After uncovering a billion-dollar fraud scheme in Ohio, Daily Wire reporter Luke Rosiak testified on Capitol Hill this week, expecting bipartisan concern, but Democrats didn’t offer it. 
Rosiak testified before the Senate Small Business Committee on Wednesday during a hearing dominated by Republican lawmakers. The only Democrat in attendance was Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), whose presence was required as the minority ranking member. 
Rosiak later quipped, “The hearing room may as well have been a learing center with the number of Democrats who showed up today,” referencing a misspelled sign outside a suspected fraudulent daycare in Minnesota. 
In his opening statement, Markey argued that the Trump administration’s recent anti-fraud initiatives have disproportionately targeted blue states, completely ignoring the fact that Rosiak just uncovered $1 billion in alleged Medicaid fraud in a red state. Markey declined to question Rosiak or any of the Republican witnesses, instead focusing his remarks on criticizing President Donald Trump.
“I agree we should be doing more to prevent fraud,” said Markey. “But we should also be focusing on the Trump-sized hole in the American people’s pockets. We should address rising gas prices, electricity costs, healthcare premiums, food prices, but instead the instances of fraud that congressional Republicans and this administration choose to focus on are solely to secure political points demonizing communities of color and attacking blue states.” 
Markey also chose not to comment on testimony from Faye Bernstein, a compliance specialist for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and a self-described lifelong Democrat. Bernstein testified that she began questioning members of her own party after raising fraud concerns and being “labeled a racist.” 
On Thursday, Rosiak <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-daily-wire-investigator-called-to-testify-on-findings-in-ohio?row=1&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;rowType=Web+Search">participated</a> in an anti-fraud roundtable hosted by the Republican Study Committee. 
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) kicked off the meeting praising Rosiak “for doing absolutely phenomenal work, uncovering a massive fraud scheme.” He added that the most amazing part was that Rosiak did it all through publicly available data. The committee discussed increasing data transparency to allow greater public access. 
Asked by The Daily Wire where the responsibility for fraud oversight should fall between Congress and investigative journalists, Gill said lawmakers should focus on using “the power of the purse” to ensure taxpayer dollars are not improperly distributed in the first place.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) echoed that criticism, arguing that Congress is a system with warped incentives. 
“We measure effectiveness too often by how much money goes out the door, as opposed to, is it going to where it was intended and is it accomplishing what it was supposed to accomplish.”
Rosiak&#8217;s investigation focused in part on Ohio&#8217;s rapidly expanding home healthcare industry.
Rosiak found that Ohio spent roughly $1 billion on home healthcare services in 2024 alone, much of it through loosely monitored Medicaid programs that allow relatives to receive taxpayer funding for providing in-home “personal services” such as cooking, cleaning, and companionship.
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His investigation uncovered entire office buildings filled with Medicaid-billing home health companies, many run by individuals with little or no healthcare background, and in some cases histories of fraud, unpaid debts, or criminal convictions.
Rosiak partly blames weak certification standards for the problem, as the program requires a licensed professional to certify that a patient needs assistance around the house.
&#8220;It only takes one doctor who will say yes to churn out enough forms to bankrupt a state,&#8221; Rosiak said.
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Spending Bill – Government Shutdown – Debt Ceiling

Democrats Skip Hearing On Billion-Dollar Fraud Scheme Uncovered By Daily Wire

Fraud

Medicaid Millionaires

Senate Democrats

President Donald Trump revoked a costly Biden-era regulation on Thursday, axing a green energy policy that banned an alleged &#8220;hyper-pollutant&#8221; for refrigeration systems, which led to higher grocery prices across the country. 
Trump’s move will allow businesses to make their own decisions on &#8220;the refrigeration systems that work best for them,&#8221; according to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. The president delivered the announcement at the White House alongside Zeldin and National Council Director Kevin Hassett. 
Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2057491297137488141">ripped</a> the Biden administration for forcing &#8220;companies to adopt specific high-cost refrigerants, massively driving up the price of transporting and storing various goods.&#8221;
&#8220;Americans faced higher grocery prices and reduced access to critical medical supplies,&#8221; Trump added.
The Biden administration determined that hydrofluorocarbons, which are used for refrigeration and cooling, are more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. As a result, supermarkets and other businesses were only allowed to use the cooling mechanism in limited quantities, forcing them to turn to more expensive cooling methods and thus passing on higher costs to consumers. 
“Americans were right to be frustrated with the Biden-era refrigerant rules. They didn’t protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires,” said Zeldin. “Today, the Trump EPA is fulfilling President Trump’s promise to lower costs and is fixing every problem we can under the authority Congress gave us. Our actions allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices.” 
A White House official told The Daily Wire the rollback on the alleged “hyper-pollutant,” paired with a revision to the 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation rule, “are estimated to save American families and businesses more than 2.4 billion” dollars a year. The White House official added that the savings are “expected to flow directly to consumers through lower grocery prices, cheaper transportation of refrigerated goods, and more affordable home air conditioning.”
The Biden administration claimed the restrictive regulation would lead to green technological innovation, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/technology-transitions">stating</a>, &#8220;Facilitating the transition to next-generation technologies through sector-based restrictions on HFCs is one way that EPA and stakeholders are working together to meet ambitious climate protection goals.” 
The rule <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hfc-refrigerant-chemical-air-conditioners-epa-ac01324c05ba5bf5f54bc794c1054296">mandated</a> a 40% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon use, with an 85% reduction scheduled by 2036, leading to higher costs for grocery stores that were left with no choice but to overhaul their refrigeration systems.
Trump&#8217;s move to roll back Biden&#8217;s green regulation is his latest strategy to address Americans&#8217; economic concerns amid rising energy and food prices in recent months. In April&#8217;s inflation report, grocery prices <a href="https://thehill.com/business/personal-finance/5888142-groceries-just-had-the-biggest-price-hike-in-years-its-about-to-get-even-worse-experts-warn/">rose</a> 2.9% year-over-year, the highest rate since 2023. 
Earlier this week, the administration temporarily paused the Jones Act, which would increase the supply of ships able to transport cargo between American ports. The Administration has also urged the Department of the Interior to explore additional energy production on Federal lands and waters, remove all regulatory requirements related to energy that are not grounded in applicable law, eliminate the electric vehicle mandate, and <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-department-energy-reverses-biden-lng-pause-restores-trump-energy-dominance-agenda">reverse</a> Biden’s liquified natural gas export ban.

GettyImages-2202512674

Trump Axes Biden-Era Green Energy Rule That Raised Grocery Prices

Biden Administration

Donald Trump

federal regulation

Food

grocery prices

James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, acquired Vox Media’s New York Magazine, podcast division, and explanatory journalism brand Vox.com in a deal reportedly worth more than $300 million.
The acquired divisions will fold into James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, the media investment company he founded in 2019 after resigning from the board of News Corp over editorial disagreements. The deal brings New York Magazine — which is currently embroiled in a plagiarism scandal — back into the Murdoch family orbit decades after Rupert Murdoch owned the publication in the late 1970s before selling it in 1991. Vox purchased the magazine in 2019 for $105 million. 
James Murdoch said the acquisition reflects his focus on long-term media brands that resonate with modern culture. New York Magazine currently publishes both print and digital content across verticals including The Cut, Grub Street, and Vulture. Vox Media’s podcast division spans politics, technology, sports, personal finance, and self-help programming, with hosts including Kara Swisher and Maria Sharapova.
Lupa Systems did not disclose the exact purchase price of the deal but sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times Vox Media was acquired for more than $300 million dollars. In 2015, that figure would have been much higher since Vox Media was reportedly worth about $1 billion at the time. 
Vox Media will act as a subsidiary of Lupa Systems while collaborating with the company’s broader portfolio, including the Tribeca Film Festival and Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment platform that backs a major streaming service in India.
Not included in the deal are Vox Media properties The Verge and Eater, which will remain under the restructured Vox Media and be overseen by current president Ryan Pauley.
James Murdoch is betting big on podcasts, saying that in a world with content “slop” and “packaged media,” he thinks people will turn to podcasts that are “authentic.” Last year, Vox’s podcast division did <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/business/media/vox-media-james-murdoch-sale.html?smtyp=cur&amp;amp;smid=tw-nytimes">$80 million</a> in revenue. 
The acquisition is on par with the growing trend of media consolidation as companies navigate the decimation of search-driven clicks replaced by artificial intelligence summaries, social media disruption, and changing audience preferences. Over the past decade, WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost, Fox Corporation acquired OutKick, and The New York Times acquired The Athletic, among numerous other deals.
New York Magazine is currently undergoing an internal investigation after one of its columnists, Ross Barkan, was accused by Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell of copying his Daily Wire hit piece.
There were some identical phrases, such as &#8220;In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election,&#8221; and the pieces showed similar framing. Both stories began with a claim that Ben Shapiro could say he was at the top of conservative media, that the Daily Wire dominated news feeds, and that the Daily Wire found new stories, including Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s visit to a hair salon after advocating for a lockdown.

Screen Shot 2022-10-04 at 11.37.46 AM

Fox Scion Buys Up Podcasts, Vox, And Scandal-Plagued NY Mag In $300 Mil Deal

Business

Media

New York Magazine

podcasts

When Zohran Mamdani served in the New York State Assembly, he voted for a plan to hire more teachers and build more classrooms in New York City to keep class sizes small.
As mayor, Mamdani has other priorities.
Mamdani&#8217;s 2027 budget, which he unveiled last week, includes $122 million for new teachers and $1.5 billion for classroom construction. That may seem like a sizable investment — but according to New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, this budget puts the city more than <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/letter-from-nyc-comptroller-lander-re-2025-class-size-plan-certification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$13.01 billion</a> behind its goal to keep class sizes small.
If Mamdani wanted to find the money, he could re-evaluate the billions of dollars the city spends on its <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2024/12/following-asylum-seeker-odyssey/382850/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migrant population</a>. New York City spent $1.41 billion for asylum seeker cash, rent, and food assistance and services 2023, $3.70 billion in 2024, and <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services/for-the-public/accounting-for-asylum-seeker-services/fiscal-impacts/">$3.02</a> billion in 2025. New York&#8217;s sanctuary city status proved so costly that Mamdani&#8217;s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, warned the Biden administration that unless it got the southern border under control, New York would have to cut back on social services for migrants.
Mamdani, who signed an executive order reaffirming New York&#8217;s sanctuary city status shortly after taking office, plans to pursue “a new path of defiance through compassion&#8221; where New York cares for everyone regardless of whether they pay taxes or not.
During his budget unveiling, Mamdani said he “refuses to kick structural challenges down the road for someone else to solve later.” For that reason, Mamdani has declared an &#8220;extension&#8221; for the class size plan — an extension that does not appear to have an end date. In the meantime, Mamdani is framing his refusal to deliver on the education improvement plan he himself voted for as a good thing for students.
“Our administration believes deeply in the state law capping class sizes and I am proud to have voted for this mandate during my time in the state assembly,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This extension will generate approximately $500 million in savings in the upcoming fiscal year, but more importantly it will allow us to implement an achievable plan that better serves our students and our teachers.&#8221;
New York City Council Member Vickie Palladino disagrees.
&#8220;Smaller class sizes mean more classrooms and more teachers, which he doesn&#8217;t have the money to do,&#8221; Palladino told The Daily Wire. Mamdani is &#8220;operating a budget by bailout,&#8221; she added, &#8220;hoping that down in the road, in 2028, he&#8217;ll get a Democratic president to give us a $10 billion, $20 billion, or maybe more. But by that time, the middle class will be gone.&#8221;
New York public schools are already suffering. The State Education Department&#8217;s annual report shows that only <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/05/us-news/nearly-half-of-students-across-ny-state-fail-to-make-the-grade-on-math-english-tests-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">22%</a> of fourth graders were proficient in reading and only 29% in math.
A report from the comptroller&#8217;s office also showed that bullying and drug-related incidents have increased this year. New York also <a href="https://www.news10.com/capitol/comptroller-drugs-and-bullying-up-but-serious-violence-near-zero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changed</a> how it collects data, now only reporting assaults or possession of weapons if the school refers the student to the police, the act would count as a felony, and the offender is at least ten years old.
The extension isn&#8217;t Mamdani&#8217;s only proposed public education shakeup. The mayor is planning to phase out New York City&#8217;s gifted student program over concerns that some children might be receiving a better education than others.
&#8220;I will return to the previous policy,&#8221; Mamdani <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/nyregion/mamdani-schools-gifted-and-talented-program.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said,</a> referencing former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to end the gifted program. &#8220;Ultimately, my administration would aim to make sure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning.”

TOPSHOT-US-MAMDANI-FISCAL-BUDGET

Mamdani Says He Can’t Pay For School Improvements, But Spends Billions On Migrants

Education

New York City

Sanctuary Cities

Zohran Mamdani

Georgia’s political future came into focus Tuesday night as voters narrowed crowded primary races down to six major contenders in two of the state’s most consequential races. 
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and billionaire dark horse candidate Rick Jackson advanced to a runoff election to decide the Republican nominee for governor. Meanwhile, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms emerged victorious on the Democrat side, setting up a competitive election to succeed Republican Governor Brian Kemp. 
Republican Congressman Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley also advanced to a runoff to determine who will challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. 
Georgia is expected to be one of the most-watched battleground states heading into the 2026 midterms, with national implications for both parties.
Jones, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and one of Georgia’s most recognizable conservative figures, entered the race with significant momentum after securing the president&#8217;s endorsement. As lieutenant governor, Jones championed lower taxes, increased funding for the education system, and supported law enforcement. 
Billionaire Rick Jackson <a href="https://www.wabe.org/rick-jackson-burt-jones-headed-to-a-runoff-in-the-republican-primary-for-georgia-governor/">spent</a> more than $83 million of his own fortune on the race, vastly outspending the other GOP candidates. Jackson, who made his fortune as a healthcare executive, framed his campaign around government accountability and spending reform.  
“Work brings dignity, purpose, and independence. If you want to sit on your butt, binge-watching Netflix and eating Cheetos, do it with your own money,” he said during the campaign. 
Despite Jackson&#8217;s massive spending advantage, Jones received the endorsement of President Trump, leaving the race neck-and-neck. The runoff election will now decide who advances to the general election against Bottoms. 
Bottoms, who rose to national prominence during her tenure as Atlanta mayor, positioned herself as the establishment Democrat in the governor’s race. Backed by major Democrat donors and party operatives, Bottoms ran on expanding healthcare, protecting abortion, and increasing government investment in social programs.
Her nomination sets her up for her first attempt to win a statewide general election after she served as a senior adviser in the Biden White House following her departure from City Hall.
As mayor, Bottoms oversaw Atlanta during the COVID pandemic and the riots that followed the death of George Floyd. She has been staunchly opposed to President Trump, whom she has described as “a madman in the White House.” Bottoms <a href="https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11448/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminated</a> cash bail requirements for several offenses and pushed policies that restrict police from pursuing misdemeanor suspects. 
On the Senate side, the Republican race in Georgia could become one of the most expensive and nationally significant contests in the country. 
Collins, a conservative congressman and trucking business owner, campaigned as a pro-Trump outsider focused on border security, economic growth, and rolling back Biden-era policies. Dooley decided to get involved after becoming frustrated with &#8220;congressional gridlock and a failure to service the public.&#8221; The primary will determine who will face Ossoff, one of the Democrats’ highest-profile incumbents. 
Ossoff narrowly won his Senate seat in the 2021 runoff elections, which temporarily gave Democrats control of the Senate. With Georgia serving as a swing state in recent elections, both parties are expected to pour significant resources into the race ahead of November.

Georgia Residents Cast Ballots For 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Two Republican Primaries Advance To Runoffs In Key Swing State

2026 Midterms

Democrats

Election

Georgia

Republicans

As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave an update for his city-owned grocery stores, he surprised the crowd by quoting former President Ronald Reagan.
“Standing here this morning, I cannot help but think of the words of our fortieth president, Ronald Reagan. He famously said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are &#8216;I&#8217;m from the government and I’m here to help.'&#8221;
The socialist mayor said it’s a “good quote,” but added that he disagrees with the message. 
“I think nine more terrifying words are actually, &#8216;I worked all day and can’t feed my family,&#8217;” he countered. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MAMDANI: “Ronald Reagan…famously said ‘The nine most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the government and I’m here to help’…I DISAGREE.” 
<a href="https://t.co/cAXqjRz9iI">pic.twitter.com/cAXqjRz9iI</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2056392177652023429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Unlike Reagan, who pushed for a limited government, Mamdani said his new city-owned grocery stores would act as proof of concept for expanded government. 
“We are going to use the power of government to lower prices to make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” he said. “When government understands its purpose as serving the very working people that it has left behind time and again, it can make a difference in the most pressing struggles facing our city today. It’s not just that government can help, it’s that the government must help, and our government will help.”
On Monday, Mamdani shared that the first city-owned grocery store is set to open in the Bronx in 2027 at the site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility. He secured $70 million in funding to not only remodel the detention center into a grocery store but to also build four more grocery stores. 
Mamdani previously announced that one of the stores would be placed where his favorite mayor opened a store 90 years earlier, the La Marqueta in East Harlem. The second store is expected to open in 2029. 
Mamdani praised NYC Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who created a &#8220;municipal market” that consolidated independent vendors into a permanent place to sell their goods. The market functioned like a public farmers market rather than a city-owned and stocked supermarket. La Marqueta ultimately saw rapid decline in the 1970s as New York City teetered toward bankruptcy and crime skyrocketed. 
While two of the five properties have been selected, Mamdani has put out a casting call for the others. Through an application on the city’s website, property owners can submit their storefronts to be selected to house a public grocery store. It is not clear whether the city would then purchase the property from the landlord or become a tenant. 
Once the space is acquired, however, the city will select a third-party operator to run the grocery store, which the Mamdani administration claims has “no plans to turn a profit.” Those who want to run the store will go through a “future request for proposals (RFP) process.&#8221; The documents do not disclose who is eligible to apply or how much operational control the city will retain. 
While the city has not fully detailed how it will implement the program, officials have already outlined what they expect the results to be. 
“In these stores, prices will be cheaper. Workers will be paid fairly and treated with dignity. Going to the grocery store will no longer cause that same anxiety for so many New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.
After Mamdani won the 2025 mayoral election, The Daily Wire asked a bodega owner about his thoughts on the new grocery stores. The bodega owner questioned the fairness of the city government forcing him to compete against a grocery store not obligated to pay rent or property taxes. 
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Zohran Mamdani Quotes Ronald Reagan As He Rolls Out Socialist Campaign Promise

Ronald Reagan

The Department of Justice plans to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, as tensions escalate between the United States and the communist country.
The indictment is expected to charge Castro over a 1996 incident when Cuba shot down American-operated humanitarian planes, sources <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-moving-to-indict-cubas-raul-castro-officials-say/">told</a> CBS News. Castro, the brother of the late Cuban communist revolutionary Fidel Castro, stepped down as the leader of Cuba in 2021, but he remains one of the most powerful figures in the country.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment. 
In February 1996, two small planes operated by Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down by a Cuban fighter jet. The planes, which carried four people searching for Cubans attempting to flee the communist country, were reportedly shot down outside of Cuban airspace. Four people were killed.
On Thursday, the CIA also released images of Director John Ratcliffe during what appear to be face-to-face negotiations with leadership in Havana on Thursday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Havana, Cuba <a href="https://t.co/7S7TtJPyf5">pic.twitter.com/7S7TtJPyf5</a>
— CIA (@CIA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CIA/status/2055074954375254084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Trump administration is pressuring Cuba as the communist nation experiences energy shortages after oil shipments were cut off from Venezuela. Cuba&#8217;s already bleak energy crisis worsened after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January and took control of Venezuelan oil sales. Venezuela, which shipped oil to American adversaries around the globe, had previously been Cuba&#8217;s main oil exporter.  
Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in a midnight raid on his compound after he was hit with multiple charges in the United States, including narco-terrorism.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Raúl Castro earlier this month that President Trump is &#8220;prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.” President Trump argues that Cuba has developed close relationships with United States adversaries including China, Russia, and Iran. Trump also says that Cuba has provide refuge for American enemies, creating a national security risk. 
Trump has publicly floated regime change and other aggressive actions toward Cuba. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51-prisoners-to-be-freed-as-cuba-shows-cracks-under-trump-pressure">In March</a>, he suggested the United States could pursue what he described as a “friendly takeover.”
“It may be a friendly takeover,” Trump said. “They’re really in, they’re down to, uh, as they say, fumes. They have no energy. They have no money. They’re in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis.”

CUBA-POLITICS-ANNIVERSARY

DOJ Plans To Drop The Hammer On Former Cuban President As Trump Pressures Communist Nation

Cuba

Raul Castro

U.S.

A British university student collapsed and died after police initially handcuffed him instead of the man accused of stabbing him, according to reports and court testimony.
Finance student Henry Nowak, 18, was stabbed with an eight-inch ceremonial Sikh &#8220;shastar&#8221; blade in London after an encounter with Vikrum Digwa, 23, who is on trial for murder. Digwa told police that Nowak was a “drunken man” who “racially abused and attacked” him, <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15818111/Sikh-man-stabbed-18-year-old-university-student-death-eight-inch-ceremonial-knife-claiming-hed-racially-abused-court-hears.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">according</a> to the Daily Mail.
Police initially handcuffed Nowak after the December 2023 incident. Shortly after, he collapsed, prompting officers to begin emergency first aid. Despite efforts to save him, including a doctor flown in by helicopter, Nowak succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 12:37 am. 
Digwa is now on trial alongside his mother, who is accused of assisting her son after Nowak’s stabbing. 
Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg rejected Digwa&#8217;s self-defense claim, telling jurors that “Henry drowned in his own blood&#8221; after the knife pierced his lung. He added that Digwa claimed he could not “recall exactly how the fatal wound came to be inflicted.”
Much of the incident was captured on video by Nowak before he died and is now being used as evidence in court. 
Nowak, who had been completing his first term studying accountancy and finance at Southampton University, had been out with friends before he was attacked. On his way home, he recorded Snapchat videos shortly before crossing paths with Digwa.
In one video shown in court, Digwa can allegedly be heard saying, “I am a bad man.” The footage abruptly cuts off when Nowak responds, “Are you a b….” 
Nowak sustained four stab wounds, including the one that punctured his lung. 
Police said after the fatal stabbing, Digwa’s mother, brother, and father arrived on the scene. Officers placed Digwa and his brother inside a police vehicle, where they said they overheard Digwa admit to the stabbing. 
Luddenberg told jurors that Digwa “told his brother he stabbed Henry three times. He didn’t mention racism or self-defense.” 
Digwa’s defense argued that he carried the knife for religious reasons. The trial is still underway.

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UK Teen Dies After Police Handcuff Victim Instead Of Sikh Stabbing Suspect

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Reps. Ro Khanna and Brad Sherman, both California Democrats, are pushing to restrict U.S. oil exports, claiming that keeping more oil would help lower gas prices. 
Critics say that the opposite is far more likely. 
“If adopted, the political responses to the current high gas prices will make a bad situation worse,” Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute, told The Daily Wire. Restricting exports, he said, “creates a major long-term disincentive to expand oil production. And expanding oil supply is exactly what consumers need in light of the large supply shock that the Iran war has caused.”
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Sherman recently introduced a bill to restrict American oil exports. If it passes, the legislation would restore an energy export ban that was eliminated under the Obama administration.
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“This is a terrible idea that would rewind the clock on America’s energy success story,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), one of Congress’s leading advocates for American energy independence, told The Daily Wire. “Since lifting Obama&#8217;s oil export ban, the United States became a net exporter of petroleum, strengthening our allies and creating thousands of jobs in places like the Permian Basin. Reimposing an export ban would hand leverage back to OPEC and Russia, hurt American producers, and weaken our energy security.”
Many U.S. refineries were built decades ago and are not designed to process the type of oil America now produces in massive quantities. The United States relied heavily on foreign imports, and American refineries were built to process the heavier crude oil coming from Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada. A technological breakthrough that combined fracking and horizontal drilling led to the shale boom of the late 2000s, flooding the market with lighter crude.
Refinery infrastructure did not evolve nearly as quickly as domestic production. About <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-gasoline-prices-rising-economy-sanctions-cbb0d63ed7242b15a0e16586719a4aa1">70%</a> of U.S. refineries are designed to process heavy crude oil. That mismatch between the type of oil America pumps and the type of oil it can refine is one of the primary reasons the United States both imports and exports oil.  
“Although large quantities of crude oil are produced in the United States, it still imports crude oil to meet domestic refining needs,” writes the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 
An export ban doesn&#8217;t correct that imbalance, experts say.
Dan Turner, founder and executive director of Power The Future, told The Daily Wire an export ban would “leave us sitting on all this oil with nothing to do with it.” Raw crude has limited value until it is refined into usable fuels like gasoline and diesel, and the United States lacks sufficient refining capacity to process the bulk of its oil. 
Retrofitting refineries to process significantly more light crude would take years and cost billions. 
But even if refineries were redesigned, the United States would still face another major obstacle. 
A century-old law known as the Jones Act requires that cargo shipped between United States ports travel on American-built, American-owned, and American-crewed vessels. There are very few of them.
In 2024, there were only <a href="https://www.independent.org/article/2025/08/02/jones-act-shipping-regulations/">92</a> Jones Act-compliant ships, creating a major bottleneck in domestic energy transport. Oftentimes, it is cheaper to import foreign oil than to move American oil from one U.S. port to another. 
Keeping oil at home doesn&#8217;t mean it can get where it needs to go.

Trump Administration To Pause Gas Tax As Prices Soar Amid Iran War

Democrats Meet Rising Gas Prices With Economic Illiteracy

Brad Sherman

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President Donald Trump called Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and offered him a last-minute invite on his trip to China, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Wire.
Hours after the call, Huang met the president in Alaska and boarded Air Force One. 
A Nvidia spokesperson said, “Jensen is attending the summit at the invitation of President Trump to support America and the administration&#8217;s goals.” Last week, Huang told CNBC host Jim Cramer, “If invited, it would be a privilege, it would be a great honor to represent the United States.”
Huang is one of several CEOs to join the trip. Seventeen top executives were <a href="https://x.com/mmcassella/status/2053868662562390065">reportedly</a> invited, with Cisco’s Chuck Robbins turning down the invite due to a conflict with the company’s quarterly earnings report.
CNBC initially <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/12/nvidia-ceo-huang-trump-china-trip-chip-sales.html">reported</a> on Tuesday that Huang was not invited to the trip. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Daily Wire that the executive was not invited until later. 
However, President Trump called out the network via <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116565066757116256">Truth Social</a> Tuesday night. “CNBC incorrectly reported that the great Jensen Huang, of Nvidia, was not invited to the incredible gathering of the world’s greatest businessmen/women proudly going to China,” the president wrote. “In actuality, Huang is currently on Air Force One and, unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC’s reporting is incorrect or, as they say in politics, fake news.” 
Trump says he will be asking President Xi to “open up China so that these brilliant people [CEOs traveling with Trump] can work their magic.” 
In the past, Huang has lobbied the Trump administration to allow Nvidia to sell chips to China. While Nvidia is not permitted to sell its Blackwell chips, the company’s most advanced chips, Trump loosened export controls to allow for sales of Nvidia’s H200s. 
Critics of an anti-open stance toward China argue that such a policy will incentivize the country to build competing AI processors. Skeptics argue American AI chips could help China’s military to weaponize software against the United States. 
It is unclear how much control over exports will be the focus of President Trump’s summit with Xi. On the docket for the trip, conversations surrounding tariffs, trade practices, and China’s relationship with Iran appear to take precedence.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

Trump Gives China-Friendly CEO Last Minute Invite To Beijing

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The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chairman of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday in a 54-45 vote. Warsh will officially take over the position on Friday after Jerome Powell&#8217;s term as Fed chair concludes. 
The confirmation comes after Powell has faced months of pressure from President Donald Trump, as Powell has been hesitant to lower interest rates. Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only senator to cross party lines and vote for President Trump’s pick to lead the central bank.
While Warsh takes over as Fed chair, Powell will remain on the board as a governor. Powell&#8217;s term as Fed governor continues until 2028. 
Warsh&#8217;s confirmation didn&#8217;t come easy. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) blocked Warsh&#8217;s path through the Senate Banking Committee for months, refusing to move any Fed nominees while the Department of Justice was criminally investigating Powell over the $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve building. The DOJ ultimately dropped the investigation, causing Tillis to drop his hold. 
Warsh takes the helm of the central bank after previously serving as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, an appointment made by President George W. Bush. He became the youngest Fed governor in history at 35 and became well known as an inflation hawk. 
&#8220;We have the largest, most robust economy in the world. We have the deepest, most liquid financial markets. And the dollar is the world’s reserve currency, bestowing key advantages upon us. But, none of this is our birthright. It must be earned, and re-earned,&#8221; Warsh <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/kevin20100628a.htm">said</a> in a 2010 speech. 
Warsh left the Fed in 2011 to join UPS&#8217;s board and take positions at the Hoover Institution and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Warsh inherits a Federal Reserve being pulled in multiple directions. President Trump continues to call for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, but inflation is still on the rise amid tensions with Iran. After April’s hotter-than-expected inflation report, chances of a rate cut in 2026 declined.
Warsh criticized the central bank’s hesitancy to cut rates, but many people still view him as a hawk on inflation. In December, the chief economist of Deutsche Bank <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/interest-rate-changes-could-be-on-the-way-under-kevin-warsh-trump-s-pick-for-fed-chair-11895919">said</a> that “although Warsh has argued for lower rates recently, we do not view him as structurally dovish.”
Warsh told Congress he plans on shrinking the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet, which holds more than $6 trillion in U.S. government bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Warsh argues that trimming the balance sheet will give the Fed room to lower interest rates.
He also plans to keep the Fed focused on its core mandate of maximizing employment and keeping inflation at 2%. Warsh says the central bank has drifted from that core mission and believes that decisions on which assets the central bank buys are better left to the Treasury Department.

Day Five Of The Spring Meetings Of The International Monetary Fund And World Bank

Senate Confirms Kevin Warsh As Fed Chair In Big Win For Trump

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Alex Murdaugh will get a new trial after the South Carolina Supreme Court <a href="https://www.sccourts.org/media/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/28329.pdf">overturned</a> his murder convictions on Wednesday, saying that a court clerk &#8220;placed her fingers on the scales of justice.&#8221; 
Murdaugh’s trial, which drew national attention thanks to a popular Netflix documentary, was tainted by Colleton County Clerk Rebecca Hill, who attempted to influence the outcome of the trial, &#8220;thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,&#8221; justices ruled. The decision was unanimous. 
&#8220;Our justice system provides — indeed demands — that every person is entitled to a fair trial, which includes an impartial jury untainted by external forces bent on influencing the jury toward a biased verdict,&#8221; the justices wrote. &#8220;Although we are aware of the time, money, and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh&#8217;s motion for a new trial due to Hill&#8217;s improper external influences on the jury and remand for a new trial.&#8221;
Jurors stated that Hill told the jury “not to be fooled” by evidence provided by Murdaugh’s attorneys and “to watch him closely.” 
One juror said she “felt influenced to find Murdaugh guilty by Hill&#8217;s remarks before she entered the jury room, and once deliberations began, she felt additional pressure from the other jurors to reach a guilty verdict,&#8221; according to an affidavit. 
Other jurors testified to hearing Hill’s comments but claimed her statements did not affect their decision. The South Carolina Supreme Court&#8217;s opinion states that Hill denied making “most of the comments the jurors related” and also denied attempting to influence the jury. 
The trial began in late January 2023 and quickly gained attention thanks to the documentary series &#8220;Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,&#8221; which premiered on February 22, 2023. A guilty verdict was delivered on March 2, 2023.
In July of 2023, Hill published a book along with two co-authors titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” Rhonda McElveen, a court clerk who assisted Hill with the trial, told the South Carolina Supreme Court that Hill “repeatedly told her she wanted to write a book so she could buy a lake house, and a guilty verdict would be the best way to sell books.” McElveen also revealed that Hill gave a juror a ride home. 
McElveen said she did not hear Hill make inappropriate comments to the jurors, but that Hill would make comments to her, staff, and the press that were &#8220;strikingly similar to those Juror Z reported.” 
Hill has denied “wanting a guilty verdict because it would sell more books” and claimed that the “outcome of the trial did not matter to her.” 
Ultimately, the South Carolina Supreme Court wrote, “We are accordingly constrained to reverse the post-trial court&#8217;s denial of Murdaugh&#8217;s motion and remand for a new trial consistent with this opinion” due to Hill’s “shocking jury interference.&#8221; 
The so-called “Southern Scandal” involved one of South Carolina’s most powerful families. Murdaugh was charged with brutally killing his wife and son. He was later found guilty of committing financial crimes in 2023 and faced scrutiny after a fatal boat accident in 2019 involving his other son. Murdaugh broke with tradition by testifying in his own defense, adding to the intrigue as all the layers of the shocking story came to light inside the small-town South Carolina courtroom.
During the first trial, journalists and cameras were permitted in the courtroom, allowing the public to follow the trial in real time.

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Court Overturns Conviction In Shocking Twist To Murder Case That Gripped The Nation

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