With last night's polarizing State of the Union, President Trump continued fracturing the country with pointed rhetoric designed only to widen the chasm between the country's left and right. From the many awful things Trump said, here are the eight most divisive statement's from last night's speech:

The once-ironclad defenses of institutions captured by the transgender agenda appear to be crumbling before our eyes. After a recent statement by the American Medical Association (AMA) suggested its defense of gender transition surgeries for minors was shaky, a coalition of state attorneys general committed to defending children has decided to press the point.

On Monday, 20 state AGs wrote a letter to AMA CEO and Executive Vice President Dr. John J. Whyte seeking clarification on the organization’s position with regard to gender transition hormones for minors.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) led the letter, in which he was joined by his Republican counterparts from Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

The AGs’ letter responded to a media statement released by the AMA earlier this month. When pressed for a reaction to news that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released a position statement against gender transition surgeries for minors, the AMA gave media outlets a statement admitting, “In the absence of clear evidence, the A.M.A. agrees with ASPS that surgical interventions in minors should be generally deferred to adulthood.”

“The American Medical Association has finally admitted what many have warned for years: its recommendations for surgeries on children were not grounded in solid evidence, despite telling doctors and families otherwise,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Yet the same weak science underpins puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. You cannot dismiss one intervention as unsupported while continuing to push the rest. When children’s lives and futures are at stake, anything less than full scientific honesty is reckless. The AMA must follow the science completely, not selectively.”

This line of inquiry was the purpose of Monday’s letter. The attorneys general “read with appreciation” the AMA’s admission about transgender surgeries on children. However, they added, “We thus find it concerning that the AMA continues to support the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in minors. The quality of evidence is the same as it is for surgeries: low and very-low quality.”

“So if you agree that there is insufficient evidence to support using surgical interventions to treat gender dysphoria in minors — as your recent statement indicates — we do not understand how you can find that there is sufficient evidence to support using hormonal interventions to treat gender dysphoria in minors,” the letter reasoned. “These interventions have not been shown to be any safer for children than surgeries are, and in fact may be all the more dangerous precisely because they are viewed as not as serious. But hormones can leave a child sterilized just as surely as surgery can.”

The letter cited recent systematic evidence reviews conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as by the National Health Service in England. They cited from the HHS review that “the certainty of evidence is very low regarding the effect of surgery on [gender dysphoria] or incongruence, improvement in mental health including suicidality and depression, and long-term outcomes such as sexual function, quality of life, and regret.”

Likewise, “the evidence base is similarly lacking when it comes to the provision of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in minors,” they wrote. Again citing the HHS review, “[t]he certainty of evidence is very low regarding the effect on [gender dysphoria] or incongruence, improvement in mental health, and safety metrics including fertility and bone health” of cross-sex hormones.

In fact, “the rationale for providing the treatments” that Annelou de Vries, a pioneer of the infamous “Dutch studies” that pioneered gender transition procedures for minors, has shifted from arguing for the effectiveness of outcomes to claiming that “effective” outcomes were not necessary.

The attorneys general wanted to know whether the AMA still defends gender transition procedures for minors as its evidentiary basis erodes. In particular, the attorneys general wanted to know where exactly the AMA stood with regard to the “Standards of Care” produced by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an activist organization whose guidelines were improperly influenced by political considerations brought by the Biden administration.

Marshall, who joined Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Tuesday’s “Washington Watch,” insisted, “[T]he AMA ultimately needs to be a medical organization that’s not in political advocacy, but defining what’s best medical practice for doctors across our country. … Absent a political agenda on the Left, now they need to be able to step up and recognize [that] what the science also tells us is that there’s no basis for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones being used to deal with gender affirming care,” the AG argued. “And we’re now giving them the opportunity by this letter to be able to say very clearly what their positions are. Do they stand with science? Do they stand with what we’ve seen [in] the overwhelming trend coming from Europe to identify this as experimental treatment of kids?”

The AMA recently claimed that “medical and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria and gender incongruence … are medically necessary as outlined by generally-accepted standards of medical and surgical practice,” the letter noted, although they decline to officially endorse WPATH’s standards.

The letter asked 14 questions of the AMA, including, “Does the AMA endorse or otherwise recommend the provision of puberty blockers to minors to treat gender dysphoria? If so, what is the basis of that recommendation, and how do you distinguish the evidence base for the provision of surgeries versus the provision of puberty blockers?”

Likewise, “Does the AMA endorse or otherwise recommend the provision of cross-sex hormones to minors to treat gender dysphoria? If so, what is the basis of that recommendation, and how do you distinguish the evidence base for the provision of surgeries versus the provision of cross-sex hormones?”

And, for good measure, “How did the AMA decide to join the amicus briefs in United States v. Skrmetti and other cases in which the AMA told courts that the WPATH and Endocrine Society guidelines were evidence-based and well-accepted and that the provision of transitioning procedures to minors was safe and effective at treating gender dysphoria and improving well-being?”

These are good questions. The letter gives the AMA 30 days (until March 25) to respond. The attorneys general likely suspect they know what the answer is. But politely requesting an explanation is a first step of due process before any potential prosecution — a prospect the letter does raise.

“While we hope to avoid a formal investigation under our consumer protection laws, we do have concerns that the AMA may be violating those laws,” the letter warned. “Under Alabama law, for instance, it is unlawful for an organization to cause ‘confusion or misunderstanding as to the … sponsorship, approval, or certification of goods of services,’” to “represent ‘that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, … uses, benefits, or qualities that they do not have,’” to “represent ‘that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, or grade … if they are of another,’” or to “engage ‘in any other unconscionable, false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of trade or commerce.’”

To avoid violating these provisions, the AMA would have to both clarify what gender transition procedures it does or does not support and renounce support for gender transition procedures not supported by the evidence.

In fact, no gender transition procedures are well-supported by the evidence. When the ASPS issued its recommendation against gender transition surgeries on February 3, it cited low-quality evidence and a high risk of harm as major reasons not to carry out the procedures on minors.

The state attorneys general aim to induce the AMA to make a similar concession. The ASPS statement against gender transition surgeries for minors came as the result of government scrutiny, as the organization “was participating in an urgent, time-limited process initiated by a federal agency seeking clarification of medical society positions on this topic,” wrote ASPS Executive Vice President Michael Costelloe.

This demonstrated the result that government scrutiny can achieve in keeping medical associations accountable to the truth. Following suit, the coalition of state attorneys general has applied a bit more scrutiny, in hopes of calling the AMA to account.

As Marshall put it, “The AMA has the opportunity to make sure to send a message to physicians that if, in fact, you’re in one of those states that continues to allow this experimentation on children to take place, that they are at great risk … not only financially for themselves — we’ve already seen a verdict come from a detransition — but they’re also clearly harming kids in ways that aren’t validated by science.”

Originally published by the Washington Stand.

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If there’s one certainty in the firearms world, it’s that every new Glock generation causes an absolute uproar both in general firearms discussion and, more importantly, through the accessory market. That’s certainly true with the newly released Gen 6 pistols, and FALCO Holsters has moved fast to keep pace in our turbulent market. Known for ... Read more

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a historic first, a sitting U.S. president was forced to subdue members of Congress with a squad of ICE agents, who pepper sprayed unruly Democrats as President Trump delivered his State of the Union address.

A Biden-appointed federal judge on Wednesday revoked the Trump administration’s policy of deporting illegal immigrants to places other than their country of origin. 

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued a scathing opinion in the case of DVD v. Department of Homeland Security. He called the administration’s deportation policy “unlawful” and accused the government of providing “false” information in the case. 

The judge, of the Massachusetts district, led his opinion with a strong characterization of the question before the court.  

“This case is about whether the government may, without notice, deport a person to the wrong country, or a country where he is likely to be persecuted, or tortured, thereby depriving that person of the opportunity to seek protections to which he would be undisputedly entitled,” Murphy’s decision says. 

If the administration appeals the ruling, it will go to the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. The 1st Circuit has five Democrat appointees and one Republican appointee. 

“The Department of Homeland Security has adopted a policy whereby it may take people and drop them off in parts unknown—in so-called ‘third countries,’” Murphy wrote. 

He wrote the government’s position is, “that’s fine.” Then he added, “It is not fine, nor is it legal.”

“Congress made it ‘the policy of the United States not to expel, extradite, or otherwise effect the involuntary return of any person to a country’ where that ‘person would be in danger of being subjected to torture,” Murphy wrote.

Murphy wrote there is little verification of the administration’s assurances the deported individuals won’t be tortured.

“Why has the government deemed them [the assurances] credible? How can anyone even know for certain that they exist? These are basic questions that the Constitution permits a person to ask before the Government takes away their last and only lifeline,” his ruling says.

The post Biden-Appointed Judge’s Blistering Rebuke Could Change Trump’s Deportation Strategy appeared first on The Daily Signal.

How the reddish state of Arizona ended up with two senators who are essentially “squad” members is beyond comprehension. Sen. Mark Kelly was demonstrating his far-left bona fides during President […]

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Critics rightfully question the depth of modern cinema, yet among the shallows we find a full-throated answer to their query in the towering form of Despicable Me 3. On my 27th viewing, I am only just beginning to peel back the sophisticated layers of this cinematic masterpiece.

In the wake of Mexico’s recent explosion of gang violence, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is pushing his Republican colleagues in the House to codify an executive order declaring some drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations.

Roy’s renewed efforts come after a U.S.-led military operation resulted in the death of the cartel’s leader, “El Mencho,” which resulted in violent unrest in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, over the weekend.

“The elimination of El Mencho makes clear why Congress must codify President Trump’s strong border policies into law,” Roy told The Daily Signal.

Roy told The Daily Signal on Tuesday that Congress must pass the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act. “Congress must pass this legislation to ensure that, regardless of who occupies the White House, the United States has the full authority to relentlessly pursue and destroy the cartels,” he claimed.

The bill looks to codify a day-one executive order from President Donald Trump, titled “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”

“The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States,” Executive Order 14157 reads in part. “In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society.”

“The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere,” the order continues. “Their activities, proximity to, and incursions into the physical territory of the United States pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States.”

PUT ON THE SPOT: Trump asks Congress members to stand if they believe “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” pic.twitter.com/CXIw2ALffN

— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) February 25, 2026

Following the executive order, on Jan. 31, 2025, Roy re-introduced the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act to direct the Secretary of State to designate the Mexican Gulf Cartel, Northeast Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations.

“I first introduced H.R. 885, the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act, in 2019 to permanently enshrine that designation in U.S. law, and I have reintroduced it in every Congress since,” Roy said about his legislation.

Over 70 people have been killed in Puerto Vallarta after El Mencho’s death, TIME noted. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has issued a shelter-in-place for Americans in parts of Mexico.

The cartel, Roy stated, is also “responsible for flooding our communities with dangerous drugs and violence.”

Some of Roy’s conservative colleagues in the House are also pushing for the bill.

“Cartels have slaughtered Americans and poisoned our families with fentanyl,” Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., told The Daily Signal. “Congress must codify President Trump’s executive order designating cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations now—so no future administration can look the other way.”

“Yet Democrats continue to ignore this deadly chaos,” Harris added.

Harris is now considering joining 31 of his Republican colleagues in co-sponsoring Roy’s bill; his office told The Daily Signal.

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