The House of Representatives passed the SAVE America Act by a 218-213 margin on Wednesday, a bill which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to vote in federal elections. 

Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was the only Democrat to join Republicans in voting for the bill. One Republican and one Democrat did not vote.

A modified version of the previously passed “SAVE Act,” the bill includes new photo identification requirements. It is a priority of hardline conservatives in Congress.

The original SAVE Act passed by a 220-208 vote in April 2025.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who introduced the bill in the House, said of the bill before its passage, “This is commonsense legislation. It will require citizenship to register to vote, and it will require voter ID at the polls. This is an issue that polls at something like 80%.”

The bill has faced generalized Democrat resistance, especially in the Senate, where Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said it would impose “Jim Crow style restrictions on voting.”

House Republican leaders backed the bill, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., signing on as co-sponsors. The bill had zero Democrat co-sponsors.

Multiple Democrats who backed the original SAVE Act did not support the SAVE America Act.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, for example, explained his opposition to a Washington Examiner reporter, saying the two bills are “not even the same bill.”

“I’ve never supported voter ID at the ballot box,” said Golden.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., a previous supporter of the SAVE Act, also opposed the SAVE America Act, writing on X, “if your legislation requires government to provide free photocopy services, you have not written a good piece of legislation,” in reference to one of the bill’s provisions.

Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, who also voted SAVE Act, voted against the bill Wednesday.

House Republicans have in recent days launched a pressure campaign on Senate Republicans to force what is known as a “talking filibuster” to help pass the bill, in order to overcome the chamber’s typical 60-vote threshold for ending debate on bills. 

This would, in theory, entail Senate Republicans refusing to adjourn and enforcing a two-speech limit on Senate Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., citing the time-consuming nature of this approach, has not come out in support of it, but has indicated Senate Republicans will discuss its merits.

The post House Passes SAVE America Act appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security slammed Democrats for “vile attacks” against U.S. law enforcement following a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

“In yesterday’s hearing, Democrats doubled down on their vile attacks on our law enforcement, comparing them to Nazis and the secret police and calling them thugs,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement first provided to The Daily Signal.

During the House Homeland Security hearing, which was focused on oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, multiple Democrats criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., referred to ICE agents as “thugs”; Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., referred to ICE tactics as “outright fascist”; Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., accused acting ICE Director Todd Lyons of having “blood” on his hands and asked him if he believes he is “going to hell”; and Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., called DHS a “weapon,” arguing the entire department should be “dismantled.”

“While they were demonizing our law enforcement, our officers were risking their lives arresting criminal illegal aliens, including multiple child rapists, kidnappers, and violent assailants,” McLaughlin said.

On Tuesday, ICE arrested Gustavo Moronatti-Campos, an alleged registered sex offender from Mexico living in the U.S. illegally, according to DHS. ICE also arrested Mexican national Daniel Cardona-Soriano, who has a criminal record that includes a conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas.

Jairo Miguel Moran-Gonzalez, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was convicted of kidnapping in Los Angeles, and Alexis Hernandez-Cedillos, also from El Salvador, was convicted of robbery in New York City.

Honduran national Rene Matamoro-Robles’s criminal record includes a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles. ICE took all three men into custody on Tuesday.

McLaughlin says the anti-ICE rhetoric from Democrats “is inciting violent attacks” against agents.

“Our officers are experiencing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats as they arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists,” she said.

In addition to Lyons, Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, testified before the House committee Tuesday.

On Thursday, the three immigration officials will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

The post EXCLUSIVE: DHS Slams Democrats for ‘Vile Attacks’ on Law Enforcement   appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As federal authorities continue to investigate concerning incidents against Vice President JD Vance, the latest being an alleged assassination threat, conservatives are speaking out against the increasingly violent rhetoric of the Left.

Shannon Mathre, a 33-year-old man from Toledo, was recently indicted by a federal grand jury for his alleged crime, one which Zack Smith, a Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal was “very specific,” and considered a true threat not protected by the First Amendment.

Rhetoric to Blame?

This incident again raises concerns about political rhetoric.

Smith brought up “Democratic politicians using inflammatory rhetoric,” specifically, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., claiming that federal law enforcement officers were not real law enforcement officers; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers “to get out of his city using very rude, very vulgar language;” and comments from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, about “fighting Trump’s agenda in the streets.”

“What do you expect the logical conclusion of those types of incendiary language, that type of heated rhetoric. Where do you expect that to lead? I think, unfortunately, if you look at it from an objective viewpoint, it’s going to lead to these types of threats and the types of political violence that we’ve seen,” Smith shared.

Although he pointed out that those targeting political figures are “acting on their own volition,” Smith added that it’s “at a minimum problematic whenever you have this type of rhetoric.” Calls to tone down that rhetoric, he said, have not been heeded.

Another senior legal fellow at Heritage, Cully Stimson, agreed with Smith. “I would echo his comments and say that the level of vitriol and threats of violence against political opponents, especially against those on the right, is unacceptable and must stop,” he told The Daily Signal.

John R. Lott Jr., president of Crime Prevention Research Center pointed out to The Daily Signal how “rhetoric has consequences.”

“If someone truly believes the rhetoric that the Trump administration is equivalent to Nazi Germany or that it is committing genocide against trans people, it is not surprising that some individuals come to see the situation as a war in which they must kill their perceived oppressors,” he shared.

U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi also spoke out in the wake of Mathre’s arrest. “As a society, we must remain united in our zero tolerance for political violence. This individual will now answer for his actions to a federal court,” he told The Daily Signal.

The Alleged Incident

According to the Department of Justice, Mathre allegedly threatened to kill the vice president during his trip to Ohio last month. He was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service and appeared before a judge on Feb. 6.

“I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him,” Mathre allegedly stated in the indictment, according to a DOJ press release.

“Hostile and violent threats made against the Vice President, or any other public official, will not be tolerated in our District,” David M. Toepfer, U.S attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said. “Anyone threatening this kind of action will face swift justice and prosecution. We commend the actions of our local and state law enforcement who collaborated with U.S. Secret Service to take this individual into custody.”

“I can say that the investigation included not only what the defendant said online and to people, but also his actions and behavior. We have been following this for several months with our partners at the FBI and in Ohio,” Guglielmi said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in as well. “Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance,” she said. “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”

Mathre faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if convicted of such a crime. He’s also facing charges of child sexual abuse materials. That charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if convicted.

“Anyone that spends any time in a room with Mr. Mathre or has any knowledge of his condition—physical condition, mental condition—can see that it’s a farce,” Mathre’s attorney McElroy said, according to CBS News. He explained his client has “some mental disabilities and a variety of other conditions.”

The Daily Signal also reached out to McElroy’s law office.

A Concerning Pattern

The alleged threat is not the only recent incident against the vice president or others in the Trump administration.

A grand jury last month charged William DeFoor over an incident at Vance’s Cincinnati home. The 26-year-old was charged with damaging government property; engaging in physical violence against a person in a restricted building; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers.

Last month, Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, California, was arrested for death threats on Instagram against the vice president when his family went to Disneyland last year.

There have also been acts of violence against other political figures on the right. Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk was assassinated last September. In 2024, while running for president, Donald Trump was shot in July 2024 and targeted with another assassination attempt two months later. He continues to face threats.

The post Ohio Man Indicted for Threatening to Kill JD Vance appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have identified the 18-year-old man who shot and killed six people at a school in British Columbia, critically injuring two, and wounding about 25 others. He identified as a woman, authorities have confirmed.

Jesse Van Rootselaar first killed his mother, 39, and his 11-year-old step-brother at their family home in the remote community of Tumbler Ridge, before targeting Tumbler Ridge Secondary School Tuesday.

At the school, he shot and killed a 39-year-old female teacher, three 12-year-old female students, and two male students, aged 12 and 13. As police arrived, he shot at them, but officers found the shooter dead from an apparent suicide.

“We do believe the suspect acted alone … it would be too early to speculate on motive,” Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said in a press conference Wednesday.

McDonald said Van Rootselaar was born male but began to identify as female six years ago, Reuters reported.

“Yes that is the information that we have,” RCMP Sergeant Vanessa Munn told The Daily Signal.

The shooting ranks among the deadliest in Canadian history.

Prime Minister Mark Carney postponed his trip to Europe and ordered flags on government buildings to be flown at half-mast for the next seven days.

“Right now, it’s a time to come together, as Canadians always do in these situations, these terrible situations, to support each other, to mourn together and to grow together,” he said.

In April 2020, a 51-year-old man disguised in a police uniform killed 22 people in Nova Scotia in multiple shootings and setting fire to homes, before police killed him.

Transgender-Motivated Violence and Threats

While Van Rootselaar’s motive remains unclear, this shooting comes after a string of violence and threats from perpetrators who identified as transgender or supported transgenderism.

In September, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed reports that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with Charlie Kirk’s murder, was living with a boyfriend who identifies as transgender. Robinson reportedly confessed to his boyfriend that he committed the murder.

Authorities reportedly confirmed that 23-year-old Robin Westman, a male born Robert Westman, opened fire at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis in August, killing two children and injuring 17 others.

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, reportedly identified as male. She shot and killed three children and three adults on March 27, 2023, at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school in Nashville, Tennessee. Police fatally shot her during the attack.

According to a court document obtained by The Daily Signal, the man who tried to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022 identifies as a woman. Nicholas Roske, who was 29 when he pleaded guilty in April, identifies as Sophie Roske in a court document.

On May 7, 2019, then-16-year-old Maya “Alec” McKinney and her 19-year-old fellow student, Devon Erickson, opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, killing one and injuring eight. Both have been sentenced to life in prison. McKinney, a female, identifies as male.

In June 2024, a judge sentenced Jason Lee Willie, a man who identifies as a woman and goes by Alexia, to one year in prison after he pleaded guilty to threatening to injure people across state lines. Willie, a resident of Nashville, Illinois, confessed to threatening to rape girls in girls’ restrooms, carry out mass shootings at schools, and bomb churches.

The post Canadian School Shooter Identified as Transgender, Police Confirm appeared first on The Daily Signal.

When it comes to the Olympics certain things are no brainers. Don’t ski jump in high heels. Don’t do mixed doubles curling with an ex-spouse. Don’t do a two-man luge with JB Pritzer on top.

I would add, “Don’t trash the nation you’re there to represent.”

Apparently, several members of Team USA don’t have brains.

It started with American skier Hunter Hess who declared at an Olympic press conference that he has “mixed emotions” about representing his country because of ICE. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Fellow skier Chris Lillis also trashed ICE. “I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect,” Lillis said.

Gus Kenworthy an American who left Team USA to compete for Great Britain used “urine snow art” to spell out “F— ICE.” On Saturday, he doubled down on his criticism and whined about the heat he’s getting for the vulgar act.

Curler Rich Ruohonen said he’s proud to represent the USA, “But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota.” 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Ruohonen is a personal injury lawyer in Minnesota. Good to know if you’re an ICE agent hit by a protester’s SUV.

In fairness, Hess has seen the light … or at least his PR team has. Days after his nay-nay about the USA, Hess has gone all Captain America. Hess posted “I love my country. There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and freedom to point that out. … I cannot want to represent Team USA next week when I compete.”  

While Hess’s star-spangled 180 is appreciated, the reality remains there’s a time and place for pointing out America’s faults. And the Olympics ain’t it. Especially when sitting in a host country we rescued from Mussolini and Hitler.

Then there’s figure skater Amber Glenn. Glenn also spoke out against United States at a presser in Milan, with the openly bi- and pansexual athlete claiming “It’s been a hard time for the (LGBTQ) community overall in this administration.” (“Hold my non-alcoholic beer,” said athletes from Saudi Arabia.)

Glenn went onto say she wasn’t going to “shut up about politics” during the Games.

“I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these Games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times. I know that a lot of people say you’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics, but politics affect us all.”

So many have already pointed out how unpatriotic these athletes are being. How ungrateful to America and what America means to the world. How disrespectful to the Americans of different political beliefs who they are in Milan to represent. Vice President JD Vance said as much Wednesday.

But I want to say, simply from a competitive point of view: How fundamentally stupid of the athletes!

Their political blabber is wonderful news for their competitors because of what we can call “The Rapinoe Effect.” It reads, “Any athlete or team that trashes the USA while representing the USA is very likely to turn from champ to chump.”

It’s named after soccer great Megan Rapinoe who instantly transformed the mighty national women’s team into also-rans the minute she began mouthing off against America and pushing teammates to take a knee for the National Anthem. The Rapinoe Effect crystalized at the 2023 Women’s World Cup where for the first time in her illustrious career Rapinoe blew a penalty kick, sending Team USA to humiliating defeat.

Already we are seeing the Rapinoe Effect at the Olympics.

On Sunday, Glenn gave such a “disappointing,” “lackluster” performance during the Team Skating competition that she publicly apologized to her teammates. But for a heroic performance by “Quad God” Ilia Malinin, Glenn would have cost Team USA the gold.

Karma? Perhaps. Loss of focus? Definitely. Every minute you are thinking about ICE in Minnesota is a minute you’re not thinking about the ice and snow in Milan.

Mom didn’t get up at 4 A.M to drive you to practice for all those years so you could get to the Olympics and talk about politics. Get on the medal stand, get back on American soil, then get on your soap box.

However, something bigger is at play.

These athletes are giving away the competitive advantage of the collective American spirit. President Donald Trump in his Truth Social post ripping Hess as a “loser,” added, “Very hard to root for someone like this.”  

Yes. And that is the root cause of the Rapinoe Effect. When you are representing the USA and you willingly give up the full-hearted backing of half the USA, you are diminishing the power that can propel you to victory. That unseen push that shaves a crucial fraction of a second off your time. The hand that keeps you upright when you otherwise would have fallen.

That Spirit of 1776 strength and swagger that allowed a bunch of college kids in 1980 to take down the most powerful, experienced hockey team ever assembled.

“Do you believe in miracles?” Yes. And I believe in the force that charges such miracles. Simply put: “USA! USA! USA!”

May all our Olympic athletes—starting with Glenn and Hess—come to believe.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

The post US Olympic Athletes Trash-Talking USA? Didn’t Meghan Rapinoe Teach Them Nothing? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The following is a preview of Daily Signal Politics Editor Bradley Devlin’s interview with State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott on “The Signal Sitdown.” The full interview premieres on The Daily Signal’s YouTube page at 6:30 a.m. eastern on Feb. 12.

It has been five weeks since the U.S. removed former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. But the question on everyone’s mind is what comes next now that Maduro is no longer in power.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott joined “The Signal Sitdown” this week to discuss the Trump administration’s plan for Venezuela.

President Donald Trump’s administration has implemented a three-phase plan for the future of Venezuela, a process that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hinted could be a long process.

“I can’t give you a timeline of how long it takes,” Rubio said at a Jan. 28 Senate hearing. “It can’t take forever. I get it. We all want something immediately. But this is not a frozen dinner you put in a microwave and in two and a half minutes it comes out ready to eat.”

Pigott explained the administration’s phased approach.

“First, the stability of Venezuela. Second, the recovery, where you might see the beginnings of investment, in oil infrastructure, for example,” Pigott said. “Then the third phase being that transition to a longer-term situation where hopefully you have a reliable partner in the region.”

Pigott claimed that the cooperation between Venezuela and the United States, especially in the oil industry, is improving conditions in Venezuela.

“The oil deal was an important part of this,” Pigott said, referencing changes that will allow American companies to invest in Venezuela’s oil industry. “Seeing that stabilization, those constructive conversations with the interim authorities,” makes a path forward possible.

New “revenue wasn’t used to go to a corrupt regime, prop up the corrupt regime, and instead used to benefit the people of Venezuela,” Pigott added.

“Part of that phase two, [will be] seeing companies go in there, invest, and hopefully, as the secretary says, we have a normal oil infrastructure, a normal oil industry, in Venezuela,” he continued.

Pigott confirmed that the U.S. maintains communication with Venezuela’s interim authorities “pretty regularly.”

“There’s a degree of conversations that are happening across different levels of government,” he said. “We have a new director of our Venezuelan affairs unit, for example, who’s had different conversations with the interim authorities there,” as stability remains America’s top concern in Venezuela.

The post What Comes Next for Venezuela? State Department Official Explains appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced new initiatives to encourage Americans to “Eat Real Food.”

“I’m happy to announce that today we are at [the Department of Agriculture] releasing new guidance for all regional and state directors of our child nutrition programs,” Rollins said Wednesday.

She added the guidance would be “encouraging them today to familiarize themselves with the key recommendations and consider how these guidelines and how they will be incorporated into program meals and snacks as we continue to promote and build healthy outcomes and healthy families.”

The Department of Agriculture will release a proposed child nutrition rule in about a month, Rollins said.

“We are restoring common sense, we are restoring scientific integrity, and we are restoring accountability to federal food and health policy,” she said.

The Trump administration says it is also bringing healthier foods to members of the military.

“Our mission is to ensure that the American soldier is the most fueled, most fit and most lethal human weapon system on the planet,” Army Undersecretary Mike Obadal said. “To achieve this, we’re introducing a campus-style dining model across our training centers.”

Army dining facilities are being shifted to a restaurant style model with multiple food stations with extended service hours, starting with a pilot location in Fort Carson, Colorado, opening this spring.

“By focusing on the root causes of our health crisis, we’ll achieve an army that doesn’t meet standards but sets them,” Obadal said. “We are building forces leaner, faster, and ready to meet today’s challenges.”

Rollins also announced that USDA is about to finalize its new stocking standards, meaning the 250,000 retailers who accept food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and electronic benefits transfers, will have to more than double the healthy food offerings that they have on the shelves.

“These actions, alongside removing the waste and the fraud and the abuse from the SNAP program, continue to be key priorities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Rollins said.

Kennedy and Rollins touted efforts to make eating “real food” more affordable.

“We don’t need more money,” Kennedy said. “We just need to be smarter, and that what this administration is about.”

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is establishing a clear definition of ultra-processed foods, which will influence federal purchasing decisions, Kennedy said.

Additionally, for the first time in decades, the FDA will require notification and a safety review if a company is introducing new chemicals into the food supply.

“We are also partnering with innovators, designers, and advocates to deliver a clear, positive message that healthy food is achievable, practical, affordable, and within reach of every American family,” Kennedy said.

The post Trump Admin Unveils New Initiatives to Bring ‘Real Food’ to Americans appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As medical associations are reconsidering transgender “medicine” for minors, Democrats—even “moderate” ones like Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear—seem to be missing the memo.

Just a few days after a jury awarded $2 million in damages to a detransitioner woman who underwent surgery at 16, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons subsequently recommended against surgeries for patients under 19, Beshear decided to double down on transgender “treatments” and tie the issue to his Christian faith.

Beshear said on “The View” Monday that “the most authentic thing” that “drives” him is his faith.

“My decisions are based on ‘we love our neighbors like ourselves’ and the parable that says everyone is our neighbor,” he explained. “When I vetoed one of the nastiest pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation that came through my state, I described it in those terms.”

“I said my faith tells me that all children are children of God and I didn’t want people picking on those things,” the governor said.

I find that position rather ironic.

Beshear is right on the basics: Jesus does teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and while not all children are children of God, they are made in his image. But when it comes to protecting children, he has the policy exactly wrong.

His policy isn’t about protecting children, it’s about making them vulnerable to the transgender agenda.

Beshear’s Veto

As the Democratic governor of a red state, Beshear has vetoed many bills, although the Legislature often overrides him.

During a speech last year, Beshear touted having vetoed 2023 Senate Bill 150, which he then called “the nastiest piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that this state had ever seen.” The Legislature overrode his veto, so the bill became law, protecting parental rights, preventing boys from entering girls’ restrooms in schools, and forbidding transgender medical interventions.

In his 2023 veto message, Beshear said the bill “allows too much government interference in personal healthcare issues,” that his “faith teaches [him] that all children are children of God and Senate Bill 150 will endanger the children of Kentucky.”

Yet he had no qualms about government interference in health care issues in 2024, when he signed an executive order forbidding “conversion therapy.” In defending that order, Beshear wrote, “as leaders and policymakers, we should be in the business of protecting our citizens and kids from harm, not subjecting them to discredited methods that jeopardize their health, wellbeing, and safety.”

His “conversion therapy” order involved a double standard: allowing therapists to encourage a minor toward LGBTQ identities, but preventing counseling in the other direction, assuming that any such counseling is harmful. While LGBTQ activist groups have claimed “conversion therapy” is dangerous, data shows that thoughts of suicide decrease after counseling.

The governor’s reasoning about protecting kids isn’t entirely baseless, however. He just applies the protection to the wrong issue.

How to Actually Protect Kids

The theory goes like this: “conversion therapy” is so dangerous for kids long term that they cannot consent to it until they turn 18. Therefore, the government should protect them.

I agree with Beshear that minors face a threat to their health from which they should be protected, because they cannot give informed consent. The problem is, Beshear’s executive order explicitly protected the counseling that encourages the truly dangerous practice.

Beshear’s order states that therapy “that assists an individual seeking to undergo a gender transition” does not count as “conversion therapy.”

Activists push minors along a child mutilation pipeline, which begins with the anodyne-sounding “social transition.” Even just using names and pronouns that align with a kid’s stated “gender identity” acts as a “powerful psychotherapeutic intervention that radically changes outcomes,” according to psychologist Dr. Stephen B. Levine.

This often leads kids to undergo increasingly intrusive “treatments” to alter their bodies. Pre-pubescent kids take “puberty blockers,” the same drugs authorities use to “chemically castrate” sex offenders. A Food and Drug Administration study found an “increased risk of [suicidal thoughts] and depression” among minors using these drugs.

During puberty, minors take cross-sex hormones, which can carry increased risks of infertility, diabetes, and cancer. Then, of course, came the most irreversible “treatment”—the surgical removal of otherwise healthy sex organs, rendering patients infertile and dependent on the medical industry to maintain their Frankensteinian facsimiles of the opposite sex’s organs.

America’s medical institutions, which rushed to embrace most of this insanity in recent years, have started moving in the opposite direction. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommended against surgery for patients under 19, and even the American Medical Association stated that it “generally” agreed. The society also cast doubt on hormone “treatments.”

This comes after the Department of Health and Human Services released a peer-reviewed study finding “extremely weak evidence” that these interventions have any beneficial effect for children, and that the risks for these interventions are becoming “increasingly undeniable.”

What Does Christianity Have to Do With It?

As a Christian, I believe in loving my neighbor, and that entails protecting kids from experimental medical interventions. Minors cannot give informed consent to interventions that will likely leave them stunted, scarred, and infertile, and we should protect them from the sex-rejecting procedures euphemistically referred to as “gender-affirming care.”

Christianity also teaches that God made us male and female, and I can think of no worse form of “conversion therapy” than lying to a boy that he can become a girl or vice versa.

It is the exact opposite of compassion to gaslight children and drive them toward institutional medical self-harm.

It infuriates me to see Andy Beshear twist the Bible to endorse this cruel ideology. Luckily, the medical industry is seeing through the charade.

The post ‘Moderate’ Democrat Twists Christian Compassion to Defend Transgender ‘Treatments’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Jeffrey Epstein files, fraud, and the Biden administration’s lawfare were among the topics that Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed during her testimony Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee.  

Here are four big takeaways from the hearing.  

1. ‘Should be Apologizing’ 

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., suggested investigations of Trump’s enemies were distracting the Justice Department from reviewing the files of Epstein, a well-connected convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. 

He spoke for four minutes before asking a question.  

“The DOJ has failed to bring any of these perpetrators to justice,” Nadler said regarding the names in the Epstein files. “Instead, you have engaged in a relentless pursuit of Donald Trump’s perceived enemies. I want to focus on just one example.” 

He brought up a federal indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging mortgage fraud; a case subsequently dismissed.  

“How many of Epstein’s coconspirators have you indicted? How many perpetrators are you even investigating?” Nadler asked.  

Bondi attempted to answer, but Nadler kept interrupting her. He eventually jumped to answer his own question, “zero.” 

“I’m not going to get in the gutter with these people,” Bondi said. 

Nadler noted a social media post by Trump complaining about the two impeachments and five indictments against him.  

Bondi, who was on the team of lawyers defending Trump in his first Senate impeachment trial in early 2020, noted she and Nadler–one of the House managers–were on opposite sides.  

“During impeachment, you said the president conspired and sought foreign interference in the 2016 election. [Former special counsel] Robert Mueller found no evidence,” Bondi said. “Have you apologized to President Trump? All of you who participated in those impeachment hearings against Donald Trump, you all should be apologizing. You sit here, and you attack the president, and I am not going to have it.” 

She followed that the Trump administration is in the process of releasing the Epstein files.  

“They are talking about Epstein today. This has been around since the Obama administration,” Bondi said. “This administration released over 3 million pages of documents. Over 3 million, and Donald Trump signed that law to release all of those documents. He is the most transparent president in the nation’s history.” 

Trump signed the bill that passed overwhelmingly in Congress. 

Later in the hearing, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked Bondi if more individuals involved with Epstein would be indicted. She responded, “We have several investigations pending.”

2. ‘You Have to be Quiet’ 

At several points, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told Bondi–the second woman to serve as U.S. attorney general–to stop talking. 

Raskin jumped into the exchange between Bondi and Nadler to say he warned Bondi not to “filibuster.” 

“I told you about that Attorney General, before we started,” Raskin said.   

Bondi defiantly replied, “You don’t tell me anything.” 

Later in the hearing, the two got in another exchange when Raskin said each member has only five minutes and accused Bondi of “going off on a wild goose chase, another tangent.” 

“If you do that, then we’re allowed to say we are reclaiming our time,” Raskin said. “At that point, you have to be quiet. You have no choice. You have to be quiet.” 

3. Fraud ‘Rampant Throughout the Country’ 

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., asked Bondi about the investigation into the estimated $9 billion welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota.  

“Well, it’s not only rampant in Minnesota but also, throughout this country,” Bondi said. “Much of it is in California, as you know, and in other places. Yes, we are working on it actively. Our criminal fraud division has been working on it. We are expanding that.” 

Tiffany followed, “Why did federal law enforcement have to go to Minneapolis? Because of industrial scale fraud.”  

Tiffany, whose district is only about 20 miles from Minneapolis, added he asked Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, D-Wis., to open the books for a federal audit on food stamps and Medicaid. 

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea for every governor to do that at this point?” Tiffany asked. 

Bondi called it a “great idea.” 

4. ‘Failed Politician’ and ‘Hypocrite’ 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a co-author of the bill that forced the release of the Epstein files, criticized the Justice Department for redacting the name of a potential perpetrator. Bondi said the name was added back within 40 minutes.  

“Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed,” said Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican who has clashed with Trump on issues.  

“Red handed, there was one redaction,” Bondi said laughing.  

Massie responded, “He was listed as a co-conspirator.” 

“He has Trump derangement syndrome,” Bondi said of Massie. “You’re a failed politician.” 

Bondi went on to add, “He’s a hypocrite because he voted against the ban that we were talking about on deepfake AI porn. One of only two people voted against it.” 

The post 4 Big Moments From Bondi’s House Judiciary Testimony appeared first on The Daily Signal.

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – The U.S. government posted a $95 billion budget deficit in January, down $34 billion or 26% from a year earlier as revenue gains including customs duties outpaced growth in outlays, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

Adjusting for routine calendar shifts in benefit payments due to holidays, weekends and other factors in both years, the Treasury said the January deficit would have been $30 billion, a decline of $52 billion or 63% from January 2025.

January receipts totaled $560 billion, up $47 billion or 9% from a year earlier, while outlays totaled $655 billion, up $13 billion or 2%.

Through the first four months of the 2026 fiscal year that started October 1, the deficit fell to $697 billion, down $143 billion or 17% from the same period of fiscal 2025. Year-to-date receipts totaled $1.785 trillion, up $188 billion or 12% from the prior year period, while outlays reached $2.482 trillion, up $46 billion or 2%.

January receipts and outlays were records for the month, but the deficit was not a record, a Treasury official told reporters. Year-to-date receipts and outlays were also both records for the first four months of a fiscal year, but the deficit was not a record.

Helping to drive both January and year-to-date results were sharply higher net customs receipts due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. These totaled $27.7 billion in January, about the same level as December and slightly below the $30 billion monthly pace late last year. Customs duties in January 2025, the month that Trump took office and well before his tariff announcements, totaled $7.3 billion.

Fiscal year-to-date net customs duties were $117.7 billion, up from $28.2 billion a year earlier.

Also cutting the deficit was a rare $12 billion decline in Treasury interest outlays on the public debt to $72 billion for January. The Treasury official said this stemmed from downward adjustments to payments on inflation-linked securities that were delayed by last year’s government shutdown and publication of consumer price index data.

Year-to-date Treasury debt interest totaled $426 billion, a record for the period, up $34 billion or 9%.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

The post US January Budget Deficit Falls to $95 Billion as Revenue Gains Outpace Spending Growth appeared first on The Daily Signal.

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) — U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in January and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, signs of labor market stability that could give the Federal Reserve room to keep interest rates unchanged for some time while policymakers monitor inflation.

But the largest increase in payrolls in 13 months reported by the Labor Department on Wednesday likely exaggerates the labor market’s health, as revisions showed the economy added only 181,000 jobs in 2025 instead of the previously estimated 584,000.

President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and immigration policies continued to cast a shadow on the labor market, economists said, cautioning against viewing the surge in payrolls in January as marking a material shift in conditions. 

Job Growth Focused in Health Care, Social Services

They noted that other indicators, including job openings, pointed to a tepid labor market, adding that job growth remained concentrated in the health care and social services industries, which accounted for nearly all the rise in employment.

“The only jobs being filled in January are in health care and social assistance, along with some nonresidential specialty trade contractors probably related to AI facilities, all of which do not guarantee the economy’s future success,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS. “If you are looking for a job … you are unlikely to find anything to apply for in today’s report.” 

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs last month after a downwardly revised 48,000 rise in December, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls advancing by 70,000 jobs. Estimates ranged from a loss of 10,000 jobs to a gain of 135,000 positions.

The BLS said frigid temperatures and snowstorms that slammed large parts of the country had not affected the establishment survey, from which payrolls are calculated.

The employment report, initially due last Friday, was delayed by the three-day shutdown of the federal government.

Health care employment increased 82,000, the most since July 2020, spread across ambulatory health care services, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities. The job gains were well above the monthly average of 33,000 in 2025, leading some economists to conclude that January’s increase was a fluke. Social assistance payrolls increased 42,000. 

Construction added 33,000 jobs, driven by the hiring of nonresidential specialty trade contractors, attributed by some economists to data centers needed to power artificial intelligence. Construction was virtually flat in 2025. Professional and business services payrolls rose 34,000.

“I am skeptical that the degree of vigor seen in these data will be consistently repeated going forward, but this release should slam the door shut on the narrative that the labor market is on the cusp of falling apart,” said Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S. Capital Markets.    

Manufacturing employment rebounded slightly but has lost more than 80,000 jobs since Trump returned to the White House. Trump has defended tariffs on imported goods as necessary to revive factories.

There were minor job gains in the retail, utilities as well as the leisure and hospitality sectors. The financial sector shed another 22,000 jobs. Job losses were recorded in the transportation and warehousing, information as well as mining and logging industries.

Federal government employment contracted by an additional 34,000 positions as some employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer in 2025 came off payrolls. Federal employment is down by 327,000 since peaking in October 2024.

Employment Gains are Concentrated in Few Industries

The share of industries reporting growth increased to 55.0% from 54.2% in December. Labor market softness was underscored by annual payrolls benchmark revisions, which showed 862,000 fewer jobs were created in the 12 months through March 2025 than previously estimated. 

Trump shrugged off the revisions and focused on the January job growth surge, writing on social media that “We are again the strongest Country in the World, and should therefore be paying the LOWEST INTEREST RATE, by far.”

Though traders are still betting the U.S. central bank will next reduce its policy rate in June, they see an almost 40% chance it will not move then, up from about 25% before the data.

The Fed last month left its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range.    

Stocks on Wall Street were trading lower. The dollar gained versus a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields rose.

“It appears the labor market is closer to stabilization than rapid deterioration,” said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo. “Today’s data suggest another rate cut under Chair (Jerome) Powell is increasingly unlikely.”

Economists believe the economy needs to create about 50,000 jobs per month or even less to keep up with growth in the working-age population. About 387,000 people entered the labor force last month. They were more than absorbed by a 528,000 jump in household employment, pushing the jobless rate down.

Fewer people were working part-time for economic reasons and the ranks of those experiencing long-term unemployment declined.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel)

The post US Job Growth Surges in January appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Donald Trump held a “very good” closed-door meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, to discuss Iran, but acknowledged no definitive decision was reached on how the United States will proceed toward the Islamic Republic.

The “tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting Wednesday afternoon.

“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” Trump said.

“Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — that did not work well for them,” Trump said, referring to the strikes the U.S. carried out against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

“Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible,” Trump continued.

The president said he and Netanyahu also discussed Gaza and the “Region in general. There is truly PEACE in the Middle East.”

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu also met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, former Trump advisor Jared Kushner, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

For about a month, Trump has been threatening action against the Iranian regime if a deal is not reached on its nuclear program. The threats follow reports of the regime killing thousands of its own citizens during protests against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled Iran under Sharia law since 1989.

Trump has moved a significant number of military resources into the Middle East since the start of the year, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. As recently as Tuesday, Trump told Axios he may send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region if negotiations with Iran fail.

The Iranians “want to make a deal,” Trump recently said during an interview with Fox Business, adding any deal must be a “good” one and include “no nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want.”

Trump admitted he does not know if the current regime would adhere to the terms of a nuclear deal with the U.S.

The U.S., under Trump’s direction, struck three key nuclear facilities in June. If a deal can’t be reached, Trump has indicated the U.S. will consider action to “take out more” of the regime’s nuclear program.

While Trump says Iran wants to reach a deal, the regime maintains some of Trump’s requests are not up for negotiation.

“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the regime, said Wednesday, Reuters reports. Iran has expressed a willingness to negotiate on the nation’s nuclear program, but nothing else.

Oman mediated nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran last week. After the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran “only discusses its nuclear issue … We do not discuss any other issue with the U.S.,” according to Reuters.

The post Trump Indicates All Options on Table With Iran After Netanyahu Meeting appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing on Tuesday to probe whether sharia law would lead to constitutional violations.

“Tenants of sharia are incompatible with the United States and our constitution,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal before the hearing. “Sharia is central to [Islam], and it is incompatible with the constitution, our way of life, and Western civilization.”

Led by Roy, lawmakers heard testimonies from Stephen Gelé of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, Robert Spencer of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Krista Schild of the Rise Align Ignite Reclaim Foundation, and George Mason University Professor Ilya Somin.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., introduced a bill in September to ban sharia law from the U.S. Court System.

Fine was emboldened to introduce the bill because of reporting that claimed defendants charged with crimes like domestic violence have used the Quran in their defense. Some Islamism watchdogs point to part of the Quran that states a man can “beat” a “disobedient woman,” as a legitimate defense to avoid criminal punishment.

“In hundreds of reported cases throughout the U.S., litigants have attempted to apply sharia, often succeeding,” Gelé said during his testimony. “The law applied by such tribunals discriminates based on gender and religion, and in the case of custody disputes, does not apply the best interests of the child standard. Those arbitration tribunals also lack traditional American legal formalities, lessening due process.”

The hearing also focused on compounds that GOP lawmakers claim to embrace sharia law, such as the East Plano Islamic Center outside of Houston.

During her testimony, Schild claimed that EPIC’s imam, Yasir Qadhi, who oversees the compound, pushes Muslim extremist ideology.

“Qadhi has publicly described Jews and Christians as “the most evil of all evils.” And “has hosted events advocating for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, an al-Qaeda operative convicted of attempting to murder U.S. troops.” FIX THE QUOTE MARKS HERE

Schild’s claimed that Qadhi is a “member” of a Hamas-tied “notorious Muslim Brotherhood front group.”

‘These Imams defend stoning adulterers, chopping off hands, killing homosexuals, wife-beating, child marriage, and call Jews filth,” Schild added. “These enclaves run internal Sharia tribunals governing disputes, family, and compliance – outside American law.”

Some of the witnesses, however, claimed the GOP’s attempt to push back on Sharia law is “unconstitutional” and discriminatory.

“Mass expulsion and deportation is not the answer,” Somin said. “This law is unconstitutional.”

She added that deporting those suspected of embracing Sharia law in the United States would give a win to “radical Islamic terrorists” who forced their expulsion from their home countries in the first place.

Democrat lawmakers in attendance at the hearing echoed Somin’s remarks, claiming that the GOP’s push to outlaw sharia is a distraction and compared Islamic compounds to those of the Amish communities.

“We live in a country so great we don’t need these anti-sharia and anti-Muslim legislation,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said during his opening remarks.

Raskin added that Congress is shifting focus to this to avoid talking about “inflation” and the “administration cover-up of the Epstein files.”

The Constitution, according to Raskin, prevents the government from endorsing a certain religion, which he implied that by going against sharia, lawmakers are endorsing other religions, like Christianity or Judaism.

Raskin claimed that members of Congress who advocate for the removal of other members, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over accusations of embracing sharia law, violate the Constitution.  

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., accused anti-sharia lawmakers of “furthering Islamophobia” and “anti-Muslim remarks to score political points.”

She then added that the efforts to ban sharia are a “blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

Nevertheless, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., stated that the Supreme Court has previously banned polygamy, which is tied to Mormonism, and therefore banning anti-constitutional customs in sharia would not be illegal.  

The post Congress Asks if Sharia Law Is Unconstitutional appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Attorney General Pam Bondi had choice words for Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., after the congressman accused Bondi of perjury and lying under oath while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.  

“Don’t you ever accuse me of a crime!” Bondi snapped at Lieu after he accused her of lying under oath.  

The congressman began his time by questioning Bondi about an explicit photo picturing former Prince Andrew and an unknown woman. Lieu then attempted to link President Donald Trump to Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein attending parties with underage girls.  

“Like former Prince Andrew, Donald Trump attended various parties with Jeffrey Epstein, I want to know, were there any underage girls at that party, or at any party that Trump attended with Jeffrey Epstein?” Lieu asked.

“This is so ridiculous and that they are trying to deflect from all the great things Donald Trump has done. There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime,” claimed Bondi. “Everyone knows that this has been the most transparent presidency,” she continued.  

“I believe you’ve just lied under oath. There is ample evidence in the Epstein files,” Lieu responded.

Lieu then referenced claims made against Trump leading up to the 2020 election that the DOJ has determined to be false.

The file Lieu referenced claimed that a limousine driver who had driven Trump in 1995 allegedly overheard him on the phone talking about “abusing some girl.” The driver then claimed to have driven an unnamed woman who told him that Trump and Epstein raped her between 1995-2000. The driver claimed that the woman turned up dead after telling the police.  

The DOJ addressed this, and many other claims, in December when they released 30,000 new pages of the Epstein files from Data Set 8. 

“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,” read an X post from the DOJ.  

“Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims,” the statement added. 

The post ‘Don’t You Ever Accuse Me of a Crime!’: Bondi Snaps at Democrat for Claiming She Lied Under Oath appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—In a letter shared with The Daily Signal, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, unveiled their plans to uncover fraud, waste, and abuse in federal education funding and the Biden-era student loan “bailout agenda.”

The senators’ announcement follows their appointment by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, to lead the Education Fraud Task Force.

The task force was created to prevent instances of rampant federal fraud, as reported in Minnesota in December, Tuberville’s office confirmed with The Daily Signal.

In the letter, the senators vowed to “rectify the damage caused by the Biden Administration’s illegal student loan bailout agenda” and to establish “clarity, accountability and trust in federally funded education and childcare programs.”

The Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program reportedly cost taxpayers upward of $183 billion.

“Taxpayers demand that federal investments in our nation’s education are efficient, effective, and transparent. Education is key to opportunity, and our funding priorities should reflect this,” the letter states.

In their letter, the senators then asked Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to assist them in their efforts “uncovering fraud, waste, and abuse in federal education funding.“

“[The department] has tackled fraud head-on by prioritizing the identification and verification of every student who receives federal aid to ensure they are a real person, not a fraudulent entity,” the letter reads.

“The Education Fraud Taskforce asks for the Department of Education’s support to develop strong collaborative efforts and continue the good works of the department in uncovering, identifying, and preventing fraud,” the letter continues.

The Department of Education did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Senators Ask Education Department to Collaborate on Student Loan Fraud Probe appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Public health and public policy experts convened at The Heritage Foundation on Monday to celebrate “One Year of MAHA.”

The leaders discussed how President Donald Trump has enacted policies to improve the health and wellbeing of Americans and what the administration could do over the next three years.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined The Heritage Foundation event to share the accomplishments of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement about a year into his tenure.

Introducing the secretary, Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts praised the administration because “they’ve begun the process of reversing childhood chronic disease, releasing new dietary guidelines that are going to get Americans eating real food again.”

The event explained how Kennedy and Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins collaborated with the top nutritionists in the nation and initiated research to uncover the root causes of America’s health epidemic.

Kennedy is proud that the administration’s findings are “written in plain English, and you can summarize it with three words: ‘eat real food.’”

“The primary culprits is ultra processed foods, refined carbohydrates,” Kennedy said of their findings. “Seventy percent of the foods that our kids eat are ultra processed foods, and it’s killing them, and it’s a spiritual warfare.”

Children’s Health Defense General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg also spoke at the Monday event. Though America is wealthy,  Mack Rosenberg  claimed “we have the sickest kids with the poorest health outcomes in well developed countries.”

The MAHA movement is not only focused on physical health but mental health. Artificial ingredients and processed foods have a negative impact on our well-being “because we’re mass poisoning [ourselves] and we now have the worst health outcomes.” The result is not only physical illness but mental illness, Kennedy argued.

President of MAHA Action, Tony Lyons, said that children are “going to school and eating donuts, eating sugary cereals, eating sodas or drinking sodas,” which is why mental illnesses have disproportionately affected America’s youth.

“We should have the healthiest babies, the healthiest children, and we need to put aside the broken system, figure out what’s wrong and fix it,” Mack Rosenberg added.

The post One Year After RFK Jr’s Confirmation, MAHA Looks to the Future of the Health Movement appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Last week’s hearing in the Charlie Kirk murder case was a legal harbinger of things to come.

As we await Utah State trial Judge Tony Graf’s written decision later this month on whether or not to recuse the Utah County Attorney’s Office from the capital murder case against Tyler Robinson, it’s becoming more evident that this case will dominate the news like no case in recent memory.

Before recounting how the highly unique hearing last week played out, and why it is unlikely the judge will recuse the Utah County Attorney’s Office, it’s worth pointing out some aspects of the case that have become glaringly obvious.

First, the judge and lawyers for both sides exemplify what has come to be known as “Utah nice.”

Lawyers for both sides were polite to each other, to the witnesses, and to the judge. They were so polite that they were almost friendly, even though this is a highly contested case. So far, there haven’t been any verbal jabs or snark or attitude, which we all have come to expect in high stakes televised criminal trials.

Second, the defense team is highly experienced, strategic, creative, and very active, as you can see from the myriad motions they have filed to date detailed here. And at this early stage in the proceedings, the state is equally up to the task, matching or besting the defense’s motions and arguments.

The Recusal Hearing

As I predicted in my first piece on the case, the hearing on Feb. 3 showcased something you rarely see in a criminal case: defense counsel questioning the elected prosecutor and one of the lead prosecutors on the case.

Their questions were crafty, methodical, and designed to create the impression that there was an actual conflict of interest in this case requiring the judge to recuse not only the lead prosecutor, but the entire office. Whether they ultimately succeed in this motion to recuse, they did create an issue for appeal if Robinson is convicted.

The hearing, which Graf decided to keep open to the public under the terms of a standing decorum order, began with defense attorney Richard Novak continued his questioning of the elected prosecutor, Jeff Gray.

Novak quizzed Gray on any written policies his office is required to follow regarding best practices for conflicts of interest. Novak got Gray to admit that he is the president-elect of SWAP, the Utah Statewide Association of Prosecutors & Public Attorneys that acts as a lobbying group which advocates for the policy interests of statewide prosecutors.

Novak asked Gray if he was familiar with a SWAP document called “Utah Prosecutor’s Best Practices.” Gray said he was generally familiar with it. In the “Best Practices,” document, Novak asked Gray about section 1-3.0 entitled “Conflicts of Interest,” which states that a prosecutor may not “engage in activities that conflict, have a significant potential to conflict, or are likely to create a reasonable appearance of conflict with the duties and responsibilities of the prosecutor’s office.”

Gray calmly responded that the “reasonable appearance of conflict” has to be rooted in a real conflict upon which there can be an appearance of that conflict. Gray noted that the standard is not based solely on the views of the public, but instead based on case law generally. He added that he did not necessarily need to consult this document to inform his decision regarding a potential conflict of interest in this case because of his 25 years of knowledge about conflicts was sufficient knowledge in this area of the law.

Novak didn’t lay a finger on Gray.

The court then went into closed session to hear from the lead prosecutor’s daughter, to protect her identity. Who questioned her and what her answers were are not known at this point.

Failing to Trip Up the Prosecutor

The court moved to the questioning of the lead prosecutor Chad Grunander, conducted by defense attorney Michael Burt. Burt’s job, ultimately, was to get Grunander to lay out detailed facts about his involvement in the case, his close connection with his daughter, and then suggest via his questions that because of his actions in the case, his relationship with his daughter, and later interactions with his colleagues in the prosecutor’s office, that there was an actual or apparent conflict of interest in the case.

Grunander admitted that around noon on Sept.10 he was at a convention center in Davis County presenting to the elected county attorneys in the state.

Shortly after he finished presenting, he was standing next to Gray and other state county attorneys when he began to receive texts from his daughter in a family group chat.

In a text that came in around 12:25 p.m., the daughter texted in all caps, “SOMEONE GOT SHOT,” and at the same timestamp, she texted, “I’m okay, everyone’s running inside.”

At 12:28 p.m., the daughter had a one-minute phone call with her father. Grunander testified that the purpose of the call was focused on her well-being, not the facts of what happened.

Like any parent, he was startled and concerned about her welfare but understood from the call that she was safe. He spoke with Gray about these text messages since they were together, and within a few minutes after receiving the last text message, he called his office and spoke with prosecutor Chris Ballard to put him on notice of what occurred at UVU, as well as another prosecutor in the office to make himself available for questions and to assist law enforcement.

By 12:50 or so, after making the final call to his office, Grunander left the conference to make the one-hour drive back to Utah County. He drove to Orem, where he met up with Gray, and from there they drove together to UVU to try and understand what was happening and make themselves available to answer questions and assist, staying at UVU late into the day.

Burt then asked whether he considered the public perception of the integrity of the prosecutor’s office and public confidence in their ability to handle the case given the fact that his daughter had been at the event.

Grunander retorted, “Sure, we considered the appearance of conflict here, but when we learned and had a good grasp of what her experience was, or most importantly, what her experience wasn’t, what she didn’t see, we felt confident that there was simply no conflict here, and once people become aware of the facts, there’s no appearance of conflict.”

Despite Burt’s best efforts to the contrary, Grunander testified that none of these events affected his ability to perform his duties as a prosecutor or influenced any of his decisions in the case.

Burt pivoted again and tried through his questions to suggest that the reason the Utah County Attorney’s Office made the decision to seek the death penalty before the preliminary hearing was because of Grunander’ s connection to his daughter.

Once again, Grunander calmly responded that it was the elected prosecutor’s decision whether to pursue the death penalty, not his, and that because of the facts of the case and the aggravating circumstances in the case, it was a death eligible case. He stood his ground and maintained the position that his daughter’s presence at the scene as a non-witness had no impact on any aspect of his professional actions in the case.

Abundance of Caution

Burt asked Grunander about an email he sent to the defense regarding the fact that his daughter had been at the event where Kirk was murdered. After disclosing the relevant facts to the defense, Grunander wrote, “we don’t believe the following creates a conflict for me in Tyler Robinson’s case, but it’s something that should be disclosed to you, his attorneys.”

Sensing he had the upper hand, Burt asked Grunander why he didn’t think it created a conflict or potential conflict.

The response was compelling: “The considerations were that I would be part of the prosecution team … and my daughter was present, and there’s an argument that can be made with respect to a conflict. So, our practice, my practice, is if there’s an argument, disclose it. We’re not in the business of hiding anything. And so, we knew from the outset that once counsel was appointed, we would be disclosing this to the defense and they would respond accordingly, however they thought they should.”

Finally, after being asked if the “Best Practices” document influenced Grunander’ s decision to disclose his potential conflict of interest, he had an equally compelling response: “What motivated my behavior was to just act with professionalism and integrity, disclose this to the defense. But don’t mistake our disclosure, my disclosure, our abundance of caution, our professionalism, integrity, to be a concession that we believe there’s merit to this alleged conflict.”

Grunander’s answers were what one would expect from an ethical, honest, by-the-book prosecutor.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Graf said he will issue his ruling on Feb 24.

Based on the facts developed during the hearing from the three witnesses and the legal standard requiring recusal of a prosecutor’s office, I think the judge will likely not grant the motion to recuse the office as there is no direct conflict of interest nor is there an appearance of impropriety that would threaten the defendant’s due process rights.

The post Judge in Charlie Kirk Case to Decide Whether to Boot Prosecutors appeared first on The Daily Signal.

It happened exactly 11 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was visiting the State Department’s mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi, where the CIA also maintained a nearby Annex.

On Jan. 15, 2014, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence published a detailed report on the terrorist attack made against these U.S. facilities on the night of Sept. 11, 2012.

At 9:42 p.m.–as recorded by a surveillance camera–“armed attackers advanced toward the U.S. compound,” and “a local police vehicle” that had been stationed outside the compound pulled away. Some of these attackers climbed over the mission’s gate and then opened it.

“Over the course of the entire attack on the Mission facility,” said the committee’s report, “at least 60 different attackers entered the U.S. compound and can be seen on the surveillance video recovered from the Mission facility.”

What did they do there?

“Ambassador Chris Stevens was in the residence of the Main Building (‘Building C’), along with a Diplomatic Security agent, and Information Management Officer Sean Smith,” said the report. “The three of them proceeded to the ‘safe area’ in the building.”

Then, diplomatic security agents “contacted CIA personnel at the Annex to ask for assistance.”

But within three minutes of entering this State Department property, the terrorists had begun to destroy it.

“After entering the Mission facility, the attackers used diesel fuel to set fire to the barracks/guard house of the Libyan 17th February Brigade militia, which served as a security force provided by the host nation for the Mission compound, and then proceeded towards the main buildings of the compound.”

This is when they started killing Americans.

“The attackers used diesel fuel to set the Main Building ablaze where Ambassador Stevens was secured in the ‘safe area,'” said the Intelligence Committee’s report. “Thick smoke rapidly filled the entire structure. The attacks moved unimpeded throughout the compound, entering and exiting buildings at will.”

“A DS agent began leading the Ambassador and Sean Smith toward the emergency escape window to escape the smoke,” said the report. “Nearing unconsciousness himself, the agent opened the emergency escape window and crawled out. He then realized he had become separated from the Ambassador and Sean Smith in the smoke, so he reentered and searched the building multiple times.”

He eventually “climbed a ladder to the roof where he radioed other DS agents for assistance.”

Twenty-one minutes after this attack had started a “CIA security team” headed from the CIA Annex to the State Department’s mission. Seven minutes after that they “made their way onto the compound in the face of enemy fire.'”

At 10:30 p.m. that night, additional DS agents arrived at the building where Stevens and Smith had taken refuge. There they found Smith, who had already died.

The CIA security team, helped by the Libyan militia that worked at the compound, went looking for the missing ambassador.

“During this time, State and CIA personnel re-entered the burning compound numerous times in an attempt to locate Ambassador Stevens, but to no avail,” said the report.

They then drove in “armored vehicles” to the CIA Annex, taking Smith’s body with them. When they got there, they were again attacked by the terrorists with “sporadic small arms fire” and “rocket-propelled grenades.”

Meanwhile, some Libyans did discover Stevens at the State Department mission and brought him to a hospital. “Despite attempts to revive him,” said the committee report, “Ambassador Stevens had no heartbeat and had perished from smoke inhalation.”

And this terrorist attack was not yet over.

At 5:15 a.m., according to the report, the terrorists started firing at the Annex again. Security officers “Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed when they took direct mortar fire as they engaged the enemy from the roof of the Annex,” it said.

More than 13 years have passed since this evil attack. But now justice may be served on one of its alleged perpetrators. On Feb. 6, Attorney General Pam Bondi held a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

“We lost four American lives that day, Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, with the State Department, and two CIA contractors, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods,” Bondi said of the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi. “We have never forgotten those heroes, and we have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation.”

“Today, I’m proud to announce that the FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack,” said Bondi. “Zubayar Al-Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m. this morning. He is in our custody. He was greeted by Director Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.”

“Al-Bakoush will now face American justice on American soil,” said Bondi. “We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. He will face charges related to murder, terrorism, arson, among others. Let this case serve as a reminder. If you commit a crime against the American people anywhere in this world, President Trump’s Justice Department will find you. It might not happen overnight, but it will happen.

“You can run, but you cannot hide,” she said.

Two others have already been convicted for their involvement in the Benghazi attack. “The Department of Justice previously charged and convicted two leaders in the Benghazi attack on federal terrorism charges and other offenses,” said a Justice Department press release about the Al-Bakoush indictment. “Ahmed Abu Khatallah, aka Ahmed Mukatallah was sentenced in June 2018 to 22 years in prison and resentenced in September 2024 to 28 years in prison. Mustafa al-Imam was sentenced in January 2020 to nearly 20 years.”

Hopefully Al-Bakoush will not be the last alleged participant in the Benghazi terrorist attack to be brought to the United States to stand trial.

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The El Paso airport was closed temporarily and reopened on Wednesday morning due to a drone incursion from Mexican cartels.

“Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace,” a Trump administration official told The Daily Signal.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The [Federal Aviation Administration] and [Department of War] have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed in a post on X that the “threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”

Early Wednesday morning, the El Paso International Airport in Texas announced that all flights would be grounded for 10 days due to an FAA flight restriction closing the airspace around the El Paso airport.

Hours later, the airport announced that the travel restrictions had been lifted.

“El Paso International Airport operations have reopened following the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to lift the temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso,” the airport wrote on its Facebook page.

According to Reuters, the Pentagon and FAA were determining the risk of military counter measures to commercial aircraft, and that prompted the decision to shut down the airport.

Mexico’s cartels began using drones in recent years to monitor Border Patrol activity, according to Customs and Border Protection.

“We’re very concerned about, uh, the drone threat,” Interim Border Patrol Chief for the El Paso Sector Walter Slosar told The Daily Signal during an interview at the border in August.

The cartels have also reportedly used drones to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

Last week, officials from the border city of Chihuahua, Mexico, and the state of New Mexico met to discuss concerns over the cartels’ increased use of drones, according to Border Report.

The New Mexico state legislature is currently considering a bill to place restrictions on drones.

“We want people to be able to use drones,” New Mexico Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman says.

“However, the idea that drones can be used to circle law enforcement to do things that are known to be criminal activity, the idea that you are going to use a drone, fly it over the border from Mexico, drop a package or guide traffickers so they not be detected, that’s a real problem.”

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Ahead of the FBI raid at the Fulton County election headquarters, an agent detailed the probe’s focus on “deficiencies or defects” from the Georgia count in the 2020 election. 

“Fulton County has admitted that it does not have scanned images of all the 528,777 ballots counted during the original count or the 527,925 ballots counted during the recount,” FBI special agent Hugh Raymond Evans said in a detailed affidavit in federal district court justifying the search warant. 

“Fulton County has confirmed that during the Recount of votes, some ballots were scanned multiple times,” the affidavit continues. 

“Ballot images made available in response to public record requests show ballots with unique markings duplicated within the ballot images.”

Evans further noted that auditors hand counting the ballots reported inconsistencies, while the Georgia Performance Review Board reported that Georgia Secretary of State investigators confirmed inaccurate batch tallies from the audit. 

“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome determinative for any particular election or race,” the affidavit says. 

“Seizure of the election records would corroborate the analysis that evinces that election records were destroyed and or the tabulation of votes included materially false votes, either through duplicated scanning of specific ballots, interjection of pristine ballots, or other methods described above,” Evans says in asking the court to grant the search warrant. 

The FBI executed the warrant on Jan. 29. This came after a year-long clash between the State Election Board and Fulton County election officials regarding documents. 

The affidavit notes that the FBI interviewed two members of the State Election Board, a Fulton County commissioner, a staffer with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office, and a cyber security analyst among others. The names were redacted. 

The agent also noted the issues with 315,000 mail ballots that may not have been properly certified. 

“During a December 9, 2025, meeting before the State Election Board, Fulton County stated that tabulator tapes accounting for 315,000 ballots were not properly signed,” the affidavit says.

“The Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger stated in the media he considered the unsigned tabulator tapes an administrative oversight.” 

On Saturday, U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ordered the court documents in the case to be unsealed by close of business Tuesday. 

Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. argued the unsealed documents show “recycled theories and politically motivated claims.”

“The unsealing of this affidavit confirms what many of us feared from the start: that this extraordinary FBI raid was rooted in recycled theories and politically motivated claims that have already been examined and rejected time and time again,” Arrington said in a statement.

The post What the FBI Confirmed About Georgia 2020 Vote Counting Before the Raid appeared first on The Daily Signal.