The rise and violent downfall of livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, better known online as “ChudTheBuilder,” has become one of the internet’s most explosive cautionary tales about race-baiting content, online extremism, and the blurry line between free speech and criminal conduct.
Eatherly, 28, is now facing attempted murder and multiple felony charges after allegedly shooting a black man outside a Tennessee courthouse earlier this month in an incident that has drawn national attention and ignited fierce debate over the culture surrounding livestream “ragebait” creators.
According to authorities, Eatherly — who built a sizable online following by filming himself shouting racial slurs at strangers and provoking confrontations in public — shot Joshua Fox during one such confrontation outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in <a href="https://clarksvillenow.com/local/courthouse-shooters-bond-reset-at-1-million-detectives-find-body-armor-ticket-to-istabul/">Clarksville, Tennessee,</a> on May 13. Fox, a veteran, was struck multiple times and airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery. Eatherly was also injured during the shooting.
Prosecutors have charged Eatherly with attempted criminal homicide, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. During a Thursday hearing, his bond was reduced to $1 million after initially being set at $1.25 million.
Authorities say the confrontation began as a verbal altercation before escalating into gunfire. According to court documents, Eatherly allegedly reached toward a firearm inside his jacket before the two men began fighting. Investigators say surveillance footage showed bullets ricocheting near bystanders outside the courthouse. In <a href="https://pump.fun/coin/21rKrtBzibPAZHAHQRzGiGDSh7XimCKB2a8VgsjZpump?af_force_deeplink=true&amp;mint=21rKrtBzibPAZHAHQRzGiGDSh7XimCKB2a8VgsjZpump&amp;source_caller=sdk&amp;shared_by=9DQuo6vxPBy3wA5vCaWtEMNrVDPwcoWMdAyFgbYc155i&amp;pid=af_app_invites&amp;shortlink=b7wzhzj7&amp;af_referrer_customer_id=9DQuo6vxPBy3wA5vCaWtEMNrVDPwcoWMdAyFgbYc155i&amp;af_channel=app&amp;af_siteid=6717572591&amp;share_type=coin_share&amp;content_type=coin&amp;c=coin_share&amp;af_referrer_uid=1774466730039-4664356&amp;clip=20260513_182816%3A2223008_20260513_182741">audio</a> recorded after the shooting and later posted online, Eatherly claimed he acted in self-defense.
Before his arrest, Eatherly had carved out a growing internet following through inflammatory livestream content that frequently involved using racial slurs in public while filming reactions. He regularly defended the behavior as protected speech under the First Amendment.
His notoriety began growing in 2025 after a road-rage incident involving a black woman went viral online. Eatherly <a href="https://youtu.be/NmvfFy-hyBI?si=YEj9sRR5GebYU72u&amp;t=75">says</a> the backlash cost him his contracting job and pushed him further into online content creation. From there, his audience expanded rapidly across livestreaming and social media platforms. He amassed more than 200,000 followers on X, launched online fundraising campaigns, and cultivated an audience who viewed him as a free-speech provocateur pushing back against political correctness.
Critics, however, describe him as part of a growing ecosystem of “ragebait” livestreamers who profit from public outrage and racial provocation.
“He’s trying to build this following by angering people,” Joshua Fisher-Birch, an extremism researcher with the Counter Extremism Project, told <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/chud-the-builder-attempted-murder-1235564693/">Rolling Stone</a>. “They are incentivized over time to do more and more radical actions in the real world to gain followers online.”
Civil rights advocates and legal experts have argued that Eatherly’s conduct may go far beyond protected speech. Tennessee attorney David Raybin noted that repeatedly approaching strangers while armed and aggressively hurling slurs could potentially constitute assault under state law if it creates fear of imminent harm.
The case has also drawn significant support from elements of the online alt-right. Eatherly reportedly raised more than $100,000 for his legal defense within a single day after his arrest, with fundraising totals later climbing far higher.
Inside the courtroom on Thursday, tensions surrounding the case were already apparent. Judge H. Reid Poland III ordered <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chud-builder-livestream-racism-first-amendment-5270fbaa1c69b38d674416bf2e19233e">several attendees removed for disruptions</a>, including provocateur Jake Lang, who was escorted out in handcuffs.
Despite the mounting legal jeopardy, Eatherly’s case has become a broader flashpoint in the national debate over online radicalization, livestream culture, and whether platforms are financially incentivizing increasingly extreme behavior.
For now, prosecutors appear intent on focusing attention back on the shooting itself — and the real-world consequences of internet notoriety spiraling into violence.

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Who Is ‘ChudTheBuilder,’ The Slur-Hurling Livestreamer Charged With Attempted Murder

House Democrats joined with six Republicans on Thursday to block legislation advancing the long-awaited Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, tanking the bill after Republicans added language limiting the museum to celebrating biological women and barring exhibits portraying males as female.
The measure failed on a 216-204 vote after every Democrat voted against it, joined by a small bloc of Republican defectors, halting what had previously been a bipartisan effort to establish the museum on the National Mall. The legislation was led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).
The collapse of the bill came after Democrats abandoned legislation many of them had previously supported, once Republicans amended it to explicitly define the museum around biological women.
New language added by Republicans stated the museum would be dedicated to “preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States,” while also prohibiting the museum from depicting “any biological male as a female.”
Democrats immediately denounced the changes, arguing they excluded transgender-identifying individuals and handed too much authority over the museum to President Donald Trump. Republicans countered that a women’s history museum should, by definition, focus on women.
“The addition of the word biological made them all run for the hills,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday. “If that&#8217;s controversial in the Democratic Party, we&#8217;re in serious trouble.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Speaker Johnson Delivers Remarks at House Republican Press Conference" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/InUb-jY2rGI?start=259&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Malliotakis similarly blasted Democrats for withdrawing support over the added language. 
“A women&#8217;s history museum is supposed to be dedicated to women, period,” Malliotakis told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-revolt-over-biological-wording-womens-history-museum-bill">Fox News</a>. “And the fact that they&#8217;re going to pull their support after overwhelmingly co-sponsoring this bill because the word biological was inserted, to me, is ludicrous.”
Democrats insisted the issue extended beyond transgender inclusion. The revised legislation also gave Trump authority to select an alternative site for the museum on the National Mall and included language calling for “equal representation of the diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences held by women in the United States.”
Leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus accused Republicans of turning a bipartisan project into a political fight. 
“They amended the bill to give Trump and his allies unregulated power over what content and which women can be included in the museum, and the museum’s location,” caucus leaders said in a statement. “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”
The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum was initially authorized by Congress in 2020 alongside the planned National Museum of the American Latino, but construction has remained stalled pending congressional approval of a permanent site.
House Republicans widely viewed Thursday’s vote as an opportunity to force Democrats into a politically uncomfortable position on gender after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-finally-admit-what-went-wrong-in-2024">party’s struggles during the 2024 election cycle</a> over questions involving transgender-identifying athletes and definitions of “woman.”
But Republicans also faced internal resistance from fiscal conservatives and lawmakers skeptical that another Smithsonian museum was necessary. Several GOP lawmakers reportedly objected that women were already represented across existing Smithsonian institutions and raised concerns that the institution could ultimately become a platform for left-wing causes rather than a celebration of women’s achievements throughout American history. A source familiar with Republican concerns told Fox that lawmakers feared the museum could evolve into “a shrine to abortion activists like Margaret Sanger or the latest progressive cause” without stronger guardrails written into the legislation.
In the end, those Republican defections combined with unanimous Democratic opposition were enough to sink the legislation, leaving the future of the women’s history museum uncertain and construction plans once again stalled indefinitely.

Raised purple fist of a woman for international women’s day and the feminist movement. March 8 for feminism, independence, freedom, empowerment, and activism for women rights

Democrats Kill Women’s History Museum With Help Of 6 Republicans

Congress

Politics

Transgender

Women

Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the most accomplished drivers in stock car racing history, has died at the age of 41.
NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing, and the Busch family announced his death Thursday in a <a href="https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2026/05/21/kyle-busch-two-time-nascar-cup-series-champion-dies-at-age-41/">joint statement</a>, calling his passing a “sudden and tragic” loss for the sport. Earlier in the day, Busch’s family revealed he had been hospitalized with a “severe illness” and would miss race weekend activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway while undergoing treatment.
“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing, and the Busch family said in a joint statement. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation.”
Busch spent more than two decades at the top level of stock car racing and became one of the most polarizing and successful drivers in NASCAR history. Known to fans as “Rowdy,” Busch won 63 Cup Series races, ranking ninth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, and captured Cup championships in 2015 and 2019. He was also the winningest driver in the history of NASCAR’s secondary national series, recording 102 wins in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 wins in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Just six days before his sudden death, Busch delivered what now reads as a hauntingly poignant final victory lane interview after winning the 2026 Ecosave 200 at Dover Motor Speedway.
Speaking with reporters after the race, Busch reflected on why winning never lost its meaning despite decades of success. “Because you never know when the last one is, you know?” Busch said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
“Because you never know when the last one is”
&#8211; Kyle Busch, last week
Wow <a href="https://t.co/vIkBsD9zL3">pic.twitter.com/vIkBsD9zL3</a>
— Old Row Sports (@OldRowSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldRowSports/status/2057584753344184449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
Born in Las Vegas on May 2, 1985, Busch came from a racing family and followed his older brother, fellow NASCAR star Kurt Busch, into the sport. Busch debuted in the Cup Series in 2004 before becoming a full-time driver the following season with Hendrick Motorsports.
After three seasons with Hendrick, Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, where he became the face of Toyota’s NASCAR program and developed into one of the sport’s defining stars. He later moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2023, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet during the final chapter of his career.
Busch’s aggressive driving style and fiery personality made him one of NASCAR’s most divisive figures, earning both loud boos and an intensely loyal fanbase known as “Rowdy Nation.”
Beyond his driving career, Busch also helped develop future NASCAR talent through Kyle Busch Motorsports, his successful Truck Series team that won 100 races and multiple championships.
A cause of death has not yet been released.

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Legendary NASCAR Driver Kyle Busch Dead At 41

Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced sweeping new fraud charges against 15 defendants in Minnesota accused of stealing more than $90 million from taxpayer-funded Medicaid and social service programs, as Trump administration officials vowed an aggressive crackdown on what they described as a culture of fraud plaguing the state.
The announcement came during a major press conference in Minneapolis featuring top Trump administration officials and federal law enforcement leaders, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, White House Anti-Fraud Task Force Vice Chair Andrew Ferguson, and FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia.
“Today, we are announcing criminal charges against 15 defendants in Minnesota for fraud schemes that targeted over $90 million in taxpayer dollars,” McDonald said. “The fraud here in Minnesota is shocking.” According to the Justice Department, the cases involve seven separate Minnesota-managed Medicaid programs that prosecutors say were “systematically pilfered by fraudsters” who treated public benefit programs “as their personal piggy bank.”
Federal officials said the schemes targeted programs intended to help some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, including disabled individuals, children with autism, and homeless populations.
One program highlighted by prosecutors, Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services initiative, was originally projected to cost roughly $2.5 million annually in 2020. McDonald said the cost ballooned to more than $104 million by 2024 due to rampant fraud before the state ultimately shut the program down entirely this year. 
“It’s all gone,” McDonald said. “And because of all the fraud, Minnesota had to shut the program down in 2025, and now these services no longer exist for these vulnerable homeless populations.”
Another alleged scheme centered on autism treatment programs. Prosecutors accused defendants of paying kickbacks to parents, fraudulently diagnosing children with autism, and billing Medicaid for services never actually provided. Kennedy called the case “the largest autism fraud bust in American history.”
“This was organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable children in America,” Kennedy said. “Every fraudulent autism diagnosis steals time, care, and resources from the children for whom this program has been designed.”
Officials also described cases involving programs designed to help disabled residents live independently. In one instance, prosecutors said a defendant billed Medicaid for around-the-clock care for a disabled man who was later found dead after receiving no actual services. 
“The defendant even submitted a claim of over $400 for services he never provided the day before this man died,” McDonald said.
Federal authorities said the investigation moved at an unusual speed after the Department of Justice surged prosecutors and investigators into Minnesota earlier this year. McDonald said 11 strike-force prosecutors from across the country were assigned to the effort alongside FBI agents and investigators from HHS, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Raia said the FBI significantly expanded its fraud investigations in Minnesota beginning late last year as concerns mounted over abuse of public assistance programs. 
“At any given time, we’re running roughly 3,300 investigations related to health care fraud across the country,” Raia said. “Health care fraud is not a victimless crime.”
He warned that fraud involving public healthcare programs ultimately harms taxpayers and vulnerable Americans who rely on those services.
“Every single dollar stolen through these schemes is $1 that came from the pocket of hardworking American taxpayers,” he said. “These programs are meant to help the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and the unprivileged.”
“Make no mistake, today’s charges are unprecedented,” McDonald added, noting the cases include “the highest loss amount ever charged in a Medicaid case in Minnesota” and “the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the Department of Justice.” 
The DOJ also announced the expansion of its Health Care Fraud Midwest Strike Force into Minnesota and the hiring of 15 additional prosecutors dedicated to Medicaid fraud investigations nationwide.
The indictments came just hours after Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock was <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/21/us-news/aimee-bock-minnesota-feeding-our-future-fraudster-sentenced-41-years/">sentenced</a> to 41-and-a-half years in prison for her role in a massive $250 million pandemic food fraud scheme that rocked Minnesota politics and drew national attention.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said the Feeding Our Future scandal was likely “only a small fraction of the fraud that is actually ongoing here in the state of Minnesota.”
“We have the unfortunate distinction of being the place that brought to national attention the fraud committed against governments across the United States,” Rosen said.
The case has also become politically charged in recent years. President Donald Trump previously blasted Minnesota leadership over the fraud scandals, accusing state officials of allowing massive abuse of taxpayer funds, while administration officials on Thursday aligned the latest indictments with the broader nationwide anti-fraud initiative spearheaded by Vice President J.D. Vance. 
“Fraud is going to bleed our social programs dry,” Ferguson said. “Stopping fraud is how we save these programs.”
Federal officials also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-suspected-fraudster-on-the-run-after-fourth-floor-balcony-escape">revealed</a> that one suspect remains on the run after jumping from a fourth-story balcony during Wednesday’s law enforcement operation. The FBI released images of the suspect and asked the public for assistance in locating him.
Raia concluded the press conference with a warning. “No matter how many shell companies you have, no matter how clever or brazen your schemes are, if you steal money from taxpayers and people in need, the FBI and our partners will pursue you relentlessly.&#8221;

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Minnesota’s Latest Fraud Bust May Be The Most Disturbing Yet

Department of Justice

Vanessa Trump revealed Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and recently underwent a medical procedure as she begins treatment and recovery. The 48-year-old shared the emotional announcement in a post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYk6CVwJiSz/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&amp;igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==">Instagram</a>, describing it as a “personal health update.”
“I’ve recently been diagnosed with breast cancer,” Vanessa wrote. “While this isn’t news anyone expects, I’m working closely with my medical team on a treatment plan.” She also disclosed that doctors performed “a procedure earlier this week,” though she did not provide additional details about the stage of the cancer or specifics of her treatment plan.
Vanessa said she is remaining optimistic as she navigates treatment with the support of her family and children. “I am staying focused and hopeful while surrounded by the love and support of my family, my kids, and those closest to me,” she wrote.
She thanked her family and supporters while asking for privacy during her recovery. Ivanka Trump responded publicly, writing: “Praying for your continued strength and a swift recovery. Love you mama.” The post was also liked by Tiffany Trump as messages of support poured in across social media.
Vanessa shares five children with Donald Trump Jr. The pair divorced in 2018 after more than a decade of marriage.
In recent years, Vanessa has largely stayed out of the political spotlight compared to other members of the extended Trump family, though she returned to headlines after publicly appearing alongside golf legend Tiger Woods. Reports of the relationship circulated for months before the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiger-woods-confirms-relationship-with-vanessa-trump-love-is-in-the-air?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tiger+Woods+Confirms+Relationship+With+Vanessa+Trump%3A+‘Love+Is+In+The+Air’">two confirmed it</a> publicly in March, 2025.
Vanessa concluded her statement by thanking supporters while asking for privacy as she focuses on recovery. “Thank you for your kindness and support it truly means more than I can express,” she wrote. “I kindly ask for privacy as I focus on my health and recovery.”

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Vanessa Trump Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Two police officers who defended the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to block a new $1.8 billion Justice Department compensation fund designed to provide relief to Americans the administration says were targeted by politically motivated Biden-era prosecutions.
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges filed suit this week against President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, claiming the administration lacks the authority to establish what critics have labeled an “anti-weaponization” fund without congressional approval.
The lawsuit argues the fund could ultimately compensate some January 6 defendants and members of “paramilitary groups,” with the officers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/us/politics/jan-6-officers-lawsuit-trump-fund.html">warning</a> it could embolden political violence.
 “In the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century, President Donald J Trump has created a $1.776bn taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name,” the complaint states.
The Trump administration, however, has framed the program very differently — not as a reward system for rioters, but as a mechanism to compensate Americans who faced politically selective prosecutions and excessive legal punishment under the Biden administration.
Vice President JD Vance defended the program during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, accusing the media of distorting the fund&#8217;s purpose. 
“This is about compensating Americans for the lawfare that we saw under the last administration,” Vance said. “Anybody can apply for it. Republicans can apply for it, Democrats can apply for it.”
Vance also rejected claims that the fund would personally benefit Trump or his family. 
“Is $1 of this money going to the Trump administration? No. Is $1 of this money going to Donald Trump personally? No,” he said.
When pressed on whether individuals convicted in connection with January 6 could potentially receive compensation, Vance said the administration would review claims individually rather than issue blanket exclusions. 
“We’re not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer,” Vance said. “We’re trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them, they were mistreated by the legal system.”
The vice president argued the fund is part of a broader effort to “turn the page” on what the administration views as politically motivated prosecutions during the Biden years. 
“Let’s not prosecute people because they said the wrong thing, or because they had the wrong political candidate, or because they had the wrong viewpoint,” Vance said.
Critics of the program point to the more than 1,500 pardons and commutations Trump issued for January 6 defendants earlier this year, arguing the compensation fund could become another avenue for rewarding political allies. 
Supporters of the initiative, however, argue that many defendants faced disproportionate charges, financial ruin, and years-long legal battles tied to what they view as prosecutions they believe were politically driven.
The lawsuit comes as the administration continues to make anti-weaponization and transparency efforts a central political theme heading into the 2026 midterms.

January 6

J6 Officers Sue Trump Over $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund

Capitol Police

Capitol Riot

Courts

Senate Democrats are inviting an anti-gambling activist who was disbarred after stealing nearly $2 million from clients to finance his own gambling habit, still owes nearly all that money, and appears to falsely represent himself as a therapist, to testify on integrity in sports. 
Harry Levant, a self-styled gambling addiction expert who has become the go-to expert for the campaign against legalized betting, is a Democrat witness for a congressional hearing to weigh the social costs of legalized sports betting. Levant’s own history, however, raises serious questions about whether he belongs in front of Congress as a neutral authority at all.
Levant, now director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), has become a favored media source for outlets eager to highlight the dangers of online wagering. He has appeared in major national publications and alongside lawmakers pushing federal restrictions on sports betting, often presenting himself as a reformed addict turned counselor and public health advocate.
But Levant’s public rehabilitation story omits a key fact: he is a disbarred former attorney who pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $2 million from his own legal clients to finance his gambling addiction. His victims reportedly included a family member and a double amputee. 
&#8220;My world crumbled in May of 2014 when I was informed that all my money no longer existed,” a victim of Levant <a href="https://whyy.org/segments/after-dodging-jail-in-theft-of-2m-lawyer-back-in-court-for-lagging-on-restitution/">told</a> a judge. “I will never forgive Mr. Levant for what he has done to me. He needs to be punished and pay for what he has done.”
Though he avoided prison after facing dozens of criminal charges, court records <a href="https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/CpDocketSheet?docketNumber=CP-51-CR-0012640-2014&amp;dnh=oz%2FCyF06OFNZ596KkWz7wA%3D%3D">reviewed</a> by The Daily Wire show he still owes roughly $1.9 million in restitution more than a decade later. Public records indicate he has maintained access to high-end housing while making only minimal monthly payments to the victims he defrauded. At the current payment rate ordered by the court, full repayment would take 316 years.
Levant now publicly markets himself as a “therapist” and “gambling counselor,” offering in-person services in Philadelphia and telehealth sessions online. Yet available state licensing databases in both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts do not appear to show an active professional counseling license under his name. 
In a phone interview, Levant said he doesn’t run a therapy practice.
“I host a coaching program, not a therapy practice. I host group coaching,” Levant said. “If someone in the group needs therapy, I refer them to a licensed therapist.”
Despite this, Levant’s website still <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20260518235643/https://www.harrylevant.com/about">describes</a> him as a “mental health therapist” and contains a page titled <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20260518235537/https://www.harrylevant.com/gambling-counseling">“Therapy,”</a> where he says, “I offer a comprehensive approach to therapy,” invites visitors to “become a patient,” and advertises “in-person services in the Philadelphia area and virtual telehealth services for all ages.”
Levant added that he is “very upfront” that his use of the title “Dr.” refers to his doctorate in law and public policy from Northeastern University, which is consistent with his public biography.
Levant also said he continues his “restitution payment each month,” but did not comment on the amount. He remains under court-ordered restitution stemming from the theft case and said he is “in full compliance with those obligations,” according to an email from PHAI Executive Director Mark Gottlieb, who described himself as Levant’s supervisor. 
Gottlieb wrote to The Daily Wire to “memorialize” Levant’s answers in his phone interview with The Daily Wire, emphasizing the organization’s awareness of the questions surrounding his criminal history’s pertinence on his current work.
Regarding the “therapy” claims, Gottlieb said he stopped treating patients after moving to Massachusetts because he would need new state licensure to continue practicing there. Gottlieb said PHAI had kept Levant “very very busy” and that he had not yet completed that licensing process, adding, “I’m quite sure he will be treating individual patients again soon.” 
He said Levant had been treating patients in Pennsylvania through mid-2025 at Ethos Treatment, but 
That history matters because Levant is not merely a recovering addict sharing a personal testimony. He is now positioned as an expert witness before the United States Senate while simultaneously helping build a legal and political campaign against the sports betting industry that could generate significant financial benefit for his organization and its allies.
Levant and colleagues at PHAI recently incorporated a nonprofit called <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-family-and-friends-of-gamblers-ffog-is-launched-to-advocate-for-comprehensive-public-health-regulation-of-the-online-gambling-industry-the-ffog-movement-will-officially-begin-with-lifting-the-fog-day-on-november-6th-in-wa-302599936.html?tc=eml_cleartime">Families and Friends of Gamblers</a>, which seems to be laying the groundwork for mass litigation against gambling companies. The model resembles the public-health litigation strategy used against “Big Tobacco” in the 1990s — not coincidentally, one of Levant’s close collaborators, Richard Daynard, helped architect that litigation. 
If successful, the effort could create an enormous legal payday for the advocacy ecosystem Levant now inhabits.
That creates an obvious conflict: the same man testifying before lawmakers about the alleged public harms of sports betting is also involved in efforts that may directly profit from expanded legal action against the industry.
None of this means Congress should ignore the issue of gambling addiction, but it does raise a straightforward question: why is the Senate relying on a witness whose professional brand, political advocacy, and personal financial interests all depend on portraying sports betting as a national crisis — and one whose own past includes defrauding vulnerable people to sustain the very addiction he now monetizes as an expert?

Sports Betting Apps As Online Gambling Expands In US

Anti-Gambling ‘Expert’ Set To Brief Senate On ‘Integrity’ Owes Millions To Victims He Defrauded

Crime

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A Washington D.C. father who had to physically shield his children from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/late-night-troublemakers-tear-up-d-c-chipotle-as-trump-admin-vows-to-crack-down-on-teen-takeovers">violent teen brawl</a> inside a Chipotle says the incident left his family shaken, with his son telling him afterward, “I can’t unsee that.”
Rafael Jauregui, an Air Force veteran and father of seven, was taking five of his children out for dinner after a Washington Nationals vs. Baltimore Orioles game on Saturday when a large fight erupted inside the restaurant, according to local reporting. Video of the chaos showed teens throwing punches and smashing chairs as customers scrambled for safety.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
A chaotic teen takeover turns violent inside a Washington, D.C. Chipotle.
The group of teens can be seen throwing punches and hurling restaurant chairs and stools at one another as innocent bystanders huddle for safety in a corner of the restaurant.
The incident comes just days… <a href="https://t.co/HcHeOftGcf">pic.twitter.com/HcHeOftGcf</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2056415804493627661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
“At that point, I tell the children, ‘get with me, get up, let’s start backing up,’” Jauregui told <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/navy-yard-brawl-comes-after-us-attorney-pirros-promised-crackdown-on-teen-takeovers">ABC7 News</a>. “And then it was like an ambush.”
Jauregui said the group “looked like ninjas, dressed in black, with ski masks,” as they flooded into the restaurant and began swinging chairs at one another. He said he and his children were forced into a corner while he scanned the crowd for weapons, relying on his military training to assess whether any of the teens were armed. He watched as the fight escalated into what U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described Monday as a “takeover of a restaurant.”
“It was not just violence occurring between individuals. It was simply destruction of property,” Pirro said during a press conference. “It was a takeover of a restaurant by individuals who felt like they could get away with it. Well, they’re not going to get away with it.” Pirro said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now involved in identifying those responsible for the weekend melee, which broke out in the city’s Navy Yard neighborhood one day after she announced a new crackdown on juvenile crime.
She vowed to prosecute not only the teens involved but, in some cases, their parents. “If you know where your teen is and what they are doing and allow them to continue their conduct and continue to allow them to flourish, we’re going to prosecute you,” Pirro said. Jauregui said he supports that approach, arguing the violence went far beyond teenagers “messing around.”
“[I’m] in line with what the U.S. Attorney is trying to do,” he said. “This is next level. Where a dad can’t bring their kids to a Nats game and grab a bite after.” The father said his two sons helped shield their younger sisters during the chaos, but the emotional impact lingered after the family left. “My son said on the way home, ‘Papa, I can’t unsee that,’” Jauregui said. “Those individuals have now directly impacted my security, my life.”
The incident is the latest in a string of so-called “teen takeovers” that have disrupted public spaces in Washington, as city officials face growing pressure to rein in youth violence ahead of major national celebrations planned in the capital this summer.

Teen-Takeover-4.jpg

‘I Can’t Unsee That’: Man Who Shielded Kids From Urban Teen Brawl Speaks Out

Teenagers

Violent Crime

In the final major debate of the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., the candidates spent as much time accusing each other of corruption and Republican sympathies as they did defending their own visions for the city — a revealing display in a race where the Democratic nominee is all but certain to win in November.
The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6ngPu8G9A">hour-long forum</a>, hosted by Fox 5 D.C., quickly became a combative showdown between Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George, who repeatedly traded barbs over crime, campaign donations, and ties to President Donald Trump. Businessman Gary Goodweather was on stage as well, but drew less attention, often struggling to break into the sharper exchanges between the two council veterans.
The clash over public safety was among the night’s most pointed moments. After moderators raised a recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/late-night-troublemakers-tear-up-d-c-chipotle-as-trump-admin-vows-to-crack-down-on-teen-takeovers">violent brawl involving teenagers at a Chipotle</a> in Navy Yard, Lewis George defended her opposition to the city’s youth curfew by arguing that enforcement could put minors in danger because of the federal law-enforcement presence in the district.
“Using the curfew as a tool for our young people is dangerous,” Lewis George said. “It is dangerous because we have federal troops who are in our city, mass ICE agents who are in our city, and these are the people enforcing this law on our young people.”
McDuffie seized on the opening to portray her as soft on crime. 
“What they need to do is treat these teen takeovers like the public safety emergency that they are,” he said. &#8220;Doing nothing is not an option.” He went further, directly blaming Lewis George for delaying action on the curfew. &#8220;The council had an opportunity to act just a few weeks ago, before the curfew expired, but they didn’t act, because Janeese Lewis George shut it down.&#8221; 
Lewis George responded by accusing McDuffie of opportunism and trying to appeal to conservatives in a city that remains overwhelmingly Democratic. 
“Now that he is taking big Trump donor dollars and Republican dollars, he’s now using cheap political points from Republicans to score in this moment,” she said. “It’s disingenuous and disheartening.”
That charge became a recurring theme throughout the night, with Lewis George repeatedly invoking what she described as McDuffie’s acceptance of donations from “Trump donor dollars,” while McDuffie countered by accusing her of facing <a href="https://campaignforaccountability.org/watchdog-files-ethics-complaint-against-d-c-mayoral-candidate-janeese-lewis-george-over-financial-disclosure-failures/">campaign finance scrutiny</a>.
“There’s only one person on this stage who’s actively under investigation for violations of the campaign finance laws, and it’s Ms. Janice Lewis George,” McDuffie said.
The debate also underscored just how far Left the race has moved in a city where Republicans are effectively noncompetitive. All three candidates said they would end cooperation between D.C. police and ICE. Asked whether they would direct the Metropolitan Police Department to work with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on enforcing the youth curfew, both Lewis George and Goodweather answered flatly: “No.” McDuffie likewise pledged to cut off cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, saying he would “sign an executive order to rescind ICE” from the city.
Goodweather had perhaps the most unusual proposal of the evening, suggesting that Washington eventually construct “a fourth-generation air-cooled nuclear reactor on federal land in D.C.” as part of his energy plan, a remark that stood out in a debate otherwise dominated by housing, public safety, and mutual accusations.
In a city where the Democratic primary will almost certainly decide the next mayor, Tuesday’s debate showed candidates not racing to the center, but competing to prove who is more liberal — and who can paint their Democratic rival as secretly aligned with the Right. The Washington, D.C., primary is on June 16.

Washington, DC skyline

D.C. Democrats Face Questions Over Teen Takeovers As Mayoral Race Heats Up

Debate

Democrats

Donald Trump

Police

Washington D.C.

Former FBI Director James Comey used a Sunday television appearance to say plainly what many of President Donald Trump’s supporters have long argued: that key figures in the federal law enforcement and intelligence bureaucracy view themselves as a counterweight to the elected administration, rather than subordinate to it.
During an appearance on NBC&#8217;s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpDF1L-dKR8">Meet the Press</a>,” Comey said he has little confidence in the Justice Department’s current leadership but urged career employees to remain in place through the remainder of Trump’s term. 
“I have great confidence in the people down below who are just trying to hang on,” Comey said. “And I’m urging them, hang on. Two and a half years, and then we can rebuild these institutions.”
Former officials criticizing an administration is commonplace. What stands out is that Comey framed the department&#8217;s Senate-confirmed leadership as a temporary aberration to endure until the bureaucracy can “rebuild” itself. 
In Comey’s telling, the true stewards of federal agencies are not the president and his appointees, but career officials embedded within them. 
The comments came as Comey remains under <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-comey-indicted-again-this-time-over-8647-seashell-post-tied-to-trump">indictment</a> for his May 2025 Instagram post featuring the phrase “86 47,” which prosecutors say amounted to a threat against Trump. The former FBI director dismissed the case during the interview and <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/us-news/ex-fbi-director-james-comey-taunts-trump-doj-on-latest-indictment/">mocked</a> Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, suggesting Blanche should “bone up on the rules” after publicly discussing the prosecution.
Comey’s posture throughout the interview was consistent: contempt for the administration at the top, confidence in the career bureaucracy beneath it, and open anticipation that Trump’s presidency is something federal employees should simply wait out.
That message cuts to the heart of a debate Trump has raised since his first campaign — whether the administrative state sees itself as politically neutral or as an institutional force capable of resisting elected leadership it deems unacceptable.
Comey appeared to answer that question directly. By urging federal employees to “hang on” until Trump leaves office so the institutions can be “rebuilt,” he described a bureaucracy that is not simply carrying out policy disagreements internally, but one that can preserve itself against democratic change and restore its preferred order when the political climate shifts.
The remarks also fit into a broader public campaign by Comey and his <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/james-maurene-comey-trump-doj-00924420">family</a> as both he and his daughter, former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, fight legal battles against the Trump administration. In interviews promoting his new novel, Comey has portrayed his family as victims of presidential retaliation, while continuing to cast himself as a moral authority on institutional integrity despite his own history of political controversy. 
That controversy resurfaced again Sunday when Comey defended his 2016 decision to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server days before the presidential election. 
However, the more revealing moment was not his defense of past decisions; it was his apparent belief that he sees federal institutions as something that can be insulated from the president, preserved by loyal insiders, and restored once an unacceptable administration ends.

James Comey Before Senate Intelligence Committee

James Comey’s Message To Federal Bureaucrats: ‘Hang On … We Can Rebuild These Institutions’

Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak is set to testify before a Senate panel this week after his scoop on Ohio&#8217;s Medicaid payment system triggered renewed scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over government waste and fraud.
Rosiak, whose recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/medicaid-millionaires-how-the-feds-pay-immigrants-billions-to-hang-out-with-their-families">“Medicaid Millionaires”</a> series uncovered what he described as billions in questionable taxpayer-funded home health payments using newly released federal billing data, is scheduled to appear before a panel convened by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the longtime Republican watchdog who has made rooting out federal waste, fraud, and abuse a signature issue. 
The hearing is expected to feature testimony not only on Ohio’s Medicaid system, but on broader failures in state-administered welfare programs that rely heavily on federal dollars.
Rosiak&#8217;s reporting generated national attention after detailing how hundreds of little-known home health companies clustered in the Columbus area, many receiving millions in taxpayer reimbursements for loosely defined “personal services” such as homemaking, companionship, and conversation. The series also highlighted that providers appeared to operate out of near-empty office buildings while billing Medicaid enormous sums.
Joining Rosiak on the Republican witness list are two Minnesota whistleblowers who raised alarms about fraud inside that state’s Department of Human Services. 
Faye Bernstein, a longtime DHS contract specialist and compliance officer, is expected to testify that she faced retaliation after flagging contracting practices she believed created serious risks for fraud. Bernstein has said DHS officials removed her from her workplace and barred her from department property after she challenged leadership over compliance failures.
Also scheduled to testify is Jay Swanson, a retired investigator who spent years probing Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program. Swanson has claimed that beginning in 2014, he uncovered an extensive fraud scheme involving childcare reimbursements that may have exceeded $100 million annually. According to Swanson, the scheme involved a network of daycare operations run by Somali immigrants.
Swanson has further alleged that his warnings were met not with enforcement action but institutional resistance, including efforts to suppress his findings and restructure his office to limit investigations.
Democrats will call Donald Sherman, the head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as their witness, setting up a partisan clash over how best to tackle fraud in public programs while preserving social safety nets.
The hearing marks a major escalation for Rosiak’s Ohio investigation, which has already prompted public reactions from Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-medicaid-investigation-triggers-a-1-4-billion-spending-freeze?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Daily+Wire+Medicaid+Investigation+Triggers+A+%241.4+BILLION+Spending+Freeze">JD Vance</a> and Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-reckoning-vivek-is-vowing-after-dw-exposed-the-medicaid-money-trail">Vivek Ramaswamy</a>. Both Republicans said they would look into potential abuse following The Daily Wire series, which found that Ohio’s Medicaid waiver system created a vast, lightly monitored industry built around billing taxpayers for in-home services that are difficult to verify.
For Republicans, the hearing offers a chance to frame state welfare fraud as emblematic of a broader federal spending crisis. Democrats will likely attempt to make the hearing a battleground over whether investigators are unfairly targeting immigrant communities while seeking cuts to entitlement programs.
A hearing date has been set for Wednesday, with testimony expected to center on whether federal and state agencies failed to detect — or ignored warnings about — fraud schemes that whistleblowers say operated in plain sight for years.
Rosiak will also testify in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday before state lawmakers about his investigative findings. While in Ohio, he&#8217;ll appear at an anti-fraud event alongside Ramaswamy.
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Luke Rosiak

EXCLUSIVE: Daily Wire Investigator Called To Testify On Findings In Ohio

DOGE

Fraud

Medicaid

Medicaid Millionaires

waste fraud abuse

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is touting a 66% increase in per-student education spending since taking office, but state reading scores show that the massive cash infusion has done little to improve literacy, and in some cases, student performance has worsened.
Newsom celebrated the spending increase this week, boasting on social media that California now spends a record $28,282 per student as his administration makes what he called “historic investments in public education.” But state proficiency data complicates the governor’s victory lap: black students’ reading proficiency remained flat at 32% between the year before Newsom took office and the most recent reporting year, despite billions in additional educational funding. White students, meanwhile, saw reading proficiency fall from 65% to 62% over the same period.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reading proficiency of black students in California in the year before Newsom took office: 32%
In the most recent year: 32%
So, a 66% increase in spending led to a 0% increase in reading proficiency. <a href="https://t.co/62o27hKNWy">https://t.co/62o27hKNWy</a>
— i/o (@avidseries) <a href="https://twitter.com/avidseries/status/2055339577032708227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
The figures raise fresh questions about whether Newsom’s education agenda has translated into measurable classroom gains, or whether the Democratic governor is using ballooning budgets to score political points while academic outcomes stagnate.
When Newsom entered office in 2019, California’s K-12 schools received roughly $17,423 per student from state, local, and federal funding sources. Under his proposed 2026-27 budget, that figure has climbed to more than $28,000 per student, representing one of the sharpest spending increases in the nation. Newsom has repeatedly framed the increase as proof that his administration is transforming public education, describing California’s school funding as “the envy of many other states.”
Yet long-running arguments from teachers unions and education officials that low funding was the primary driver behind California’s lagging academic performance now face greater scrutiny. California was once near the bottom nationally in per-pupil spending, but now ranks among the top tier of states. Student outcomes, however, have improved in tandem.
Critics argue that much of the additional funding has gone toward expanding bureaucracy, new state initiatives, and higher compensation packages rather than directly improving core academic performance. Some districts have used the additional funding to shore up payroll and pension obligations even as enrollment declines and test scores remain weak. 
The disconnect is particularly stark for minority students, whom Newsom and other California Democrats frequently invoke when defending higher education spending. Despite the governor’s 66% funding increase, black students’ reading proficiency has not improved during his tenure, raising questions about whether the state’s historic spending spree has failed to move the needle for one of the groups Democratic politicians most often claim to prioritize. In California, at least, Newsom’s record spending has so far produced a record bill, without the record achievement.

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Drew Berkemeyer