Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) blew off concerns about the rampant crime in Chicago, saying that &#8220;big cities have crime&#8221; and the real problem was still President Donald Trump.
Pritzker has been sparring with Trump of late over the president&#8217;s threat to send National Guard troops to Chicago, hoping to clean up the city in much the same way he did in Washington, D.C., and has said that he&#8217;s doing well enough without bringing in the Guard.
Pritzker responded to a reporter who noted that he&#8217;d likely face more pointed questions after an especially deadly Labor Day weekend — according to ABC News, there were 37 separate <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/58-shot-weekend-chicago-governor-rejects-trumps-threat/story?id=125134744">shootings</a> between Friday evening and Monday night — that left 58 shot and eight dead.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
REPORTER: &#8220;This past weekend, 54 shot, 7 dead&#8230;&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/GovPritzker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovPritzker</a>: &#8220;Big cities have crime&#8221;
President Trump finds this completely unacceptable — and his success in Washington, D.C. has proven that Americans don&#8217;t have to live this way. <a href="https://t.co/vaKj5fxvSa">pic.twitter.com/vaKj5fxvSa</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962949118088675839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You&#8217;re going to hear people, especially after this past weekend — 54 shot, seven dead,&#8221; the reporter began. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to say the city&#8217;s not safe. Would you ask your friends to ride the El [elevated train] after midnight? You know, or after nine o&#8217;clock at night, even, to go down to the city from O&#8217;Hare [International Airport]?&#8221;
&#8220;Look, big cities have crime, there&#8217;s no doubt about it,&#8221; Pritzker said, before pivoting to attack Trump. &#8220;But let&#8217;s just pay attention to what President Trump is doing, targeting Chicago. He&#8217;s overlooking red states that have much higher crime rates.&#8221;
Pritzker has made that argument several times before, arguing that some of the cities with the highest crime rates are in red states — and he is correct, but leaves out the fact that of the 20 cities with the highest murder rates, all but one are controlled by Democrats. St. Louis, for example, currently has the highest murder rate and is in a very red state — Missouri — but is run by a Democrat, Mayor Cara Spencer.

DES MOINES – JANUARY 15: Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker speak

‘Big Cities Have Crime’: Dem 2028 Hopeful Blows Off Deadly Chicago Weekend, Attacks Trump

'Big Cities Have Crime': Dem 2028 Hopeful Blows Off Deadly Chicago Weekend, Attacks Trump

Chicago

Crime

Donald Trump

Illinois

JB Pritzker

Politics

President Donald Trump again blasted the attention given to the Jeffrey Epstein case on Wednesday, calling it a “Democrat hoax” after victims of the convicted sex offender gathered on Capitol Hill to demand more transparency.
While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about the large group of Epstein victims who gathered nearby, just outside the Capitol Building. The president doubled down on referring to the Epstein controversy as a “hoax,” saying that it “never ends.”
“From what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given out, but it’s really a Democrat hoax because they’re trying to get people to talk about something that’s totally irrelevant to the success that we’ve had as a nation since I’ve been president,” Trump said.
The president then pointed to his action in Washington, D.C., where he deployed the National Guard and ordered federal agents to crack down on violent crime in the city.
“So what they’re trying to do with the Epstein hoax is get people to talk about that instead of speaking about the tremendous success like ending seven wars. I ended seven wars,” he added. “Nobody is going to talk about that because they’re going to talk about the Epstein whatever.”
Following the rally, numerous Epstein victims met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to call on the federal government to release more information on the investigation. One Epstein accuser said it was “devastating” to hear the president marginalize the ongoing controversy, and another called on the president to meet with her “because this is not a hoax.”
The Department of Justice said in July that it found no evidence of an Epstein client list, but Epstein victims said at the rally that they would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-know-the-names-epstein-victims-say-they-will-release-their-own-client-list?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=%E2%80%98We+Know+The+Names%E2%80%99%3A+Epstein+Victims+Say+They+Will+Release+Their+Own+Client+List">compile their own,</a> revealing the names of Epstein associates who abused them.
“We know the names. Many of us were abused by them. Now together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world, and it will be done by survivors and for survivors,” said Lisa Phillips.
Another Epstein victim spoke out publicly for the first time on Wednesday, revealing that she was “Minor Victim 1” in Epstein’s 2019 indictment. Marina Lacerda <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/03/house-epstein-files-victims-news-conference/#link-JL4EG73GKZGY5E2ONYQ66PU74M">said</a> that she was forced into Epstein’s New York mansion, along with dozens of other girls, when they were “just kids.”
Lacerda said she was offered money to give a massage to an older man, adding that she dropped out of high school to work for Epstein. She called on the government to release the Epstein files “not only for transparency, but for the American people.”
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-led-oversight-committee-drops-massive-trove-of-over-33000-epstein-docs?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Republican-Led+Oversight+Committee+Drops+Massive+Trove+Of+Over+33%2C000+Epstein+Docs">released</a> more than 33,000 pages of Epstein documents, but critics blasted the heavily redacted document trove.

Trump Rips Epstein ‘Hoax’ As Victims Rally To Demand Transparency

Capitol Hill

Democrats

Executive

Jeffrey Epstein

Irish comedian Graham Linehan said he was arrested in London on Monday over social media posts deemed “transphobic.”
The 57-year-old celeb, who is best known for appearances in popular British comedies like “The IT Crowd” and “Father Ted,” said he was rushed to the hospital after being taken to jail due to high blood pressure likely caused by stress.
Linehan said he was greeted by law enforcement after he stepped off a flight from Arizona to London. 
“The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three posts on X,” he wrote in an op-ed for <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/i-posted-on-x-the-british-police-arrested-me-free-speech">The Free Press</a>. “In a country where pedophiles escape prison, where knife crime is out of control, the state had mobilized five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer for these three posts.”
Linehan said many law enforcement officers he encountered during the ordeal exhibited “bafflement” and seemed to have “absolutely no idea” what his alleged crime was.
But then, during an interview with one of the officers, the tone changed.
“He asked about each of the posts in turn, with the sort of earnest intensity usually reserved for discussing something serious like. . . oh, I don’t know—crime?” Linehan wrote.
“I explained that the post about punching a trans-identified man in a female-only space was a serious point made with a joke. Men who enter women’s spaces are abusers, and they need to be challenged every time.”
“The officer mentioned the term trans people. I asked him what he meant by the phrase. ‘People who feel their gender is different than what was assigned at birth,’” he continued. “‘Assigned at birth?’ I responded. ‘Our sex isn’t assigned.’ He called it semantics. I told him he was using activist language.”
The Irish comedian said a nurse checked his blood pressure, and it was in “stroke territory.” He was transported to the hospital and was put under observation. Linehan said the arresting officers offered him bail on the condition that he stop posting on X.
“I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to the hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes on X,” he wrote.
“The UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.”
The posts in question include one that says, “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
Another has a photo of a trans activist gathering and includes the caption, “A photo you can smell.”
The third one says, “I hate them all. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”

Graham Linehan

Irish Comedian Recounts Shocking Arrest Over Anti-Trans Social Media Posts

Freedom of Speech

London

Transgender

Twitter

World

President Donald Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he intends to clean up Chicago, no matter what the Democratic politicians who run the city and the state have to say.
Over the Labor Day weekend, nearly 60 people were shot, and at least nine people were killed in Chicago. Under Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson, the city experienced <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-crime-numbers-johnson-releases-2024-stats-touts-citys-progress.amp?utm_source=chatgpt.com">572 homicides</a> in 2024, making it the deadliest U.S. city by total homicides for the 13th consecutive year.
Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker “has repeatedly resisted <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1960006729619443983">calls</a> from President Donald J. Trump to ask for assistance in quelling the violence,” The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/09/for-j-b-pritzker-when-will-enough-be-enough/">noted</a>. Some of Pritzker’s statements have included, “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/guard-not-needed-in-chicago-pritzker-tells-ap-during-tour-of-city-to-counter-trumps-crime-claims#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%E2%80%99ve%20been%20fighting%20crime.%20We%E2%80%99ve%20been%20trying%20to%20prevent%20crime%20and%20it%E2%80%99s%20been%20working.%E2%80%9D">We’ve been trying to prevent crime and it’s been working</a>,” “<a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962168311614931214">We have our job, which is to fight violent crime on the streets of our city — and by the way, we’re succeeding</a>,” “<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/01/us-news/54-shot-7-killed-in-chicago-weekend-bloodbath-after-pritzker-claims-trump-national-guard-not-needed/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">National Guard troops or any kind of troops on the streets of an American city don’t belong unless there is an insurrection, unless there is truly an emergency – and there is not</a>,” “<a href="https://gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/statement-from-governor-pritzker-on-reports-of-military-deployments">Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis</a>,” and “<a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962949118088675839">Big cities have crime</a>.”
On Labor Day, Johnson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chicago-mayor-calls-on-organized-labor-to-defend-city-from-trump">yelled to a crowd</a>, “No federal troops in the city of Chicago. No militarized force in the city of Chicago. We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago.&#8221;
“Despite pleas from <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/08/yes-chicago-has-a-crime-problem-just-ask-its-residents/#:~:text=Chicago%E2%80%99s%20residents%20want%20action%3A">residents</a>, <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962854649771294748">members of</a> <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1960038758855881215">the city council</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962854049486643572">even MSNBC</a>, Pritzker is too blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome to take action in the best interest of his constituents and end the bloodshed,” The White House stated. “The Trump Administration’s message to Chicagoans and residents in Democrat-run cities nationwide is simple: <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1961117590467514686">you don’t have to live like this</a>.”
On Tuesday, Trump had a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/02/trump-chicago-national-guard/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">succinct response</a> when asked by reporters if he had decided whether to send National Guard troops to Chicago, declaring, “We’re going in. I didn’t say when we’re going in. … This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation.”
He <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-chicago-baltimore-law-enforcement-6d7c80258f17c3d679358467531f7e9d">added</a> that if Pritzker would “call me up, I would love to do it. Now, we’re going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it. Because I have an obligation to protect this country and that includes Baltimore. &#8230; Baltimore’s a very unsafe place.”

President Trump Meets With His Cabinet At The White House

Trump Declares ‘We’re Going In’—Chicago On Notice As National Guard Plans Imminent

J.B. Pritzker

National Guard

President Donald Trump posted a video on Tuesday of a United States military strike against Tren de Aragua drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea.
The strike took place in international waters and killed nearly a dozen terrorist cartel members carrying illicit drugs, Trump said. A video of the strike showed a small boat motoring through water before bursting into flame.
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere,” he added. “The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.”
“The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump concluded. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/vEVGYVgLAg">pic.twitter.com/vEVGYVgLAg</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1962990388211228951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
The president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-deploys-forces-to-take-on-latin-american-drug-cartels-in-the-southern-caribbean">ordered</a> U.S. military assets to the south Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela last month to counter drug cartels, which his administration has classified as foreign terrorist organizations. The president has ratcheted up pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who the United States has targeted as a top cartel official.
In August, the United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-hikes-bounty-on-venezuelas-maduro-to-50m">doubled</a> its bounty on information leading to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million.
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country. To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The DOJ has seized over $700 million of Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles, and more,” she added. “Yet, Maduro’s reign of terror continues. He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”

U.S. Drone Strikes Cartel Drug Boat, Trump Posts Video For World To See: ‘BEWARE!’

Drug Cartels

Nicolas Maduro

Tren De Aragua

Venezuela

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump&#8217;s Immigration and Customs Enforcement was busy over Labor Day weekend, rounding up more &#8220;worst of the worst&#8221; criminal illegal aliens.
Homeland Security statistics exclusively shared with The Daily Wire show that the weekend arrests include murderers, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and rapists. DHS exclusively shared the names of 15 individuals who were arrested over the weekend all over the United States as part of the president&#8217;s enforcement against criminal illegal aliens, fulfilling his campaign promise to make America safer.
&#8220;While Americans enjoyed the holiday weekend, ICE law enforcement was hard at work arresting barbaric criminal illegal aliens. Some of the worst of the worst arrested include murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers,” a DHS Spokesperson shared with The Daily Wire, adding, “Our brave ICE law enforcement officers never stop working to make America safe again.”
Ricardo Duque-Rivas, for example, is a criminal illegal alien from Mexico arrested by ICE Houston over the weekend. His crimes include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Williamson County, Texas. Byron Ortega-Gonzalez, a criminal illegal from El Salvador with a conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim less than 18, was arrested by ICE Chicago.
Meanwhile in Utah, ICE Salt Lake City arrested a number of illegals: a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of attempted criminal homicide in Portland, Oregon, Luis Zamora-Rodriguez, as well as Angel Osorio-Acosta, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela convicted of aggravated assault in Salt Lake City. ICE Salt Lake City also arrested Desideo Cuevas-Vallejo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of possession of a controlled substance and multiple DUIs in Idaho.
In Massachusetts, ICE Boston arrested a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic named Kevin Perez-Lorenzo, who has convictions in Salem, Massachusetts, for trafficking heroin and trespassing.
In Maryland, ICE Baltimore nabbed Theophilis Anwana, a criminal illegal alien from Nigeria convicted of second degree rape in Bel Air, Maryland.
And in Colorado, ICE Denver arrested Aymen Abdu, a registered sex offender who is a criminal illegal alien from Sudan convicted of aggravated assault and indecent exposure in Colorado.
In Minnesota, ICE St. Paul arrested a criminal illegal alien from Mexico named Blanca Garcia-Cazquez convicted of operating while intoxicated, public intoxication, and two counts of child endangerment in Iowa. And in Washington, ICE Washington arrested Luis Miguel Rodriguez-Gomez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras convicted of many crimes in Virginia, including felony hit and run, DWI, and probation violation in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as well as driving without a license, DWI, and possession of schedule I or II drugs in Stafford County, Virginia.
In New York, ICE New York City arrested a criminal illegal alien from Uruguay named Juan Alfonso-Rodriguez, who had three DWI convictions in Suffolk County, New York. In Georgia, ICE Atlanta arrested criminal illegal alien Jimmy Hoang from Vietnam, convicted of a weapons offense, assault, attempted murder, and driving under the influence in Iowa.
ICE San Antonio arrested Daniel Ortega-Pineda for smuggling people through Eagle Pass, Texas. He is a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala. And ICE Chicago arrested Francisco Sanchez-Gamora, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted in Los Angeles of homicide, corporal injury to his spouse, and felony illegal reentry into the United States.
And ICE Dallas arrested a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, Romero Guillen, convicted of a hit and run death in New Hanover.
Throughout their efforts to stem the border crisis, the Trump administration has arrested more than 352,000 illegal aliens and removed more than 324,000 from the country, DHS told The Daily Wire.

Photos courtesy of DHS.

ICE Nabs Murderers, Rapists, Pedophiles, Traffickers Over Labor Day Weekend

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

U.S.

WASHINGTON — The White House is encouraging Democrat mayors across the United States to follow the lead of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who shared Tuesday that the nation&#8217;s capitol will continue to partner with President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Safe and Beautiful Task Force&#8221; going forward.
In a Tuesday press release, the D.C. mayor announced she had issued an order continuing the work of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center and task force, sharing that &#8220;during and after the Presidential emergency, the SBEOC will manage the District’s response, coordinate centralized communications, and ensure coordination with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District.&#8221;
&#8220;The mayor’s fellow Democrats should take note, working with President Trump means safer communities and less crime – no one in their right mind could seriously oppose that,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed on Tuesday.
Trump&#8217;s efforts to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., have been hugely successful: every night, the federal force in Washington has arrested around 70-80 criminals, many of whom are illegal immigrants.
<div id="attachment_967953" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-pushes-democrats-to-follow-dc-mayors-lead-in-bending-knee-to-trump/trump-increases-federal-law-enforcement-presence-deploys-national-guard-in-nations-capital-10" rel="attachment wp-att-967953"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-967953" class="wp-image-967953 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2231913084-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2231913084-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2231913084-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2231913084-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2231913084.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; AUGUST 24: National Guard Members patrol 14th street, working with Washington DC Metro police on August 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.   (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)</div>
On Monday evening, for example, authorities made 70 arrests, 27 of whom were illegal aliens. That brought the city&#8217;s total arrests to 1,669 since the beginning of operations on Thursday, August 7. One of those arrests was an individual who assaulted a 77-year-old woman and stole her purse, another was for assault with a dangerous weapon, another for assault during a domestic dispute in which the subject choked the victim, and more.
The total D.C. arrests include 16 known gang members, including MS-13 and TDA gang members, rescues of 5 missing children, 168 firearms seized, and 50 homeless encampments cleared by multi-agency teams.
“President Trump’s efforts to crack down on crime in D.C. have yielded tremendous results in such a short time &#8212; violent crime has plummeted and dangerous criminals are being removed from the streets every single night,&#8221; Leavitt said Tuesday.
&#8220;The Trump administration is grateful to continue partnering with Mayor Bowser to make D.C. the safest city in the country,&#8221; she added.
Trump has set his eyes on Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, Illinois, for federal enforcement next.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going in,&#8221; he told reporters on Tuesday, asked about deploying federal troops to Chicago and Baltimore. He did not specify when, exactly, the deployments would take place. He also said he would &#8220;love&#8221; if JB Pritzker called and asked for his help with the National Guard.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to do it anyway,&#8221; he said on Tuesday. &#8220;We have the right to do it.”

President Trump Announces 2027 NFL Draft To Be Held On The National Mall

White House Pushes Democrats To Follow DC Mayor’s Lead, Partner With Trump

Law Enforcement

Muriel Bowser

Washington D.C.

Thanks to China, the use of fentanyl at the workplace in America is soaring.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-china-joni-ernst-intentionally-poisoning-americans/">said</a> back in February 2023 that China was conducting warfare against the United States by intentionally flooding the country with fentanyl, declaring, “The Chinese are selling these precursor chemicals into Mexico. Then the Mexican cartels are working on making the fentanyl and distributing up into the United States. I think that the Chinese are intentionally poisoning America.”
A National Drug Threat Assessment from the DEA <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/DIR-008-21%202020%20National%20Drug%20Threat%20Assessment_WEB.pdf">said</a> that the Mexican drug cartels “use a combination of methods to obtain chemicals used for fentanyl production in Mexico, primarily from sources originating in China, including purchases made on the open market, smuggling chemicals hidden in legitimate commercial shipments, mislabeling shipments to avoid controls and the attention of law enforcement, and diversion from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.”
“In randomized workplace drug tests, the presence of the <a href="https://archive.is/o/AIYI4/https:/www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/what-is-fentanyl-drug-opioid-health-safety-explained-11658341650">synthetic opioid fentanyl</a> was 1.13% in 2024. That is up from 0.91% in 2023 and double the rate in 2020, according to a recent analysis of more than eight million drug tests by Quest Diagnostics,” The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/fentanyl-work-drug-test-increase-0f0b1eff">reported</a>, adding, “Surprise random tests are a clearer indication of opioid use among workers than pre-employment screening, which subjects can prepare for ahead of time and even game to achieve negative results. &#8230; The opioid epidemic has been a persistent concern for workplaces, especially in occupations in the construction, mining and transportation industries.”
Peter Schweizer, author of “Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-is-the-senior-partner-directing-the-fentanyl-crisis-killing-americans-author-peter-schweizer-says">said</a> the fentanyl trade starts in China, asserting, “They’re the senior partner. The drug cartels are really the junior partner in the fentanyl trade.” He continued, “The Mexican drug cartels now launder their money in Chinese state-owned banks, and, according to our government, they use Chinese students in the United States on education visas to do this.”
In April 2024, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-barr-blasts-china-during-fentanyl-hearing-solely-responsible-for-mass-slaughter-in-u-s">told</a> the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, “The [People’s Republic of China] is the source of the fentanyl that is slaughtering Americans. China produces nearly all the illicit fentanyl precursors used and the fentanyl introduced into the United States. These are the indispensable ingredients that drive the fentanyl trade. There is no practical alternative for anywhere near the volume of precursors necessary to fuel this trade. Simply put, without China’s production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors, there would be no fentanyl crisis in the United States and the mass slaughter would effectively stop.”

Fentanyl

Fentanyl Crisis Escalates In U.S. Workplaces As China Fuels Supply Chain

China

Mexico

After a weekend in which at least 52 people were shot and seven died in his city, Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson shouted to the crowd at a Labor Day Rally that they had to defend themselves from President Donald Trump’s intention to clean things up.
On August 22, President Trump signaled he might intervene in Chicago as he had in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://www.fox19.com/2025/08/22/stay-out-our-city-chicago-officials-slam-trumps-threat-target-city-next-crime-crackdown/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">telling</a> reporters, “I think Chicago will be our next. … And then we’ll help with New York.” The following day, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/23/trump-chicago-military-national-guard/">reported</a> that the Pentagon had been planning a military deployment to Chicago for weeks. On August 26, Trump escalated his rhetoric, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OVoa6OkxLWM">declaring</a>, “Everybody knows Chicago is a hellhole right now.”
Under Johnson, Chicago experienced <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-crime-numbers-johnson-releases-2024-stats-touts-citys-progress.amp?utm_source=chatgpt.com">572 homicides</a> in 2024, making it the deadliest U.S. city by total homicides for the 13th consecutive year.
“No federal troops in the city of Chicago,” Johnson yelled to the crowd. “No militarized force in the city of Chicago. We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago. We’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago. And we got the baddest freaking labor movement in the city of Chicago, birthed right here.”
Johnson then threatened, “We’re gonna take this fight across America but we gotta defend our home front first.”
He then launched into a paean to the labor movement and DEI rhetoric, yelling:
<blockquote>
The best way we can defend our home front is to make sure that every single worker has a livable wage. That’s why we abolished the sub-minimum wage in Chicago for brown and black women. They get raises on top of their tips. This is the city of Chicago, where we have given paid time off for over a million workers, ten days off, the biggest city in America to ever do it. This is the labor movement, you all, on pace to build more affordable units, a teachers’ contract that protects black women, a teachers’ contract that protects LGBTQ community, the teacher contract that protects immigrants. This is the greatest freaking city in the world. We’re Chi-town.
</blockquote>
“Now look, there are some people that have doubts in the labor movement. There are some people who believe that we don’t have the power to beat authoritarianism. But I’m also a history teacher as well. We have stood up for the interests of workers before and we will do it again, and no matter what comes from the White House, Chicago will always be a labor town. Are you with me, Chicago?” he declared.
After having mentioned he had been a history teacher, he promptly falsified history, saying, “Are you prepared to defend this land, this land that was built by slaves, a land that was built by indigenous people, a land that was built by workers, are you prepared to defend this land? The people, united, will always prevail.”
He turned back to Trump: “I need you all to stand firm, to stand strong if this president decides to continue to break this Constitution, it’s gonna be the labor movement that stitches it back together, the labor movement that brings black folks, white folks, Asians; it brings brown folks together. This is a city that said, ‘Keep hope alive,’ the city that birthed, ‘Yes we can,’ and the city that will defend this country.”
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134530741891730">Truth Social</a>:
<blockquote>
At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134772860379495">added</a>, &#8220;CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgEM6_uu_ww?si=7Cw08hpg4x00jR0a" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></blockquote>

Labor Day Rally And March Held In Chicago

Chicago Mayor Calls On Organized Labor To ‘Defend’ City From Trump

Brandon Johnson

Labor Unions

A trans-identifying gunman who shot up a Catholic school’s church this week blamed transgenderism, weed, and his mother’s disapproval for his mental illness, according to newly uncovered writings.
Robin Westman, who legally changed his name from Robert in 2020 after he began identifying as female, said the way his mother handled his transgender identity made him want to kill people, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/29/us-news/minneapolis-gunman-robin-westman-blamed-massacre-on-mom-warning-him-not-to-change-gender-and-discouraged-people-from-letting-their-kids-transition/">New York Post</a>, which translated Westman’s writings from a mixture of Cyrillic characters and English phonetic words. Westman wrote about his transgender identity, weed use, and his mother in a journal entry dated July 1.
“Your words, mother, made me stay in my discomfort unable to ask for help to avoid admitting defeat. You were right mama, but the way you handled it led me to wanting to kill so so many people,” Westman wrote.
“When I was first out to my mother, she was VERY antagonistic. She really made me hate myself and think I will never be good enough,” he wrote. “I remember one day, she said something like, ‘In the future you will look back and feel ridiculous about who you feel like you are inside. You will regret this.’&#8221;
“Well guess what mom?! I regret being born,” he said.
He blamed transgenderism and constant weed use for severe mental illness, and he expressed regret for his adoption of both.
“Gender and weed f***ed up my head,” Westman wrote. “I wish I never tried experimenting with either. Don’t let your kids smoke weed or change gender until they are like seventeen.”
Westman, 23, targeted the church at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning, firing through the church’s windows from a parking lot while students from the school attended mass. Westman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bright-joyful-and-deeply-loved-parents-mourn-children-killed-in-catholic-school-attack">killed</a> two students, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, and wounded 18 others. The shooter died after turning his gun on himself.
The gunman left behind numerous writings, videos, and other communications that include deeply troubling and hateful thoughts and intentions. Westman directed strong feelings at Christians, Jews, and President Donald Trump, but also at himself and his transgender identity.
“I only keep [long hair] because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself,” Westman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wish-i-never-brain-washed-myself-minnesota-school-shooter-said-he-was-tired-of-being-trans">wrote</a>.
“I can’t cut my hair now as it would be [an] embarrassing defeat, and it might be a concerning change of character that could get me reported,” he added. “It just always gets in my way. I will probably chop it on the day of the attack.”
Westman changed his name from Robert to Robin in 2020 at the age of 17. His mother, Mary Grace Westman, signed the official papers.

Annunciation Catholic Church

More Of Minnesota Shooter’s Writings Uncovered: ‘Gender And Weed F***ed Up My Head’

Annunciation Catholic School

Minnesota

School Shooting

The FBI arrested a 22-year-old on Thursday for threatening to kill Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) earlier this year. 
The Justice Department accused Penelope Convertino, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, of leaving a voice mail message at Blackburn’s Nashville office threatening to shoot the senator on May 30. Convertino has been charged with making a threat to murder a federal official with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere. 
“Our public officials should be able to do their jobs without receiving vile death threats,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/murfreesboro-woman-charged-threat-murder-united-states-senator-marsha-blackburn">said</a> Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “Threatening public officials with deadly violence cannot and will not be tolerated. We will not hesitate to hold those who make these kinds of violent threats accountable for their crimes.”
According to the Justice Department, Convertino’s voice mail said: “My name is mother**ker and I’m gonna kill Marsha Blackburn. I’m gonna shoot her with a gun. I’m gonna blow up her head on national TV,” Convertino said, according to the Justice Department. “She will literally have brains splattered behind her because she will not be a person. She will be a dead f**king body.”
If convicted, Convertino could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. 
Blackburn, who is running for governor of Tennessee, expressed gratitude to federal investigators. 
“Threats against the life of any public official are unacceptable and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” she <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/woman-charged-alleged-threat-blackburn/">told</a> local outlet WKRN. “I am grateful to law enforcement and federal prosecutors in the Middle District of Tennessee for taking this threat seriously and for their swift action. My focus remains on serving the people of Tennessee, and I will not be intimidated or deterred by those who seek to silence me.”
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Republican Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) criticized the FBI, <a href="https://x.com/timburchett/status/1961433462079889900">saying</a> it took far too long to make an arrest in the case.
“Someone threatens [Blackburn’s] life and it takes the [FBI] 3 months to arrest the dirtbag?! That’s a problem,” he posted on X. 
Blackburn, who was re-elected to a second Senate term in 2024, will face off against Republican Rep. John Rose in the August 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.

Senate Lawmakers Return To Work On Capitol Hill After Weekend

FBI Nabs Suspect Over Chilling Threat To Assassinate Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Department of Justice

Marsha Blackburn

Nashville

Tennessee

The two children killed by a trans-identifying shooter who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday were identified by their families as 8-year-old Fletcher Alexander Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Lillian Moyski.
The parents of both Merkel and Moyski shared statements on Thursday, addressing the shooting and reflecting on the lives of their children who were mercilessly taken from them, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/names-of-children-killed-in-annunciation-shooting-released/">reported</a>.
&#8220;Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming,&#8221; the Merkel family said in a statement. &#8220;Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play. While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim&#8217;s family can find some semblance of the same.&#8221;
The statement was read by Merkel&#8217;s father, Jesse, at a press conference on Thursday.
In a statement on Moyski, her family remembered her &#8220;laughter, kindness, and spirit&#8221; that they said &#8220;touched everyone who knew her.&#8221;
&#8220;We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting. Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper&#8217;s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.&#8221;
Both families asked for privacy as they continue to grieve their tragic losses. The Merkel family added that they hope to set up a scholarship in Fletcher&#8217;s name.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The parents of the two children killed in the Annunciation Catholic School shooting spoke out on Thursday, with one father urging others to &#8220;give your kids an extra hug&#8221; as he remembered his son, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. <a href="https://t.co/DXbYjfmnYk">https://t.co/DXbYjfmnYk</a> <a href="https://t.co/1MBxAnplMc">pic.twitter.com/1MBxAnplMc</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1961206662091755792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is Harper Moyski.
Just 10-years-old, she was one of the kids killed at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Her parents: “Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.” <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOX9</a> <a href="https://t.co/F2n1qAQWe8">pic.twitter.com/F2n1qAQWe8</a>
— Chenue Her (@ChenueHer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChenueHer/status/1961197043504066696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The gunman, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, wounded 18 other people — including 15 children — when he attacked the Catholic school. Authorities initially said 17 people were injured, but on Thursday, they said that one more child had been taken to the hospital in a private vehicle after the shooting. All of the wounded children are expected to survive, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O&#8217;Hara.

Minneapolis, Minnesota mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, School

‘Bright, Joyful, And Deeply Loved’: Parents Mourn Children Killed In Catholic School Attack

Mass Shooting

Minneapolis

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