All eyes are turning to Virginia as the state heads into its off-year elections for governor and control of the Virginia House of Delegates this November. As Virginians cast their ballots this fall, Americans will get a glimpse of how people in this bellwether state feel about President Donald Trump, Republicans, and their policies.

In one such key race, Republican incumbent state Del. Ian Lovejoy and Democrat Elizabeth Guzmán, a former delegate for Virginia’s then-31st District, will go head-to-head on Nov. 5 to represent the state’s 22nd District in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Lovejoy secured over 52% of the district’s votes in the 2023 election, beating Democrat nominee Travis Nembhard. The delegate for a part of Prince William County in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C., is running for his second term this year, citing the need to lower the cost of living in one of the most expensive places to live in Virginia.

“This session, I opposed $4 billion in new taxes and supported tax rebates to give every Virginia taxpayer a portion of their hard-earned money back,” Lovejoy told The Daily Signal. “I also co-patroned an initiative to eliminate the car tax through a constitutional amendment, but unfortunately, the majority party [Democrats] chose to kill this initiative.”

The Virginia delegate also said he is working to reduce crime and drug activity.

“I support federal law enforcement in their efforts to detain illegal immigrants who commit additional crimes and their expedited removal from our society,” Lovejoy said.

“I also supported a successful legislative initiative to hold drug dealers accountable by allowing manslaughter charges against them when their drugs lead to deadly overdoses,” he said. “After seeing what happened in our neighboring Loudoun County in my first term, I patroned successful legislation to combat the fentanyl crisis by making fentanyl education a statewide standard [in public schools].”

Regarding the rise in data centers in Prince William County, Lovejoy said he is actively working to protect communities from “the detriment of out-of-control data center sprawl.” Data centers are large facilities that manage, process, and share large amounts of internet data. They require massive amounts of electricity to run, which often requires the building of new electric grid infrastructure in the communities where they are located.

Northern Virginia is home to the largest data center market in the world, constituting 13% of all reported data center operational capacity globally and 25% of capacity in the Americas, according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy.

“A new issue that came out of the JLARC [Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission] study is that the data center industry will soon require infrastructure upgrades that could raise all ratepayers’ energy costs,” he said. “I have worked with necessary stakeholders to begin the work of ensuring data centers are paying their fair share and that ratepayers are not saddled with the cost.”

If reelected, Lovejoy said he would continue to regulate the data center industry and will “submit legislation that protects ratepayers” and “resubmit legislation to ensure these [data center] buildings are not built near homes, schools, or parks.”

When Guzman, a former delegate and Lovejoy’s competitor, announced her run for delegate in Virginia’s 22nd District on Jan. 21, she based her run on fighting back against President Donald Trump.

“Now, as Trump returns, I’m stepping back up. Virginia Democrats are defending a 51-49 majority in the House of Delegates, and my red-to-blue race is in a district Trump lost—one of the best opportunities nationwide to win,” Guzman said in her campaign announcement. “To fight back against Trump’s attacks on our immigrant families, public schools, health care, reproductive rights, and civil service, we need Democratic state legislatures.”

Guzmán’s priorities, as listed on her website, include “reliable and efficient transportation,” “supporting veterans and military families,” and “protecting pregnant woman [sic] and reproductive freedom.” 

Regarding “commonsense gun safety,” her website notes that although she “respects the 2nd Amendment and would never do anything to impact the lives of law-abiding gun owners,” there is a need for “reasonable gun safety reforms.”

For instance, Guzmán supports “red flag laws” to permit a state court to order the temporary seizure of firearms of an individual when the court believes the person in possession of those firearms is at risk of harming himself or others.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried Virginia’s 22nd District by less than 2% over Trump in 2024. If this Nov. 5 election mirrors last year’s tight margins, the race for the district seat is likely to be highly competitive, with both sides vying for control.

The Daily Signal contacted Guzmán’s campaign but has not received comment as of publication time.

The post Incumbent Working to Retain Seat so Republicans Can Take Over Virginia House appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A man once described as part of Michael Jackson’s “second family” is now accused of attempting to extort $213 million from the late singer’s estate. Frank Cascio, 44, allegedly threatened […]

The post Member of Michael Jackson's 'Second Family' Allegedly Extorting His Estate for $213 Million appeared first on The Western Journal.

If you were trying to make tariffs look like a policy disaster, you’d do exactly what a team of economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco just did: assume every trading partner hits back just as hard and that America just stands there and takes it.

The post Breitbart Business Digest: The San Francisco Fed’s Tariff Model Punches Itself in the Face appeared first on Breitbart.

The mass deportation of illegal aliens is not new.

The U.S. has been removing thousands of illegal immigrants every year since the 1800s, according to official Department of Homeland Security data.

Prior to the second Trump administration, the highest annual illegal immigrant-removal numbers reported were under the Obama administration, according to DHS figures.  

During President Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House, about 3 million illegal aliens were deported from the U.S., with the highest number of removals in fiscal year 2013 at 432,334, averaging more than 36,000 a month.

Between being sworn in on Jan. 20 and June 30, more than 239,000 illegal aliens have been deported under President Donald Trump, Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, told The Daily Signal in an email Monday. On average, about 47,000 illegal aliens have been deported each month since Trump took office, breaking Obama’s record.

“Removals” constitute the “compulsory and confirmed movement of an inadmissible or deportable noncitizen out of the United States based on an order of removal,” according to the DHS.  

Under the leadership of border czar Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the Trump administration has arrested more than 273,000 illegal aliens, according to DHS. Numerous lawsuits and court ruling have, however, slowed removals.

“In the face of historic opposition from activist, liberal judges, President Trump is committed to carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history to remove the millions of unvetted, illegal, criminal aliens that Joe Biden welcomed into our country,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told The Daily Signal.  

The recently passed “One Big, Beautiful Bill will turbocharge the president’s deportation efforts by funding more ICE agents, expanded detention facilities, and more,” Jackson said, adding that illegal immigrants “should self-deport while they still have the opportunity.” 

DHS is encouraging illegal aliens to self-deport, offering $1,000 to those who do and the hope of a potential legal path back to the U.S. 

While Trump continues to fight legal battles over its authority to deport illegal aliens, the administration is also setting up new detention facilities to house those apprehended.  

On July 1, Trump toured a new detention center in the Florida Everglades commonly referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The facility was built in just eight days and could immediately accommodate up to 3,000 illegal aliens.  

According to the latest polling form the Napolitan News Service, 57% of voters support Trump’s deportation efforts, while 39% disapprove.

The post Obama vs. Trump: Who Deported More Illegal Aliens? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Last week, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, joined the leadership team of Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., where he will serve as a deputy. This move is rather significant, especially for a senator who just took office in January and could signal more opportunities to come.

When reached for comment, Barrasso and Moreno’s offices directed The Daily Signal to a press release in which the majority whip highlighted Moreno’s accomplishments.

“Bernie has already proven to be a strong, effective deputy whip. During our marathon of votes, he worked nonstop for 27 hours to keep our Conference united and ultimately secured passage of our Republican agenda. In his short time in the Senate, he’s become an integral member of the team,” said Barrasso. “His focus on helping working families, deep knowledge of business, and commitment to commonsense have led to big wins for America—such as ending the Biden electric vehicle mandate. I’m glad to fight for a safer, more prosperous America alongside my friend Bernie.”

“Senator Barrasso is a consistent, conservative leader driving our conference as we work to deliver on President [Donald] Trump’s agenda of economic growth, closing the border, and putting American workers first,” Moreno said. “I’m thrilled to join the team as a Deputy Whip and to help our conference continue to deliver on our promises.”

When it comes to that “Republican agenda,” the megabill known as the One Big Beautiful Bill passed earlier this month in the Senate and the House, with Trump signing it into law at his self-imposed July 4 deadline. The vote-a-rama lasted 27 hours before it passed the Senate.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who announced he would not seek reelection and whom Moreno replaced as deputy, voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Semafor, in reporting on Moreno joining the GOP leadership team, discussed the role Moreno played:

Moreno’s elevation comes shortly after the freshman Republican helped shape last week’s party-line tax and health care law, specifically pushing Republicans to more quickly phase out electric vehicle subsidies and narrow auto loan interest deductions to new cars assembled in the US.

He also sought to temper the GOP from pushing for even heavier Medicaid cuts than they pursued in the bill.

Moreno has continued to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill, as have other Republicans and members of the Trump administration. Both his and the Team Moreno X accounts continue to highlight how the senator has been promoting the reconciliation bill and how it will benefit Ohioans.

As 10TV News highlighted, Moreno made an appearance at the Nutcracker Family Restaurant in Pataskala. The senator wasn’t the only one featured in the piece, as everyday Ohioans who will benefit from the bill were also profiled.

“Millions of U.S. workers are now reaping the benefits of part of President Donald Trump’s budget bill. The no tax on tips and overtime provisions are now in effect,” the piece began. Kelley Metzger, who has worked at the restaurant for 10 years, is referenced, as are the owners.

“Working class Americans have been taking it in the gut for decades, certainly the last four years with inflation, the price of everything,” Moreno is quoted as saying.

The Ohio Republican Party on X also put out a thread featuring many of Moreno’s accomplishments.

It described Moreno’s status as an immigrant who came here legally from Colombia, as well as how “Bernie [is] bringing Ohio’s fighting spirit to D.C. and going to work to deliver real change.” As senator-elect and now senator, Moreno has spoken about partnering with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, immigration enforcement, the importance of America First, protecting the jobs of paper mill factory workers, and, of course, the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Although Moreno is the senior senator for Ohio, it’s only by a few days. He took office on Jan. 3, while Republican Sen. Jon Husted, formerly the lieutenant governor, replaced Vance later that same month.

Moreno’s status, as well as his having a seat in the Senate at all, is even more impressive considering the path it took for him to get here. He briefly ran in 2022, in a crowded primary won by Vance. The 2024 primary was almost as crowded. Polls started off showing Moreno with poor name recognition, who didn’t exactly have a winning chance against now former Sen. Sherrod Brown. As the March primary got closer, Moreno’s chances improved, though polls still showed a close race with State Sen. Matt Dolan.

According to the RealClearPolling average, Moreno had a +2.0 point lead. He won by +17.6 points.

Moreno then faced Brown in the general election, no easy feat considering he was going up an incumbent.

Ohio has become increasingly red, though, and the election was a test to see just how solidified that status is. Trump won the state in 2016, 2020, and would also win in 2024, but Brown comfortably won reelection in 2018 by 6.8 points and voters approved a pro-choice ballot initiative in 2023.

Initially, polls showed Brown winning. Then in the weeks and days before the election, polls showed Moreno moving into in a slight lead. He again overperformed expectations. While the RCP average had him up +1.7 points, Moreno ultimately defeated Brown by +3.6 points. The win helped Republicans back control of the Senate chamber.

Of all the Senate races to watch last November, this was the battleground race. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., beat now former Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., but that race took longer to call and involved a margin of 0.2 points. Montana and West Virginia also flipped from Democrat to Republican, by significant margins, but were considered more favorable to Republicans.

The accomplishments Moreno has achieved so far, including but not only this leadership position, could very well further indicate this senator will be one to watch.

Husted will be up for election in 2028, before Moreno is, despite being the junior senator. Moreno doesn’t face reelection until 2030 and has plenty of time to make an even bigger name for himself.

The post Ohio’s Bernie Moreno Joins Senate Leadership Team appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Senate Republican leadership is facing pressure to increase the pace of confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees now that the One Big, Beautiful Bill is in the rearview mirror.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, “has repeatedly urged Senate leadership to work through recesses and stay in D.C. as long as it takes to confirm President Trump’s nominees, both for the administration and the judicial branch. It remains vitally important to get strong judges who respect the Constitution in these lifetime appointments,” said Billy Gribbin, communications director for Utah senator, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, last week said that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could require a full Senate workweek—cutting time off on Fridays and Monday mornings—to bring Senate Democrats to the negotiating table. Fitton contended that the Senate could be clearing dozens of nominees per week, rather than the handful of nominees that it was down to during the debates over the budget reconciliation bill. 

Senate Republicans could even potentially increase the Senate workweek to seven days. Other politicos have floated delaying or forgoing the traditional recess of the Senate that occurs through almost the entire month of August to get more nominees through the confirmation process, or to bring Senate Democrats to an agreement where nominees can be confirmed en bloc.

While the appointment of a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was held up by the Republicans’ narrow margin in the House—because the since-withdrawn initial nominee is a member of the House, which would have left the margin even narrower—the Senate otherwise swiftly confirmed Trump’s Cabinet picks.

There have been 92 civilian positions confirmed by the Senate as of Sunday. That’s a much higher number than during the first Trump term, which had just 53 positions confirmed at the same point, including both administration and federal court positions.

Yet, there are still about 100 executive branch nominees awaiting a confirmation vote by the full Senate after passing out of committees. 

The unfilled vacancies in the Trump administration are lingering even as the president’s inner circle has worked to fire nonessential and ideologically nonaligned personnel in the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency and other efforts. The State Department most recently moved to fire more than 1,300 personnel, but without Trump nominees such as ambassadors in place it is unclear how effective the administration will be in carrying out the president’s mandate. 

Another option is recess appointments. Provided for under Article II of the Constitution, recess appointments for executive branch positions can be made by the president when the Senate is in a recess, usually greater than 10 days. Such appointments can last for as long as one or two years, depending on which specific recess they are made in. The appointments could temporarily give the Trump administration the personnel it needs while simultaneously encouraging the Senate to fulfill its role of advise and consent for presidential nominees. 

In total, five of Trump’s second-term federal court nominees have been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee so far. 

The Senate is set to vote on the confirmation of Whitney Hermandorfer, Trump’s first judicial nominee of his second term, this week. A former Supreme Court law clerk for both Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Samuel Alito, Hermandorfer has been nominated for a seat on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit has jurisdiction for the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. 

The post Senate Republicans Pressed to Prioritize Trump Nominations appeared first on The Daily Signal.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spent more than four hours on the Shawn Ryan Show, released Monday -- as his state continues to struggle with wildfires, homelessness, illegal immigration, and other urgent crises.

The post Gavin Newsom Devotes 4 Hours of Busy Schedule to Another Podcast appeared first on Breitbart.

Democrats presented a bill in the Massachusetts House on Wednesday to ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from covering their faces during immigration raids and arrests. Democrats and Republicans are sparring over the issue with increased heat as leaders on the Left look to pass similar legislation on the federal level.  

ICE agents have taken center stage as President Donald Trump’s administration increases its deportations of criminal illegal aliens in an effort to contain the damage from the Biden administration’s “open door” immigration policies. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted on X that ICE arrests of illegal immigrants had risen by 627% alone in the first month of Trump’s second term as president. 

The Massachusetts bill, introduced by Democrat state Rep. James Hawkins and cosponsored by 10 other state representatives, would require law enforcement officers to fully show their faces and wear their names or badge numbers on their uniforms.  

The bill makes exceptions for medical masks or face protection in emergency situations, such as protection from smoke or tear gas. Violation of the bill would result in a misdemeanor.  

The Massachusetts bill follows on the heels of similar efforts in New York, where legislators are planning to introduce the Mandating End to Lawless Tactics, or MELT, Act. According to CBS News, New York City elected officials unveiled the bill on Wednesday morning. 

Legal experts have pointed out that state governments don’t have the power to pass laws like the MELT Act. Zach Smith, senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told The Daily Signal, “States do not have the authority to regulate how federal law enforcement agents conduct their operations.” 

Smith added, “Unfortunately, the reason many federal agents feel the need to wear masks in the first place is because the overheated rhetoric coming from many on the Left has led to these agents being threatened and harassed.” 

Democrats have increasingly expressed alarm about the sight of masked ICE agents. A video posted on X by Fox News host Laura Ingraham showed New York Rep. Jerry Nadler saying, “These people are wearing masks, and they are totally unidentified. … It’s completely improper and one has to assume they’re hiding something or they’re hiding misbehavior because otherwise, why would they be wearing masks and denying their identities?”  

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., during a May news conference outside a New York City courthouse, described ICE agents in masks as “Gestapo-like behavior,” and an immigration lawyer sported the idea in a viral X video that ICE agents cover their faces because “they’re ashamed of what they’re doing.” 

But as ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons explained in a June Fox News interview, ICE agents have reverted to masks to protect themselves and their families. Individuals opposed to deportation efforts have begun “doxxing” ICE agents online—posting names, addresses, and social media accounts of agents and their family members. 

“There was the one agent out of the Boston field office … his photo was plastered all over the place. Compared him to some neo-Nazi group,” said Lyons. “They get specific threats online, and what the media and a lot of elected officials don’t realize is their rhetoric, what they are saying, is so dangerous and so hurtful to ICE agents.” 

A June report from the Department of Homeland Security showed that ICE agents face a 500% increase in assaults while trying to arrest illegal immigrants. Noem told Fox News on Thursday that the violence is “getting worse.”  

“They’re not just threatening them and doxxing them,” Noem said, “they’re ambushing them. They’re threatening their families. … It’s extremely dangerous, and the rhetoric has to stop.” 

Democrat Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey unveiled the federal Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement, or VISIBLE, Act in Congress on Tuesday. The bill would require immigration officials to display “clearly visible identification,” according to a news release from Booker’s office. 

Trump blasted Democrats’ targeting of ICE agents on Wednesday, saying, “They wouldn’t be saying that if they didn’t hate our country. … You put [ICE agents] in great danger, in tremendous danger.” 

The post ‘They’re Hiding Something’: Democrats Panic Over Masked ICE Agents appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A New York Times story published over the weekend showed that Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy was on to something in early June when he raised the issue of the […]

The post As Autopen Scandal Explodes, Flashback to Peter Doocy's Damning Analysis of Signature on Hunter's Pardon appeared first on The Western Journal.