A Nigerian journalist imprisoned for reporting on Christian persecution says Americans must fight the rise of Islam in the United States if they want to preserve their freedom.
Luka Binniyat issued the warning while speaking about a five-year legal battle that saw him spend over 80 days in prison after officials took issue with a story he wrote on an attack on a Christian village by Islamic militants. Binniyat, from the religiously divided, mineral-rich Nigerian state of Kaduna, is haunted by the violence he has witnessed.
“You should not allow Islam to gain root in America. They’ll come there with values that are not your own, and even if they are a minority, they will eventually try to enforce their own religion, their own beliefs over the community,” the 60-year-old Binniyat told The Daily Wire in an interview. “In Nigeria — here in the Muslim-dominated areas — Christians do not have rights.”
The warning is personal for Binniyat, who has seen firsthand the violent implementation of Sharia law. Northern Nigeria is largely Islamic, and the southern part of the country is Christian. The middle, where Binniyat has spent most of his time reporting on, is divided. What he has witnessed, he told The Daily Wire, is genocide.
“When you select a group of people for extermination, based on their race, based on their belief, or based on their ideology, you select them for mass murder. That is what genocide is all about,” he said. “That is what we&#8217;re experiencing.”
In many of the attacks he has reported on, he said the “Muslim community is not touched” while “it is the Christian community that is attacked.”
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<div id="attachment_1162877" style="width: 942px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1162877" class="size-full wp-image-1162877" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-21-at-10.36.55-AM.png" alt="" width="932" height="881" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-21-at-10.36.55-AM.png 932w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-21-at-10.36.55-AM-300x284.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-21-at-10.36.55-AM-609x576.png 609w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-21-at-10.36.55-AM-768x726.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px" />World Watch Monitor.</div>
Binniyat’s use of the term genocide got him into legal trouble in October 2021, when he <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/in-nigeria-police-decry-massacres-as-wicked-but-make-no-arrests-4075998?slsuccess=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> a story in The Epoch Times that quoted a local politician accusing an official of covering up attacks on Christians. The official accused Binniyat of defamation while the local politician denied making the comment.
In November 2021, officials charged him with using a computer to transmit knowingly false information &#8220;for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will, or needless anxiety to another.&#8221;
The resulting legal battle, which lasted until May 2026, saw Binniyat spend months in prison. He said he was kept in a small, insect-infested prison cell with dozens of other inmates where they were forced to poop in buckets and given food Binniyat described as “punishment.”
In October 2024, Binniyat’s defense filed a “no case submission,” which was approved by the Federal High Court in Kaduna in November 2025, but no written decision was issued until May 26, 2026. His defense throughout the case was assisted by the Alliance Defending Freedom International.
The decision found that there was “no evidence to prove the essential elements of the alleged offense” and said the evidence presented against Binniyat was “manifestly unreliable,” according to ADF International.
“Luka Binniyat did nothing more than accurately quote a Nigerian legislator&#8217;s own words. This ruling is a vindication for Luka, but it should also be a wake-up call: Accurate reporting on atrocities is not a crime, and journalists covering religious persecution deserve protection, not prosecution,&#8221; Sean Nelson, senior counsel for Global Religious Freedom at Alliance Defending Freedom, told The Daily Wire.
ADF International has another case pending before Nigeria’s Supreme Court looking to strike down its stringent blasphemy laws.
Binniyat’s case was <a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/luka-binniyat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">championed</a> by the United States Council on International Religious Freedom and other watchdog organizations, including the <a href="https://cpj.org/2021/11/nigerian-journalist-luka-binniyat-detained-over-complaint-by-kaduna-state-official/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Committee to Protect Journalists</a> and Reporters Without Borders.
“I&#8217;m walking as a free man today. Thank God for the pressure around the world that was put on the government,” he said.
Thousands of Christians across Nigeria are killed annually with many advocates faulting the government for not doing enough to crack down on the violence. The continuous state of violence led to the Trump administration labeling Nigeria as a country of particular concern in 2025, putting it under greater international scrutiny.
Several militant Islamic groups typically are behind the violence, including insurgent group Boko Haram, the largely nomadic Islamic Fulani herdsmen, and the Islamic State of West Africa.
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<div id="attachment_1162889" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1162889" class="size-full wp-image-1162889" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-1234007408.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - The remaining wares of students of Bethel Baptist High School are seen inside the school premises as parent of abducted students wait for the return of their children whom were abducted by gunmen in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria on July 14, 2021. - The girls are just two of the more than 100 Nigerian children snatched from Bethel Baptist High School nearly three weeks ago, herded by gunmen into the forests after a kidnapping raid on their dormitories.The July 5 attack in Nigeria's northwest Kaduna state was just the latest mass abduction at a school or college as kidnap gangs seeking quick ransoms zero in on soft target of young students. Armed kidnappings for ransom along highways, and from homes and businesses now make almost daily newspaper headlines in Africa's most populous country. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP) " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-1234007408.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-1234007408-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-1234007408-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-1234007408-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The scene outside a school where gunmen abducted children (KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images.)</div>
While not describing himself as a typical “born-again” Christian, Binniyat said it is his mission to expose violence against Christians, even if it means writing reports critical of the government. His home state of Kaduna demonstrates a “clash of values” that could not be more different.
Binniyat said that the Muslims want to impose Sharia law on the whole middle Nigerian region over Christians who want to embrace Western values with traditional African practices sprinkled in. A Christian converting to Islam can be killed for that conviction and many of the Muslim children do not attend schooling.
“They believe in violence. They say it&#8217;s a religion of peace,” he said of Islam. “As far as we know, it is a religion of violence.”
There is one attack that he said haunts him to this day. He said he showed up on the scene and found the smoldering bodies that were burnt during an attack targeting a Christian wedding. He said he helped locals gather over 20 bodies and bury them in a mass grave.
“It is something that I don&#8217;t want to recall. You could smell the flesh of humans burning. We had to bring out bodies that were roasted like animals — children, women,” he said.
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<div id="attachment_1162891" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1162891" class="size-full wp-image-1162891" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2159375313.jpg" alt="Injured men lay in a van as they arrive for treatment after a wave of suicide attacks in the North East of Nigeria, in Maiduguri on June 29, 2024. At least 18 people were killed and 19 seriously wounded in suicide attacks targeting a wedding, a hospital and a funeral in northeastern Nigeria on June 29, authorities said. The region has been scarred by more than a decade of violence by jihadist group Boko Haram, which did not immediately claim responsibility for the string of attacks. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP) " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2159375313.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2159375313-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2159375313-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2159375313-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Injured men lay in a van as they arrive for treatment after a wave of suicide attacks in Nigeria (AUDU MARTE/AFP via Getty Images.)</div>
With his legal battle over, Binniyat says he plans to continue writing on the plight of Christians, which he says has not improved during his journalism career. He said he would consider entering politics and push for policies that would provide more protection for Christians.
As someone who has seen the violence of a society dominated by militant Islam, Binniyat wants Americans to be careful.
“Americans should not take the liberty and the freedom which they are enjoying now for granted. If they allow Islam to establish a root in America, you are going to lose your country,” he said. “That is [why] I want the Americans to protect their religion, to protect their culture, and to assert their values on every immigrant that comes.”

Image (48)

He Was Jailed For Exposing Muslim Violence In Nigeria. Now, He’s Warning Americans To Fight Sharia.

Africa

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Christian Persecution

Islam in America

Nigeria

Persecution

Sharia Law

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump said Friday that he reached a deal to increase beef imports into the United States with the goal of driving down prices. 
Trump said up to 300,000 metric tons of beef would be allowed to be imported into the country over a 90-day period without facing tariffs. Beef prices have increased by almost 12% in the last year, according to the most recent data from the Department of Agriculture. 
“Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families. As everyone knows, under President Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history,” the president wrote on Truth Social. 
“As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff,” he added. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices. This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
Research <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings">indicates</a> that the American cattle herd has fallen to its lowest level in 75 years and the Economic Research Service recently noted that “wholesale beef prices remain at all-time highs for this time of year.” In June 2026, beef and veal prices were up 11.8% from June 2025 and prices are predicted to only increase. 
Beef prices have been a persistent problem for Trump throughout his second term. He has taken numerous actions aimed at reducing prices, including signing an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/ensuring-affordable-beef-for-the-american-consumer/">executive order</a> in February 2026 increasing the amount of beef Argentina could export to the United States. 
That executive order noted the declining American cattle herd, the threat of New World screwworm, and persistent wildfires in cattle-producing states. 
Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2025/11/trump-administration-cracks-down-on-foreign-owned-meat-packing-cartels/">also directed</a> the Justice Department to launch investigations into meat packing companies over alleged collusion to drive up prices. 
“This decisive action targets the foreign-dominated conglomerates that control America’s meat supply and have been accused of artificially inflating prices at the expense of farmers, ranchers, and working families,” Trump said at the time. 
Food prices could play a role in the midterm elections as Democrats across the country are running on the issue of affordability.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Just Went After A Grocery Staple That’s Been Hammering Americans

Beef

Beef prices

Donald Trump

Economy

Inflation

Tariffs

Eight people are dead after a plane carrying multiple Army engineers crashed Thursday near an isolated Alaskan radar station. 
The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash occurred Thursday at 12:15 p.m. when a chartered Cessna aircraft went down near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site airport in southwestern Alaska. No immediate information was released on the cause of the crash, but the FAA and the National Safety Transportation Board are investigating. 
“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,&#8221; said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis. “These individuals were dedicated professionals carrying out a vital mission in a demanding environment. Our absolute priority right now is providing unwavering support to their families, friends, and teammates during this devastating time. We are profoundly grateful for the swift and tireless response of our search and recovery professionals.”
The plane left Anchorage and its final destination was Cape Newenham, the location of an Air Force-managed radar tracking site. 
Two of the victims on the plane were members of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, which chartered the flight. Six passengers and two pilots with flight company Security Aviation were on the flight.  
“We have received confirmation that the two [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] employees onboard were fatalities. Next of kin have been notified. We are coordinating closely with the appropriate local, state, and federal authorities,” the Army Corps said. 
The fatalities were confirmed by a rescue team from Alaska Air National Guard&#8217;s 176th Wing.
&#8220;Guardian Angel personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron confirmed there were no survivors,&#8221; Alaskan Command <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/small-plane-8-aboard-crashes-alaska-faa/story?id=135827761">said</a>. &#8220;The names of the passengers and crew will be released 24 hours after notification of next of kin.&#8221;
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) offered her condolences to the victims of the crash, noting she has frequently flown on flights operated by Security Aviation. 
“I join Alaskans in condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today. I’ve traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout Alaska, and have met many of their experienced pilots,” she <a href="https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/2090629413323087975">said</a>. “Alaska is praying for those on board, their loved ones, and the team at Security Aviation.”

Aerial photograph of alaskan river

Deadly Alaska Plane Crash Was Carrying Team On Vital Military Mission

Airplane crash

Alaska

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Lisa Murkowski

National transportation Safety Board

A dust-up in Pennsylvania over sentencing guidelines has lawmakers raising alarms about a potential judge-sanctioned prison break for murderers. 
Judges in Pennsylvania no longer have to impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence on criminals convicted of murder while committing robbery, rape, or arson. That happened because lawmakers failed to pass new guidelines after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the previous standards requiring murderers to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. 
“We sit here with no sentencing guidelines currently for felony murder. Nobody&#8217;s exactly sure how that&#8217;s going to play out,” Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper told The Daily Wire. “There has to be at least a minimum accountability standard for them in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or else we simply have stopped valuing human life in the same way.”
Law-and-order advocates worry the lapse in guidelines could lead to soft-on-crime judges imposing light sentences and to early release for the over 1,000 murderers currently imprisoned who now can argue their sentence was unconstitutional. 
“The new Democratic socialist movement is making no bones about what they support: no prisons, no minimums for crimes. And they&#8217;re not big fans of law enforcement,” Topper told The Daily Wire. “It just seems to be the radicals are driving the conversation on this issue and that party.”
The issue looms politically large for potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Governor Josh Shapiro and the upcoming House elections, which are crucial for control of Congress. Many Democrats have backed away from their 2020-era push to defund the police, but the issue remains a focus of many GOP campaigns.
Topper fears that many of those currently behind bars for second-degree murder will capitalize on the court’s ruling to try to get out of prison. 
“The greatest danger is that you will have current murderers sitting in prison, being able to appeal their sentencing,” he said. “I do believe that you could be in a scenario where there will be judges who use this as an opportunity to kind of impose their ideology, and so letting people out of jail that don&#8217;t belong out of jail, and certainly don&#8217;t belong back on the streets.”
Under Pennsylvania law, second-degree murder is <a href="https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM&amp;ttl=18&amp;div=00.&amp;chpt=025.&amp;sctn=002.&amp;subsctn=000.">defined</a> as being “committed while defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony,” which is listed to include the crimes of robbery, rape, arson, burglary, or kidnapping.
Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/2037166490252726403?lang=en">praised</a> the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in March 2026 to strike down mandatory life-without-parole sentencing requirements. He called it a “common sense” ruling because the law held accomplices and the person who committed the murder to the same standard. 
In the decision, the court gave the General Assembly a 120-day deadline to come up with new sentencing guidelines. While the Republican-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan proposal one month before the deadline, the Democrat-controlled House did not vote on the guidelines until the very last minute. 
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill in June that <a href="https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/SB1400/PN1834">included</a> a 35-year minimum sentence for those convicted of second-degree murder. The bill also included provisions allowing for judges to impose a life-without-parole sentence in certain circumstances, including if the murder involved rape. The proposal <a href="https://www.palegis.us/senate/roll-calls/summary?sessYr=2025&amp;sessInd=0&amp;rcNum=445&amp;sort=party">passed</a> the Senate 31-19 on June 23 with 26 Republicans in support and five Democrats. 
One month later, and just one day before the deadline, the Democrat-controlled House voted on a significantly altered proposal from the version passed by the Senate. 
Republicans <a href="https://x.com/VoteMartinaPA/status/2084399064775348255?s=20">said</a> the amended bill contained a “poison pill” that gave judges broad discretionary power to give murderers light sentences for vaguely defined medical purposes. The bill passed the House 102-100 with support from just one Republican. The GOP-controlled Senate has no plans to pass the House version, leaving the sentencing guidelines at a standstill. 
Topper told The Daily Wire that he believed the Senate version would have passed the House without amendments if leadership had allowed it to receive a vote. He said Democratic leadership wanted to appeal to the more radical wing of their caucus. Topper also believes Shapiro would have signed the Senate’s version had it made it unscathed through the House.
Democrat House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford did not respond to a request for comment. 
“I believe it would have ultimately been signed into law by the governor,” Topper said. “The governor needs to show some leadership if he wanted that Senate bill to pass… it&#8217;s incumbent upon him to make sure members of his own party are in line with what he believes and values.”
When asked by The Daily Wire if the governor would have signed the Senate version, Shapiro’s office recycled a statement from last month in which he called for Republicans to support the House version. 
“Our state Supreme Court took the right action declaring that law unconstitutional and gave our state Legislature time to address those who are serving life sentences for second degree murder,” he said. “While some have played politics and suggested 1,100 people could be immediately released from prison — that is simply not true. It’s time to end the politicization and demagoguery and instead work to provide individualized sentencing within a predictable and consistent framework.”
Some Republicans believe the issue will be an issue focused on as the November election approaches. Reilly Richardson, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told The Daily Wire that crime will be a major focus as the November election approaches with numerous contested seats on the line. 
Multiple incumbent House Republicans, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Rep. Scott Perry, and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, are being targeted by Democrats for potential seat flips. 
“Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have been nothing short of disastrous in Pennsylvania,” Richardson said. “Now, they’re trying to send those same disastrous policies to Congress by nominating far-left candidates who are backed and bankrolled by groups who want to defund the police.”

corridor of a prison with bars and open cell door.

Swing State Republicans Fear Judge-Sanctioned Prison Break For Murderers

2026 Midterms

Josh Shapiro

Law Enforcement

Murder

Pennsylvania

Violent Crime

Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed kept a book on his shelf written by an Islamic scholar linked to the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist attack. 
The book, called “Dream Interpretation According to the Qur&#8217;an,” was written by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, an Islamic scholar listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the first bombing attack on New York’s World Trade Center. The book was just one of several tied to radical Islam seen on El-Sayed’s shelf in resurfaced documentary footage.
El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign said in a statement the bookshelf was not his, but that he &#8220;reads widely.&#8221;
&#8220;This was not Abdul’s bookshelf. Abdul is a doctor and Rhodes Scholar who reads widely, including authors whose views he may disagree with. A book appearing in the background of documentary footage is not an endorsement of its content nor a reflection of his beliefs,&#8221; his campaign said in a statement. 
In the footage, El-Sayed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-abdul-el-sayed-tells-film-crew-to-hide-his-qurans-from-shot">asked</a> the film crew to avoid filming the bookshelf. He told them, “You’re going to want to not get these things in the shot … we’re trying to keep the shot secular.”
The details on El-Sayed’s book collection were <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayeds-secret-bookshelf-features-works-from-world-trade-center-bombing-unindicted-co-conspirator-and-radical-islamic-scholars/">flagged</a> by the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday as the Michigan Senate candidate continues to face questions about his ties to radical Islam. A new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayeds-mother-worked-for-terror-group-that-funded-bin-laden-and-taliban?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abdul+El-Sayed%E2%80%99s+Mother+Worked+For+Terror+Group+That+Funded+Bin+Laden+And+Taliban">report</a> Tuesday showed that El-Sayed’s mother worked for an American-based Islamic charity accused of financing Osama bin Laden.
Throughout his public work and advocacy, Philips <a href="https://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_Contemporary_Issues.pdf">defended</a> Muhammad’s marriage to a young child, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadians-with-alleged-terrorist-links-1.2839246#Dr.%20Abu%20Ameenah%20Bilal%20Philips">appeared</a> to justify suicide bombings as a &#8220;military action,” and has been banned from multiple countries. 
Other books on El-Sayed’s shelf included “Reflections on the Quran” by Irfan Ahmad Khan and “A Thematic Commentary on the Qur&#8217;an” by Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghazali. Khan was “<a href="https://www.islamicity.org/14713/loss-of-eminent-scholar-and-tireless-advocate-of-the-quran-dr-irfan-ahmed-khan/">active</a>” in the movement pushing for India to be governed by Sharia law before he moved to the United States, while Mohammed al-Ghazali was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. 
In the 1990s, Mohammed al-Ghazali <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/07/22/killing-apostates-condoned/68d0d42a-958f-4f42-8ad2-666a1629e2a0/">testified</a> in support of 13 Egyptian terrorists who gunned down a man who did not support Sharia law. During the trial, Mohammed al-Ghazali said that &#8220;the refusal of implementation of Sharia is apostasy,&#8221; adding that the death penalty was an acceptable punishment for apostasy under Islamic law. 
El-Sayed has also faced questions about previous comments he made to The New York Times about committing to following Sharia law. 
“Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way,” he said in 2009. “Not because of fear but because of obligation.”

MICHIGANDEMS

Abdul El-Sayed Displayed Book Written By Extremist Tied To 1993 World Trade Center Attack

2026 midterm

Abdul El-Sayed

Islam

Islamic Extremism

Michigan

Senate

A politician convicted of hate speech for sharing her Christian views on marriage said she was “blocked” from entering the United Kingdom to advocate for free speech. 
Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen said Tuesday that officials in the U.K. prevented her from traveling into Northern Ireland, where she was slated to speak at a conference on religious liberty. Räsänen said she was initially authorized to enter the country in June, but that approval was yanked in July. 
“It is shocking that the U.K. has blocked me, a democratically elected politician in an allied European state, from entering the country,” Räsänen said. “I was convicted of ‘hate speech’ in Finland for peacefully expressing my Christian views.”
Räsänen called on U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to reverse course and allow her to enter the country. She currently plans to address the conference remotely on Wednesday and Friday. 
The denial of entry comes just a few months after Finland&#8217;s top court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-politician-shared-traditional-christian-values-now-she-stands-convicted-of-hate-speech">found</a> Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” for sharing her Christian views on marriage in a 2004 church pamphlet. The court found her guilty of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.” The “text” she was charged over was a pamphlet explaining the Bible’s position on marriage and sexual ethics, published by Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who was convicted alongside her.
The Trump administration, which slammed Räsänen’s conviction, said the latest development showed the dangers of restricting free speech. 
“Paivi was prosecuted for quoting the Bible. A downstream effect of countries criminalizing speech is that systems designed to flag and filter ‘criminals’ trigger rippling second-order punishments [can] lead to debanking, visa denials, and more,” Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said Tuesday. 
Throughout her legal battles, Räsänen has been represented by Alliance Defending Freedom International, which called for the U.K. to immediately approve her application. 
“This is not an isolated incident,” said ADF International lawyer Lorcan Price. “The UK has in the last year blocked a number of mainstream conservative individuals, politicians, and now even a member of the Finnish Parliament and a Lutheran bishop, from entering the country. This trend is yet another example of the severe and escalating censorship crisis in Great Britain.”
The U.K. itself has a troubled track record on free speech. In May, a pastor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastor-convicted-for-preaching-on-john-316-outside-hospital">was fined</a> for preaching on John 3:16 inside a so-called “Safe Access Zone” outside a Northern Ireland hospital that performs abortions.

MixCollage-19-Aug-2026-11-05-AM-2826

Politician Punished For Christian Beliefs Targeted Again

Christianity

Finland

Free Speech

Ireland

Religious Freedom

United Kingdom

A Florida businessman won a chaotic Republican House primary that featured a former Trump adviser, two former congressmen from different states, and a January 6 defendant. 
Media mogul Jim Schwartzel defeated nine other candidates to win the GOP nomination to replace Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida’s 19th Congressional District on Tuesday. Schwartzel defeated the Trump-endorsed Catalina Lauf, earning 29% of the vote to the former Commerce Department adviser’s 22%. 
Other candidates in the race included former Illinois state Senator Jim Oberweis, former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, former New York Rep. Chris Collins, and January 6 defendant John Strand. The seat opened up after Donalds decided to run for governor. 
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117090504981894603">endorsed</a> Lauf last week, saying she “has proven she has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of her State and Nation.” Before her run for Donald&#8217;s seat, Lauf ran for Congress in Illinois twice, including once in the Republican primary against Oberweis.
Cawthorn represented North Carolina&#8217;s 11th district in Congress from 2021 to 2023, and he made national headlines for saying he was invited to cocaine-fueled orgies by fellow lawmakers. He lost in the GOP primary to Rep. Chuck Edwards, who recently announced he would not be running for re-election after the House Ethics Committee found evidence he treated female staffers inappropriately. 
Two of the other candidates in the Florida race previously received pardons from Trump. 
Collins, who represented New York in Congress from 2013 to 2019, was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-congressman-christopher-collins-sentenced-insider-trading-scheme-and-lying">convicted</a> of insider trading and lying to the FBI. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison, but was pardoned by Trump about two months into his prison sentence. 
Strand, who was sentenced to over two years in prison for protesting inside the Capitol on January 6, was pardoned shortly after Trump’s second term began. 
Many of Schwartzel&#8217;s campaign ads in the days leading up to the race focused on how the other candidates were recent transplants to Florida.
Schwartzel, who owns and operates a large conservative radio channel in Florida and runs publishing company Gulfshore Life Media, ran a pro-Trump campaign on a platform of fighting for term limits, protecting Florida&#8217;s water supply, and opposing DEI and transgender ideology. 
“Southwest Florida sent a clear message: this congressional seat belongs to Southwest Florida. We had a hard-fought, spirited primary but now it is time to unite our party and turn our focus to November and beyond. I am ready to get to work supporting President Trump and his America First agenda and delivering results for Southwest Florida,” Schwartzel said after his win. “This is my home. It always has been and it always will be. I will never forget who I represent or why I ran.”
He is expected to easily win the heavily Republican favorable seat.

MixCollage-19-Aug-2026-08-53-AM-93

Businessman Defeats 2 Felons, A Trump Endorsee, And Madison Cawthorn For GOP House Nomination

Byron Donalds

Congress

Florida

Illinois

Madison Cawthorn

New York

President Donald Trump paused steep 50% tariffs that were set to go in place on Canadian imports, teasing a possible deal over a joint oil pipeline killed by former President Joe Biden. 
The tariffs, announced in July, were set to go into place on Wednesday and hit products like wine, hockey sticks, and cement. Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday night that the tariffs were being paused while a deal was finalized with Canada that might include reviving the Keystone XL pipeline. 
“I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL! The great Keystone XL Pipeline, long ago killed by Sleepy Joe Biden, may be awoken from the grave!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117119761850520698">said</a>. 
The Keystone XL pipeline was set to move oil from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, but the project was rejected by former President Barack Obama. The construction process was then started by Trump in his first term before it hit legal delays, and Biden canceled the project after he took office in 2021. At the beginning of Trump&#8217;s second term, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-wants-to-revive-keystone-xl-pipeline-killed-under-biden-get-it-built-now">called</a> for the Keystone XL pipeline to be restarted, saying his administration would give “easy approvals” for the project. 
The office of the United States Trade Representative <a href="https://x.com/ustraderep/status/2089905312337658144?s=46">said</a> that the deal would “include comprehensive market access for all American goods, economic security commitments, digital trade alignment, and many important provisions that will continue to protect our market and American workers, along with our Canadian partners.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that the tariffs were being paused until the end of the day on Friday, saying that “substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done.”
“While we continue this work, Canada remains focused on building a stronger, more independent, and more competitive economy at home,” he added. 
Trump rolled out the new tariffs on July 20, with the White House saying they were necessary to counteract Canada’s  “discriminatory treatment of American products.”
“By doing so, President Trump is offsetting the burden and disadvantage on U.S. commerce from Canada’s discriminatory treatment of U.S. commerce and is leveling the playing field for crucial American exports—cars, alcohol, and dairy,” the White House said.

TOPSHOT-US-CANADA-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-CARNEY

Trump Hints At Major Oil Pipeline Revival After Breakthrough With Canada

Canada

Keystone XL

Mark Carney

Years after overseeing the euthanasia of over four thousand dogs and cats, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed said that he was “not much of an animal guy” while taking credit for rebuilding animal control in Detroit. 
The comments came seven years after the Michigan Democrat ran Detroit animal control as it faced scrutiny over its sky-high euthanasia rates. El-Sayed’s handling of animal control while leading public health in Detroit emerged in recent days after The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16047667/Abdul-El-Sayed-oversaw-animal-slaughterhouse-4-000-puppies-kittens-killed-watch.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_dailymailus">revealed</a> that 4,680 dogs and cats were euthanized during his two-year tenure. 
“It&#8217;s going to be no surprise to our listeners here that I&#8217;m not much of an animal guy. Like, you know, I love people, and I think that, like, that makes up for it,” El-Sayed said on an April  30, 2024 episode of his <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1uCRLpjMxwV5idjchxgQh5">podcast</a>. “And I love animals, and I feel like given our work together in the city, I&#8217;ve done justice to animal kind. Many, many nights working to save many animals.”
Locked in a Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed has faced numerous controversies over past comments he made on his podcast and other media appearances. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-scrubs-video-revealing-second-amendment-plans?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abdul+El-Sayed+Scrubs+Video+Revealing+Second+Amendment+Plans">argued</a> that “fireworks suck,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-likened-bacon-to-plutonium?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abdul+El-Sayed+Likened+Bacon+To+Plutonium">likened</a> bacon to plutonium, and said he hated beloved Michigan tourist hotspot Mackinac Island. 
His views toward animals resurfaced after The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16047667/Abdul-El-Sayed-oversaw-animal-slaughterhouse-4-000-puppies-kittens-killed-watch.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_dailymailus">published</a> a report detailing El-Sayed’s time overseeing animal control. El-Sayed, who ran the Detroit Department of Public Health, took the helm of Detroit Animal Care and Control at the end of 2015 when the city transferred control under his jurisdiction. That came as animal control faced whistleblower complaints describing the entity as a &#8220;slaughterhouse.&#8221; 
Just after taking over, El-Sayed <a href="https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/detroit-denies-7-action-news-an-interview-with-new-director-of-animal-control-as-she-begins-work">reportedly</a> banned one local Detroit outlet from interviewing the head of animal control because of negative stories the outlet wrote on unnecessary animal killings. 
El-Sayed discussed his experience running animal control during the April 2024 podcast with one of his former colleagues.
“I&#8217;ll be the first to tell you, I&#8217;m more of a people person than an animal person, but I learned to love the furry creatures, and I have to believe that I&#8217;ve done my duty by them,” he said. While noting that he had two cats, El-Sayed said he liked to keep his distance from animals. 
“I appreciate them, and I want to see them thrive,” El-Sayed said of animals. “They do them, and I do me.”
During the podcast, El-Sayed claimed credit for reducing animal euthanasia rates. He said that nearly eight in ten animals entering animal control were killed when he took over, but said that had reversed by the time he left to mount a failed bid for governor. 
Shortly after The Daily Mail published its story, El-Sayed released a campaign <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrAbdulElSayed/posts/proud-to-have-worked-alongside-director-miller-at-detroit-animal-care-and-contro/1596002951896980/">video</a> featuring one of his former colleagues defending their time running animal control.
<div class="xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a">
<div dir="auto">&#8220;Proud to have worked alongside Director Miller at Detroit Animal Care and Control when I led the Detroit Health Department,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Together, we helped dramatically increase placements into loving homes.</div>
</div>
<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a">
<div dir="auto">Animal care is a public health issue.&#8221;</div>
</div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<div dir="auto">Hasan Piker, one of El-Sayed&#8217;s associates, has <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/peta-responds-hasan-piker-dog-abuse-controversy-1236396303/">faced accusations</a> that he shocked his dog with a shock collar during one of his Twitch streams.</div>

MixCollage-18-Aug-2026-01-58-PM-6665

Abdul El-Sayed Took Over A Dog ‘Slaughterhouse.’ He Admits He’s Not An ‘Animal Guy.’

Abdul El-Sayed Admits He's Not An 'Animal Guy' After Taking Over Dog 'Slaughterhouse'

Mike Rogers

Politics

An Arizona doctor running for Congress on a platform championing “universal healthcare” voted against a law to protect kids from transgender surgeries. 
Amish Shah, a former emergency room doctor, consistently voted against proposals aimed at shielding kids from the impacts of transgender ideology during his time as a lawmaker in the state house. Shah, who emphasizes his medical credentials on the campaign trail, has <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/us-news/arizona-democrat-backed-universal-single-payer-health-care-in-resurfaced-clip/">called</a> for a single-payer, fully government-funded healthcare system. 
While in the state House, Shah <a href="https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview?SessionID=130">voted against</a> a 2022 bill banning doctors from performing transgender surgeries on kids. These surgeries <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/2R/laws/0104.pdf">included</a> removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys and surgeries crafting fake genitals for gender-confused children. Despite opposition from Democrats, Governor Doug Ducey signed the measure into law in March 2022. 
Shah twice voted against bills to keep males out of female sports, including a 2022 measure that became law. Additionally, he did not support a proposal to ensure that males cannot use female bathrooms at schools. 
The scrutiny on Shah’s pro-trans stance comes as Democrats across the country have struggled after Republicans successfully campaigned on the issue during the 2024 presidential election. Some Democrats have received <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-activists-tell-dem-candidate-shut-up-and-listen-to-his-face?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trans+Activists+Tell+Dem+Candidate+%E2%80%98Shut+Up+And+Listen%E2%80%99+To+His+Face">verbal lashings</a> from leftist constituents for moderating on the issue, and others have avoided the issue altogether. 
At the same time as Shah is on the ballot, Arizona voters will have the opportunity to approve a <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/alispdfs/council/2026BallotMeasures/HCR2003%20-%2057th%202nd.pdf">ballot measure</a> that would strengthen current law to keep males off female sports teams and ensure privacy for females in locker rooms and restrooms. 
Shah’s Republican opponent in the race is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nfl-kicker-backed-by-trump-wins-gop-primary">Jay Feely</a>, a former kicker for the Arizona Cardinals whose platform includes keeping men out of women’s sports. Both men are running to replace outgoing Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who mounted an unsuccessful run for governor. Schweikert won the district, which covers large swaths of Maricopa County, by four points in 2024, and Democrats are targeting it as one of the seats they would like to flip.
Shah’s voting record on transgender issues has drawn criticism from Republicans. 
&#8220;Socialist Amish Shah showed off his far-Left beliefs as a state legislator,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ben Petersen told The Daily Wire. “Socialist Shah proved he&#8217;s too extreme for Arizona and voters will reject his radical, out of touch agenda.”
During his time in the legislature, Shah <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/2R/bills/HB2736P.pdf">introduced</a> a proposal to ban so-called “conversion therapy” and to make gender identity and sexual preference protected classes. Conversion therapy bans broadly prohibit counselors from pushing gender-confused kids to feel comfortable in their bodies. 
Shortly after introducing the measure, Shah <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f21-C7kS1k">said</a> that he hoped he could “continue to be a great advocate for our state, our district, and the LGBT community.”
Shah’s platform does not mention how he would vote on transgender issues, but it does highlight his support for abortion. It boasts of his 100% “pro-choice voting record” and calls for Congress to pass a law guaranteeing the right to end the life of an unborn child. 
The Arizona Democrat previously criticized America’s health care system for being “based on the free market,” saying “there’s a lot of things that are wrong with that.”
“No other industrialized country or first-world country offers health care through a free market because it’s not really a system,” he <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/us-news/arizona-democrat-backed-universal-single-payer-health-care-in-resurfaced-clip/">said</a> in May 2019 at an event with the Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America and the Progressive Democrats of America. To “take the problem and fix it, we need universal, single-payer Medicare for All throughout this country,&#8221; he added.
His campaign website <a href="https://www.amishforarizona.com/issues">describes</a> him as a &#8220;proven champion for universal healthcare.&#8221;

US-VOTE-POLITICS-HARRIS

Key House Race Features Pro-Trans Doctor Pushing ‘Universal Healthcare’

Arizona

Health Care

House of Representatives

LGBT

Transgender Athletes

transgender surgery

A mysterious entity behind a poll showing leftist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong with a double-digit lead admitted to faking its polls as part of a “social experiment.” 
Median Strategies <a href="https://medianstrategies.com/">directed</a> media outlets on Monday to discount the polls it released this election season, claiming it was conducting an experiment on trust in unverified polling. The group released polls on the Los Angeles mayoral race and Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, which it now says were fabricated. 
“All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data,” the entity said. “Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification.&#8221;
The group added that the &#8220;experiment&#8221; was not funded by any candidate, campaign, PAC, or media entity. It also said no one received any financial benefit from the project or had any ties to betting markets. 
Hong narrowly lost the bid to be the Democrats’ nominee in the Wisconsin governor’s race to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. While the poll from Median Strategies showing her up by 23 points turned out to be fake, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/governor/democratic-primary/2026/wisconsin">numerous</a> other polls, including from Marquette University Law School, showed her up by over 20 points as well. 
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-17/poll-showing-bass-leading-raman-by-double-digits-was-bogus-company-says">first reported</a> on the fake polling after reaching out to Median Strategies about one of its polls showing incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass with a 12-point lead over leftist Councilwoman Nithya Raman. According to the poll, most of those who backed Spencer Pratt in the June election were shifting to Bass. 
“Faced with a choice between the incumbent and a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned challenger, most Pratt voters appear to be treating Bass as the more familiar, more moderate option rather than sitting out the race,” a memo from Median Strategies said. 
The poll purported to be a survey conducted between July 30 and August 5 of 560 Los Angeles voters. When pressed by the L.A. Times, Median Strategies admitted to faking the poll. That did not come before Bass cited the poll in a now-deleted post on X.
“Doing the work, showing up, and gaining momentum. Let’s do this, LA!” the Bass campaign posted. 
After learning of the revelation, Bass called for a criminal investigation. 
“Any bad faith attempts to influence elections should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” a spokesman for Bass told the L.A. Times. 
Before its website was scrubbed and replaced with the announcement that its polls were fake, Median Strategies <a href="https://archive.ph/DU9yK">billed</a> itself as an “independent polling and research” firm. 
“Polling has a credibility problem. Ours is the fix: no partisan clients, no campaign or party money, numbers that go wherever the data takes them even when it’s inconvenient. Trustworthy polling, rebuilt,” the website said. 
The Daily Wire reached out to Median Strategies, asking if it will release the results of its experiment or provide any further information.

Democratic Socialists Seek Latest Shock In Wisconsin Primary

Mysterious Group Admits To Faking Polls — One Showed Socialist Up Big Before Loss

David Crowley

Francesca Hong

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

Nithya Raman

polling

polling industry

Spencer Pratt

Wisconsin

A House Democrat found himself on the wrong side of transgender activists as he was told to “shut the f*ck up” during a dispute over one of his previous votes. 
Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) recently faced the ire of leftist activists for voting with Republicans in support of a bill aimed at shielding kids from being pushed to embrace gender confusion at school behind their parents&#8217; backs. During a town hall in King George County last week, several transgender-identifying constituents and local Democrats tore into Vindman for supporting the measure. 
“Congressman, you need to shut up and listen,” a member of the King George Democratic Committee said, <a href="https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/eugene-vindman-transgender-confrontation">according</a> to The Advocate, an LGBT-focused outlet. “Sometimes your constituents — you’re getting feedback right now,” the member said.
“This is me standing around here,” Vindman said. “It’s contentious, but I came in here, and I was attacked by you, and I’m staying here to continue this conversation.”
“Shut the f*ck up,” the committee member reportedly said.  
“No,” Vindman said. “You can’t f*cking talk to me that way.”
Many Democrats across the country have struggled with their messaging on transgender issues in the aftermath of the 2024 election when President Donald Trump ran a series of successful ads targeting Vice President Kamala Harris over the issue.
Vindman, whose purple Virginia district is being targeted by Republicans, voted for the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act” in May. The legislation, which passed out of the House, says schools could lose federal funding if they hide a child’s so-called gender identity without parental knowledge. 
The Virginia Democrat&#8217;s profane exchange with the activist came after multiple gender-confused constituents attacked Vindman for his vote on the parental notification bill. 
“How can you one week say, ‘Hey, they’re important to our community,’ and then the next week, vote to out kids?” one transgender-identifying man asked, according to the Advocate. 
Vindman defended his vote, saying he did it to avoid being attacked by Republicans in campaign ads. 
“Why do you think the Republicans put forward a bill like that?” he said. “They put forward a bill like that so they can get Democrats in districts that are very purple where they can beat them over the head.”
“I’m a parent. I’m a dad,” Vindman added. “I care deeply about my kids, and that’s what I voted on.”
A black woman accused the Ukrainian-born Vindman of “showing” his &#8220;privilege&#8221; after he told her he was a Jewish immigrant.  
Vindman later apologized for his comments during the town hall. 
“I want to sincerely apologize for my actions,” he told the Advocate. “I failed to meet my own high standards, and for that I am sorry. As a leader, I should spend more time listening and less time talking. Last night I failed to do that.”

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Leif Le Mahieu