24-hour period that illustrate the promise and the peril that lie ahead for Democrats: a 50-point special election victory, the reemergence of former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> and 2024 recriminations, and the senseless murder of the influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>

Daniel Ross Goodman<\/a>, a Washington Examiner contributor, joined Antle to discuss his piece on the media's handling of two significant stories<\/a>: the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Goodman highlighted the media's initial neglect of Zarutska's murder.<\/p>

\u201cThis murder of a Ukrainian refugee was not covered hardly at all by outlets like the New York Times, CNN,\u201d Goodman said. \u201cIt was only thanks to conservative figures like Charlie Kirk, in a tragic twist of irony, who had brought it to our attention.\u201d<\/p>

Goodman also noted the media's initial biased coverage of Kirk's death, which later required retractions. He suggested that the combination of these events might prompt conversations of media accountability and a reevaluation of their approach to covering certain stories and figures.<\/p>

\u201cI think the combination of the death of Iryna Zarutska and Charlie Kirk and how they died is a turning point in American history, not only in how we approach violence, but how it's covered, and in how some of the people who bring these topics to the forefront of the media are covered,\u201d Goodman said. \u201cI think we're finally beginning to see some people and in those areas of the media say, \u2018Well, maybe we've been doing something a little bit wrong. Maybe we need to correct our ways a little bit and how we approach these stories and these figures.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

INSIDE SCOOP: DEGRADED AMERICAN CULTURE, FLAG BURNING, AND CRACKER BARREL LESSONS<\/a><\/p>

In approximately 14 months, voters will once again head to the polls to vote. An in-depth report by Kimberly Ross<\/a> explains what is at stake in the 2026 midterm elections and why candidate quality matters<\/a>.<\/p>

Tune in each week at washingtonexaminer.com<\/a> and across all our social media platforms to go behind the headlines in the Washington Examiner\u2019s new show, Inside Scoop<\/a>.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0917-IS-FULL-SHOW.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810716-1758085200", "title":"Venezuela boat strikes bring Trump war powers back under Senate scrutiny", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3810716%2Fvenezuela-boat-strikes-trump-war-powers-senate-scrutiny%2F", "byline":"David Sivak and Ramsey Touchberry", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump is inviting fresh congressional scrutiny over his power as commander in chief with a crackdown on drug smuggling off the coast of Venezuela. In the coming weeks, Democrats will force a vote on Trump’s authority to sink boats that he says are run by “narcoterrorists” trafficking drugs into the United States, while […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> is inviting fresh congressional scrutiny over his power as commander in chief with a crackdown on drug smuggling<\/a> off the coast of Venezuela<\/a>.<\/p>

In the coming weeks, Democrats will force a vote on Trump\u2019s authority to sink boats that he says are run by \u201cnarcoterrorists\u201d trafficking drugs into the United States, while the strikes have brought a new wave of congressional briefings.<\/p>

The House Armed Services Committee will receive a classified briefing from Pentagon officials on Wednesday, according to<\/a> Punchbowl News. The Senate\u2019s counterpart held its own briefing<\/a> last week, before news of the second strike<\/a>.<\/p>

The flurry of activity on Capitol Hill marks a repeat of June, when Trump\u2019s strike on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities prompted similar concern that the White House was stepping on Congress\u2019s power to declare war.<\/p>

At the time, Republicans rejected a push<\/a> to limit future strikes against Iran, rebuffing Democratic objections that Trump was leading the country into a wider Middle East conflict.<\/p>

His authorities again became a flashpoint last week, when the House voted to repeal<\/a> two decades-old war powers laws relating to the 1991 and 2003 invasions of Iraq, this time with the help of Republicans.<\/p>

In a bipartisan vote, 49 Republicans joined Democrats to repeal the authorizations, which members say have been abused to justify later military actions.<\/p>

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, have largely given the White House wide latitude to conduct military operations without congressional approval, and on Tuesday, GOP leaders expressed support for Trump\u2019s attacks on the Venezuelan boats.<\/p>

\u201cI mean, I think that obviously there's a certain amount of consultation that happens. But again, this is partly a function of his, I think, authority as commander in chief to protect the American people,\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

The strikes have nonetheless reignited a debate over presidential power that long predates Trump. Congress passed a law to limit the president\u2019s war powers in the 1970s, but the changing nature of war, including the rise of terrorism, has repeatedly strained that commitment to power-sharing.<\/p>

Under Trump, the bulk of the criticism has come from Democrats, who want a clearer legal justification for the Venezuelan boat strikes and distrust the assurances that the boats were carrying drugs. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Washington Examiner he wants to see an all-senator meeting with Pentagon staff to explain operational details and justify its legality.<\/p>

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is also co-sponsoring a war powers resolution with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would thwart a president\u2019s ability to conduct strikes on groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Tren de Aragua gang, the administration says it is targeting with its military operations.<\/p>

Republicans, too, have questions over the legality of the Venezuela boat strikes, while Trump has suggested he could push the limits of his authority further with strikes on land.<\/p>

\u201cI think it's a question that needs to be explored,\u201d said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u201cIt also depends on the facts.\u201d<\/p>

But Republicans writ large have backed the military\u2019s actions unequivocably, including Sen. James Risch (R-ID), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.<\/p>

\u201cAbsolutely, 100%,\u201d Risch said when asked if he supported the military actions near Venezuela, adding that he had no \u201cneed\u201d for a briefing.<\/p>

\u201cI know what I need to know,\u201d Risch said.<\/p>

The only outspoken GOP opposition has so far come from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a libertarian who opposed Trump\u2019s Iran strike in June. He was noncommittal on Schiff\u2019s war powers resolution but criticized a buildup of forces in the Caribbean that he said could provoke Venezuela into a military response.<\/p>

Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro, whom the United States believes is complicit in the drug trade, has denounced the strikes as an \u201cact of war<\/a>\u201d and claimed they were intended to foment regime change<\/a>, not stop trafficking.<\/p>

\u201cIt's a terrible policy to just shoot boats without, you know, without trying to interdict them,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former Navy pilot, said his preference was for the boats to be apprehended as well, a function normally undertaken by the Coast Guard.<\/p>

\u201cThen you get the chance to interrogate the people, and maybe you can figure out what the whole larger network is and apprehend other individuals,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>

On the question of legality, Kelly said it was \u201cunclear\u201d whether Trump had the authority to conduct the strikes, but that Congress must have greater consultation in the absence of a war declaration.<\/p>

\u201cI'm a guy who\u2019s sunk a couple ships myself, much bigger,\u201d he added. \u201cBut in a war, this is not \u2014 we haven't declared war.\u201d<\/p>

NDAA PASSES HOUSE WITH AMENDMENT TO REPEAL IRAQ WAR AUTHORIZATIONS<\/a><\/p>

In the past, Democrats have found greater willingness to buck Trump within the Republican Party. Eight GOP senators voted to oppose the strikes Trump undertook against Iranian leadership in his first term, seven of whom<\/a> are still in Congress today.<\/p>

But the votes have increasingly become a party-line exercise, with all Senate Republicans but Paul rejecting the June war powers vote on Iran.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25177673234183.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809442-1758081600", "title":"How the CCP’s propaganda machine uses Western elites to bolster its legitimacy ", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigations%2F3809442%2Fhow-ccp-propaganda-machine-uses-western-elites-legitimacy%2F", "byline":"Robert Schmad", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Each week, distinguished academics, activists, and media professionals join forces — sometimes unknowingly — to help the Chinese Communist Party portray the United States as a decaying empire in contrast to an ascendant China. China Global Television Network is one of the country’s most prolific state-run media outfits. Operating under the Central Propaganda Department of […]", "description":""

Each week, distinguished academics, activists, and media professionals join forces \u2014 sometimes unknowingly \u2014 to help the Chinese Communist Party portray the United States as a decaying empire in contrast to an ascendant China.<\/p>

China Global Television Network is one of the country's most prolific state-run media outfits. Operating <\/a>under the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP, CGTN, in the words of a 2022 academic paper<\/a>, depicts the U.S. as \u201cpoorly governed, plutocratic, racist, and a destabilizing international influence\u201d and China as \u201cwell governed, benign, stable, and a rising superpower.\u201d A Washington Examiner review<\/a> of social media posts dating back to August found that dozens of high-profile Westerners, primarily professors, have appeared on the network for interviews. Many of these guests were not aware of CGTN's links to Beijing.<\/p>

Among CGTN\u2019s guests were professors from prestigious universities such as Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown, as well as journalists affiliated with mainstream outlets such as CNN and leaders from influential nonprofit organizations. The guests spoke on a wide array of topics, ranging from issues of great interest to Beijing, such as U.S. tariff policy, the war in Ukraine, and the promotion of Chinese history, to more innocuous subjects like esports and music festivals.<\/p>

\"The Chinese Communist Party endeavors to launder their anti-American propaganda through American voices, which makes it more believable for both Chinese and American audiences,\" Michael Lucci, CEO of the national security organization State Armor, told the Washington Examiner. \"These voices range from LeBron James<\/a> backing Beijing when they crushed freedom in Hong Kong, to American academics and financiers declaring America to be irreversibly flawed and the 21st century to be the Chinese century, to a broad whitewashing of the genocide occurring in Xinjiang. CGTN is a primary conduit in Beijing's global propaganda machine and mixes as many American and Western voices as possible into their fundamentally anti-American propaganda.\"<\/p>

When reached by the Washington Examiner, multiple individuals said they were unfamiliar with CGTN's links to the Chinese government and would not appear on the network again after being made aware of the relationship. The fact that multiple guests were ignorant of the CCP\u2019s control over CGTN shows that booking agents working for the network may have failed to disclose such information.<\/p>

For instance, Charles Kuck, an adjunct professor of law at Emory and immigration law firm partner, appeared on CGTN earlier this month to discuss the effect of deportations on the job market.<\/p>

After being reached by the Washington Examiner, Kuck said he \u201cdid not know about [CGTN\u2019s] designation\" and \u201cwould not have appeared\u201d if he had known. Kuck was referring to the State Department\u2019s designation<\/a> of CGTN as a foreign mission of the CCP in 2020.<\/p>

\u201cI will make a note to avoid them in the future,\u201d Kuck said.<\/p>

Ken Kuttner, a professor of economics at Williams College, also told the Washington Examiner that he was previously unfamiliar with CGTN\u2019s designation. He noted that his segment on the network, which included his comments on the latest U.S. inflation numbers, \u201cdidn't have an obvious political agenda.\" However, he said being made aware of the network\u2019s affiliation with the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP made him \u201chesitant to appear again.\u201d<\/p>

Alan Cross, a well-known Canadian music critic, also appeared on the network recently and told the Washington Examiner that he \u201cwasn\u2019t aware of CGTN\u2019s reputation.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNow that I know, I\u2019ll be turning down any future requests,\u201d he said.<\/p>

One CGTN guest that the Washington Examiner spoke with cited the prevalence of high-profile guests on the network as part of the reason he felt comfortable going on.<\/p>

\u201cYes, I was aware of the affiliation between CGTN and the Chinese government,\u201d Gene Rossi, former federal prosecutor and prominent commentator, said. \u201cI did research on people who have gone on. And the people that have gone on were pretty impressive and included Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton, and a host of other political leaders and eminent individuals throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>

Rossi also said CGTN \u201cimposed no limitations whatsoever\u201d on his statements, which he said provided him with an opportunity to show \u201cthe greatness of America on Chinese TV.\u201d<\/p>

CGTN has faced criticism for running advertisements downplaying China\u2019s Uyghur repression<\/a> and pushing pro-Russia talking points<\/a> following the nation\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The state-run outlet also broadcast coerced confessions<\/a> and published disinformation about anti-CCP dissidents, most notably<\/a> during its coverage of the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests, for which the outlet portrayed pro-democracy demonstrators as violent terrorists.<\/p>

Other CGTN guests reached by the Washington Examiner were mixed on whether they were aware of it being state-run media. Still, they shared Rossi\u2019s view that the network\u2019s ties to the CCP were insufficient to dissuade them from appearing, as they felt that their ability to speak freely was not impeded.\u00a0<\/p>

John Tamny, an editor at RealClear Markets, told the Washington Examiner that he was unaware of CGTN\u2019s government affiliations but would continue to appear on the network given his support for free trade between the U.S. and China and because he felt the network\u2019s coverage is fair.<\/p>

Will Humble and Eric Feigl-Ding, two public health experts, expressed to the Washington Examiner that they felt CGTN was a good platform to share information about their field of expertise and that the interviews were fairly conducted.<\/p>

Roger Smith, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, gave similar rationale, telling the Washington Examiner that he \u201cwas aware that CGTN is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party and seeks to portray China favorably\u201d but that his \u201cpolicy is to respond to requests from journalists by conveying the truth as I understand it, regardless of the political viewpoint of their employers\u201d even though he is otherwise critical of China. According to Smith, CGTN has presented his statements accurately and made an effort to present both sides of a given issue, such as Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.<\/p>

Other noteworthy Western guests that have appeared on CGTN in recent weeks include American University history professor Anton Fedyashin, physician Mads Gilbert, Carter Center Senior Adviser on China Yawei Liu, former CNN Senior Correspondent Arwa Damon, ANSWER Coalition National Director Brian Becker, former JPMorgan Chase Chief Economist Anthony Chan, Yale University professor of finance Kelly Shue, and dozens of others.<\/p>

In addition to Western guests, CGTN also uses Western news anchors and correspondents, giving the network an even more legitimate appearance. Among them are Hendrik Sybrandy<\/a>, Mark Niu<\/a>, Alasdair Baverstock<\/a>, Nick Harper<\/a>, Kate Fisher<\/a>, and Karina Mitchell<\/a>.<\/p>

BIG TECH COLLECTS REVENUE FROM UYGHUR GENOCIDE-LINKED \u2018CHINESE MILITARY COMPANIES\u2019<\/a><\/p>

The Washington Examiner previously reported that Meta has accepted<\/a> money from CGTN to run ads on Facebook, Google promotes<\/a> the network\u2019s stories to readers, and it has recently been pushing clips on social media echoing talking points<\/a> common among Democratic operatives.<\/p>

CGTN did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24039591717537-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810943-1758081587", "title":"Democrat wins special election to replace assassinated Minnesota politician", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810943%2Fspecial-election-replace-assassinated-minnesota-politician%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Xp Lee won a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday to replace Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives who was assassinated in June. She was the top Democrat in the House. Lee is a former city councilman of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, the Associated Press reported. He easily defeated his Republican […]", "description":""

Xp Lee won a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday to replace Melissa Hortman<\/a>, the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives who was assassinated in June<\/a>. She was the top Democrat in the House.<\/p>

Lee is a former city councilman of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota<\/a>, the Associated Press reported. He easily defeated<\/a> his Republican opponent, a real estate agent, Ruth Bittner, winning 60.9% of the vote to Bittner\u2019s 39.1% in a heavily Democratic district. He will now be the representative from Minnesota State House District 34B.<\/p>

Lee said he would work hard to honor Hortman\u2019s legacy in a speech after his election victory.<\/p>

\u201cI have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman\u2019s legacy,\u201d read Lee\u2019s statement<\/a>. \u201cWe did our best to make her proud: knocking on doors daily, making phone calls, and texting every neighbor we could.\u201d<\/p>

TIM WALZ TO SEEK THIRD TERM AS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR<\/a><\/p>

Rep. Zack Stephenson, Hortman\u2019s successor as top Democrat, applauded<\/a> Lee\u2019s victory and acknowledged it restored his party\u2019s caucus to full representation. This is important, Stephenson suggested, because it is believed Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) wants to call a special session to address the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis<\/a> in August, reported the Associated Press. The shooting left two students dead and 21 people injured. Stephenson said Democrats having full representation will help them \u201cprioritize\u201d the safety of children in schools.<\/p>

\u201cThat means we\u2019ll prioritize the safety of our kids instead of access to weapons of war, and we\u2019ll make our economy work better for all Minnesotans, not just the billionaires,\u201d Stephenson said<\/a>.<\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

According to reports, Lee will be sworn into office after the election results have been certified. His election<\/a> means that Minnesota\u2019s State House will have an even split of Democrats and Republicans, with each party holding 67 seats. As a result, both parties will continue a power-sharing agreement<\/a> that Hortman brokered after the 2024 election, in which Democrats lost their majority, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Xp-Lee-e1758115851762.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809347-1758074400", "title":"Trump arrives in UK as factions compete over nation’s surging right-wing wave", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3809347%2Ftrump-arrives-uk-state-visit-surging-right-wing%2F", "byline":"Timothy Nerozzi", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump is arriving in the United Kingdom on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit, this time hosted by King Charles III. The president will be kept mostly behind the walls of Windsor Castle, far from the London streets that just days ago were packed with more than 100,000 “Unite the Kingdom” protesters. […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> is arriving in the United Kingdom<\/a> on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit<\/a>, this time hosted by King Charles III.<\/p>

The president will be kept mostly behind the walls of Windsor Castle, far from the London streets<\/a> that just days ago were packed with more than 100,000 \"Unite the Kingdom\" protesters. The demonstration, which resulted in over 20 injured police officers, revealed the explosive resentment building within Britain's surging right wing.<\/p>

Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> has characterized the protest as a display of \"plastic patriotism\" that nonetheless \"sent a shiver through so many of our communities\u00a0who now feel more scared than they did before.\"<\/p>

\"Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect,\" Starmer said via social media. \"Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.\"<\/p>

\"Unite the Kingdom\" was organized by Tommy Robinson, a British political activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. <\/p>

Robinson, a preeminent anti-immigration advocate, has galvanized factions of the voter base that are outraged at the continued mass importation of foreign nationals and perceived inaction from the mainstream parties to fix the U.K.'s collapsing social cohesion and fraught economy.<\/p>

He has made enormous gains through hammering on taboo social ills plaguing the U.K., such as well-documented grooming gangs operated by immigrants<\/a>, harsh crackdowns on free speech<\/a>, and slap-on-the-wrist sentences<\/a> handed down by British judges.<\/p>

However, the activist's long history of arrests<\/a> and controversies<\/a>, such as last month when he characterized a video <\/a>of a black grandfather playing with his white grandchildren as predatory, has convinced many right-wing activists seeking an alternative to the mainstream Conservative Party that his brand is politically poisonous.<\/p>

\"He's got a string of criminal convictions. This is not somebody that you would want to have as your MP,\" Dan Hannan, a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords, told the Washington Examiner. \"His business model is to be able to go to \u2014 particularly American \u2014 donors and say, 'Look, I'm suffering as a free speech martyr.' So he needs to be convicted from time to time to do that.\"<\/p>

Hannan, who is also a Washington Examiner magazine columnist, continued, \"Two things can both be true at the same time. It's possible that Tommy Robinson has been unfairly or more harshly treated by the criminal justice system than he would have been without his notoriety. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't have been convicted.\"<\/p>

This reputation and lack of political maneuvering have created a scenario in which Robinson has been able to mobilize Brits en masse for political demonstrations, but the parties he has attached himself to, currently Advance UK, barely register in voter polls.<\/p>

In the battle to usurp the Conservative Party, Robinson is eclipsed by the growing strength of Reform UK, a political party led by Nigel Farage<\/a>.<\/p>

Reform UK is polling in first place<\/a> among British political parties with 31%, far outpacing the incumbent government Labour Party in second place with 20% and the Conservatives in third with 16%.<\/p>

In its official policy platform<\/a>, Reform UK promises to \"stand up for British culture, identity and values,\" as well as \"freeze immigration\" and \"restore law and order.\"<\/p>

\"Once and for all, we will take back control over our borders, our money and our laws,\" Farage personally promises in the document.<\/p>

Similar to Robinson's populist movement, Reform UK<\/a> voices contempt for both Labour and the Conservatives, the latter of which it claims betrayed right-wing voters by continuing to implement policies indistinguishable from those of their left-wing opponents despite over a decade in 10 Downing Street.<\/p>

Multiple members of the Conservative Party have already defected to Reform out of frustration with their leadership and platform \u2014 most prominently, Danny Kruger, a sitting member of Parliament.<\/p>

Kruger, who also sat as the party's shadow work and pensions minister, defected in bombastic fashion \u2014 declaring at a press conference<\/a> with Farage on Monday that \"the Conservatives are over.\"<\/p>

\"There have been moments when I have been very proud to belong to the Tory party,\" he explained, but the legislator admitted that \"the rule of our time in office was a failure.\"<\/p>

Conservative leadership has accepted the defections with resigned grace, acknowledging that the party is at a low point and that a turnaround is still long off for the once-dominating faction.<\/p>

\"Every leader regrets losing someone to another party,\" Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said in a Tuesday interview with GB News, acknowledging that her party faces \"a very tough and bumpy time\" in the next election.<\/p>

\u201cThere may be some people who are impatient,\" Badenoch said. \"I\u2019m sorry if they\u2019re not willing to wait, and they just want to rush to whatever is looking good right now, but what I\u2019m doing is going to work in the long-term.\u201d<\/p>

Hannan, as a member of the Conservative Party, is not planning to defect any time soon. He sees the two parties ultimately working toward the same policies despite Reform UK enjoying a triumphant ascension amid the Tories' deflation.<\/p>

Conservatives \"are in third place in the polls \u2014 this is the oldest political party in the world, a party that was in office for two-thirds of the 20th century,\" he said. \"[It] was in office for 14 years until last year. So they are not accustomed to doing as badly as this. So a lot of that, I think, is just a psychological trauma.\"<\/p>

The life peer is also conscious of the possibility that Reform could \"deflate rather quickly.\" <\/p>

While Robinson and Farage share many policy stances, the Reform UK leader has long tried to steer clear of entanglement with Robinson's circles.<\/p>

When Farage's former party, the UK Independence Party, extended membership to Robinson in 2018, Farage warned then-leader Gerard Batten<\/a> to be mindful of \u201cwhat company he keeps\u201d or else risk \"total and utter marginalization.\"<\/p>

\"I wrote very explicitly into the rules of the party when I first became leader \u2014 we did not want anybody in the party that had taints with organizations we deemed to be on the far-right of British politics,\" Farage said at the time. \"I couldn't have been clearer. It really upsets me to see the fact this debate is even taking place.\"<\/p>

LONDONERS CHEEKILY REACT TO TRUMP\u2019S RED CARPET WELCOME: \u2018YOU\u2019VE GOT TO DO WHAT YOU\u2019VE GOT TO DO\u2019<\/a><\/p>

The fault line between the movements of Robinson and Farage were highlighted in the wake of the \"Unite the Kingdom\" rally, at which tech billionaire Elon Musk<\/a> delivered a video address.<\/p>

In the message, Musk warned attendees that \"whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.\"<\/p>

Farage was asked for comment<\/a> on Musk's statement during a press conference on Monday, and the member of Parliament expressed concern that the billionaire's directive to \"fight\" left a \"degree of ambiguity.\"<\/p>

\"Elon and I have a relationship \u2014 wouldn't say a very good one,\" Farage said. \"He's generally rather rude about me even though I do rather admire him in many ways. You know, it would be nice to get some clarification of what 'fight' meant in that context.\"<\/p>

He continued, \"We are radical, but we are not revolutionaries. If the fight that Musk was talking about was about standing up for our rights of free speech \u2014 if it was about fighting in elections to overcome the established parties \u2014 then that absolutely is the fight that we're in.\"<\/p>

It is impossible to separate the current strain of right-wing support in the U.K. from Trump's Make America Great Again movement on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>

Protesters at \"Unite the Kingdom\" carried portraits of Trump and signs thanking the president. Robinson himself has deployed copycat phrases such as \"Make Europe Great Again\" in his activism.<\/p>

Farage, meanwhile, has publicly celebrated his own friendship with the commander in chief<\/a>. He had his picture taken with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this month after testifying before Congress that British speech laws have rendered his nation akin to North Korea.<\/p>

He was forced to admit on Sunday that he broke parliamentary procedure in March when he spoke at a Republican fundraising dinner in Tallahassee, Florida, promising to rectify the situation with the registrar as soon as possible.<\/p>

The wave of right-wing sentiment will hang over Trump's visit. The Labour government has attempted to tame resentment by catering to the public's most prominent complaints, particularly immigration.<\/p>

Meanwhile, King Charles<\/a> \u2014 an apolitical head-of-state \u2014 is more concerned with giving the president a royal treatment<\/a> as Downing Street hopes to find diplomatic stability with the volatile administration.<\/p>

\"The only real constitutional function of a head of state in a constitutional monarchy is to be the referee in a contested or hitherto unencountered constitutional crisis,\" Hannan told the Washington Examiner. \"And in order to do that job properly, the only thing you have to do is never express an opinion.<\/p>

\"I might suspect that [Charles] has a certain kind of pro-net-zero leanings<\/a> or whatever. But since he became king, there hasn't been a word that could be used to suggest any inclination one way or the other.\"<\/p>

RUBIO ARGUES UK RECOGNIZING PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD 'WILL MAKE NO IMPACT'<\/a><\/p>

Trump is an enthusiastic fan of the British Royal Family, heaping praise upon the king and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth \u2014 he praised<\/a> King Charles as an \"elegant gentleman\" on Tuesday just before departing on Air Force One.<\/p>

For this reason, bilateral meetings with the monarch are often treated as the U.K.'s very own Trump card.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-ikgfxzj5r-1758057194831-e1758058667729.jpg?1758044261&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810930-1758073754", "title":"Justice Department files lawsuit against Maine and Oregon over voter lists", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810930%2Fjustice-department-lawsuit-maine-and-oregon-voter-lists%2F", "byline":"Washington Examiner Staff", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it had sued Maine and Oregon for failing to relinquish voter registration lists.  The DOJ claimed both states violated federal law by not complying with requests to turn over voter registration lists, particularly information about ineligible voters in each state, the Associated Press reported. The DOJ also accused […]", "description":""

The Justice Department<\/a> announced on Tuesday that it had sued Maine<\/a> and Oregon<\/a> for failing to relinquish voter registration lists.\u00a0<\/p>

The DOJ claimed both states violated federal law by not complying with requests to turn over voter registration lists, particularly information about ineligible voters in each state, the Associated Press reported. The DOJ also accused<\/a> Oregon of failing to provide specific and relevant information on how the state keeps accurate voter lists.<\/p>

The lawsuit represents the first action the DOJ has taken to obtain voter information from states to ensure election integrity and eliminate any voter fraud, if it exists. It is believed the DOJ has requested information from at least 26 states, according to the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon<\/a> of the DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division said the actions were being taken to ensure that states were complying with federal voting laws and that all people had equal access to \u201cballots in federal elections.\u201d<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

\u201cStates simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with, including our voting laws, which ensure that all American citizens have equal access to the ballot in federal elections,\u201d Dhillon said in a press release.<\/p>

\u201cAmerican citizens have a right to feel confident in the integrity of our electoral process, and the refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences,\u201d read Dhillon\u2019s statement.<\/p>

Representatives for the secretary of state\u2019s offices in Oregon and Maine told the Associated Press on Tuesday they had not yet received the lawsuit.<\/p>

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read expressed concern over the DOJ\u2019s request for voter information and said he would protect the privacy of his state\u2019s residents. He threatened to sue the Trump administration over the request. <\/p>

\u201cIf the President wants to use the DOJ to go after his political opponents and undermine our elections, I look forward to seeing them in court,\u201d said<\/a> Read in a statement. \u201cI stand by my oath to the people of Oregon, and I will protect their rights and privacy.\u201d<\/p>

FOREIGN LEADERS REMEMBER CHARLIE KIRK AS DEFENDER OF FREEDOM AFTER ACTIVIST\u2019S ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows called the initiative \u201cabsurd\u201d and touted her state\u2019s record in holding elections.<\/p>

\u201cMaine has some of the best elections in the nation,\u201d Bellows said<\/a> in a statement on Tuesday. \u201cIt is absurd that the Department of Justice is targeting our state when Republican and Democratic Secretaries all across the country are fighting back against this federal abuse of power just like we are.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/voting-booth-voter-registration.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810873-1758065874", "title":"House passes bills overhauling youth prosecution in DC", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3810873%2Fhouse-bills-youth-prosecution-dc%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Congress acted on youth crime in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, passing legislation to change how youth are prosecuted in the district. The effort is part of President Donald Trump’s attempt to crack down on crime in Washington. Two bills passed with at least some bipartisan support: the D.C. Crimes Act and the D.C. Juvenile […]", "description":""

Congress<\/a> acted on youth crime in the nation's capital<\/a> on Tuesday, passing legislation to change how youth are prosecuted in the district.<\/p>

The effort is part of President Donald Trump's attempt to crack down on crime in Washington.<\/p>

Two bills passed with at least some bipartisan support: the D.C. Crimes Act and the D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act. The first bill lowered the age of a youth offender in Washington from 24 to 18 and required criminal sentencing to be at least as long as the mandatory minimums for adults.<\/p>

The D.C. Crimes Act passed with some Democratic support, 240-179. Thirty Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill. The D.C. Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act passed with slimmer support, 225-203.<\/p>

That act lowered the age at which children who are accused of certain violent crimes can be tried as adults from 16 to 14. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) opposed both bills but was especially critical of the latter legislation. He said the administration wants to prosecute 14-year-olds but not adults who sexually abuse children that age.<\/p>

\"Let me get this straight: Congress wants to prosecute 14 yr. olds as adults, but they don\u2019t want to prosecute adults who sexually abuse 14 year olds? Release the Epstein files,\" he wrote on X.<\/p>

Washington has been criticized for its levels of youth crime in the past. The district saw its youth record more than 550 violent crimes<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>

Washington's only voice in Congress criticized the bills for encroaching on the district's governance.<\/p>

\u201cThe over 700,000 D.C. residents, the majority of whom are black and brown, are capable and worthy of governing themselves,\u201d Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said on the House floor.<\/p>

Ankit Jain, Washington's shadow senator, said Senate Democrats will have to be convinced to vote against the bills. <\/p>

\u201cWe will be working aggressively to talk to Senate Democrats and make the case to them why they should vote no on these bills,\u201d he said.<\/p>

\u201cIf this succeeds, then Republicans will see that this strategy works, that they can go after a lot of the laws in blue cities and unite their party and divide the Democratic Party,\" he added.<\/p>

The National Guard remains deployed in the district after Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order coordinating cooperation between local police and federal forces through the end of November.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The House Oversight Committee will question senior officials from the district, including Bowser, on Thursday. The chairman of the committee, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), said the bills passed Tuesday are a solution to \u201cD.C.\u2019s soft-on-crime policies.\"<\/p>

Comer said local policy had \u201cfailed to keep D.C. residents and visitors safe.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/mj-house.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810843-1758062041", "title":"University of California students and staff sue Trump administration", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Feducation%2F3810843%2Funiversity-of-california-lawsuit-trump-administration%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"University of California students and staff accused the Trump administration of using civil rights law to combat the university system in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The administration fined one of the system’s most elite schools, the University of California, Los Angeles, $1.2 billion and froze research funding after it accused the school of allowing antisemitism […]", "description":""

University of California<\/a> students and staff accused the Trump administration<\/a> of using civil rights law to combat the university system in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.<\/p>

The administration fined one of the system's most elite schools, the University of California, Los Angeles, $1.2 billion and froze research funding after it accused the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations.<\/p>

President Donald Trump<\/a>'s administration has targeted many elite schools with rescinded or frozen federal funding for certain violations, but UCLA is the first public university to face consequences.<\/p>

Staff and students' lawsuit against the administration says they demanded access to faculty, staff, and student data, admissions and hiring data, wanted to end diversity scholarships, ban demonstrations on university property, and ordered cooperation with immigration enforcement.<\/p>

Stett Holbrook, a spokesman for the University of California system, told the Associated Press<\/a> that the university is not involved in the lawsuit but is taking part in legal and advocacy efforts to maintain and restore funding.<\/p>

\u201cFederal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University\u2019s cutting-edge medical science and innovation,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>

The American Association of University Professors union is leading the lawsuit, and the groups are represented by Democracy Forward, a left-leaning group that has filed other lawsuits against the administration.<\/p>

\u201cThe blunt cudgel the Trump administration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely,\u201d the lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court says.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

University of California President James Milliken said the administration has launched actions or other investigations against all of the system's 10 campuses. \u201cThis represents one of the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year history,\u201d he said, emphasizing the amount of federal support the system receives.<\/p>

The administration has reached settlements with several schools, including Columbia University, which paid $200 million to the government to resolve an investigation and restore its research grants.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ucla.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810799-1758059630", "title":"Omar dismisses Mace censure resolution as attempt to raise money for governor run", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3810799%2Filhan-omar-nancy-mace-censure-resolution-governor%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) dismissed her colleague Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) censure resolution against her as no more than a political move. Mace filed a resolution to censure Omar on Monday for comments she made about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “Fun fact: Nancy Mace is trying to censure me over comments I never […]", "description":""

Rep. Ilhan Omar <\/a>(D-MN) dismissed her colleague Rep. Nancy Mace's (R-SC) censure resolution<\/a> against her as no more than a political move.<\/p>

Mace filed a resolution to censure Omar on Monday for comments she made about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<\/p>

\"Fun fact: Nancy Mace is trying to censure me over comments I never said,\" Omar wrote on X.<\/p>

\"Her res does not contain a single quote from me because she couldn\u2019t find any. Unlike her, I have routinely condemned political violence, no matter the political ideology. This is all an attempt to push a false story so she can fundraise and boost her run for Governor,\" she added.<\/p>

The resolution does not feature a specific quote from Omar, but it does cite reposts from the Minnesota congresswoman, who called Kirk \"reprehensible\" and an \"adamant transphobe.\"<\/p>

Omar's comments in a Zeteo town hall are also in the resolution. In the town hall, she said Kirk downplayed slavery and said he claimed \"guns save lives\" after a school shooting.<\/p>

Mace is running for governor of South Carolina in 2026. She said earlier Tuesday that she \"can\u2019t wait\" to make Omar the 29th member of Congress ever to be censured.<\/p>

\"No one deserves it more than Omar, who mocked the assassination of a 31-year-old husband and father, smearing him as a 'stochastic terrorist' for telling the truth,\" she wrote on X.<\/p>

The South Carolina congresswoman also sought to strip Omar of her committee assignments on the House Education and Workforce Committee and the House Budget Committee.<\/p>

 \u201cIf you mock a political assassination and celebrate murder, you don\u2019t get to keep your committee seat, you get consequences,\" Mace said in an accompanying statement.<\/p>

Democrats have criticized Mace's attempt to censure Omar. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said Republicans have used the tactic whenever they are \"offended.\"<\/p>

\"Every time a Republican in this House is offended, they file a censure resolution,\" she said.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Republicans have sought out critics of Kirk after his assassination last week. Many have been fired from their jobs, disciplined, or publicly shamed for criticizing the conservative commentator.<\/p>

Kirk's death brought a tremendous response across the political spectrum. Many lawmakers, conservative and liberal alike, mourned him and the incident of political violence.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-v6sxtwtyo-1758071814099.jpg?1758057490&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810778-1758059381", "title":"Mike Pence becomes distinguished professor at George Mason University", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810778%2Fmike-pence-george-mason-distinguished-professor%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former Vice President Mike Pence joined George Mason University’s staff on Tuesday, the university announced. The prominent Republican will join the Northern Virginia college’s staff as a “distinguished professor of practice” at the university’s Schar School of Policy and Government. “It’s a privilege to join the Schar School as Professor of Practice,” Pence said in […]", "description":""

Former Vice President Mike Pence<\/a> joined George Mason University's staff on Tuesday, the university announced.<\/p>

The prominent Republican will join the Northern Virginia<\/a> college's staff as a \"distinguished professor of practice\" at the university's Schar School of Policy and Government<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to join the Schar School as Professor of Practice,\u201d Pence said in a statement. <\/p>

\u201cThroughout my years of public service, I have seen firsthand the importance of principled leadership and fidelity to the Constitution in shaping the future of our nation. I look forward to sharing these lessons with the next generation of American leaders and learning from the remarkable students and faculty of George Mason University,\" he added.<\/p>

The former vice president was President Donald Trump's second in command during his first term, and is known for certifying former President Joe Biden's election win despite the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He had an unsuccessful 2024 presidential run and is vocally opposed to Trump.<\/p>

Pence says college plays a \"vital role\" in preparing people for career success and \"lives of service and integrity.\"<\/p>

\"Now more than ever, we should be investing our time and resources into civil discourse on campus, and I\u2019m honored to contribute to that mission. I look forward to helping students apply enduring American principles to the pressing policy and leadership challenges of our time, ensuring that the values which have guided our nation for generations continue to strengthen the character and promise of our Republic,\" he concluded.<\/p>

GMU celebrated Pence's addition.<\/p>

\u201cThe Schar School is proud to welcome Vice President Pence to our faculty,\u201d said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School. \u201cHis disciplined approach to communication and his deeply rooted conservative philosophy provide a principled framework to discussions of federalism, the separation of powers, and the role of values in public life.\u201d<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The college says Pence will start in spring 2026, contributing to undergrad courses and teaching seminars. <\/p>

Students will have the opportunity to interact with Pence \"through lectures, moderated discussions, and mentorship programs,\" the school said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24163605717443.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810736-1758058741", "title":"Four takeaways from House Oversight’s interview with Bill Barr on Epstein ", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3810736%2Ffour-takeaways-house-oversight-interview-bill-barr-epstein%2F", "byline":"Lauren Green", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The House Oversight Committee released a transcript from its first closed-door interview with former Attorney General Bill Barr in which he acknowledged the mishandling of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s detainment and pointed to other possible files. Barr, who twice served as attorney general and led the Justice Department during President Donald Trump’s first […]", "description":""

The House Oversight Committee <\/a>released a transcript from its first closed-door interview with former Attorney General Bill Barr in which he acknowledged the mishandling of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s <\/a>detainment and pointed to other possible files.<\/p>

Barr, who twice served as attorney general and led the Justice Department<\/a> during President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> first term, was subpoenaed by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) last month. His appearance marked the first interview in a sweeping inquiry that also sought sitdowns with former President Bill Clinton<\/a>, former Attorney General Eric Holder<\/a>, and former FBI Director James Comey<\/a>.<\/p>

Barr was attorney general when Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019, a death that was later deemed a suicide. Barr became directly involved in the aftermath, reviewing 11 hours of surveillance footage from Epstein\u2019s cell block. He later concluded the video showed no evidence of foul play and backed the medical examiner\u2019s finding of suicide.<\/p>

Last week, the committee received a slew of documents from Epstein\u2019s estate, including the 2003 \"Birthday Book\" that is alleged to have President Donald Trump\u2019s signature in it. <\/p>

Earlier this month, House Oversight released 33,000 pages of DOJ files on Epstein<\/a>, just after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), along with Rep. Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA), introduced his discharge petition to try and force a vote for the full release of the Epstein files.<\/p>Barr acknowledges Epstein missteps

In his interview, Barr acknowledged missteps by the prison leading up to Epstein\u2019s death and the conspiracy theories on what happened the night the convicted sex offender died. <\/p>

\u201cI can see why people would be suspicious, more than suspicious,\u201d Barr said. <\/p>

Epstein made an unmonitored call, thought to be to his girlfriend at the time, shortly before his death, which Barr acknowledged was a violation of procedures. <\/p>

The month before Epstein\u2019s death, he attempted suicide, leading to him being put on suicide watch, which he was apparently quickly taken off of without Barr\u2019s knowledge after pressure from his lawyers. It had been recommended that Epstein have a cellmate after being taken off suicide watch, but the Metropolitan Correctional Center failed to assign one. Barr also acknowledged this was a mistake.<\/p>

Another failure that is often noted surrounds the security footage taken around the time he died. Several security cameras near his cell were streaming live, but not recording. <\/p>

\u201cI mean, it made the investigation harder, obviously,\u201d Barr said of the cameras.<\/p>

Barr also pointed to an \u201cembarrassing period\u201d in which Epstein\u2019s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, \u201cdisappeared\u201d and could not be located when looking for accomplices after his death.\u00a0<\/p>Barr confirms unreleased Epstein footage

Barr confirmed that searches of Epstein\u2019s Manhattan mansion, and possibly his island and New Mexico home, had uncovered cameras and recording systems. Barr said he never saw the footage but assumed the DOJ still holds it.<\/p>

\u201cTo my \u2013 whatever information was collected, I have no reason to think it's not in their possession,\u201d Barr said.<\/p>

The DOJ did not respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment on whether it still has the footage or if it will be made public. <\/p>Barr recalls two conversations with Trump

Barr testified to the committee that he was never told of any evidence that would link Trump to Epstein\u2019s crimes, only pointing to two conversations he had with the president. <\/p>

\u201cOn Epstein, I only remember two conversations I had with the president,\u201d he said. <\/p>

\u201cOne was when I heard about the suicide, I called him up and said, 'You better brace for this,' and I told him words to that effect, and I told him about it and told him we were going to be investigating it very vigorously,\u201d he added. <\/p>Barr says 'no evidence' Clinton traveled to Epstein's island

The former attorney general said that there was no evidence he saw that Clinton visited Epstein's island. <\/p>

\u201cYou know, in the case of Bill Clinton, as far as I was aware, there was no evidence that he visited the island,\u201d Barr stated. \u201cYou know, the government did not obtain any such evidence.\u201d<\/p>

Barr also addressed claims that Democratic politicians have aimed to plant Trump\u2019s name in the documents or tried to connect him to the case, naming former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.<\/p>

RASKIN ACCUSES KASH PATEL OF 'PROTECTING' EPSTEIN CLIENTS AHEAD OF JUDICIARY HEARING<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI don't know the extent to which his name appears,\u201d Barr told the committee. \u201cI mean, I know it's been on flight records. That's been public. But I personally have no knowledge of, you know, any false information being fabricated on him or anyone else.\u201d<\/p>

Committee staff typically conducts transcribed interviews over several hours, with Republicans and Democrats granted extended time for questioning compared to the five-minute increments afforded to members during publicly televised hearings.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25230675121500.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810688-1758056524", "title":"Cuomo says Mamdani ‘weaponizing’ justice system with threat to arrest Netanyahu", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fstate%2F3810688%2Fcuomo-mamdani-weaponizing-justice-system-arrest-netanyahu%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says his top opponent in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, would be “weaponizing” the justice system if he arrests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as mayor. Mamdani, who has taken the most staunchly anti-Israel approach in the race, has said he would arrest Netanyahu if he […]", "description":""

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo <\/a>says his top opponent in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, would be \"weaponizing\" the justice system if he arrests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as mayor.<\/p>

Mamdani, who has taken the most staunchly anti-Israel approach in the race, has said he would arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the city.<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s weaponizing the justice system,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201c'I don\u2019t like you politically. I\u2019m going to arrest you.' That\u2019s illegal, unconstitutional, anti-American, and it is the exact thing that we complain that the federal government does.\u201d<\/p>

The former governor called Mamdani\u2019s threat \u201chyperbolic rhetoric\u201d toward his discontent with Israel.<\/p>

He added that the New York City mayor \"doesn\u2019t do American foreign policy\" and compared Mamdani's threat to an arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin if he came to the United Nations in the city.<\/p>

\u201cWe have the U.N. When Putin comes to visit the U.N., you don\u2019t arrest Putin because you don\u2019t like Russia,\" he added.<\/p>

He said if Mamdani orders Netanyahu's arrest, he should face the same fate. \u201cIt would be illegal. The only person who should be arrested if that happened is Mamdani,\u201d Cuomo told reporters Monday.<\/p>

Mamdani is the favorite to win the city's top job as the Democratic nominee against Cuomo, incumbent Eric Adams, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. <\/p>

His campaign slammed Cuomo for being unwilling to arrest Netanyahu, who has a warrant out for his arrest from the International Criminal Court over Israel's conduct in its war in Gaza.<\/p>

\u201cAndrew Cuomo would rather arrest his political rival than condemn a war criminal charged with genocide,\u201d Mamdani campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekec said.<\/p>

\u201cCuomo seemingly taking a page out of his longtime friend Donald Trump\u2019s playbook isn\u2019t just outrageous \u2014 it\u2019s authoritarian, it\u2019s dangerous, and it\u2019s morally bankrupt,\" she added.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Mamdani said he would honor his pledge if it were to pass. Netanyahu has been accused of being a war criminal following thousands of Palestinian deaths in Gaza in Israel's war against Hamas.<\/p>

\"This is something that I intend to fulfill,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cIt is my desire to ensure that this be a city that stands up for international law.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-lb6tvzhbe-1758071104959.jpg?1758056868&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810765-1758055778", "title":"House GOP-led DOGE panel under MTG examines geoengineering, weather control", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3810765%2Fhouse-gop-led-doge-panel-under-mtg-examines-geoengineering-weather-control%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), held a contentious hearing Tuesday on geoengineering and weather modification, spotlighting concerns over cloud seeding, solar radiation management, and federal transparency. Titled “Playing God with the Weather — a Disastrous Forecast,” the hearing featured Greene warning that efforts to […]", "description":""

The House<\/a> Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene<\/a> (R-GA), held a contentious hearing Tuesday on geoengineering and weather modification, spotlighting concerns over cloud seeding, solar radiation management, and federal transparency.<\/p>

Titled \u201cPlaying God with the Weather \u2014 a Disastrous Forecast,\u201d the hearing featured Greene warning that efforts to counter climate change through large-scale weather intervention risk stripping Americans of their \u201cGod-given rights over the Earth.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDo we believe in God and that he has dominion over his perfect creation of planet Earth? Or do you believe in man\u2019s claim of authority over the weather?\u201d Greene asked in her opening remarks, citing past military weather modification experiments, including Operation Popeye during the Vietnam War.<\/p>

\u2600\ufe0f NO MORE PLAYING GOD WITH OUR WEATHER \u2600\ufe0fFor centuries, humans have tried to control the weather. Now the Left wants to play God by blocking the sun and re-engineering Earth\u2019s climate in the name of their fake \u201cclimate change\u201d agenda.These dangerous experiments risk our\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/JNmisbzAm3<\/a><\/p>— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@RepMTG) September 16, 2025<\/a>

Greene introduced her Clear Skies Act earlier this year, which seeks to shut down federal weather modification programs, warning that projects like solar geoengineering to block sunlight could have \u201cunknown consequences that no scientific model could ever predict.\u201d<\/p>

Democrats on the panel dismissed GOP warnings as alarmist. Rep. Melanie Stansbury<\/a> (D-NM), the subcommittee\u2019s ranking member, said Republicans were exaggerating fears and criticized past GOP moves to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>

The panel heard testimony from Roger Pielke Jr. of the American Enterprise Institute, meteorologist Christopher Martz, and Michael MacCracken of the Climate Institute.<\/p>

The witnesses said cloud seeding is not responsible for recent extreme weather events, including flooding in Texas, but acknowledged the federal government\u2019s research in this area waned in the 1980s, even as nine states continued to regulate local seeding programs.<\/p>

EPA<\/a> Administrator Lee Zeldin recently announced<\/a> the agency would publish all of its resources on contrails and geoengineering, vowing \u201ctotal transparency\u201d and seeking to debunk long-standing conspiracy theories.<\/p>

\u201cFor years, people who asked questions in good faith were dismissed, even vilified,\u201d Zeldin said in a video played at the hearing. \u201cThat era is over.\u201d<\/p>

Greene highlighted past U.S. military programs, including Project Stormfury in the 1960s and 1970s, which attempted to weaken hurricanes through cloud seeding, and Operation Popeye, a Vietnam War-era campaign to extend monsoon rains over the Ho Chi Minh Trail.<\/p>

\u201cWhile those events were scattered throughout history, today\u2019s push for geoengineering is vastly larger in scope and potentially profitable,\u201d Greene warned, citing venture capital investment in companies like Make Sunsets, which inject aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight.<\/p>

Politico reported<\/a> in July that researchers quietly tested cloud-creation equipment last year on a retired aircraft carrier in Alameda, Calif., in an experiment that lasted only 20 minutes before being shut down by local officials who were never notified. Documents later obtained by E&E News revealed that the trial was only a prelude to a much larger study \u2014 a multimillion-dollar project to spray salt water into the atmosphere in hopes of \"producing clouds over a stretch of ocean larger than Puerto Rico.\"<\/p>

The plan, tied to the University of Washington\u2019s Marine Cloud Brightening Program and supported by billionaire-backed groups, envisioned large-scale experiments off the coasts of North America, Chile, or Africa. Experts criticized the lack of transparency and community engagement. <\/p>

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/p>

The documents also showed that the project had sought federal support, including ships and aircraft, raising further questions about oversight of privately funded geoengineering research.<\/p>

Tuesday's hearing underscored the deep partisan divide over climate interventions, with Republicans warning of \u201cplaying God with the weather\u201d and Democrats pushing back on questions about weather modification experiments.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP1103160121144.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810648-1758052071", "title":"Jamie Lee Curtis: Kirk’s views were ‘abhorrent,’ but condemns the replay of his death online", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2F3810648%2Fjamie-lee-curtis-kirks-views-were-abhorrent-but-condemns-the-replay-of-his-death-online%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Actress Jamie Lee Curtis broke down in tears while reflecting on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying that while she found his political views “abhorrent,” she still regarded him as a “man of faith” and condemned the repeated circulation of video showing his death. Appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, the 66-year-old actress […]", "description":""

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis broke down in tears while reflecting on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>, saying that while she found his political views \u201cabhorrent,\u201d she still regarded him as a \u201cman of faith\u201d and condemned the repeated circulation of video showing his death.<\/p>

Appearing on Marc Maron\u2019s WTF podcast<\/a>, the 66-year-old actress mistakenly referred to Kirk as \u201cCharlie Crist\u201d before correcting herself.<\/p>

\u201cI think because of Christ, because of his deep belief,\u201d Curtis explained<\/a>. \u201cEven though I disagreed with him on almost every point, I believe he was a father, a husband, and a man of faith. I hope in that moment when he died that he felt connected to his faith.\u201d<\/p>

\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udea8BREAKING: Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis broke down in tears as she spoke on what the passing of Charlie Kirk means to her and her appreciation for him being a genuine Christian man. Liberals are already calling and a \u2018racist Conservative\u2019 after these touching comments. pic.twitter.com\/espRMszfOm<\/a><\/p>— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 16, 2025<\/a>

Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The murder sparked a 33-hour manhunt that ended with the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who allegedly confessed to the killing in text messages to his transgender partner.<\/p>

The Halloween star has long been outspoken in her support for the LGBTQ community, particularly her transgender child, Ruby Guest, who came out in 2022. Curtis has referred to her Oscar statuette with they\/them pronouns in solidarity, saying life and gender are a \u201cconstant metamorphosis.\"<\/p>

Robinson allegedly messaged his live-in transgender partner,<\/a> Lance Twiggs, to \u201clook under my keyboard\u201d shortly after the shooting, where Twiggs found a note reading: \u201cI had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I\u2019m going to take it.\u201d <\/p>

In a series of texts released in court filings, Robinson admitted: \u201cI am, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d when asked if he was responsible. He wrote that he had \u201cplanned it for over a week,\u201d left his rifle hidden nearby, and feared his father\u2019s reaction if he lost his grandfather\u2019s gun.<\/p>

The indictment alleges Twiggs, described by officials as a male transitioning to female, knew of Robinson\u2019s involvement more than 24 hours before his arrest. Law enforcement officials said Twiggs has since turned over the communications and is cooperating.<\/p>

Curtis used the moment to highlight the psychological toll of constant exposure to violent images, comparing the viral circulation of Kirk\u2019s assassination to the endless replay of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Zapruder film of President John F. Kennedy\u2019s killing.<\/p>

\u201cAs a society, we are bombarded with imagery,\u201d Curtis said during the podcast interview, with her voice breaking. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what the long-term impact is of watching over and over and over again the towers coming down, or this man\u2019s execution. I don\u2019t ever want to see that footage.\u201d<\/p>

TRUMP TO TARGET \u2018RADICAL-LEFT\u2019 GROUPS FUNDING VIOLENCE THAT LED TO CHARLIE KIRK\u2019S DEATH<\/a><\/p>

Maron agreed, saying he avoided the video because \u201cit diminishes the depth of humanity.\u201d<\/p>

Curtis added that the saturation of such images may fuel a broader \u201clack of humanity,\u201d noting that people are becoming \u201cnumb\u201d to the horrors they repeatedly consume online.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Jamie-Lee-Curtis.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810425-1758050677", "title":"Winsome Earle-Sears blasts Spanberger’s silence after supporter justifies Kirk assassination", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3810425%2Fwinsome-earle-sears-blasts-spanbergers-silence-after-supporter-justifies-kirk-assassination%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears delivered sharp criticism Monday against her gubernatorial opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), accusing her of lacking leadership and refusing to directly denounce a campaign supporter who appeared to justify the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During an appearance on Fox News Channel with host Martha MacCallum, Earle-Sears called […]", "description":""

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears<\/a> delivered sharp criticism Monday against her gubernatorial opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger<\/a> (D-VA), accusing her of lacking leadership and refusing to directly denounce a campaign supporter who appeared to justify the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<\/p>

During an appearance on Fox News Channel with host Martha MacCallum, Earle-Sears called out<\/a> Spanberger for her prior endorsement of Dorothy Heffron, a Chesterfield County School Board member who posted on Instagram: \u201cCall me old-fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis.\u201d<\/p>

The post came just hours after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.<\/p>

Abigail Spanberger has a spine of pasta.Even after Dot Heffron justified Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination, she still won\u2019t speak up or renounce her endorsement. pic.twitter.com\/8wcpoaSEB7<\/a><\/p>— Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) September 16, 2025<\/a>

\u201cMy opponent, Abigail Spanberger, is proudly endorsed by this woman, Dot Heffron, the school board member,\u201d Earle-Sears said. \u201cWe've been calling her out to say this woman has justified \u2014 justified \u2014 the assassination of Charlie Kirk. When are you going to say you do not agree with her? When? I have found my opponent, Abigail Spanberger, to have the spine of pasta.\u201d<\/p>

Spanberger has not directly addressed Heffron by name, but she issued a general statement<\/a> on social media condemning any justification or minimization of Kirk\u2019s murder.<\/p>

In the post, she wrote that as law enforcement continues its investigation, \u201cit\u2019s important to state unequivocally\u201d that she condemns any effort to defend or downplay the killing. She added that while disagreements over policy or worldview are part of democracy, they should never lead to violence.<\/p>

\u201cWe are a nation of laws \u2014 and we have a First Amendment right to free speech, and that right is not limited just to those who agree with us,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>

As the investigation continues and law enforcement continues to build their case, I think it\u2019s important to state unequivocally: I condemn any efforts to justify or minimize the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk or anyone else.Disagreements over policy, perspectives, or even\u2026<\/p>— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) September 12, 2025<\/a>

Spanberger warned that making light of violence \u201cdamages the core fabric of our society,\u201d and urged all elected officials and community leaders to join her in denouncing both calls to violence and attempts to justify it.<\/p>

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) also weighed in on social media, saying: \u201cNobody who would cheer murder should be allowed within 100 yards of a student. I call on leaders from both parties to\u2026 demand her resignation.\u201d<\/p>

Heffron\u2019s controversial post quickly sparked backlash. All four of her fellow school board members publicly condemned the statement and called for her resignation.<\/p>

On Sunday, Heffron submitted her resignation letter, expressing regret: \u201cIt was never my intention to make light of violence or to suggest that harm to anyone is ever acceptable,\u201d she wrote, adding that she would have \u201cvery limited involvement\u201d in board affairs until her term ends.<\/p>

The Charlie Kirk controversy is the second time in recent weeks that Earle-Sears has publicly rebuked Spanberger over cultural flashpoints in Virginia politics.<\/p>

In August, the Lt. Gov. blasted Spanberger for her silence on Loudoun County\u2019s transgender policies, <\/a>after the county\u2019s school board voted to defy the Department of Education\u2019s federal guidelines about transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identity.<\/p>

Earle-Sears accused Spanberger<\/a> of aligning with the school board\u2019s \u201cradical\u201d agenda and ignoring the concerns of parents and female students.<\/p>

\u201cAbigail Spanberger supports the radical Loudoun School Board\u2019s push to allow boys in girls\u2019 bathrooms and locker rooms,\u201d Earle-Sears wrote in a post on X in August. \u201cIf she cared about Virginia\u2019s parents or daughters, she\u2019d reject this insanity and the extremists endangering our kids.\u201d<\/p>

Spanberger did not publicly respond to the accusation at the time.<\/p>

The controversy adds fuel to what is already a tense Virginia gubernatorial race between Earle-Sears and Spanberger. While Spanberger has tried to position herself as a moderate, Republicans have seized on moments like this to paint her as beholden to radical supporters and out of step with suburban parents.<\/p>

Earle-Sears, a rising conservative voice and the first Black woman to serve as Virginia\u2019s Lt. Governor, is expected to make cultural issues \u2014 from school policies to political violence \u2014 a focal point of her campaign.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The controversy further intensifies the already heated 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race between Earle-Sears and Spanberger, with early voting set to begin this Friday.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner reached out to Spanberger's campaign for comment.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Winsome-Sears-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810700-1758048802", "title":"Arizona seeks $599 million to pay for illegal immigration", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810700%2Farizona-seek-599-million-to-pay-for-illegal-immigration%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – Arizona legislative leaders sent a letter to the Trump administration seeking reimbursement for border security costs.  Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, and House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Surprise, requested $599 million in their letter to get back the money the state spent on southern border security during the Biden administration.  Arizona spent this […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) - Arizona<\/a> legislative leaders sent a\u00a0letter\u00a0<\/a>to the Trump administration<\/a> seeking reimbursement for border security<\/a> costs.\u00a0<\/p>

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, and House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Surprise, requested $599 million in their letter to get back the money the state spent on southern border security during the Biden administration. <\/p>

Arizona spent this money through the Border Security Fund, which was created in 2021 and 2022, according to the state Senate GOP caucus\u00a0press release<\/a>. Additionally, Arizona\u2019s annual budgets from 2021 to 2025 gave the Arizona Department of Public Safety and local sheriffs $145 million for border-related enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorized $10 billion for the costs states absorbed for border security during the Biden administration. <\/p>

\u201cIn all our years serving the people of Arizona, never have we seen such an abject failure of the federal government in protecting its citizens on the southern border as we did during the past four years under the Biden administration,\u201d last week's letter said.<\/p>

The Arizona GOP leaders wrote they wanted to use the requested money to provide \u201ctax relief for Arizonans.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cEach year, Arizona updates its income tax code to changes made by the President and Congress,\u201d the letter said. \u201cThis upcoming year, the Legislature is interested in conforming to those tax changes to the greatest extent possible.\u201d<\/p>

Petersen told The Center Square that this legislative action on tax changes could cost Arizona \u201cseveral hundred million dollars.\" <\/p>

Furthermore, he said federal money from the reimbursement would be invested in public safety and transportation. <\/p>

During the Biden administration, Arizona spent a significant amount of money on uncompensated medical care and law enforcement programs, the Senate president said. <\/p>

Petersen said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not provided an exact timeline on when the state will get its money, but he added the state expects to hear back \u201cwithin a few months.\u201d<\/p>

He noted the federal funds are available through fiscal year 2029.<\/p>

Arizona prefers the Department of Homeland Security send the money in one sum rather than in multiple payments, Petersen told The Center Square.<\/p>

According to Petersen, Arizona is working alone and not with other border states on reimbursement efforts. He added he thinks border states will receive a \u201cmajority of the funds,\u201d which he called \u201cappropriate.\u201d<\/p>

When Arizona does receive its money, it will be deposited into the state\u2019s general fund, Petersen said. He called that the most \u201caccountable way\u201d to handle the money and noted it will allow the public the ability to give its input about the reimbursement.<\/p>

He said the Republican-led Legislature will have \u201cfull oversight and control\u201d over the money.  <\/p>

As for the current state of the southern border, Petersen called it \u201cthe most secure it's ever been.\u201d<\/p>

He added that the difference between the Biden administration and the Trump administration\u2019s border policies is \u201cnight and day.\u201d<\/p>

To illustrate, with Joe Biden as president, encounters of illegal immigrants at the southern border in July 2024 stood at 104,000. However, as of this July, the number decreased to 7,832, according to Border Patrol\u00a0data<\/a>,\u00a0under President Donald Trump.\u00a0<\/p>

CONGRESSMAN SAYS NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL WILL HELP ARIZONA<\/a><\/p>

This represents a 92.5% decrease in the number of foreign nationals encountered at the southern border.  <\/p>

\u201c\u200aWe didn't need a new law; we just needed a new president,\" Petersen said. \"And that is the difference of what we're seeing between Republican leadership and Democrat leadership on a lot of the issues that deal with crime.<\/a><\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25205752159248.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810353-1758048549", "title":"Lawmakers warned of rising security threats from drones during House hearing", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fnational-security%2F3810353%2Flawmakers-warned-national-security-threats-drones-house-hearing%2F", "byline":"Anna Giaritelli", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Drones present an increasingly serious threat to the United States’s national security against both civilians at sporting events and law enforcement, according to drone experts who testified before Congress. Democrats and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee were in rare agreement Tuesday afternoon during a hearing on malicious drones, that unmanned aircraft systems present a […]", "description":""

Drones present an increasingly serious threat to the United States's national security<\/a> against both civilians at sporting events and law enforcement<\/a>, according to drone experts who testified before Congress.<\/p>

Democrats and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee were in rare agreement Tuesday afternoon during a hearing on malicious drones, that unmanned aircraft systems present a plethora of security and safety concerns for Americans.<\/p>

Lawmakers on the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance also agreed that the U.S. government, particularly Congress, must do more to develop \"counter drone\" technology or ways to safely take down dangerous drones.<\/p>

Sgt. Robert Dooley, Florida's drone and counterdrone coordinator within the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, testified that drones \"continue to proliferate across recreational, commercial, and malicious domains.\"<\/p>

\"The ability of public safety agencies to detect and mitigate unauthorized or threatening drones has become a national imperative,\" Dooley said.<\/p>

Subcommittee Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) pointed to the nation's land borders, where enemy drones flown by smugglers and cartels are used to spy on U.S. law enforcement and to move drugs across the international boundary.<\/p>

\"U.S. Northern Command leadership reported that over 1,000 drones cross into U.S. airspace from the Mexican border each month, with [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] agents noting that in Texas along the Rio Grande Valley alone, over 10,000 drone incursions and 25,000 drone sightings occurred in 2024,\" Biggs said.<\/p>

Drones are also a growing concern at most sports events and major political events, such as conventions and inaugurations.<\/p>

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) said prisons in her home state had had multiple incidents of seizing drones as they attempted to smuggle illegal drugs.<\/p>

MEXICO TOUTS CRACKDOWN ON CRIME AMID TRUMP TARIFF THREAT<\/a><\/p>

Only the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service have the legal authority to respond to a suspicious drone and take it down through various counter-drone measures. Local and state police, as well as civilians, cannot respond to ones they perceive as dangerous.<\/p>

Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said any expansion of counter-drone authorities for nonfederal police should be mindful of civil liberties and be used within the bounds of the law.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/drone.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809339-1758048335", "title":"Supreme Court under pressure to take up fired agency head cases", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsupreme-court%2F3809339%2Fsupreme-court-under-pressure-to-take-up-fired-agency-head-cases%2F", "byline":"Jack Birle", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Two fired Democrat-appointed independent agency heads have now asked the Supreme Court to consider their cases if the justices decide to hear a separate case regarding firing a Democrat-appointed FTC commissioner. The Trump administration petitioned the high court earlier this month to allow it to fire FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, after lower courts ruled she should […]", "description":""

Two fired Democrat-appointed independent agency heads have now asked the Supreme Court<\/a> to consider their cases if the justices decide to hear a separate case regarding firing\u00a0<\/a>a Democrat-appointed FTC commissioner<\/a>.<\/p>

The Trump administration petitioned the high court earlier this month to allow it to fire FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, after lower courts ruled she should be reinstated, marking the third time a challenge of an independent agency head's firing has made its way to the Supreme Court's emergency docket in recent months. Chief Justice John Roberts granted<\/a> an administrative stay allowing Slaughter to be fired while the justices consider whether to issue a firm stay and if they will hear the case before it has made its way through the lower courts.<\/p>

As the high court weighs whether to hear the case regarding Slaughter's firing before judgment, fired Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox have both asked the justices to consider their case for full arguments if they agree to hear Slaughter's case.<\/p>

Harris and Wilcox made their requests via letters from their respective lawyers posted to the emergency docket for Slaughter's case. Both women were part of the first emergency docket case regarding independent agency head firings, which made its way before the justices earlier this year. The Supreme Court allowed the administration to fire Harris and Wilcox<\/a> in the interim, but opted not to take up the case before it finished going through lower courts.<\/p>

In the letters<\/a>, the fired agency heads' lawyers said<\/a> both of them filed a \"conditional petition for certiorari before judgment,\" which asks the justices to review the merits of their cases if the Supreme Court decides to take up the FTC case. Wilcox's lawyers, in their petition<\/a> to the Supreme Court, argued there should be no rush in taking up any of the challenges, but if the high court decides to hear full arguments in Slaughter's case, it should include both Wilcox and Harris's cases alongside it, too.<\/p>

\"No real-world harm will come from allowing the ordinary appellate process to unfold over a few more weeks. But if the Court is nevertheless inclined to grant review to reconsider Humphrey\u2019s Executor on an accelerated timeline in any case, it should grant review here,\" Wilcox's lawyers wrote.<\/p>

\"If it does so, the Court may also wish to grant certiorari before judgment in this case\u2019s companion, Trump v. Harris, which would allow the cases to be argued in tandem, as they were in the D.C. Circuit,\" the filing continued.<\/p>

Slaughter's lawyer maintained in a filing on Monday that the high court should not take up the case before it has made its way through the lower courts, while the Justice Department pointed to Wilcox and Harris's conditional petitions to hear their cases as evidence that the justices should hear the full case now.<\/p>

\"Those petitions confirm that the importance of the issues in these cases warrant the extraordinary step of granting certiorari before judgment,\" Solicitor General D. John Sauer said<\/a> in filing on Tuesday.<\/p>

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP TO FIRE FTC COMMISSIONER WHILE CONSIDERING CASE<\/a><\/p>

The Justice Department has asked the justices to look at the case, which could overturn the high court's 1935 ruling in\u00a0Humphrey\u2019s Executor v. United States<\/a>, which found that then-President Franklin Roosevelt could not fire an FTC commissioner at his discretion and could only fire him \u201cfor cause,\u201d as outlined in the law passed by Congress authorizing the creation of the FTC.<\/p>

With all the necessary briefs filed on Tuesday, the Supreme Court could make a decision at any time. The high court will elect to either grant or deny a stay, which would either allow or deny Slaughter to remain in her job pending litigation, while also deciding if it wants to take up the case now rather than wait for it to go through lower courts.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25178425309117.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810690-1758048251", "title":"National Dems boost support for Sherrill despite polling lead", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810690%2Fnational-dem-support-sherrill-despite-polling%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A comfortable polling lead for Mikie Sherrill, the New Jersey congresswoman hoping to become the state’s next Democratic governor, hasn’t stopped the national party from doubling spending on her campaign as Election Day approaches. The Democratic National Committee said Tuesday its $1.5 million donation will be the most the organization has […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 A comfortable polling lead for Mikie Sherrill, the New Jersey<\/a> congresswoman hoping to become the state\u2019s next Democratic<\/a> governor, hasn\u2019t stopped the national party<\/a> from doubling spending on her campaign as Election Day approaches.<\/p>

The Democratic National Committee said Tuesday its $1.5 million donation will be the most the organization has ever spent in the Garden State during an off-election year. It will also help down-ballot candidates through the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign by funding more staff and extending outreach to minority communities where votes dwindled in 2024. <\/p>

She currently leads Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli by an average of 8.8 percentage points, according to polling data compiled by RealClear Politics<\/a>.<\/p>

Jack Ciattarelli, a former Republican state assemblyman, is no stranger to tackling the state\u2019s blue wall. In 2021, he lost to term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy by less than three percentage points \u2013 a notable feat for the underdog GOP candidate in a state that\u2019s seen a rightward shift over the intervening four years.<\/p>

It\u2019s unclear yet if those results were merely a fluke, given President Donald Trump\u2019s victory in 2024. Ciattarelli does not seem to think so, crediting his influence for flipping seven seats in the state legislature and cementing the party\u2019s best election performance in 30 years.<\/p>

DNC Chairman Ken Martin says it's Ciattarelli\u2019s \u201cblind allegiance\u201d to the Trump administration that makes his platform a bad deal for residents.<\/p>

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN LEADS IN NEW JERSEY AND VIRGINIA GOVERNOR RACES<\/a><\/p>

\u201cWith a historic total of $3 million now invested in the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign, the DNC is organizing everywhere to elect strong, commonsense leaders like Mikie Sherrill and those at the local level who will stand up to Trump while tackling affordability, improving health care, and bringing down housing costs,\u201d he said.<\/p>

The Center Square contacted the New Jersey Republican Party for comment but received no response.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24323006384536.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809715-1758048199", "title":"Missouri medical school faces DEI complaint: ‘More egregious than Harvard’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3809715%2Fmissouri-medical-school-faces-dei-complaint-more-egregious-than-harvard%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"EXCLUSIVE — A conservative legal group is urging the Justice Department to investigate Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis over what it calls one of the most extreme “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” regimes in American higher education. America First Legal, a nonprofit legal organization founded by President Donald Trump’s top adviser Stephen Miller, filed a sweeping […]", "description":""

EXCLUSIVE \u2014 A conservative legal group is urging the Justice Department<\/a> to investigate Washington University School of Medicine<\/a> in St. Louis over what it calls one of the most extreme \u201cDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion\u201d regimes in American higher education.<\/p>

America First Legal<\/a>, a nonprofit legal organization founded by President Donald Trump's top adviser Stephen Miller, filed a sweeping civil rights complaint Monday alleging the school operates a system of \u201csystemic, intentional, and ongoing\u201d discrimination based on race, sex, and other protected traits. The group is requesting immediate enforcement action from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.<\/p>

\u201cWashU has transformed its medical school into a DEI indoctrination training camp,\u201d said AFL counsel Megan Redshaw in a statement. \u201cThis isn\u2019t compliance with the law \u2014 it\u2019s contempt for it. WashU is far more egregious than Harvard or UNC because its unlawful discrimination extends beyond admissions and pollutes every corner of medical education.\u201d<\/p>

The complaint alleges violations of the\u00a0Civil Rights Act,\u00a0Title IX<\/a>, and\u00a0Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, as well as multiple executive orders signed by <\/a>President Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0prohibiting race- and sex-based policies in federally funded institutions. Among the policies highlighted are a \u201cholistic review\u201d admissions process that evaluates applicants using subjective criteria such as \u201clived experiences\u201d and \u201csocial mission alignment,\u201d a framework AFL says is designed to use racial proxies while evading the Supreme Court\u2019s 2023 decision in\u00a0Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. That decision barred universities from using race as an admissions criterion.<\/p>

On Exhibit 43 of the 117-page complaint, AFL highlighted an MIR Summer Research Program application that asked applicants to check off whether they qualify \"as a member of an underrepresented minority.\"<\/p>

The complaint also highlights a long term pattern of the school promoting DEI ideology dating back to 2020. An Instagram account from the college's Division of Dermatology posted on Oct. 17, 2020 an image of Ibram X. Kendi's How To Be An Antiracist<\/a>, promoting it as a book of discussion for a resident book club at the time. In May last year, the college was honored with a \"diversity, equity & inclusion award\"<\/a> by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. <\/p>

The complaint also documents more than 30 \u201cpipeline\u201d and \u201cpathway\u201d programs run by WashU Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which explicitly prioritize applicants from preferred identity groups beginning in middle school. The school\u2019s Internal Medicine residency program reportedly increased its share of underrepresented minority enrollees from 9.7% to 27% in just three years in an effort to \"promote equity in hiring,\" according to a since-removed section of its website<\/a>.<\/p>

Following the filing, WashU Medicine quietly removed a \u201cProgress\u201d section<\/a> from its DEI office page on its website. Before its deletion, the page touted an 83% increase in representation of underrepresented minorities since 2017 and a 46% increase in women.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

WashU, which has received more than $3 billion in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services since 2021, could face penalties if the DOJ deems it to be violating federal law.<\/p>

A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment, and the Washington Examiner did not hear back from representatives for WashU Medicine.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Diversity-equity-inclusion-DEI-jh3.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810678-1758047846", "title":"Denver pushes back on possible National Guard deployment", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810678%2Fdenver-push-back-national-guard-deployment%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – As calls grow for President Donald Trump to send the National Guard to Denver, city and state officials are pushing back. Last week, the city and county of Denver joined an amicus brief filed in support of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lawsuit against Trump’s June deployment of the National Guard and U.S. […]", "description":""

(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 As calls grow for President Donald Trump<\/a> to send the National Guard<\/a> to Denver<\/a>, city and state officials are pushing back.<\/p>

Last week, the city and county of Denver joined an amicus brief filed in support of California<\/a> Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s<\/a> lawsuit against Trump\u2019s June deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.<\/a><\/p>

That deployment was in response to mass protests and riots against immigration enforcement. Though over 4,000 troops were initially deployed, as of the end of July, Newsom reported that just a few hundred remained in the city.<\/p>

Since that first action, Trump also deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to decrease crime and address illegal immigration.<\/p>

Denver joined 26 other local governments on the\u00a0amicus brief<\/a>, which argued that Trump \u201cusurped\u201d local law enforcement and government officials by deploying the National Guard despite their protests.<\/p>

The brief highlighted concerns that Trump will send the National Guard to other cities, which he has already discussed doing for\u00a0Memphis<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cWorse still, this drastic and provocative executive action has quickly spiraled into further actual and threatened military deployments across the country,\u201d the brief warned. \u201cPlans are underway to deploy the National Guard to police nineteen more states ... Military policing shatters our nation\u2019s bedrock history and tradition of preserving state and local control over the police power.\u201d<\/p>

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston warned further deployments could lead to a \u201cfederal police state.\u201d<\/p>

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser also\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0Monday he has joined a multi-state\u00a0amicus brief<\/a>\u00a0in support of another lawsuit challenging Trump\u2019s deployment of the National Guard to D.C.<\/p>

Not all cities are against the deployment though, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry\u00a0praising<\/a>\u00a0Trump\u2019s plan to send the National Guard to America\u2019s cities.<\/p>

\u201cOur cities are already war zones,\u201d Landry said on Monday. \u201cToo many people already die.\u201d<\/p>

Trump has not yet singled out Denver for deployment. Currently Colorado has 5,500 National Guard members.<\/p>

The city has been historically at odds with the Trump administration since the president took office in January. It has filed or joined multiple lawsuits against the administration, which has\u00a0withheld<\/a>\u00a0significant amounts of funding due to Colorado and Denver\u2019s refusal to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts.<\/p>

Despite the lack of cooperation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and federal partners have still successfully\u00a0arrested<\/a>\u00a0hundreds of criminal foreign nationals in the Denver area.<\/p>

Many Denverites have joined together on social media in\u00a0calling<\/a>\u00a0for Trump to deploy the National Guard to the city, citing crime. Conservative pundit Alex Jones pointed to Denver in a\u00a0recent video<\/a>\u00a0as a \u201ccrime-ridden blue city\u201d that could benefit from a National Guard deployment.<\/p>

MULTIPLE PEOPLE SHOT AND GUNMAN DEAD AT DENVER-AREA HIGH SCHOOL<\/a><\/p>

Those issues are on the minds of many in Denver, according to a recent\u00a0poll<\/a>\u00a0from the Colorado Polling Institute.<\/p>

That poll found that the top three issues facing voters in Denver were homelessness and encampments (44%), affordable housing (30%), and crime, drug problems, and safety (26%). Almost half (48%) of respondents also said there is too little police presence in Denver.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25257704244774.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810470-1758046521", "title":"Trump DOJ denaturalizes Maryland serial child rapist", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fimmigration%2F3810470%2Ftrump-doj-denaturalizes-maryland-serial-child-rapist%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A Maryland court granted a Justice Department motion to denaturalize convicted sex offender Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara. The court ruled that Graciano Lara “lacked the requisite good moral character to naturalize due to his crimes” and lied on immigration papers. Graciano Lara previously pleaded guilty in Maryland state court to having vaginal intercourse with a […]", "description":""

A Maryland <\/a>court granted a Justice Department<\/a> motion to denaturalize convicted sex offender Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara.<\/p>

The court ruled that Graciano Lara \"lacked the requisite good moral character to naturalize due to his crimes\" and lied on immigration papers.<\/p>

Graciano Lara previously pleaded guilty in Maryland state court to having vaginal intercourse with a minor and has a prior September 2017 conviction for second-degree rape. He had sexual intercourse with the victim several times over a four-year period, the Department of Justice said.<\/p>

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner that the DOJ will continue trying to denaturalize criminals. <\/p>

\u201cAmerican citizenship is a sacred privilege that this monster should never have obtained,\u201d Bondi said. \u201cThis Department of Justice will continue working to denaturalize criminals like these who lie about their past actions to take advantage of our immigration system.\u201d<\/p>

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Division added that \"sex offenders who try to naturalize by hiding their unlawful acts from immigration officials must learn that if the United States finds out, the government will come after their citizenship.\"<\/p>

The case was part of Operation Prison Lookout, a plan to denaturalize criminals. The DOJ said in a June memo that it would prioritize denaturalizing criminals to prevent them from receiving the continued benefits of U.S. naturalization.<\/p>

\"At a fundamental level, it also supports the overall integrity of the naturalization program by ensuringthat those who unlawfully procured citizenship, including those who obtained it through fraud orconcealment of material information, do not maintain the benefits of the unlawful procurement,\" the memo said.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The Trump administration has used various tools to help achieve its immigration goals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has boosted hiring with a much larger budget at its disposal, and migrant detention centers have cropped up around the country.<\/p>

The administration aims to deport 1 million people annually.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bondi-p.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810496-1758045723", "title":"Donna Brazile pressures D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to retire: ‘Need a new champion’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3810496%2Fdonna-brazile-eleanor-holmes-norton-retire-pressure-dc-delegate%2F", "byline":"Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is under pressure to step aside after nearly 35 years in office, with party insiders and activists arguing it is time for fresh leadership to carry the city’s fight for full representation in Congress. Former Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman and veteran strategist Donna Brazile added to those calls […]", "description":""

Longtime Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton <\/a>(D-DC) is under pressure to step aside after nearly 35 years in office, with party insiders and activists arguing it is time for fresh leadership to carry the city\u2019s fight for full representation in Congress.<\/a><\/p>

Former Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman and veteran strategist Donna Brazile<\/a> added to those calls<\/a> Monday, urging the House\u2019s oldest member not to seek reelection. In a Washington Post op-ed, Brazile praised Norton\u2019s trailblazing career, from civil rights activism to securing key protections for the District, but said her legacy is already \u201csecure and enduring,\u201d and the moment demands new energy.<\/p>

Brazile, 65, described Norton as a \u201cdear friend for 44 years,\u201d a mentor, role model, and even \u201ca second mother.\u201d But she argued that at 88, Norton is no longer the dynamo who once defined the city\u2019s fight for representation, and that the District now requires the kind of vigorous leadership Norton herself provided for decades.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s in her best interest, and the interest of D.C., for her to complete her current term but then conclude her extraordinary service in Congress by not seeking reelection next year,\u201d Brazile wrote.<\/p>

Brazile, who managed Norton\u2019s first congressional campaign in 1990 and later served as her chief of staff for eight years, framed her appeal as one born of respect and long friendship. She acknowledged Norton\u2019s deep devotion to public service, writing that after \u201cdoing so much for D.C. for so long, it\u2019s understandable that she wants to remain in Congress. Public service is her life.\u201d<\/p>

But Brazile argued that even a trailblazer\u2019s tenure must eventually end. \u201cNo job can last forever, and no person is irreplaceable,\u201d she wrote. \u201cAs I\u2019ve told her in person, retirement from Congress is the right next chapter for her \u2014 and for the District.<\/p>

The calls for Norton\u2019s retirement come as the District faces heightened political pressure, with Republicans seeking to roll back <\/a>the city\u2019s autonomy and block its long-sought push for statehood. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump announced he would place the Metropolitan Police Department \u201cunder federal control\u201d and deploy National Guard troops to the capital. Norton issued several press releases in response, but was notably absent from press events with Mayor Muriel Bowser.<\/p>

Brazile underscored the stakes, warning that \u201cD.C. is under attack as at no other time in recent history, and we need a new champion to defend us. President Donald Trump is treating the District like a colonial possession he can rule as a dictator, rather than a city governed by leaders who are elected by voters.\u201d<\/p>

She continued, \"Washingtonians need a delegate in Congress who is able to vigorously stand up for our right to govern ourselves \u2014 just as the residents of every other American city do.\u201d <\/p>

DEMOCRATS WORRY THEY\u2019RE GETTING TOO OLD FOR OFFICE<\/a><\/p>

Norton, the District\u2019s nonvoting delegate to Congress, has repeatedly sent mixed signals about her political future. In June, she told reporters on Capitol Hill that she planned to run again, and a statement from her staff later walked back, saying no decision had been made. Earlier in the month, she dismissed calls for generational change, arguing that her long tenure is an asset, speaking<\/a> with Axios.<\/p>

 \u201cI say that my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside,\u201d Norton said.<\/p>

Norton\u2019s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner\u2019s request for comment on Tuesday about Brazile\u2019s op-ed or Norton\u2019s plans for 2026. On Tuesday, Norton ignored questions about Brazile\u2019s op-ed. When pressed by Fox News<\/a>, aides repeatedly declined to engage, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about this right now. I\u2019m so sorry. We\u2019re in a rush.\u201d<\/p>

Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist, said Norton\u2019s seniority has long been her strength, giving her unique policy expertise and influence. But he suggested that value must be balanced against the risks of overstaying. \u201cYou have to balance that with knowing not to stay too long at the fair and knowing when it\u2019s time,\u201d he said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25253530809040.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810444-1758044928", "title":"Trump confirms GOP convention ahead of 2026 midterm elections", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3810444%2Ftrump-gop-convention-2026-midterm-elections%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump announced that the Republican Party would hold a convention ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump first hinted at the unusual move late last month. His Tuesday announcement gave no further details on the planned gathering but said it would be “very exciting!” “The Republicans are going to do a Midterm Convention […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> announced that the Republican Party<\/a> would hold a convention ahead of the 2026 midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>

Trump first hinted at the unusual move late last month. His Tuesday announcement gave no further details on the planned gathering but said it would be \"very exciting!\"<\/p>

\"The Republicans are going to do a Midterm Convention in order to show the great things we have done since the Presidential Election of 2024. Time and place to be determined. Stay tuned, it will be quite the Event, and very exciting!\" the president said in a post<\/a> on Truth Social.<\/p>

In a post last month that first suggested the conference, he voiced his confidence that Republicans would win handily in the 2026 elections.<\/p>

\u201cWe won every aspect of the Presidential Election and, based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS,\u201d Trump said on Truth Social.\u00a0\u201cI am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms.\u201d<\/p>

TRUMP FLOATS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS<\/a><\/p>

The convention will help Republicans gin up excitement as they shift to more defensive posturing. Democrats are set to hold their own convention before the midterm elections, looking to strip Republicans of their government trifecta.<\/p>

The party not in the White House historically does better in the midterm elections.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24324798989491.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809912-1758044421", "title":"Man claimed to shoot Charlie Kirk to ‘draw attention’ from real gunman, police say", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3809912%2Fman-claimed-to-shoot-charlie-kirk-draw-attention-from-real-gunman-police%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A Utah man who falsely confessed to shooting Charlie Kirk during last week’s campus attack was also arrested on charges of possessing child sexual abuse materials after telling police he wanted to be a “martyr” and had hoped to distract officers from the real gunman. Authorities say George Zinn, 71, approached a police officer immediately after the shooting […]", "description":""

A Utah man who falsely confessed to shooting Charlie Kirk<\/a> during last week\u2019s campus attack was also arrested on charges of possessing child sexual abuse materials after telling police he wanted to be a \u201cmartyr\u201d and had hoped to distract officers from the real gunman.<\/p>

Authorities say George Zinn<\/a>, 71, approached a police officer immediately after the shooting at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 and yelled, \u201cI shot him, now shoot me,\u201d even though officers did not see a weapon on him. Zinn continued repeating the false claim as he was taken into custody, at one point telling officers to \u201cjust shoot him,\u201d according to police records obtained by the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

In addition to admitting to wanting to distract police from the real shooter, investigators say Zinn later confessed to possessing photos of \"scantily dressed\" underage girls. He has been charged with felony obstruction of justice and four counts of felony sexual exploitation of a minor, and is currently being held in the Utah County Jail.<\/p>

Zinn\u2019s outburst sparked widespread confusion<\/a> as images circulated of him being led away in handcuffs, leading some to believe the suspected gunman had already been captured. Authorities later clarified that Zinn was not connected to the shooting and had been arrested for obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.<\/p>

Once at the police department, Zinn requested an attorney and recanted his earlier statements, telling officers he lied \u201cto draw attention from the real shooter.\u201d As he was being transported to the hospital due to a medical condition, he again said he hoped to serve as a distraction and \u201cwanted to be a martyr\u201d for Kirk.<\/p>

While at the hospital, Zinn agreed to speak with an FBI<\/a> agent and an investigator with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation. During the interview, Zinn voluntarily handed over his phone but warned agents that it contained child sex abuse material.<\/p>

Agents located images of prepubescent girls on the device and referred the matter to the Utah County Special Victims Unit. A search warrant executed days later revealed over 20 disturbing images of children aged 5 to 12, as well as sexually explicit text threads in which Zinn allegedly shared the images with others, authorities said. Zinn confessed to receiving sexual gratification from viewing the content and stated his preferred victim age range was between 5 and 12 years old, authorities said in a press release.<\/p>

Investigators say there is no evidence Zinn had any prior connection to Tyler Robinson<\/a>, the 22-year-old suspect arrested nearly two days later for the murder of the Turning Point USA<\/a> cofounder.<\/p>

Robinson has not yet entered a plea and is facing state and potential federal charges.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Utah County prosecutors announced seven counts against him<\/a>, including felony aggravated murder, a capital offense, in addition to several \"victim targeting enhancements\" against him because of Robinson's belief or perception regarding Kirk's political expression.<\/p>

The investigation into Zinn\u2019s possession of child sexual abuse material remains ongoing.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/c-kirk-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810298-1758044304", "title":"Former midshipman charged with sending threat that locked down US Naval Academy", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3810298%2Findiana-man-charged-threat-naval-academy-lockdown%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A former U.S. Naval Academy midshipman was charged after allegedly sending an online threat that caused mass confusion and led to an hourslong lockdown at the military school last week. Jackson Fleming, a 23-year-old resident of Chesterton, Indiana, is accused of transmitting a threat in interstate communication, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of […]", "description":""

A former U.S. Naval Academy<\/a> midshipman was charged after allegedly sending an online threat<\/a> that caused mass confusion and led to an hourslong lockdown at the military school last week.<\/p>

Jackson Fleming, a 23-year-old resident of Chesterton, Indiana<\/a>, is accused of transmitting a threat in interstate communication, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced<\/a> on Tuesday. A federal judge approved a complaint containing a single count, which the Maryland prosecutors noted isn't formal yet. If charged, Fleming faces up to five years in federal prison. The academy said Fleming attended the school from June 30, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2024.<\/p>

The suspect was arrested in Indiana on Friday, one day after he posted the fake threat on social media concerning the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland<\/a>. He later appeared in court on Monday.<\/p>

The military academy shut down for nearly seven hours on Thursday when Fleming's threat falsely claimed there was an active shooter on campus, prompting a midshipman to mistake a security guard for a gunman. The student then attacked the officer, who shot his assailant in the shoulder. Both men survived and were eventually discharged from the hospital.<\/p>

The academy and Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) concluded there was no active shooter threat last week.<\/p>

The FBI led the investigation to Fleming's arrest with the assistance of the Porter County Sheriff's Office in Indiana, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Naval Academy.<\/p>

Fleming's lawyer said his client will fight the charges in court.<\/p>

MOORE SAYS NO THREAT AT NAVAL ACADEMY AFTER STUDENT MISTAKES OFFICER FOR GUNMAN<\/a><\/p>

\"No one, including Jack, should be judged by a mere accusation from the government,\" criminal defense attorney Jonathan Bedi told the Associated Press. \"We are prepared to mount the strongest possible defense, and I am confident that when the complete facts emerge, Jack will be vindicated.\"<\/p>

The hoax threat sent to the Naval Academy arrived the same day that Maryland state lawmakers received bomb threats at their homes, and multiple historically black colleges and universities reported receiving possible threats that led to campus lockdowns. All these incidents occurred on Sept. 11 and came amid heightened anxiety following conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah the day before.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25254848644094.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810235-1758044033", "title":"Trump frustrated Putin and Zelensky ‘can’t sit in a room together’ as his mediator role expands", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3810235%2Ftrump-frustrated-putin-zelensky-inability-sit-in-room-together%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump voiced his frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s inability to sit in a room together. After a renewed flurry of hope that peace could be achieved between Russia and Ukraine in July, talks have once again stalled over Moscow and Kyiv’s mutually exclusive war goals. Trump has […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> voiced his frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a> and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a>'s inability to sit in a room together.<\/p>

After a renewed flurry of hope that peace could be achieved between Russia and Ukraine in July, talks have once again stalled over Moscow and Kyiv's mutually exclusive war goals. Trump has heaped blame on both parties, bemoaning how hard it is to get the two leaders together to reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>

\u201cIt takes two to tango. Those are two people, Zelensky and Putin, that hate each other, and it looks like I have to sit in the room with them, because they can\u2019t sit in a room together. There\u2019s great hatred there,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>

Trump again reiterated his demand that Europe \u201cstop buying oil from Russia\u201d and said Zelensky was going to \u201chave to make a deal.\u201d<\/p>

Trump's demand shifts the responsibility onto Europe and backs it into an untenable position \u2014 if it completely cuts off purchases of Russian \"shadow oil,\" it would inflict massive economic devastation.<\/p>

Zelensky offered subtle criticism of Trump the same day, arguing that Europe had already taken action with sanctions and that \u201call that\u2019s lacking now is a strong sanctions package from the U.S.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cMore needs to be done, quicker,\u201d he added.<\/p>

Zelensky complained that the Alaska summit \"gave a lot to Putin,\" and that the Russian president was \"trying to find a way out of isolation\" through Trump.<\/p>

However, he said he was open to a trilateral meeting, which he believed could produce \"some result.\"<\/p>

Zelensky reiterated his demand for security guarantees, saying he wanted them enshrined in a \u201cdocument that is supported by the U.S. and all European partners.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cTo make this happen, we need a clear position of President Trump,\u201d he added.<\/p>

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump would \"probably\" meet with Zelensky in New York next week during the United Nations General Assembly. He said Trump has been trying \"everything possible\" to end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>

Trump gave similar comments of frustration with Ukraine and Russia earlier this month, saying the two weren't ready for peace yet.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ve been watching it, I\u2019ve been seeing it, and I\u2019ve been talking about it with President Putin and President Zelensky,\u201d Trump said. \u201cSomething is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen. We are going to get it done.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to get it all straightened out,\u201d he added.<\/p>

Trump maintained that he was being realistic in his push for a peace deal but admitted again that solving the conflict has been much more difficult than he expected. However, he still has confidence in his approach of getting the leaders in a room together, which he thinks is the most effective way to resolve conflicts.<\/p>

TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE AND RUSSIA \u2018NOT READY\u2019 FOR PEACE DESPITE OPTIMISM<\/a><\/p>

\u201cA lot of times, they\u2019re fighting each other for so long,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re fighting each other so long, they don\u2019t even think in terms of peace. It just becomes a way of life. And when I get them together, I get the people in the room, I\u2019m able to convince them. \u2018Let\u2019s go. Let\u2019s make peace. It\u2019s enough, already. You\u2019ve lost enough lives.'\u201d<\/p>

Tensions with Russia escalated last week after Russian drones traveled into Polish airspace, triggering a scrambling of air defense assets to shoot them down. Though it later turned out the drones were all decoys, lacking warheads, the episode served as an embarrassment and caused NATO to beef up its eastern air defenses.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/trump-zelensky-putin-phone-call-may-2025.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810255-1758043796", "title":"FBI’s ‘Arctic Frost’ Trump investigation also targeted Kirk’s Turning Point USA, Grassley says", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3810255%2Ffbi-arctic-frost-charlie-kirk-turning-point-grassley%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said Tuesday the FBI’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election was broader than previously revealed. The so-called Arctic Frost investigation into Trump also looked at Republican groups, including Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization and the Republican Attorneys General Association, according to records released by Grassley and […]", "description":""

Sen. Chuck Grassley<\/a> (R-IA) said Tuesday the FBI\u2019s investigation into President Donald Trump\u2019<\/a>s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election was broader than previously revealed.<\/p>

The so-called Arctic Frost<\/a> investigation into Trump also looked at Republican groups, including Charlie Kirk\u2019s Turning Point USA organization and the Republican Attorneys General Association, according to\u00a0records<\/a>\u00a0released by Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).<\/p>

As investigators looked into Trump's effort to overturn the election, those groups and individuals had their communications and financial records subpoenaed to see if they were aiding Trump's unfounded conspiracies about the 2020 election. These efforts included Trump allies filing false election fraud claims and disparaging lawsuits against election administrators, organizing fake electors to certify false election results, and attempting to convince then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results.<\/p>

\u201cIn total, 92 Republican targets, including Republican groups and Republican-linked individuals, were placed under the investigative scope of Arctic Frost. On that political list was one of Charlie Kirk\u2019s groups, Turning Point USA,\" Grassley said Tuesday at a hearing on Capitol Hill<\/a>.<\/p>

\"In other words, Arctic Frost wasn\u2019t just a case to politically investigate Trump. It was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus,\" he continued.<\/p>

Several pro-Trump political operatives, including Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, were previously known as subjects of the Arctic Frost investigation.<\/p>

In 2023, Trump was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The charges were dropped when he was reelected to the presidency in 2024.<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

In the wake of the 2020 election, Kirk and other groups now known to have been investigated amplified some of Trump's baseless claims regarding election fraud.<\/p>

Grassley's reveal came days after Kirk was shot and killed at a college in Utah.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chuck-grassley-march-hearing.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810194-1758043339", "title":"DC funding restored in continuing resolution plan to keep government open", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3810194%2Fdc-funding-restored-continuing-resolution-plan-muriel-bowser%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Washington, D.C.’s funding has been restored in a new draft of Congress’s continuing resolution legislation, averting the potential of millions in lost money. The last continuing resolution did not include a provision allowing the district to spend its local budget. House Republicans are trying to keep the government open through Nov. 21 and avoid a […]", "description":""

Washington, D.C.'s<\/a> funding has been restored in a new draft of Congress's <\/a>continuing resolution legislation, averting the potential of millions in lost money.<\/p>

The last continuing resolution did not include a provision<\/a> allowing the district to spend its local budget.<\/p>

House Republicans are trying to keep the government open<\/a> through Nov. 21 and avoid a shutdown. While the current resolution does not hold any policy priorities favorable to either side, GOP House members said it does restore funding granted by the 2025 budget.<\/p>

The past CR forced D.C. to rely on 2024 spending levels, which were millions below 2025 funds. While forecasts pointed to cuts near $1 billion, Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said the cuts ended up being around $410 million.<\/p>

Rare win for DC in Congress today. Draft of the CR was released and it includes provision allowing DC to spend its local budget. Last CR did not include this important provision resulting in @MayorBowser<\/a> and @councilofdc<\/a> being forced to cut $400 million from its current budget. pic.twitter.com\/SbnsG4M5jc<\/a><\/p>— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) September 16, 2025<\/a>

The mayor's office had been waiting for Congress to unfreeze the city's funds to avoid cuts to city services. Bowser had instated hiring freezes, reduced non-personnel services, and pushed off or shifted costs down the line.<\/p>

The CR, if passed, allows D.C. to maintain its 2026 budget plan.<\/p>

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has accused Democrats of \"openly pining for a government shutdown.\"<\/p>

\u201cWe need responsible options here to keep the government open while all this work continues, and Republicans are committed to making that happen,\u201d Johnson told reporters Tuesday. \u201cPredictably and unfortunately, there are some Democrats who are openly pining for a government shutdown.\u201d<\/p>

But Democrats insist they will need policy concessions to vote for a CR. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate to bypass a potential filibuster.<\/p>

\u201cThe Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people\u2019s needs on healthcare, or they won\u2019t get our votes,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters last week.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Bowser and the D.C. council passed the city's $22 billion 2026 budget in July. The new budget accounts for a significant loss of government-related jobs and cuts social services. Bowser says it will \"right-size\" the city's spending.<\/p>

\u201cWe can\u2019t act like today is 2024 or 2023. It\u2019s not, folks. We have a shifting economy, and if we don\u2019t shift with it, we will be a city that people flee,\u201d the mayor told lawmakers as she unveiled the budget.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/m-bowser.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810160-1758042916", "title":"Russia may be forced to slash oil output: Report", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fenergy-and-environment%2F3810160%2Frussia-slash-oil-output%2F", "byline":"Callie Patteson", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"As President Donald Trump has pushed to cut off Russian energy exports to end the war in Ukraine, new reporting suggests that Russia could be forced to slash its own crude oil output, ironically granting the president the outcome he has been searching for. Several industry sources confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday that Russian oil […]", "description":""

As President Donald Trump<\/a> has pushed to cut off Russian energy<\/a> exports to end the war in Ukraine, new reporting suggests that Russia<\/a> could be forced to slash its own crude oil output, ironically granting the president the outcome he has been searching for.<\/p>

Several industry sources confirmed<\/a> to Reuters on Tuesday that Russian oil<\/a> pipeline giant Transneft has warned producers that it might have to cut back on output as a result of Ukraine\u2019s drone strikes on energy infrastructure in the region.<\/p>

Transneft, which controls more than 80% of all oil produced in Russia, has also reportedly begun to restrict producers' ability to store crude in its pipeline system as a result of the Ukrainian attacks.<\/p>

Ukraine launched a sweeping attack made up of around 361 drones over the weekend, striking several Russian oil refineries. Russian officials have not yet detailed the damage to the energy infrastructure following the attack. However, sources told Reuters that the recent attack cut the country\u2019s refining capacity by nearly one-fifth.<\/p>

If Russian energy infrastructure continues to sustain damage from future attacks, Transneft has reportedly warned that producers will need to accept less oil or cut output altogether.<\/p>

Doing so would effectively cut off a major funding source for Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine, which Trump has sought to depress through secondary tariffs and Western sanctions.<\/p>

Last month, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil, raising total tariffs on the country to 50%. India is the second-largest importer of Russian oil after China.<\/p>

The president has also called on NATO and the Group of Seven to impose secondary tariffs on China over its purchases of Russian energy, saying it would be \u201cof great help\u201d in ending the war in Ukraine. He specifically urged the European allies to place 50% to 100% tariffs on China.<\/p>

As debate over possible increased sanctions and tariffs from the West continues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dubbed Ukraine\u2019s drone strikes on energy infrastructure as more effective.<\/p>

\"The most effective sanctions, the sanctions that work the fastest, are fires in Russian oil refineries, at their terminals and oil depots,\" Zelensky said Sunday following the strikes.<\/p>

THE UKRAINE WAR ACCELERATES THE INTERNATIONAL DRONE ARMS RACE<\/a><\/p>

Russia currently accounts for around 9% of oil production worldwide, and any major supply disruptions could send prices skyrocketing.<\/p>

International and domestic crude oil prices remained relatively stable on Tuesday, only increasing by less than 2%. Just before 4 p.m., Brent Crude inched up by $1.01 and was selling at $68.45 per barrel. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.22 and was priced at $64.52 per barrel.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP22249372861032.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810150-1758042839", "title":"Biden not seeing cash windfall typical of post-presidency", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F3810150%2Fbiden-cash-windfall-book-speaking-deals-post-presidency%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former President Joe Biden is having a difficult time securing speaking engagements in the year following his presidency, according to a report. The newest reported speaking arrangement woes continue to minimize the scope of Biden’s post-presidency financial windfall compared to what is typically expected after a president leaves the Oval Office. It follows a book […]", "description":""

Former President Joe Biden<\/a> is having a difficult time securing speaking engagements in the year following his presidency, according to a report.<\/p>

The newest reported speaking arrangement woes continue to minimize the scope of Biden's post-presidency financial windfall compared to what is typically expected after a president leaves the Oval Office. It follows a book deal<\/a> advance signed for less than that of his recent Democratic counterparts, and reports he may face challenges in fundraising for his presidential library<\/a>.<\/p>

Companies booking Biden<\/a> for speaking arrangements have been \"limited,\" according to the Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday.<\/p>

The Washington Examiner did not hear back from a Biden spokesperson or Biden's booking representative, CAA Speakers<\/a>, after requests for comment.<\/p>

Biden signed his book deal advance with Hachette Book Group for $10 million in July<\/a>. The deal for his presidential memoir is less than what former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton received for their book advances<\/a>. Both Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama signed with Penguin Random House for about $60 million, while Clinton signed with Alfred A. Knopf for $15 million.<\/p>

Biden also may be having difficulty fundraising for his presidential library<\/a>, which will be located in Delaware.<\/p>

KAMALA HARRIS IN \u2018IMPOSSIBLE BIND\u2019 WHEN IT COMES TO DIRECTLY CRITICIZING JOE BIDEN<\/a><\/p>

The former president has been the subject of consistent ridicule from President Donald Trump and Republicans as they blame his administration for several policy issues, mainly related to the economy and immigration. He has also taken some heat from Democrats for not dropping out of the 2024 presidential election earlier and making way sooner for former Vice President Kamala Harris's bid. Now that Trump is president, some donors could be less inclined to give.<\/p>

\u201cThere\u2019s certainly folks \u2014 folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them,\u201d Biden's presidential library board chairman<\/a> Rufus Gifford told the\u00a0Associated Press. \u201cThat being said ... we\u2019re not going to create a budget, we\u2019re not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don\u2019t believe we can hit.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/biden-democrats.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810311-1758042827", "title":"Ousted CDC chief says RFK Jr. fired her for ‘holding the line on scientific integrity’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3810311%2Fcdc-monarez-rfk-jr-fired-scientific-integrity%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez will tell the Senate HELP Committee on Wednesday that she was fired from her post by the Trump administration last month for refusing to allow political pressure to take over the agency. According to a copy of her testimony obtained by the Washington Examiner ahead […]", "description":""

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> Director Susan Monarez<\/a> will tell the Senate HELP Committee on Wednesday that she was fired from her post by the Trump administration last month for refusing to allow political pressure to take over the agency.<\/p>

According to a copy of her testimony obtained by the Washington Examiner ahead of the hearing, Monarez will detail that she was \u201cfired for holding the line on scientific integrity\u201d after a clash over vaccine policy with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>, a longtime vaccine skeptic. <\/p>

Monarez was fired by President Donald Trump<\/a> on Aug. 27 after just 29 days of serving in the position and being confirmed by the Senate. <\/p>

Her dramatic exit, along with the resignations of three other top CDC officials, came just hours after Kennedy announced that approval for COVID-19 vaccines<\/a> would only be granted to those with comorbidities that put them at risk for severe disease.<\/p>

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA) invited Monarez to describe the circumstances of her termination, which Kennedy and others in the Trump administration have defended as cleaning up the agency following the myriad of policy failures during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>

Monarez\u2019s testimony details the timeline of events leading up to her termination, beginning with media reports in early August that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was purging long-standing experts and reviewing the childhood vaccine schedule. <\/p>

Before Monarez\u2019s confirmation, Kennedy disbanded the prior members of the ACIP and replaced them with seven new members, which was more in line with his skepticism of the status quo on vaccine policy. On Monday, Kennedy announced five new members who have also been critical of vaccines throughout their careers.<\/p>

Monarez writes in her testimony that, on Aug. 19, she received a directive from Kennedy\u2019s office requiring \u201cprior approval from [her] political staff for CDC policy and personnel decisions.\u201d <\/p>

During a meeting with Kennedy on Aug. 25, Monarez writes that the secretary demanded that she \u201ccommit in advance\u201d to approve of the decisions of the ACIP \u201cregardless of the scientific evidence\u201d and that she \u201cdismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy, without cause.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cHe said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign. I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence, and I had no basis to fire scientific experts,\u201d Monarez says in her testimony. <\/p>

Monarez\u2019s written testimony also clears up a statement Kennedy made last week during his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, during which he was grilled by Democrats and Republicans about his decision to fire Monarez.<\/p>

Kennedy told the Finance Committee<\/a> that Monarez admitted to him that she was \u201cuntrustworthy,\u201d which he said was the reason for her termination. But Monarez\u2019s written testimony says it was Kennedy who insisted that \u201che could not trust [her].\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI had refused to commit to approving vaccine recommendations without evidence, fire career officials without cause, or resign \u2014 and I had shared my concerns with this Committee. I told the Secretary that if he believed he could not trust me, he could fire me,\u201d Monarez wrote.<\/p>

Monarez is slated to testify on Wednesday alongside Debora Houry<\/a>, former chief medical officer at the CDC, who resigned following Monarez\u2019s termination. <\/p>

Houry\u2019s written testimony, also obtained by the Washington Examiner, says she decided to leave the agency voluntarily because Kennedy \u201crepeatedly censored CDC science, politicized our process, and stripped agency leaders of the ability to protect the health of the American people.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cCDC\u2019s senior science leadership were no longer permitted to rely on their expertise \u2014 they were expected to serve as a rubber stamp for the Secretary\u2019s decisions. I could not, in good conscience, remain under those conditions,\u201d Houry\u2019s testimony reads. <\/p>

Houry says that her \u201cfinal tipping point\u201d was when Kennedy required \u201cpolitical clearance\u201d for all of Monarez\u2019s decisions.<\/p>

\u201cThat meant she would not be permitted to exercise her scientific expertise or protect the agency\u2019s independence \u2014 she would be forced into the role of a rubber stamp,\u201d Houry writes. \u201cAt that moment, it was clear CDC\u2019s leaders would no longer be able to defend their staff or their science.\u201d<\/p>

CDC NAMES FIVE NEW VACCINE BOARD MEMBERS DAYS AHEAD OF PIVOTAL MEETING<\/a><\/p>

Several Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), have expressed frustration<\/a> with Kennedy over the firing of Monarez and the resignation of high-level leadership. <\/p>

Trump has not yet named a new permanent CDC director nominee. The nominee will require a confirmation hearing in front of Cassidy\u2019s committee before being subject to a full Senate confirmation vote.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-y6vxxia3s-1758053251296-e1758057208616.jpg?1758041387&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810435-1758042307", "title":"WATCH LIVE: Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson appears in court", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3810435%2Fwatch-live-charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-tyler-robinson-appears-in-court%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Charlie Kirk‘s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, is set to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon around 5 p.m. ET. CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING SUSPECT FACES SEVEN CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY Robinson is accused of shooting Kirk while he was speaking to students at Utah Valley University last week. Kirk’s death caused an outcry, and many […]", "description":""

Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, is set to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon around 5 p.m. ET.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING SUSPECT FACES SEVEN CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY<\/a><\/p>

Robinson is accused of shooting Kirk while he was speaking to students at Utah Valley University last week.<\/p>

Kirk's death caused an outcry, and many across the political spectrum mourned him and the incident of political violence.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/robin.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810248-1758041420", "title":"Robin Wright clarifies UK move: Politics ‘not the reason,’ but ‘tranquility’ and steady work", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2F3810248%2Frobin-wright-clarifies-uk-move-politics-not-reason-tranquility-steady-work%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Actress Robin Wright said Tuesday that politics was not the main reason behind her move to the United Kingdom, clarifying earlier remarks that drew headlines. During an appearance on The View to promote her new Amazon Prime thriller, The Girlfriend, Wright explained that she began spending time in the U.K. primarily for work. “Well, living because […]", "description":""

Actress Robin Wright said Tuesday that politics was not the main reason behind her move to the United Kingdom<\/a>, clarifying earlier remarks that drew headlines.<\/p>

During an appearance on The View<\/a> to promote her new Amazon<\/a> Prime thriller,\u00a0The Girlfriend, Wright explained that she began spending time in the U.K. primarily for work.<\/p>

\u201cWell, living because I've been working there for almost three years, because all of the American productions that I've done the last three years have shot in England because of the tax break,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIt's better than anywhere in Canada. So I just, back to back to back ... and I ended up loving it so much.\u201d<\/p>

While she acknowledged being concerned about the state of the United States, Wright clarified that politics was not her driving factor.<\/p>

\u201cI'm troubled, like many of us are, about the state of our country. And it's not the reason,\u201d she said, pausing before adding, \u201cI just ... I'm so tranquil over there.\u201d<\/p>

Earlier this month, Wright told The Sunday Times that \u201cAmerica is a s***show.\u201d<\/p>

She called life in the U.S. chaotic and fast-paced, while describing her time in England as \u201cliberating.\u201d She has been living in the Chilterns during film projects and now plans to move to the seaside with her partner, architect Henry Smith.<\/p>

\u201cEveryone\u2019s building a huge house, and I\u2019m just done with all that \u2014 I love the quiet,\u201d Wright said at the time. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve met my person. Finally ... I\u2019m seen and loved for who I am. It\u2019s so relaxing.\u201d<\/p>

Wright isn\u2019t alone in departing the U.S. Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O\u2019Donnell also moved abroad, citing dissatisfaction with political life in the U.S. under President Donald Trump.<\/p>

Wright\u2019s life has long intersected with politics and activism. She was married to politically outspoken actor Sean Penn from 1996 to 2010 and has two children with him, Dylan and Hopper Penn.<\/p>

TRUMP STILL 'GIVING SERIOUS THOUGHT' TO REVOKING CITIZENSHIP FOR ROSIE O'DONNELL<\/a><\/p>

Beyond Hollywood, Wright is deeply engaged in humanitarian work. She has campaigned against<\/a> mining \u201cconflict minerals,\u201d which have fueled violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and co-founded Pour Les Femmes, a sleepwear line whose proceeds support Congolese women through community programs and vocational training.<\/p>

In June 2025, Rwandan and Congolese diplomats met in the Oval Office with Trump after signing a peace deal <\/a>mediated by his administration. Trump has since touted the agreement as proof he helped stop one of the world\u2019s most entrenched conflicts. Despite her history of advocacy around the Congo crisis, Wright has not publicly commented on the deal.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Robin-Wright-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810218-1758040137", "title":"California Democrats make early moves before redistricting vote", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3810218%2Fcalifornia-democrats-make-early-moves-before-redistricting-vote%2F", "byline":"Barnini Chakraborty", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D-CA) redistricting campaign is shaking up California politics, turning once-safe districts into new battlegrounds for candidates eager to get into the competition. Some, like Democratic San Diego Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert, have already announced plans, created polished websites, and started to fundraise even though voters have not yet approved the new map. “At […]", "description":""

Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a>'s (D-CA) r<\/a>edistricting<\/a> campaign is shaking up California<\/a> politics, turning once-safe districts into new battlegrounds for candidates eager to get into the competition.<\/p>

Some, like Democratic San Diego Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert<\/a>,\u00a0have already announced plans, created polished websites, and started to fundraise even though voters have not yet approved the new map.<\/p>

\"At a time when Democrats are eager for new voices, this shakeup actually creates a lot of opportunity for folks to jump in to newly defined districts that may have different make-ups and be less wedded to older incumbents,\" Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff told the\u00a0Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Los Angeles-based political strategist Jane Thama agreed, telling the\u00a0Washington Examiner it is \"an exciting\u00a0moment\" for the next generation.<\/p>

\"Everyone is looking around to see where they fit,\" she added. <\/p>

Californians will head to the polls on Nov. 4<\/a> to decide on a new congressional district map the state legislature passed last month.<\/p>

Unlike Texas, where state lawmakers have control over drawing the state's congressional map, California's process is more complicated. Its constitution requires that an independent redistricting commission draw the map and that voters approve any changes. That means even though the state legislature passed the proposed map, it will now be up to the voters in the special election whether the map will be used for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections.<\/p>

If voters greenlight it, it would turn three Republican-held seats into safe Democratic seats and turn two others into seats that lean Democratic.\u00a0Specifically, the map would change districts held by Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) in northern California. In Southern California, Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ken Calvert (R-CA) would be at risk, and in the Central Valley, Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) would have a much harder time getting reelected if the map is passed.<\/p>

The push to change California's map was in direct response to Texas Republicans changing theirs at the behest of President Donald Trump. Texas's new map creates five new Republican House seats. Trump has asked other red states to follow suit.<\/p>

At stake\u00a0is control of the House.\u00a0Republicans currently have a seven-seat edge, with four vacancies. If the GOP loses the lower chamber in 2026, it would make Trump a lame duck president and set up considerable roadblocks to his agenda.<\/p>

In California, the carved-up districts have created headaches for Republicans forced to compete in a new landscape. However, it's had the opposite effect on Democrats.<\/p>

\"While California has been historically a world of political musical chairs with one-party rule and term limits, the potential new lines have accelerated\u00a0and opened up opportunities for California politicos to look at other seats and opportunities,\" Jeff Le, managing principal at 100 Mile Strategies LLC, told the Washington Examiner. \"LA County Supervisor [Hilda] Solis and CA State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire have signaled their ambition to run for new congressional seats that would not have been considered without prospective redistricting.\"\u00a0<\/p>

Campaign consultant Katie Merrill told<\/a> CalMatters that the new map is \"basically\u00a0opening more doors than it's closing,\" adding that \"chaos breeds opportunity in politics, and that's what we're experiencing right now.\"\u00a0<\/p>

For example, Von Wilpert is eager to benefit from the new map. The\u00a042-year-old former congressional staffer already has a website up, her priorities laid out, and is planning to challenge Issa, an 11-term incumbent, in the new proposed 48th District.<\/p>

\"Only Marni Can Flip the 48th!\" her blue-and-white website says.<\/p>

Von Wilpert said when the lines were redrawn, a \"valuable opportunity\" opened up, adding that a younger LGBT Democrat like herself has a much better shot of taking down Issa under the new map than the old one.\u00a0<\/p>

Merrill applauded von Wilpert's early-out-the-gate strategy.<\/p>

\"Everybody should jump out there and start the race,\" she said. \"They have to sort of stake their ground so they freeze other candidates from jumping in. They send signals to the endorsing groups and donors about what they\u2019re intending to do.\"<\/p>

CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING BALLOT MEASURE COULD COST OVER $280 MILLION IN SPECIAL ELECTION: REPORT<\/a><\/p>

However, Le cautioned against getting out too early.<\/p>

\"Because of campaign rules, fundraising for federal offices will need to go into federal-specific accounts, so those looking to get a head start for future primary races will be important, albeit with risk of being seen as potentially too\u00a0presumptuous\u00a0of the voters in November,\" he said.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25233837600842.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810214-1758040073", "title":"SSA tells Senate data remains secure after whistleblower allegations tied to DOGE", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3810214%2Fssa-social-security-administration-data-senate-whistleblower-allegations-doge%2F", "byline":"Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"EXCLUSIVE — The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Tuesday told lawmakers its systems are secure and pushed back on allegations from a former senior official who claimed the agency mishandled sensitive personal data. In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID), SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the agency found no evidence that […]", "description":""

EXCLUSIVE \u2014 The Social Security Administration<\/a> (SSA) on Tuesday told lawmakers its systems are secure and pushed back on allegations from a former senior official who claimed the agency mishandled sensitive personal data<\/a>.<\/p>

In a letter to Senate Finance Committee<\/a> Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID), SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the agency found no evidence that its Numident database, which contains personally identifiable information on nearly every American, had been \u201caccessed, leaked, hacked, or shared in any unauthorized fashion.\u201d<\/p>

The inquiry stemmed from a complaint filed by Charles \"Chuck\" Borges, the agency's former chief data officer, who alleged that officials tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created \"serious data lapses\" that put the information of more than 300 million Americans at risk. <\/p>

In filings through the Government Accountability Project, Borges' lawyers claimed DOGE officials built \"a live copy\" of Social Security data in a cloud environment that bypassed oversight, potentially exposing names, dates and places of birth, parents\u2019 Social Security numbers, and citizenship records. Borges said his warnings to leadership were ignored, contributing to a hostile work environment and his resignation in August.<\/p>

According to SSA, Borges raised his concerns internally on Aug. 6, after which senior executives, including the acting chief information security officer and chief legal counsel, reviewed the claims. The agency concluded the data in question had been stored on a secure server within SSA\u2019s Amazon Web Services cloud infrastructure, where it has historically resided. Officials said the system is continuously monitored and subject to annual audits.<\/p>

DOGE, established by executive order in January 2025 as part of the Trump administration\u2019s effort to modernize government technology and reduce costs, has drawn scrutiny for seeking broad access to sensitive federal data. A federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing SSA systems in March, citing privacy and legal concerns, but the Supreme Court later lifted that block<\/a> in June, allowing the program to resume access while litigation continues.<\/p>

The response comes after Crapo\u2019s Sept. 10 inquiry<\/a>, which was prompted by disclosures from Borges. Bisignano emphasized that safeguarding personal data remains his highest priority. \u201cI have been protecting personally identifiable information my entire career, and it has been and will continue to be my highest priority here at SSA,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION REJECTS WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT OF DOGE-RELATED LEAK<\/a><\/p>

SSA also outlined its broader security protocols, including compliance with federal standards such as the Federal Information Security Modernization Act and oversight by a team of more than 300 cybersecurity professionals.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25104087439297.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809946-1758038815", "title":"Hundreds of arrests made in Chicago during DHS ‘Operation Midway Blitz’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fimmigration%2F3809946%2Fdhs-chicago-midway-blitz-arrests%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly arrested about 250 people in Chicago since the Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Midway Blitz” earlier this month. The operation targets illegal immigrants with criminal records living in Chicago and Illinois. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), who oversees the district that contains parts of the Chicago suburbs, disclosed that […]", "description":""

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly arrested about 250 people in Chicago<\/a> since the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> launched \"Operation Midway Blitz\" earlier this month.<\/p>

The operation targets illegal immigrants with criminal records living in Chicago and Illinois.<\/p>

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), who oversees the district that contains parts of the Chicago suburbs, disclosed that an estimated 250 people have been taken into custody since Sept. 6 based on ICE data she received. The congresswoman's statement suggests the operation started that Saturday, two days before DHS publicly announced<\/a> the initiative.<\/p>

\"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. Like all Illinoisans, I\u2019ve been concerned and alarmed by reporting about ICE\u2019s conduct and operations in our state under Donald Trump,\" Underwood said in a press release<\/a>. \"As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, I requested a briefing from agency leadership on the enhanced operations that started last Saturday, and I\u2019m sharing what I heard with our community.\"<\/p>

The Washington Examiner contacted DHS for confirmation on the number of arrests and the start date for the operation.<\/p>

Underwood expressed concern that ICE officers have been conducting their law enforcement activities outside Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, noting the operation extends to the rest of Illinois and Lake County, Indiana. The neighboring county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.<\/p>

In its Sept. 8 announcement<\/a> of Operation Midway Blitz, DHS primarily focused on Chicago but mentioned that illegal immigrants in the entire state would be targeted.<\/p>

The operation was launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old woman who in January was killed in a hit-and-run car crash allegedly by a Guatemalan national illegally living in the United States. He was arrested shortly thereafter.<\/p>

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem<\/a> visited Chicago to witness law enforcement arresting illegal immigrants.<\/p>

\"President Trump has been clear: if politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will. I was on the ground in Chicago today to make clear we are not backing down,\" Noem said in a statement<\/a>. \"Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking. Our work is only beginning.\"<\/p>

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SHOT DEAD AFTER STRIKING OFFICER WITH VEHICLE<\/a><\/p>

Last week, an illegal immigrant was killed in Chicago when an officer stopped his vehicle. After getting dragged by the vehicle, the officer fatally shot the suspect. DHS defended the officer's actions, saying he feared for his life.<\/p>

At the moment, Chicago is witnessing a surge in federal officers tasked with detaining and removing illegal immigrants rather than a broader policing mission led by the Trump administration. Despite the president's repeated threats to begin a federal takeover of Chicago, he instead sent the National Guard<\/a> to Memphis, Tennessee.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25252858342358.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809918-1758038412", "title":"Patel clashes with Hirono over FBI fitness standards for women: ‘One pullup is not harsh’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3809918%2Fpatel-clashes-hirono-fbi-fitness-standards-women-pullups%2F", "byline":"Heather Hunter", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A heated exchange erupted Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when FBI Director Kash Patel defended physical fitness standards for incoming special agents, including a pullup requirement that Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) criticized as disproportionately affecting female applicants. The dispute began when Hirono questioned Patel on recent changes to FBI recruitment standards, specifically the […]", "description":""

A heated exchange erupted Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when FBI<\/a> Director Kash Patel<\/a> defended physical fitness standards for incoming special agents, including a pullup requirement that Sen. Mazie Hirono<\/a> (D-HI) criticized as disproportionately affecting female applicants.<\/p>

The dispute began when Hirono questioned Patel on recent changes to FBI recruitment standards, specifically the newly implemented requirement that all applicants must complete a single pullup to pass the agency\u2019s physical fitness test.<\/p>

\u201cYou are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pullup, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences,\u201d Hirono said. \u201cAre you requiring these kinds of pullups?\u201d<\/p>

Patel, who has overseen sweeping reforms at the bureau since taking office earlier this year, confirmed the requirement and defended it as essential for operational readiness.<\/p>

\u201cWe are requiring a physical program at BFTC at Quantico because FBI agents carrying guns in the field have to chase down bad guys and do really hard work,\u201d he responded. \u201cThe physical fitness standards of those agents are being appropriately assessed. ... If you want to chase down a bad guy and put him in handcuffs, you better be able to do a pullup.\u201d<\/p>

Hirono pushed back, calling the standard \u201charsh\u201d and suggesting it could discourage capable women from applying to the FBI.<\/p>

\u201cThere are concerns about whether or not being able to do these kinds of harsh pullups is really required of FBI agents,\u201d she said.<\/p>

Patel dismissed that characterization, replying, \u201cDoing one pullup is not harsh, and there are always medical exemptions to that.\u201d<\/p>

Beyond physical standards, Hirono expressed broader concerns about Patel\u2019s leadership, accusing him of overseeing a \u201cmass exodus\u201d from the bureau. She cited nearly $500 million in budget cuts and claimed morale had plummeted amid retirements, reassignments, and internal shake-ups.<\/p>

\u201cI am gravely concerned by the state of the FBI under your control,\u201d Hirono said. \u201cThousands have already left. ... For as long as you remain as the head of the FBI, I fear the number of departures and summary firings will continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>

In an unexpected pivot, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) seized on Hirono\u2019s remarks to make a broader argument about gender-based standards \u2014 and to advocate preserving sex-based distinctions in areas such as women\u2019s sports.<\/p>

\u201cBefore I begin, I want to thank Sen. Hirono for what she said, acknowledging that there are physical differences between men and women,\u201d Britt said. \u201cI think she was making a case that there should be different standards ... and that\u2019s why we continue to say we should have biological men in men\u2019s sports and biological women in women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Under Patel\u2019s leadership, the FBI has already made significant adjustments to its recruitment pipeline. In August, the bureau dropped its long-standing college degree requirement and reduced training time at the FBI Academy in Quantico from 18 weeks to eight weeks.<\/p>

Beginning in November 2025, all applicants seeking to become special agents must <\/a>complete one strict pullup during the PFT. The standard mandates that hands be placed no wider than two hand widths outside the shoulders, with applicants required to lift themselves until their chin clears the bar.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kashpatelmaziehironocollage-e1758052880232.jpg?1758036349&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809875-1758037606", "title":"Key takeaways from Patel’s Senate hearing: Kirk investigation, Epstein files, and FBI staffing", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate%2F3809875%2Fkey-takeaways-kash-patel-senate-charlie-kirk-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-files-fbi-staffing%2F", "byline":"Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"FBI Director Kash Patel came under bipartisan fire Tuesday during a combative Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, during which lawmakers grilled him over the bureau’s handling of Charlie Kirk‘s assassination investigation, the Jeffrey Epstein case files, staffing shortages, and allegations of political retaliation. The nearly five-hour session produced some of the most heated exchanges Patel […]", "description":""

FBI Director Kash Patel<\/a> came under bipartisan fire Tuesday during a combative Senate Judiciary Committee <\/a>oversight hearing, during which lawmakers grilled him over the bureau's handling of Charlie Kirk<\/a>'s assassination investigation, the Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> case files, staffing shortages, and allegations of political retaliation.<\/p>

The nearly five-hour session produced some of the most heated exchanges Patel has faced since taking the job. While the sharpest clashes centered on Kirk and Epstein, senators also raised alarms about the role of online platforms in fueling violence and exploitation.<\/p>

Patel arrived in the committee room wearing what he called his \"lucky tie,\" a red Liverpool FC tie bearing the club's famous slogan, \"You\u2019ll Never Walk Alone.\"<\/p>Kirk investigation draws scrutiny

Patel opened the hearing by outlining the FBI's timeline following Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination at Utah Valley University, highlighting the speed of the manhunt. Patel said within hours, the bureau released suspect images and then enhanced video that led the shooter's father to identify his son and turn him in.<\/p>

\"Less than a day later, the FBI, at my direction, released the first set of images ... at 8 p.m., in partnership with the public, we released a newly enhanced video of the suspect. A few hours later, that suspect was in custody pursuant to the interrogation of the suspect's own father,\" Patel testified.\u00a0<\/p>

Patel said the bureau received more than 11,000 tips in the first 24 hours and credited agents who worked \"through the night without sleep for days on end\" to make the arrest.<\/p>

However, Patel's handling of the case drew controversy from the start<\/a>. He was criticized after prematurely announcing on X that Kirk's alleged killer had been captured, a claim he corrected about 90 minutes later in a follow-up post. His public misstep fueled confusion at a delicate stage of the investigation.<\/p>

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a ranking member, accused Patel of \"violating one of the basics of effective law enforcement\" by rushing to take credit.<\/p>

\"You sparked mass confusion by incorrectly claiming on social media that the shooter was in custody, which you then had to walk back,\" Durbin said. \"You were so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk's assailant ... shut up and let the professionals do their job.\"<\/p>

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) pressed Patel even further, saying his premature post risked discouraging the public from sharing tips.<\/p>

\"If you put out a statement that says we've got our man, in fact, it turns out that you didn\u2019t have your man. That's not a mistake?\" Welch asked.<\/p>

Patel rejected that framing, saying, \"What we had at the time was a subject in custody in relation to this investigation. Could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included a subject instead of suspect? Sure, in the heat of the moment, but I was doing the best I could.\"<\/p>

Welch was unconvinced, adding, \"If we have our man, that would suggest to the public that everybody can rest and relax and not then continue to provide information. So that was a mistake.\"<\/p>

Patel countered, \"I don\u2019t see it as a mistake. I see it as something working with the public to identify that there was a subject.\"<\/p>

Patel also revealed that the bureau is investigating Discord activity tied to the case. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) cited reports that \"as many as 20 additional users\" were in a chat with accused shooter Tyler Robinson. Patel said the number was far higher.<\/p>

\"It's a lot more than that. We're running them all down. It's a lot more than 20,\" he testified, adding that the FBI is investigating \"every single one.\"<\/p>

Hawley replied, \"Fantastic.\"<\/p>Divisions over political violence 

Democrats urged caution against inflaming partisan tensions as they responded to rising threats. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) pointed to a shooting in her state that targeted children at a Catholic church and the murder of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was fatally shot alongside her husband just over three months ago.<\/p>

She warned that violence cannot be seen solely through a partisan lens.<\/p>

\"Our political opponents are not our enemies,\" Klobuchar said. \"We should be working together to keep the American people safe.\"<\/p>

Durbin echoed that message, saying, \"Democrats are not responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk, and Republicans are not responsible for the murder of Melissa Hortman. Our political opponents are not our enemies. We are all Americans.\"<\/p>

However, Republicans argued that the bureau has failed to be honest about the ideological nature of recent attacks. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said it was \"dishonest\" to suggest the threat was evenly spread across the political spectrum.<\/p>

\"We are lying if we think that this is a both sides thing,\" he said. \"Political violence is always wrong, period, full stop. But in America today, political violence is not a problem that falls equally upon both sides.\"<\/p>

Schmitt then pressed Patel with a rapid-fire list of incidents, demanding that the director classify them as left- or right-wing.<\/p>

\"The man who tried to kill Republican congressmen at the congressional baseball practice, nearly killing Steve Scalise, left-wing or right-wing violence, sir?\" Schmitt asked.<\/p>

Patel responded, \"I believe it was a left-wing ideology.\"<\/p>

Schmitt continued, \"The riots during the summer of 2020, the so-called Summer of Love?\"<\/p>

Patel hesitated, \"I'll rely on you on these. I don't have off the top of my head, okay.\"<\/p>

Schmitt replied, \"Left-wing.\"<\/p>

From there, Schmitt rattled through a list that included the Waukesha Christmas parade massacre, the stabbing attempt on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and others. Each time, Schmitt labeled them left-wing attacks.<\/p>

By the end, he delivered a blunt conclusion, saying, \"So don\u2019t give me this both sides bulls***, Mr. Director. If we want to get to unity, let\u2019s be honest.\"<\/p>

Patel told lawmakers that the FBI is tracking 1,700 domestic terrorism cases, a 300% increase over the past year.<\/p>Heated clash over the Epstein files

The sharpest exchanges of the hearing came when senators turned to Epstein. Patel told lawmakers the FBI has found \"no credible information\" that Epstein trafficked minors to anyone beyond himself.<\/p>

\"If there were, I would bring the case yesterday ... the answer is, no one for the information that we have in the files,\" Patel said.<\/p>

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) pressed Patel repeatedly, warning that such answers would not put the matter to rest.<\/p>

\"I think you're going to have to do more to satisfy the American people,\" Kennedy said, stressing that the public wants a clear answer to the central question of whether Epstein supplied victims to anyone else.<\/p>

Kennedy also demanded clarity on the pace of disclosures.<\/p>

\"So you're releasing them a little bit at a time. Is that correct?\" he asked.<\/p>

Patel replied that three separate court orders bound the FBI, meaning it could only release what judges allowed.<\/p>

\"We're releasing as much as we can ... we will release everything we are legally permitted to do,\" Patel testified, noting that the bureau will remain open to reviewing new evidence if it emerges.<\/p>

Patel pointed to the limits of Epstein's 2008 nonprosecution agreement and narrowly drawn search warrants, which he said hamstrung future prosecutions.\"<\/p>

Multiple administrations had the opportunity to look at the entirety of that case file and recommend prosecutions ... the only person to bring charges was the prior administration against Mr. Epstein,\" Patel said. \"What exists in the Epstein case files was a direct result of the limited search warrants from 2006 and 2007, which hamstrung future investigations.\"<\/p>

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Judiciary Committee chairman, who has pushed for greater transparency on Epstein since 2019, pressed Patel directly on whether Epstein ever worked as an intelligence asset.<\/p>

Patel responded, \"I can only speak to the FBI ... Mr. Epstein was not a source.\"<\/p>

Grassley then demanded a commitment to releasing classified and unclassified records tied to Epstein. Patel agreed, pledging to provide everything the bureau can legally disclose.<\/p>

Democrats were not satisfied either. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) challenged Patel about why a July 7 memorandum summarizing the bureau's review of 100,000 Epstein-related records was unsigned.<\/p>

Patel snapped back, \"Would you prefer I used autopen?\"<\/p>

The remark drew frustration from Democrats, who accused Patel of stonewalling.<\/p>

Despite Patel's insistence that the FBI is releasing everything it can, the exchanges underscored how both parties remain deeply skeptical about the bureau's transparency on Epstein.<\/p>

Major fireworks inside the Senate Judiciary hearing right now with @CoryBooker<\/a> and @FBIDirectorKash<\/a>: pic.twitter.com\/Pvg38Rnp25<\/a><\/p>— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) September 16, 2025<\/a>

The most tense moment came when Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) confronted Patel with transcripts of FBI interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell. Schiff cited her remarks describing a \"cast of characters,\" including men in government, who spent time with Epstein. He demanded that Patel identify who Maxwell was referring to. Patel refused, saying the full transcripts were released and contained no prosecutable leads.<\/p>

The exchange quickly devolved into a shouting match, with Schiff pressing, \"You want the American people to believe that her transfer to a minimum-security facility right after those statements was completely unrelated? Do you think they\u2019re stupid?\"<\/p>

Patel shot back, raising his voice, \"I'm not in the weeds on the everyday movements of the Bureau of Prisons. What I am doing is protecting this country ... and combating the weaponization of intelligence.\"<\/p>

The two men talked over one another as Patel escalated further, launching into a tirade.<\/p>

\"You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate, a disgrace to this institution ... you are a political buffoon at best,\" Patel shouted while Schiff accused Patel of stonewalling and misleading the public.<\/p>Staffing shortages, retaliation, and political pressure

Democrats zeroed in on the bureau's workforce challenges, accusing Patel of hollowing out the FBI and undermining its readiness. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) questioned why the FBI requested $500 million less in funding despite mounting vacancies.<\/p>

\"If hundreds of agents have retired or taken the fork-in-the-road offer and you have vacancies, but you\u2019re requesting $500 million less, how does having fewer FBI agents help you tackle violent crime and address our national security issues?\" Coons asked.<\/p>

Patel acknowledged the scope of the problem, noting the bureau cannot hire and train new agents overnight.<\/p>

\"If we had this $500 million ... it would take us 14 years to onboard every vacancy that's on the books currently at the FBI,\" he said.<\/p>

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) went further, accusing Patel of gutting the bureau's institutional expertise. He pressed Patel on whether he discussed firing agents with the White House before his confirmation, and warned that his tenure may be short-lived.<\/p>

\"I think you're not going to be around long,\" Booker said. \"This may be your last oversight hearing ... Donald Trump is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose.\"<\/p>

Patel denied politicizing staffing changes, insisting the only cuts were due to \"eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.\"<\/p>

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cut in with a practical question, asking, \"Do you have enough money to run the FBI at a high level?\"<\/p>

Patel replied, \"Yes, sir. With what we have now, yes.\"<\/p>

Graham pressed further, asking, \"Even with the retirements, the vacancies, and the cuts you've made, you're confident you can do the job?\"<\/p>

Patel answered firmly, \"We are confident, senator. We'll continue to meet our mission.\"<\/p>

The issue boiled over again during a fiery clash with Schiff, who accused Patel of retaliating against agents involved in Trump-related investigations, including Jan. 6. Schiff demanded a yes-or-no answer on whether Patel had terminated anyone for case assignments. Patel refused, calling it a \"trap.\" Schiff then pressed harder, and Patel erupted, saying, \"Anyone that was terminated at the FBI was done so to meet the standards, uphold their constitutional oath, and effectuate the mission.\"<\/p>

Schiff accused Patel of lying, and Patel shot back, accusing Schiff of fundraising off the issue.<\/p>Social media and online threats

Beyond the Discord revelations in the Kirk case, senators pressed Patel on the broader dangers of online platforms. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised concerns about how gangs, traffickers, and predators exploit social media networks.<\/p>

Patel said more must be done to hold platforms accountable.<\/p>

\"We need to make parents across the country aware of how invasive some of these social media sites are, and how much criminal enterprise is going on,\" he said, calling for reforms to Section 230. \"Nobody's being held accountable. They're making money, and our youth is dying, and that's just unacceptable.\"<\/p>

Graham pressed Patel on whether it was time for Congress to act, asking, \"Do you think it\u2019s now time for America to deal with this problem?\"<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

Patel responded, \"I'm all in. I have been all in, and I'm happy to work with Congress to do so.\"<\/p>

Graham welcomed the commitment, saying, \"Having the FBI director all in is great news for me, and I hope the committee will respond.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4836.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809364-1758037545", "title":"Terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing case dropped", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2F3809364%2Fterrorism-charges-luigi-mangione-unitedhealthcare-ceo-killing-case-dropped%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A New York state judge on Tuesday dismissed state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.  Judge Gregory Carro tossed charges of murder in the first degree as an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree against the suspect. The decision means that Mangione now […]", "description":""

A New York state judge on Tuesday dismissed state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione<\/a>, the 27-year-old accused of killing<\/a> United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. <\/p>

Judge Gregory Carro tossed charges of murder in the first degree as an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree against the suspect. The decision means that Mangione now faces 15 years to life in the state case, rather than the 25 years to life that he had been facing. <\/p>

Carro declined to dismiss Mangione\u2019s second-degree murder charge. The murder suspect still faces separate federal charges that carry a possible death penalty.<\/p>

Prosecutors allege Mangione, heir to a wealthy Italian family with roots in Baltimore, shot and killed Thompson on the streets of Manhattan last December. The murder prompted a manhunt for the suspect, who managed to evade capture for five days. Authorities said they found him at a Pennsylvania McDonald's with a backpack containing a gun that matched the murder weapon and a written manifesto expressing \u201chostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.\u201d <\/p>

Prosecutors allege Mangione used a 3D-printed pistol and a silencer that was also 3D-printed to carry out the shooting.\u00a0<\/p>

Mangione is facing parallel state and federal cases from prosecutors. His defense team, led by attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has sought to have the state charges dismissed altogether, due to arguments that they are a violation of the Constitution\u2019s double jeopardy clause. <\/p>

Carro\u2019s move to dismiss the state terrorism charges comes after Mangione was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last December on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, along with other weapon and forgery charges.<\/p>

The suspect returned to a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday for the first time in five months as the trial continues to play out. <\/p>

The case has seen many twists and turns, including when federal prosecutors admitted in April that they had listened in to private conversations between Mangione and his defense team, which are in violation of the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel and attorney-client privilege, and could threaten their case against Mangione.<\/p>

\u200b\u200bProsecutors initially denounced the claims. The government admitted a paralegal at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office inadvertently listened to a call between Mangione and Agnifilo, but alleged she stopped as soon as it became clear it was a lawyer on the other end of the line.<\/p>

MAN ARRESTED NEAR UNITEDHEALTHCARE HEADQUARTERS MONTHS AFTER CEO ASSASSINATED<\/a><\/p>

However, the government\u2019s lawyers later released an amended statement saying the paralegal listened to the entire call. In the letter announcing the update, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Jay Clayton, also revealed he was recused from handling the Mangione case.\u00a0<\/p>

\"The earlier letter stated that a DANY paralegal recognized the call as an attorney-client communication and immediately stopped listening. In fact, the paralegal listened to the entire call, then subsequently informed DANY prosecutors about the identities of the people with whom the defendant spoke,\" federal prosecutors wrote. \"DANY thereafter handled the matter as described in our previous letter. Moreover, DANY notified defense counsel of these facts in an email, dated April 22, 2025, thus, counsel was aware of this information prior to arraignment.\"<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259514386640.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810227-1758037043", "title":"Daily on Energy: Congress takes on geoengineering, Russian oil output, more funds for Palisades", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fdaily-on-energy%2F3810227%2Fdaily-on-energy-congress-geoengineering-russian-oil-palisades%2F", "byline":"Callie Patteson and Maydeen Merino", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Tuesday, Daily on Energy readers! Up on the Hill this morning, House lawmakers held a hearing on weather modifications like geoengineering. Read below to find out why Democrats pushed back on whether the hearing at all fell under the oversight subcommittee’s jurisdiction.  Plus, today’s newsletter dives into why […]", "description":""

WHAT\u2019S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Tuesday, Daily on Energy readers! Up on the Hill this morning, House lawmakers held a hearing on weather modifications like geoengineering. Read below to find out why Democrats pushed back on whether the hearing at all fell under the oversight subcommittee\u2019s jurisdiction. <\/p>

Plus, today\u2019s newsletter dives into why Russia could be forced to cut its output of crude oil and potential new investments from the U.S. in a foreign critical minerals fund. <\/p>

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson<\/a>) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino<\/a>). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you\u2019d like to sign up, click here<\/a>. If signing up doesn\u2019t work, shoot us an email, and we\u2019ll add you to our list.<\/p>

DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK AGAINST MTG HEARING ON WEATHER MODIFICATIONS: House Democrats questioned Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia\u2019s decision to hold a hearing today on weather modifications rather than government oversight issues. <\/p>

The House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, held a hearing on weather modifications, particularly in relation to cloud seeding and geoengineering. Greene has maintained theories that weather modifications like these are linked to extreme weather events like hurricanes and floods. <\/p>

Democrats on the committee, however, questioned Greene\u2019s decision to hold a hearing in the DOGE subcommittee regarding weather control technology. <\/p>

Subcommittee ranking member, New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury said, \u201cWe want to acknowledge that the purpose of this subcommittee, and why it was created in the first place by the majority, was to root out waste, fraud, and abuse.\u201d <\/p>

Still, theories surrounding the link between weather control technology and extreme weather events have heightened amongst Republicans, following several recent events like the flash flood that hit central Texas in July. Greene has been a strong critic of weather controlling technologies. <\/p>

\"Remember, if you even question that someone could control the weather, you were labeled a conspiracy theorist or crazy,\" Greene said in the hearing. <\/p>

What is weather modification? The hearing focused on weather modification technology like geoengineering and cloud seeding.<\/p>

Geoengineering is the manipulation of the Earth's natural systems to counteract the effect of climate change. Some of the methods include removing carbon dioxide and managing solar radiation. <\/p>

Cloud seeding is a technology that has been used for decades on a localized scale. Specifically, it modifies the weather by introducing tiny particles, typically silver iodide crystals, into clouds to increase rainfall.<\/p>

Greene said there is \"absolutely no way to measure the effectiveness of cloud seeding.\" She added that there is \"little regulation and rules\" over weather modifications, which she said was \"extremely concerning.\"<\/p>

Click here<\/a> to read more from Maydeen.<\/p>

POTENTIAL MULTIBILLION DOLLAR FUND TO BOOST US CRITICAL MINERAL SUPPLY: The Trump administration is reportedly in talks to fund a multi-billion dollar mining initiative abroad to reduce China\u2019s dominance over the market. <\/p>

The details: Sources familiar with the talks confirmed<\/a> to the Financial Times that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is considering investing $600 million or more into a fund that would invest in extracting critical minerals overseas. DFC already has some investments in foreign critical minerals and rare earth companies and projects, including in Ireland and South Africa.\u00a0<\/p>

New York-based investment firm Orion Resource Partners is considering matching the government investment. Discussions between Orion and DFC reportedly began last year and have been delayed primarily by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to the outlet. However, questions from Lutnick have reportedly been largely addressed, meaning a deal could soon be announced. <\/p>

RUSSIA WEIGHS CUTTING OIL OUTPUT: As President Donald Trump looks to cut off Russian energy imports to end Vladimir Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine, he just might be delivered a solution from Russia itself. <\/p>

The details: Industry sources confirmed<\/a> to Reuters today that Russian oil giant Transneft is warning producers that they might have to cut back on output as a result of Ukraine\u2019s drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Transneft, which controls more than 80% of all oil produced in Russia, has reportedly begun to restrict producers' ability to store crude in its pipeline system due to the Ukrainian attacks.\u00a0<\/p>

Russian officials have not detailed how damaged its energy infrastructure is following the drone strikes, however, Reuters reported that Ukraine hit at least 10 refineries in the country. The latest attacks reportedly slashed Moscow\u2019s refining capacity by nearly one-fifth. <\/p>

Sources familiar with Russian oil operations, told the outlet that the recent attacks could ultimately force Russia to cut output. This would effectively cut off a major funding source for Putin\u2019s war, and would prove Ukraine\u2019s own strikes as more effective than Trump\u2019s push for sanctions. <\/p>

Market reaction: With possible supply disruptions looming, both international and domestic prices of crude inched higher this afternoon. Just after 3 p.m. EST, Brent crude increased by 1.41% and was priced at $68.39 per barrel. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate was up 1.82% and selling at $64.45 per barrel. <\/p>

SHUTTERED NUCLEAR PLANT RECEIVES MORE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR RESTART: The Palisades Nuclear Plant in western Michigan has received another wave of federal funding from the Trump administration assisting its efforts to restart the shuttered plant later this year. <\/p>

The Department of Energy announced today that it released the sixth loan disbursement to Holtec International, totalling more than $155 million. Under the Biden administration, Holtec secured a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to support its restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant. <\/p>

The Trump administration has continued to support that agreement, distributing the loan in installments throughout this year. To date, the agency has disbursed over $491 million for the project. <\/p>

\u201cUnder President Trump\u2019s bold leadership, the United States is taking unprecedented steps to bring about the next American nuclear renaissance,\u201d Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. \u201cWith projects like the Palisades Nuclear Plant, the Department of Energy is committed to lowering energy costs and increasing domestic energy production, delivering reliable, affordable and secure energy to the American people.\u201d <\/p>

JP MORGAN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION: Months after Wall Street\u2019s mass exodus from the global climate banking alliance, one firm still firmly believes the markets can stay on track with climate goals. <\/p>

The details: JP Morgan Chase released<\/a> a report this week outlining a \u201cnew map\u201d for energy and geopolitics, as they said the global economy is moving into a \u201cnew energy security age.\u201d The bank argued that in this age, energy dominance will not just depend on fossil fuels but also green infrastructure, nuclear deployment, critical mineral supply chains, electric grids, and artificial intelligence.\u00a0<\/p>

JP Morgan is not expecting the power of oil and gas to disappear entirely, as it advocated for an \u201call of the above\u201d energy strategy. It urged the U.S. to fully take advantage of all energy sources like solar, geothermal and wind, saying this could make the nation \u201cunrivaled\u201d in this new age for energy dominance. <\/p>

\u201cAs a bank, some of the things that we\u2019ve taken for granted about energy over the last few decades are changing,\u201d Sarah Kapnick, one of the authors of the report, told<\/a> Semafor. \u201cThe rug has been pulled out from under us, and we need to think about how to have growth under this different regime.\u201d<\/p>

Surprising confidence: JP Morgan\u2019s endorsement for the energy transition comes after the bank, and dozens others, publicly stepped back from global climate commitments established under the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. Environmentalists voiced concerns that the departures indicated the investment firms and banks were conceding to right-wing criticism of ESG priorities. <\/p>

However, as we noted in Daily on Energy last month, these same banks saw their financing for oil, gas, and coal projects drop within the last year. This trend appears to be an indication that most firms are more interested in hitting net-zero goals than widely thought, but may keep it more under the radar.<\/p>

CHAIR OF CARB SET TO RETIRE: California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph will be retiring at the end of the month, as the state and Trump administration continue to battle over climate policies. <\/p>

California Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement yesterday, stating \u201cLiane stepped into this role at a moment of deep uncertainty and never flinched.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cFor five years, she\u2019s led with vision and resolve \u2014 expanding California's work to clean the air in our hardest-hit communities while charting the course for California to become the world\u2019s largest economy committed to net-zero carbon,\u201d he added. <\/p>

Laura Sanchez, who is senior adviser to the governor on climate, will be the next chair of CARB. <\/p>

Some background: The leadership change comes at a time when the state and the Trump administration battle in court over a number of changes to climate-related policies. For instance, in June, Trump signed three resolutions<\/a> that prevent California from implementing vehicle emission rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote electric vehicles. Shortly after Trump signed the bills, California announced it has filed a lawsuit against the administration\u2019s actions.\u00a0<\/p>

ICYMI \u2013 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BACKS FUSION ENERGY: The United States will be able to harness fusion energy for commercial use within the next ten years, Energy Secretary Wright said this week. <\/p>

The details: Yesterday, Wright told<\/a> Bloomberg Television that the Trump administration is confident it will be able to establish a pathway to developing and producing fusion energy as an alternative source of electricity before the president leaves office.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI believe we will know the commercial pathway to fusion during the Trump administration,\u201d Wright told the outlet. \u201cCommercial electricity from fusion energy could be as fast as eight years and I\u2019d be very surprised if it\u2019s more than 15.\u201d<\/p>

While the U.S. has backed research for fusion energy for decades, there has been little progress on making it a commercially viable form of energy. Researchers have primarily been looking for ways to sustain fusion reactions and generate more energy than the amount needed to create the reaction in the first place. <\/p>

Quick reminder: Nuclear fusion can generate electricity by fusing two atomic nuclei to form a single heavier one, releasing energy in the process. It has come to be known as an attractive carbon-free source of energy that also does not produce large amounts of radioactive waste like nuclear. <\/p>

RUNDOWN<\/p>

Reuters<\/a> How a Texas refinery turns Amazon-destroying cattle into \u2018green\u2019 jet fuel\u00a0<\/p>

Inside Climate News<\/a> Challenge to Maryland Offshore Wind Project Stokes Concerns Among Legal Scholars<\/p>

New York Times<\/a> It Isn\u2019t Just the U.S. The Whole World Has Soured on Climate Politics.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DOE.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809793-1758036802", "title":"Transportation Department orders end to Delta-Aeromexico joint venture", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F3809793%2Ftransportation-department-orders-end-delta-aeromexico-venture%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Transportation Department has ordered Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico to dissolve their joint venture by the end of the year. The joint venture was originally established in December 2016, when then-President Barack Obama’s Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx approved antitrust immunity for the two airlines. It allowed the companies to coordinate their pricing and sales, […]", "description":""

The Transportation Department<\/a> has ordered Delta Air Lines<\/a> and Aeromexico<\/a> to dissolve their joint venture by the end of the year.<\/p>

The joint venture was originally established in December 2016, when then-President Barack Obama's Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx approved antitrust immunity<\/a> for the two airlines. It allowed<\/a> the companies to coordinate their pricing and sales, network plans, and frequent flier programs.<\/p>

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said<\/a> Mexico has refused to follow the 2015 U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement, giving the two joint venture companies an upper hand on U.S. carriers. <\/p>

\"Empty promises mean nothing,\" Duffy said<\/a> in a press release.\u00a0\"After years of taking advantage of the U.S. and our carriers, we need to see definitive action by Mexico that levels the playing field and restores fairness. Under President Trump\u2019s leadership, we will continue to put America First and hold any country who thinks they can distort the rules accountable.\"<\/p>

Duffy foreshadowed this move in July, when he submitted a show-cause order<\/a> proposing to withdraw the antitrust immunity between the two companies.<\/p>

Transportation Department officials said<\/a> the two companies must dissolve their joint venture by Jan. 1, 2026, ending any practices that require antitrust immunity, such as \"common pricing, capacity management, and revenue sharing.\"<\/p>

A Delta spokesperson said the order will have no effect on scheduled flights and that company personnel are \"considering next steps.\"<\/p>

\"We are disappointed that the Department of Transportation has chosen to terminate its approval of the strategic and pro-competitive partnership between Delta and Aeromexico, a decision that will cause significant harm to U.S. jobs, communities and consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico,\" Delta said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>

DUFFY THREATENS TO REVOKE FEDERAL FUNDING FROM CHARLOTTE AFTER FATAL TRAIN STABBING<\/a><\/p>

An Aeromexico spokesperson also said in a statement that company personnel were disappointed with the decision, according to a CNBC<\/a> report.<\/p>

The decision lets the two companies continue to cooperate with their frequent flier program and marketing strategies, according to the Transportation Department release<\/a>. The order does not affect Delta's 20% equity stake in Aeromexico.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/DAL-Atlanta-scaled-e1758051181337.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810032-1758036600", "title":"House pushes for transparency about ‘threats to patient safety’ in organ transplant system", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fhealthcare%2F3810032%2Fhouse-push-transparency-organ-transplant-system-patient-safety%2F", "byline":"Gabrielle M. Etzel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"EXCLUSIVE – House Republicans and Democrats are pressing the Department of Health and Human Services to increase transparency on possible “systemic problems” and “threats to patient safety” in the national organ transplant system, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. Bipartisan leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Health Resources and […]", "description":""

EXCLUSIVE \u2013 House Republicans<\/a> and Democrats<\/a> are pressing the Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> to increase transparency on possible \u201csystemic problems\u201d and \u201cthreats to patient safety\u201d in the national organ transplant system, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Bipartisan leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee <\/a>wrote to Health Resources and Services Administrator Thomas Engels on Friday, probing whether the agency is able to conduct a wide-ranging review of patient safety after multiple reported incidents of organ donor patients being egregiously mistreated by organ procurement organizations.<\/p>

Chairman Brett Guthrie <\/a>(R-KY), along with ranking Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ), John Joyce (R-PA), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY), said in a joint statement on Tuesday that their investigation into the organ procurement system \u201chas demonstrated the need for further oversight\u201d and that problems may exist nationwide.<\/p>

\u201cThe American people should be able to have full faith and confidence in our organ donor and transplant system, and we will continue to work together to prevent these harmful practices from continuing,\u201d said the bipartisan representatives in their statement. <\/p>

The Energy and Commerce Committee began its longer-term investigation testimony last fall about a Kentucky patient, Anthony Thomas Hoover II<\/a>, whose family agreed to proceed with organ donation following an overdose in 2021. <\/p>

Although Hoover\u2019s neurological condition improved, representatives from the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, the organ procurement organization serving Kentucky, moved forward with the organ retrieval process. Records indicate that Hoover woke up on the operating table before the retrieval surgery, and hospital staff intervened to stop the procedure. <\/p>

HRSA, which oversees the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and its contractor organ procurement organizations, conducted its own internal investigation into the Kentucky situation following the revelation of Hoover\u2019s case. <\/p>

The HRSA corrective action plan, issued in May, examined 351 organ procurement cases<\/a> in Kentucky between December 2024 and February 2025 that did not result in donation.<\/p>

About 30% of those cases, 103 patients, presented \u201cconcerning features,\u201d including 73 patients who showed neurological signs of life after being approved for organ donation surgery and 28 patients who may have survived entirely since there was no cardiac time of death recorded.<\/p>

Other \u201cconcerning features\u201d of the incidents in the HRSA report, according to Guthrie and his House colleagues, include \u201cissues related to patient and family interactions, medical assessments and healthcare team interactions, recognition of high neurological function, and recognition and documentation of drugs in patient records.\u201d<\/p>

Additionally, the head of the Organ Transplant Branch within HRSA, Dr. Raymond Lynch<\/a>, told the Energy and Commerce Committee during a hearing in July that his agency has \u201creceived concerns\u201d from other areas of the country. <\/p>

\u201cHRSA\u2019s testimony and other public reports suggest that these patterns are not limited to instances detailed in HRSA\u2019s report and may exist in other parts of the country,\u201d Guthrie and his colleagues wrote.<\/p>

The bipartisan representatives in their letter cited a New York Times piece<\/a> published in August about Misty Hawkins, 42, from Alabama, who was taken off life support in the spring of 2024 and prepped for organ donation. Doctors discovered while she was on the operating table that her heart was still beating and she was breathing during her organ retrieval surgery.<\/p>

Last week, another story came to light<\/a> of a 22-year-old patient from Kentucky who, in 2019, was taken to surgery to have his organs removed for donation despite still having a heartbeat and not being declared brain dead. <\/p>

Larry Black Jr., who arrived at the hospital a week prior due to a gunshot wound to the head, was rescued from surgery just in time by another physician. Now at 28, he is a father to three children.<\/p>

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> directed HRSA in July to conduct a deeper investigation<\/a> into the Kentucky organ procurement case, saying that \u201cthe entire system must be fixed  to ensure that every potential donor\u2019s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.\u201d<\/p>

But the agency has not yet announced plans for a nationwide review of organ transplant systems.<\/p>

Guthrie and his House colleagues requested that HRSA provide more information on the current status of all patient safety complaints that the agency has received and whether or not HRSA has the capacity \u201cto initiate other wide-ranging reviews appropriate, in response to a patient safety complaint that may suggest a systemic problem.\u201d<\/p>

RFK JR. AND DR. OZ READY TO SPEND $50 BILLION ON RURAL HEALTH<\/a><\/p>

The committee requested a staff-level briefing no later than September 26.<\/p>

\u201cAmericans\u2019 confidence in the system comes when patient safety is protected,\u201d said the bipartisan House coalition.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP23038007388655.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3810026-1758036414", "title":"Cuomo downplays Hochul move to endorse rival Mamdani’s campaign: ‘The Democratic Party is not meeting the moment’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2F3810026%2Fcuomo-hochul-endorse-mamdani-democratic-party%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday dismissed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D-NY) recent endorsement of his rival in New York City’s mayoral race.  “Everybody makes a political decision on a political endorsement and what works for their politics, and that’s obviously her decision,” he said of Hochul’s decision over the weekend to defy establishment Democrats by […]", "description":""

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo<\/a> on Tuesday dismissed Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s (D-NY) recent endorsement of his rival in New York City<\/a>\u2019s mayoral race. <\/p>

\u201cEverybody makes a political decision on a political endorsement and what works for their politics, and that\u2019s obviously her decision,\u201d he said of Hochul\u2019s decision over the weekend to defy establishment Democrats by backing Democratic socialist Zorhan Mamdani for mayor. <\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t think endorsements mean that much in campaigns anymore in general,\u201d Cuomo added during an interview with the New York Times. <\/p>

Cuomo\u2019s comments came after Hochul endorsed Mamdani as the first socialist mayor of the country\u2019s largest city on Sunday.\u00a0The governor\u2019s statement ended months of speculation over whether she would heed progressive pressure to back Mamdani or listen to more centrist New York Democratic lawmakers, who favored Cuomo or New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also running as an independent for reelection. It also signaled a deepening divide in the Democratic Party over whether to cede messaging, strategy, and policy to the progressive factions or more centrist figures.\u00a0<\/p>

Cuomo, who spent decades climbing the ranks in the Democratic Party before launching an independent candidacy for mayor in July, suggested this week that the party has largely lost relevancy. In the wake of the 2024 election, which saw deep Democratic losses to the GOP, Cuomo appeared to be at a loss for words when questioned on even one figure in the party he looks up to. <\/p>

\u201cAdmire? None comes to mind,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Democratic Party is not meeting the moment\u2026 I think the Democratic Party has created the moment.\u201d<\/p>

Cuomo entered a third-party bid for mayor before the 2025 general election after suffering a bruising loss to Mamdani in the city\u2019s Democratic primary earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>

Mamdani is leading both Cuomo and Adams, as well as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, by a wide margin in polling. <\/p>

The democratic socialist candidate has gained attention for his appeal to younger, more affluent progressive voters, which was partly generated by a massive grassroots campaign and his social media prowess.\u00a0<\/p>

WORKING-CLASS SUPPORT ELUDES MAMDANI AS TRUMP FINDS A BOGEYMAN<\/a><\/p>

Mamdani\u2019s commitment to socialist policies, including advocating for government-run grocery stores, free bus fares, and expanding rent-controlled housing, has brought him criticism from moderates in the Democratic Party, as well as Republicans, who have painted the mayoral candidate as the new \"bogeyman\" of the Left.<\/p>

Underlying themes of cultural marxism that undergird many of his beliefs, including deep skepticism of Zionist Jews,  police, and the wealthy, have also made him the target of critics who argue his values undermine the country\u2019s commitment to capitalism and other individualistic ideals.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25254006601515_fdd0f4.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809455-1758035985", "title":"Democrats call Marjorie Taylor Greene out for DOGE hearing on weather modification", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Fenergy-and-environment%2F3809455%2Fdemocrats-marjorie-taylor-greene-doge-hearing-weather-modification%2F", "byline":"Maydeen Merino", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Democrats criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) decision to hold a subcommittee hearing on weather modification technology, which she has controversially linked to extreme weather events. Greene, chairwoman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, held a hearing on weather modifications, particularly cloud seeding and geoengineering. She has consistently voiced theories […]", "description":""

House<\/a> Democrats criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's<\/a> (R-GA) decision to hold a subcommittee hearing on weather modification technology<\/a>, which she has controversially linked to extreme weather events.<\/p>

Greene, chairwoman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, held a hearing on weather modifications, particularly cloud seeding and geoengineering. She has consistently voiced theories that these methods are linked to extreme weather events.\u00a0<\/p>

Democrats on the committee questioned Greene\u2019s decision to hold a hearing regarding weather control technology in the Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee.\u00a0<\/p>

Ranking member of the subcommittee Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) said, \u201cWe want to acknowledge that the purpose of this subcommittee, and why it was created in the first place by the majority, was to root out waste, fraud, and abuse,\u201d adding that the committee remains focused as it works on a report regarding waste and fraud within the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI'm troubled to see that this subcommittee, which is designed to address government spending, to streamline efficiency of government programs, has strayed so far from its mission,\u201d Stansbury said.<\/p>

She listed several issues the committee could tackle instead of weather modification, including Medicaid changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Jerffery Epstein cases, tariffs, and the dismantling of climate-related agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.\u00a0<\/p>

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) also criticized Greene for focusing on weather-controlling technology instead of addressing government oversight. She said the Republicans would rather distract constituents from the Epstein case or Medicaid cuts with a hearing on \"conspiracy theories\" related to \"chemtrails.\"\u00a0<\/p>

Theories surrounding the link between weather control technology and extreme weather events have heightened among Republicans following several recent extreme weather events.\u00a0<\/p>

After a severe flash flood struck central Texas in July, some Republicans, like Greene<\/a>, claimed the flood was the result of weather modification<\/a>.<\/p>

Greene has consistently upheld these theories. For instance, in October, she argued that the government could control the weather during Hurricane<\/a> Helene.<\/p>

\"Remember, if you even question that someone could control the weather, you were labeled a conspiracy theorist or crazy,\" Greene said in Tuesday's hearing.\u00a0\"These climate activists have come so far that they are actively trying to inject chemicals into the air to block the rays of the sun from hitting the Earth, and they want to take away our God given rights ... over the Earth in order to satisfy their godless climate cult beliefs,\" she added.<\/p>

Shortly following the flood in Texas, the EPA launched new agency websites to address the public's questions about weather modifications, particularly geoengineering and contrails, in response to many claims that weather modifications were connected to the severe flooding.\u00a0<\/p>

There is no scientific evidence that links extreme weather events, such as floods or hurricanes, to weather modification. Still, Republicans homed in on cloud seeding as a key area of concern during the hearing.\u00a0<\/p>

Cloud seeding is a technology that has been used for decades on a localized scale. Specifically, it modifies the weather by introducing tiny particles, typically silver iodide crystals, into clouds to increase rainfall.<\/p>

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a December report<\/a> that the method could increase precipitation from zero percent to 20%. As of July 2024, at least nine states \u2014 most in the West \u2014 are using cloud seeding: California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. They use this method to mitigate the effects of extreme drought resulting from climate change.<\/p>

Greene said there is \"absolutely no way to measure the effectiveness of cloud seeding.\" She added that there is \"little regulation and rules\" over weather modifications, which she called \"extremely concerning.\"<\/p>

Stansbury said, \"As a technology, the idea of cloud seeding is just based on the physics of clouds, which is that in order to have rain or precipitation, a water droplet has to be heavy enough to condense and fall out of a cloud.\u2026 Today, there is still a lot of research to be done about its efficacy.\"<\/p>

Stansbury shifted focus to the broader issue of climate change, emphasizing the overwhelming scientific consensus following many Republicans' questioning of the alarmism surrounding the topic: \"Every single witness here has identified that there's no dispute in the scientific community that the global carbon emissions have gone up.\u2026 This isn't a theory.\"<\/p>

The hearing is taking place as the Trump administration has initiated efforts to defund climate initiatives and lay off scientists. Crockett also emphasized the administration's actions to shrink the EPA's budget and other climate-related agencies and policies.<\/p>

EPA MOVE TO END REPORTING RULES FOR MAJOR POLLUTERS RAISES OVERSIGHT CONCERNS<\/a><\/p>

\"Unfortunately, it seems like this administration's decision has been to defund any and everyone that actually could work on saving us, because we don't know what will happen if this planet ... heats up to a ridiculous amount,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI can tell you that other countries acknowledge that climate change is real and that we have real work to do, and it is within the science realm instead of the conspiracy realm,\" Crockett added.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25198717912576.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809572-1758035808", "title":"Only one-third of Palestinians have left Gaza City following evacuation order: Israeli military", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3809572%2Fone-third-palestinians-left-gaza-city-israeli-evacuation-order%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Israeli military officials said only one-third of the estimated 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City have left the area following an evacuation order. Israel launched its long-awaited ground offensive into Gaza’s capital on Tuesday, after issuing an evacuation order for the area weeks ago. Nearly two years into the trudging war, however, Palestinians have grown […]", "description":""

Israeli<\/a> military officials said only one-third of the estimated 1 million Palestinians<\/a> in Gaza<\/a> City have left the area following an evacuation order.<\/p>

Israel launched its long-awaited ground offensive into Gaza's capital on Tuesday, after issuing an evacuation order for the area weeks ago. Nearly two years into the trudging war, however, Palestinians have grown fatigued and distrustful of evacuation orders. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said Tuesday that only 350,000 Palestinians had left Gaza City since the evacuation order. This means that nearly 650,000 remain in the embattled enclave, far more than the expected 200,000, as ground forces move in alongside an increasingly intense bombardment.<\/p>

Gaza\u2019s Government Media Office gave an even larger figure: over 1 million, with just 190,000 out of 1.3 million people in Gaza City and northern towns fleeing south since the evacuation order.<\/p>

A spokesperson with the office said the designated safe areas were inadequate, as they \u201ccompletely lack the basic necessities of life, with no hospitals, no infrastructure, and no essential services such as water, food, shelter, electricity or education, making living there almost impossible.\u201d<\/p>

Sources in Gaza's hospitals told Al Jazeera that 79 people were killed in Gaza City in the opening hours of the ground invasion.<\/p>

Rescuer Bashir Hajjaj told the outlet that the Israeli offensive consisted of a combined arms push using artillery, helicopters, missiles, drones, and F-16 fighter jets.<\/p>

\u201cThere was heavy bombardment here, and it was difficult to reach people,\u201d he said. \u201cWe took out many, many martyrs and wounded people.\"<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re digging,\" Hajjaj added. \"We\u2019re breaking the concrete with our hands because there are no tools.\"<\/p>

Israel has blamed civilian casualties on claims that Hamas is forcing Palestinian civilians to stay in the city as human shields. The group has indeed urged Gaza City residents to disobey Israel's evacuation orders.<\/p>

\u201cGaza City is the central hub of Hamas\u2019s military and governing power \u2014 their main stronghold,\u201d Defrin said. \"Hamas has turned Gaza City into the largest human shield in history.\"<\/p>

Despite their earlier defiance, the entrance of ground troops into Gaza triggered another wave of Palestinian refugees fleeing south. Pictures showed hundreds of civilians with all of their belongings gathered on cars, trucks, motorcycles, donkey carts, and other impromptu modes of transportation traveling down a road south in a massive, crowded column.<\/p>

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel was \"making efforts at the moment to open additional routes to facilitate a quicker evacuation of the Gaza population and to separate them from those terrorists we want to attack.\u201d<\/p>

Israeli officials said they were in control of 40% of Gaza City within hours of the invasion. Much of this area has been completely devastated, with satellite images showing that the Zeitoun neighborhood, specifically, had been almost completely razed to the ground. Palestinians remaining in the combat zone will have to navigate a treacherous path through Israeli forces as they seek to root out remaining Hamas guerrillas.<\/p>

The offensive came the same day as one of the biggest blows to Israel's image in its modern history. An independent commission gathered by the United Nations accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza after an extensive legal analysis.<\/p>

\u201cThe Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,\u201d said Chairwoman Navi Pillay, who previously prosecuted perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. \u201cIt is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.\u201d<\/p>

The team alleged that Israel had met four of the five criteria established in the convention to assess whether genocide occurred: killing members of a group, causing them serious mental or bodily harm, imposing measures meant to prevent births in the group, and deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the \"physical destruction\" of the group. The committee only assessed that Israel had not met the criterion of implementing a forcible transfer of the Palestinian population.<\/p>

Only one of these criteria needs to be met to rule that an entity is committing genocide. Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Isaac Herzog were specifically held to have displayed genocidal intent.<\/p>

\u201cThe Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,\u201d the report concludes.<\/p>

Israeli officials have often pointed out that the Palestinian population has increased during the supposed genocide and the historically low civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio in pushing back against such allegations. In addition, the country's officials point to Hamas using Gazans as human shields by preventing them from leaving despite evacuation warnings and stealing aid and selling it on the black market to fund its terrorist operations.<\/p>

The Jewish state vehemently rejected the charge in the report, accusing its authors of being antisemitic.<\/p>

\"The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others,\" a statement<\/a> from the Israeli Foreign Ministry reads. \"These fabrications have already been thoroughly debunked, including in an independent, in-depth academic study by BESA, which refuted every single false claim regarding genocide. Needless to say, the three authors made no attempt to address the clear findings of the BESA study.\"<\/p>

Israel\u2019s permanent representative to the U.N., Daniel Meron, derided the inquiry's report as \u201cscandalous,\u201d \u201cfake,\u201d and a \u201clibellous rant.\u201d<\/p>

The accusation of genocide does not carry immediate penalties but could drive diplomatic action from other states. This is likely to be countered by the United States, which previously sanctioned<\/a> figures in the International Criminal Court who investigated Israeli officials for war crimes.<\/p>

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, which Hamas oversees, 64,522 Palestinians have been killed in the war and another 163,096 wounded. Israel has denied and criticized these numbers, maintaining that most of those killed have been Hamas fighters or their allies. Roughly 460 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza during combat operations, while another 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas\u2019s opening on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>

ISRAEL BEGINS GAZA CITY GROUND OPERATION<\/a><\/p>

A joint investigation<\/a> last month from the left-wing Israeli +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian revealed that the most respected Israeli intelligence believes it has only killed 8,900 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants, out of a named list of 34,973 Hamas fighters and 12,702 PIJ fighters. This suggests that nearly 83% of those killed in the war in Gaza have been civilians, but an Israeli military spokesperson disputed the data, as have both Israeli and American estimates.<\/p>

\u201cThe figures presented in the article are incorrect and do not reflect the data\" available in the Israeli military's systems, the spokesperson said. \"Throughout the war, continuous intelligence assessments are conducted regarding the number of terrorists eliminated in the Gaza Strip, based on [bomb damage assessment] methodologies and cross-checking efforts from various sources \u2026 [including] documents originating from terrorist organizations in the Strip.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259511349138-e1758050199924.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3807740-1758035333", "title":"Trump delays TikTok ban till December after announcing deal with China", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3807740%2Ftrump-confirms-tiktok-deal-china%2F", "byline":"Mabinty Quarshie and Naomi Lim", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday delaying the ban of TikTok in the United States just hours after he announced he reached a deal with China to allow the social media platform to continue operating. The executive order extends the TikTok ban from previous executive actions until Dec. 16, 2025. The executive order […]", "description":""

President Donald Trump<\/a> signed an executive order on Tuesday delaying the ban of TikTok<\/a> in the United States just hours after he announced he reached a deal with China<\/a> to allow the social media platform to continue operating.<\/p>

The executive order<\/a> extends the TikTok ban from previous executive actions until Dec. 16, 2025.\u00a0The executive order could be eclipsed if the platform is sold to a U.S. buyer, bringing it into compliance with federal law.<\/p>

\"We have a deal on TikTok. I've reached a deal with China. I'm going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up,\" Trump told reporters at the White House. \"We made a very good, great deal, and I hope good for both countries. But a very different deal than they've made in the past.\"<\/p>

Congress passed a law in 2024, while former President Joe Biden was still in office, requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese-based owner, ByteDance. However, Trump has repeatedly delayed the required shutdown of the app if a deal is not reached, citing its popularity with young Americans.<\/p>

Trump did not give specific details about the deal on Tuesday before leaving for the United Kingdom, though reports have suggested ByteDance would own less than 20% of the app. The Chinese government would also be unable to access user data, according to<\/a> Politico.<\/p>

\"We have a group of very big companies that want to buy it,\" Trump said about the deal. \"And you know, the kids wanted it so badly, I had parents calling me up. They don't want it for themselves. They want it for their kids. They say, if I don't get it done, they're in big trouble with their kids. And I think it's great.\"<\/p>

\"I hate to see value like that thrown out the window,\" he added.<\/p>

Trump's comments come one day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a \"framework\" of the deal was established.<\/p>

Vice President JD Vance, along with Trump, Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, held a call on Sunday to discuss Bessent and Greer's meeting with Chinese officials about the TikTok deal framework, a White House official told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>

Representatives from the U.S. and China are currently holding a summit in Madrid, where trade and technology were among the most important issues discussed. Vance, along with his counsel, was among the top officials who helped develop a strategy to\u00a0reach a TikTok deal framework in the run-up to the summit.<\/p>

TRUMP IS MORALLY AND LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO SHUT DOWN TIKTOK<\/a><\/p>

\u201cPresident Trump and Vice President Vance provided the leadership and foresight necessary to produce a framework deal that fulfills another campaign promise and saves TikTok,\" said a spokesperson with the vice president's office. \"Hundreds of millions of Americans will now be able to continue safely enjoying the highly popular app thanks to the president\u2019s decisive leadership.\u201d<\/p>

The TikTok ban was set to go into effect this week, although Trump's latest announcement delayed the platform from going dark.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259481863957.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809959-1758034909", "title":"Media ‘dropped the ball’ on Charlie Kirk assassination coverage: Joe Concha", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809959%2Fmedia-dropped-ball-charlie-kirk-assassination-coverage-joe-concha%2F", "byline":"Sydney Topf", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Washington Examiner Senior Writer Joe Concha criticized the people who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death and said the media “dropped the ball” on its coverage of the conservative activist’s assassination.   Concha slammed the media’s coverage of Kirk’s assassination, specifically CBS and MSNBC. “The media has, on this, dropped the ball completely,” Concha said on Monday during […]", "description":""

Washington Examiner Senior Writer Joe Concha criticized the people who celebrated Charlie Kirk\u2019s death and said the media \u201cdropped the ball\u201d on its coverage of the conservative activist\u2019s assassination<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Concha slammed the media\u2019s coverage of Kirk\u2019s assassination, specifically CBS and MSNBC.<\/p>

\u201cThe media has, on this, dropped the ball completely,\u201d Concha said on Monday during Fox News\u2019s Jesse Watters Primetime. \u201cThey were great after 9\/11 (and) we\u2019re a long way from 9\/11 and unity because of social media and gaming, because this shooter thought he was looking at an avatar and not a human being and a father.\u201d <\/p>

Concha criticized the comments MSNBC anchor Katy Tur<\/a> made during her broadcast in the moments after news broke that Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Concha said Tur raised questions during her broadcast whether the Trump administration and Republican politicians were going to \u201cexploit Charlie\u201d for \u201cpolitical gain.\u201d<\/p>

During the coverage, Tur asked then-MSNBC commentator<\/a> Matthew Dowd \u201cabout the \u201cenvironment in which a shooting like this happens.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe don\u2019t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration. So we have no idea about this,\u201d Dowd said in response. <\/p>

The network fired Dowd <\/a>and apologized, calling his comments \"unacceptable.\"\u00a0<\/p>

Concha also slammed the people who have been celebrating Kirk\u2019s death online. <\/p>

\u201cAll these people who are doctors, lawyers, professors going online and celebrating the death of a man who was the father of a 3-year-old girl, a young 1-year-old boy, a loving husband to a beautiful, courageous, fearless wife in Erika, and the only son of a mother and father,\u201d Concha said. \u201cIf I saw that kind of celebration, Jesse, they would be gone out of my company in a millisecond.\u201d <\/p>

JOSH SHAPIRO CALLS ON WHITE HOUSE TO NOT \u2018CHERRY PICK\u2019 POLITICAL VIOLENCE TO CONDEMN<\/a><\/p>

He said he\u2019s \u201cterrified\u201d and \u201cmortified\u201d by \u201cthese freaks\u201d on BlueSky and in legacy media. <\/p>

Concha praised the debates that Kirk organized on college campuses across the country. He said all Kirk wanted to do was have \u201copen conversations,\u201d debate, and \u201cembrace\u201d the first amendment. <\/p>

\u201cCharlie Kirk did something no one on the left would ever do. Brace balls going onto college campuses and debating people who disagree with him. Find me one person on the left that does that and you win valuable prizes,\u201d Concha said. <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258072035165.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809866-1758034392", "title":"Kathy Hochul gives up on fighting against antisemitism", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3809866%2Fkathy-hochul-gives-up-on-fighting-against-antisemitism%2F", "byline":"Zachary Faria", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"With her endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is showing that she has given up on combating antisemitism. Hochul on Sunday announced that she was backing Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race. It is an interesting move for Hochul, who has tried to position herself as a Democratic fighter against antisemitism and […]", "description":""

With her endorsement of Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, New York<\/a> Gov. Kathy<\/a> Hochul<\/a> is showing that she has given up on combating antisemitism<\/a>.<\/p>

Hochul on Sunday\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that she was backing Mamdani in the New York City<\/a> mayoral race. It is an interesting move for Hochul, who has tried to position herself as a Democratic<\/a> fighter against antisemitism and claims that she discussed with Mamdani \u201cthe need to combat the rise of antisemitism urgently and unequivocally.\u201d She has deemed it sufficient that she has seen Mamdani \u201cmeet with Jewish leaders across the city, listening and addressing their concerns directly.\u201d<\/p>

A MAYOR MAMDANI WILL FURTHER RADICALIZE THE LEFT<\/a><\/p>

Hochul has spent the last several years trying to boost her credibility on opposing antisemitism. She\u00a0reprimanded<\/a>\u00a0antisemitic student activists and said that she would condemn \u201cthe fear\u201d caused by rampant antisemitism \u201cevery chance I get.\u201d She put Title VI coordinators on every college campus to\u00a0ensure<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cNew York is combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination head-on.\u201d She even\u00a0ordered<\/a>\u00a0the City University of New York to remove a \u201cPalestinian<\/a> studies\u201d professor position to force the university to, according to her office, \u201cconduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>

Now, Hochul is signaling that all of that was insincere, unserious, or politically expendable. Mamdani is exactly the kind of antisemite that Hochul\u2019s condemnations are meant for, a product of elitist left-wing activism and the antisemitism that accompanies it. Mamdani has defended<\/a> the use of the phrase \u201cglobalize the Intifada,\u201d which is a call to violence by pro-Palestine activists, referring to the First and Second Intifadas that killed over a combined 1,200 Israelis.<\/p>

IT'S TIME TO END THE 'GAZA GENOCIDE' CANARD<\/a><\/p>

Mamdani also wants New York City to no longer use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u2019s definition<\/a> of antisemitism. Instead, he wants to adopt the Biden administration model of the \u201cNational Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.\u201d If you don\u2019t recall, Biden included<\/a> the antisemites at the Council on American-Islamic Relations in his plan to help develop \u201cstrong relationships with other faith communities\u201d as CAIR leaders celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israeli civilians.<\/p>

Hochul is doing this to try to capitalize on the enthusiastic support of Mamdani\u2019s left-wing base, after she limped through the 2022 election and is preparing her 2026 reelection campaign. In doing so, she is showing that antisemitism is less serious to her than the possibility that she could lose an election. To Hochul, antisemitism is just another part of the political game, which is why she is so willing to ignore it when it comes to Mamdani\u2019s left-wing campaign.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-collage-8qkjtbpl6-1758031549741-e1758032967503.jpg?1758017369&w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809990-1758034078", "title":"Charlie Kirk shooting suspect faces seven charges, prosecutors seek death penalty", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3809990%2Fcharlie-kirk-shooting-tyler-robinson-seven-charges-death-penalty%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Utah County prosecutors filed seven felony charges on Tuesday against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a Utah Valley University campus event last week, and said they would seek the death penalty. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday, describing the shooting as […]", "description":""

Utah County<\/a> prosecutors filed seven felony charges on Tuesday against Tyler Robinson<\/a>, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a> during a Utah Valley University campus event last week, and said they would seek the death penalty. <\/p>

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray<\/a> announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday, describing the shooting as a politically motivated act of violence carried out in front of children and hundreds of spectators. Prosecutors also revealed Robinson's political ideology had shifted to the left prior to the attack, and they described further evidence that Robinson targeted Kirk for his political views.<\/p>

\u201cCharlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights \u2014 the free exchange of ideas,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThe defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing children were present and would witness the homicide.\u201d<\/p>

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. The aggravated murder charge is a capital offense.<\/p>

Three of the charges \u2014 aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child \u2014 carry victim targeting enhancements under Utah law for selecting a victim based on political expression, according to a charging sheet<\/a> released during Gray's conference. If proven, the enhancements could lead to harsher sentencing.<\/p>

Gray said his office filed a\u00a0notice of intent to seek the death penalty, adding he decided to do so independently and based solely on the evidence and nature of the crime. As a result, Robinson will remain in custody without bail. Utah is one of 27 states that permits the death penalty.<\/p>

Utah does not use a grand jury system like the federal courts do, Gray also explained. Instead, prosecutors follow a preliminary hearing process. Robinson will appear at 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday before a judge in the Utah Fourth District Court to be informed of the charges. A preliminary hearing will follow to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. If a judge finds probable cause, Robinson will enter a plea at arraignment.<\/p>

The shooting occurred just after noon on Sept. 10 as Kirk was speaking at an outdoor Turning Point USA event. Prosecutors allege Robinson fired a high-powered bolt-action .30-06 rifle from a rooftop more than 150 yards away, striking Kirk in the neck while he was answering a question about transgender mass shooters.<\/p>

Children were visible near the stage at the time of the attack, and the bullet\u2019s trajectory narrowly missed others in Kirk\u2019s immediate vicinity, according to the county\u2019s 10-page charging document. The charging sheet notes Kirk was roughly 15 minutes into his event when he was answering a question about mass shootings by transgender individuals, \"when a gunshot rang out.\"<\/p>

Kirk, struck by a bullet in the neck, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. The medical examiner's report is still pending.<\/p>

Surveillance footage appears to show Robinson arriving on campus at approximately 11:51 a.m., wearing a black shirt with an American flag on it, a dark baseball cap, and sunglasses, while walking with a stiff gait consistent with a concealed rifle in his pants.<\/p>

Footage then appears to show him climbing a railing to access the roof and crawling into a sniper position. After allegedly firing the shot, he is seen running across the roof carrying an object consistent with a rifle.<\/p>

Police later recovered the rifle and said Robinson\u2019s DNA was found on the trigger. He allegedly discarded his clothing and told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and stay silent if questioned by law enforcement.<\/p>

The rifle, recovered wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the university, contained one spent round and three unspent rounds \u2014 each with hand-etched messages. <\/p>

The fired round was marked \u201cnotices bulge owo what\u2019s this,\u201d while the remaining cartridges read \u201chey fascist catch,\u201d \u201cbella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao,\u201d<\/a> and \u201cif you read this you are gay lmao.\u201d Robinson\u2019s DNA was found on the trigger, cartridges, and towel.<\/p>

Robinson surrendered to police on Sept. 11 following a 33-hour manhunt, after his parents recognized him from surveillance footage broadcast in the media and persuaded him to turn himself in. Gray said the suspect\u2019s mother had initially called her son to ask where he was, and he claimed to be home sick on the day of the shooting.<\/p>

Robinson\u2019s father told investigators that the surveillance image resembled his son and that the rifle shown by police appeared to match one gifted to Robinson by his grandfather. Robinson declined to send a photo of the weapon when his father asked for one, Gray said. In a phone call with his father, Robinson allegedly hinted at suicidal intent and said he \u201ccouldn\u2019t go to jail.\u201d He later admitted to the shooting and said that \u201cthere\u2019s too much evil, and the guy spreads too much hate,\u201d referring to Kirk.<\/p>

A retired sheriff\u2019s deputy and family friend helped facilitate Robinson\u2019s peaceful surrender. Robinson told the friend he had already disposed of his clothes across multiple areas.<\/p>

Robinson\u2019s mother also reported that her son had become increasingly political in the past year, moving left and becoming more pro-gay and pro-transgender rights. Robinson had entered a romantic relationship with a transgender roommate<\/a>, leading to political friction within the family \u2014 particularly with his father.<\/p>

The roommate later provided law enforcement with a series of disturbing text messages and a handwritten note the roommate found under a keyboard at Robinson\u2019s request. The note read: \u201cI had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I\u2019m going to take it.\u201d <\/p>

In a subsequent text exchange, Robinson confirmed he was the shooter, said he had planned the attack for over a week, and expressed regret that he couldn\u2019t keep it secret until dying of old age, Gray said.<\/p>

Robinson also wrote: \u201cI had enough of [Kirk's] hatred. Some hate can\u2019t be negotiated out.\u201d <\/p>

Robinson warned the roommate not to talk to the police or the media and admitted trying to recover the rifle, but feared it was being watched by the police. He appeared to downplay the etchings on the bullet casings, describing them as \"mostly a big meme,\" despite the fact that several messages referenced antifascist rhetoric commonly associated with left-wing militancy and ideology.<\/p>

\u201cDelete this exchange,\u201d Robinson wrote to his roommate, according to texts released by prosecutors. \u201cMy dad wants photos of the rifle\u2026 since Trump got into office, my dad has been pretty die-hard MAGA.\u201d<\/p>

Police later executed a search warrant at Robinson\u2019s home and discovered a spent shell casing with similar etchings and several target boards with bullet holes.<\/p>

Gray acknowledged the widespread interest in the case but emphasized that it must be tried \u201cin a court of law, consistent with our Constitution, not the court of public opinion.\u201d He said press briefings would be limited to protect the integrity of the legal process.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

He added that federal charges could be filed by the Justice Department, but said he was not privy to those discussions. Whether Robinson\u2019s text or digital confessions are admissible will ultimately be decided by a judge.<\/p>

Read the full charging sheet for Robinson below:<\/p>

Tyler Robinson charging sheet <\/a> by reportoftheday <\/a> <\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25255528607386.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809574-1758032430", "title":"Londoners cheekily react to Trump’s red carpet welcome: ‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3809574%2Flondoners-trump-red-carpet-welcome-uk%2F", "byline":"Christian Datoc", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"LONDON — Many Londoners view the British government’s rolling out the red carpet for President Donald Trump as a necessity. Trump’s last state visit to the United Kingdom came during the tail end of his first term, when most European leaders allowed their apparent disdain for the president to bleed into diplomacy. But in Trump’s second term, his European […]", "description":""

LONDON \u2014 Many Londoners view the British government's\u00a0rolling out the red carpet<\/a>\u00a0for President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0as a necessity.<\/p>

Trump\u2019s last state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a> came during the tail end of his first term, when most European<\/a> leaders allowed their apparent disdain for the president to bleed into diplomacy.<\/p>

But in Trump\u2019s second term, his European counterparts, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in particular, have bent over backward to appease Trump \u2014 a bet that flattery can help them navigate Trump\u2019s policy minefield.<\/p>

\u201cI think [Starmer is] cozying up just about as much as he can to try to get a good deal for the British people, on trade and other things. The \u2018special relationship,\u2019 he\u2019s keeping it special,\u201d Victor Obinna, a rideshare and private car service driver in London, told the Washington Examiner of Starmer\u2019s handling of Trump, before adding that Trump\u2019s \u201cnaughty\u201d private life still raises eyebrows among Brits.<\/p>

In particular, Obinna pointed to \u201cthis whole Epstein business,\u201d noting that the United Kingdom recently fired its ambassador to the United States, Lord Peter Mandelson, after his and Trump\u2019s names both surfaced in a book that Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s associates put together for the late financier's 50th birthday.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure if they\u2019re that way inclined, if you know what I mean, but politicians like to bask in wealth and all that kind of stuff,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey love it, but you never know what may come to bite you 20 years later.\u201d<\/p>

While Trump will meet with Starmer multiple times on this trip, stretching from Tuesday to Thursday, the prime minister will receive a royal assist in keeping the U.K. in Trump's good graces.<\/p>

William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, will greet the president and first lady Melania Trump<\/a> upon their arrival in London and travel with the Trumps on Wednesday to Windsor Castle, the principal residence of the British monarchy for the past thousand years.<\/p>

There, Trump will be honored with a royal salute, simultaneously fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London, a joint U.S.-U.K. F-35 flyover, a private state lunch with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and a lavish state banquet in the evening.<\/p>

As if that wasn't enough, Trump is expected to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor and, on Wednesday, following meetings at Chequers with Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria, take a personal trip through the Sir Winston Churchill archives. <\/p>

Paul Hutchins, a barman working at a pub in West London, similarly voiced displeasure with Trump generally but did not fault government officials for working with the president.<\/p>

\u201cHe\u2019s a f***ing wanker, but he\u2019s back, so you\u2019ve got to do what you\u2019ve got to do, I guess,\u201d he said with a shrug.<\/p>

Hutchins did add that if Starmer, Charles, \u201cor anyone at all, really,\u201d can secure tariff exemptions for spirits, liquor, and other alcoholic beverages from Trump, then \u201call the boot licking would be worth it.\u201d<\/p>

Still, many others in the United Kingdom have fully embraced Trump\u2019s ascent back into power and are styling themselves in a similar fashion.<\/p>

On Saturday, British conservative activist Tommy Robinson organized a massive protest to both honor Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in Utah last week, and push back on Britain\u2019s immigration policies.<\/p>

\u201cYou should have been here Saturday,\u201d Godwin, a liveried doorman who works at a hotel just south of Buckingham Palace, told the\u00a0Washington Examiner. \u201cThese blokes just showed up out of thin air. Never seen anything like it, my son.\u201d<\/p>

Godwin declined to give his last name, saying that he feared for his job should his opinions \u201cmake it into the papers,\u201d but praised Trump for inspiring his countrymen to find the \u201ccourage to speak out.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m absolutely buzzed. This has been years in the making,\u201d he added, noting that Trump and his aides have taken up British conservatives\u2019 concerns about apparent free speech violations in recent weeks and months. \u201cWe\u2019ll make Britain great again.\u201d<\/p>

A British citizen with Ukrainian heritage, who similarly asked to be identified only as Andrei, spoke to the Washington Examiner on Sunday night at Hutchins\u2019s pub. He had shown up to watch the NFL Week 2 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, as this season marks the first year that British television is nationally broadcasting most NFL games for free.<\/p>

He claimed to be pleasantly \u201csurprised\u201d by Trump\u2019s \u201cturn\u201d on the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Trump\u2019s predecessor, former President Joe Biden, was \u201casleep at the wheel,\u201d which allowed for Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch his invasion in 2022.<\/p>

\u201cI thought it would be more of the same, just based on what [Trump] was saying last year,\u201d he stated, referencing Trump\u2019s frequent calls to curb American security assistance to Ukraine. \u201cBut he\u2019s surprised me. Standing up to Putin, forcing Europe to stop importing Russian oil. That shows some stones, and he\u2019s got some work cut out for him yet, but I think it\u2019s going to work.\u201d<\/p>

TRUMP TO SIGN NUCLEAR ENERGY DEAL WITH UK<\/a><\/p>

Even Obinna told the Washington Examiner that he thinks \u201csome of [Trump\u2019s] policies are good.<\/p>

\u201cIt's just the way he implements it,\" Obinna said. \"Too drastic, and that's what I think, generally, that's what is the problem with the English people liking him. They think certain things need to be well thought through. Need to take time. People need to adjust, that kind of thing. But I think he's the kind of person that says, \u2018This is what's going to happen during my term,\u2019 and he gets it done.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25259498154390.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809950-1758032137", "title":"WATCH LIVE: Utah prosecutors announce charges against Kirk suspect Tyler Robinson", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809950%2Fwatch-live-utah-prosecutors-announce-charges-against-kirk-suspect-tyler-robinson%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Utah state prosecutors are hosting a press conference on Tuesday to announce the charges against the suspected shooter in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson. FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT Federal investigators said on Monday they linked the suspect’s DNA to evidence from the […]", "description":""

Utah state prosecutors are hosting a press conference on Tuesday to announce the charges against the suspected shooter in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson.<\/p>

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE IN DISCORD GROUP TIED TO CHARLE KIRK MURDER SUSPECT<\/a><\/p>

Federal investigators said on Monday they linked the suspect's DNA to evidence<\/a> from the crime scene.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/robinson.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809841-1758031765", "title":"‘Straight line’ from woke culture to Kirk slaying: Democratic pollster", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwashington-secrets%2F3809841%2Fstraight-line-from-woke-culture-to-charlie-kirk-slaying-democratic-pollster%2F", "byline":"Paul Bedard", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"As the post-Charlie Kirk assassination debate intensifies over the Left’s claim that the Right is just as much to blame for political violence, there is new polling that shows voters believe Democrats and their woke cancel culture are more threatening to critics — and the existence of their own party. Independent voters, seen as the […]", "description":""

As the post-Charlie Kirk assassination<\/a> debate intensifies over the Left\u2019s claim that the Right is just as much to blame for political violence, there is new polling that shows voters believe Democrats and their woke cancel culture are more threatening to critics \u2014 and the existence of their own party.<\/p>

Independent voters, seen as the key to the direction of politics in the 2026 congressional midterm elections and beyond, believe the Democrats are \u201ctoo woke,\u201d too focused on \u201cattacking\u201d President Donald Trump,<\/a> and too elitist.<\/p>

\u201cI do think that the Left needs to do a lot more soul-searching, has to tone down its emphasis on the things that shut people out and shut people down. It is, in its most benign form, a poison within,\u201d said Democratic pollster John Zogby.<\/a><\/p>

Zogby and his pollster son, Jeremy Zogby, managing partner of John Zogby Strategies,<\/a> just wrapped up a deep dive into the views of independents and said what they found was very telling for both parties since Kirk\u2019s slaying at a Utah college, allegedly by a left-wing critic.<\/p>

Democrats & the liberal media have spent years claiming they are at war with literal fascists and Nazis for the future of democracy. Now they\u2019re trying to tell us this is an issue for \u201cboth sides.\u201dIt\u2019s not. These unhinged, dangerous lies have consequences. It has to stop. pic.twitter.com\/cM0tWWAN8o<\/a><\/p>— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) September 15, 2025<\/a>

Independents were asked what they saw as the weaknesses of the Republican Party and said it is too \u201coffensive.\u201d But they saw as strengths the GOP\u2019s America First focus, its promotion of businesses, and its anti-crime campaign, an agenda Kirk pushed in his campus appearances.<\/p>

Democrats won credit for backing working-class families and fighting for social justice. But the party's top two weaknesses were spending too much time attacking Trump and pushing woke policies.<\/p>

The polling duo said the results suggest a potential path out of the nation\u2019s political quagmire. Republicans could do more for the middle class, they said, and the Left could tone down its anger at Trump and his supporters.<\/p>

But in light of the comments some on the left have made about Kirk\u2019s killing, the Zogbys said it\u2019s liberals who have to make the biggest change, starting with ending efforts to silence those they disagree with.<\/p>

Senator Eric Schmitt OBLITERATES the \u201cboth sides bullshit\u201d coming from the left in under 2 minutes.The gaslighting about political violence ends right here. This clip says it all.\u2022 Congressional baseball practice shooting? Left wing\u2022 Burned down cities (Summer of Love)?\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/lBOxlzi10i<\/a><\/p>— Vigilant Fox \ud83e\udd8a (@VigilantFox) September 16, 2025<\/a>

\u201cWhile the Democrats get high marks for caring about the middle class and caring about social and racial justice, they're seen as too woke. And that has been a threat to freedom of speech. And, in fact, one can draw a straight line between the shouting down of people on our campuses, and then ultimately the shooting of someone that is disagreed with on a college campus. That's very troubling to me,\u201d said John Zogby.<\/p>

He was cautious not to blame specific politicians or the whole Democratic Party for political violence. \u201cToo broad a stroke to blame whole parties and ideologies for one act or a series of acts. Actors have serious personal issues that trigger their behavior,\u201d said Zogby, who co-grades Trump for the weekly Washington Secrets White House Report Card.<\/a><\/p>

Addressing the \u201cboth sides do it\u201d debate, Zogby said neither side is right. He said conservatives have a vision and message, but they are out of date.<\/p>

\u201cIn this specific case, Charlie Kirk was able to provide an antidote to campus wokism, an alternative to a pattern of suppressing free speech that disenfranchised lots of young people,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cKirk was popular and smart, but he addressed his audience by harkening back to an America pre-diversity.\u201d<\/p>

And the Democrats, he added, have stood firm on woke politics that offend the Right. \u201cOn the left, what may very well have begun as a call to more sensitivity on behalf of those disenfranchised because of race, gender, sexual preference, etc., morphed from a serious attempt to acknowledge living in a diverse world into a bludgeon, a runaway train, a pattern that had no focus beyond 'Gotcha.\u2019 Wokism has been eating its young and its supporters for years,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Their poll showed the lowest ever approval rating of the Democratic Party by independents, another factor pushing the Left to find a new vision.<\/p>

Jeremy Zogby said Republicans are in a better position with their focus on crime, heightened by the slaying of Kirk and violence in big cities.<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK AND CHARLOTTE SLAYINGS ENDING POLITICAL CORRECTNESS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI see Republicans with the ability to address crime and safety front and center going into these national elections, and the Democrats struggling with, 'Where do we want to take this country, and what does that look like, and how do we know we'll have achieved it?'\u201d he said.<\/p>

He added that practicing woke politics is not the answer: \u201cThe Democrats and the notion of what they do about woke is clearly not connecting with people and making voters' lives better. And so the Democratic Party has to ask themselves, 'What is the end?'\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Zogby-Kirk-Poll.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809900-1758031740", "title":"Utah Supreme Court upholds new congressional map be drawn this month", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809900%2Futah-supreme-court-upholds-new-congressional-map-drawn-this-month%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Utah Supreme Court on Monday denied the state legislature’s push to keep its congressional map in place for the 2026 midterm elections, upholding a lower court order that lawmakers must present a new map by Sept. 25. A district court ruled last month that the state’s current map was unconstitutionally drawn by the Republican-controlled […]", "description":""

The Utah<\/a> Supreme Court on Monday denied the state legislature's push to keep its congressional map in place for the 2026 midterm elections, upholding a lower court order that lawmakers must present a new map by Sept. 25.<\/p>

A district court ruled last month<\/a> that the state's current map was unconstitutionally drawn by the Republican-controlled state legislature and violated the redistricting reforms voters approved. The Utah Supreme Court's ruling upheld the lower court's ruling.<\/p>

\"Their complaints about the remedial process do not demonstrate that the court's denial of the stay order is legally wrong or that the court otherwise abused its discretion. Without that, they have not shown why they should receive the extraordinary relief they seek here,\" the order said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

In 2018, voters passed Proposition 4, or the Better Boundaries initiative, which mandated that congressional districts be drawn by an independent redistricting commission and could not favor one party.<\/p>

Legislators then repealed that in 2020 and adopted the current congressional map, which splits up Salt Lake County, a Democratic stronghold, into four congressional districts, effectively diluting Democratic votes<\/a>.<\/p>

The lower court reinstated Proposition 4 when it ordered the legislature to draw a fair map.<\/p>

REDISTRICTING WARS THREATEN TO MAKE CONGRESS MORE PARTISAN<\/a><\/p>

The court order requires the legislature to draft a new map by Sept. 25, give 10 days for public comment, and adopt the new map in a special session by Oct. 6.<\/p>

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, said a new map must be in place by Nov. 10 to prepare for the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP20072857079208.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3808202-1758031705", "title":"Democratic Party call for disarmament would leave Israel defenseless", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3808202%2Fdemocratic-party-call-disarmament-israel-defenseless%2F", "byline":"Pedro Rodriguez", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s negotiations with Qatari officials regarding the Israel–Hamas war, the Democrats repeatedly called on Rubio to achieve a ceasefire deal and disarm Israel. However, if adopted, this would only sabotage the country’s defense.  “The United States must implement an arms embargo [against Israel] immediately,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) said.  […]", "description":""

Ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a>'s negotiations with Qatari<\/a> officials regarding the Israel<\/a>-Hamas<\/a> war, the Democrats<\/a> repeatedly called on Rubio to achieve a ceasefire<\/a> deal and disarm Israel. However, if adopted, this would only sabotage the country's defense.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe United States<\/a> must implement an arms<\/a> embargo [against Israel] immediately,\u201d Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) said.\u00a0<\/p>

ISRAEL AND HAMAS PRESSED BY ALL COMERS TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT<\/a><\/p>

Rep. Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA) said<\/a> Israel\u2019s strikes in Qatar<\/a> last week were \u201ca mistake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Khanna believes Israel and the United States should be \u201cnegotiating a ceasefire\u201d instead.\u00a0<\/p>

But what Khanna and his colleagues fail to understand is that \u201cnegotiating a ceasefire\u201d with terrorists always results in the terrorists' favor.\u00a0<\/p>

In the words of President Ronald Reagan, we do not negotiate with terrorists. Reagan's reasoning for his words is simple: The terrorists aren\u2019t looking for a ceasefire.\u00a0<\/p>

In this case, he is right. Hamas terrorists are looking to force Israeli forces to back down due to a one-sided \u201cdiplomacy,\u201d so that they can continue to attack innocent women and children.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

If Khanna and his colleagues don\u2019t want to take Reagan\u2019s or my word for it, they can just look at the timeline.\u00a0<\/p>

Earlier this year, Qatar brokered a peace deal between Israel, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Hamas.<\/p>

That deal didn\u2019t hold. As stated by Witkoff, the U.S. and Israel were misled by the terrorist network.\u00a0<\/p>

Months later, Israel and U.S. diplomats achieved ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah, another Iranian-funded militia carrying out Tehran\u2019s mission of bringing destruction to Israel. It broke the ceasefire deal soon after it was reached.\u00a0<\/p>

In August, Israel and President Donald Trump attempted to make a deal with Hamas in which the hostages would be returned safely in one go.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cFrom here on, the only possible deal is a total surrender of Hamas, the unconditional return of all our hostages, the dismantling of its armed force, the demilitarization of Gaza, the exile of the head of Hamas, and to allow all those who want to leave Gaza to do so,\u201d Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich said.\u00a0<\/p>

Hamas refused to accept his deal. <\/p>

The Left\u2019s rhetoric has impeded Israel\u2019s ability to neutralize the threat and has aided Hamas.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe left-wing protests and the media campaign benefited Hamas and made it harden its stance, as did the leaders of Europe that blew wind into its sails and promised it that if it only holds out and waits a little longer, the reality in Gaza will remain unchanged,\u201d Smotrich said<\/a>.<\/p>

Negotiations with Hamas do not work. And if we chose to disarm Israel, it would make things even worse.\u00a0<\/p>

Disarming Israel will leave the nation defenseless in the face of terrorist extremism, which will not stop until the terrorists annihilate<\/a> Israel. Disarming Israel means we would be leaving an entire population defenseless.\u00a0<\/p>

CEASEFIRE REJECTION UNDERSCORES WHY HAMAS MUST GO<\/a><\/p>

It would mean more innocent women and children would be abducted from their homes in the name of liberation.\u00a0It would mean more hostages being tortured, raped, and murdered by jihadists.\u00a0<\/p>

Now more than ever, the U.S. and Israel should continue to go on the offensive and eliminate the threat posed to them by the terrorists.\u00a0<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Feat.Hamas2_.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809689-1758031592", "title":"Josh Shapiro calls on White House not to ‘cherry-pick’ political violence to condemn", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809689%2Fshapiro-trump-white-house-cherry-pick-political-violence-condemn%2F", "byline":"Lauren Green", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) condemned political violence on Tuesday and called for the White House not to “cherry-pick” instances on the left to condemn. Shapiro, who is Jewish, opened his remarks at the Eradicate Hate Summit in Pittsburgh by sharing his personal connection with political violence when his home, the Pennsylvania governor’s residence, was set on fire […]", "description":""

Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a> (D-PA) condemned political violence<\/a> on Tuesday and called for the White House not to \u201ccherry-pick\u201d instances on the left to condemn.<\/p>

Shapiro, who is Jewish, opened his remarks at the Eradicate Hate Summit in\u00a0Pittsburgh\u00a0by sharing his personal connection with political violence when his home, the Pennsylvania governor\u2019s residence, was set on fire earlier this year for his stance on Israel<\/a>. He later went on to list the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in Butler and the assassinations of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, former Speaker of the Minnesota<\/a> House Melissa Hortman and her husband, and conservative activist Charlie Kirk.\u00a0<\/p>

Shapiro, considered a 2028 Democratic Party presidential contender, emphasized that it does not matter where the violence comes from, but pushed the importance of condemning all instances, despite the attack on his home<\/a>, which was apparently fueled by anti-Israel stances pushed by the Left of his own party.<\/p>

\u201cThis type of violence has no place in our society, regardless of what motivates it or who pulls the trigger, who throws the molotov cocktail, or who wields the weapon,\u201d Shapiro said at the summit. \u201cIt doesn't matter if it's coming from one side or the other, directed at one party or another, one person or another, it is all wrong and it makes us all less safe.\u201d <\/p>

He went on to call out the White House for its handling of political violence before Kirk\u2019s assassination.  <\/p>

\u201cDuring moments like this, I believe we have a responsibility to be clear and unequivocal in calling out all forms of political violence and making clear it is all wrong; that shouldn't be hard to do. Unfortunately, some from the dark corners of the internet all the way to the Oval Office want to cherry-pick which instances of political violence they want to condemn.\"<\/p>

Trump directed flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Kirk last week, an action he did not take when Hortman was assassinated in her home earlier this year. When asked about it on Monday, the president said he was \u201cnot familiar\u201d with Hortman\u2019s assassination, going on to say, \u201cIf the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cAs the survivor of two assassination attempts \u2014 and now watching his dear friend Charlie be assassinated \u2014 no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump,\" White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Washington Examiner. She added that the White House \"will not hesitate to speak the truth\" that \"radical leftists have slandered their political opponents as Nazis and fascists, inspiring left-wing violence. It must end.\u201d<\/p>

Since the assassination of Kirk, the White House has begun a push to target and investigate left-wing violence. Jackson did not tell the Washington Examiner specific actions that would be taken, but she said perpetrators would be prosecuted.<\/p>

TRUMP SAYS HE\u2019S \u2018NOT FAMILIAR\u2019 WITH ASSASSINATED DEMOCRAT HORTMAN WHEN ASKED ABOUT LOWERING FLAGS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cThe President was clear: the perpetrator of this horrific act will pay for what they did. They will face the full wrath of the American justice system,\u201d Jackson said in a statement. \u201cAnd any other left-wing whack jobs who engage in targeted political violence like the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>

Vice President JD Vance hosted The Charlie Kirk Show on Monday afternoon to \u201cpay tribute to my friend\u201d and point fingers at the culprits of political violence.<\/p>

\u201cBut the data is clear, people on the left are much more likely to defend and celebrate political violence. This is not a both-sides problem. If both sides have a problem, one side has a much bigger and malignant problem, and that is the truth we must be told,\" Vance said.<\/p>

TOP FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM JD VANCE\u2019S GUEST HOSTING OF THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW<\/a><\/p>

Shapiro\u2019s address mirrored the sentiment taken by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) in his address last week following Kirk\u2019s assassination at Utah Valley University.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIt is an attack on all of us,\u201d Cox said. \u201cIt is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideas. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, who we have been, and who we could be in better times. Political violence is different than any other type of violence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

\"I agree with him 100%,\u201d Trump told reporters Tuesday about Cox\u2019s remarks. The president went on to say, \u201cBut most of the violence is on the left.\"<\/p>

CHARLIE KIRK HONORED DURING CAPITOL VIGIL WITH BIPARTISAN SHOWING <\/a><\/p>

Both governors emphasized that political violence is an attack on the country as a whole and talked of lowering the political temperature.<\/p>

\u201cWe can return violence with violence, we can return hate with hate, and that's the problem with political violence is it metastasizes, because we can always point the finger at the other side, and at some point we have to find an off-ramp or it\u2019s going to get much, much worse,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>

Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this article.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25238742138417-e1758124994945.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809791-1758031297", "title":"The culture of nihilism must be defeated", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fin_focus%2F3809791%2Fprogressive-nihilism-extremist-language-charlie-kirk-murder%2F", "byline":"Bethany Mandel", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. Khymani James, the former Columbia encampment leader who once boasted […]", "description":""

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here<\/a>.<\/p>

Khymani James, the former Columbia encampment leader who once boasted on camera that \u201cyou\u2019re lucky I\u2019m not going around murdering Zionists<\/a>,\u201d reemerged this week to celebrate the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk<\/a>. Taking to X, James praised<\/a> Kirk\u2019s murder and stood firm on rhetoric that makes political violence not just thinkable but desirable. His words weren\u2019t fringe mutterings from a lone agitator. They reflected a broader cultural sickness that is metastasizing inside the progressive movement, where nihilism has replaced hope, and hatred masquerades as justice.<\/p>

James is not alone. The Democratic Socialists<\/a> of America, a group that has spent years burrowing into mainstream politics, has seen its leaders openly rejoice at Kirk\u2019s death. Canary Mission\u00a0documented<\/a>\u00a0several disturbing examples. Aron Ali-McClory, cochairman of Young Democratic Socialists of America,\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0gleefully: \u201cShut The F*** Up Friday has come early, dear comrades!\u201d His position is not ceremonial. As YDSA cochairman, Ali-McClory also sits on the National Political Committee of the DSA, which directs the organization\u2019s political priorities. In other words, he is not a fringe member but a national leader.<\/p>

AFTER KIRK'S DEATH, SCALES FALL FROM AMERICA'S EYES<\/a><\/p>

Rather than tamp down this dangerous gloating, senior DSA leaders chimed in with their own nihilistic takes. Megan Romer, cochairwoman of the DSA\u2019s National Political Committee,\u00a0responded<\/a>\u00a0approvingly: \u201cWhen weeks are decades, shut the f*** up friday is not bound by linear time.\u201d A man is dead, his wife is widowed, his children are fatherless, and the response from leaders of a prominent political organization is dark humor and joy.<\/p>

This is not the normal rough-and-tumble of politics. It is evidence of a cultural shift in which opponents are not only wrong but evil, and their removal by any means necessary is cause for celebration.<\/p>

The threat doesn\u2019t end with campus radicals or socialist caucuses. The most potent strain of this nihilism comes from climate<\/a> activists. Lucy Biggers, a former climate activist who has since turned away from the movement and now works at the Free Press, put it starkly in an interview with the Washington Examiner: \u201cWhen the world is at risk, which is what the climate alarmists push. ... The media pushes it, and the activists push that the world is ending. It\u2019s really scary, because if the world is ending, isn\u2019t anything justified?\u201d<\/p>

Biggers is describing more than a theoretical danger. Once people are convinced the end of the world is imminent, traditional limits on moral behavior vanish. Why respect laws, norms, or even human life if the planet itself is on a countdown clock?<\/p>

This mindset has already borne violent fruit. In 2017, shots<\/a> were fired at an Alabama office building that housed a climate change skeptic. The gunfire, according to reports, appeared to target the skeptic\u2019s office floor specifically.<\/p>

The episode didn\u2019t make national headlines, but it illustrated the dangerous logic Biggers described. If you sincerely believe certain people are \u201cdestroying the planet,\u201d the next step is to treat them as enemies of humanity.<\/p>

Even academia is feeding this radicalism. At the University of Pennsylvania, senior administrator Michael Mann, best known for his controversial \u201chockey stick\u201d climate graph, has taken to X with a series of unhinged rants<\/a> about Charlie Kirk. Mann reposted comments calling Kirk the \u201chead of Trump\u2019s Hitler Youth.\u201d He then sneered: \u201cThe white on white violence has gotten out of hand.\u201d<\/p>

This is not the language of a fringe troll. Mann is the director of Penn\u2019s Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media. He represents the university in the public square. Just a few years ago, Mann even called for people to \u201ctake up arms\u201d and form a militia against Trump. Now, after Kirk\u2019s assassination, one must ask: Does Penn agree with its senior administrator? Is what happened to Kirk the kind of \u201cmilitia action\u201d Mann has fantasized about against the president?<\/p>

His own legal history further stains Mann\u2019s credibility. According to court documents, Mann was sanctioned<\/a> for \u201cknowingly feeding the jury false data\u201d in a manner of misconduct that was extraordinary in its scope, extent, and intent. That someone with such a record holds an academic directorship at one of America\u2019s elite universities should trouble anyone who believes higher education exists to elevate truth rather than degrade it.<\/p>

What ties these disparate threads, campus radicals, socialist leaders, climate alarmists, and academics together is a shared nihilism. They insist the stakes are so high that normal moral boundaries no longer apply.<\/p>

On campuses, students are told Israel<\/a> is committing \u201cgenocide.\u201d In climate circles, they are told the world will be uninhabitable in a decade. In liberal politics, they are told conservatives are fascists who must be destroyed. Once these premises are accepted, violence becomes not only justified but righteous.<\/p>

This indoctrination does not happen overnight. It seeps into young minds through social media feeds, activist clubs, and classroom rhetoric. It creates a binary worldview: to dissent is not merely to disagree but to betray. And betrayal must be punished.<\/p>

Consider again Khymani James, the Columbia student whose advocacy at the Gaza encampment made him a hero to some on the Left. His infamous remark, \u201cYou\u2019re lucky I\u2019m not going around murdering Zionists,\u201d was dismissed by sympathizers as hyperbole. But now that James has openly cheered Kirk\u2019s murder, should anyone still doubt that he meant it?<\/p>

The lesson for administrators, politicians, and the media is clear: words matter. When young activists are praised for incendiary rhetoric, when professors excuse radical threats as \u201cspeech,\u201d and when political organizations amplify dehumanizing slogans, they are not merely engaging in debate. They are cultivating a culture where assassination feels like a natural next step.<\/p>

America has seen political violence before. But what makes this moment different is how eagerly it is being mainstreamed. The DSA is not a marginal group. It has infiltrated Democratic politics to such a degree that it boasts elected officials in Congress and city councils across the nation. New York has at least 18 DSA members in elected office, and its poster child is running for mayor of New York City as the Democratic nominee. Climate alarmism is not confined to the fringes. It is preached from the halls of academia to the offices of federal regulators.<\/p>

And now, after Charlie Kirk\u2019s murder, we see how words shape action. If Zionists are murderers, if conservatives are fascists, if skeptics are planet destroyers, then why not kill them? The nihilistic logic writes itself.<\/p>

The ultimate danger is not simply the radicalization of current activists but the indoctrination of the next generation. Children are being told from an early age that the world is ending, that political opponents are guilty of genocide, and that dissent equals betrayal. When urgency is weaponized against impressionable young people, the line between activism and extremism blurs.<\/p>

The assassination of Charlie Kirk should serve as a national wake-up call. It underscores the danger of teaching young people that political opponents are not just wrong but evil, even responsible for \u201cperpetuating genocide\u201d or \u201cdestroying the planet.\u201d Schools, social media, and youth organizations have too often framed debate not as a clash of ideas but as a battle between good and evil, where evil must be eradicated.<\/p>

YES, CELEBRATING MURDER IS GROUNDS FOR SOCIAL EXILE<\/a><\/p>

We now stand at a crossroads. Will political movements continue down this path, crossing the line from urgency into indoctrination and from persuasion into justification of violence? Or will leaders of conscience, left and right, draw a firm boundary and declare that violence has no place in democracy?<\/p>

If they do not, more Khymani Jameses will rise, more DSA leaders will laugh at assassination, more academics will sanctify militias, and more impressionable children will be groomed to see violence as virtue. That is the legacy of nihilism, and unless it is stopped, it will be the legacy of our time.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/c-kirk-2.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809607-1758030364", "title":"Poland’s economic boom continues unabated", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3809607%2Fpoland-economic-boom-continues-unabated%2F", "byline":"James Rogan", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Russian President Vladimir Putin is testing the resolve of the free countries of Europe. He continues to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine, and now he is launching drones against Poland, a strong NATO member and close ally of the United States. Fortunately for Poland and NATO, Poland is an increasingly strong country. It shares a […]", "description":""

Russian President Vladimir Putin <\/a>is testing the resolve of the free countries of Europe<\/a>.\u00a0He continues to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine<\/a>, and now he is launching drones against Poland, a strong NATO member and close ally of the United States.<\/p>

Fortunately for Poland and NATO, Poland is an increasingly strong country. It shares a 300-mile border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and is fast becoming an economic powerhouse. Poland also devotes almost 5% of its annual GDP to its\u00a0defense budget<\/a>.\u00a0As a percentage of GDP, that defense allocation represents the highest amount of any NATO member state.<\/p>

Poland is an economic miracle. Since 1992, its economy has\u00a0expanded<\/a>\u00a0by 220%.\u00a0It has enjoyed uninterrupted growth since the early 1990s, with the exception of 2020, when it experienced an economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is the economic superstar\u00a0of the European Union. It has the\u00a0fastest-growing<\/a>\u00a0economy of the region. Poland's currency is the world's strongest emerging market currency, and its\u00a0sovereign bonds<\/a>\u00a0have appreciated dramatically in recent years.<\/p>

Poland\u2019s GDP<\/a>\u00a0will approach a trillion dollars within 2 years. Its GDP should expand by over 3% this year, as well as in 2026 and 2027. At the same time, inflation in Poland is low and well contained.\u00a0Its people are\u00a0wealthier<\/a>\u00a0than the citizens of Russia, and its economy is on a far stronger growth trajectory.\u00a0Economic growth<\/a>\u00a0in Poland is driven by private domestic consumption, strong internal capital investment with a focus on services, and high technology.\u00a0Because of its strong economy, Poland has been able to increase defense spending without sparking inflation.<\/p>

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Warsaw has increased\u00a0defense spending<\/a>\u00a0from 2.7% of GDP in 2022 to 4.2% in 2024, and is projected to spend\u00a04.7% of GDP in 2025. Poland is the poster child of a strong and determined NATO ally. Importantly, though it shares a long border with Russia, the Polish people firmly support the military buildup and a foreign policy based on confronting Russian aggression.<\/p>

International investors are rapidly becoming aware of the Polish economic miracle. The zloty, the currency of Poland, is the\u00a0best performing<\/a>\u00a0emerging market currency among the most actively traded currencies of this asset class. The zloty has appreciated against the dollar by 14% since early 2022. Importantly, Polish sovereign debt is delivering strong positive returns for international investors. Poland can easily raise capital in global debt markets.<\/p>

Poland\u2019s\u00a0stock market<\/a>, which has a capitalization\u00a0approaching $500 billion, is up 49% in dollar terms this year. The Polish stock market is heavily weighted toward financials. It is noteworthy that\u00a0Polish banks<\/a>\u00a0remain a bargain\u00a0for investors who pay only 1.7 times for their net assets, compared to 4.7 times assets for the typical emerging market bank.<\/p>

ROYALS ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR TRUMP\u2019S SECOND UK STATE VISIT: WHAT TO EXPECT<\/a><\/p>

With its strong economy, stable political climate, and rapidly appreciating stock market, investors with a tolerance for risk should look at Poland for exposure to emerging markets and portfolio diversification. The most actively traded Exchange-Traded Fund with significant exposure to Poland is the iShares MSCI Poland ETF,\u00a0symbol EPOL<\/a>.<\/p>

Put simply, Poland is winning.<\/p>

James Rogan is a former U.S. foreign service officer who has worked in finance and law for 30 years. He writes\u00a0a daily note<\/a>\u00a0on the markets, politics, and society.\u00a0He can be followed on\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and reached at\u00a0RoganJames8202@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Poland-drone.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809790-1758029552", "title":"Cleveland Public Library scammed out of $400,000", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809790%2Fcleveland-public-library-scammed-out-400000%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – The Cleveland Public Library transferred almost $400,000 to a fake vendor as part of a payment redirect scam, State Auditor Keith Faber said Tuesday. Faber said the library failed to adopt proper internal controls that would have detected the scheme. More than a year ago, Faber issued a bulletin to all […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 The Cleveland<\/a> Public Library<\/a> transferred almost $400,000 to a fake vendor as part of a payment redirect scam<\/a>, State Auditor Keith Faber said Tuesday.<\/p>

Faber said the library failed to adopt proper internal controls that would have detected the scheme.<\/p>

More than a year ago, Faber issued a bulletin to all public offices on handling payment redirect requests. According to state auditors, the Cleveland Public Library did not follow the controls established in that bulletin.<\/p>

Immediately following the incident, the library changed its controls.<\/p>

\u201cThe library did not have a proper internal control process in place to detect fictitious vendors,\u201d auditors wrote. \"We did note that the library immediately implemented multiple vendor verification measures to prevent future business email compromise schemes.\u201d<\/p>

Auditors said the library changed bank payment information after getting a request from someone pretending to be a legitimate vendor.<\/p>

Insurance covered $350,000 of the nearly $400,000 scammed, and the legitimate vendor forgave $46,405, allowing the library to recoup the entire lost amount.<\/p>

Another $133,849 was recovered from the fraudulent bank account and repaid to the insurance company.<\/p>

The bulk of the library\u2019s funds comes from taxpayers. It\u2019s 2026 funding request included 40% from the Ohio Public Library Fund.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

The state\u2019s new budget cut overall library funding, which would mean a $2 million loss for the Cleveland Public Library in 2026 and 2027.<\/p>

Also, the library receives $43.5 million of its $83 million budget from property tax levies.<\/a><\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/istock-183371212-scaled.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809756-1758029205", "title":"FCC chairman defends free speech rights after Kirk assassination fuels calls for censorship of online debate", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809756%2Ffcc-brendan-carr-defends-free-speech-rights%2F", "byline":"Emily Hallas", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday rejected efforts to crack down on online discourse, arguing U.S. citizens are entitled to nearly absolute freedom of speech under the Constitution. “I think you can draw a pretty clear line, and the Supreme Court has done this for decades, that our First Amendment, our free speech […]", "description":""

Federal Communications Commission <\/a>Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday rejected efforts to crack down on online discourse, arguing U.S. citizens are entitled to nearly absolute freedom of speech <\/a>under the Constitution.<\/p>

\u201cI think you can draw a pretty clear line, and the Supreme Court has done this for decades, that our First Amendment, our free speech tradition, protects almost all speech,\u201d Carr said<\/a> during a Politico's 2025 AI & Tech Summit.<\/p>

The debate over whether allegedly inflammatory or false information spread online should be freely allowed has surged in the wake of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination last week. Notably, the murder raised questions<\/a> about the extent to which social media algorithms have fueled political polarization and encouraged violence against people holding differing ideologies.<\/p>

In the wake of the shooting, Carr this week called for the country to remain committed to First Amendment principles. Resorting to censorship in an effort to prevent violence or control the distribution of allegedly dangerous or false information is a backward step reminiscent of actions taken by those in power during COVID-19 and other fractious recent events to control public discourse, Carr argued.<\/p>

\u201cWe saw individual Americans participating in the digital town square that were getting censored purely for protected First Amendment speech, for diversity of viewpoints on religious or medical issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>

\u201cI think we saw a really dangerous bent towards censorship, particularly during COVID,\u201d Carr added. \u201cAnytime you have a situation in which there's an increase in government control, you necessarily see a decrease in speech, because the two of those are counterweights.\u201d<\/p>

His position flies in the face of mounting national efforts<\/a> to target people making social media posts accused of celebrating violence, as well as calls for big tech companies such as Meta, X, and Google to further target allegedly concerning content on their platforms.<\/p>

Carr praised such companies on Tuesday for stepping away from a culture of \u201ccensorship.\u201d He made the comments as several leaders in the tech industry have reversed course <\/a>on a number of \u201cfact-checking\u201d policies targeting \u201cdisinformation\u201d in recent years. Those companies include Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s Meta, which controls Facebook and Instagram, and X, which was formerly known as Twitter under Jack Dorsey\u2019s control before self-proclaimed free speech absolutist Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022.<\/p>

\u201cI've been really pleased, frankly, over the last couple of years, where a lot of social media companies have embraced or re-embraced the idea of free speech online,\u201d Carr said. \u201cI think Elon Musk and X had a great deal to do with that. I was pleased to see Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook join him, but clearly there\u2019s more we can do.\u201d<\/p>

The FCC chairman, nominated by Trump<\/a> in November 2024 to lead the country\u2019s leading agency regulating communications, conceded there are some cases in which online speech is possibly unprotected by the First Amendment. Those cases included posts that incite violence, Carr said, adding that it is \u201ca relatively small category of speech\u201d and there are \u201cexisting laws on the books that deal with that.\u201d<\/p>

Carr was specifically pressed on the graphic video circulating on the internet of Kirk being shot. Social media companies have faced calls from political figures<\/a> to remove the footage from their platforms, similarly to a gruesome surveillance feed depicting a Ukrainian refugee being stabbed to death in North Carolina that was released earlier this month.<\/p>

FLORIDA ISSUES \u2018HIGHER STANDARD\u2019 WARNING AFTER TEACHER FIRED FOR CELEBRATING KIRK DEATH<\/a><\/p>

Carr declined to say he believed that platforms should be required to remove disturbing images.<\/p>

\u201cI don't think it's so much that the video was horrific and violent,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it was the act itself that was horrific and violent. And again, I think we should be giving people, individuals the tools to curate their own feeds and be in control of what it is that they want to see. But obviously, it was a very, very significant event, and there was a lot of focus and attention.\u201d<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP20176577323652.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809789-1758029159", "title":"IL legislator: New public defender law adds costs, takes away local control", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809789%2Fil-legislator-new-public-defender-law-costs%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A new Illinois law creates a statewide office to address public defender staffing gaps, but critics warn of higher costs and added bureaucracy without guaranteed improvements. State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, who voted against House Bill 3363, voiced concerns about the potential costs and the shift away from local control. “Staffing issues […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 A new Illinois<\/a> law creates a statewide office to address public defender <\/a>staffing gaps, but critics warn of higher costs and added bureaucracy<\/a> without guaranteed improvements.<\/p>

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, who voted against\u00a0House Bill 3363<\/a>, voiced concerns about the potential costs and the shift away from local control.<\/p>

\"Staffing issues in local public defender offices were a concern raised by the bill's sponsor and supporters, along with the general availability of resources, which had previously been funded at the county level,\u201d said Windhorst. \u201cUnder this law, counties will still cover public defender salaries and office expenses, but a larger statewide funding pool will now exist to assist in defending indigent clients. This change will increase costs for the state without reducing local spending.\"<\/p>

State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, carried the bill in the Senate.<\/p>

\u201cEvery Illinoisan deserves a strong defense, no matter their income,\u201d said Peters. \u201cInstating this new system would ensure real help reaches people who have been left behind in conversations about criminal justice reform for far too long.\u201d<\/p>

Windhorst also expressed concerns about moving oversight from the local level to a statewide office.<\/p>

\u201cI just feel like government, that is on the local level, is the most affecting form of government. Those are the individuals locally who are making local decisions,\u201d Windhorst said.<\/p>

While the bill includes some local involvement through a nominating committee, Windhorst said it still falls short of true local control.<\/p>

\u201cI would still prefer it to be done completely at the local level, but obviously that was not what was adopted,\u201d he said.<\/p>

The law establishes a state public defender who will oversee the new office, with guidance from both a Public Defender Advisory Board, composed of attorneys providing defense services, and a Client Community Advisory Board, composed of former clients or defendants.<\/p>

Windhorst was asked if the new statewide public defender structure could interfere with the Sixth Amendment right to effective counsel.<\/p>

\u201cEach criminal case is unique \u2026 just because you may have a motion or certain procedural effort that\u2019s made in one case doesn\u2019t mean that that is appropriate in another case or in another jurisdiction,\u201d said Windhorst. \u201cThat is a danger I see, and hopefully there will be ways to have an appropriate assessment while also taking into account the case-by-case nature of the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/p>

Windhorst warned that statewide performance metrics could misjudge public defenders\u2019 work because every case is different.<\/p>

\u201cIf a metric says a defender has only had jury trials in a certain percentage of cases and is therefore deficient, that isn\u2019t fair without knowing the specifics\u2014charges, plea offers, potential penalties, or sentences,\u201d he said. \u201cMetrics could skew a defender\u2019s duty to zealously represent each client if they focus on overall stats instead of individual cases.\u201d<\/p>

Supporters of HB\u202f3363 argued the bill would address staffing shortages and reduce perceived pressure on public defenders from local judges. Windhorst disagreed with this premise, emphasizing his experience with local public defenders.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

\u201cMy experience has been that public defenders have operated diligently in representing their clients, and judges, if anything, want attorneys on the defense side to be diligent in representing their clients,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Currently, in Illinois counties outside of Cook, judges have the authority to hire and remove chief public defenders. The American Bar Association recommends that public defenders operate independently, and Illinois is one of only two states, along with Mississippi, with this structure.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP060621046931.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809788-1758028655", "title":"State financial officer, county mayor clash on spending responsibly", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809788%2Fstate-financial-officer-county-mayor-clash-spending%2F", "byline":"Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A mayor pushed back late Monday on Florida’s chief financial officer saying his county government has “excessive and wasteful” spending. “When accounting for population growth and inflation, Orange County’s current General Fund Budget is $190 million higher than it should be,” CFO Blaise Ingoglia’s office said in a release. “Ingoglia is calling […]", "description":""

(The Center Square) \u2013 A\u00a0mayor pushed back late Monday on Florida\u2019s<\/a> chief financial<\/a> officer saying his county government<\/a> has \u201cexcessive and wasteful\u201d spending.<\/p>

\"When accounting for population growth and inflation, Orange County\u2019s current General Fund Budget is $190 million higher than it should be,\u201d CFO Blaise Ingoglia\u2019s office said in a release. \u201cIngoglia is calling upon Orange County to cut this waste out of their budget and offer property tax relief to residents now.\"<\/p>

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings disputed those claims in a news conference Monday night.<\/p>

Forty-eight of Florida\u2019s 67 counties had property tax increases that were higher than Orange County\u2019s average increase of 9% over the last five years, the mayor said.<\/p>

\u201cI am going to point out to you also that this occurred at a time when our population has grown over the last five years by 125,438,\u201d Demings said. \u201cOur budget increases are not purely related to the increase in population, but inflation. Things today cost more than they did four years ago.\u201d<\/p>

Also, the state has also increased the amount counties must pay for public pensions and benefits, Demings said.<\/p>

With Disney World and other attractions, Orange County is the top location for tourism in North America, the mayor said. That requires increased public safety staff, he added.<\/p>

The mayor said Ingoglia is using \u201cfuzzy math\u201d in his criticism of the county\u2019s spending.<\/p>

\u201cOur general fund increased by $474 million since 2020 and not $559 million as stated by the CFO,\u201d Demings said.<\/p>

But in a news release, Ingoglia called Orange County bureaucrats fiscally irresponsible.<\/p>

\u201cIt is high time that the taxpayers are armed with the information that they need to hold their locally elected officials accountable,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people of Florida are sick and tired of the wasteful spending of tax dollars.\u201d<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Jeff Kottkamp, executive vice president and general counsel of the nonprofit group Florida TaxWatch, also called for more fiscal accountability from local governments.<\/p>

\u201cWe are proud to work with CFO Ingoglia and his office to highlight wasteful government spending, which leads to higher taxes for Floridians,\u201d Kottkamp said in a statement.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tallahassee-capitol-scaled.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809761-1758028575", "title":"New York on the brink", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fdaily-memo%2F3809761%2Fnew-york-on-brink-zohran-mamdani-mayoral-election%2F", "byline":"Byron York", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"NEW YORK ON THE BRINK. Next year will bring the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and with it, an irresistible angle for journalists and commentators: New York‘s first Muslim mayor marks anniversary of devastating radical Islamic attack on city. That mayor will be, of course, Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate with a huge lead over a fractured field […]", "description":""

NEW YORK ON THE BRINK.\u00a0Next year will bring the 25th anniversary of 9\/11<\/a>, and with it, an irresistible angle for journalists and commentators: New York<\/a>'s first Muslim mayor marks anniversary of devastating radical Islamic attack on city.<\/p>

That mayor will be, of course, Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate with a huge lead over a fractured field in the Nov. 4 mayoral election. A series of recent polls suggests that, barring some huge, incredible, world-shaking unforeseen development, Mamdani will be elected mayor less than two months from now.<\/p>

A new CBS News poll<\/a> shows Mamdani with a 15-point lead, 43% to 28%, over former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now running as an independent. Republican Curtis Sliwa is at 15%, 28 points behind Mamdani, and current New York Mayor Eric Adams is at 6%, 37 points behind Mamdani.<\/p>

Even if Adams were to drop out, and there are reports he will, the basic structure of the race would not change.<\/p>

Another recent poll, by Emerson<\/a>, was nearly identical, with Mamdani at 43%, Cuomo at 28%, Sliwa at 10%, and Adams at 8%. A Quinnipiac survey<\/a> has Mamdani at 45%, with Cuomo at 23%, Sliwa at 15%, and Adams at 12%. And a New York Times-Siena University poll<\/a> has Mamdani at 46%, Cuomo at 24%, Sliwa at 15%, and Adams at 9%. Look at all the polls, and Mamdani's lead is anywhere from 15 to 22 points. <\/p>

One measure of how weird this campaign is is that even though Mamdani, the socialist, is running as the Democratic nominee, some top leaders in the Democratic Party cannot bring themselves to endorse their own team's candidate.<\/p>

The election is less than two months away, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), both of whom live in New York City, have not endorsed Mamdani.<\/p>

Indeed, only recently, on Sunday, did the Democratic governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, endorse the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City. In an op-ed<\/a> in the New York Times, Hochul said she had had many talks with Mamdani. She said they talked about public safety, religious tolerance, economic development, taxes, and other issues. <\/p>

Remember that Mamdani has either recently embraced or currently proposed abolishing the police, establishing city-paid child care, imposing a possibly business-crippling $30 minimum wage and sky-high taxes, and other so-called progressive policies. (On the other hand, he has recently stopped advocating \"globalizing the intifada.\") <\/p>

\"I did not leave my conversations with Mr. Mamdani aligned with him on every issue,\" Hochul diplomatically wrote. \"But I am confident that he has the courage, urgency and optimism New York City needs to lead it through the challenges of this moment.\"<\/p>

Perhaps Hochul is confident because she and Mamdani were completely, totally, absolutely on the same page on one issue. \"I needed to know the next mayor will not be someone who would surrender one inch to President Trump,\" she wrote. \"Mr. Mamdani and I will both be fearless in confronting the president's extreme agenda \u2014 with urgency, conviction, and the defiance that defines New York.\"<\/p>

What could be more important? Yes, New York has some of the most burdensome housing prices in the country. People are leaving the city because they can't find an affordable place to live. Yes, everything else is insanely expensive, too. And yes, mentally ill and sometimes violent people make using public transit a risky proposition. And yes, public safety is a worry beyond the subways. And yes, there are lots of other problems. But at least the new mayor and the governor will be fearless in confronting the president of the United States. That's what really matters, isn't it?<\/p>

New York has had terrible mayors before. To an outsider, it sometimes appears the city has a tendency to make a bad choice, suffer the consequences, pick a problem solver, such as Rudy Giuliani, to fix things, and then enjoy a new life, only to go off its meds again later and restart the cycle. Zohran Mamdani would be a new dimension in bad choices, and New York is about to find out what that means.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AP25176210376790-scaled-e1758042925392.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809604-1758027684", "title":"Conversations after Kirk shooting should be about radicalization, not polarization: Sarah Beford", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809604%2Fconversation-kirk-shooting-radicalization-not-polarization-sarah-beford%2F", "byline":"Sydney Topf", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Washington Examiner Investigative Editor Sarah Bedford said conversations about today’s political climate should focus on radicalization, not polarization, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Bedford argued on NewsNation’s Balance that political division isn’t a new problem in the United States. She said the nation has been divided for decades. “We’ve been extremely divided […]", "description":""

Washington Examiner Investigative Editor Sarah Bedford said conversations about today's political climate should focus on radicalization, not polarization, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>

Bedford argued on NewsNation's Balance that political division isn't a new problem in the United States. She said the nation has been divided for decades.<\/p>

\"We've been extremely divided for decades,\" Bedford said. \"What this really is a conversation about is radicalization, not polarization, and radicalization is happening increasingly on the Left.\"<\/p>

Since Kirk was shot and killed last week at an event at Utah Valley University, discussions about political violence and division have been dominating national conversations.<\/p>

Some House Republicans blamed Democrats<\/a> last week for Kirk's assassination, including Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who also accused the media of being \"complicit.\"<\/p>

\"You are responsible for this, because you are echoing the horrifically horrible political violent rhetoric that\u2019s being produced by the Democratic Party,\" Van Orden said.<\/p>

Bedford said Democrats have created a \"rhetorical permission structure\" for radicalization by \"aggressively demonizing\" their Republican opponents.<\/p>

\"That's the conversation that needs to be had openly and honestly in Washington,\" she said. \"And this pressure on Donald Trump to be a symbol of unity at a time when this is a conversation about radicalization is, I think, disingenuous.\"<\/p>

Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a> on Monday said her office will \"absolutely target\" people who \"target anyone with hate speech.\"<\/p>

\"There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society,\" Bondi said on the Katie Miller Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS AS FBI DIRECTOR FACES SCRUTINY OVER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION<\/a><\/p>

Bondi stood firm on these comments on Tuesday after receiving bipartisan backlash.<\/p>

\"Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It's a crime. For far too long, we've watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,\" Bondi said on X.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258835120564.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809588-1758027632", "title":"FBI investigating more than 20 people in Discord group tied to Charlie Kirk murder suspect", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3809588%2Ffbi-investigating-more-than-20-people-discord-group-tied-to-charlie-kirk-murder-suspect%2F", "byline":"Kaelan Deese", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that the bureau is investigating more than 20 people connected to an online Discord chat with Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson, confirming the chat’s existence, which had been leaked, and that it is now part of an active federal investigation. Patel made the disclosure during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in response […]", "description":""

FBI Director Kash Patel<\/a>\u00a0said Tuesday that the bureau is investigating more than 20 people connected to an online Discord chat with\u00a0Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u00a0murder suspect\u00a0Tyler Robinson, confirming the chat\u2019s existence, which had been leaked, and that it is now part of an active federal investigation.<\/p>

Patel made the disclosure during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in response to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)<\/a>, who pressed the FBI chief about efforts to identify others who may have encouraged or known in advance about the attack on Kirk during a Utah Valley University event.<\/p>

\u201cSo in terms of what we do from an interrogation perspective, we go and reach out to the family and community immediately,\u201d Patel said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve conducted those investigations and interrogations with local law enforcement ... On top of that, unfortunately, it has been leaked that there was a Discord chat. And for those unfamiliar with it, it\u2019s a gaming chat room online that the suspect participated in.\u201d<\/p>

Patel said the FBI had already served a legal process on Discord and was preserving chat content in a prosecutable format. \u201cWe\u2019re also going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat,\u201d he said.<\/p>

While Patel did not reference any specific message or confession from Robinson,\u00a0the Washington Post\u00a0reported<\/a> Monday that the 22-year-old suspect appeared to admit guilt in the chat shortly before his arrest. \u201cIt was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,\u201d read a message reportedly sent from Robinson\u2019s account on Thursday night, about two hours before he turned himself in.<\/p>

In response to Hawley\u2019s question about the number of individuals involved, Patel said, \u201cIt\u2019s a lot more than [20], and we\u2019re running them all down.\u201d The\u00a0Washington Post\u00a0reported that the Discord group contained around 30 people, though the FBI has not confirmed that number.<\/p>

A Discord spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the company is cooperating with investigators but did not verify the reported confession.<\/p>

\u201cDuring our investigation, Discord identified an account belonging to the suspect,\u201d the company said. \u201cWe have not found or received any evidence that the suspect planned this incident on Discord or promoted violence on Discord. The messages referenced in reporting about weapon retrieval and planning details were not Discord messages, and likely took place on a phone-number based messaging platform.\u201d<\/p>

The shooting<\/a> of Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, has fueled political outrage and sparked concerns about the rise of ideological violence<\/a>.<\/p>

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox<\/a> (R) said Sunday that Robinson appeared to hold a \u201cleftist ideology.\" Officials said one of Robinson\u2019s family members helped alert authorities after the suspect implied involvement in the killing.<\/p>

Patel later said during the committee hearing that the FBI is still \"mapping out\" whether anyone acted as an accomplice or had any \"foreknowledge\" of the assassination plans.<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS IN AFTERMATH OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION<\/a><\/p>

Members of the Discord group reportedly reacted in real time to Kirk\u2019s assassination before Robinson\u2019s alleged admission the next day. In a follow-up message, Robinson allegedly wrote, \u201cThanks for all the good times and laughs. You\u2019ve all been so amazing.\u201d<\/p>

Charges against Robinson are expected to be filed Tuesday morning, with\u00a0Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray scheduled to announce the case at a news conference later in the day. Robinson, who was arrested last week on suspicion of aggravated murder and other felonies, is also set to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/WEX_Kash_Patel11.jpeg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809488-1758026664", "title":"House Republicans unveil short-term spending deal with $30 million boost for member security", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3809488%2Fhouse-republicans-short-term-spending-deal-boost-security%2F", "byline":"Rachel Schilke", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Republican leadership released text for a stopgap spending deal on Tuesday afternoon as the conference races against the clock to get funding legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown. The continuing resolution will extend current funding levels for the federal government and punt the […]", "description":""

House Republican<\/a> leadership released text for a stopgap spending deal on Tuesday afternoon as the conference races against the clock to get funding legislation to President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s desk by the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown<\/a>.<\/p>

The continuing resolution will extend current funding levels for the federal government and punt the deadline to Nov. 21. The bill includes a $30 million increase for a law enforcement mutual aid fund. This is in addition to the $58 million request from the Trump administration for security increases for the executive and judicial branches.<\/p>

House Republican leadership sources told reporters the goal is to vote on the CR on Friday. The Rules Committee put out a notice shortly after text dropped that it will meet after Tuesday's first vote series at 1:30 p.m.<\/p>

The text comes just two weeks before the Sept. 30 deadline, which marks the end of the fiscal 2025. Appropriators have struggled over the last few cycles to pass all 12 appropriations bills ahead of the deadline, so continuing resolutions<\/a> and \"minibuses\" have become more commonplace.<\/p>

The CR does not include language addressing the expiring Obamacare tax credits or reforms to Medicaid, which is likely to receive severe backlash from Democratic leadership, who have urged that, without healthcare concessions, Republicans won't get their votes<\/a>.<\/p>

But the omission was expected, given Speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s (R-LA) statement ahead of the CR text drop that there was \u201czero chance\u201d they would be included.<\/p>

The speaker said during the weekly GOP press conference that the House has time to \u201cfigure all that out,\u201d referring to the Obamacare subsidies, calling it a \u201cDecember policy issue, not a September funding issue.\u201d The tax credits expire at the end of the year.<\/p>

Democrats and centrist GOP lawmakers raised concerns that the expiration of the tax credits would negatively affect their districts. But GOP leadership, top committee leaders, and fiscal hawks have shown little interest in extending COVID-19-era policies from the Biden administration.<\/p>

\u201cI can tell you that there\u2019s real concern, I have concern, Republicans have concern, about those policies, if you look at how much they\u2019ve been abused,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to be a popular measure when people understand how that works.\u201d <\/p>

\u201cWe have time to have that debate, and it\u2019s not something that should be involved in the government funding deadline by the end of September, that\u2019s the point,\u201d the speaker added.<\/p>

Member security proved to be a major sticking point for the CR<\/a> in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination last week. Some members began to rethink their outdoor schedules, and others criticized leadership for being behind the curve on heightening security measures for lawmakers.<\/p>

Eyes were on the $5,000 a month<\/a> provided to members in the wake of the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, which expires on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. <\/p>

But House Republican leadership sources told reporters that extending the $5,000 stipend would be addressed at a later date through separate legislation\u00a0from the legislative branch appropriations subcommittee.\u00a0So, a full conversation on a more permanent solution to keep members safe won\u2019t occur until later this year.<\/p>

Anomalies requested by the White House, which essentially add or subtract money from the CR, are included in it, as well as a $1 billion funding fix for the Washington, D.C., budget. Supplemental disaster funding, a longtime Democratic request, is not in the legislation, though GOP leadership sources noted there is an anomaly allowing the disaster relief fund to spend at a higher rate for disasters that have occurred or could occur in the future.<\/p>

Eyes will be on Republicans to see who is against the CR now that the text has been released. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told reporters ahead of the text drop he was undecided on how he'd vote, saying he wants to read it before making a decision.<\/p>

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Warren Davidson (R-OH) have all said they are \"no's\" on the CR, though Davidson, Greene, and Spartz are known to fold when the White House and GOP leadership apply pressure.<\/p>

Member security funding could push some Democrats to vote for the CR despite House Democratic leadership continuing to blast Republicans' CR as a \"partisan\" deal. Depending on how many Democrats vote for the bill, that could give Johnson a slight buffer as he works to pass the legislation, mostly along party lines.<\/p>

Earlier on Tuesday, Democrats blasted Republicans for not coming to the negotiation table.<\/p>

\"The president said, 'Don't even bother dealing<\/a> with the Democrats.' So those are his words, and that's obviously very problematic,\" Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner. \"As far as I see it, when the President says don't even bother dealing with the other party, that doesn't create a good framework for negotiation to begin.\u201d<\/p>

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) told the Washington Examiner the CR is \"entirely a partisan vehicle,\" echoing remarks from House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) that there needs to be good faith negotiations to address \"Democratic priorities.\"<\/p>

\u201cWe need to address the healthcare crisis that Republicans created in the summer, that is what this negotiation is about,\" McBride said. \"The one-year extension on the ACA tax credits \u2014 that is not enough. It is a bigger crisis than that, and while member security is 100% necessary, that is a need that spans parties right now, and it is not part of a negotiation.\u201d<\/p>

GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL DELAYED AS HOUSE LOOKS TO WORK IN MEMBER SECURITY PROVISION<\/a><\/p>

But Johnson has dismissed Democrats' criticism, arguing they are \u201copenly pining\u201d for a government shutdown.<\/p>

\u201cSome of them, apparently, believe that shutting down the government will be some sort of life raft for them so they can regain the support of the American people. I just think that is a fool\u2019s gambit,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>

\u201cTo make it a partisan exercise is a big mistake,\u201d the speaker added.<\/p>

Lauren Green contributed to this report.<\/p>

<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25258675041183.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809544-1758026267", "title":"Why are US military officers fêting Belarus", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fbeltway-confidential%2F3809544%2Fwhy-us-military-officers-feting-belarus-russia-exercises%2F", "byline":"Ani Chkhikvadze", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"U.S. military officers recently observed the Belarus-based joint Zapad-2025 exercises between Belarus and Russia. Held on NATO‘s doorstep and explicitly designed to rehearse war against the alliance Washington, D.C., leads, it was startling to see U.S. officers among the observers. Alongside them were Turkish and Hungarian representatives, as Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov presided […]", "description":""

U.S. military<\/a> officers recently observed the Belarus<\/a>-based joint Zapad-2025 exercises between Belarus and Russia<\/a>. Held on NATO<\/a>'s doorstep and explicitly designed to rehearse war against the alliance Washington, D.C., leads, it was startling to see U.S. officers among the observers. Alongside them were Turkish and Hungarian representatives, as Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov presided over drills that simulated attacks on the West.<\/p>

The exercises spanned Belarusian and Russian territory and extended into the Baltic and Barents seas. They featured demonstrations of nuclear and missile capabilities, including the Kinzhal ballistic missile, which has already been used in Ukraine, and the Zircon hypersonic system. According to Belarus\u2019s Defense Ministry, about 7,000 Belarusian and 1,000 Russian troops participated. This was a sharp decline from Zapad-2021, when over 100,000 Russian personnel took part, using the cover of drills to mask deployments in preparation for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The war games were held for the first time since, and the reduced scale showed the manpower constraints Moscow faces after more than 3 1\/2 years of war.<\/p>

But the drills also came after dozens of Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace last week and into Romania over the weekend, investigating NATO's defenses. Poland reacted by deploying 40,000 troops to its border with Belarus and closing the frontier entirely.<\/p>

To create a veneer of openness, Belarus invited international diplomats, military attaches, and media representatives to observe the war games. But this did little to hide the country's role in Russia\u2019s war. Minsk continues to offer territory for Russian operations, to allow drone launches into NATO states, and to expand military production in service of Moscow\u2019s campaign. In this context, the image of U.S. officers attending Zapad-2025, even if it was simply an act of diplomacy, projected weakness, not strength. It confused allies who saw the exercises as aimed squarely at them.<\/p>

Belarus's dictatorial president, Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for more than 30 years, has little independence left. His survival depends heavily on Moscow\u2019s support to suppress domestic dissent, especially since the mass protests that followed his fraudulent 2020 reelection. Around 1,000 people are estimated to be imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The Trump administration, in contrast to former President Joe Biden\u2019s, has succeeded in negotiating the release of two groups of political prisoners, around 65 people, through sanctions relief. However welcome this development is, nothing is stopping Minsk from arresting more people and using them as hostages in future dealings.<\/p>

What is Washington, D.C.,'s strategy here?<\/p>

If its goal is to drift Lukashenko away from Moscow, this is not the way to go about it. Lukashenko may hedge and play at being a middleman between the East and West while Putin looks weak, but he will never risk his position for half-hearted U.S. engagement.<\/p>

ROYALS ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR TRUMP\u2019S SECOND UK STATE VISIT: WHAT TO EXPECT<\/a><\/p>

Moreover, if Putin were to emerge stronger and claim victory in Ukraine, Lukashenko\u2019s room for maneuver would disappear overnight. With Washington, D.C.,'s position uncertain, Minsk is hedging for both outcomes. Yet as Belarus turns a blind eye to Russian drones crossing NATO airspace, watching over as Russian troops throw the same missiles that kill Ukrainian civilians, Washington, D.C., emboldens Lukashenko.<\/p>

When the Kremlin is killing Ukrainians, investigating NATO defenses, and holding Belarus in a vice, sending U.S. officers to witness Russia\u2019s saber-rattling was not only morally questionable but strategically shortsighted, sending mixed signals both to allies and to adversaries.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lukashenko.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809266-1758026087", "title":"China fires water cannon on Philippine ship near disputed Scarborough Shoal", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F3809266%2Fchinese-philippine-ships-collide-disputed-scarborough-shoal%2F", "byline":"Mike Brest", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"A Chinese Coast Guard vessel damaged a Philippine vessel on Tuesday near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Both sides quickly accused the other of being responsible for the latest incident in their dispute over the shoal. In the Chinese Coast Guard’s telling of events, more than 10 Philippine vessels surrounded the […]", "description":""

A Chinese<\/a> Coast Guard vessel damaged a Philippine<\/a> vessel on Tuesday near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Both sides quickly accused the other of being responsible for the latest incident in their dispute over the shoal.<\/p>

In the Chinese Coast Guard\u2019s telling of events, more than 10 Philippine vessels surrounded the shoal, which Beijing refers to as the Huangyan Island. It \u201cimplemented regulatory measures against the Philippine vessels, including warnings, route control, and the use of water cannons,\u201d according to Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the service.<\/p>

Gan claimed that one Philippine vessel \u201cignoring repeated warnings from China, deliberately rammed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel engaged in normal law enforcement in an unprofessional and dangerous manner.\u201d<\/p>

A Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson disputed the account, saying that two Chinese vessels directed their water cannons on the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang for nearly half an hour, resulting in one injury.<\/p>

The water cannons caused \"significant damage including shattered glass from the aft window of the bridge, damage to the captain\u2019s cabin partitions, and a short circuit affecting electrical outlets and five outdoor air condition units,\" the spokesperson said.<\/p>

One sailor on board was injured by the shattered glass caused by the water cannon.<\/p>

A Chinese naval ship also announced via radio broadcast that it would conduct \u201clive fire exercises,\u201d which quickly caused \u201csignificant panic and fear among Filipino fishermen in the area.<\/p>

It's the latest incident between the countries, which both claim the shoal as a part of their territory. Last month, a Chinese Navy ship collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship while trying to block a Philippine Coast Guard vessel near the Scarborough Shoal.<\/p>

The Chinese government\u00a0approved<\/a>\u00a0a proposal last week to create a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration said the reserve would cover more than 3,500 hectares at Huangyan Island.<\/p>

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> said Beijing's actions \"continue to undermine regional stability,\" in response to Beijing's plan.<\/p>

WHY CHINA WANTS TO BUILD A NATURE RESERVE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA<\/a><\/p>

\"Beijing claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is yet another coercive attempt to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors, including by preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing these traditional fishing grounds,\" he said.<\/p>

Beijing has long claimed control over disputed islands, territories, and inlets in the South China Sea that pose significant strategic value. Several other countries in the Pacific have fought with Beijing over control of those areas.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scarborough-Shoal-e1758039839827.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809551-1758025821", "title":"National Democrats see hope in Iowa with Josh Turek’s Senate bid", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3809551%2Fnational-democrats-hope-iowa-josh-turek-senate-bid%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Some Democrats are seeing state Sen. Josh Turek’s U.S. Senate bid as their best chance at success in the 2026 Iowa Senate race. Several Iowa Democratic leaders said Turek will be backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to a NOTUS report, but no formal endorsements have […]", "description":""

Some Democrats are seeing state Sen. Josh Turek's U.S. Senate bid<\/a> as their best chance at success in the 2026 Iowa<\/a> Senate race.<\/p>

Several Iowa Democratic leaders said Turek will be backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to a NOTUS report<\/a>, but no formal endorsements have yet been made. Democratic state Rep. J.D. Scholten dropped his campaign<\/a> for Senate last month and backed Turek.<\/p>

\"From the very beginning, I thought a prairie populist athlete from western Iowa would be the best candidate to win in the general election,\" Scholten said at the time. \"I still do, but instead of me, I have complete confidence that Josh Turek can take this on. That\u2019s why I am suspending my campaign and endorsing him. As his friend, I\u2019m proud to support him.\"<\/p>

Scholten told NOTUS, \u201cGive this a month or two and I think it\u2019ll be clear, if it\u2019s not already, that Turek is going to be the campaign that people get behind.\u201d<\/p>

Other Democratic candidates include Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls, veteran Nathan Sage, and Des Moines School Board Chairwoman Jackie Norris<\/a>. While strategists and some lawmakers have supported Turek, other candidates, however, have criticized Schumer\u2019s reported support of Turek, as progressive members of the party have been increasingly critical of his leadership.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll speak for almost every Iowan right now that D.C. is not going to dictate this race,\u201d Sage told NOTUS in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be Iowans, it\u2019s going to be conversations with Iowans. We all know that Chuck Schumer has lost elections over the past 10 years, and \u2026 we\u2019ve seen a lot of anger about that at the town halls that I\u2019ve gone to, where people are tired of D.C. leadership.\"<\/p>

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) announced she would not seek reelection last month. This is the first open Senate race in Iowa since 2014. Democrats are hoping not having a Republican incumbent in the race will aid their chances at winning the formerly purple state.<\/p>

HOW IOWA\u2019S VOTER REGISTRATIONS MAY REVEAL ITS SHIFT TO THE RIGHT<\/a><\/p>

Iowa was once a swing state, even considered to be a blue-leaning one, but it has moved to the right in recent elections. Prior to President Donald Trump\u2019s 2016 win, Iowa voted for the Democratic candidate in six of the previous seven elections. The exception was then-President George W. Bush\u2019s narrow win<\/a> in 2004.\u00a0<\/p>

Between the 2012 and 2020 elections, Iowa experienced the biggest percentage swing in party wins of any state in a presidential election. Then-President Barack Obama won the state by 6 percentage points in 2012, and Trump won it by 8 points in 2020.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP04091804003.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809316-1758024864", "title":"OpenAI announces special ChatGPT for teenagers ahead of Senate hearing on AI chatbot harm", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ftechnology%2F3809316%2Fopenai-chatgpt-teenagers-senate-hearing-ai-chatbot-harm%2F", "byline":"Molly Parks", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"OpenAI will roll out a new chatbot program to address mounting safety concerns surrounding teenagers in artificial intelligence forums, the company said Tuesday morning. The company’s announcement comes as lawmakers and families of teenagers affected by chatbot safety lapses have raised alarm over the effects artificial intelligence responses can have on children’s mental health. California […]", "description":""

OpenAI <\/a>will roll out a new chatbot program to address mounting safety concerns surrounding teenagers in artificial intelligence<\/a> forums, the company said Tuesday morning.<\/p>

The company's announcement comes as lawmakers and families of teenagers affected by chatbot safety lapses have raised alarm over the effects artificial intelligence responses can have on children's mental health. California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation into OpenAI<\/a> in early September after two parents said their child died by suicide following interactions with ChatGPT. <\/p>

\"Teens are growing up with AI, and it\u2019s on us to make sure ChatGPT meets them where they are. The way ChatGPT responds to a 15-year-old should look different than the way it responds to an adult,\" OpenAI wrote<\/a> in the Tuesday announcement.<\/p>

OpenAI is unveiling a \"long-term system to understand whether someone is over or under 18,\" that will subsequently adapt to provide a differently filtered chatbot based on the user's determined age, according to the release<\/a>.<\/p>

\"When we identify that a user is under 18, they will automatically be directed to a ChatGPT experience with age-appropriate policies, including blocking graphic sexual content and, in rare cases of acute distress, potentially involving law enforcement to ensure safety,\" OpenAI wrote<\/a> in the announcement.<\/p>

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman released a statement<\/a> explaining the program, saying the company is choosing to prioritize \"safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens\" and that, out of caution, the chatbot for teenagers will be the default if there is a question about the user's age.<\/p>

\"If there is doubt, we\u2019ll play it safe and default to the under-18 experience,\" Altman said<\/a>. \"In some cases or countries we may also ask for an ID; we know this is a privacy compromise for adults but believe it is a worthy tradeoff.\"<\/p>

The announcement of the new ChatGPT \"experience with age-appropriate policies\" comes just before a Tuesday Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on artificial intelligence chatbots. The Senate Subcommittee on Crime and\u00a0Counterterrorism will hold the \"Examining the Harm of AI Chatbots\" hearing<\/a> at 2:30 p.m.<\/p>

Subcommittee chairman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has been outspoken about the harm AI poses to juveniles. Hawley called for an investigation<\/a> into Meta after an internal company document showed its AI chatbot was permitted to have \"romantic or sensual\" conversations with children. He also brought up child AI safety in his speech at the National Conservatism Conference in early September.<\/p>

\"We absolutely must require and enforce rigorous technical standards to bar inappropriate or harmful interactions with minors. And we should think seriously about age verification for chatbots and agents,\" Hawley said<\/a> during his 2025 NatCon speech.<\/p>

GOOGLE DOESN'T HAVE TO SELL CHROME BUT MUST SHARE SEARCH RESULTS, JUDGE RULES<\/a><\/p>

Though OpenAI did not clarify exactly when the new age-appropriate \"ChatGPT experience\" would be available on user interfaces, an OpenAI spokesperson told the Washington Examiner the company would be sharing updated timing on the program soon. In the meantime, the spokesperson said parental control features would be available at the end of September.<\/p>

In OpenAI's parental control<\/a> model, parents can link their accounts to their teenager's account to gain access to certain controls, including the ability to set times when they cannot use ChatGPT.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25129514694514-scaled-e1758038995353.webp?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809300-1758024175", "title":"Peter Navarro demands Trump DOJ ‘give reasons for shrugging off’ his case", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fjustice%2F3809300%2Fpeter-navarro-demands-doj-reasons-shrugging-off-case%2F", "byline":"David Zimmermann", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Peter Navarro, a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to President Donald Trump, urged the Justice Department on Tuesday to “give reasons for shrugging off” his case. The DOJ recently declined to defend its prosecution and subsequent conviction of Navarro, refusing to provide a reason. The Trump administration official said he feels entitled to an […]", "description":""

Peter Navarro<\/a>, a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to President Donald Trump<\/a>, urged the Justice Department<\/a> on Tuesday to \"give reasons for shrugging off\" his case.<\/p>

The DOJ recently declined to defend its prosecution and subsequent conviction of Navarro, refusing to provide a reason. The Trump administration official said he feels entitled to an explanation.<\/p>

\"The Justice Department chose this fight and reversed decades of its own doctrines to win it,\" Navarro wrote in an op-ed for the Hill<\/a>. \"It then doggedly insisted that I had no substantial issues so that it could keep me locked up pending appeal. Now, it now seeks to abandon its brief with no explanation.<\/p>

\"Why did it change its mind? Where does it stand now on the major substantial issues? These are the answers the defense, the court, any potential friend of the court, and the country must arrive at.\"<\/p>

Navarro was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena related to a House select committee's investigation of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He served four months in a Miami federal prison for the charges last year during the Biden administration.<\/p>

Last month, Trump's DOJ struck an earlier brief and told the judge that it would not be \"taking the same position as the prior administration in this case.\" The department failed to provide any legal reasoning for the move.<\/p>

Navarro argued that an explanation is necessary because otherwise the decision would be left to public speculation.<\/p>

\"The D.C. Circuit should say no to the Justice Department,\" he wrote. \"Demand that it give reasons for shrugging off this case. Put the department on the record. Then let the separation-of-powers questions be decided in the sunlight, not in the shadows of an unexplained government retreat.\"<\/p>

LIVE UPDATES: PATEL TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS AS FBI DIRECTOR FACES SCRUTINY OVER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION PROBE<\/a><\/p>

Navarro's op-ed, published Tuesday morning, serves as a promotion for his new book, I Went to Prison So You Won't Have To: A Love and Lawfare Story in Trump Land. Despite already serving his four-month sentence, Navarro said he is still pursuing an appeal of his conviction.<\/p>

\"I went to prison so that future presidential advisers won\u2019t have to,\" he concluded. \"That\u2019s why I am fighting back.\"<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25254574708673.jpg?w=696" }, {"Articles":[ {"id":"3809433-1758023847", "title":"Colorado minority leader resigns following scandal over picture secretly taken by former lawmaker", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3809433%2Fcolorado-minority-leader-rose-pugliese-resigns-scandal-ryan-armagost-yara-zokaie-photo%2F", "byline":"Annabella Rosciglione", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The top Republican in the Colorado House, Rose Pugliese, resigned from office Monday following clashes with Democratic lawmakers in a special session and a scandal involving a secret photograph of another lawmaker. In a letter to her supporters, Pugliese said she was leaving elected office to focus on her children. “I have spent the months reflecting on […]", "description":""

The top Republican in the Colorado<\/a> House, Rose Pugliese, resigned from office Monday following clashes with Democratic lawmakers in a special session and a scandal involving a secret photograph of another lawmaker.<\/p>

In a letter to her supporters, Pugliese said she was leaving elected office to focus on her children.<\/p>

\u201cI have spent the months reflecting on my life choices, especially in relation to my children. As a single mom, I raise my two children on my own. I am all that they have. There is nothing more important in my life than them. They have made so many sacrifices for me to be able to represent you. But they also need their mom right now, and I need to keep them safe,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>

She was elected to be the Colorado House Minority Leader in 2024 after former Colorado House Minority Leader Mike Lynch resigned after failing to disclose an arrest for drunk driving and possessing a firearm while intoxicated.<\/p>

Her resignation comes after she clashed with Democrats on the Colorado House floor during a special session. The clashes followed the abrupt resignation<\/a> of Republican state Rep. Ryan Armagost, the former House minority whip, who took a picture of a Democratic lawmaker without her knowledge during floor proceedings.\u00a0<\/p>

He then sent that picture of Democratic state Rep. Yara Zokaie to fellow Republican state lawmakers, some of whom compared her outfit to that of a stripper and a prostitute. The photo then became the subject of a social media harassment campaign against Zokaie.<\/p>

Pugliese was in the group chat where the photo was posted and crudely discussed, but she did not engage in the comments about Zokaie. She removed Armagost from his committee assignments three months after she knew the photo had been sent in the group chat.<\/p>

DEMOCRATIC 2028 CONTENDERS FILL THEIR CALENDARS WITH HIGH-PROFILE EVENTS<\/a><\/p>

\u201cI take this matter very seriously and do not condone this behavior,\u201d Pugliese told CPR News<\/a> last month about the posting of the picture to social media. <\/p>

The top Republican in the state Senate chamber, Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, also resigned this year, citing a new job at a conservative organization.<\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25135043081426.jpg?w=650" }, {"id":"3132228-1724374758", "title":"Delegates express disappointment at Beyonce no-show but say Harris ‘made up for it’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3132228%2Fdnc-delegates-disappointment-beyonce-no-show%2F", "byline":"Hailey Bullis, Mabinty Quarshie and Samantha-Jo Roth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"CHICAGO — Hopes that Beyonce would make a surprise appearance on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention were dashed after the night ended with no sign of the “Freedom” singer. The evening was packed with celebrities, with musicians such as Pink and the Chicks taking the stage on the grand finale of the […]", "description":""

CHICAGO\u2014HopesthatBeyonce<\\\/a>wouldmakeasurpriseappearanceontheclosingnightoftheDemocraticNationalConvention<\\\/a>weredashedafterthenightendedwithnosignofthe\u201cFreedom\u201dsinger<\\\/p>

Theeveningwaspackedwithcelebrities<\\\/a>,withmusicianssuchasPinkandtheChickstakingthestageonthegrandfinaleoftheDNCTheeventdrewsomanyattendeesthattheconventionfloorwascompletelyclosedoffhoursbeforeVicePresidentKamalaHarristookthestagetodelivertheDNC\u2019sclosingspeechTheA-listerdelegatesandattendeesweremostexcitedtosee,however,wasBeyonceSpeculationmountedthroughouttheweek,andhitafeverpitchThursday,thatBeyoncewouldperformonthefinalnightoftheDNCMarylanddelegateRoxanneBrown,45,saidshewasletdownthatBeyoncedidnotendupappearingHowever,BrownsaidthattheletdownwasOK,though,because\u201cKamalamadeupforit\u201d\u201cIwasdisappointedbecauseIwaslookingforwardtoseeingBeyonce,butIwasmostlookingforwardtowatchinghistory,whichisanominationofourfirstblackfemalepresident,\u201dBrownsaid<\\\/p>

AnotherMarylanddelegate,LilyQi,60,saidshewouldhavelovedtoseethepopsensation,butsheechoedBrown\u2019ssentimentthatsupportingHarriswasthemostimportantpartofthenight\u201cIwouldhavelovedtoseeherandherenergy,andshe'sanicon,aculturalicon,asIunderstand,\u201dQisaid\u201cButyouknow,thisisnotwhyI'mhere,ofcourse,right?IamheretomakesurethatKamalaHarrisiselected\u201d<\\\/p>

EricaHarrison,astay-at-homemotherfromNorthCarolina,capturedtheanticipation\\\"IwasgettingexcitedItoldmyhusband,IthoughtthatBeyoncewouldcomeoutandperformandsing'Freedom,'butIwaswrong\\\"<\\\/p>

\\\"TheentirethingwasasurrealmomentI'mstillonahigh,\\\"shesaid\\\"SoeventhoughBeyoncedidn'tcome,shewouldhavejustbeenalittlecherryontopButeverythingelsewasamazing\\\"RumorshadbeenswirlingthattheDNCwouldfeatureaspecialguestfordays,withmusicianTaylorSwiftalsobeingfloatedasapossibilityButBeyoncewasthechieffigurespeculatedtomakeanappearanceExcitementoverthepossibilityofBeyonce'sDNCappearancehitafeverpitchThursdayafterWhiteHousepoliticaldirectorEmilyRuizpostedabeeemoji,whichislinkedtoBeyonceasherfanbaseisreferredtoasthe\u201cBeyHive\u201dRuizlaterpostedanapology,saying,\u201cSorryguysmy6-year-oldtookmyphone\u201d<\\\/p>

DemocraticPartyChairmanJaimeHarrisonalsododgedconfirmingordenying<\\\/a>whetherBeyoncewouldappearduringanappearanceonCBSMorningsConflictingreportsaboutwhetherornottheiconicsingerwouldappearwerepublishedbymultipleoutletsTMZpublishedareportearlieronThursdaysayingthatmultiplesourcestoldtheoutletshewouldbethesurpriseperformerspeculatedHowever,asthefinalnight\u2019sprogrammingwasunderway,arepresentativeforBeyoncetoldtheHollywoodReporterthatshewas\u201cneverscheduledtobethere\u201dandthat\u201cthereportofaperformanceisuntrue\u201dAWashingtonExaminerreporteroverheardattendeesexitingtheUnitedCenterexpressingdisappointmentthesingerdidn\u2019tshow,withoneexclaiming,\u201cButwedidn\u2019tgetBeyonce!\u201dNevertheless,MainedelegateEricBestsaidwhilehewantedto\u201cbeabletobragtomykidsthatIwastherewhenBeyonceshowedup,\u201dhedidnotfeellikehis\u201clifewasdiminishedbythefactthatshedidn't\u201d<\\\/p>

CLICKHERETOREADMOREFROMTHEWASHINGTONEXAMINER<\\\/a><\\\/p>

NewYorkdelegateAliciaHyndman,52,saidshethoughtitwasforthebestthatBeyoncedidn\u2019tshow<\\\/p>

\u201cIfeltifBeyoncecame,itwouldhavebeentoocelebrity,\u201dHyndmansaid\u201cIthinkwouldhavebeenplayingintotheopposition'splaybooklikebigHollywood\u201d<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/beyonce_noshow_dnc.webp?w=696" } {"id":"3085609-1721196000", "title":"Sen. Whitehouse’s attacks on fossil energy producers are incoherent", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3085609%2Fsen-whitehouse-attacks-fossil-energy-producers-incoherent%2F", "byline":"Benjamin Zycher", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"It might seem difficult to take positions on a prominent issue diametrically opposed and equally preposterous. But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a man whose Pavlovian opposition to the U.S. fossil energy producers has led him into incoherence rare even by Beltway standards, has achieved just such a magical trick. Whitehouse, the chairman of the Senate […]", "description":""

ItmightseemdifficulttotakepositionsonaprominentissuediametricallyopposedandequallypreposterousButSenSheldonWhitehouse(D-RI),amanwhosePavlovianoppositiontotheUSfossilenergyproducershasledhimintoincoherencerareevenbyBeltwaystandards,hasachievedjustsuchamagicaltrick<\\\/p>

Whitehouse,thechairmanoftheSenateBudgetCommittee,foryearshasaccused<\\\/a>themajorUSfossilenergyproducersofcreatingthepurportedclimate\u201ccrisis\u201dandhidingtheirknowledge<\\\/a>ofanddeceivingthepublic<\\\/a>abouttheimpactsofgreenhousegasemissionsTranslation:Fordecades,theUSfossilenergysectorhasproducedtoomuchenergyandthustoomanygreenhousegasemissions\u00a0<\\\/p>

Alas,thatstanceissoyesterdayWhitehouse\u2019snewargument<\\\/a>isthat\u201coilandgascompaniescouldbeengagingincollusive,anti-competitiveactivitieswithOPEC+thatwouldraisecrudeoilprices\u201dSonowtheUSfossilenergyproducersincahootswithOPEC+mightbeproducingtoolittle\u00a0<\\\/p>

WithrespecttoWhitehouse\u2019scollusionargument:PerhapsWhitehouseshouldcallPresidentJoeBidenasawitnessforaBudgetCommitteehearing,asitwasBidenwhoinOctober2022asked<\\\/a>theSaudistodelayascheduledproductioncutuntilafterthemidtermelections\u00a0<\\\/p>

Moregenerally,itistheBidenadministrationthathastakenhundredsofactions<\\\/a>makingUSfossilenergyproductionmoredifficultandcostlyItistheBidenadministrationthathastriedtohidetheattendantadversepriceeffectsbyusing<\\\/a>theStrategicPetroleumReserve<\\\/a>andothergovernmentstockpiles<\\\/a>tomanipulateshort-runsuppliesinawhollyadhocfashion\u2014thatis,forpurelypoliticalpurposes\u00a0<\\\/p>

IfUSproducersare\u201ccolluding\u201dwithOPEC+torestrictoutput,theyaredoingaratherbadjobofitSinceMarch2021,whenrealUSgrossdomesticproductgrowthwasabout5%,UScrudeoiloutput<\\\/a>hasincreasedby13%USnaturalgasproduction<\\\/a>hasincreasedbymorethan5%USrefinerycapacityutilization<\\\/a>hasincreasedfrom819%to897%,refineryuse<\\\/a>ofcrudeoilandotherinputshasincreasedby107%,andrefineryoutput<\\\/a>ofproductshasincreasedby8%OPEC+output<\\\/a>isaboutthesameasinearly2021,whilenon-USoutput<\\\/a>intherestoftheworldhasincreasedbyalmost4%<\\\/p>

WithrespecttoWhitehouse\u2019sclimate\u201cresponsibility\u201dand\u201cdeception\u201dassertions:USgreenhousegasemissionsfromallcombustionoffossilfuels<\\\/a>areabout74%oftotalUSgreenhousegasemissions<\\\/a>EliminationofallUSfossilfuelcombustionemissionswouldreduceglobaltemperaturesin2100by0077degreesCelcius,applyingtheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyclimatemodel<\\\/a>underrealisticassumptionsThateffectwouldnotbedetectable<\\\/p>

Accordingly,someoneshouldaskWhitehousetoexplaintheprecisesenseinwhichUSfossilenergyproducersare\u201cresponsible\u201dfortheassertedclimatecrisis(forwhich,bytheway,thereisnoevidence<\\\/a>)ThatistherelevantquestioninparticulargiventhatreducedoutputbyUSproducerswouldbeoffsetlargelyorwhollywithincreasedproductionbyforeignproducers\u00a0<\\\/p>

Whitehousecontinues<\\\/a>,\u201cFordecades,thefossilfuelindustryhasknownabouttheeconomicandclimateharmsofitsproducts\u201dTheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChangeinits1990FirstAssessmentReportmadeitclearthatitcouldnotexplainwhytemperatureswerehigher5,000-6,000yearsagodespitenoevidenceofanincreaseingreenhousegasconcentrationsFastforwardtotheSixthAssessmentReport<\\\/a>:IPCCstillcannotnarrowdownthe\u201clikely\u201drangeofclimateeffectsofincreasedgreenhousegasconcentrationsAndtheIPCCclimatemodels<\\\/a>continuetooverstatetheatmospherictemperaturerecordbyafactorofover23<\\\/a>\u00a0<\\\/p>

Inshort,accordingtoWhitehousethefossilenergyproducersfordecadeshave\u201cknown\u201dthingsthatwerenotknownin1990andarenotknownnowTheyareproducingtoolittleenergyandtoomuchSucharetheSchr\u00f6dinger-likefruitsofastancewhollyideological,impervioustofacts,andoblivioustotherealinvestmentandeconomicharmcausedbytheBeltwayblamegame<\\\/p>

Whitehouse\u2019s\u201cinvestigations\u201dhaveproducednousefulinformationbutgobsofBeltwaypropaganda:\u201cIfitisanelectionyear,thefossilenergyproducersmustbeguiltyofsomething\u201dIsthisthebesthecando?Theevidencesaysyes<\\\/p>

CLICKHERETOREADMOREFROMRESTORINGAMERICA<\\\/a><\\\/p>

BenjaminZycherisaseniorfellowattheAmericanEnterpriseInstitute<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP22080625251491.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3081706-1720960622", "title":"DHS pressed for clarity on Secret Service protocols to ‘assess threats’ after Trump rally shooting", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fhouse%2F3081706%2Fdhs-pressed-clarity-secret-service-protocols-trump-rally-shooting%2F", "byline":"Cami Mondeaux", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) is pressing the Department of Homeland Security to provide clarity on how Secret Service members are trained to respond to threats after a shooting broke out at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. In a letter sent to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, Green pressed […]", "description":""

HouseHomelandSecurityCommitteeChairmanMarkGreen(R-TN)ispressingtheDepartmentofHomelandSecuritytoprovideclarityonhowSecretServicemembersaretrainedtorespondtothreatsafterashootingbrokeout<\\\/a>atformerPresidentDonaldTrump'srallyonSaturday<\\\/p>

Inaletter<\\\/a>senttoDHSSecretaryAlejandroMayorkasonSunday,GreenpressedthetopBidenadministrationofficialtoprovideinformationoranydocumentationrelatedtosecuritydetailatTrump'srally<\\\/a>inButler,PennsylvaniaGreenpraisedthe\\\"swiftresponse\\\"oftheSecretServicemembersbutarguedtheDHSmustbeinvestigatedforsomereportsthatsuggestthedepartmentrebuffed\\\"multiplerequests\\\"fromTrump'ssecurityteamto\\\"increaseprotectiveservices\\\"aheadoftheevent<\\\/p>

\u201cTheseriousnessofthissecurityfailureandchillingmomentinournation\u2019shistorycannotbeunderstated,\\\"Greenwrote\\\"AstheUSSecretService(USSS)investigates,theCommitteeonHomelandSecurity(Committee)isdedicatedtoconductingrigorousoversighttoensurethattheAmericanpeoplereceiveanswersandpresidentialcandidatesreceiveproperandadequateprotection\\\"<\\\/p>

Greenoutlinedanumberofquestionshewantstobeansweredbythedepartment,includingaccesstoalldocumentsandcommunicationswithintheDHSandSecretServicerelatedto\\\"anypotentialincreaseoradditionofprotectiveresourcestoPresidentTrump\u2019ssecuritydetail\\\"frommid-Novembertothepresentday<\\\/p>

TheletteralsorequestsinformationonSecretService<\\\/a>rulesofengagementprotocols\u201ctoassessandneutralizethreats\u201dafterconcernswereraisedabouthowtheshooter\\\"wasabletoaccessarooftopwithinrangeanddirectlineofsightofwherePresidentTrumpwasspeaking\\\"<\\\/p>

Green'srequestscomeaslawmakersfrombothpartieshaverespondedswiftlytotheshootingandhavebeguntoreconsidersecurityprotocolsinCongressHouseRepublicansarescheduledtohaveabriefingwiththesergeant-at-armsonSundayafternoon,onelawmakertoldtheWashingtonExaminer<\\\/p>

RepsRitchieTorres(D-NY)andMikeLawler(R-NY)alsoannouncedtheywouldbeintroducingabillthatwouldprovideenhancedSecretServiceprotectiontoTrumpaswellasPresidentJoeBidenandRobertFKennedyJr<\\\/a>whileonthecampaigntrail<\\\/p>

\\\"Asreportscontinuetoemerge,it\u2019sclearthatmoreprotectionisneededforallmajorcandidatesforpresident,\\\"thetwosaidinajointstatement\\\"That\u2019swhywe\u2019replanningonintroducingbipartisanlegislationprovidingPresidentJoeBiden,formerPresidentDonaldTrump,andpresidentialcandidateRobertKennedyJrwithenhancedSecretServiceprotectionAnythinglesswouldbeadisservicetoourdemocracy\u201d<\\\/p>

TheFBIidentifiedtheshooterasThomasMatthewCrooks,20,ofBethel,Pennsylvania,onSundaymorningCrooksdiedshortlyaftertheshootingafterbeing\\\"neutralized\\\"bytheSecretService,agencyspokesmanAnthonyGuglielmisaidinastatementAtleastonerallyattendeewasalsokilled<\\\/p>

Trumpwastakentoanearbyhospital<\\\/a>tobetreatedafterconfirminghewaspiercedintheupperpartofhisrightear<\\\/p>

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\u201cIknewimmediatelythatsomethingwaswronginthatIheardawhizzingsound,shots,andimmediatelyfeltthebulletrippingthroughtheskinMuchbleedingtookplace,\u201dhewroteinaTruthSocialPost<\\\/p>

Theformerpresident<\\\/a>isinstableconditionTrumplaterflewtoNewJerseyafterbeingreleasedfromthehospitalHeisexpectedtotraveltoMilwaukeefortheRepublicanNationalConventionthatbeginsonMonday<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/secret-service-44.webp?w=696" } {"id":"3077696-1720701634", "title":"Johnson quiets initial concerns about fundraising prowess by raising $23.5 million in second quarter", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3077696%2Fjohnson-quiets-initial-concerns-about-fundraising-prowess-by-raising-23-5-million-in-second-quarter%2F", "byline":"Cami Mondeaux", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) raised $23.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, outperforming expectations and continuing to quiet initial concerns about his fundraising prowess when he took the gavel last October. More than $17 million of that haul went toward Johnson’s committees with the remaining $6.5 million going toward individual members and GOP […]", "description":""

HouseSpeakerMikeJohnson<\\\/a>(R-LA)raised$235millioninthesecondquarterof2024,outperformingexpectationsandcontinuingtoquietinitialconcernsabouthisfundraising<\\\/a>prowesswhenhetookthegavellastOctober<\\\/p>

Morethan$17millionofthathaulwenttowardJohnson'scommitteeswiththeremaining$65milliongoingtowardindividualmembersandGOPcandidatesAdditionally,Johnsonhasnowtransferredmorethan$16milliontotheNationalRepublicanCongressionalCommittee<\\\/a>thiscycleaspartofeffortstogrowtheparty'sslimHousemajoritynextyear<\\\/p>

\u201cWithcommonsensesolutions,strongcandidates,andmomentumgrowingeveryday,anotherextraordinaryquartershowsRepublicansareexpandingourbaseandenergizedtowinupanddowntheballotinNovember,\u201dJohnsonsaidinastatement\u201cAswegatherinMilwaukeenextweektoofficiallynominatePresidentDonaldTrump,ourPartyhasneverbeenmoreunifiedandequippedwiththeresourcesneededtogrowtheHousemajority,wintheSenate,andwintheWhiteHouse\u201d<\\\/p>

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Johnson'ssecond-quarterhaulbuildsonotherHouseGOPleaders'fundraisingforatotalof$45millionraisedduringthesecondquarter,whencombiningthespeaker'snumberswithHouseMajorityLeaderSteveScalise(R-LA),MinorityWhipTomEmmer(R-MN),andGOPChairwomanEliseStefanik(R-NY)<\\\/p>

Johnson'sfundraisingstillfallsslightlybehindhispredecessor,formerSpeakerKevinMcCarthy<\\\/a>(R-CA),butthehighnumbersofferhopetoRepublicansthatthespeakerisabletoraiselargesumsforthepartydespiteonlyholdingthegavelforninemonths<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24178017398020-scaled.webp?w=696" } {"id":"3074143-1720513167", "title":"State program spends $1 million to get 37 ‘disadvantaged’ people drivers licenses", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F3074143%2Fstate-program-spends-1-million-to-get-37-disadvantaged-people-drivers-licenses%2F", "byline":"TJ Martinell | The Center Square", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"(The Center Square) – A program set up in King County through the state Department of Licensing and funded by the state Legislature has spent nearly $1 million teaching “disadvantaged” women to drive, with just 37 women actually obtaining their license in a five-month period. King County contracts with Mujer al Volante, a nonprofit organization in […]", "description":""

(TheCenterSquare)\u00a0\u2013AprogramsetupinKingCountythroughthestateDepartmentofLicensingandfundedbythestateLegislaturehasspentnearly$1millionteaching\u201cdisadvantaged\u201dwomentodrive,withjust37womenactuallyobtainingtheirlicenseinafive-monthperiod<\\\/p>

KingCountycontractswithMujeralVolante,anonprofitorganizationinSeattlethatofferssupportservicestorefugeeandimmigrantwomenIn2022,theLegislaturegaveDOL$350,000toalsocontractwiththenonprofit,withanadditional$2millionappropriatedearlierthisyearinthestatetransportationbudget<\\\/p>

TheDriversLicenseAssistanceProgram\u201cTakingtheSteeringWheelofMyLife\u201dprovidesqualifyingapplicantsassistancetowardobtainingadriver\u2019slicenseToqualify,apersonmustbeawomanor\u201cnonbinary,\u201danimmigrant,asylee,orrefugee,andbeclassifiedas\\\"low-income\\\"<\\\/p>

SincetheprogramstartedinDecember,therehavebeen522individualswhohavegonethroughtheprogramHowever,just37ofthemhavesuccessfullypassedthewrittenanddrivingexamsInJanuary,therewere101participantsandonlyoneofthemobtainedtheirlicenseInApril,therewere132participants,13ofwhichgottheirlicense<\\\/p>

WhenTheCenterSquarereachedouttoDOLforcomment,CommunicationsManagerChristineAnthonywrotethat\u201cwecontractedwithMujeralVolanteinDecemberof2023,andthisisthefirstreporttotheLegislatureThisisanewprogramweareadministering,andwewillcontinuetoworkwiththeorganizationandmonitortheirprogress\u201d<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24014160536170-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3072819-1720443053", "title":"Sorry, progressives, but facts can’t be racist", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3072819%2Fsorry-progressives-but-facts-cant-be-racist%2F", "byline":"Brad Polumbo", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Facts cannot be racist. But that hasn’t stopped many liberal media figures and Democratic politicians from trying to insist otherwise after one conservative writer dared to point out what we all know about Vice President Kamala Harris: She wouldn’t be where she is now without the movement for DEI, also known as diversity, equity, and […]", "description":""

FactscannotberacistButthathasn\u2019tstoppedmanyliberalmedia<\\\/a>figuresandDemocraticpoliticiansfromtryingtoinsistotherwiseafteroneconservativewriterdaredtopointoutwhatweallknowaboutVicePresidentKamalaHarris<\\\/a>:Shewouldn\u2019tbewheresheisnowwithoutthemovementforDEI<\\\/a>,alsoknownasdiversity,equity,andinclusion\u00a0<\\\/p>

Inanarticle<\\\/a>thatwentviral,CharlesGasparinowrotethatifsheissuccessfullyputforwardasPresidentJoeBiden\u2019s<\\\/a>successor,Harriswillbe\u201cthecountry\u2019sfirstDEIpresident\u201dSufficeittosay,thisdidnotgooverwell\u00a0<\\\/p>

GovGavinNewsom(D-CA)tweeted<\\\/a>outtheheadlineandsaid,\u201cThisisstraight-upracist\u201d\u00a0<\\\/p>

Meanwhile,theaccount\u201cRacismWatchDog\u201dsharedthearticleandsaid<\\\/a>,\u201cBarkbarkbark,\u201dinapostthat47millionpeoplehaveseen\u00a0<\\\/p>

Anotherviraltweet<\\\/a>accusedthearticleof\u201cfindingawaytospellthenwordwithonly3characters\u201d<\\\/p>

Yougettheidea:HowdareconservativeslabelKamalaHarrisadiversitypickThat\u2019sobviouslyracistandhateful! <\\\/p>

There\u2019sjustoneproblem,howeverItisafactthatHarriswasselectedtobeBiden\u2019svicepresidentinpartduetoherraceandgenderItisafactthatifshehadbeenawhitemalebutotherwiseremainedaCaliforniasenator,Harrisneverwould\u2019vebeenselectedashisrunningmate\u00a0<\\\/p>

Youdon\u2019thavetotakemywordforitJustaskBidenDuringthe2020presidentialcampaign,Bidenopenlysaid,inexplicitterms<\\\/a>,thathewasonlyconsideringwomentobehisvicepresident,andhestronglyimplied<\\\/a>thathewouldfavorawomanofcolor\u00a0<\\\/p>

That\u2019sright:Weknowforafactthat,butforhergender,Harrisneverwould\u2019vebeenselectedasvicepresident(Andifnotforthat,shecertainlywouldn\u2019tbeattheforefrontoftheconversationforapotentialBidenreplacement)So,tocallheradiversityor\u201cDEI\u201dpickisnotanopinionthatcanbecharacterizedasracist:Itisanobservationofafact\u00a0<\\\/p>

WhenIpointedthisoutonX,manyofthesameliberalsandprogressivesgotupsetwithmeaswell <\\\/p>

ButafactthatupsetspeoplecontinuestobeafactAndnoneoftheircounterargumentschangethefactthatHarris,nomatterhowonefeelsaboutit,oweshercurrentpositioninparttotheDemocrats\u2019blatantidentitypoliticsandopenlydiscriminatorypursuitofdiversity\u00a0<\\\/p>

SomecriticspointedoutthatHarrisisn\u2019tunqualifiedforvicepresident,arguingthatasaformersenatorandstateattorneygeneral,shehassimilarqualificationstopastvicepresidentialpicks,suchasBidenwhenheservedunderPresidentBarackObamaYetthisissomethingofanonsequiturbecausetosaythatHarriswasadiversityselectionisnottosayshe\u2019stotallyunqualifiedforthejob\u00a0<\\\/p>

Forexample,SupremeCourtJusticeKetanjiBrownJacksonisobjectivelya\u201cdiversitypick\u201dbecauseBidenopenlysaidhewasonlyconsideringblackwomenforthejobYetJacksonisalsoeminentlyqualifiedfortheposition\u2014shewassimplyelevatedaboveothersduetoherimmutablecharacteristicsThesetwothingscananddocoexistwithregularity\u00a0<\\\/p>

DEIpicksrarely,ifever,resultinasituationwheresomeonetotallyunqualifiedispickedforajobButsomeoneisadiversityhireif,butforherimmutablecharacteristics,shewouldnothavebeengiventheroleunderastrictlymeritocraticselectionAndthatisalmostcertainlythecaseforHarrisAfterall,accordingtoBidenhimself,shewasselectedthroughaprocessinwhichmorethanhalfofthealternatives,males,wereruledoutduetotheirgenderandwhitefemaleswereseeminglydisfavoredThatleftonlyherandahandfulofotherminoritywomen<\\\/a>whowerehigh-rankingDemocraticofficialsfromwhichBidencouldchoose<\\\/p>

Andbeyondheridentity,Harrisdidn\u2019taddmuchtotheticketShewasn\u2019tfromaswingstateShehadneverwonacompetitiveelectionagainstaRepublicanShewasn\u2019tpopularwiththeDemocraticbase,havingfailedhorrificallyinherownpresidentialbidShewasn\u2019tevenpopularintheprimarywithblackvoters,agroupfromwhomBidenalreadyhadstrongsupportAndshewaspronetocringeworthymomentsandhadthecampaigntrailcharismaofawettowel\u00a0<\\\/p>

Harris\u2019smain\u201cvalueadd\u201dforBiden\u2019sticketwasthatshewasawomanofcolorWeallknewitthen,andweallknowitnow <\\\/p>

AnothercounterargumentisthatvicepresidentsareoftenselectedduetofactorsnotdirectlyrelatedtomeritThatmaybetrue,butitshouldn\u2019tbeAnditdoesn\u2019tmakeracialfavoritismanylessmorallydetestableItalsodoesn\u2019tmakethechargethatHarrisisaDEIpicklesstrueIfanything,itjustofferscontexttobetterunderstandthesignificanceofthistruth\u00a0<\\\/p>

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So,too,somecriticshaveyelled,\u201cButTrump!\u201d,astheyarewonttodo,andtheyhavepointedoutthatPresidentDonaldTrumpdidsomethingsimilarwhenheappointedSupremeCourtJusticeAmyConeyBarrettafterpromisingtoappointawomanYetthiswhataboutismisn\u2019tarefutationoftheactualchargeItjustmeansthatBarrettwasalsoaDEIpick,assomeacknowledgedatthetime(IftheirpointwasjustthatRepublicanscanbehypocrites,they\u2019dhavenoargumentfromme!)<\\\/p>

WesimplycannotletDemocratsandprogressivesmakenoticingfactstheyfindinconvenientoff-limitsbythrowingaroundfalsechargesofracismNomatterhowhardsomeontheLeftinsist,factscanneverberacist,andthemomentwecavetothatridiculousframing,welosetheabilitytodiscussthetruthandcedethepoliticalconversationtowhoeveriswillingtocry\u201cvictim\u201dtheloudest <\\\/p>

BradPolumbo(@Brad_Polumbo<\\\/a>)isanindependentjournalist,YouTuber<\\\/a>,andaco-founderofBASEDPolitics<\\\/a><\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24188824437913-scaled.webp?w=696" } {"id":"3071849-1720418400", "title":"Increasing economic growth should be top priority", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3071849%2Fincreasing-economic-growth-should-be-top-priority%2F", "byline":"Bruce Thompson", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"For the past three and a half years, the U.S. economy has struggled under the economic policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats.  Increased taxes, spending, deficits, and debt have produced higher prices, lower wages, soaring interest rates, and slower economic growth. For typical American families, the Biden administration’s policies have resulted in lower […]", "description":""

Forthepastthreeandahalfyears,theUSeconomy<\\\/a>hasstruggledundertheeconomic<\\\/a>policiesoftheBidenadministration<\\\/a>andcongressionalDemocrats\u00a0<\\\/p>

Increasedtaxes,spending,deficits,anddebthaveproducedhigherprices,lowerwages,soaringinterestrates,andslowereconomicgrowthFortypicalAmericanfamilies,theBidenadministration'spolicieshaveresultedinlowerstandardsoflivinganddashedhopesofabetterfuture <\\\/p>

Whiletheinflation<\\\/a>ratehaseasedfromits91%peak,thehighestlevelin40years,pricesarestillup20%sinceBidentookoffice,faroutpacingtheincreaseinwages<\\\/p>

MillionsofAmericansarefinanciallystressed,unabletobuyahome,payofftheirdebt,orsaveforthefuture<\\\/a>Householddebt<\\\/a>isatanall-timehigh,up$3trillion,or21%,sincethefirstquarterof2021\u00a0<\\\/p>

Alongwiththesehighprices,theUSeconomyisstuckinaslowgrowthrutThelatestnumbers<\\\/a>showtheeconomyisslowingunderhighinterestratesandpersistentinflation,withpersonalspendingandcapitalgoodsordersweakening\u00a0<\\\/p>

Realgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)grewatonly14%<\\\/a>\u00a0lastquarter,theslowestgrowthinnearlytwoyearsInthelastninequarters,economicgrowthhasaveragedonlyhalfourhistoricgrowthrate\u00a0<\\\/p>

TheUSneedstoadoptpro-growthpoliciestoencouragefastereconomicgrowthButifBidenandcongressionalDemocratsaregivenanotherchanceinNovember,wefaceevenhighertaxes,morespending,andslowergrowthTheyarealreadyplanningtoleveragethe2025<\\\/a>debateoverextendingthe2017taxcutstoforcethelargesttaxincreaseinourhistory\u00a0<\\\/p>

TheyaredraftingplanstoraisetaxesonindividualtaxpayersandAmericanbusinesses,actions,whichcouldtiptheeconomyintoarecessionandresultinlargerdeficitsanddebt<\\\/a><\\\/p>

TheBidenadministration\u2019smostharmfulproposalwouldraisetheUScorporatetaxratetooneofthehighestintheworldThiswouldbeamajoreconomicmistakeIncreasingthecorporaterateisthemosteconomicallydamagingtaxincrease,andraisingthistax<\\\/a>inaweakeconomywouldcauseittolosemorerevenuethanitgained,likelytriggeringaneventualeconomiccollapse<\\\/p>

Numerousstudieshaveshownthatraisingthecorporateratewouldhaveaharmfuleffectonworkingfamilies,loweringtheirwagesandincomes,increasingthepricestheypay,andreducingtheirretirement<\\\/a>\u00a0savingsAFederalReservestudy<\\\/a>foundthatahighercorporatetaxratewouldbe\u201cuniformlyharmful\u201dtoworkingpeople,leadingto\u201csignificantreductions\u201cintheirjobsandincomes<\\\/p>

IncreasingthecorporatetaxratewouldalsoputUScompaniesatasignificantcompetitivedisadvantageagainstourglobalcompetitorsUndertheBidenadministration,theUSrate<\\\/a>wouldbehigherthaneveryothercountrywecompeteagainst,reducinginvestmentinAmericaandshiftingprofitsandjobsoverseas\u00a0<\\\/p>

Americansfacedsimilarfinancialchallengesofhighprices,stagnantgrowth,andsoaringtaxesandspending44yearsagoTheRepublicanPartyplatformin1980statedthatnothingwasmoreimportantthaneconomicgrowth,andendorsedtheReaganeconomicrecoveryprogram<\\\/a>oflowertaxratesandspendingcuts\u00a0<\\\/p>

Oncepassed,theReagantaxcuts<\\\/a>andspendingreformskickedoffaneconomicboom,withrealGDPgrowthreaching\u00a07%in1983and8%in1984,andaveragingnearly5%ayearthrough1988Inflationdroppedfrom11%to4%andnearly20millionjobswerecreatedinthelargestpeacetimeexpansioninUShistory\u00a0<\\\/p>

TheReagantaxcutsweremodeledaftertheKennedytaxcutsinthe1960s,whichalsosetoffaneconomicgrowthboom,withrealgrowthaveragingmorethan5%ayearTheReagan-Kennedytaxcutsledtoextendedperiodsofunprecedentedeconomicgrowth<\\\/a>andahigherstandardoflivingforallAmericans\u00a0<\\\/p>

Underourcurrentpathofhightaxesandspending,theeconomicoutlookisdimTheCongressionalBudgetOffice(CBO)isforecasting<\\\/a>10yearsofdismalandweakgrowthaveraging18%ayear,\u00a0muchlowerthanthe35%averageannualgrowththeUSexperiencedfrom1960to2000Ifthathappens,wewillhaveadecadeoflowerincomes,fewerjobs,andcountlesslostopportunities<\\\/a>\u00a0<\\\/p>

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ButitdoesnothavetobethiswayAswehaveseen,aneconomicpolicyoflowtaxratesandfiscalrestraintcanincreaseinvestment,productivity,andoutput,leadingtohigherincomesandfastergrowthPro-growthtaxpoliciesthatincreasetheincentivetowork,save,andinvest,alongwithspendingrestraint,wouldimproveeconomicgrowth,gettingusoutofourslowgrowthrutandreturningtheeconomytoitshistoricgrowthrate<\\\/a> <\\\/p>

Highereconomicgrowthwouldgeneratetrillionsofdollarsofeconomicactivity,leadingtohigherwagesandincomes,betterjobsandopportunities,andmoreprosperityforallAmericansWecannotsettleforanother10yearsofsubpargrowthIncreasingeconomicgrowthshouldbeourtoppriority <\\\/p>

BruceThompsonwasaUSSenateaide,assistantsecretaryofTreasuryforlegislativeaffairs,andthedirectorofgovernmentrelationsforMerrillLynchfor22years<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23315572079441.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3069418-1720072800", "title":"Is the American dream dead? My family’s story proves otherwise", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3069418%2Fis-the-american-dream-dead-my-familys-story-proves-otherwise%2F", "byline":"Hera Varmah", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The American dream has been woven into countless narratives throughout my life, shaped by the inspiring stories shared by my family members and friends who came to the United States in search of a better life. This Independence Day, it might be tempting to think this dream is now elusive as division and discouragement spread across […]", "description":""

TheAmericandreamhasbeenwovenintocountlessnarrativesthroughoutmylife,shapedbytheinspiringstoriessharedbymyfamilymembersandfriendswhocametotheUnitedStatesinsearchofabetterlifeThisIndependenceDay<\\\/a>,itmightbetemptingtothinkthisdreamisnowelusive asdivision<\\\/a>anddiscouragement<\\\/a>spreadacrossourcountry<\\\/p>

Butmylifeprovesitcanstillbeareality\u2014ifwestrivetomakeitone <\\\/p>

Thoseofusfromimmigrantcommunitiesarefamiliarwiththepromiseofopportunity,enshrinedbytheFoundingFathersintheDeclarationofIndependenceandencapsulatedintheidealsoflife,liberty,andthepursuitofhappinessFamilieslikeminehaveworkedurgentlytorealizethispromise<\\\/p>

Growingup,myfamilyof12childrenborntoimmigrantparentsfacedmanyobstaclesWecouldhavetakenthewrongpath,butwewerefortunatetoliveinastatethatgaveusaccesstoatop-tiereducationatCatholicprivateschools,magnetschools,andtraditionalpublicschools,inwhicheachofusfoundwhatweneededtochaseourdreams <\\\/p>

Asayounggirl,Ididn\u2019tbelieveIwasintelligentorthatIcouldexcelinschoolEventhoughmyparentshadfaithinme,IwasconvincedIwouldfailIfocusedonsports,thinkingitwastheonlyareainwhichIcouldsucceedIthoughtmysiblingswouldgoontobesuccessfulwhileIremainedstuckinpoverty<\\\/p>

Butthankstoscholarshipopportunitiesinmystate,Imetteacherswhosawmypotentialandsupportedme,helpingmegainconfidenceAndIwasabletobuildfriendshipswithothersfromdifferentbackgroundsandbeliefsystems <\\\/p>

Today,Iamacollegegraduateworkingatanationalpolicyorganization,fightingforchildrenlikemeIwentfromfeelinginadequateasayounggirltotestifyingbeforeCongressatage24\u00a0<\\\/p>

MysiblingsandIareafulfillmentofmygrandparents\u2019dreamsWeallhavedifferentopinions,careers,hopes,anddreams,butweareallachievingourgoalsFourofusarecollegegraduates,twoareengineers,oneisinmedicalschool,sixareuniversitystudents,andtwoarehighschoolstudents <\\\/p>

ThisIndependenceDay,Iwantmyfamily\u2019sstorytobethenorm,notanexception<\\\/p>

Iwantmygenerationtoreignitethespiritofstrivingforgreatnessintheircareers,nurturingtheirfamilies,orpursuingwhateverversionoftheAmericandreamtheymightholdNegativityanddoommaydrivenewscycles,butsuccessstoriesaboundwhenchildrenaregivenopportunityWemustsharethesestories\u2014andmakethempossible<\\\/p>

ConsidermyfriendandcolleagueGissell,afirst-generationAmericanborninDelawarebutraisedinMexicointheearly2000sAt14yearsold,shereturnedwithoutherparentstoMilwaukee,Wisconsin,topursuehereducationThankstoCristoReyJesuitHighSchool,whichshewasabletoattendbecauseofWisconsin\u2019sschoolchoiceprogram,Gissellovercamenumerousobstacles,includingthedifficultdecisiontoforgoafullscholarshiptoGeorgetownUniversitytobringhertwoteenagesistersfromMexicoinsteadandcareforthem <\\\/p>

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ShewentontoearnadoublefullscholarshiptoMarquetteUniversityandbecamethefirstcollegegraduateinherfamilythisMaySheisstillbuildingherAmericandreamasshepursuesacareerinpolicy<\\\/p>

OurstoriesprovetheAmericandreamisaliveandwellifonlywegivechildrenthechancetochaseitThismeansgrantingthemaccesstoqualityeducationandopportunitiesregardlessoftheirbackgroundorZIPcodeThisIndependenceDay,let\u2019srededicateourselvestothatgoal<\\\/p>

HeraVarmahisagraduateofFlorida\u2019staxcreditscholarshipprogramsandanexternalrelationsassociateattheAmericanFederationforChildren<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/iStock-1399726385.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3069580-1720021085", "title":"Three times Biden disregarded the ‘limits of presidential power’", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3069580%2Fthree-times-biden-disregarded-the-limits-of-presidential-power%2F", "byline":"Andrea Ruth", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Fresh off his humiliating performance at the presidential debate, President Joe Biden found the energy to deliver brief remarks to a nationally televised audience over the Supreme Court‘s presidential immunity case.  In a four-minute address that resembled a campaign ad more than a formal statement, Biden, who took no questions, condemned the Supreme Court’s decision. […]", "description":""

Freshoffhishumiliatingperformanceatthepresidentialdebate,PresidentJoeBiden<\\\/a>foundtheenergytodeliverbriefremarkstoanationallytelevisedaudienceovertheSupremeCourt<\\\/a>'spresidentialimmunitycase\u00a0<\\\/p>

Inafour-minuteaddressthatresembledacampaignadmorethanaformalstatement,Biden,whotooknoquestions,condemnedtheSupremeCourt'sdecisionHiscommentsechoedthoseofJusticeSoniaSotomayor<\\\/a>,employingfear-inducinglanguagesuchas\\\"fundamentallychanged\\\"andotherphrasessuggestingasignificantshiftbutalsoallowingforpossibleretreats,suchas\\\"forallpracticalpurposes,\\\"\\\"almostcertainly,\\\"and\\\"virtuallynolimits\\\"<\\\/p>

OnethingBidensaidstoodout<\\\/a>\\\"IknowIwillrespectthelimitsofthepresidentialpower,asIhaveforthreeandahalfyears,\\\"hesaid<\\\/p>

ThisstatementisinstarkcontrasttohisactionsInreality,thepresidenthasconsistentlypushedtheboundariesofhispower,particularlyduringthefirsttwoyearsofhispresidency,whenhefrequentlydisregardedtheseparationofpowers <\\\/p>

Rentmoratorium<\\\/p>

ThefirstinstanceinwhichBidenignoredthelimitsofpresidentialpowerwaswhenheallowedtheCOVID-erarentmoratoriumtoremaininplaceHewonaninitial5-4decisionStill,JusticeBrettKavanaugh<\\\/a>warnedheonlyallowedittocontinuetomaintainanorderlytransitionandthatanyfurtherreliefwouldrequire\\\"clearandspecificcongressionalauthorization(vianewlegislation)\\\"TheBidenadministrationignoredthewarningandtriedtoextendthemoratoriumagainTheSupremeCourtstruckitdown\u00a0<\\\/p>

Vaccinemandate<\\\/p>

Inanotherinstance,theBidenadministrationattemptedtoforceprivatecompaniestomandateemployeevaccinations,arguingithadtheauthoritytouseOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministrationregulationstoenforceitTheSupremeCourtdisagreed,strikingdownthemandateandrulingtheagencyexceededitsauthorityThecourtwrote,\\\"AlthoughCongress<\\\/a>hasindisputablygivenOSHAthepowertoregulateoccupationaldangers,ithasnotgiventhatagencythepowertoregulatepublichealthmorebroadly\\\"\u00a0<\\\/p>

Studentdebtrelief<\\\/p>

Thoughacademics,scholars,andformerHouseSpeakerNancyPelosisaidBidendidnothavetheauthoritytoimplementstudentdebtreliefunilaterally,thepresidentchosetodoitanywayOnceagain,theSupremeCourttoldhim\\\"no,\\\"remindinghiminyetanotherinstancethathewasnotrespectingthelimitsofpresidentialpowerChiefJusticeJohnRoberts<\\\/a>rejectedtheadministration'sargumentithadauthorityunderthe2003HEROESActtoimplementtheplanRobertswrote,\\\"Thequestionhereisnotwhethersomethingshouldbedone;itiswhohastheauthoritytodoit\\\"\u00a0<\\\/p>

Thecourtinvokedthe\\\"majorquestion\\\"doctrine,whichstatesthatifCongresswantstogiveagenciestheauthoritytomakedecisionsofvasteconomicandpoliticalsignificance,itmustsaysoclearlyRobertssaidtheHEROESActdidn'tauthorizedebtreliefatall <\\\/p>

RatherthangotoCongressandasklawmakerstodraftlegislationfordebtrelief,BidenattemptedabackdoortoimplementstudentdebtforgivenessTheadministrationdevisedanewschemeitfeltwouldinsulateitfromjudicialreviewBidenhadtheaudacitytoboastaboutitHesaid,\\\"TheSupremeCourtblockedme,butitdidnotstopme\\\" <\\\/p>

However,twofederaljudgesinseparatestates,KansasandMissouri,blockedthenewSavingonaValuableEducationplanenactedbytheDepartmentofEducation<\\\/a>Statessued,arguingtheadministrationonceagainoversteppeditsauthorityWhilethe10thCircuitCourtofAppealstemporarilyliftedtheKansasjudge'sbanonthenewrepaymentplan,theinjunctionisstillinplaceinMissouriThejudgesinbothcasessaidtheadministrationcouldnotshowCongressauthorizedthenewplan\u00a0<\\\/p>

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Thejudgesinthetwocases,USDistrictJudgeDanielDCrabtreeinKansasandUSDistrictJudgeJohnARossinMissouri,werebothappointedbyPresidentBarackObama<\\\/a>So,anycomplaintsteamBidenmighthaveaboutthejudges'politicalmotivationsfallflat<\\\/p>

PointingouthowwrongformerPresidentDonaldTrumpiswhenitcomestorestraintsonexecutivepowerisnotavalidwayforBidentoexcusehislackofrestraint,anditisabald-facedlieforhimtosayhe'srespectedthelimitsofpresidentialpowerduringhisterm<\\\/p>

AndreaRuthisacontributortothe WashingtonExaminer magazine<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24184012822003-scaled.webp?w=696" } {"id":"3065773-1719900000", "title":"Fairfax County Public Schools leadership displays disdain for parents — again", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3065773%2Ffairfax-county-public-schools-leadership-displays-disdain-for-parents-again%2F", "byline":"Stephanie Lundquist-Arora", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Last Thursday, as the first presidential debate was making national headlines, Fairfax County School Board members held a meeting during which they voted on controversial changes to family life education curriculum. The takeaway for the few of us able to attend or watch it virtually was that the district’s leadership hates parents — or, at […]", "description":""

LastThursday,asthefirstpresidentialdebate<\\\/a>wasmakingnationalheadlines,FairfaxCountySchoolBoard<\\\/a>membersheldameetingduringwhichtheyvotedoncontroversialchangestofamilylifeeducationcurriculumThetakeawayforthefewofusabletoattendorwatchitvirtuallywasthatthedistrict\u2019sleadershiphatesparents\u2014or,attheveryleast,isseverelyinconveniencedbyus<\\\/p>

DarcyHealy,oneofthespeakersduringpubliccomment,deliveredanimpassionedstatementthatrepresentshowmanyparentsinFairfaxCountyarefeelingShesaid<\\\/a>,\u201cWeareparents,andwewantyoutolistentous,butwefeelthatthat\u2019sjustnothappening\u2026ThesurveythatwasdoneinMayandJune[shows]80%areagainstthisco-edsituationLet\u2019scontinuetodebatethisDon\u2019tdoitoverthesummerAnddon\u2019tdothevoteontheeveningofthepresidentialdebateThisisanimportanttopicShowusthatyouwantittobeimportant\u201d<\\\/p>

HealyisrightInsurveysboththisyear<\\\/a>andlastyear<\\\/a>,parentsandcommunitymembersmadeitclearthattheydidnotsupportco-edsexeducationorgenderideologyinstructionintheirchildren\u2019selementaryclassroomsSeveralcommunitymembersmadethisexactpointduringthelasttwoschoolboardmeetings\u2019publiccommentperiodsonJune13andJune27<\\\/p>

Insteadofbeinginclusiveandacceptingcommunityfeedback,theFairfaxCountySchoolBoardwashostile\u2014mostnotablyamongthem,theboard\u2019svicechairwoman,MelanieMeren<\\\/a><\\\/p>

First,Merenspokeindignantlyaboutthecurriculum\u2019sopt-outoptionShesaid<\\\/a>,\u201cAnd,youknow,whatIwanttoconveyisthatweneedtomakedecisionsofcurriculumforthebenefitof,youknow,asmanychildrenaspossibleAndthisiswhyparentsandfamilieshavetheoptiontooptoutiftheydon\u2019tfeelthecontentisappropriatefortheirchildrenwhenitcomestofamilylifeeducation\u201d<\\\/p>

Butwhyincludeunwanted,politicalnonsensesuchasgenderideologyinapublicschooldistrict\u2019ssexeducationcurriculumandthenplacetheburdenofoptingoutontheparents?Here\u2019swhy:becausedistrictleadershipknowsthatmanyparentsarepreoccupiedwithourmanyotherobligationsandwillforgettocompletetheextraadministrativetaskofoptingoutourchildrenfromcurriculumlessons<\\\/p>

Districtleadersshouldnotbeexperimentingwithourchildren,butsincetheyseemtoinsistondoingso,thiscurriculumshouldrequireparentstooptinratherthanoptout<\\\/p>

Merenthendeliveredanangryrantabouttheillegitimacyofthecommunity\u2019sfeedbackmechanismsShesaid<\\\/a>,\u201cIalsodowanttounderscorethatthecommentsthathavebeenreferredtoasasurvey,um,itactuallywasnotasurveyTherewasacallforpubliccomments\u2026TherewasalsonotamethodologytoensurethatcommentswereuniquecontributorsSo,ofthe2,500comments,it\u2019sunknownhowmanywerecontributedmorethanonce\u201d<\\\/p>

Thetakeawayisthatifthedistrict\u2019sleadersdon\u2019tlikecommunityfeedback,theyblamethecommentforumLastyear,forexample,KarlFrisch<\\\/a>,theschoolboardchairman,similarlydismissed<\\\/a>thesurveyasfeedbackfrom\u201cRedditwarriors\u201d<\\\/p>

Incontrast,IlryongMoon,aschoolboardmemberwhodoesnotappeartobecompletelydisgustedandinconveniencedbythedistrict\u2019sparents,seemedtorealizetheabsurdityofhiscolleagues\u2019commentsrightawayTheat-largememberresponded<\\\/a>thatiftherewasaproblemwiththefeedbackmechanismforcommunityinput,itwastheboard\u2019sresponsibilitytofixtheprocessMoonfurthersaidhevaluedcommunityinputandthankedthe2,539surveyrespondentsfortheirtime<\\\/p>

Unfortunately,inspiteofthenegativefeedbackontheproposal,schoolboardmembers,includingMoon,votedtoincludegenderideologyinstructionintheseventhgradefamilylifeeducationcurriculumAndtheydidnotvoteagainstgenderideologyindoctrinationforelementaryschoolchildrenTheyinsteadpostponedthatdecision\u2014perhapsinthehopesthattheycanpassitwhenfewerparentsarepayingattention<\\\/p>

Orevenworse,theywillincludesuchmeasuressurreptitiouslyandwithoutavoteActingonher\u201cmajoritydoesn\u2019talwaysdictate\u201dphilosophy,FairfaxCountyPublicSchoolsSuperintendentMichelleReidhasalreadyusedaback-door,anti-democratic,administrativemethodtointroduceco-edinstructionforsexeducationinthedistrict\u2019snewpilotprogram<\\\/a>in14elementaryschoolsthatshelikelyintendstoexpand\u00a0<\\\/p>

Andso,toHealyIsay,Ifeelyourpain,andwewillcontinuetodebatethisButsadly,itseemsthatReid,Frisch,Meren,andtheirtyrannicalleftistactivistminorityhavealreadydecidedwhatisbestforourchildrenTheyseemtobelievethatwe,theparents,areroadblocksobstructingtheirpath,tobecircumventedorrunover<\\\/p>

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StephanieLundquist-AroraisacontributorfortheWashingtonExaminer,amotherinFairfaxCounty,Virginia,anauthor,andtheFairfaxchapterleaderoftheIndependentWomen\u2019sNetwork<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-473628448-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3060911-1719468000", "title":"How Ben Sasse could transform education", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3060911%2Fhow-ben-sasse-could-transform-education%2F", "byline":"Max Eden", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"In late 2022, former Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse was appointed president of the University of Florida. The media mostly ran with artificially inflated stories of student protests. But Sasse’s supporters were optimistic that he could prove a transformative leader.  To date, he’s kept a relatively low public profile. But Sasse has just been handed […]", "description":""

Inlate2022,formerRepublicanNebraska<\\\/a>SenBenSassewasappointedpresidentoftheUniversityofFloridaThemediamostlyranwithartificiallyinflatedstoriesofstudentprotestsButSasse\u2019ssupporterswereoptimisticthathecouldproveatransformativeleader\u00a0<\\\/p>

Todate,he\u2019skeptarelativelylowpublicprofileButSassehasjustbeenhandedagoldenopportunitytoremodelnotonlyhighereducation,butsubstantiallyimprovepublicK-12educationalongwithitWeshouldknowsoonwhetherhe\u2019lltakeit<\\\/p>

Fordecades,conservativeshavecomplainedaboutteachers\u2019colleges,whereeducatorsandadministratorsmustreceivecertificationTheevidenceprovesthatthey\u2019reawasteoftimeandmoneythatconfersnobenefitonnewteachersWorsethanthat,they\u2019vedevolvedintolittlemorethancriticalracetheory-indoctrinationcampsIt\u2019sratherinsanethatredstatesstillrequireteacherstobesteepedinanti-white,anti-American,anti-achievementdogmabeforeenteringapublicschoolclassroom<\\\/p>

Butmostdo,forthreereasonsFirst,statelegislatorstendtobeintimidatedbypeoplewhohave\u201cPhD\u2019s,\u201deveniftheyhavePhD\u2019sinnonsenseSecond,legislatorsaretypicallyreticenttorocktheboatattheiralmamatersAndthird,eveniflegislatorshadthewill,transformationalleaderswhocouldoverhaulateachers\u2019collegearefewandfarbetween<\\\/p>

Noneoftheselimitingconditions,however,applytotheUF<\\\/p>

TheFloridalegislaturepassedHouseBill1291lastmonth,whichmandatesthatstate-approvedteacher-preparationprogramsmaynotbe\u201cbasedontheoriesthatsystemicracism,sexism,oppression,andprivilegeareinherentintheinstitutionsoftheUnitedStates\u201dInstead,theseprogramsmustteach\u201cmasteryofacademicprogramcontent\u201dand\u201cinstructionalstrategies\u201dFancythat\u2014schoolsofeducationthatteachteacherstoteach,ratherthanbesocialjusticewarriorsThislawgoesintoeffectonJuly1<\\\/p>

AstheClaremontInstituterecentlydocumented<\\\/a>,theUF\u2019sCollegeofEducationisradicallyoutofcompliancewithstatelawUF\u2019sCollegeofEducationwentaswokeasanyteachers\u2019collegecouldget\u2014rightunderDeSantis\u2019snoseIn2020,itjettisonedrequirementsforthingssuchas\u201cCoreTeachingStrategies,\u201d\u201cMusicfortheElementaryChild,\u201dand\u201cArtEducation\u201dwith,respectively,\u201cEquityPedagogyFoundations,\u201d\u201cEquityPedagogyApplications\u201dand\u201cStudyingEquityPedagogy\u201dMathandscience?Theysimplyweren\u2019t\u201cinclusive\u201denough<\\\/p>

Whichistosay\u2014everythingwasinfusedwithCRTRequiredcoursereadingsincludethingssuchas\u201cTheFirstDayofSchool:ACRTStory,\u201d\u201cWhiteGirlTeaching,\u201d\u201cRaisingRaceQuestions:WhitenessandInquiryinEducation,\u201dandrequiredvideosincludedonecalled\u201cTheUrgencyofIntersectionality\u201d<\\\/p>

So,whatwillSassedo?Atraditionalcollegepresidentwouldtrytoruninterferenceforhisinstitution,makecosmeticchanges,anddohisbesttocontinuetoviolatethespiritofthelawwhilepretendingtoadheretoitsletterSassedoesn\u2019tneedtoplayitthisway,thoughHecan,andshould,seethatbetweentheFloridalawandtheClaremontreporthehasbeendealttwoaces<\\\/p>

Bygoinghard-wokerightunderDeSantis\u2019snose,theleadershipofUF\u2019sCollegeofEducationhasclearlyindicatedthattheydon\u2019tseethemselvesasFloridastategovernmentemployeesSo,theyshouldn\u2019tbeTheyshouldallbefiredTheCollegeofEducationshouldbefundamentallyreworked,roottobranch<\\\/p>

ThepossibilitieshereareincredibleAtminimum,Sassecouldrequirehisteachers\u2019collegetoactuallyhelpteachersteachBestpracticesinclassroommanagementandstudentdiscipline,rigorousinstructioninthescienceofreading,andadditionalcontentareaknowledgeforscience,math,orhistoryteachersshouldbeatoppriority<\\\/p>

ButUFcouldgofarbeyondteachingthebasicsFloridahasaburgeoningprivateandmicro-schoolsectorthankstoitsuniversaleducationsavingsaccountUFcouldofferateacherentrepreneurshiptrackFlorida\u2019sclassicaleducationsector,inparticular,isthrivingUFcouldofferteachersrigoroustraininginclassicalmethodsAndbelieveitornot,teachersarerarelytrainedtoactuallydeliveraparticularcurriculumUFcoulddothat,too<\\\/p>

WhymustateachermovetoGainesvilletogetaUFdegree?UFcouldsetupsatellitecentersineveryFloridacounty,andreworktheirprogramtosupportteacherapprenticeshipsWhat\u2019smore\u2014whylimitthattoFlorida?Withteachercertificationreciprocityagreements,UFcouldcolonize(wecanusethatword;it\u2019sFlorida)teachereducationnationally<\\\/p>

WhenMitchDanielswaspresidentofPurdueUniversity,heprovedthatcollegescouldbeeffectivelyadministered\u2014thatendlesstuitionincreasesresultedfromexecutiveincompetence,notaninexorablelawoffinanceSasse\u2019slegacycouldbetoprovethatsomeoneotherthanDanielscandothistooOr,itcouldbetopioneerwaysinwhichstateflagshipuniversitiescandrivedramaticimprovementinpubliceducation\u2014waysthatcouldandshouldbeemulatedineveryredstateinAmericaiftheywork\u00a0<\\\/p>

Here\u2019shopinghegetsstartednextmonthonhistransformationallegacy<\\\/p>

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MaxEdenisaresearchfellowattheAmericanEnterpriseInstitute<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP23008729452093-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3057090-1719295200", "title":"Biden’s Gaza pier is an abject failure", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2F3057090%2Fbiden-gaza-pier-abject-failure%2F", "byline":"John Hannah", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Choose your label to describe what’s become of President Joe Biden’s Gaza pier: Dumpster fire. Boondoggle. White elephant. Whatever you call it, the project is a bona fide failure. It seems destined to be a textbook example of what happens when the political imperative to “do something” overwhelms serious planning.  The latest news is that […]", "description":""

Chooseyourlabeltodescribewhat\u2019sbecomeofPresidentJoeBiden\u2019s<\\\/a>Gazapier<\\\/a>:DumpsterfireBoondoggleWhiteelephantWhateveryoucallit,theprojectisabonafidefailureItseemsdestinedtobeatextbookexampleofwhathappenswhenthepoliticalimperativeto\u201cdosomething\u201doverwhelmsseriousplanning\u00a0<\\\/p>

Thelatestnews<\\\/a>isthatthepiermaybeterminatedaheadofscheduleErectedinmid-MaybytheUSmilitarytodeliverseaborneassistance,thepier\u2019soperationsrepeatedlyhavebeeninterruptedbyroughwaters\u00a0<\\\/p>

Astormbroke<\\\/a>thepierapartonlydaysaftergoingintoserviceAftermillionsofdollarsofrepairs<\\\/a>,itwasthrownbackintoactionDayslater,forecastsofchoppywatersledthemilitarytotow<\\\/a>thepiertosafeharborIt\u2019sjustreturned<\\\/a>toserviceathirdtime,thoughit\u2019shardnottobelievethattheproject\u2019sdaysarenumbered\u00a0<\\\/p>

MotherNaturemayendupbeingtheproximatecauseofthepier\u2019sdemise,butithasn\u2019tbeentheonlyproblemfoilingtheeffortSecurityhasalsobeenamajorproblemInthebrieftimethefacilityactuallyfunctioned,therelativelysmallamountsofassistancemakingittoshorewerebeingwidelylootedbydesperatemobs\u00a0<\\\/p>

AllofthesechallengeswereforecastwellinadvanceThiswashardlyacaseinwhichofficialsstruggledtomakesenseofwhatformerSecretaryofDefenseDonaldRumsfeldfamouslydescribed<\\\/a>asthe\u201cknownunknowns\u201dandthe\u201cunknownunknowns\u201dOnthecontrary,theobstaclesposedbyGaza\u2019sheavyseasandlackofsecuritywereobvioustoanyonetrackingevents\u00a0<\\\/p>

Inotherwords,BidenandhisteamwereoperatingintheeasiestpartofRumsfeld\u2019smatrix:thelandof\u201cknownknowns\u201d\u2014problemsthatweknowwithcertaintywillariseandthatrequiresolutionsinadvance<\\\/p>

IwaspartofagroupthathaddiscussionslastDecemberwiththeUSteaminchargeofgettinghumanitarianaidintoGazaWeaskedaboutthefeasibilityofamaritimechannelInsomanywords,weweretolditwasadumbideaWatersnearGazaarenotoriouslytreacherousTheeffortwouldbewithinrangeofHamas\u2019sgunsTheamountofaidthatcouldbedeliveredbyseawouldbeadropinthebucketofwhatwasneededFarbettertofocusondramaticallyexpandinglandroutesintoGaza,weweretold\u00a0<\\\/p>

Thatwasn\u2019ttheonlyexpertadvicetheadministrationdisregardedReportingsuggests<\\\/a>theUSmilitaryfirstlearnedofBiden\u2019sdecisiontobuildthepieronlywhenheannounceditinhisMarch7StateoftheUnionaddressButatthetime,plannersstillhadnoanswersastohowsuchaprojectcouldbesuccessfullyexecuted<\\\/p>

Toppingtheirconcernswassecurityandmakingsurethatoncesuppliesmadeittoshore,theycouldbesafelydeliveredintothehandsofsufferingGazansItwasalreadywidelyunderstoodthatthebiggestchallengewasnotgettingadequatesuppliesoffoodintoGazabutmakingsureitreachedinnocentcivilianswithoutfirstbeingdiverted<\\\/p>

Remarkably,Bidenandhisteamdidn\u2019tdemandasolutiontothesecurityproblembeforemakingthepierthecenterpieceofamajorpresidentialinitiativeNordidtheybothertodeveloponeinthetwomonthsthatittookthemilitarytogetthepierintoplaceWiththeeyesoftheworldwatchingandUScredibilityontheline,theadministration\u2019sapproachtoawell-definedsetofchallengesthatcouldmakeorbreaktheeffortseemedtoamounttolittlemorethanhopingthingswouldworkout<\\\/p>

Alas,theyhaven\u2019tInstead,thepierhasbecomeahumiliatinginternetmeme<\\\/a>andjoke\u2014andatapricetagofmorethan$200millioninUStaxpayerfundsandmonthsofeffortby1,000troops\u00a0<\\\/p>

Onitsface,thisappearstobeaclassiccaseofabreakdowninsoundpolicymakingAtthetimeofBiden\u2019sannouncement,criticismofhissupportforIsraelwasreachingfeverpitchPicturesofGaza\u2019sdevastationdominatedheadlinesImportantparts<\\\/a>ofBiden\u2019sDemocraticcoalitionwerethreateningnottosupporthisreelection\u00a0<\\\/p>

It\u2019snothardtoimaginethatwithintheWhiteHousepressurecooker,thepanicto\u201cdosomething\u201dforsufferingPalestiniansandshowpresidentialleadershipbygoingovertheheadsofaseeminglyrecalcitrantIsraelileadershipbecameoverwhelmingSomethingbighadtobeannouncedintheStateoftheUnion\u2014regardlessofwhetherallthehardquestionshadbeenanswered<\\\/p>

Understandable?PerhapsAcceptable?NoGoodintentionsarenotenoughHopeisneverastrategy,especiallynotfortheworld\u2019sgreatestdemocracywhoseresolve,reliability,andcompetencehaveneverbeeningreaterdoubtWesimplycan\u2019taffordself-inflictedmistakessuchasBiden\u2019spier\u2014mistakesthatobserverssawcomingmilesaway <\\\/p>

Figuringouthowthingswentsobadlyawryshouldbeatarget-richenvironmentforcongressionaloversight  <\\\/p>

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JohnHannahisaseniorfellowattheJewishInstituteforNationalSecurityofAmericaandformernationalsecurityadvisertoVicePresidentDickCheney<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24139591326544.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3052740-1718960078", "title":"Rubio’s rapport with Latino voters could drive Trump to victory", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3052740%2Fmarco-rubio-latino-voters-trump-victory%2F", "byline":"Ross O'Keefe", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Former President Donald Trump‘s interest in selecting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his vice president is setting off alarm bells for Democrats. The Florida senator and one-time rival of Trump has turned into a reliable ally and offers the former president a direct line to a bloc Republicans have been flirting with taking from Democrats […]", "description":""

FormerPresidentDonaldTrump<\\\/a>'sinterestinselectingSenMarcoRubio<\\\/a>(R-FL)ashisvicepresidentissettingoffalarmbellsforDemocrats<\\\/p>

TheFloridasenatorandone-timerivalofTrumphasturnedintoareliableallyandofferstheformerpresidentadirectlinetoablocRepublicanshavebeenflirtingwithtakingfromDemocratsforyears\u2014 LatinoandHispanicvotersWhileLatinoandHispanicvotersaren'tamonolith,creatingin-roadswiththemwouldputseveralstatesDemocratshavetakenforgrantedinrecentcyclesinplay,MichaelLaRosa,whoisaformerpresssecretaryforfirstladyJillBidenandspecialassistanttoPresidentJoeBiden,wrote<\\\/a>inanop-edfortheNewYorkTimes<\\\/p>

\\\"ButthereissomethingLatinovotershaveincommon:theirLatinAmericanrootsandthepridethatcomesfromcastingavoteforsomeonewholooksandtalkslikethem,\\\"LaRosawrote\\\"MrRubiowouldbreakasignificantculturalbarrierasthefirstLatinoonanationalticket\\\"<\\\/p>

RubiocouldhelpTrumpconvincelargeLatinoconstituenciesinswingstatesArizonaandNevadawhileshoringupRepublican-leaningFloridaItalsocouldmakenormallyDemocraticNewMexico,whichhasthelargestproportionofHispanicsintheUnitedStates,interesting<\\\/p>

TherehasbeensomedoubtaboutwhetherRubiocouldserveasTrump'svicepresident,giventhe12thAmendmentdoesn'tallowforapresidentandvicepresidenttobefromthesamestate,inthiscase,Florida,withoutlosingitselectoralvotes<\\\/p>

LaRosasaidthisconcernis\\\"overblown,\\\"citingformerVicePresidentDickCheney'sresidentialswitchfromTexastoWyoming,andhethinksRubiocoulddosomethingsimilar<\\\/p>

LaRosasaidTrumpselectingRubiowouldbetakingapageoutofBiden's2020campaignplaybookWhenheselectedVicePresidentKamalaHarris,hemadethechoicetoappealtovotersofcolor,amovethatworkedasblackwomenturnedoutfortheBiden-Harristicket<\\\/p>

AndwinningoverHispanicandLatinovoterswillmatterinstateswheretheymakeupsmallersharesoftheelectoratebutwheretheracesarestillconsideredtightTrumpisbeatingBideninPennsylvaniabymorethan2pointsintheRealClearPoliticsaverage<\\\/a>\u2014\u00a0astateBidencan'taffordtoloseifheplanstorepeathis2020success<\\\/p>

LaRosaargued,\\\"Therearevoterswhomaketheirchoicebecausetheywanttobeapartofhistoryandbreakgroundmorethan,say,thattheyagreewiththecandidate,ortheticket,onspecificpolicies\\\"Latinoscouldbethosevoters,andthat'swhyhesaidRubioscareshimandshouldscareDemocratsthisNovember<\\\/p>

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TheFloridasenatorisonemaninathrong<\\\/a>ofTrumpvicepresidentialcandidates,someofwhomrecentlyreceivedvettingmaterialsfromthecampaign<\\\/p>

TheWashingtonExaminercontactedtheTrumpcampaignandRubio'sofficebutreceivednoresponse<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP22310815339264-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3047141-1718618746", "title":"Torres mocks Bowman’s fire alarm stunt in hint he’s abandoning fellow Democrat", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3047141%2Ftorres-mocks-bowman-fire-alarm-hint-abandoning-democrat%2F", "byline":"Elaine Mallon", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is in the middle of a brutal primary fight, and a fellow New York Democrat looks like he is on the cusp of endorsing the “Squad” member’s opponent. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a fiercely pro-Israel member of Congress, got into a spat with Bowman over the weekend after the Israel critic […]", "description":""

RepJamaalBowman<\\\/a>(D-NY)isinthemiddleofabrutalprimaryfight,andafellowNewYork<\\\/a>Democratlookslikeheisonthecuspofendorsingthe\u201cSquad\u201dmember\u2019sopponent<\\\/p>

RepRitchieTorres(D-NY),afiercelypro-Israel<\\\/a>memberofCongress,gotintoaspatwithBowmanovertheweekendaftertheIsraelcriticquestionedthesincerityofTorres\u2019ssupportfortheJewishstateTorreswasquicktohitbackatBowman,pokingfunatthelawmaker\u2019sstuntofpullingafirealarmintheCapitolwhileonhiswaytoavotethatwouldpreventagovernmentshutdownlastSeptember<\\\/p>

\u201cAsforJamaalBowman,IcareasmuchabouthisopiniononmeasIdoabouthisopiniononhowtoproperlypullafirealarmorhisopiniononhowtoremaininCongress,\u201dTorrestold<\\\/a>theNewYorkPost\u201cHisopinionisworsethanarubberstamp\u2014itleavesnoimpression,muchlikehislegislativerecordorhisrecentattendancerecord\u201d<\\\/p>

BowmansaidontheNightSchoolpodcast<\\\/a>hostedbyMarcLamontHillthatTorresonlystandsinsupportofIsraelbecauseofthe\u201cpoweroftheIsraellobby\u201d<\\\/p>

\u201cRitchieisverycalculatinginthiswayRitchie\u2014hejustseemstobealwaysplotting,alwayscalculatingsomething,\u201dBowmansaid<\\\/p>

Bowman\u2019sattackonTorres,atwo-termrepresentativeoftheBronx,appearedunprovokedastheneighboringrepresentativehadsteeredclearofweighinginonBowman\u2019scontest<\\\/p>

Butinthemiddleoftheepisode,HillaskedBowmantocommentonwhyTorresfallsinlinewithBowmanoneverymatterexceptforwhenitcomestoIsrael<\\\/p>

\u201cHowcansomeonebesoprogressiveonsomanyissuesandnotseetheinjusticegoingoninPalestineinthesameway?\u201dHillasked<\\\/p>

HillmadethecommentthatTorres\u201ctweetstoNetanyahulikeheisNetanyahu\u2019slonglostcousin\u201d<\\\/p>

\u201cSoifIwasdoingthatwhenIfirstgotin,mybankaccountfirstofallwouldbeflushed,\u201dBowmansaid<\\\/p>

Bowman\u2019scriticismsofIsraelasitwageswarwithHamashaveputhiminavulnerablepositionwiththelargecontingentofJewishsupportersinhisdistrict<\\\/p>

TheAmericanIsraelPublicAffairsCommittee,aninfluentialpro-IsraelPAC,hasspentmillionsofdollarsattackingBowman,helpinggiveWestchesterCountyExecutiveGeorgeLatimeraboostinhischallengetounseatthetwo-termcongressmanBowmanistrailingLatimerby17points,according<\\\/a>toarecentpoll<\\\/p>

PriortoservingasUSrepresentativefortheBronx,TorreswasaNewYorkCityCouncilmemberfor10yearsHenotedhispublicsupportforIsraeldatesbackto2015,whenhetookatripthere <\\\/p>

Hesaidoneofthereasonshedidn\u2019tjointhe\u201cSquad\u201dafterbeingelectedin2020washebelievedthatsomeofthemembers\u2019supportfortheBDSmovementwasantisemitic<\\\/p>

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\u201cIhaveageneralruleofnotweighinginagainstacongressionalDemocratwhohasnotweighedinagainstme,\u201dTorressaid\u201cButBowman\u2019sgratuitousattackonmycharactermightcausemetorethinkthatrule\u201d<\\\/p>

NewYork\u2019sprimarywillbeonJune25<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24165005433095.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3004139-1715721649", "title":"Biden greenlights $1 billion weapon shipment to Israel week after withholding bombs", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fwhite-house%2F3004139%2Fbiden-greenlights-weapon-shipment-israel-after-withholding-bombs%2F", "byline":"Brady Knox", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"The Biden administration announced its approval of a $1 billion weapon shipment to Israel just one week after President Joe Biden announced he would withhold a weapons shipment if Israel launched an offensive into Rafah. The administration notified Congress of the move on Tuesday, the Washington Examiner independently confirmed. Officials told the Wall Street Journal […]", "description":""

TheBidenadministration<\\\/a>announceditsapprovalofa$1billionweaponshipmenttoIsrael<\\\/a>justoneweekafterPresidentJoeBidenannouncedhewouldwithholdaweaponsshipmentifIsraellaunchedanoffensiveintoRafah<\\\/p>

TheadministrationnotifiedCongressofthemoveonTuesday,theWashingtonExaminerindependentlyconfirmed<\\\/p>

Officialstold<\\\/a>theWallStreetJournalthatthepackageincludesoffensiveweapons,including$700millionintankammunition,$500millionintacticalvehicles,and$60millioninmortarroundsAdditionalstepsmustbetakenbeforetheweaponsareapprovedanddelivered<\\\/p>

ThemovewasforeshadowedbynationalsecurityadviserJohnKirby,speakingwithreporterslastweek<\\\/p>

\\\"[Biden]alsosaidyesterdaythathewillcontinuetoensurethatIsraelhasallofthemilitarymeansitneedstodefenditselfagainstallofitsenemies,includingHamas,\\\"hesaid\\\"Forhim,thisisverystraightforward:He\u2019sgoingtocontinuetoprovideIsraelwithallofthecapabilitiesitneeds,buthedoesnotwantcertaincategoriesofAmericanweaponsusedinaparticulartypeofoperationinaparticularplaceAndagain,hehasbeenclearandconsistentwiththat\\\"<\\\/p>

KirbyfurtherclarifiedthatIsraelhasnotyetlaunchedaRafahoperationthatcrossesBiden'sredlineBidensaidlastweekhewouldwithholdspecific2,000-poundbombsfromIsraelifthecountryexpandedoperationsintoRafah,wherePalestinianrefugeeshavefledduetothewar<\\\/p>

IsraelbegananoffensiveintoRafahlastweek,whichhascontinuedwithairstrikesandgroundoperationsIt'sunclearwhatBiden'sredlineregardingRafahis<\\\/p>

HouseSpeakerMikeJohnson(R-LA)signaledthatthelowerchamberwassatisfiedwithBiden'saction<\\\/p>

\u201cIthinkit\u2019simportantforustoexpressagainthewillofCongressonthematterandsoIdon\u2019tthinkwe\u2019llbechangingwhatwedoonthelegislation,\u201dhetoldreportersTuesdayevening<\\\/p>

Tuesday'smovetoapproveanothermajorweaponsshipmentislikelytoloseBidenthegoodwillhereceivedfromprogressiveDemocraticalliesafterhisannouncementthatoffensiveweaponswouldbewithheld,whichinturndrewhimirefromRepublicansandpro-IsraelDemocrats<\\\/p>

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Bidenhasattemptedtobalancethepassionsofpro-IsraelDemocratswiththevehementoppositionofpro-PalestinianDemocratsduringIsrael'scampaigninGazaTheinvasionofRafahhasemergedasanewflashpoint,withtheBidenadministrationrepeatedlywarningIsraeloftheconsequencesifitlaunchesanall-outassaultonthearea<\\\/p>

CamiMondeauxandNaomiLimcontributedtothisreport<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24128020312504-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"2872560-1709100613", "title":"Great Stakes: Michigan union and blue-collar workers in the driver’s seat for the presidency", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2F2872560%2Fmichigan-union-blue-collar-workers-drivers-seat-presidency%2F", "byline":"Naomi Lim", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Michigan voters have an outsize impact on who will win the White House and which party will carry the House and Senate in 2024. In this series, Great Stakes: The fight to be hailed as victors in Michigan, the Washington Examiner will look at the thorny politics and unique matters that will swing the critical battleground state. Part four, […]", "description":""

MichiganvotershaveanoutsizeimpactonwhowillwintheWhiteHouseandwhichpartywillcarrytheHouseandSenatein2024Inthisseries, GreatStakes:ThefighttobehailedasvictorsinMichigan, the WashingtonExaminer willlookatthethornypoliticsanduniquemattersthatwillswingthecriticalbattlegroundstatePartfour,below,examineshowtheeconomyandunionvotewilldeterminewhowinstheexpectedrematchbetweenPresidentJoeBidenandformerPresidentDonaldTrump<\\\/p>

SHELBYTOWNSHIP,Michigan\u2014PresidentJoeBiden<\\\/a>andformerPresidentDonaldTrump<\\\/a>'seconomic<\\\/a>pitchestoMichigan<\\\/a>'sblue-collarvoters,particularlythestate'shalfamillionunion<\\\/a>members,coulddecidethe2024generalelection<\\\/a>asthisweek'sprimaryunderscoresthelikelynominees'respectiveweaknessesbeforeNovember<\\\/p>

IfTrumpcancompetewithBidenforthosevotersinplacessuchasMichigan'sfamedMacombCounty<\\\/a>,asformerPresidentRonaldReagan<\\\/a>didin1980withso-calledReaganDemocrats,hecouldwinthestate's15ElectoralCollege<\\\/a>votesandreclaimtheWhiteHouse<\\\/a>thiselectioncycle<\\\/p>

TrumpnotonlyhastowinMacombCounty,ashedidin2016and2020,buthealsohasto\\\"winwithamargin\\\"tocounterthepartsofMichiganwherehecouldunderperform,accordingtoRepublicanstrategistJamieRoe,thelongtimechiefofstafftoformerRepublicanRepCandiceMiller<\\\/p>

Tuesday'sRepublicanprimaryemphasizedTrump'sloosegripon30to40%ofhisparty,withformerUSAmbassadortotheUnitedNations<\\\/a>NikkiHaley<\\\/a>holdinghimto70%ofthevoteMeanwhile,Bidennettedabout80%oftheDemocraticprimaryvoteduetoan\\\"uncommitted<\\\/a>\\\"protestvote<\\\/p>

MacombCountyvotedforGovGretchenWhitmer<\\\/a>(D-MI)in2022,\\\"buteverytimeTrump'sbeenontheballot,therearepartsoftheelectoratethatcomeout\\\"forhim\\\"thatreallydon'tcomeoutforawholelotofotherpeople,\\\"RoetoldtheWashingtonExaminer<\\\/p>

ThosepeopleincludeunionworkersdespiteMichigan-basedUnitedAutoWorkers<\\\/a>PresidentShawnFain,forexample,endorsingBidenlastmonth<\\\/p>

TerryBowman,Trump's2016campaignMichiganco-chairmanand2020WorkersforTrumpnationalchairman,hasalsoworkedfortheFordMotorCompany<\\\/a>foralmostthreedecadesBowmannowchairstheboardofthenonpoliticalInstitutefortheAmericanWorker,buthecontendedwhatisgoodforunionofficialsdoesnot\\\"necessarilymeanthatit'sgoodfortherankandfile\\\"<\\\/p>

\\\"Theylike[Trump]personallyasacandidateandjustasaperson,\\\"Bowmansaid\\\"Secondly,wedonowhaveahistoryofDonaldTrump'spolicies,andgoinginto2024,Ithinkworkershavelookedat:WhatdidDonaldTrumpdoforblue-collarautoworkers<\\\/a>,andwhathasJoeBidendoneforblue-collarworkers?\\\"<\\\/p>

OneofBiden'smorepoliticallyproblematicpolicieshasbeenhisdesiretohave50%ofallnewvehiclesalesbeingelectricmodels<\\\/a>by2030,thoughpolicyanalystsdisagreeregardingitsworkforceconsequencesSimultaneously,BowmanwastemporarilylaidoffthisweekbecauseFord'sRawsonvillePlantinYpsilanti,Michigan,whichbuildsbatteriesforthemaker'selectricF-150Lightning,isreducingproductionandshifts<\\\/p>

\\\"Wehavethousands,ortensofthousandsofworkersintheautoindustryinAmericathatworkintransmissionplantsandinengineplants,\\\"Bowmansaid\\\"There'smorejobscomingintotheassemblyofbatteries,butit'snotgoingtobeonaone-for-onebasisEvenwiththegovernmentsubsidies,thedemandforthesetrucksisjustnotthere\\\"<\\\/p>

TrumpreceivingmoresupportfromindustrialunionworkersthanRepublicanstraditionallydois\\\"partofalongertransformationalongeducationallinesbetweenthepoliticalparties,\\\"accordingtoMichiganStateUniversityInstituteofPublicPolicyandSocialResearchDirectorMatthewGrossmannButthatdoesnothelpBiden,whothisweekhadalmost52,000Democratsmarkthemselvesas\\\"uncommitted\\\"inprotestoftheIsrael<\\\/a>-Hamas<\\\/a>warinsteadofvotingforhim<\\\/p>

\\\"It'sasmallerproportionoftheMichiganeconomythanitusedtobe,butitstillhasalotofculturalresonancebecauselotsofpeoplehavefamilymemberswhoworkfortheautoindustryorsupporttheUAW,\\\"Grossmannsaid<\\\/p>

MarkGaffney,aformerpresidentofMichigan's AFL-CIO<\\\/a>,aunionfederation,concededothertypesoflaborgroupshavebecomelesspoliticallypowerfulastheirmembershiphasdeclined,inadditiontothosemembersbeing\\\"moreindependent\\\"<\\\/p>

\\\"Youngermemberstendtobeevenmoreindependent,\\\"Gaffneysaid,addingthatTrump'soppositiontotheNorthAmericanFreeTradeAgreementappealedtoindustrialunionmembersafteryearsoftheirleadershipdescribingsuchdealsasbad<\\\/p>

\\\"SoalongcomesTrump,andwhetherhefollowsthroughoneverythingthathesaysornotisdebatable,butheconvincespeoplethathe'stalkingtheirlanguage,\\\"Gaffneycontinued\\\"Sowecouldhavelost,insomeunions,asmanyas40%ofourmemberslasttimeAndthat'saprettybignumber\\\"<\\\/p>

ButJackieKelly-Smith,MacombCountyDemocraticCommittee'sblackcaucuschairwomanandaretiredUAWworker,wasmoreoptimisticconcerningBiden'sprospectsinthecommunity,citinghimtakingpartinlastfall'sstrike<\\\/p>

\\\"We'vehadthisgoingonsinceIgothiredbyGeneralMotors<\\\/a>in1975,\\\"Kelly-Smithsaid\\\"TheyfeelasthoughmyunionshouldnotendorsesomeonethatIdon'twanttovoteforOntheotherhand,youhavetheunionsayingwe'regoingtoendorsethosethatallowustocontinuetorepresent,negotiate,andbargain,andthat'snotalwaysaRepublicanpresidentTrumpdidn'tcareifwewentbankrupt\\\"<\\\/p>

Morebroadly,theeconomy,alongwithborder<\\\/a>securityandabortion<\\\/a>access,coulddeterminetheelection,withpollsdemonstratingdisapprovalofBiden'seconomicapproachForinstance,Biden'seconomicapprovalratingisroughlynetnegative16percentagepoints,with40%approvingand56%disapproving<\\\/p>

MichiganstateRepKarenTwinsett,aDemocratwhorepresentspartsofDetroitandDearborninneighboringWayneCounty,anothercriticalregion,recognizedthatBiden'seconomy,or\\\"Bidenomics,\\\"<\\\/a>hasbeendetrimentaltoherconstituents<\\\/p>

\\\"Whenyou'retalkingaboutsomebodyinthepresidency,normally,thesethingsdon'tbotheryouuntilthey'rehittingyouathome,likegasprices<\\\/a>orwhatever,\\\"Twinsettsaid\\\"Everydaypeopledon'tthinkaboutthatstuff,butwhenyougotothegrocerystore,you'refeelingit\\\"<\\\/p>

Inresponse,stateRepErinByrnes(D-MI),whorepresentsotherpartsofDearborn,imploredBidentoemphasize\\\"corporategreedthathasbeenmasqueradingasinflation\\\"<\\\/p>

\\\"Inflation<\\\/a>isreal,butalsocorporationshaveuppedtheirpricesexponentiallysincethepandemichit,\\\"Byrnessaid\\\"Iftheydon'tcallitoutanddon'tactonit,peoplewillfeellikethey'retryingtopullthewoolovertheireyes\\\"<\\\/p>

ButRepTimWalberg(R-MI),thedeanofMichigan'scongressionaldelegationinWashington,andformerstateSenTomBarrett,whoiscontestingMichigan's7thCongressionalDistrictagain,arguedBidenomics'sdamagehasalreadybeendoneForWalberg,fromthefivetownhallsheledlastweekbeforehisinterviewwiththeWashingtonExaminer,itis\\\"veryclear\\\"thatBidenomicsis\\\"notworking,\\\"especiallyrelatedtointerestrates<\\\/a>andenergycosts<\\\/a>,andthatonlya\\\"verysignificantturnaround\\\"couldimproveBiden'spopularity<\\\/p>

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BarrettadditionallydownplayedtheimportanceofBiden'sunionendorsementsaftertheInternationalBrotherhoodofTeamsters<\\\/a>'spoliticalactioncommitteedonated$45,000totheRepublicanNationalCommittee'sconventionfundTheTeamstershaveyettoendorseacandidate<\\\/p>

\\\"ThenationalunionleadershipisalwaysgoingtoendorseDemocrats,andtheUAWwasalwaysgoingtoendorseBiden,\\\"Barrettsaid\\\"Itwasjustaquestionofwhennowtheyhadbecomefrustratedwithhimoverhiselectricvehiclemandatesandotherthingsthatreallydisadvantagedunionworkersandautoplantsbecausetheirjobsaren'tgoingtobearoundIwouldsayyouraverageorstereotypicalUAWworkerisprobablysomebodywhocaresaboutcrimeintheircommunities,caresabouttheborderawholeheckofalot\\\"<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24023837150822-1-scaled.jpg?w=696" } {"id":"3808516-1758021885", "title":"Stephen Miran draws barbs from Democrats for taking leave of absence from White House instead of resigning", "sharelink":"https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolicy%2Ffinance-and-economy%2F3808516%2Fdemocrats-miran-resign-white-house%2F", "byline":"Zach Halaschak", "publishDate":"Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:21:00 -0500", "synopsis":"Stephen Miran, who was confirmed on Monday as a governor at the Federal Reserve, is facing criticism from Democrats over his decision not to resign from his role at the White House. Miran, 42, was confirmed in a party-line vote. Democrats and some Fed experts have pushed back on his decision to take an unpaid […]", "description":""

StephenMiran,whowasconfirmedonMondayasagovernorattheFederalReserve<\\\/a>,isfacingcriticismfromDemocratsoverhisdecisionnottoresignfromhisroleattheWhiteHouse<\\\/p>

Miran,42,wasconfirmedinaparty-linevoteDemocratsandsomeFedexpertshavepushedbackonhisdecisiontotakeanunpaidleaveofabsenceaschairmanoftheWhiteHouse\u00a0CouncilofEconomicAdvisers<\\\/a>ratherthanresign<\\\/p>

CriticsarguethatnotresigningerodestheprincipleofFedindependence,althoughtheTrumpadministrationhasdrawnabrightlineandemphasizedthatMiranwillhavenoinfluenceoraccesstotheWhiteHouseduringhistimeattheCEA,whichwillonlybeafewmonths<\\\/p>

MiranisreplacingFedgovernorAdrianaKugler,whounexpectedlysteppedasidelastmonthHertermendedinJanuary,anditisunclearwhotheWhiteHousewillnominatetoreplaceMiranafterheservesouttheremainderofhertermButDemocratsarguethatMirantakingaleaveofabsenceuntilthenstillpoliticizesthecentralbank<\\\/p>

SenateBankingCommitteerankingmemberElizabethWarren(D-MA)hasbeenparticularlycritical<\\\/a>ofthemove<\\\/p>

\u201cThisnominationsetsupanobviousTrumployaltytestforDrMiran,\u201dshesaidlastweek\u201cHeknowsthateveryvotehetakesdetermineswhetherhecangobacktohisWhiteHousejobThatisnotindependence\u2013thatisservitude<\\\/p>

\\\"Hewillhavezerocredibilitywithmarkets,zerocredibilitywithbusinesses,andzerocredibilitywiththepublicifheisconfirmedtotheBoardunderthesecircumstances,\u201dsheadded<\\\/p>

Miranwasconfirmed<\\\/a>bytheSenate48-47,withnoDemocratsjoiningRepublicansinvotingforhimSenLisaMurkowski(R-AK)alsovotedagainstconfirminghim,citing<\\\/a>Miran'sunwillingnesstoresignfromtheWhiteHouseandconcernsaboutFedindependence<\\\/p>

BeyondtheMiranissue,RepBrendanBoyle(D-PA),rankingmemberoftheHouseBudgetCommittee,toldtheWashingtonExaminerthatheisconcernedabouttheFed'sindependenceduringtheTrumpadministration<\\\/p>

\u201cI\u2019mveryconcernedaboutit,\u201dhesaidonCapitolHill\u201cImean,since1913\u2014morethanacentury\u2014theindependenceoftheFederalReservehasbeenoneofthekeyhallmarksofourUSeconomicsystem\u201d<\\\/p>

DuringMiran\u2019sconfirmationhearing<\\\/a>beforetheBankingCommittee,hesaidthathewasadvisedbylegalcounseltotaketheunpaidleaveofabsenceHealsovowedtoresignifTrumpmovedtonominatehimforanothertermontheFedboard<\\\/p>

SenChrisVanHollen(D-MD)saidduringthehearingthattherefusaltostepasidewhileMiranservesouttheremainderofKugler\u2019stermundermines<\\\/a>Fedindependence<\\\/p>

\u201cAreyouseriouslytellingmethatifyouweretovoteandexercisejudgmentthatwasnotconsistentwithwhatthepresidentoftheUnitedStateswants,thatthepresidentwould\u2009\u2009haveyoubackattheCouncilofEconomicAdvisers\u2014thejobthatyouwanttoholdopenforyourself?\u201dVanHollensaidduringtheconfirmationhearing<\\\/p>

ButtheWhiteHousehasmadethecasethatMirantakingaleaveandtemporarilycuttingtiestotheadministrationrepresentsufficientseparationfromtheadministration<\\\/p>

\u201cDrStephenMiranwilltakeanunpaidleaveofabsencefromtheCEA,havenoWhiteHouseemailaccess,losehisWhiteHousebadge,andnotprovideanyadvisoryguidanceaspartofCEAinanyway,\u201dWhiteHousespokesmanKushDesaitoldtheWashingtonExaminer<\\\/p>

FEDPOISEDTOCUTINTERESTRATESFORFIRSTTIMEUNDERTRUMP<\\\/a><\\\/p>

\u201cInsteadofresortingtoignorantorintentionallymisleadingattacks,DemocratsshouldjustadmitthatDrStephenMiraniseminentlyqualifiedtoserveontheFed,andhewilldosoincompliancewiththelaw,\u201dheadded<\\\/p>

Still,otherssaythatmerelytakingaleaveofabsenceshouldn\u2019tbeenoughandthatitcouldcomebacktobiteRepublicansTheright-leaningWallStreetJournaleditorialboardcameoutagainstthemove,forinstance,callingMiran\u2019sdecisionnottoresign\u201cextraordinary\u201d<\\\/p>

\u201cHewon\u2019tbe\u2018independent\u2019inanyfairdefinitionoftheword,\u201dtheboardsaid\u201cIfMrMiranvotesontheFOMCinawayMrTrumpdislikes,hewillputhisjobintheWhiteHouseatriskIfconfirmedhewouldonlybeasinglevoteamong12onthecurrentFOMC,buteveryoneknowshewillbespeakingfor,andansweringto,thepresident\u201d<\\\/p>

TheeditorialboardaddedthatitisconcernedthatafutureliberalpresidentwilllooktowardtheprecedentsetbyTrumpandmighttrytodothesamething<\\\/p>

\u201cAtragedyoftheTrumpyearsisthefailureofRepublicanstolookbeyondshort-termtacticalpoliticalcalculationstotheimplicationsoftheirdecisionsforthelongterm,\u201dtheeditorialread<\\\/p>

TheFeditselfisdesignedtobeindependentThecountry\u2019smonetarypolicyisconductedbya12-personboardcalledtheFederalOpenMarketCommittee,comprisingthesevenmembersoftheBoardofGovernorsinWashington,DC,thepresidentoftheFederalReserveBankofNewYork,andarotationoffouroftheheadsoftheother11regionalFedbanks<\\\/p>

FED\u2019S INDEPENDENCE IN FOCUS WITHTRUMPINTERVENTIONS<\\\/a><\\\/p>

Inconductingmonetarypolicy,theFedhasadualmandate\u2014keepingahealthyrateofinflationandensuringastronglabormarketMarkHamrick,senioreconomicanalystatBankrate,emphasizedthatinordertobestpursuethat,theFedneedstobeindependent<\\\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019simportantfortheFederalReservetomakedecisionsthatareindependentofpoliticalinfluence,becausepoliticalinfluencedoesn\u2019thaveadualmandate,\u201dhetoldtheWashingtonExaminer<\\\/p>

<\\\/p>"", "image":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25247641861555.jpg?w=696" } ]}