<p>North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who was reportedly under consideration to run with Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic presidential ticket, said on Monday that it &#8220;wasn&#8217;t the right time&#8221; for him to &#8220;potentially&#8221; run for vice president.</p>
<p>Cooper released a statement Monday evening voicing his &#8220;strong support&#8221; for Harris&#8217; campaign, but adding, &#8220;This just wasn&#8217;t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.&#8221; The governor is nearing the end of his second term and will soon be termed out.</p>
<p>&#8220;As I&#8217;ve said from the beginning, [Harris] has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we&#8217;ll all work to make sure she wins,&#8221; Cooper added.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/vBmxvUhuFu">pic.twitter.com/vBmxvUhuFu</a></p>
<p>— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyCooperNC/status/1818080476273201442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
A source involved with Harris&#8217; search for a VP told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/roy-cooper-backs-consideration-harris-running-mate-rcna164203" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a> that the 67-year-old Cooper asked to be removed from the shortlist because he plans on running for Senate in 2026. Both North Carolina Senate seats are held by Republicans, and the GOP has a veto-proof majority in the state legislature. Trump won the state in both 2016 and 2020.</p>
<p>The North Carolina governor&#8217;s second term will end at the beginning of 2025, and Cooper has endorsed Democratic candidate Josh Stein to take his place. Stein is running against Republican Mark Robinson, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Harris&#8217; list of potential running mates is shrinking as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also said earlier this week that she is not being vetted, adding, “I have communicated with everyone, including the campaign, that I’ve made a commitment to serve out my term as governor in Michigan.&#8221;</p>
<p>“I can be an excellent ally to a President Harris and I can be a great co-chair of the Harris campaign from my place as governor. So I am not a part of the vetting,&#8221; Whitmer said.</p>
<p>Harris&#8217; shortlist includes Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-27/kamala-harris-vice-presidential-search-focuses-on-3-candidates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is also <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/28/beshear-harris-volunteers-georgia-campaign-event/74579670007/">reportedly</a> in the running. Biden cabinet members, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo are also being floated as potential VP picks.</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

‘Wasn’t The Right Time’: Another Harris VP Candidate Takes Name Off Shortlist

CONTINUE READING

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2008, California voters approved plans to build a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, a roughly 500-mile stretch that would be </span><a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/high-speed-rail-in-california/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">covered</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in less than three hours. The project, pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, was a major investment from the state and federal government, promising to kickstart the development of high-speed rail in the United States. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That was more than 16 years ago. Since then, the estimated cost for the project has skyrocketed while the initial goal for the length of the high-speed rail has shrunk. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, the Trump administration is <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path">threatening</a> to pull all federal funding for the project, saying that the state has “not laid a single high-speed track.” In 2010, the project was awarded $929 million from the federal government, and just last year, under the Biden administration, the high-speed rail project received another <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/2023/12/05/news-release-high-speed-rail-authority-to-receive-record-3-1-billion-from-biden-administration/?fbclid=IwAR32NHBuP8XAOTtGOnQwVzIbtBoaX9Ac2pH_jreJWIUcInwUE5zB8APlLGs">$3.1 billion</a>. </span></p>
<p>According to a 2023 <a href="https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/03/california-high-speed-rail/">report</a> from Cal Matters, the estimated cost for completing just a fraction of the total project is now higher than the original $33 billion estimate that voters approved for the L.A. to San Francisco route. Completing the whole project, which the state says will <span style="font-weight: 400;">“eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations,”</span> is estimated to cost up to $128 billion, leaving California around $100 billion short in funding, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-21/high-speed-rail">Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first phase of California’s high-speed rail plan is much smaller than the original goal to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. Currently, the state is still trying to build a 119-mile track connecting Merced to Bakersfield, called the &#8220;initial operating segment&#8221; or &#8220;early operating segment.&#8221; California is targeting a 2033 finish date for this first step, but the Trump administration <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path">argues</a> that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) doesn&#8217;t have &#8220;a viable path&#8221; to accomplish this first-phase goal by the deadline, let alone the 800-mile high-speed rail.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newsom said last month that workers have begun the first phase of the project, “laying the tracks to get to where they start to lay the tracks.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;It’s a technical way of actually doing the development in phases, so real tracks are being laid, and the formal track that will be the first-in-the-nation high-speed rail track is about to take place,&#8221; the governor added. </span></p>
<div id="attachment_929263" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-929263" class="wp-image-929263 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-929263" class="wp-caption-text">A cherry picker during the construction of a high-speed rail project in Madera County, California, US, on Monday, March 24, 2025. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy poured cold water on Newsom&#8217;s hopes on Wednesday, </span><a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1930265652553531425"><span style="font-weight: 400;">saying</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that his department “has found that the California high speed rail project is in default of its federal grant awards totaling $4 billion.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Here’s the cold, hard truth — there’s no viable path to complete the rail project on time or on budget,” Duffy added. “California is on notice — If they can’t deliver on their end of the deal, it could soon be time for these funds to flow to other projects that can achieve @POTUS’ vision of building great, big, beautiful things again.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Duffy’s announcement comes on the back of a months-long Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) investigation into the CHSRA. In its review, the FRA </span><a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path"><span style="font-weight: 400;">found</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that California “does not have a viable path to complete” the project by the 2033 target date, adding that “CHSRA has at least a $7 billion funding gap to complete the EOS [Early Operating Segment] with no credible plan to secure additional funds.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what happened to this major project? </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the Trump administration, the CHSRA’s “mistakes and mismanagement” have raised a “reasonable question about whether continued Federal investment in the CHSR System is a prudent use of taxpayer dollars.”</span></p>
<div id="attachment_929265" style="width: 900px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-929265" class="wp-image-929265 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-890x576.jpg" alt="" width="890" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-890x576.jpg 890w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-300x194.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-768x497.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345.jpg 1140w" sizes="(max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px" /><p id="caption-attachment-929265" class="wp-caption-text">A rendering shows a high-speed rail train as it enters a station during an informational open house by the California High-Speed Rail Authority at the Hilton DoubleTree in downtown Fresno on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (via Getty Images).</p></div>
<p>Newsom, who joined then-Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as an early supporter of the high-speed rail project,<span style="font-weight: 400;"> has <a href="https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=4fa48cb5-20c1-4a92-baf8-39a76dbb2a38#:~:text=SACRAMENTO%20%E2%80%94%20While%20mayor%20of%20San%20Francisco%2C,state%20bond%20measure%20to%20help%20build%20it">flip-flopped</a> his position on it through the years. Six years after pushing the project, he bemoaned the rising costs and delays and pulled his support, according to the Los Angeles Times. Just two years later, he again endorsed the project. </span></p>
<p>Labor unions are also a major player pushing the $128 billion project, the L.A. Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-09/labor-unions-power-california-high-speed-rail-decisions">reported</a> in 2021. The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, which represents 450,000 workers, has been a powerful voice behind the high-speed rail project despite the continued questions and criticisms swirling over the plan. The CHSRA <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/2023/11/17/news-release-california-high-speed-rail-partners-with-labor-on-operating-nations-first-high-speed-rail-project/">partnered</a> with 13 rail labor unions to &#8220;cover an estimated 3,000 workers who will operate and maintain high-speed trains, facilities, and stations from the Bay Area through the Central Valley and into Southern California.&#8221;</p>
<p>Union support for the high-speed rail was a major reason Newsom flipped back to endorsing the project, according to the Times.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newsom claims the project has made progress and remains on track to bring high-speed rail to the state. When asked about the project on Tuesday, the governor&#8217;s office directed The Daily Wire to the CHSRA and highlighted a clip of Newsom addressing the issue during a press conference on the state budget last month. In the clip, Newsom </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOeniD3QFqs&amp;t=7053s"><span style="font-weight: 400;">commented</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on the high-speed rail plan, saying, “You can see the progress we’ve actually made.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re now on the other side of the environmental reviews. We’re on the other side of the land acquisition,” Newsom said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newsom also pointed to a high-speed rail project in Texas that promised to connect Houston to Dallas, but the plan was </span><a href="https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/texas-high-speed-rail-project-grant-cancelled/68678.article#:~:text=USA%3A%20Transportation%20Secretary%20Sean%20Duffy,Texas%20High%2DSpeed%20Rail%20Corridor."><span style="font-weight: 400;">scrapped</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in April after the Trump administration pulled funding from it. </span></p>
<p>A CHSRA spokesperson told The Daily Wire in an email that it &#8220;strongly disagrees with the FRA’s conclusions, which are misguided and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We remain firmly committed to completing the nation’s first true high-speed rail system connecting the major population centers in the state. While continued federal partnership is important to the project, the majority of our funding has been provided by the state,&#8221; the spokesperson added. &#8220;To that end, the Governor’s budget proposal, which is currently before the Legislature, extends at least $1 billion per year in funding for the next 20 years, providing the necessary resources to complete the project’s initial operating segment. The Authority will fully address and correct the record in our formal response to the FRA’s notice.”</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

Trump Admin Ready To Pull The Plug On California High-Speed Rail Boondoggle

<p>President Donald Trump revealed that he had an hour-and-fifteen-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, but said that the discussion was not one &#8220;that will lead to immediate peace.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump said the two leaders discussed Ukraine&#8217;s recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-ukraine-pulled-off-its-massive-drone-strike-inside-russia">drone attack</a> on Russia, which reportedly decimated Russia&#8217;s fleet of bombers that are capable of carrying nuclear payloads. The president said that Putin &#8220;strongly&#8221; told him that Russia &#8220;will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia. The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114626383407680212">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.&#8221;</p>
<p>On the Iran front, however, Trump said he came to an &#8220;agreement&#8221; with Putin, reiterating &#8220;that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.&#8221; Iran and Russia — two nations that are outspoken in their rejection of Western values — have grown close in their economic and military ties, with Iran <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-sends-russia-hundreds-ballistic-missiles-sources-say-2024-02-21/">reportedly</a> sending Russia hundreds of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles last year.</p>
<p>&#8220;President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!&#8221;</p>
<p>Russia and Ukraine have taken turns escalating the three-year-long war in recent weeks as the Trump administration continues to push the countries toward a peace deal. Trump last spoke to Putin on May 19 and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-makes-big-announcement-following-very-frank-two-hour-call-with-putin">said</a> that Russia and Ukraine would &#8220;immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.&#8221; But as Russia&#8217;s aggression continued, Trump said a week later that he was “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-eyes-stinging-russia-sanctions-bipartisan-proposal-bring-pain">absolutely</a>” considering imposing new sanctions on the country. He also blasted Putin as &#8220;CRAZY,&#8221; saying that he was “needlessly killing a lot of people.”</p>
<p>Trump then warned that if Putin pushed for taking &#8220;ALL of Ukraine,&#8221; it would &#8220;lead to the downfall of Russia.&#8221;</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

Trump Holds 75-Minute Call With Putin: ‘Not A Conversation That Will Lead To Immediate Peace’

<p>President Donald Trump said early Wednesday morning that Chinese President Xi Jinping is &#8220;very tough&#8221; and &#8220;extremely hard to make a deal with&#8221; as the United States attempts to advance trade talks with China.</p>
<p>While the president&#8217;s top trade officials have met with their Chinese counterparts, Trump has yet to sit down with Xi since imposing massive tariffs on Chinese imports. A senior White House official told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/02/trump-xi-china-trade-tariffs.html">CNBC</a> that Trump and Xi would likely speak &#8220;very soon,&#8221; potentially this week.</p>
<p>&#8220;I like President Xi of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114623632387180206">wrote</a> on Truth Social.</p>
<p>Last week, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-accuses-china-of-violating-trade-agreement-so-much-for-being-mr-nice-guy?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Accuses+China+Of+Violating+Trade+Agreement%3A+%E2%80%98So+Much+For+Being+Mr.+Nice+Guy%E2%80%99">accused</a> China of violating its 90-day trade agreement with the United States, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdyXQv5WTYE">said</a> that the talks with China &#8220;are a bit stalled.&#8221;</p>
<p>“Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy!” the president said, referring to the 90-day pause on tariffs. “That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”</p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s frustration with China likely stemmed from the Chinese government&#8217;s slow progress in complying with the 90-day trade truce that froze most tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC last week that China was not fulfilling its promise to export rare earth minerals to the United States after restricting shipments in response to Trump’s tariffs.</p>
<p>“We haven’t seen the flow of some of those critical minerals as they were supposed to be doing,” Greer said, adding, “China continues to slow down and choke off things like critical minerals and rare Earth magnets.”</p>
<p>Newly appointed Ambassador to China, David Perdue, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. During their discussion, Yi accused the United States of imposing &#8220;a series of negative measures for groundless reasons, infringing upon China&#8217;s legitimate rights and interests,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202506/04/content_WS683fa6f3c6d0868f4e8f3109.html">readout</a> from the Chinese government. Perdue said that during the meeting, he &#8220;emphasized President Trump&#8217;s priorities on trade, fentanyl, and illegal immigration,&#8221; adding that &#8220;communication is vital&#8221; for the U.S.-China relationship.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In a meeting today with Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office Director and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, I emphasized President Trump&#39;s priorities on trade, fentanyl, and illegal immigration. Communication is vital to the 🇺🇸-🇨🇳 relationship. <a href="https://t.co/RszJpF6ItB">pic.twitter.com/RszJpF6ItB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue (@USAmbChina) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbChina/status/1929922392089919653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Bessent <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-trade-trump-xi-conversation/">told</a> CBS News in an interview on Sunday that he remains &#8220;confident&#8221; that the U.S.-China trade talks will be &#8220;ironed out.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The fact that they are withholding some of the products that they agreed to release during our agreement — maybe it&#8217;s a glitch in the Chinese system, maybe it&#8217;s intentional,&#8221; Bessent said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll see after the president speaks with the party chairman.&#8221;</p>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Trump Says Xi Is ‘Extremely Hard To Make A Deal With’ As China Trade Negotiations Stall

<p>A liberal enclave on the western edge of the deep-red state of Montana is pushing LGBT &#8220;Pride&#8221; to new heights.</p>
<p>The Missoula, Montana, City Council voted 9-2 on Monday night to make the &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag the city&#8217;s official flag. The move flies in the face of a recent bill signed into law in Montana that bans &#8220;Pride&#8221; flags from being flown on government property and schools.</p>
<p>&#8220;Currently, there is only one official flag for the City of Missoula, and that&#8217;s the Pride flag adopted last night. There was no prior official flag,&#8221; Missoula City Attorney Ryan Sudbury <a href="https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/missoula-approves-pride-flag-as-official-city-flag-in-opposition-of-new-law">told</a> NBC Montana.</p>
<p>Missoula&#8217;s &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag designation is already reflected on the Wikipedia page about the city.</p>
<div id="attachment_928849" style="width: 414px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-928849" class="wp-image-928849 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-03-at-3.31.38%E2%80%AFPM-404x576.png" alt="" width="404" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-03-at-3.31.38%E2%80%AFPM-404x576.png 404w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-03-at-3.31.38%E2%80%AFPM-210x300.png 210w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-03-at-3.31.38%E2%80%AFPM.png 666w" sizes="(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px" /><p id="caption-attachment-928849" class="wp-caption-text">Screenshot: Wikipedia</p></div>
<p>Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte blasted the city council&#8217;s move in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.</p>
<p>&#8220;Last night, nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools &#8212; all while ignoring the city&#8217;s housing affordability crisis, raising taxes by 17% because of over spending, and refusing to take firm action to end encampments in the city,&#8221; Gianforte said. &#8220;Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community.&#8221;</p>
<p>The sponsor of the resolution, Jennifer Savage — who identifies as queer — pointed to her daughter as a reason she pursued designating the &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag the city&#8217;s official flag.</p>
<p><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b data-stringify-type="bold">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</b></a></p>
<p>“When I see the Pride flag, I breathe a little sigh of relief and think my kid is safe here,” Savage said.</p>
<p>Last month, Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB 819 into law, prohibiting the display of flags on state property that represent a &#8220;political viewpoint, including but not limited to flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology.&#8221; Missoula, however, appears to have found a loophole in the law that allows cities to fly an official municipal flag, according to <a href="https://www.kpax.com/news/missoula-county/missoula-city-council-adopts-pride-flag-as-official-city-flag">KPAX</a>. With the city council&#8217;s vote on Monday night, the &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag now meets that designation.</p>
<p>“Leave it to Missoula to try and turn a city flag into a pride flag. Nothing says ‘unity’ like politicizing public property,&#8221; <a href="https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/missoula-approves-pride-flag-as-official-city-flag-in-opposition-of-new-law">said</a> Republican state Rep. Braxton Mitchell. &#8220;The ultra far left Missoula City Council and their mayor are completely out of touch with reality and the values of the vast majority of Montanans. Taxpayer owned property should represent everyone, not just the loudest political movements of the moment.&#8221;</p>
<p>Missoula County <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-montana.html">voted</a> overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in 2024, 59% to 38%, while former Democratic Sen. John Tester received 66% of the vote in Missoula to just 32% for Republican Tim Sheehy. Trump and Sheehy went on to win the state.</p>
<p>Missoula is also represented at the state level by Zooey Zephyr, a man who identifies as a woman. In 2023, Zephyr was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/montana-house-votes-to-punish-transgender-member-who-said-colleagues-have-blood-on-your-hands">censured</a> by the Republican-controlled Montana House of Representatives for an outburst over a ban on gender procedures on minors.</p>
<p>“The only thing I will say is if you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time there’s an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands,” Zephyr said.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rep Zooey Zephyr of Missoula said the following when debating SB99 Amendments.</p>
<p>“The only thing I will say is if you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments I hope the next time there’s an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands.” <a href="https://t.co/wuhlympbLq">pic.twitter.com/wuhlympbLq</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Montana Freedom Caucus (@MTFreedomCaucus) <a href="https://twitter.com/MTFreedomCaucus/status/1648441274868043777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Montana banned gender procedures on children in 2023, but the law was blocked by a state district court judge in Missoula, and the state&#8217;s Supreme Court upheld that preliminary injunction in December.</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

‘Divisive, Far-Left Agenda’: City In Deep-Red State Adopts ‘Pride’ Flag As Official City Banner

<p>White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that there are &#8220;no plans&#8221; for a &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; proclamation.</p>
<p>Asked about any potential presidential proclamations coming down the pipeline during what many on the Left celebrate as &#8220;Pride Month,&#8221; Leavitt said during a White House press briefing that the administration had no such plans, adding that President Donald Trump &#8220;is proud to be a president for all Americans regardless of race, religion, or creed.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&#8220;There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> — because President Trump is &#8220;proud to be a President for ALL AMERICANS.&#8221; 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/WjgcWFGjXj">pic.twitter.com/WjgcWFGjXj</a></p>
<p>— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1929960161004679507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Leavitt made the comments after the Education Department declared June to be &#8220;Title IX Month,&#8221; recognizing the 53rd anniversary of the legislation that protects Americans from sex-based discrimination in education, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-education-department-celebrates-title-ix-month-ditches-pride-month?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Education+Department+Celebrates+%E2%80%98Title+IX+Month%2C%E2%80%99+Ditches+Pride+Month">reported</a> on Monday.</p>
<p>The Trump White House is doing a complete 180 from the Biden administration&#8217;s focus on LGBT issues. While Trump celebrated &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; with a tweet in 2019, he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/president-trump-misses-pride-month-third-time-n1222441">never issued</a> a presidential proclamation for the LGBT festivities.</p>
<p>President Joe Biden, meanwhile, took the &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; celebration to a new level, releasing <a href="https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/05/31/a-proclamation-on-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer-and-intersex-pride-month-2024/">proclamations</a> each year he was in office and hosting LGBT activists and social media personalities at the White House.</p>
<p>During a &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; party on the White House lawn in 2023, a transgender activist named Rose Montoya, a man who identifies as a woman, met with Biden at the party before <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-faces-backlash-after-trans-activist-goes-topless-at-white-house-pride-event-a-disgrace-to-our-country">appearing topless</a> on video with his hands covering his breast implants. The Biden administration later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-activist-who-went-topless-at-wh-event-apologizes-calls-people-who-spoke-out-vile">called</a> the act &#8220;inappropriate and disrespectful,&#8221; and Montoya apologized.</p>
<p><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b data-stringify-type="bold">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</b></a></p>
<p>Throughout his presidency, Biden pushed radical policies on LGBT issues, especially regarding children. In 2022, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-directs-hhs-to-expand-access-to-transgender-care-including-for-children">signed</a> an executive order to expand adults&#8217; and children&#8217;s access to radical gender procedures while condemning Republican-led states for clamping down on those same procedures on minors. In 2024, just a few months before the election, and as public opinion on the issue shifted, the Biden administration came out in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/health/transgender-surgery-biden.html">opposition</a> to gender surgeries on children.</p>
<p>In his first four months in office, Trump has taken a sledgehammer to the most radical parts of the LGBT movement, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation/">pushing</a> to protect children from life-altering gender procedures and prevent men from competing in women&#8217;s sports.</p>
<p>&#8220;The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system. Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself,&#8221; the White House wrote in Trump&#8217;s order, titled &#8220;Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.&#8221;</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

White House: There Will Be No ‘Pride’ Proclamation

<p>A Chinese scholar at the University of Michigan was arrested by the FBI and charged with attempting to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States that could be used for agricultural terrorism, according to documents unsealed in federal court on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said that Michigan scholar Yunqing Jian, along with her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, tried to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States last July, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/06/03/chinese-scholar-at-um-tried-to-smuggle-biological-pathogen-into-the-u-s-feds-say/84008953007/">reported</a>. The pathogen, called Fusarium graminearum, causes &#8220;head blight,&#8221; a disease that can wipe out wheat, barley, maize, and rice crops and &#8220;is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,&#8221; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/chinese-nationals-charged-conspiracy-and-smuggling-dangerous-biological-pathogen-us">according</a> to the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The pathogen can also cause &#8220;vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.&#8221;</p>
<p>U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. accused the suspects, who include &#8220;a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party,&#8221; of pursuing a &#8220;scheme&#8221; of &#8220;the gravest national security concerns.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,&#8221; Gorgon said.</p>
<p>FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/fbidirectorkash/status/1930044884284523001?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">said</a> the arrest of Jian and Liu &#8220;is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences&#8230; putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jian&#8217;s boyfriend was caught with the pathogen by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.</p>
<p>&#8220;When Customs and Border Protection officers questioned Liu, he made false statements to CBP officers about the purpose of his visit to the United States, and his knowledge of the existence of the biological pathogen in his possession,&#8221; an FBI special agent wrote in the criminal filing, according to The Detroit News.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ultimately, Liu admitted to smuggling the pathogen and stated that he brought the pathogen into the United States so that he could conduct research on it at a laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,&#8221; the agent added.</p>
<p>After receiving a doctorate in plant pathogens from China&#8217;s Zhejiang University, Jian was given money through a Chinese foundation funded by the communist government to conduct post-doctoral research on Fusarium graminearum, according to prosecutors. Jian will make her first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. Both Jian and Liu are charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.</p>
<p>Jian&#8217;s case marks the second criminal complaint unsealed in the past week involving a Chinese citizen at the University of Michigan. Last Friday, prosecutors unsealed a criminal case against a Chinese student who illegally voted in the 2024 election. The Chinese national, who was in the United States legally, successfully obtained a ballot and cast his vote at an early voting location last October, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/non-citizen-from-china-charged-after-casting-ballot-in-michigan-his-vote-will-still-count">reported</a>. The Chinese student recently fled the country and went back to China, according to the criminal complaint.</p>
<p>Last week, the Trump administration said that is moving to &#8220;<a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/05/new-visa-policies-put-america-first-not-china/">aggressively revoke</a>&#8221; Chinese student visas, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/06/01/china-us-students-national-security-threat/">adding</a> that the United States &#8220;will not tolerate the [Chinese Communist Party’s] exploitation of U.S. universities or theft of U.S. research intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition.&#8221;</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

Kash Patel Says Chinese Smuggled ‘Dangerous Fungus’ Into U.S. To ‘Target Food Supply’

News

2024 Election

Elections

Kamala Harris

North Carolina

Politics

Roy Cooper

Today, we're going to dive into a bunch of updates on topics we've discussed before. JoJo Siwa has made her relationship official. Joe Rogan is now attending church. Demi Lovato got married, and Oliver from @Sailing_With_Phoenix  has finally reached land. Let's get into it.

Menu

— News —

‘Wasn’t The Right Time’: Another Harris VP Candidate Takes Name Off Shortlist

Create a free account to join the conversation!