Former Chicago Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel turned the spotlight back on his own party, saying that a number of recent policy positions had put Democrats at odds with a majority of Americans and proved that they had &#8220;lost the plot.&#8221;
Emanuel joined the &#8220;Fifth Column&#8221; podcast, hosted by Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch, and said that, especially on several key cultural issues, Democrats had gone all in on positions that ultimately alienated some of their own voters.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rahm Emanuel — Obama’s Chief of Staff, Clinton’s political director — just said it.
“We lost the plot.”
Emanuel: 50% of American kids aren’t reading at grade level. Reading and math scores at a 30-year low. The Democratic Party’s response was bathroom access and trans athletes… <a href="https://t.co/VjvaZO08pc">pic.twitter.com/VjvaZO08pc</a>
— Jake (@JakeCan72) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeCan72/status/2039654591080595527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We lost the plot,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We as Democrats nationally, from ‘Latinx,’ to defunding the police, to ‘police organizations are all racist,’ to bringing a set of cultural wars to our schools. We are on the losing side of those cultural wars. Full stop.&#8221;
&#8220;You are worried about bathroom access and locker room access. Why don&#8217;t you focus on classroom excellence?&#8221; Rahm asked, adding, &#8220;You have 50% of our kids not reading at grade level.&#8221;
One of the podcast hosts pushed back, saying that all Democrats had to do was address both topics at once: keep fighting the culture war while also addressing everyday issues like education, the economy, and health care.
&#8220;You&#8217;ve proven you can&#8217;t, because you&#8217;ve permitted a 30-year low in reading and math scores, and nobody seems to be calling the whistle on this,&#8221; Emanuel argued.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve lost the plot,&#8221; Emanuel said again, claiming that had happened &#8220;because the party got unanchored.&#8221;
Emanuel, who also previously served as White House Chief of Staff to former President Barack Obama, said that successful Democrats in the past had always been &#8220;anchored&#8221; to values or specific issues that resonated with everyday Americans. Instead, Emanuel argued, the party had in recent years embraced issues that undermined some of the core values it had held for decades.
&#8220;And I&#8217;ll just take one on that I shouldn&#8217;t,&#8221; Emanuel said. &#8220;So, here goes: I remember fighting for Title IX. The reason we are champions in women&#8217;s sports in the Olympics in soccer, hockey, is Title IX. Why would you undercut the premise of Title IX with the ability of trans [identifying] men playing in women&#8217;s sports?&#8221;
&#8220;To me, it&#8217;s insane! You&#8217;re undermining one of the great accomplishments we as a country, but also spearheaded by the Democratic Party, Title IX! And we&#8217;re undercutting it!&#8221; he exclaimed.

Key Speakers During The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit

Obama’s Former Chief Of Staff Says Democrats Have ‘Lost The Plot’ With Everyday Americans

Barack Obama

Defund The Police

Democrats

Media

Politics

Rahm Emanuel

In October 2023, the online publication Tennbeat published an interview with newly elected Tennessee state representative Aftyn Behn.
The <a href="https://www.tennbeat.com/p/meet-the-aoc-of-tennessee-aftyn-behn">piece</a>, which calls the leftist lawmaker &#8220;the AOC of Tennessee,&#8221; charts Behn&#8217;s rise from University of Texas psychology student to &#8220;progressive community organizer.&#8221; Behn told Tennbeat that &#8220;during her senior year at the University of Texas, she interned at the Arc of Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of persons with disabilities.&#8221;
The piece notes that Behn &#8220;developed talking points on disability policies for the state legislature&#8221; during that internship, giving her an early taste of political life that led her to spend the summer after graduation <a href="https://www.tennbeat.com/p/meet-the-aoc-of-tennessee-aftyn-behn">canvassing</a> for Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). 
Since launching her campaign to replace retired congressman Mark Green, Behn has tried to distance herself from some of the positions she held early in her career. The lawmaker, who faces Republican Matt Van Epps on Tuesday, has sought to position herself as an average Nashville girl. Her record suggests otherwise.
Let&#8217;s start with Nashville, the majority of which lies in the district Behn would represent if she wins.
“I hate the city,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.aftynforcongress.com/">self-described</a> &#8220;pissed off social worker&#8221; said on a 2020 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/music-city-fumble-dem-candidate-said-she-hates-city-she-wants-to-represent-in-congress">podcast appearance</a>. &#8220;I hate the bachelorette, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it.”
Behn attempted to walk her comments back after the video resurfaced earlier this month, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AftynBehn4TN/videos/no-i-do-not-hate-the-city-i-represent-the-national-gops-new-attack-that-i-hate-n/762714846811103/">posting a video</a> titled &#8220;BREAKING: I DO NOT HATE NASHVILLE LOL.&#8221; It&#8217;s unclear whether Behn&#8217;s attempt to laugh the whole thing off was effective, however, because she was quickly hit with a succession of new scandals.
Behn deleted a social media post calling on all white people to get behind abolishing prisons, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-democrat-aftyn-behn-repeatedly-advocated-for-prison-abolition?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Tennessee+Democrat+Aftyn+Behn+Also+Wants+To+Abolish+Prisons">reported</a> this week.
<div>
“On this Juneteenth, we need less white folks posting Canva graphics and more adopting prison abolition as a political foundation,” Behn wrote just over a year ago, which is now archived on the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240619153246/https:/twitter.com/AftynBehn/status/1803450863240757499" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayback Machine</a>. Behn also advocated prison abolition in an August 2024 article in <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2024/08/01/candidate-profiles-tennessee-senate-and-house-primary/74623149007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Tennessean</a>, telling the publication, “As a legislator who believes in prison abolition, I am committed to addressing the root causes of crime rather than implementing punitive measures that often perpetuate a cycle of harm.”
</div>
<div>
Behn has also faced scrutiny over a 2020 post in which she praised people who support burning down police stations. “Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified,” Behn posted.
Behn declined to address those comments in a recent interview, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-democrat-aftyn-behn-wont-take-back-support-for-burning-down-police-stations?author=Lynden+Blake&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tennessee+Democrat+Aftyn+Behn+Won%E2%80%99t+Take+Back+Support+For+Burning+Down+Police+Stations">saying</a>, “I’m not gonna engage in cable news talking points.”
Crime and policing are not the only areas where Behn has advocated radical views in the past. She claims that <a href="https://x.com/claytravis/status/1993319674352697755?s=42">men can give birth</a> and said that the murder of six children by a transgender-identifying gunman at the Covenant School in Tennessee made her more sympathetic to &#8220;trans communities&#8221; and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-aftyn-behn-said-covenant-shooting-made-her-fearful-for-trans-communities">inspired</a> her to &#8220;fight the far-right narrative that is being emanated by Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire.&#8221;
Those political positions may put Behn out of step with the state she&#8217;s running to represent. But they&#8217;re not shocking coming from a woman who says she got into politics after “immers[ing] herself in Austin’s Black Lives Matter movement&#8221; and who once consulted with the United Nations on a portfolio that included LGBT refugees.
With less than a week left before the special election, Behn may wish her radical past would stay in the past. But the revelations keep coming, often accompanied by video. One clip that resurfaced this week <a href="https://x.com/NicoleMSilverio/status/1993011789400097130?s=20">showed Behn crying</a> after being forcibly removed from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee&#8217;s office during a 2019 protest. And in another clip making the rounds this week, Behn reveals what she dreams about: power.
</div>
 “My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams when they happen,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-dem-candidate-aftyn-behn-i-dont-want-children-i-want-power">Behn says in the clip</a>. &#8220;And the recurring dream I’ve had is standing up in a cafeteria full of women — I don’t know why I was there or whatever — and saying, ‘I don’t want children. I want power!’ And just screaming it at the top of my lungs.&#8221;
Update: Dec. 3: 4:00 p.m.: An earlier version of this story noted that Arc of Texas told The Daily Wire “We have no record of an intern with the name Aftyn Behn.&#8221; After this story was published, another Arc of Texas employee reached out to The Daily Wire to say that Behn had in fact interned with the group, and that their comment was based on inaccurate records. Arc of Texas recanted and apologized for its original statement, and we have amended the piece to reflect this new information. The Behn campaign never responded to a request for comment on this story.

Aftyn Behn

Aftyn Behn Keeps Revising Her Resume. We Set The Record Straight.

Tennessee

The Covenant School

Transgender

Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani (D-NYC) raised eyebrows with a recent addition to his transition team: sociology professor and author of &#8220;The End of Policing,&#8221; Alex Vitale.
Mamdani had to dial back his own anti-police rhetoric during his mayoral campaign, apologizing to New York City police officers for previous comments when prompted by Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, but his selection of Vitale appears to be a sign that he&#8217;s reverting back to his original positions.
&#8220;I&#8217;m excited to announce that I have been asked to join the Mamdani Transition Team to work on community safety issues. A New Era for NYC,&#8221; Vitale <a href="https://x.com/avitale/status/1993053108663198202">announced via X</a> on Sunday.
As critics quickly pointed out, Vitale&#8217;s position has always been decidedly anti-cop. His book, &#8220;The End of Policing,&#8221; imagines a word where &#8220;modern policing&#8221; is broadly replaced by a combination of decriminalization and community empowerment. He argues that policing is designed to reinforce inequality, and that giving police officers diversity training is not enough to bridge the gap.
He has called for the decriminalization of offenses such as prostitution and drug use, and advocates for private corporations or government programs that would provide permanent housing for the homeless population. In addition, he has repeatedly attacked Israel, claiming that Israelis are &#8220;occupying&#8221; land belonging to Palestinians — and tied that in to his negative views on policing as well, complaining that American police should not be training with Israelis: &#8220;I’m not happy with these exchanges of policing to Israel. Israel is engaged in an occupation.&#8221;
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Video circulated of Vitale, in an interview, referring to police as &#8220;violence workers&#8221; and adding, &#8220;if you don’t want racism and violence, don’t get the police involved.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 New Mamdani Transition Team Member Says Cops Are “Violence Workers” and NYPD–Israel Training Trips “Pervert American Politics”
Alex Vitale — author of The End of Policing, sociology professor at Brooklyn College, CUNY Graduate Center, and now officially part of Zohran… <a href="https://t.co/n6REJNfbjH">pic.twitter.com/n6REJNfbjH</a>
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) <a href="https://twitter.com/thestustustudio/status/1993101611804049914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The overall assessment, as shared by a number of people via X, is that Mamdani had simply reverted to the same anti-police, anti-Israel socialist that his opposition had spent the entire campaign warning people he was.
&#8220;The biggest risk of a Mamdani mayorship? Mass exodus from the NYPD. This occurred in SF under the radical left DA, Chesa Boudin. When police aren&#8217;t supported, they quit, retire early, or never join in the first place,&#8221; one <a href="https://x.com/michelletandler/status/1943321480466424104">posted</a>.
&#8220;Huge step backwards for Mamdani. This guy wants to defund and abolish policing. You can find him wherever prep school lefties congregate, zero working class New Yorkers adhere to these ideas,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/lhfang/status/1993123594474566090">another added</a>.

Residents Cast Ballots In New York City Mayoral Election

Mamdani Names ‘End Of Policing’ Author Who Called Cops ‘Violence Workers’ To Transition Team

Crime

Democratic Socialism

New York City

New York Police Department (NYPD)

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

In the aftermath of the deadly 2023 shooting at Tennessee&#8217;s Covenant School, in which a transgender-identifying shooter killed six at the Christian school, Democrat Aftyn Behn said that her sympathies were with the transgender community.
Behn, now running to represent the Nashville area in Congress, said the aftermath of the shooting was &#8220;incredibly upsetting&#8221; for her family — because of the anger directed at the &#8220;trans communities.&#8221;
&#8220;So, for those of you who don&#8217;t know, my partner has a trans son, and the month of April and the final week of March was incredibly upsetting for us,&#8221; Behn said in a July 31, 2023, candidate forum, just months after the massacre. “In the wake of the Covenant shooting, and the disclosure that the Covenant shooter was trans, I was pulled into a chat with other trans organizers and activists across the state that were fearful of their lives.&#8221;
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Behn said the shooting inspired her to run for office to fight &#8220;every day&#8221; for &#8220;protections for trans kids and our trans communities.&#8221; She said she was specifically inspired to fight back against The Daily Wire, and specifically Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, because the company is based in Nashville.
&#8220;Every legislative session, I promise to carry a &#8216;trans bill of rights&#8217; so that we can push back against the far-right narrative that is being emanated by Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire, who have set up their home in Nashville,&#8221; Behn said. &#8220;I promise to do that, and I promise to fight for the trans community.&#8221;
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: This is how Democrat Aftyn Behn responded to the Covenant shooting, when a trans-identifying woman killed six at the Christian school.
It inspired Behn’s first run for office…so she could fight to protect “trans communities” and against Daily Wire and <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MattWalshBlog</a>. <a href="https://t.co/th13e1v6dW">pic.twitter.com/th13e1v6dW</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1992975426193326512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Behn, who is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in a special election next Tuesday, has indeed fought for far-left positions since she was elected that year, especially on transgender issues. For example, Behn opposed a parental rights law that would make schools notify parents about their child&#8217;s &#8220;trans identity.&#8221; She called it an attack on &#8220;vulnerable kids&#8221; who are &#8220;just trying to make it out of middle school alive.&#8221;
The Democrat is also on record opposing a law that would protect minors from drag shows. Behn insisted the law &#8220;isn&#8217;t about protecting kids&#8221; but about &#8220;spreading fear and division.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-creating-a-new-terrorism-category-for-transgender-violence-matters">Why Creating A New Terrorism Category For Transgender Violence Matters</a>
Behn and Van Epps are fighting for the congressional seat vacated by House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green earlier this year. Democrats are loading money into the district, in hopes of flipping a reliably Republican district. Her leftist views, many of which she&#8217;s been forced to run away from, are emerging as a serious impediment.
Even on MS NOW, the liberal network formerly known as MSNBC, Behn was called out this weekend for her past policy positions, including that the Nashville police department should be disbanded and that burning down a police station is justified. She declined to back away from either statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Holy crap, the Democrat nominee for Tennessee’s 7th district — parts of Nashville, Franklin &amp; beyond, my congressional district — called for shutting down Nashville’s police department &amp; burning down police stations. Go vote for Matt Van Epps on Monday: <a href="https://t.co/lNaR30e91N">pic.twitter.com/lNaR30e91N</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1992775554785738883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
Behn has also taken heat for trashing Nashville, which she supposedly wants to represent in Congress.
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/music-city-fumble-dem-candidate-said-she-hates-city-she-wants-to-represent-in-congress">said</a> in an unearthed podcast clip posted this past week.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/music-city-fumble-dem-candidate-said-she-hates-city-she-wants-to-represent-in-congress">Music City Fumble: Dem Candidate Said She Hates City She Wants To Represent In Congress</a>

Aftyn Behn // Covenant School shooting

Democrat Aftyn Behn Said Covenant Shooting Made Her ‘Fearful’ For ‘Trans Communities’

Congress

House GOP

Matt Walsh

Nashville

The Daily Wire

With a strong possibility that New York City might elect anti-police candidate Zohran Mamdani as mayor, Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis made a pitch directly to NYPD officers, asking them, “Do you want to go out there and risk your life knowing that the mayor hates you?”
In 2020, Mamdani <a href="https://news.meaww.com/zohran-mamdani-slammed-as-old-defund-police-stance-resurfaces-after-ny-cop-killed-in-manhattan-shooting?utm_source=chatgpt.com">wrote</a> on social media, &#8220;No, we want to defund the police,&#8221; &#8220;Queer liberation means defund the police,&#8221; and accused the NYPD of being &#8220;racist, anti-queer &amp; a major threat to public safety.&#8221; He later wrote, &#8220;There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked and corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence.&#8221; In 2023, he declared that the “boot of the NYPD is on your neck.”
“If he’s elected, I think it’ll be an example of voters of New York City committing an act of ballistic podiatry because it is going to come back and bite the city,” DeSantis told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum. “He is so far Left and he mixes his leftism with Islamism. He’s going to make the (former NYC Democratic Mayor Bill) de Blasio years look like the golden age.”
“And I can tell you, in Florida we’re affected by this, just with the law enforcement alone,” he continued. “If you’re working in NYPD, do you want to go out there and risk your life knowing that the mayor hates you? No, a lot of them are not going to want to do that, and in Florida, we’ve established a $5,000 recruitment bonus. So if you are somebody that doesn’t want to serve under that guy as mayor, you come to Florida, any state or local law-enforcement agency, you get $5000 right at the top.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
“I will tell you: If you say you’re going to disband the NYPD, if you put the criminals back on the street, if you engage in far-Left policies that would make George Soros blush, people do respond to that,” DeSantis said of the possibility that New Yorkers may leave the city if Mamdani is elected. “And of all the people that have migrated to Florida since I’ve been governor, I would say the number one reason they’ve left places — like New York City under De Blasio, like they’ve left Chicago under this mayor and the previous mayor, like leaving San Francisco and Los Angeles — is public safety. Those leftist politicians turn their backs on the police, turn their backs on the rule of law, and then the citizens were the ones that paid the price.”
“And I will tell you the disproportionate impact on those far-Left policies that do help the criminal element is actually not even the wealthy people — though they’re affected to a certain extent — it’s the working class people; it’s the middle class. Those are the folks that get affected the most. I do think that he will spark migration out of the city, particularly if he follows through on his far-left, anti-law enforcement policies,” he concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today, I joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News. <a href="https://t.co/shacUmwYDl">pic.twitter.com/shacUmwYDl</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1983260202397769819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

MixCollage-29-Oct-2025-09-50-AM-4819

DeSantis To NYPD: Don’t Risk Your Life For A Mayor Who Hates You

Elections

Florida

NYPD

Police

Ron DeSantis

Refusing to recant his previous statement from 2020 that called for defunding the police, New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gave an evasive answer when asked if he wished he hadn’t made such a comment.
Mamdani has been elusive about his “defunding the police” statements after a mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan left four people dead, including an NYPD officer. Earlier this week, he stated, “I am not running to defund the police.”
Yet when he was asked on Wednesday by a reporter at the leftist 32BJ Service Employees International Union headquarters, “Do you wish you hadn’t said some of those things a few years back?”, Mamdani replied, “My statements in 2020 were ones made amidst a frustration that many New Yorkers held at the murder of George Floyd and the inability to deliver on what Eric Adams, of all people, described as the right for all of us to be able to enjoy safety and justice, that we need not choose between the two.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mamdani is asked point-blank if he wishes he hadn’t called to defund the police. 
He doesn’t say “yes.” 
That’s utterly disqualifying. <a href="https://t.co/Ylep2q2caI">pic.twitter.com/Ylep2q2caI</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1950637509316378885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As recently as last December, Mamdani tweeted, “Today the NYPD deployed the Strategic Response Group (SRG) to harass + arrest striking @teamsters. As Mayor, I will disband the SRG, which has cost taxpayers millions in lawsuit settlements + brutalized countless New Yorkers exercising their first amendment (sic) rights.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today the NYPD deployed the Strategic Response Group (SRG) to harass + arrest striking <a href="https://twitter.com/Teamsters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@teamsters</a>. 
As Mayor, I will disband the SRG, which has cost taxpayers millions in lawsuit settlements + brutalized countless New Yorkers exercising their first amendment rights.
&mdash; Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZohranKMamdani/status/1869848787201532169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“The SRG is one of the NYPD’s special operations units, which, according to the force’s official website, specializes in disorder response, crime suppression and crowd control and ‘responds to citywide mobilizations, civil disorders, and major events with highly trained personnel and specialized equipment,’” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/flashback-zohran-mamdani-pledged-disband-key-police-unit-handles-mass-shootings">Fox News</a> noted.
In 2020, Mamdani posted tweets calling for the defunding of police with <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/30/us-news/zohran-mamdani-doubles-down-on-disbanding-nypd-unit-that-responded-to-nyc-shooting-but-backs-off-unpopular-defund-stance/">these statements</a>:
<blockquote>
Our police: threatening the physical safety of politicians who oppose their agenda. Our prosecutors: turning their own offices into super-spreader event because of all their COVID truthers. The entire carceral system is an unreformable public health hazard. Defund and dismantle.
Together, we can tax the rich, heal the sick, house the poor, defund the police &amp; build a socialist New York. Solidarity forever.
We don&#8217;t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer &amp; a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD. But your deal with @NYCMayor uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts &#8211; defund the police.
@NYCSpeakerCoJo: &#8220;The Mayor promised to spend the same amount on cops in schools, but pay for it with different money.&#8221;@NYCMayor spokesperson: &#8220;Actually we never even promised that!&#8221; None of these people are fit to lead. We need a socialist city council to defund the police.
</blockquote>
One police source commented, “People are fools to believe he will help the city. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Zohran Mamdani comments on mass shooting in New York

‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’: Socialist Mamdani Won’t Recant Anti-NYPD Remarks

Mayor

New York

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

The following is a distilled and edited transcript of an interview between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and Dan Abrams, ABC News&#8217;s chief legal analyst and host of “On Patrol: Live.” Catch the full interview on a new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire">weekend edition of Morning Wire</a>.
* * *
1. You have built a career at the intersection of law, media, and entertainment. What led you to create &#8220;<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/">On Patrol: Live&#8221;</a> and why do you think it has resonated so strongly with audiences?
Dan Abrams: I’m a lawyer by training and I used that to quickly pivot into media, where I ended up covering some of the highest-profile criminal cases from the last three decades. That background is, I think, why the producers came to me to host what is now “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>,” a live police show where we follow police departments in real time. This is a show that is different from any other police show out there because, unlike “Cops,” where it&#8217;s sort of a highlight reel of crazy moments, we’re actually live in eight or nine departments at once. So we&#8217;ll go to a department and we&#8217;ll see someone responding to a call and the officer doesn&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen next. So, the audience joins the officers in that experience. I think that&#8217;s part of what makes the show so compelling.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Authentic storytelling matters. Live coverage provides a raw, unfiltered look at policing, allowing audiences to see officers as they really are rather than through a scripted or dramatized lens.</li>
</ul>
2. The show was the #1 entertainment program on Friday and Saturday nights in 2024 and was picked up for 90 more episodes. Why do you think audiences are still drawn to &#8216;cop shows,&#8217; especially after efforts to cancel them in 2020?
Dan Abrams: People are interested in policing. There is an element of uncertainty throughout the show. Watching police engage with the community is something people have long been interested in. There&#8217;s no other place where they can see it in real time. As a result, we try to follow a mix of departments around the country to make this a really compelling show year after year. We look for both geographical diversity and diversity of the size of the department. We&#8217;re in everything from Las Vegas – one of the top 10 biggest police departments in America – to Hensley, Arkansas, where we ride with the chief of the department.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Public interest in policing is unwavering. Despite political movements, the demand for real-time law enforcement coverage remains strong, demonstrating that audiences value transparency over ideology.</li>
</ul>
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-cop-shows-survived-the-cancel-mob-and-won-2024-3-8-25/id1576594336?i=1000698364951" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
3. &#8216;Live PD&#8217; was canceled in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. You’ve been vocal about your frustration with that decision. What was that experience like, and how did it lead to &#8216;<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>&#8216;?
Dan Abrams: I thought it was a vast overreaction. That&#8217;s what I said when the show was cancelled – and I maintain it to this day. It&#8217;s important to talk about this because there&#8217;s going to be some other incident where a cop does something the cop shouldn&#8217;t have – and it might be really bad. And any good cop will tell you that the worst thing for good cops is a bad cop. No matter what career you&#8217;re talking about, considering there are hundreds of thousands of police officers around the country, you are going to have some bad cops. That doesn&#8217;t mean that the rest of the cops aren&#8217;t doing really good work.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Balanced perspectives are essential. In an era of quick, reactionary decisions, maintaining a steady and fair approach to evaluating law enforcement is crucial to understanding the complexities of policing.</li>
</ul>
4. What’s your take on shifting public attitudes toward law enforcement in the last few years? Do you think the narrative is changing?
Dan Abrams: I think there’s been a recognition that the “Defund the Police” movement was absurd. It didn&#8217;t work. And that&#8217;s why liberal cities around the country are refunding the police and rehiring police officers. They realized it made no sense. I&#8217;ll tell you, as soon as “Live PD” was canceled, I received outreach from people asking me about the project. So, from a show perspective, I think it was really just a question of when. In the immediate months after the show went off the air, however, to many, the show would have been too hot – couldn&#8217;t do it, can&#8217;t risk it, don&#8217;t want to risk the protests, don&#8217;t want to risk the backlash. I do think that has faded to some degree.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Public safety requires practical solutions. Knee-jerk policy shifts have real-world consequences, and restoring balance between law enforcement and community trust is a vital ongoing effort.</li>
</ul>
5. What’s next for you? Do you have any other projects in the works?
Dan Abrams: Well, I work on a lot of things. I host a daily radio show on Sirius XM on the POTUS channel. I&#8217;m still ABC News&#8217;s chief legal analyst. I own a company called Mediaite. I started &#8220;Law and Crime.&#8221; I&#8217;ve got a spirits company called Bottle Raiders, where we have an app that aggregates ratings of fine spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. So I&#8217;ve got my hand in a lot of projects, but “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>” is a passion project for me.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Media influences public perception. Abrams’ dedication to covering law and crime-related content ensures that audiences have access to informed, balanced perspectives on critical legal issues.</li>
</ul>
* * *
That was Dan Abrams, producer of “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>” and this has been a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire">weekend edition of Morning Wire</a>.

“Thank You Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” Special Screening

5 Questions With Dan Abrams: The Enduring Appeal Of ‘On Patrol: Live’

5 Questions With Dan Abrams: The Enduring Appeal Of 'On Patrol: Live'

ABC News

interview

Morning Wire

Television

Hollywood star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/julia-roberts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Roberts</a> got torched on Tuesday when she slammed those looting during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wildfires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles fires</a> after she has overwhelmingly supported Democratic weak-on-crime policies.
On Monday, the 57-year-old actress posted a message on her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DExvYb-xdRF/">Instagram</a> about a SoCal Fire fund set up to “assist in providing Immediate and Long Term support for all those impacted” by the multiple wildfires burning in southern California.
“There is so much healing and help needed,” Roberts wrote. “We will get through this. #F.U.Looters. To donate and have a direct impact, please visit the link in my bio.” Her post follows reports that $10 million dollar homes were being looted after families have been forced to evacuate their mansions due to the fires raging in the area, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14280151/Julia-Roberts-says-f-looters-10M-homes-continue-robbed-LA-fires.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Daily Mail</a> noted.
It was the line about “F.U. looters” that seemed to get everyone’s attention, with many on social media pointing out that the movie star has fundraised for Democrats who have supported things like Defund the Police and soft on crime DAs who refused to punish looters of Black Lives Matter riots and more.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Julia is a big supporter of CA Democrats and recently urged wives of male Trump voters to secretly vote for Kamala Harris. The same CA Dems she supported are the ones who made looting so easy for so long. At some point she needs to direct her comments to her mirror. 👀 <a href="https://t.co/uOhl2rhhja">https://t.co/uOhl2rhhja</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1879023108650319990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Julia is a big supporter of CA Democrats and recently urged wives of male [Donald] Trump voters to secretly vote for Kamala Harris,” one person <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1879023108650319990">wrote</a>. “The same CA Dems she supported are the ones who made looting so easy for so long. At some point she needs to direct her comments to her mirror.”
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Another person <a href="https://x.com/bonchieredstate/status/1878981007770374593">added</a>, “No one&#8217;s home should be looted. Also, people like Julia Roberts supported the policies that created this mess. Only getting mad when it starts to affect them instead of an inner-city Walgreens is pretty scummy.”
A third person <a href="https://x.com/TexasBelle/status/1878921618971578875">wrote</a>, “She voted for all of it. The thieves, the fires, the destruction. Her signature is on all of it. I&#8217;m finding it difficult to sympathize.&#8221;
While a <a href="https://x.com/TomiLahren/status/1879215187875512485">fourth person noted</a>, “Julia Roberts says &#8216;f*** you&#8217; to looters as $10M homes continue to be robbed during LA fires. Question, Julia, why is looting unacceptable now BUT in the name of George Floyd y’all were cool with it…”
During the 2024 election, Roberts made headlines when she narrated a cringe ad for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Harris</a> targeting the wives of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Trump</a> supporters, encouraging them to secretly vote for the Democratic candidate without telling their spouses, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/julia-roberts-tells-wives-of-trump-supporters-to-secretly-vote-for-kamala-in-cringe-ad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/julia-roberts-tells-wives-of-trump-supporters-to-secretly-vote-for-kamala-in-cringe-ad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Roberts Tells Wives Of Trump Supporters To Secretly Vote For Kamala In Cringe Ad</a>

“Ticket to Paradise” Premiere – Red Carpet

Julia Roberts Torched For Slamming Looters Of LA Fires After Supporting Dem Policies

Black Lives Matter

California

Celebrities

Entertainment

Hollywood

Julia Roberts

Los Angeles Fires

U.S.

A leftist activist who pushed for defunding the police has been accused of spending charitable donations to pay for “lavish vacations” and designer clothing, according to a lawsuit filed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington, D.C</a>. 
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/release/attorney-general-schwalb-sues-nonprofit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> Brandon Anderson and his police “accountability” organization Raheem AI on Monday, alleging violations of the district’s laws governing non-profits. Schwalb said that Anderson used donations given to the charity to go on expensive vacations to Mexico and to buy high-end clothing. 
“Brandon Anderson misused charitable donations to fund lavish vacations and shopping sprees, and the Raheem AI Board of Directors let him get away with it,” Schwalb said. “My office will not allow people to masquerade behind noble causes while violating the law, cheating taxpayers, or stealing from their workers.”
According to the lawsuit, Anderson used $75,000 of the non-profit&#8217;s funds for personal use, including $40,000 on a luxury vacation rental service, $10,000 on hotels and Airbnbs, $10,000 on designer clothing, and $5,000 on emergency veterinary services. The travel costs reportedly included a stay at a Cancun resort and he buying clothes from luxury retailers <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/11.25.2024%20Raheem%20AI%20Complaint%20Package%20%281%29.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like</a> Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Bloomingdales, Farfetch, and Saks.
Schwalb said that Anderson had “unrestricted control” of the organization’s money because there had been no treasurer since 2020 and its board had implemented no oversight precautions. 
The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the organization and make Anderson repay funds used for vacations and clothing. It also accuses Anderson of not paying the deputy director of the organization for her work. 
“Not only did their financial abuses violate fundamental principles of nonprofit governance, but Anderson and Raheem AI failed to pay their employee the wages they had earned,” Schwalb said. 
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Anderson, who launched his organization in 2017, has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=691271211599982&amp;set=a.307670423293398" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoted</a> “building a world without police” and has lectured on why “defunding the police is an important next step for the country.” The activist wanted to <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/defund-the-police-activist-misappropriated-75000-in-donations-dc-attorney-general-alleges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replace</a> 911 calls, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/police-abolitionists-are-building-a-dispatch-app-to-replace-911/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> Vice in 2022 that he wanted to build “a consortium of care that meets the needs of communities during their crises and in conflict.” 
His claims about starting the non-profit to honor a fiancé killed by the police have been scrutinized by media outlets like the New York Times, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/brandon-anderson-rahim-ai.html#:~:text=No%20homicide%20in%20the%20entire,run%2Din%20with%20the%20police." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that &#8220;no homicide in the entire state of Oklahoma&#8221; matched the incident described by Anderson.
The nation&#8217;s capitol has long been plagued by violent crime even as city leaders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-says-he-will-sign-bills-blocking-d-c-s-radical-overhaul-of-voting-rights-criminal-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have sought</a> to decrease penalties for crimes like carjacking. Efforts to loosen up the city&#8217;s criminal code failed last year after the Republican-controlled House blocked the proposal.

Protests Erupt Across U.S. After Charges In Death Of Breonna Taylor Are Announced

Abolish The Police Activist Accused Of Spending Charity Money On ‘Lavish’ Vacations

Washington D.C.

A Democratic congressional candidate in a toss-up Arizona district gave a donation from local police officers to a bailout fund for criminals.
During the protests and riots in the summer of 2020, Kirsten Engel, a Democrat running against Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th congressional district, gave away the donation from the Tucson Police Officer’s Association (TPOA) to a far-Left organization that worked to defund the police and bailout criminals.
Engel admitted to receiving the $200 donation from the TPOA and then contributing that $200 to the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund in a 2020 post on Facebook. “I must disclose that my campaign did accept $200 from TPOA last year which was donated to the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund,” the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EngelForArizona/posts/pfbid02UXjD1xCGsJwTgAdPYRmLuAfXE6B9YSB9zmTmuyAPgRaA6iJuCBadg8j4V3pxZFUGl">post</a> reads. “I will not accept any future contributions from TPOA or any other police union.”
The bailout fund went to support the far-Left agitators who were arrested during the Black Lives Matter riots.
“Social justice leaders across the state are protesting against the consistent acts of police brutality we see every single day,” the <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/azjusticefund">donation link</a> says. “The Arizona Coalition for Change is launching the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund to support millennials and leaders of color arrested during the protests that have occurred in Phoenix and Tucson. Please contribute to this fund to help us support these freedom fighters.”
The bail fund was organized by the Arizona Coalition for Change, a radical organization that openly supported the movement to defund police departments, insinuating that they perpetrate racially motivated violence.
“In this era of state-sanctioned violence and the injustice our Black communities are facing, it is important to understand the fight activists within Arizona and across the nation are relentlessly leading &#8211; to &#8216;defund the police&#8217; for the reallocation of funding in other areas of need and into communities of color,” the organization <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AzC4C/posts/pfbid0wz3arGbuwGRD9xkFG3GTkYFq91RFWBx46WnG9KSat5XmfypUsQbEeZ2ccPFaqHxvl">wrote</a> online.
Engel’s donation to the organization is not her only connection to far-Left efforts to disempower police, however. The candidate, who previously served in the state legislature, has ties to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Living United For Change In Arizona (LUCHA), organizations that have advocated for defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is charged with deporting criminal illegal aliens.
One <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/az-dem-congressional-candidate-kirsten-engel-collaborated-with-anti-police-groups-while-in-state-legislature-emails-show/">recent investigation</a> by National Review found that Engel maintained a working relationship with the organizations, even asking them for support when crafting legislation on criminal justice.
<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>
Engel even encouraged voters to &#8220;consider donating to, getting involved with, and learning from&#8221; far-Left organizations like the Minnesota Freedom Fund, the same bail fund <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1267555018128965643" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a> by Vice President Kamala Harris. The organization went on to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/25/opinion/kamala-harris-support-for-bail-fund-that-freed-violent-criminals-shows-how-tough-on-crime-she-really-is/">bail out violent criminals</a>, including one individual who was freed after being charged with domestic abuse before going on to commit and plead guilty to murder.
The Democrat also <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/arizona-dem-signed-anti-cop-activists-slavery-reparations-pledge/">signed on to</a> a petition demanding reparations for slavery. The organization behind the petition called the Reparations Pledge PAC, was led by an activist who called defunding the police “a moral thing to do.”
Engel is currently projected to lose her race against incumbent Republican representative Juan Ciscomani, according to <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/arizona-6/">forecasting models</a>. The two candidates faced off in 2022, with Ciscomani receiving 50.73% of the vote to Engel’s 49.23%.
Engel’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Kirsten Engel

Arizona Dem Congressional Candidate Gave Away Donation From Police Union To Leftist Bail Fund

2024 Election

Arizona

Democrat

While blue states in the West are losing police officers who are disillusioned with soft-on-crime policies, conservative Idaho is gathering them in great numbers.
The Idaho Peace Officer Standards &amp; Training (POST) reported that between 2019 and 2021, the number of officers from other states applying for certification more than doubled, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/blue-line-getting-thinner-west-coast-states-police-take-refuge-idaho" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“They come to Idaho where they can enjoy their career and make a difference,” Idaho Fraternal Order of Police President Bryan Lovell stated. “They see that, in large part, our communities are supportive of law enforcement and public safety.&#8221; Lovell stated that officers from other states said they were fed up with policies that defunded police departments or decriminalized drugs.
“The Seattle Police Department has lost more than 700 officers in the past five years and is at its lowest staffing level since the 1990s,” King 5 <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-police-staffing-shortage-action-needed-councilmembers-say/281-c3f43855-f877-4ba9-a37b-aeaf27e1ec67" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in March.
“We&#8217;re already at critical levels &#8230; We are really struggling to make sure we maintain all the calls that are impacting, not just to maintain the calls, but also investigating those calls and also doing the other type of tactics that actually make for safer outcomes for the community,” Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said.
“I think if rock bottom was ever a thing, we are probably here,” councilmember Rob Saka echoed.
Regarding Portland, Oregon, which has just 1.26 officers per every 1,000 residents, 48th among the nation’s 50 largest cities, the Manhattan Institute <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/portlands-police-staffing-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posited</a>, “In the short run, the city’s particularly harmful riots following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, as well as its leadership’s embrace of the ‘defund the police’ movement, dealt a massive blow to police morale, driving mass resignations and retirements, which have continued to hamstring operations.”
“The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it. Police Chief Michel Moore reported last week that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103, down nearly 1,000 from 2019, the year that preceded the outbreak of COVID-19,” The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/lapd-lost-nearly-1-000-120008003.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in April 2023.
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Former California Highway Patrol officer Seth Horst, who moved to northern Idaho, commented on the tremendous public support for the police in Idaho, saying, “That is so powerful for the men and women in uniform up here to have that backing. It&#8217;s a pretty phenomenal place to do the job.”
He said of the blue states, “The district attorney doesn&#8217;t back them, there&#8217;s too much liability, so the department won&#8217;t let them enforce the law, which is their job. And that bugs a lot of people. They get a job up here, oftentimes taking a huge pay cut because the pay here does not compare to a lot of states. But it&#8217;s worth it to them to raise their families in a place that is safe and has those old-school values.”

City of Moscow Idaho police department

Red-State Idaho Sweeping Up Cops Disillusioned With Blue West Coast States

Idaho

Portland

Seattle

Much to the annoyance of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-school-teacher-with-no-interest-in-defunding-the-police-takes-stand-for-first-amendment-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenn Laird</a> refuses to go away quietly.
After decades as a Los Angeles teacher, Laird is involved in a messy <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/labor/la-teacher-sues-utla-says-demand-to-defund-police-was-the-last-straw/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> with the union over its reluctance to allow him to opt out of membership and dues as prescribed by law. Last week, the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
What makes his experience so compelling for the public — and embarrassing for UTLA — is that Laird is neither a malcontent nor a union-basher by inclination. He is, in fact, a much-decorated educator who served for many years as UTLA campus chapter co-chair.
But when the union began advocating several years ago to “defund the police” and put students’ and teachers’ lives at risk, he’d had enough.
Over the years, Laird has witnessed countless violent acts on campus, including the death of a former student, and was outraged that UTLA would call for the removal of law enforcement from the district’s schools.
“I couldn’t in good conscience continue to pay dues to an organization that was campaigning against something that is so personal to me,” explained Laird. “I support fully funding the police to keep our students safe.”
He responded by opting out of his UTLA membership and requesting it stop taking his money to fund messaging with which he disagrees.
His legal right to do so is unequivocal. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Janus v. AFSCME that unions could no longer take public employees’ money for use in political speech without their consent.
The ruling also specified that by agreeing to give money to a public labor union, workers are waiving their First Amendment right against compelled speech.
In the case of Glenn Laird, UTLA tried to have it both ways.
They told Laird his previous agreement was an effective waiver of his First Amendment rights, even though he signed it before Janus was even decided.
Even more to the point, the union refused to honor the terms of Laird’s actual agreement, which allowed him to end the deduction of his money. He specifically objected to the last union agreement he signed with UTLA by striking out the language supposedly restricting his ability to end his membership at any time with a felt marker.
UTLA kept taking his money without his consent anyway.
In other words, the First Amendment did not matter.
Left with no alternative, Laird took UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to federal court. Represented pro bono by the Freedom Foundation, he asked the court to rule on the scope of his constitutional rights, and to acknowledge UTLA’s violations.
But UTLA doesn’t want a judge to decide the constitutional claims.
Instead, its leaders cut him a check for the money deducted from his pay without his consent and asked him to please drop the case.
This tactic has become all too common among public unions trying to avoid their responsibilities under the First Amendment.
Laird refused to dismiss his lawsuit, and with good reason. Because his case is about more than the return of his money. In fact, Laird is donating the entire amount he received from UTLA to a nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles area.
When judges at both the lower court level and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union, the Freedom Foundation filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
Glenn Laird’s case is about a judicial acknowledgment and vindication of his First Amendment rights by a federal judge. As long as unions can cut checks using their members’ dues dollars to make lawsuits disappear, judges will never have the opportunity to rule on the actual constitutional issues, rendering the First Amendment and Janus decision meaningless.
“Hopefully the Supreme Court will find my case worthy of making a ruling,” concluded Laird. “Janus set the stage, but now we need to build on that precedent so unions and lower court judges don’t continue to ignore the Supremes.”
While it should not take a federal lawsuit for unions to recognize their responsibilities under the Constitution, UTLA doesn’t get to put a price tag on the First Amendment and cannot kill a case by simply doing the right thing after the fact.
For one principled Los Angeles teacher, the fight is far from over.
* * *
Timothy R. Snowball is a civil rights attorney with Freedom Foundation, where his practice is focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of government workers to make their own decisions about whether to join or support public sector unions.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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