Two teenagers who pledged support for ISIS pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to terrorism and weapons charges tied to an alleged plot to carry out a bombing outside of Gracie Mansion in New York City.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, are accused of planting improvised explosive devices, sometimes referred to as the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terrorists-have-killed-hundreds-with-mother-of-satan-bomb-used-in-nyc-attack">Mother of Satan</a>,&#8221; on a street near the mayor&#8217;s residence during an anti-Islam demonstration led by far-Right activist Jake Lang in March. Balat and Kayumi pleaded not guilty in a federal courtroom, appearing in handcuffs and wearing tan jumpsuits, Gothamist <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/teens-plead-not-guilty-to-islamic-state-inspired-plot-near-gracie-mansion">reported</a>.
According to the indictment, investigators obtained dashcam footage from the vehicle that Balat and Kayumi drove from their suburban Pennsylvania home to New York City.
“Just can’t wait for that bomb to go off and his [i.e., Individual-1’s] freaking head, his body to get split in half, bro, dead,” Balat is heard saying on the recording, according to the indictment. Prosecutors indicated the remark was likely directed at Lang. Balat also allegedly discussed targeting both government officials and civilians.
“All I know is I want to start terror, bro,” Kayumi allegedly told Balat, according to court documents.
If convicted, both Balat and Kayumi face life in prison.
Federal prosecutors told the judge on Wednesday that they are preparing &#8220;voluminous&#8221; discovery materials. The two teens are scheduled to appear in court again on May 16.
The demonstration outside of Gracie Mansion in early March drew more than 100 protesters and counterprotesters. Authorities say Balat threw a bomb toward the far-Right protesters, but it did not detonate. He allegedly attempted to deploy a second bomb before dropping it and fleeing the scene. An NYPD officer was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hero-nypd-chief-seen-chasing-isis-terror-suspects-relives-his-split-second-decision">hailed</a> for quickly jumping into action to chase down Balat and apprehend him.
Authorities later recovered a third improvised device from a nearby car, which contained traces of triacetone triperoxide, a highly volatile explosive compound commonly referred to as the &#8220;Mother of Satan.&#8221;
Investigators allege Balat pledged allegiance to ISIS during interrogations, while Kayumi told authorities he had watched ISIS propaganda, CBS News reported. The two had also recently spent time in Turkey, and Kayumi flew to Saudi Arabia in 2024, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/08/us-news/self-radicalized-isis-supporters-used-explosive-called-mother-of-satan-inside-bombs-thrown-at-gracie-mansion-protest-sources/">according</a> to the New York Post.
&#8220;This was a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent, foreign terrorist organization,&#8221; NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in March.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the attempted bombing &#8220;reprehensible,&#8221; but not before he condemned the far-Right protesters for demonstrating.
&#8220;White supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are,&#8221; Mamdani <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/statement-from-mayor-zohran-kwame-mamdani-on-protests-outside-of">said</a> one day after the attempted attack. &#8220;What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.&#8221;

Emir Balat, 18, is arrested after throwing an alleged

Teens Accused Of ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot Against NYC Protesters Enter Their Official Pleas

ISIS

New York City

Terrorism

Daily Wire host Michael Knowles took the stage at Villanova University, Pope Leo’s alma mater, on Tuesday night and addressed the ongoing feud between the president and the pontiff.
Knowles acknowledged that the fight between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo has placed “MAGA Catholics” such as himself in a &#8220;tricky position.&#8221; Trump ripped Pope Leo earlier this week after the pope condemned the president’s immigration policies and the war in Iran.
Knowles warned that any lasting division between Trump and the pope would affect the whole country, not just American Catholics, and benefit the &#8220;dark forces&#8221; that oppose Christianity and conservative political principles.
Even in America’s modern society dominated by secularism, there are moral and spiritual authorities competing for influence over politics, Knowles argued. The Daily Wire host highlighted leftist organizations that act as religious authorities, such as Planned Parenthood and LGBTQ activist centers.
“We will have rulers and we will have priests of one sort or the other,” Knowles said. “In an age of intensifying political and spiritual struggle, the president and the pope need to work together to illumine the earthly sphere because the alternative is that they work against one another to the sole benefit of the many dark forces that oppose us all.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/michael-knowles-live-from-villanova">WATCH: MICHAEL KNOWLES AT VILLANOVA</a>
For Trump and the pope, there are far more issues that bring them together than divide them, the Daily Wire host told students at the Catholic university near Philadelphia. Besides the pope&#8217;s more Left-leaning position on immigration, the pontiff&#8217;s views on nearly every social issue are to the Right of many Republicans, Knowles continued.
He pointed out that America remains the most religious country in the West, and its Catholic presence is only growing.
Knowles said that even if there wasn’t a Catholic influence in the United States, there would still be “a tension between the spiritual and the temporal authority, between the president and whatever pastor, preacher, or layman stood in inevitably to make spiritual claims.”
Even in the middle of a spat between the White House and the Vatican, conservative Catholic Americans can balance support for President Trump’s policies with respect for Pope Leo, Knowles said, citing a passage from Dante, who revered the papacy but was a political enemy of Pope Boniface VIII.
“You might say, in fact, that Dante found himself in exactly the same tricky position that MAGA Catholics find ourselves in this week,” Knowles said. “And with characteristic subtlety and sophistication, Dante offers us an example of how to deal with this dilemma in the very last lines of ‘Monarchia.”
In that passage, Dante wrote, &#8220;Let Caesar honor Peter as a first-born son should honor his father, so that, refulgent with the light of paternal grace, he may illumine with greater radiance the earthly sphere over which he has been set by Him who alone is Ruler of all things spiritual and temporal.&#8221;

Knowles/Trump/Pope

Michael Knowles Makes The Case For Why Trump And The Pope Must Get Along

Catholicism

Donald Trump

Michael Knowles

Pope Leo

Police in Omaha, Nebraska, shot and killed a woman who slashed the face of a 3-year-old boy during a kidnapping attempt at Walmart on Tuesday, authorities said.
The attacker, who authorities have not identified, was confronted by police just outside of the Walmart as she was holding a knife to the young child, who was sitting in a shopping cart, Omaha Police Deputy Chief Scott Gray said. The woman refused verbal commands from the officers and then slashed the 3-year-old boy across the face before at least one officer opened fire and killed her.
The toddler was taken to the hospital after suffering &#8220;a rather large laceration across the left side of the face,&#8221; according to the deputy police chief. Authorities believe the young boy will survive. No one else was injured in the kidnapping attempt or the shooting.
&#8220;The officers gave the suspect commands,&#8221; Gray said. &#8220;There is video that shows the suspect swiping the knife at the child, cutting him across the face.&#8221;
Police said the child&#8217;s &#8220;caretaker&#8221; was shopping at Walmart with the toddler seated in a shopping cart when she was confronted by the suspect, who was armed with a large knife, which investigators believe she stole from the store, ABC&#8217;s Omaha affiliate KETV <a href="https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-walmart-shooting-officers-kill-woman-kidnapping/71015802">reported</a>. The perpetrator then allegedly snatched the child from the caretaker, &#8220;essentially kidnapping the child,&#8221; and ordered the caretaker to walk in front of the shopping cart as they exited the store. The woman held a knife up to the child as they walked.
After walking out of the store, the two women had a verbal &#8220;back and forth&#8221; before police arrived on the scene at around 9:20 a.m. local time, Gray said. Authorities do not believe that the attacker and the caretaker knew each other, adding that it remains unclear why the perpetrator targeted the woman and the young boy. It is also not known whether the caretaker was the child&#8217;s mother or someone else.

Walmart/Police

Every Parent’s Nightmare Inside Walmart Ends With A Split-Second Decision

Crime

kidnapping

Nebraska

Police

Walmart

Roblox, the most popular online gaming site in the world, announced new age-based accounts on Monday as the company seeks to address numerous allegations of sex predators targeting children on the platform.
Roblox <a href="https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2026/04/introducing-roblox-kids-and-select-accounts">introduced</a> new age-based accounts for children under 9 and for children between 9 and 15, which the company says will limit the games children can access and how they can chat with others online. The new accounts will also give parents more oversight over their children&#8217;s gaming and chat activities, according to Roblox. The new age-based accounts are set to officially launch in June.
&#8220;When they roll out in early June, these accounts will more closely align content access, communication settings, and parental controls with a user’s age. We’re also establishing an ongoing selection process for games available to users under 16,&#8221; Roblox said. &#8220;This update will bring age-checks, account-level defaults, content ratings, ongoing moderation, and expanded parental controls together into a unified framework for younger users.&#8221;
The move comes after Roblox has faced intense scrutiny over its child safety measures and has been accused of standing by as child sex predators took advantage of the game&#8217;s realistic interactive settings and chat functions to prey on children. The platform, which boasts over 80 million daily users worldwide, allows gamers to develop their own games or play games developed by other users. Roblox is especially popular among children, with the company claiming that around half of all American kids under 16 are active on the platform.
The platform&#8217;s interactive concept has exposed children to sexually explicit content, exploitation, and grooming by predatory adults, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sued Roblox in November. The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Petition_0.pdf">lawsuit</a> alleges that Roblox has deceived parents about the safety of the game when, &#8220;In reality, Roblox is a sprawling and unregulated digital playground that is overrun by predators and saturated with sexual content.&#8221;
When the changes announced by Roblox go into effect, it will mark the first time the platform has set up specific account barriers to separate children under 16 from adult users. Parents will also be given expanded oversight of their children&#8217;s accounts, including the ability to monitor and manage chats and block specific games they don&#8217;t want their children playing.
Alleigh Marré, the executive director of the American Parents Coalition — which raises awareness about activists agendas and corporate interests influencing children — told The Daily Wire that Roblox&#8217;s move isn&#8217;t enough to address the issues on its platform. Marré argued that the age-gated accounts are just another &#8220;toolset,&#8221; not an actual fix.
&#8220;Tools without accountability don&#8217;t solve systemic problems,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;Now, that doesn&#8217;t mean that it&#8217;s not going to help parents, but it&#8217;s just another dashboard. So, without Roblox taking some responsibility and putting some controls on the back end with teeth, it really doesn&#8217;t do anything except foist responsibility from a platform they&#8217;ve created onto parents.&#8221;
For its new age-gated system, Roblox will rely on an artificial intelligence tool that estimates the user&#8217;s age based on a photo the user uploads to the platform. Parents can also manually verify their child&#8217;s age when they sign up for a Roblox account.
Under the new guidelines, kids between the ages of 5 and 8 would only be allowed to use a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which would only give them access to games with &#8220;a Minimal or Mild content maturity label,&#8221; Roblox said. Under the game&#8217;s <a href="https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/8862768451604-Content-Maturity-Labels">rating system</a>, &#8220;Minimal&#8221; includes games that could &#8220;contain occasional mild violence, light unrealistic blood, and/or occasional mild fear.&#8221; &#8220;Mild&#8221; games could &#8220;contain repeated mild violence, heavy unrealistic blood, mild crude humor, and/or repeated mild fear.&#8221;
Kids under 9 would also have all online chat communications disabled by default. Parents, however, can turn on chat functions for a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which limits communications to &#8220;in-game chat with other users under 13-years-old&#8221; and users who are designated by parents as &#8220;trusted friends.&#8221;
Once a user turns 9-year-old, he is automatically moved up to a &#8220;Roblox Select&#8221; account, which will gives users between 9 and 15 access to a larger library of games, including games that fall under the &#8220;Moderate&#8221; maturity level. Roblox defines &#8220;Moderate&#8221; games as those which could &#8220;contain moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, unplayable gambling content, and/or moderate fear.&#8221;
Marré told The Daily Wire that the age-gated accounts still pose risks to children.
&#8220;When a child turns 9, they go from the entry-level Roblox to the 9- to 15-year-old bracket, which is a very wide maturity swath. You&#8217;re talking about a fourth grader with a sophomore in high school. That&#8217;s a very big difference,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s if everybody is playing by the rules. That doesn&#8217;t stop a bad guy from creating a profile posing as a 14-year-old and reaching out to kids because now these bad guys are funneled into the &#8216;safe space&#8217; for kids too.&#8221;
Users 16 and older won&#8217;t see any changes to their accounts, Roblox said.
&#8220;Together, these updates are part of our ongoing work to build age-appropriate experiences for all users, apply safety-by-default protections for younger users, and give parents more visibility and control over how their children use Roblox,&#8221; the company added.

Roblox

The App Millions Of Kids Use Just Changed The Rules After Predator Fears Explode

Children

Gaming

Sexual Abuse

Technology

Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer who once said that America &#8220;deserved 9/11&#8221; and has sympathized with Hezbollah and Hamas, was defended on the pages of The New York Times on Sunday after he campaigned with a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan.
In a 2,000-word <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/opinion/hasan-piker-democrats.html">article</a> that was originally titled &#8220;Hasan Piker is not the Enemy,&#8221; New York Times opinion columnist Ezra Klein acknowledged some of Piker&#8217;s controversial comments, including his support for designated terrorist groups, but argued that &#8220;to focus only on those comments is to miss much else that Piker has said and believes.&#8221; Klein also suggested that Democrats would be unwise to brush Piker off and refuse to appear on his show because of his large social media following and his appeal among the younger and more radical segments of the Left.
The streamer has also gained national attention for expressing support for radical Islamic terrorists while calling Republicans &#8220;the biggest terrorists&#8221; in the world.
&#8220;I would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,&#8221; Piker said during a recent appearance on the popular leftist podcast &#8220;Pod Save America.&#8221; At another point of the podcast, Piker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/popular-leftist-claimed-america-deserved-9-11-his-latest-comments-pour-gas-on-the-fire">said</a>, &#8220;The biggest terrorists, the biggest domestic terrorist in this country, the biggest terrorist internationally is the Republican Party.&#8221;
According to Klein, statements like these shouldn&#8217;t scare Democrats away from Piker. The New York Times columnist also argued that just because Piker has voiced support for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah doesn&#8217;t mean he&#8217;s a &#8220;Jew hater.&#8221;
&#8220;I have deep disagreements with Piker, but he isn’t a &#8216;Jew hater.&#8217; He’s an anti-Zionist. And here, I think, the real stakes of this fight come into view,&#8221; Klein wrote before going into a long defense of Piker&#8217;s anti-Israel views.
&#8220;Israel, as it is behaving today, and as it is constructing itself for tomorrow, is incompatible with any normal understanding of liberal values,&#8221; Klein continued.
The New York Times columnist did not say if Piker&#8217;s cheering for designated terror groups is in line with liberal values. Instead, Klein touted Piker&#8217;s support for Jewish Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA).
On Monday, the Times changed the headline on Klein&#8217;s opinion article from &#8220;Hasan Piker is not the Enemy&#8221; to &#8220;This is Why There&#8217;s No Liberal Joe Rogan.&#8221;
Much of Klein&#8217;s defense of Piker focuses on how the Democratic Party pushed cancel culture to its own detriment. Klein points out that most Democrats either condemned or ignored podcaster Joe Rogan in the lead-up to and during the 2024 presidential election cycle, paving the way for Republicans to capitalize on Rogan&#8217;s massive audience with very little counter-messaging.
&#8220;In avoiding those spaces, Democrats avoided contact with the kinds of voters they otherwise claimed to represent,&#8221; Klein wrote. &#8220;This is the mistake Democrats often make when they talk about what they did wrong in 2024. They realize, now, that they should try to talk to the people who listen to these shows; they are less likely to realize that they should listen to the people who talk on these shows.&#8221;
Klein then argued that Piker represents another opportunity for Democrats to reach voters, and he questioned the reasoning of Democrats, such as Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who have declined invitations to appear on Piker&#8217;s show.
&#8220;When you’re dealing with podcasters or streamers who talk, unstructured and unrehearsed, for hours each week, if not every day, there’s going to be so much said that it’s almost inevitable that a dossier of dumb statements can be compiled,&#8221; Klein wrote. &#8220;To write those people out of acceptable political discourse is to back yourself into a shrinking, sanitized corner of the public sphere.&#8221;
Democrats who are approaching Piker correctly in Klein&#8217;s view are Sen. Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who have all either appeared on Piker&#8217;s show or collaborated with Piker in some form. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has also said he is open to appearing on Piker&#8217;s show.
Most recently, Piker campaigned with U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan as El-Sayed hopes to win a competitive Democratic primary.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a battle brewing,&#8221; Piker <a href="https://x.com/JessicaCostescu/status/2041678014715400629">said</a> at a campaign event with El-Sayed. &#8220;A battle brewing not only against the corrupt fascist forces of the Republican Party, but also against do-nothing Democrats.&#8221;

Hasan/Hamas

New York Times Runs Cover For Terrorist-Sympathizing Streamer Cozying Up With Democrats

Democrats

Hasan Piker

The New York Times

President Donald Trump ordered two bags of food from McDonald&#8217;s to the Oval Office via DoorDash for lunch on Monday and allowed the delivery driver to talk about the massive tax return she received thanks to Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8221;
Dasher Sharon Simmons, who wore a shirt that read &#8220;DoorDash Grandma,&#8221; walked up to the outside door of the Oval Office as cameras rolled and was greeted by the president.
&#8220;Nice to meet you. I have your DoorDash order for you, Mr. President,&#8221; Simmons said.
&#8220;Look at this. This doesn&#8217;t look staged, does it?&#8221; Trump quipped as reporters gathered to watch the food drop off and ask Trump questions during a quick press conference.
Simmons told Trump that she was surprised to receive a tax refund of over $11,000 this year thanks to the tax cuts passed in Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8221; The bill, which was passed the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by Trump last summer, allows Americans to deduct federal taxes on tips and overtime. Trump&#8217;s tax cuts gave many waiters, bartenders, and delivery drivers a massive boost in their 2025 refunds.
&#8220;You know, we call it the &#8216;Great, Big, Beautiful Bill&#8217; — we should call it the &#8216;Great, Big, Beautiful Tax Cut Bill&#8217; because it&#8217;s tremendous amounts of money,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s on overtime, that&#8217;s also on social security, as you know.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
WATCH IN FULL: <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> receives a <a href="https://twitter.com/DoorDash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DoorDash</a> delivery to the Oval Office.
&#8220;I have your <a href="https://twitter.com/DoorDash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DoorDash</a> order for you, Mr. President!&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/lwFHbHmYVk">pic.twitter.com/lwFHbHmYVk</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2043736844144124206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump tipped the dasher $100 for the McDonald&#8217;s delivery. He also invited her into the Oval Office.
<div id="attachment_1077065" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1077065" class="wp-image-1077065 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270730070-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270730070-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270730070-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270730070-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270730070.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Photographer: Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
After dropping off the president&#8217;s McDonald&#8217;s order, Simmons told Fox News that Trump&#8217;s no tax on tips has helped her save up money after she and her husband were forced to spend much of their savings on her husband&#8217;s medical bills when he was diagnosed with stage-three cancer.
&#8220;As you know, going through treatments — even with insurance — you kind of break the bank,&#8221; Simmons said. &#8220;And we pretty much went through our savings, so when I found out about the no tax on tips, I was like this is incredible. You know, it&#8217;s not going to replace my life savings, but it&#8217;s going to help, certainly, with future doctor&#8217;s appointments and future things that we have going on. It means a lot.&#8221;
Simmons added that in 2025, half of her total earnings came through tips. Following the passage of the &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill,&#8221; many seniors also qualified for an additional $6,000 in deductions on their 2025 tax returns. So far, the average tax refund for all Americans in the 2026 filing season has been over $3,600, up nearly 11% from last year&#8217;s refunds, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-march-6-2026">according</a> to IRS data.
The Trump administration is highlighting the president&#8217;s economic policies as the 2026 election season ramps up. Earlier this month, the White House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-job-growth-surges-past-expectations-in-march">celebrated</a> a jobs report that showed a net gain of 178,000 jobs in March, more than tripling expectations.
On other economic fronts, however, Trump is taking a hit as the Iran war continues. The president faces criticism over rising gas and energy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inflation-report-shows-iran-war-impact-as-a-key-piece-tells-the-story">prices</a> in the wake of his decision to launch &#8220;Operation Epic Fury.&#8221;

President Trump Highlights ‘No Tax On Tips’ Policy

Trump DoorDashes McDonald’s To Oval Office To Prove A Point On Taxes

Economy

McDonald’s

Taxes

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump said Monday afternoon that he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-slammed-for-outrageous-post-depicting-himself-as-jesus-christ?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Removes+%E2%80%98OUTRAGEOUS%E2%80%99+Post+Depicting+Himself+As+Jesus+Christ+After+Backlash+From+Supporters">posted</a> the image widely perceived as depicting himself as Jesus Christ, but told reporters that he believed the image showed him as a doctor, not the Son of God.
Trump deleted the image from his Truth Social account on Monday morning after backlash from his Christian supporters, some of whom called the image &#8220;outrageous&#8221; and &#8220;blasphemous.&#8221;
&#8220;I did post it and thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Only the fake news could come up with that one. I just heard about it and said, &#8216;How did they come up with that?&#8217; It&#8217;s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support&#8230; It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/90wyeq1uaa">pic.twitter.com/90wyeq1uaa</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2043733034629836827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The image showed Trump, dressed in a white tunic and red robe, appearing to heal a man in a hospital bed. It also showed a nurse looking up at Trump and another woman who appeared to be praying as she watched Trump heal the sick man. The image appears to have originated on social media in February when conservative social media personality Nick Adams shared it on X with the caption, “America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation.”
<div id="attachment_1076721" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076721" class="wp-image-1076721 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115.jpg 800w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Screenshot: Truth Social</div>
Trump&#8217;s controversial post came shortly after the president&#8217;s spiritual adviser, Paula White, compared Trump&#8217;s civil and legal trials in recent years to what Jesus endured before dying on the cross.
&#8220;President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price,&#8221; White said next to Trump during an Easter event at the White House. &#8220;It almost cost you your life. You were betrayed and arrested, and falsely accused. It&#8217;s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. But it didn&#8217;t end there for him, and it didn&#8217;t end there for you.&#8221;
Trump shared the image on Truth Social on Sunday night, less than one hour after he blasted Pope Leo XIV in another post, calling the pope “weak” and suggesting he didn’t deserve to be chosen for the position. The pope has been critical of Trump’s immigration policies and the military campaign against Iran.

Donald Trump Jesus post

Trump Offers First Public Explanation Of Jesus Post

Christians

Jesus Christ

President Donald Trump deleted a post from his Truth Social account on Monday after he was condemned by some of his Christian supporters for depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
The image showed Trump, dressed in a white tunic and red robe, healing a man in a hospital bed as people around Trump looked on in adoration and prayer. The image appears to have originated on social media in February when conservative social media personality Nick Adams <a href="https://x.com/nickadamsinusa/status/2019100728078348415?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">shared</a> it on X with the caption, &#8220;America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1076721" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1076721" class="wp-image-1076721 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-13T075044.115.jpg 800w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Screenshot: Truth Social</div>
The image was a step too far in the minds of many of his Christian supporters, who often defend the president&#8217;s unconventional social media tactics. Many of Trump&#8217;s Christian supporters urged the president to take it down, with some Christians calling the image &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/JonnyRoot_/status/2043545923192758693">blasphemous</a>.&#8221;
&#8220;I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/2043539668227039475">wrote</a> Daily Wire host Michael Knowles.
&#8220;I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/megbasham/status/2043532479194075630">said</a> Megan Basham, &#8220;But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump posted the image less than one hour after he blasted Pope Leo XIV in another social media post, calling the pope &#8220;weak&#8221; and suggesting he didn&#8217;t deserve to be chosen for the position. The pope has been critical of Trump&#8217;s immigration policies and the military campaign against Iran.
&#8220;God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,&#8221; Pope Leo <a href="https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2042588417578668338">said</a> last week. &#8220;Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.&#8221;
In his Palm Sunday message last month, Pope Leo also said that Jesus &#8220;rejects war&#8221; and &#8220;does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.&#8221;
Trump responded to the pope&#8217;s comments Sunday evening, writing, &#8220;I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.&#8221;
&#8220;Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.&#8221;

Trump Removes ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ Post Depicting Himself As Jesus Christ After Backlash From Supporters

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Democratic California Congressman Eric Swalwell faces sexual misconduct accusations from three additional women after one of his former staffers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eric-swalwell-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-former-staffer?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Eric+Swalwell+Accused+Of+Sexual+Assault+By+Former+Staffer">came forward</a> on Friday and alleged that she was raped by the lawmaker while she was drunk.
After the first accuser went public with her allegations, three more women told CNN that Swalwell made unwanted advances on them or sent them unsolicited sexual messages. Ally Sammarco, a Democratic content creator, told CNN that she received nude messages from Swalwell after they connected over social media.
“I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” Sammarco said. &#8220;And he actually responded.&#8221;
Another woman accused Swalwell of kissing her and touching her leg without her consent while they sat together at a bar.
Swalwell, who is leading a crowded Democratic primary for California governor in multiple polls, denied the allegations.
&#8220;These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
Earlier on Friday, one of Swalwell&#8217;s former staffers accused the Democrat of sexually assaulting her on two separate occasions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The woman shared medical records with CNN that are reportedly related to her getting tested for an STD and pregnancy after the alleged sexual assault. She also told family members and friends of the alleged assault in 2024 shortly after she says that Swalwell raped her.
Swalwell has also denied those allegations, and his attorneys sent his former staffer a cease-and-desist letter.
Swalwell&#8217;s Democratic allies have expressed shock following the report and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swalwells-dem-buddies-flee-like-rats-after-sexual-assault-allegation?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Swalwell%E2%80%99s+Dem+Buddies+Flee+Like+Rats+After+Sexual+Assault+Allegation">pulled their support</a> for his gubernatorial bid following the accusations.
“I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations. This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) posted to X on Friday.
“I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race,” he added.
The California Teachers Association, a powerful union in the Golden State, called on the congressman to end his gubernatorial bid.
“The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps,” the union wrote.
After the accusations, Swalwell&#8217;s odds to become the next California governor tanked to just 15% after hovering around 50%, <a href="https://x.com/kalshi/status/2042716803625853119?s=46&amp;t=5nB3R1hthzMlYMrXjZyN8Q">according</a> to Kalshi prediction markets.

Eric Swalwell

Three More Women Level Sexual Misconduct Accusations Against Eric Swalwell

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A 20-year-old man was arrested after threatening to burn down the headquarters of artificial intelligence company OpenAI and chucking a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman&#8217;s San Francisco home early Friday morning.
San Francisco police said officers were called to investigate a fire at a home in North Beach around 4:12 a.m. local time and discovered that a male suspect had thrown an incendiary device at the house, sparking a fire at a gate outside the home. The suspect fled the scene on foot, but he was found by police around an hour later outside of OpenAI&#8217;s headquarters, where he was threatening to start another fire and burn the building down.
The San Francisco Police Department said the 20-year-old, who has yet to be identified, was taken into custody &#8220;immediately&#8221; after officers recognized him as the person who ran from officers after throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman&#8217;s home.
&#8220;Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman&#8217;s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters. Thankfully, no one was hurt,&#8221; OpenAI said. &#8220;We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we&#8217;re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.&#8221;
As of late Friday morning, charges against the suspect were still pending, and the San Francisco Police Department said the investigation remained &#8220;open and active.&#8221;
Altman, a central figure of the AI boom, lives in a mansion in the San Francisco neighborhood of Russian Hill. The AI executive bought the massive home for $27 million in March of 2020, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/31/sam-altman-russian-hill-mansion/">according</a> to the San Francisco Standard. Altman lives in the home with his husband and a baby boy whom they acquired through a surrogate mother in February of 2025.
Altman has faced criticism in recent years for rapidly pushing forward with AI development as some industry experts express concern about a lack of guidelines around the technology. Altman was fired by the OpenAI board in 2023 after accusations that he was not open or honest in his communications, especially with regard to AI safety. Altman, however, was reinstated as CEO after backlash from OpenAI employees and investors.
Altman and OpenAI have also been sued by Elon Musk, who helped start OpenAI, but then left the company&#8217;s board in 2018 over conflicts with his own pursuit of AI development. Earlier this week, Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-says-the-ai-shaping-your-life-pulled-a-800b-bait-and-switch">revised his lawsuit</a> against OpenAI, demanding that Altman be removed as CEO and seeking to force the intelligence giant to end its for-profit structure and return to its nonprofit roots.
Musk has alleged that Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman “manipulated and misled” him into providing roughly $38 million in seed funding between 2015 and 2018, based on assurances that OpenAI would remain a nonprofit dedicated to open-source artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity.

Sam Altman

Man Threatens To Burn Down AI Giant’s Headquarters, Throws Molotov Cocktail At CEO’s Home

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A Florida mother whose son was killed by an Iranian drone attack last month said she urged President Donald Trump to finish carrying out the military operation against Iran, adding that it is what her son &#8220;signed up for.&#8221;
Donna Burhans, 67, suffered a parent&#8217;s ultimate nightmare when she learned that her son, 35-year-old Cody Khork, was killed on March 1 when an Iranian drone slammed into a command center in Kuwait just hours after Trump launched &#8220;Operation Epic Fury.&#8221; Despite her grief, Burhans told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mother-son-killed-iran-war-told-trump-go-get-em-cody-khork-rcna267473">NBC News</a> on Thursday that her son&#8217;s death is not on the president&#8217;s hands.
“I wanted him to know that I do not blame him. I do not blame anything that’s happened for my son’s death,&#8221; she said, adding, “I told him to finish it. I said, ‘Go get ’em.’ This is what my son signed up for.”
Khork was killed alongside five of his fellow Army reservists and is one of 13 U.S. servicemembers who have been killed during the Iran war. Six more U.S. troops were killed on March 12 when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq. Another American soldier was killed in an Iranian missile attack on a Saudi air base on March 8.
<div id="attachment_1075871" style="width: 586px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1075871" class="wp-image-1075871 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-576x576.jpg" alt="" width="576" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-576x576.jpg 576w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778.jpg 820w" sizes=" (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" />Cody Khork, Army Reserve</div>
After her tragic loss, Burhans said she spoke with Trump at the dignified transfer ceremony for her son and the five others who were killed in the Iranian attack. When Trump met with the families of the fallen U.S. troops at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on March 7, he was noticeably &#8220;distraught,&#8221; Burhans said.
“He had his head down. And he was just a normal, caring person,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He wasn’t the president when he walked into the room. He was just there to tell us how sorry he was.”
Burhans also told NBC News that she remains confident in Trump for his decision to attack Iran.
“Trump knows what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s doing everything the way it’s supposed to be done,” she added. “I have my trust in him and God.”
&#8220;It’s a long time coming. It should have been done a long time ago, and Trump is the only one man enough to stand up and do it,&#8221; Burhans said of the war with Iran. &#8220;They hate America.&#8221;
After attending the dignified transfer in Dover, Trump said the families of the fallen troops all told him, &#8220;Make sure you win, sir.&#8221;
&#8220;We will,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;We&#8217;ve already won in many ways. But we haven&#8217;t won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all.&#8221;
Earlier this week, Trump announced that the United States had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, arguing that the core objectives of the U.S. military operation had been achieved.
Khork was a U.S. Army Reserve captain who enlisted in the National Guard after high school in 2009. He served in deployments to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland before he was deployed to Kuwait.
Army Lt. Col. Scott LaRonde, Khork&#8217;s ROTC commander at Florida Southern College, <a href="https://wusf.org/text/politics-issues/2026-03-05/cody-khork-polk-soldier-killed-iran-war-remembered-empathy-duty">said</a> Khork always looked out for cadets around him who were struggling to fit in.
“He had that knack for reading people and helping them feel more comfortable,” LaRonde said, adding, “You walked away feeling better after five minutes with Cody.”

Donald Trump at dignified transfer

Grieving Mother Shares What She Told Trump After Her Son Was Killed In Iran War

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A leftist&#8217;s attempt to get on the ballot in Ohio as a Republican was shot down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.
Samuel Ronan, who previously ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee, filed to run for Ohio&#8217;s 15th Congressional District and challenge Republican Rep. Mike Carey in the GOP primary. Ronan admitted his candidacy was part of a ploy to run Democrats in &#8220;deep red&#8221; districts, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-blocks-candidate-after-alleged-gop-infiltration-scheme-exposed?lid=h4ig0qgow6sl">reported</a>.
In one social media post, Ronan <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/supreme-court-keeps-former-dnc-candidate-off-ohio-gop-primary-ballot/">wrote</a>, “Leftists need to infiltrate Republican spaces and primary them.”
The leftist candidate was tossed from the GOP primary ballot by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who called Ronan&#8217;s attempt to run as a Republican &#8220;political transgenderism.&#8221; Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison upheld LaRose&#8217;s decision, saying that Ronan&#8217;s declaration to run as a Republican was fraudulent. The Supreme Court refused to intervene in the case on Thursday, with none of the justices dissenting from the decision to keep the lower court&#8217;s order in place.
&#8220;This is political transgenderism, and it’s a longstanding problem with Ohio’s primary process,&#8221; LaRose <a href="https://x.com/FrankLaRose/status/2042371793080529073">said</a>. &#8220;We had to go all the way to the nation’s highest court to fight a blatant attempt by a self-declared Democrat to hijack a Republican primary contest.&#8221;
When he declared to run as a Republican, Ronan also promised to abide by the Republican Party&#8217;s principles, and his candidacy was certified by the Franklin County Board of Elections in February. Ohio Republican voter Mark Schare, however, noticed that Ronan had publicly expressed his intention to run in the GOP primary while still pushing leftist views and filed a protest with the elections board.
LaRose stepped in to toss Ronan off the ballot after the Franklin County Board of Elections tied along party lines in a vote to decide whether Ronan could stay on the ballot.
“As required by Ohio law, Ronan declared that he was ‘a member of the Republican Party’ and if elected he would ‘support and abide by the principles enunciated by the Republican Party,’&#8221; LaRose wrote. &#8220;But even after signing this form, Ronan continued to push his vision that Democrats like himself should primary Republicans in deep-red districts to ‘get a foot in the door.’”
Ronan denied that his candidacy was &#8220;some kind of trick&#8221; and mentioned that Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump were also former Democrats. Ronan&#8217;s attorney claimed that Rep. Carey was allowed to &#8220;surreptitiously sabotage Ronan’s ballot access by secretly enlisting the Ohio Republican Party to protest Ronan.” The attorney also argued that one of the election board members should have recused herself since she is a top official in the Ohio Republican Party.
LaRose called for Ohio to adopt a closed primary system, which requires voters to register with a party before they cast a ballot. Ohio&#8217;s current primary system is partially open, meaning that voters are not required to register with a party before the election, but they must request either a Republican or Democratic ballot.
&#8220;This individual took advantage of an open primary process that’s far too vulnerable to trickery and fraud and used it to advance his dishonest campaign to &#8216;run Democrats as Republicans,'&#8221; LaRose added. &#8220;We stopped it this time, but it’s time to adopt a closed primary process and partisan voter registration before this happens again.&#8221;

Donkey posing as elephant

‘Political Transgenderism’ Enters The Chat After Secret Democrat Tried To Hoodwink Voters

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Zach Jewell