Axios reporter Alex Thompson was recognized on Saturday by the White House Correspondents Association, receiving the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence for his work in exposing how President Joe Biden&#8217;s &#8220;cognitive decline was impacting his ability to do his job — information the White House tried to conceal.&#8221;
Moderator and host of NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; Kristen Welker presented the award to Thompson — who co-authored a book on Biden&#8217;s decline with CNN anchor Jake Tapper — prompting critics to point out the fact that Biden&#8217;s decline had been obvious long before his disastrous CNN debate against President Donald Trump and long before Thompson published a single report on the topic.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexThomp</a>: &#8220;President Biden&#8217;s decline and its coverup by the people around him is a reminder that every White House regardless of party is capable of deception&#8230;We, myself included, missed a lot of this story and some people trust us less because of it.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whcd?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#whcd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nerdprom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nerdprom</a> <a href="https://t.co/L9CtbB3HIZ">pic.twitter.com/L9CtbB3HIZ</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1916313933394178387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;President Biden&#8217;s decline and its coverup by the people around him is a reminder that every White House regardless of party is capable of deception. But being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story and some people trust us less because of it,&#8221; Thompson said, suggesting that the blame for the coverup lay entirely with the Biden administration and that the press had been in the dark.
&#8220;We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows,&#8221; Thompson conceded, adding that honesty was required in order to rebuild trust. He went on to say that was doubly important because in the current climate, &#8220;people are struggling to figure out what&#8217;s true, and people with power are not telling the truth.&#8221;
&#8220;Alex and every single journalist cashing in on these sudden deceptive revelations has yet to explain this photograph,&#8221; Stephen L. Miller posted, sharing a picture of a Biden press briefing &#8220;cheat sheet&#8221; — complete with the reporter&#8217;s photo, name pronunciation key, and the question she was supposed to ask.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Alex and every single journalist cashing in on these sudden deceptive revelations has yet to explain this photograph. <a href="https://t.co/QkdNeszKBg">pic.twitter.com/QkdNeszKBg</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1916322801322991692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Why is it that everyone in America, if not the world, didn’t miss this story, but the one group of people who should have reported it (journalists), didn’t?&#8221; another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Why is it that everyone in America, if not the world, didn’t miss this story, but the one group of people who should have reported it (journalists), didn’t?
&mdash; Burt Macklin (@BurtMaclin_FBI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BurtMaclin_FBI/status/1916318937077219560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;@kwelkernbc you all didn’t &#8216;miss&#8217; the story. You consciously chose to cover it up. The latter is much worse and one of many reasons you’ve completely lost public trust,&#8221; another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/kwelkernbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kwelkernbc</a> you all didn’t “miss” the story. 
You consciously chose to cover it up.
The latter is much worse and one of many reasons you’ve completely lost public trust.
&mdash; IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) <a href="https://twitter.com/ITGuy1959/status/1916479018846634034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Hey @kwelkernbcnews, are you familiar with @nbcnews?&#8221; Larry O&#8217;Connor asked, sharing an NBC News headline that read, &#8220;Misleading GOP videos of Biden are going viral. The fact-checks have trouble keeping up.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/kwelkernbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kwelkernbc</a>, are you familiar with <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCNews</a>? <a href="https://t.co/xTfhIRqeWp">https://t.co/xTfhIRqeWp</a> <a href="https://t.co/yBahvyWeOD">pic.twitter.com/yBahvyWeOD</a>
— L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarryOConnor/status/1916466070723891425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It. Wasn’t. &#8216;Deception.&#8217; YEARS before Alex hitched his wagon to Jake Tapper to sell books, I wrote entire one in 2022 on Biden’s brain turning to applesauce. Enough of this ridiculous narrative already of the press playing the victim of being deceived. YOU ALL KNEW,&#8221; Joe Concha declared.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It. Wasn’t. “Deception.” 
YEARS before Alex hitched his wagon to Jake Tapper to sell books, I wrote entire one in 2022 on Biden’s brain turning to applesauce. 
Enough of this ridiculous narrative already of the press playing the victim of being deceived. YOU ALL KNEW. <a href="https://t.co/sPq0pKFRjG">https://t.co/sPq0pKFRjG</a> <a href="https://t.co/PJjwL9hNXz">pic.twitter.com/PJjwL9hNXz</a>
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1916467497403899965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;

G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio De Janeiro

Irony Meters Explode Over Award Presented At WHCD — And What It Was For

Axios

Debate

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Media

Politics

White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Buckley vs. Vidal. Frost Vs. Nixon.
Smith vs. Murray?
Everyone is still talking about the extended debate between Libertarian comic Dave Smith and author Douglas Murray on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
The Spotify superstar set the chat in motion, knowing the two had extremely different views that would make for a compelling exchange. It’s a sad sign of the times when a debate between two well-meaning adults is increasingly rare in pop culture.
The chat did more than let both pundits share their views. It reminded Rogan of an old saw that Uncle Ben taught a budding web-slinger long ago.
With great power comes great responsibility.
<div id="attachment_909815" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6kirkSwTg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909815" class="size-large wp-image-909815" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-23-PM-2662-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com</div>
The underlying message in the chat? Rogan’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6kirkSwTg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hugely popular show</a> has been letting some cranks share his podcast microphone. That might not have mattered a few years ago, but now “The Joe Rogan Experience” has the power to shape the political landscape.
Many pundits suggest Donald Trump’s appearance on the show, along with Kamala Harris’ unwillingness to do the same, played a role in the real estate mogul’s victory.
Letting “historians” in Rogan’s studio who resist that label, spread erroneous facts, and refuse to take on their critics, may not be the best way to flex his podcast muscle.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rogan</a> has played podcast footsie with conspiracy monger Alex Jones for some time. Now, he’s expanding that practice to the format’s detriment. Think Ian Carroll and Darryl Cooper as two recent examples.
The latter called Winston Churchill, <a href="https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/cooper-koureas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The chief villain of World War II.”</a>
“I feel you’ve opened the door to quite a lot of people who now got a big platform, who have been throwing out counter-historical stuff of a very dangerous kind,” Murray said early in the conversation. “These guys are not historians. They’re not knowledgeable about anything.”
“I just think, ‘I’d like to talk to that person.&#8217;” Rogan said of his guest choice.
The far-Left Hollywood Reporter, sensing a weakness in Rogan’s podcasting armor, called the podcaster’s recent tilt, “Dangerous.” That’s overstating it, but <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/joe-rogan-douglas-murray-podcast-1236192416/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it’s neither healthy nor helpful.</a>
A week later, Darryl Cooper arrived to perform his act, which can be described as offering outrageous provocations he then half walks back so he can repeat them all again tomorrow. In September, Cooper had appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast to say that Churchill was the real villain in World War II and that Nazis didn’t want to kill Jews in concentration camps; Jews only “ended up dead” because Germany didn’t have the resources to take care of them.
Murray and Smith didn’t name call or insult one another during the often-tense exchange. Rogan proved an avuncular host, trying to keep the parties on an even keel. The two sparred over foreign policy, the Ukraine war, and, most passionately, the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Murray’s silky-smooth delivery and impeccable grasp of the facts mattered. Smith brought an Everyman’s perspective to the party, often appearing overmatched in the dustup.
<div id="attachment_909817" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909817" class="size-large wp-image-909817" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-13-PM-5832-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com</div>
Who “won” depends partly on who you were rooting for prior to the exchange. Both landed some blows, from Murray detailing the horrors of October 7 to Smith sharing the devastation in Gaza from the extended conflict.
It’s increasingly rare to watch these kinds of debates play out on the pop culture landscape. Hollywood’s near total domination by the Left means there’s little appetite for these healthy exchanges. 
Consider today’s late-night hosts. They all sing from the same progressive hymnal and invite progressive guests on to nod along with the audience. The host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” just raged against President Donald Trump in a Rolling Stone interview. Here’s part of his <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jimmy-kimmel-trump-late-night-future-interview-1235315906/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jeremiad against all things GOP</a>.
&#8220;There’s no decency. It’s just a bunch of animals [emphasis added], and it’s disgusting… I mean, on the Fourth of July, I still put up a flag, and I’m never going to stop doing that, because I’m never going to let them have that symbol.&#8221;
Does that sound like someone willing to host a free and fair debate on his platform? Why can’t Kimmel invite someone like Dr. Jordan Peterson or Greg Gutfeld on his show for a civil conversation? It would make for compelling TV and might boost the show’s ratings.
Plus, audiences might take away something valuable from it beyond demonizing those with whom they disagree. It’s increasingly clear folks on the Left aren’t interested in that kind of exchange.
There is an exception, though. Classical liberal Bill Maher, both on his HBO talk show and “Club Random” podcast, routinely invites Right-leaning guests to talk out their differences. Think Dave Rubin, Kid Rock, and actor Zachary Levi, to name just three.
<div id="attachment_909819" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909819" class="size-large wp-image-909819" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: YouTube/Club Random Podcast. " width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-36-PM-7260-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: YouTube/Club Random Podcast.</div>
Rogan probably didn’t like to hear someone like Murray, well-regarded in many circles, dressing him down on his own show. He needed to hear it all the same. It’s reminiscent of another pivotal moment from the show’s past.
Rogan invited then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on his show for what appeared to be a tepid chat that let Dorsey slink away from his platform’s censorious ways. Rogan got an earful from his fans who felt he had let the CEO off too easily. So he invited Dorsey back on the show, but brought backup.
He added journalist gadfly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZCBRHOg3PQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Pool to the conversation</a>. Pool brought some unflattering receipts, and the exchange proved far more illuminating than the first interview.
Perhaps Rogan needed a reminder of why his show matters and the consequences of having one of the biggest podcasts in the country.
Uncle Ben would be proud if he took that lesson seriously.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073

Joe Rogan’s Smith-Murray Debate Shows The Power And Risk Of Platforming

comedian

Conservatives

Douglas Murray

Entertainment

Joe Rogan

Libertarian Party

Podcast

Pro-Israel

Pro-Palestinian

Spotify

Ukraine-Russia War

Winston Churchill

World War II

YouTube

The following essay was originally published on Andrew Klavan&#8217;s Substack, &#8220;<a href="https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com/p/essay-12-weve-won-what-now">The New Jerusalem</a>.&#8221;
The night Donald Trump won re-election, a sense of sweet peace settled over me. It had little to do with politics, little even to do with Trump himself. Trump is, to be sure, a titanic figure, a living avatar of our age, for good and sometimes ill. No other man I know of could have manifested the inner iron required to defy the entrenched powers and withstand their tidal onslaught of abuse and deceit.
But his fight was not my fight, and his victory was just a symbol of my victory. I have only ever been a novelist, a storytelling artist. I drifted into political commentary when, after seven years as an expatriate, I returned to an America whose foundational ideas had been gutted by a corrupted culture. Our universities were infested with leftist theorists who worked to smother the voices of the sages they were meant to teach. Our news media was biased to the point of corruption. And our entertainment media was using every pop icon from Superman to Snow White as a propagandist for perversion, racialism, and Western self-hatred.
When, barely a year after my return, a group of Islamist murderers attacked the city of my birth, slaughtering three thousand civilians in the name of their hateful god — and when, in response, our professors and journalists and entertainers quivered with philosophical nuance, wondering aloud what the naughty U.S. had done to bring this atrocity upon itself — and when the film industry in which I worked began churning out movies about evil G.I.’s and CIA agents tormenting and oppressing innocent Muslims in their cherubic multicultural piety — I saw no other honorable course but to write and speak about these moral distortions.
I believe, though I can’t prove, that this decision cost me my multi-million dollar career as a screenwriter and my place of respect in the literary world I love. All I know for sure is that the phone calls from Hollywood and the awards and raves from New York vanished in a startling flash.
Nevertheless, I persisted. And over the next twenty years or so, I watched as entrepreneurs like Andrew Breitbart, Jeremy Boreing, Bari Weiss and Elon Musk organized scattered and lonesome rebels like myself into an internet militia which, like our revolutionary forefathers, could pop out of cover and take potshots at the goose-stepping legions of the empire of lies.
To me, Trump’s victory meant simply this: we beat them. Skirmish by skirmish, we exposed their oppressive philosophies, their abuses of power, and their ceaselessly dishonest mangling of history, news and national mythology. When they slandered Trump as Hitler, when they indicted him on wholly bogus charges, when they created movies and TV shows and novels singing the praises of government power and idiot utopianism, we shot them down one by one until half the electorate felt bold enough to reject them.
The day was ours.
So … What now?
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1213-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
The losers, of course, must pass through the seven stages of grief: anger, whining, blaming everyone but themselves, more whining, denial, denial, denial. Who knows if they will ever face the facts? Their philosophy was false; their policies failed; they lied and censored in an effort to maintain their power and prestige; the rotten structure collapsed on their heads. End of story.
The victorious entrepreneurs, having done the negative work of debunking the opposition’s lies, must now build the structures for the positive business of truth-telling: unbiased journalism, the creation of high and popular art, and the infrastructure of commentary, appreciation, reviews and awards.
But I remain what I always was: a barefoot teller of tales. For me, there is only one question. What do I want to write about next?
The answer is this: I want to explore the nature of God.
Over these past twenty years or so, it has become increasingly clear to me that our worst problems have their sources in unbelief. Our centuries-long drift away from Christian faith — what Nietzsche called the death of God — is, as Nietzsche predicted it would be, at the heart of our catastrophe.
Most often, it manifests itself in one of three forms. Materialism, the idea that spiritual problems can be solved by physical means. Misogyny, devaluing women as women — as wives, homemakers and mothers who excel outside masculine power structures. And antisemitism, the hatred of Jews, which as I explained in a previous essay, is really a disguised hatred of one Jew, namely Jesus Christ. Examine our most entrenched dysfunctions — the dearth of children, degrading promiscuity and perversion, government redistribution of wealth, censorship and authoritarianism, drug abuse both lay and medical, the sexual butchering of the young, the atrocity of abortion, the snarling cruelty and ignorance of our debates — and you can trace them back to one of these three manifestations of our faithlessness.
But the truth is, just as we have won the political argument, this argument too is already over.
“Something profound is happening,” writes Peter Savodnik in the Free Press. “Instead of smirking at religion, some of our most important philosophers, novelists, and public intellectuals are now reassessing their contempt for it.” Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers, reads the Wall Street Journal headline. The sales spiked 22% in a year.
The revival of the intelligentsia — which I’ve predicted for over a decade — has begun.
As in the political sphere, our job is no longer to debunk the non-believers, it is to rediscover what it means to believe. The ancient and medieval wisdoms and orthodoxies are important, but there are more basic questions that have to be answered before thinking non-believers can even put their toe in those deep waters. Plus, old language may not always suffice in our new scientific and technological world.
As <a href="https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Jerusalem</a> enters a new year and, I hope, a new era, I would like to propose some topics for open discussion.
<h3>Heart vs. Mind</h3>
Science, technology and capitalism are so responsive to the work of intellection that they have lifted reason above its station. GK Chesterton was right when he said, “The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”
Conversely, prophets, artists, and mystics are frequently not the most intellectual of men. They possess a wholeness of perception that reveals the world to them with an immediacy that can only be communicated by parable, art, and praxis.
When we look at Jesus honestly, we find he too is vastly bigger than our theologies. His presence cannot be reduced to rules and philosophies. We must renew the rituals and practices that can re-open our eyes to a love beyond reason.
<h3>Inside vs. Out</h3>
For centuries, materialist thinkers have sought to find the source of spiritual reality within the mind of man. Whether it was a Freudian understanding of God as a psychic projection of our fathers, the Jungian dodge of a “collective unconscious,” or an image of the evolved brain as a generator of false perceptions, the basic idea was that spiritual truth is a psychic creation rather than an outward reality.
Not so. We see God through a glass darkly, but his incarnation in Christ is proof that what we see is really there. What should we believe, then, about God’s actions on earth? The reality of angels and demons? The efficacy of prayer? How can we discuss this without descending into either superstition or rationalism?
<h3>Symbol vs. Reality</h3>
The thesis of all religion is that there is an invisible reality that our world reveals and symbolizes. Transcendental values like love, justice and mercy must be made manifest in human word and deed. But what are the limits? It’s lovely to say a husband and wife represent Christ and the church, but is that what he’s thinking when he’s chasing her around the bedroom? (I hope not!)
While living into transcendentals can elevate our behavior, inhuman restrictions based on metaphor can be immiserating, inflame doctrinal hatred and give fuel to the arguments of unbelievers. Can we discuss ecumenicism, interfaith cooperation, and various other species of tolerance and deviance without either moral surrender or bullying self-certainty?
<h3>Orthodoxy vs. Individuality</h3>
A church without orthodoxy is Satan’s sandbox. Orthodoxy creates the image of the spiritual kingdom to which we are responsible. But each person’s journey to that kingdom is unique and may take them through territory of which church orthodoxy disapproves. Can we allow the beauty of the single soul to thrive in a church of true faith?
I’ve given up much to speak my mind. Money and prestige and career dreams. All things of value, make no mistake. My peaceful sense of victory now is gratifying. But the destruction of lies is not the triumph of the truth, and it’s on the truth that the reclamation of our culture depends. Our enemy counts on us to defend our faith with rigidity, belligerence and cruelty. Give us vision, open minds and loving hearts, and we will watch him fall like lightning.
* * *
Read the full post on Andrew Klavan’s new Substack “<a href="https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com/p/essay-12-weve-won-what-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Jerusalem</a>,” where he and son Spencer Klavan chart an alternative path toward life in the 21st century and beyond.
* * *
Andrew Klavan is the host of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>” at The Daily Wire. He is the bestselling author of the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fourth installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613165536?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_thcv_3&amp;storeType=ebooks">A WOMAN UNDERGROUND</a>,” is now available. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Klavan_10-scaled (1)4

We’ve Won. Now What?

We've Won. Now What?

2024 Election

Andrew Klavan

Bible

Christianity

Opinion

Religion

Spencer Klavan

New Hampshire GOP Congressional candidate National Security Advisor Lily Tang Williams wrecked Democratic candidate Maggie Goodlander, the wife of President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, after Goodlander accused Williams of embracing policies that gave a “break for the wealthiest.”
Lily Tang Williams, 60, is a lawyer who fled communist China <a href="applewebdata://DA670680-ACB2-4AB0-9146-1D4CC69ACA3E/v">with only $100 in her pocket</a> and became a U.S. citizen in 1994; she married her husband John Williams in 1990. Goodlander, 38, came from the “politically connected Tampsoi family of Nashua,” The New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism <a href="https://indepthnh.org/2024/10/31/polar-opposite-candidates-goodlander-and-tang-williams-debate-for-congressional-district-2-seat/">noted</a>. The two candidates are vying for the seat in the Granite State&#8217;s Second Congressional District.
“This is a worldview that my opponent has embraced,” Goodlander, a Democrat, accused. “She believes that we should give a break to the wealthiest and the biggest corporations and hope for the best; hope that the results will trickle down to hard-working people. I take a very different approach; I believe that the middle class deserves a tax-cut, and I believe that we will do a lot for this country by ensuring that we don’t continue this disastrous tax policy.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
“You are wealthy,” Williams retorted. “You are worth 20 to 30 million dollars. How do you know about regular people’s suffering? Do you go shopping, go to Walmart, buy food? I talk to those people. And you pretend to be a renter in Nashua, a few months ago, move back to run for this open seat with millions of dollars from Washington D.C. insiders. And the millions and millions of dollars. I don&#8217;t have money to run a TV ad and you pretend you are poor, complain rent is so high? You couldn’t save that apartment for other people to rent in Nashua. Just go back to your $2M home in Portsmouth. Please don’t say that because you do not understand regular people’s concerns. People cry in my arms &#8230;”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan&#39;s wife gets absolutely bodied after she accused Republican Lily Tang Williams of just wanting to help the rich.
Maggie Goodlander: &quot;My opponent believes we should give a break to the wealthiest.&quot;
Lily Tang: &quot;You are wealthy. You are worth… <a href="https://t.co/93jG7al3vt">pic.twitter.com/93jG7al3vt</a>
&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1852761791711076536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
The New Hampshire Journal <a href="https://nhjournal.com/goodlander-throws-hat-and-maiden-name-into-dem-primary-ring/">reported</a> in May of Sullivan and Goodlander, “The two own a home in Portsmouth — which is not in the district. But she told the Left-leaning Boston Globe that she just signed a lease for a home in Nashua. ‘I am a renter, and there should be more renters in Congress,’ she said.”
The New Hampshire Journal added:
<blockquote>
“Cosplaying as a humble ‘renter’ when she owns millions of dollars worth of homes outside of the district — and even owns interests in a golf course in Florida — is not the best way to win over savvy New Hampshire voters who can smell bullshit a mile away,” a longtime New Hampshire Democratic activist said.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/house/general/2024/new-hampshire/district-2/goodlander-vs-tang-williams">Polls</a> show Goodlander with an 11-12 point lead.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

GOP House Candidate Who Fled China Wrecks Biden’s NSA Advisor’s Wife During Debate

Congress

Jake Sullivan

New Hampshire

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) hammered his leftist opponent, Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), over issues ranging from protecting girls&#8217; and women&#8217;s sports to supporting Israel during a debate on Tuesday night.
Democrats hope to take over a Senate seat from Cruz and Republicans in 2024, which would be a huge upset for Democrats in an election where Republicans are <a href="https://www.270towin.com/2024-senate-election/cook-political-report-2024-senate">favored</a> to win a majority in the Senate. Cruz, seeking his third term, leads Allred, a former NFL linebacker, in the polls by an average of 4 points, according to <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2024/texas/cruz-vs-allred" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a>.
During the debate, Allred called the focus on women&#8217;s and girls&#8217; sports a &#8220;Hail Mary&#8221; attempt by Republicans. Allred pointed to his fatherhood and Christian faith, claiming he does not support boys competing in girls&#8217; sports. Cruz, however, blasted Allred over his record of support for boys competing in girl&#8217;s sports.
As a congressman, Allred voted against the &#8220;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023</a>,&#8221; a Republican-supported bill that would have prohibited &#8220;school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.&#8221; The legislation passed the House, but the vote was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-dem-blocks-bill-save-womens-sports-tuberville-quick-passage">blocked</a> by a Democrat in the Senate.
He also voted in favor of the leftist &#8220;Equality Act,&#8221; a bill that prohibited discrimination based on &#8220;sexual orientation&#8221; or &#8220;gender identity.&#8221; The bill was never brought up in the Senate.
&#8220;Let&#8217;s just talk about his voting record &#8230; four times, he has come out for men playing in women&#8217;s sports, for boys playing in girls&#8217; sports,&#8221; Cruz said.
&#8220;There was a bill, it was a very simple bill, it was narrowly defined. It was protecting women&#8217;s and girls&#8217; sports. He voted &#8216;no,'&#8221; Cruz added. &#8220;The only issue on that bill was whether biological boys should compete against our daughters. That&#8217;s not fair.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨Colin Allred responds to attacks on his record supporting males competing in women&#39;s sports: &quot;I&#39;m a Christian, of course I don&#39;t support these ridiculous things.&quot;
FACT CHECK: Pants on fire👖🔥
Ted Cruz brings the receipts: Allred voted against a bill to prevent males from… <a href="https://t.co/nwKOtUcfPa">pic.twitter.com/nwKOtUcfPa</a>
&mdash; Tyler O&#39;Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tyler2ONeil/status/1846353536793104501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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At another point of the debate, Allred called Cruz &#8220;a threat to democracy&#8221; for objecting to certifying the 2020 election results from Arizona. Allred also <a href="https://x.com/ColinAllredTX/status/1846349831951786128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused</a> on January 6 and touted the endorsement he received from former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney.
Cruz shot back, saying Allred&#8217;s voting record is &#8220;radical and extreme.&#8221;
&#8220;You want to talk about threats to democracy. Let&#8217;s take the vote that just happened a few weeks ago on the floor of the House: the Save Act,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;The Save Act provided that in order to register to vote, you gotta prove that you&#8217;re an American citizen. Congressman Allred voted &#8216;no.&#8217; Eleven-and-a-half million illegal immigrants have come into this country under Kamala Harris and Collin Allred&#8217;s open border policies, and Congressman Allred votes &#8216;no&#8217; to protecting our elections and ensuring that people don&#8217;t vote illegally.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
&#8220;That is a threat to democracy,&#8221; Cruz added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Ted Cruz&#8217;s opponent called him a &#8220;threat to democracy,&#8221; but Cruz immediately flipped the script by pointing out that the real threats to democracy are Democrats who voted to allow noncitizens to vote in elections
&#8220;Congressman Allred votes no to protecting our elections and… <a href="https://t.co/dmVAyTDoHw">pic.twitter.com/dmVAyTDoHw</a>
— George (@BehizyTweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BehizyTweets/status/1846371136684052955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Cruz also hit Allred over his position on the Israel-Hamas war, calling the issue &#8220;one of the clearest differences&#8221; between their records.
&#8220;I am proud to stand with Israel. Our position should be that America stands unshakeably with Israel,&#8221; Cruz remarked, adding, &#8220;Congressman Allred has consistently lined up against Israel. At the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, he urged them to send money to Gaza even though it would go to Hamas. He has supported Kamala Harris and Joe Biden flowing over $100 billion to Iran — 90 percent of the funding for Hamas and Hezbollah comes from Iran.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I am proud to stand unshakably with Israel.
I was there the day we opened the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
Sadly, Colin Allred has consistently opposed Israel. He urged the administration to send money to Gaza even though he knew it would flow to Hamas. <a href="https://t.co/e0j82uVeBV">pic.twitter.com/e0j82uVeBV</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1846350059388203191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Ted Cruz/Colin Allred

Ted Cruz Blasts His Dem Opponent’s ‘Radical And Extreme’ Record During Debate

Ted Cruz Blasts His Dem Opponent's 'Extreme' Record During Debate

Elections

Ted Cruz

Texas

U.S. Senate

Women Sports

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fox-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> has reached out to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to give them one more chance to debate days before the election.
Fox News Media <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-media-proposes-trump-harris-presidential-debate-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Wednesday that it has offered the presidential candidates a chance to debate in Pennsylvania on either Thursday, October 24, or Sunday, October 27. The news channel said that Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate the debate.
&#8220;This would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments,&#8221; said Fox News Media President &amp; Executive Editor Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker.
As of Wednesday afternoon, neither candidate had publicly agreed to either of the debate dates proposed by Fox News. Trump will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-hold-major-rally-at-nycs-madison-square-garden-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27.
In their comments, Wallace and Loker pointed to New York Times Opinion Senior Editor David Swerdlick calling for Harris to debate Trump on Fox News.
&#8220;She’s made strategic appearances on the podcasts &#8216;Call Her Daddy&#8217; and &#8216;All the Smoke.&#8217; Her new direct-to-camera ad is strong,&#8221; Swerdlick <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/02/opinion/kamala-debate-fox-news.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in an opinion piece published on Tuesday. &#8220;But she hasn’t made her closing argument yet. And the best way for her to do that is in another debate. To persuade Donald Trump to join her, she should offer to hold that debate on Fox News.&#8221;
Harris did not agree to debate Trump on Fox News on <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-kamala-harris-debate-fox-news-abc-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">September 4</a>. The September 4 debate was initially scheduled to take place between Trump and President Joe Biden on ABC until Biden dropped out of the race following his disastrous debate against Trump on June 27.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Two days after Trump and Harris met for the first time on the debate stage, the Republcian nominee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-declares-he-wont-debate-kamala-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he would not debate Harris again.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’ Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113126153368079486" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
Shortly after the vice presidential debate last week, the Harris campaign <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/too-far-down-the-line-trump-again-rebuffs-kamalas-push-for-another-debate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that &#8220;the American people deserve to see her and Trump on the debate stage one more time.&#8221; Trump again shot down Harris&#8217; attempts to hold another presidential debate, saying, “Lyin’ Kamala just put out a request for another Debate because they lost so badly tonight – Again, it’s like the fighter who lost, gets up and says, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.'&#8221;
&#8220;I beat Biden, I then beat her, and I’m not looking to do it again, too far down the line,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Votes are already cast &#8211; And I’m leading BIG in the Polls. I’ll MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, she’s incapable of it!&#8221;

Donald Trump/Kamala Harris

Fox News Proposes Two Dates For Trump-Harris Debate Days Before Election

Fox News

Kamala Harris

On Tuesday night, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance turned in a stellar debate performance while Tim Walz fell flat on his face like the sitcom clown dad that he is. 
The expectations for Vance were very high; he had to overcome that bar.
And he did it with alacrity.
Vance turned in one of the best Republican debate performances I&#8217;ve ever seen. The only one of the 21st century that even comes close to matching it was Mitt Romney&#8217;s first debate performance against Barack Obama.
In terms of optics, Vance accomplished his mission. His mission was to create a palatable method for swing voters to look at the Trump-Vance ticket and not see chaos.
There&#8217;s a reason that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz immediately made Vance the centerpiece of their campaign for the White House when he was picked. They tried to depict him as “weird.” It was the buzzword that the Harris-Walz campaign used as soon as Trump selected Vance.
It was always a strange word to use because, of the four presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Vance is the most normal by far. He’s happily married, has kids, went to a good school, made a good living, and is now a senator from Ohio.
There&#8217;s nothing abnormal about Vance. But the goal for the Democrats is to paint the Trump-Vance ticket as “weird” and, therefore, out of bounds and unpalatable to vote for the Republicans.
Vance not only showed he is normal, but he also showed that he has a very high IQ. He wasn&#8217;t just fighting Walz last night on that debate stage. He was also fighting the moderators, Norah O&#8217;Donnell and Margaret Brennan, the latter of whom was absolute trash. Every question directed at Vance came from the perspective of a person who wants Trump-Vance to lose.
In addition, Vance was able to turn the false fact-checks around to slam the moderator and Walz.
Every time Walz tried to launch such an attack, Vance disarmed him. Watching Vance, you felt comfortable that he was going to give a good, solid answer on every question he was asked and that every attack would be turned away with a nuanced point of view.
Walz had some major mistakes, but is that really going to hurt Walz in any serious way? Not really. Everybody already understands he’s a goofball.
But Walz was not able to accomplish his purpose last night, which was to paint Trump and Vance as totally unpalatable.
Vance also did something I think is important for all Republicans to take note of. Yes, he was facing an entrenched opposition. Yes, he was facing an overwhelming barrage of questions from people who hate him and his opponent. But what did he do?
He succeeded anyway. This is what we should expect of our Republican candidates. Republicans have gotten used to the idea of victimhood because there are so many people who hate conservatives and who are willing to lie. Additionally, the media are constantly lying about the issues, and they&#8217;re constantly attacking whoever the Republican is.
For my entire lifetime, during the era of Bush, McCain, Romney, and Trump, the GOP has had the mindset of thinking the obstacles are insuperable; they can never overcome them.
But Vance showed that when you have a smart person on the stage, overcoming them and being victorious is absolutely possible.
One area I hoped Vance could have done a trifle more was to paint Harris-Walz as not just incompetent, but also so insanely radical you should not vote for them. He commented several times that he agreed with Walz on a particular point, which made the Harris-Walz ticket appear more moderate than they are.
But the overall impression from this debate was that Vance is really smart, really good at this, and one day might make a great president.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2060-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Earlier in the day, Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles at Israel. More Iranians were killed in the attack than Israelis because five Iranians apparently died on the ground in Iran when one of the missiles they were shooting blew up.
But it was still an act of war.
The Iranians fired an extraordinary amount of ordnance at Israel. They said they were targeting military bases, but a huge number of those missiles were directed at civilian areas. Israel, along with the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, shot down a lot of this ordnance.
So what is going to happen next?
Israel is going to retaliate. They&#8217;re not going to go quietly this time. They&#8217;re not going to “take the win,” as President Biden told them after the first launch of Iranian ballistic missiles at Israel in April. Biden “told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not join an offensive counter-strike on Iran should Israel choose that road after Tehran attacked it this weekend, according to two people familiar with the conversation,” Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/04/14/will-israel-heed-biden-and-take-the-win-00152137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> after the April attack. 
It&#8217;s all too likely that the Biden-Harris administration will tell Israel to limit its response; this has been their move from the start. But all that has done is lead to further escalation because it turns out that in the Middle East, there&#8217;s a very simple rule: Weakness leads to escalation. Period. 
Strength is what matters in the Middle East. Perception of strength is what matters in the Middle East. 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-netanyahu-says-iran-made-big-mistake-will-pay-2024-10-01/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> as much yesterday: “Iran made a big mistake tonight &#8211; and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
So what exactly could happen?
There&#8217;s a lot of talk about Israel striking Iranian oil fields and blowing up some of the oil refineries, which would totally shut down the Iranian economy. That would probably put the Iranian regime on its last legs because the Iranian people do not like the regime and they particularly don&#8217;t like starving under that regime. So that could be a serious problem for Iran. 
There&#8217;s also talk about Israel trying to strike Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities. Iran says the nuclear facilities are secure and safe. Israel might want to find out whether that is, in fact, true. 
The math after last night is very different in Israel. If there are nuclear tests on any of those cruise missiles and Israel has a window to significantly hamper or take out the Iranian nuclear facilities, they certainly ought to and probably will do it.
Palestinians were cheering the Iranian missiles. These are the supposed peace partners who Israel has been told to make concessions to; those are the people who Israel is supposed to help get a state in the middle of Israeli sovereign territory.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged what they called a “crushing response” if Israel retaliates, which likely means shooting more of those missiles. 
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said there would be severe consequences for Iran after the missile attack. We will see what consequences the Biden administration is thinking about because, as always, they are extremely weak-kneed about all of this.
<h4><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a></h4>
I doubt whether Israel is going to hold up for the Biden-Harris administration. It&#8217;s also possible that Israel&#8217;s made clear to the Biden administration they&#8217;re going to do what they want to do, and either the U.S. can get on board or they can get out of the way — which, by the way, would be the proper response when your sovereign country is attacked by 181 cruise missiles across borders in multiple countries. (The airspace of Jordan and Iraq was used in these attacks.)
Other sources have reported that if Israel attacks oil facilities in Iran, Iran will then escalate by attacking oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Azerbaijan, Kuwait and Bahrain. If Iran tried to spread this fire to Arab states, to the Sunni Arab nations, that would be the worst move they could possibly make because, at that point, the full Sunni/Israeli coalition, the full Abraham Accords coalition backed by the United States, would be on the move.
Iran keeps miscalculating, thinking that if they tug on Superman&#8217;s cape, they&#8217;re not going to get hit.
But that is not the way this is going to go down.

Vice Presidential Debate Between Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio)

Vance Destroys Walz, Iran Launches On Israel 

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

JD Vance

Republicans

Tim Walz

Vice President

As the debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz kicked off on Tuesday, many viewers noticed that Walz appeared nervous, struggling to get through his first answer with his eyes wide open. But according to a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/10/02/walz-vance-vp-debate-body-language-analysis-00182127" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO article</a> written by a &#8220;body language expert&#8221; on Wednesday, Walz&#8217;s &#8220;eyes wide as saucers&#8221; revealed intense &#8220;passion,&#8221; not edginess.
&#8220;When Walz felt especially passionate about something, he’d open his eyes wide as saucers,&#8221; Navarro wrote. &#8220;Eye-popping can sometimes be a sign of surprise, but for Walz, it simply revealed his emotional intensity.&#8221;
&#8220;Early humans would have made such facial gestures to communicate strong emotions, like &#8216;danger is close.&#8217; For Walz, it gave extra weight to his feelings and held our gaze,&#8221; he added.
Another &#8220;body language tell&#8221; mentioned in the POLITICO article was Vance&#8217;s beard, and Navarro wrote that &#8220;voters see beards as (surprise, surprise) more masculine.&#8221;
&#8220;That can be positive to some, reading as strength and competence. But to others, especially women, it can be negative, conveying aggression and opposition to feminist ideals,&#8221; he added.
Other body language the writer focused on included Vance&#8217;s hand gestures and frown, and Walz&#8217;s &#8220;furrowing&#8221; eyebrows and pointing at the camera. The article&#8217;s claim about Walz&#8217;s wide eyes gained the most attention on social media as conservatives blasted it.
&#8220;Politico doing Politico things. lol,&#8221; wrote Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Politico doing Politico things. lol. <a href="https://t.co/iI5H9k72vh">pic.twitter.com/iI5H9k72vh</a>
&mdash; Tyler Carditis (@TyCardon) <a href="https://twitter.com/TyCardon/status/1841519713093886272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;lol how is this real,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/JoelWBerry/status/1841519841376661675" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Babylon Bee Managing Editor Joel Berry.
&#8220;Hard to believe this publication once paid me to write for them,&#8221; BlazeTV host Steve Deace <a href="https://x.com/SteveDeaceShow/status/1841521865979838775" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Watch Tim Walz&#39;s eyes.
He&#39;s completely falling apart.
You can tell JD Vance knows it&#39;s happening!
🤣 <a href="https://t.co/S9zqnufaQh">pic.twitter.com/S9zqnufaQh</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1841291914118680703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Walz was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buffering-on-a-slow-wi-fi-connection-reactions-to-tim-walz-are-in-and-theyre-not-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> by political commentators for a shaky debate performance, with ABC&#8217;s Linsey Davis even comparing it to Joe Biden&#8217;s June 27 debate against Donald Trump.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
&#8220;It kind of reminded me of the June 27 debate when Kamala Harris that night said of Joe Biden, &#8216;It was a slow start but a strong finish.&#8217; And that&#8217;s how I felt Tim Walz kind of did tonight,&#8221; Davis said, adding, &#8220;There were some uncomfortable, some cringy moments.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ABC’s Linsey Davis likens Tim Walz’s debate performance with Biden’s debate performance. That’s how bad it was. Wow <a href="https://t.co/Vvs0Q0Cgin">pic.twitter.com/Vvs0Q0Cgin</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1841327818510123322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“I’ll say this for Walz, he has perfected a look of sheer terror and complete bafflement all at the same time,” CNN contributor Scott Jennings <a href="https://x.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1841308548375994829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1841308548375994829%7Ctwgr%5Ec69d8dad449ae4d42073b689c1cd9e690a7c29d5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fbuffering-on-a-slow-wi-fi-connection-reactions-to-tim-walz-are-in-and-theyre-not-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/benshapiro/status/1841287328259530968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1841287328259530968%7Ctwgr%5Ec69d8dad449ae4d42073b689c1cd9e690a7c29d5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fbuffering-on-a-slow-wi-fi-connection-reactions-to-tim-walz-are-in-and-theyre-not-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>, &#8220;Walz looks as though he&#8217;s been detained by a police officer for shoplifting.&#8221;

JD Vance And Tim Walz Face Off In Vice Presidential Debate In New York

Politico Claims ‘Walz’s Wide Eyes’ During Debate ‘Showed His Passion’

Politico Claims 'Walz's Wide Eyes' During Debate 'Showed His Passion'

Politico

For weeks, Democrats have been walking a fine line with regard to their assessment of the office of the vice president — specifically, whether that position is of the utmost importance or virtually inconsequential.
Then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) was hailed as a very important pick for President Joe Biden in 2020, mainly due to concerns about his age even then. But when Biden abruptly exited the 2024 presidential race in late July — by all accounts, a move that he did not make of his own volition — they were busy scrambling to pump up Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; resume, and they leaned into her experience working alongside Biden and often being the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-bragged-she-was-last-person-in-the-room-when-biden-decided-to-leave-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last person in the room</a>&#8221; when the major policy decisions were made.
But within a few weeks, when they realized just how unpopular a lot of Biden&#8217;s policies were, they switched footing and attempted to put <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/media-rallies-to-unburden-kamala-of-all-ties-to-biden-harris-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as much distance as possible</a> between her and the administration of which she had been a vital and vocal part — at least, until it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doug-emhoff-not-fair-to-criticize-kamala-harris-for-the-admins-failures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">politically damaging</a>.
When Harris selected Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate, Democrats pivoted once again to tout him as a major addition to the party&#8217;s 2024 ticket. But then he debated his Republican opponent, Senator JD Vance (R-OH).
Before the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-cuomo-torches-cbs-moderators-for-fact-checking-cutting-vances-mic-youre-the-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vice presidential debate</a> — which aired on Tuesday evening on CBS — was even over, Democrats were doing their best to spin what they must have believed was a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buffering-on-a-slow-wi-fi-connection-reactions-to-tim-walz-are-in-and-theyre-not-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">near-disaster</a> of a performance from their candidate. Once again, the role of the vice president was relegated to negligible at best as Democrats on X attempted to dismiss Walz&#8217;s obvious lack of command — over any major policy — from the debate stage.
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&#8220;I actually think most Americans fundamentally understand that the VP is not the President,&#8221; former Missouri Senator and MSNBC contributor Claire McCaskill posted.
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I actually think most Americans fundamentally understand that the VP is not the President.
&mdash; Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) <a href="https://twitter.com/clairecmc/status/1841303520655417476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Here&#8217;s the thing,&#8221; David Axelrod, a former Barack Obama advisor, added. &#8220;VPs don&#8217;t make policy. Presidents do. Who talks about the Pence years?!?&#8221;
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Here&#39;s the thing: VPs don&#39;t make policy. Presidents do. Who talks about the Pence years?!?
&mdash; David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1841290392106328207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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But what Axelrod left out is the fact that because of the almost evenly-divided Senate, some of President Joe Biden&#8217;s policies never would have seen the light of day without the direct actions of his sitting vice president, Kamala Harris.
Harris directly impacted the economy, for example, when she cast the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-kamala-harris-triggered-the-inflation-crisis-that-harmed-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deciding vote</a> in the U.S. Senate on the wildly misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, sending the U.S. economy spiraling into skyrocketing inflation rates that shattered decades-old record highs.
The sitting VP also cast <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vp-harris-sets-new-record-with-tie-breaking-vote">tie-breaking votes</a> on 32 other measures — the most of any vice president in history.

Walz Falls Flat In Debate, And Dems Pivot From ‘Consequential’ VP Kamala To ‘VPs CONTROL NOTHING’

Walz Falls Flat In Debate, And Dems Pivot From 'Consequential' VP Kamala To 'VPs CONTROL NOTHING'

NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo chastised CBS News vice presidential debate moderators Norah O&#8217;Donnell and Margaret Brennan for inserting themselves into the conversation rather than simply letting the scene play itself out.
Cuomo gave his feedback after the Tuesday night debate — between Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and Senator JD Vance (R-OH) — was over, and he focused on one exchange between Vance and the moderators. In that specific instance, despite announcing prior to the debate that they would not fact-check the candidates, they had opted to interrupt and challenge Vance anyway — and when he rebutted that challenge, he was in the right.
WATCH:
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Chris Cuomo: &quot;At one point, Vance wanted to correct something about how Haitians got into this country and he was RIGHT and the moderators wouldn&#39;t let him correct it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/qwg0WDizfX">pic.twitter.com/qwg0WDizfX</a>
&mdash; Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMacReport/status/1841316828963881289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When they were talking, at one point, Vance wanted to correct something about how Haitians got into this country and he was right and the moderators wouldn&#8217;t let him correct it,&#8221; Cuomo said. &#8220;It&#8217;s very interesting.&#8221;
Cuomo then rolled a clip from the debate showing the exchange in question and argued that the moderators had disrupted what could have been an informative conversation between the two candidates and had instead made themselves the story.
Both Brennan and O&#8217;Donnell repeatedly interrupted Vance and talked over him, trying to move on to the next topic. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to turn now to the economy, thank you,&#8221; O&#8217;Donnell said.
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&#8220;The rules were that you guys weren&#8217;t going to fact-check, and since you&#8217;re fact-checking me, I think it&#8217;s important to say what&#8217;s actually going on.&#8221;
When he went on to lay out the facts, they interrupted him again. &#8220;Thank you, Senator &#8230; thank you, Senator, for describing the legal process &#8230;&#8221; Brennan interjected, adding, &#8220;We have so much to get to, Senator.&#8221;
When Walz cut in briefly, Brennan immediately stopped talking so that he could be heard, but when Vance pushed back, they cut off the candidates&#8217; microphones.
&#8220;Vance was right, okay? There’s nuance to it, but the bigger problem is why he was moved on? ‘We’ve got so much to get to.’ Says who?&#8221; Cuomo objected. &#8220;What is the schedule here? You have a list of topics? That’s not what this is about. It’s about how the American people can access these two men and the two theories and the narratives and you’ve got to let them have their speak, because now you created a story where you&#8217;re the problem.&#8221;

Endometriosis Foundation Of America’s (EndoFound) 12th Annual Blossom Ball

Chris Cuomo Torches CBS Moderators For Fact-Checking, Cutting Vance’s Mic: ‘You’re The Problem’

Chris Cuomo Torches CBS Moderators For Fact-Checking, Cutting Vance's Mic: 'You're The Problem'

CBS News

Chris Cuomo

Margaret Brennan

Sen. JD Vance shared Wednesday that he was incredibly nervous before Tuesday night&#8217;s highly-anticipated debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
&#8220;A friend asked me how nervous I was on a scale of 1 to 10,&#8221; Vance said in a <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1841455221244846508">post on X</a>. &#8220;The answer? 11.&#8221;
But while Walz appeared shaky and nervous on stage, Vance was praised for being poised and polite, and was<a class="c-link" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/02/vance-walz-who-won-vp-debate-roundtable-00181905" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/02/vance-walz-who-won-vp-debate-roundtable-00181905" data-sk="tooltip_parent"> widely perceived</a> to be the winner of the event. Perhaps Vance&#8217;s performance had something to do with a pregame pep talk he got from a friend.
&#8220;A priest friend sent me this prayer before I went on stage,&#8221; added Vance, who is a convert to Catholicism. &#8220;I share it in the hopes someone will find it as meaningful as I did.&#8221;
He then shared a prayer attributed to Thomas Aquinas, an Italian priest and scholar recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint and its most significant Western philosopher and theologian.
&#8220;O Ineffable Creator,&#8221; the prayer begins, &#8220;Refine my speech and pour forth upon my lips the goodness of Your blessing. Grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret, and eloquence in speech. May You guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to completion.&#8221;
Vance&#8217;s Catholicism seems to be rubbing off on his running mate. Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump shared the <a class="c-link" href="https://aleteia.org/2017/09/25/the-demonic-vision-that-inspired-the-st-michael-prayer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://aleteia.org/2017/09/25/the-demonic-vision-that-inspired-the-st-michael-prayer" data-sk="tooltip_parent">prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel</a> on the saint&#8217;s feast day. Pope Leo XIII wrote the prayer in the 1800s as a recourse for Christians seeking strength in times of darkness.
Trump’s promotion of the prayer surprised many and angered some, including former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who <a href="https://x.com/RBReich/status/1840454101894680598">tweeted</a>: “Trump increasingly suggests that he is God&#8217;s chosen instrument of wrath and that his opponents are ‘evil spirits’ to be ‘cast into hell.’ If you don’t find this terrifying, you’re not paying attention.”
Catholics and Christians celebrated Trump on social media, particularly in light of the two recent assassination attempts on the former president’s life.
On September 8, Trump also <a class="c-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-celebrates-the-birthday-of-jesus-christs-mother-with-image-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-celebrates-the-birthday-of-jesus-christs-mother-with-image-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe" data-sk="tooltip_parent">celebrated</a> the birth of the Mother of Jesus, posting “Happy Birthday Mary!” alongside a photo of “Our Lady of Guadalupe&#8221; on social media.

JD Vance Says A Catholic Prayer Helped Him With Pre-Debate Nerves

Catholic Church

J.D. Vance

On Tuesday night at the vice presidential debate, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance contended that the massive influx of illegal immigrants was causing housing prices to rise. When moderator Margaret Brennan challenged his assertion, he replied that after the debate, he would publish remarks from the Federal Reserve Board that supported his contention, which he did only hours after the debate ended.
Speaking on the issue, Vance stated at the debate, “We do want to blame Kamala Harris for letting in millions of illegal aliens into this country, which does drive up costs, Tim. Twenty-five million illegal aliens competing with Americans for scarce homes is one of the most significant drivers of home prices in the country. It&#8217;s why we have massive increases in home prices that have happened right alongside massive increases in illegal alien, alien populations under Kamala Harris&#8217;s leadership. &#8230;We have a lot of Americans that need homes. We should be kicking out illegal immigrants who are competing for those homes, and we should be building more homes for the American citizens who deserve to be here.”
Brennan then interjected, “But, Senator, on that point, I&#8217;d like for you to clarify. There are many contributing factors to high housing costs. What evidence do you have that migrants are part of this problem?”
“Well, there&#8217;s a Federal Reserve study that we&#8217;re happy to share after the debate,” Vance replied. “We&#8217;ll put it up on social media. Actually, that really drills down on the connection between increased levels of migration, especially illegal immigration, and higher housing prices. Now, of course, Margaret, that&#8217;s not the entire driver of higher housing prices. It&#8217;s also the regulatory regime of Kamala Harris. Look, we are a country of builders. We&#8217;re a country of doers. We&#8217;re a country of explorers. But we increasingly have a Federal administration that makes it harder to develop our resources, makes it harder to build things, and wants to throw people in jail for not doing everything exactly as Kamala Harris says that they have to do. And what that means is that you have a lot of people who would love to build homes who aren&#8217;t able to build homes.&#8221;
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A few hours later, Vance published remarks from Michelle W. Bowman, who has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2018 and <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20240503a.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> at the Massachusetts Bankers Association Annual Convention in Key Biscayne, Florida, on May 3. Vance wrote on X, “As promised earlier tonight, here is Michelle Bowman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.” Bowman stated:
<blockquote>
There is a risk that strong consumer demand for services, increased immigration, and continued labor market tightness could lead to persistently high core services inflation. Given the current low inventory of affordable housing, the inflow of new immigrants to some geographic areas could result in upward pressure on rents, as additional housing supply may take time to materialize. Wage growth has remained at an elevated rate of between 4 and 5 percent, still higher than the pace consistent with our 2 percent inflation goal given trend productivity growth.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As promised earlier tonight, here is Michelle Bowman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors:
&quot;Given the current low inventory of affordable housing, the inflow of new immigrants to some geographic areas could result in upward pressure on rents.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/dfO0wFmyPs">https://t.co/dfO0wFmyPs</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfDjPaZC7G">pic.twitter.com/KfDjPaZC7G</a>
&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1841338114897293712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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CBS News 2024 Vice Presidential Debate

Vance Follows Up Debate With Receipts On X: ‘As Promised’

Housing

Illegal Immigration

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