A controversial Maine Democrat already dogged by questions over a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol is again under fire after promoting an openly antisemitic conspiracy theorist — the latest episode in a pattern critics say underscores how radical and politically toxic he is.
Graham Platner, a 41-year-old Senate candidate seeking the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Susan Collins (R-ME), faced backlash this week after amplifying a social media post about a looming war with Iran from Stew Peters, a neo-Nazi influencer known for Holocaust denial and antisemitic rhetoric. Platner <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/02/26/politics/elections/graham-platner-stew-peters-post/">later deleted</a> the post, with his campaign claiming it was shared “in error” and removed immediately after discovering it elevated a “despicable account.”
But the incident was not isolated.
In late January, Platner <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/platner-sat-lengthy-interview-antisemitic-075439570.html">appeared</a> for an hour-long interview on Valhalla VFT, a YouTube show hosted by Nate Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret who has promoted conspiracy theories alleging Israeli involvement in high-profile assassinations and suggesting the global war on terror was conducted at the “behest of Israel.” During the interview, Platner described himself as “a longtime fan” of the show and said it was “an absolute pleasure” to appear.
Cornacchia has pushed claims tying Israel to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and agreed with assertions that President John F. Kennedy was “probably” killed in a covert joint operation between the CIA and Mossad. Platner’s campaign did not respond to Jewish Insider&#8217;s questions about Cornacchia’s remarks.
The controversy compounds scrutiny Platner has faced since last year over a tattoo on his chest that closely resembled a Totenkopf, the skull-and-crossbones emblem adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit. Platner <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-22/democratic-senate-hopeful-graham-platner-gets-tattoo-of-nazi-symbol-covered-up">said</a> he received the tattoo while serving in the Marine Corps during a drunken night in Croatia and claimed he was unaware of its historical meaning at the time. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-platner-senate-trump-mills-tattoo-collins-fa8328a3c8aa5d5e0f34adb379e977b8">Associated Press</a> later confirmed that he had the tattoo covered once the comparison became public, saying he did not want a symbol associated with hate on his body.
“For what it’s worth,” Maine Governor Janet Mills, who’s running against Platner in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat, quipped on <a href="https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2027421147956969915">X</a> amid the controversy, “I don’t have any tattoos.”
In past posts, Platner has described U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East as being overly shaped by “foreign influence,” and has argued that Washington’s alliance structure requires “fundamental rethinking.” Critics say such rhetoric mirrors themes common in online spaces where antisemitic conspiracy theories flourish.
National Republicans have begun to take notice. A spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee blasted Platner this week, saying Democrats are “flirting with extremism” in a race they view as central to their hopes of regaining Senate control. Allies of Collins have also circulated screenshots of Platner’s deleted posts, arguing they raise serious questions about his judgment.
The Democratic primary race in Maine is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the cycle. Democrats view the seat held by moderate Republican Collins as a key pickup opportunity. But Platner’s growing list of controversies, from boosting a neo-Nazi influencer to praising a YouTube host who traffics in antisemitic conspiracies, to the lingering fallout over his tattoo, threatens to complicate that strategy.

Graham Platner Maine

Dem Senate Darling Stumbles Into Third Nazi-Related Scandal Of Primary Campaign

Anti-Semitism

Democratic Party

Elections

graham platner

Maine

Politics

Susan Collins

Moj Mahdara, a Democratic Iranian-American entrepreneur and founding member of the Iranian Diaspora Collective, blasted Democratic Party lawmakers on Sunday over their negative response to Trump’s Iranian strike.
“I think that it is imperative that the Democratic Party wake up and get past their dislike of Donald Trump … and their feelings of international conflicts going on,” Mahdara began, noting that this operation has a broad impact that includes Gulf state security and “resetting our relationship with China.”
“Right now, 55% of the oil production that Iran produces goes to China, despite sanctions. You want to support the people of Ukraine? You want to end that war? You have to — there is no getting around dismembering this Islamic Republic. It is non-negotiable. It is not a want to have. It is a have to have,” Mahdara continued.
She added that the Iranian regime’s fall will reverberate around the world, not only altering the Middle East, but also impacting Ukraine, Venezuela, and China.
“And I think at this point, we have a tremendous opportunity. This will be like ending the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall. This is a transformational moment for humankind, for security, and as an American &#8230; this is in our interest to complete it,” said Mahdara.
After noting that she is a “huge Democrat,” she expressed how disappointed she is with the Democratic Party: “I do not see myself in them in this moment.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. CNN was just FORCED to air a Democrat Iranian-American EVISCERATING her own party for attacking President Trump!
&#8220;It&#8217;s imperative the Democrat Party WAKE UP and get past their dislike of President Trump!&#8221;
&#8220;I AM a huge Democrat. I am INCREDIBLY disappointed with… <a href="https://t.co/RGAmS6Fzal">pic.twitter.com/RGAmS6Fzal</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2028113844585795906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Prominent Democrats offered much criticism in the aftermath of the Iranian strike.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) promised to compel a vote on the War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
“The framers of the United States Constitution gave Congress the sole power to declare war as the branch of government closest to the American people,” Jeffries said in a statement. He added that Iran is a “bad actor” that must be “aggressively confronted for its human rights violations,” but said the Trump administration should have sought congressional approval.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2027765113617277225">said</a> in a statement on X that &#8220;Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.&#8221;
The minority leader added that the administration must answer many questions about the scope of this operation, and said President Trump&#8217;s &#8220;fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.&#8221;
&#8220;The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act,&#8221; Schumer concluded.
Democratic Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a <a href="https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2027799160574120418">statement</a>, calling the strikes a &#8220;catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.&#8221;
&#8220;Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace,&#8221; the mayor added.
Some Democrats, like Sen. <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/2027674658091204808">Jon Fetterman</a> (D-PA), have broken with their party to praise the strikes.
“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said in a post on X. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”
Catherine Maxwell contributed to this report.

Moj Mahdara

‘Wake Up’: Iranian Democrat Blasts Her Own Party’s Iran Strike Backlash

Iranian Democrat Blasts Party's Negativity Over Iran Strike: 'Imperative That Democratic Party Wake 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Iran

World

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not consider the Munich Security Conference a springboard into the 2028 presidential election. At least, that&#8217;s what she told The New York Times after she was roundly criticized for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-spits-out-word-salad-when-asked-about-china-refuses-to-say-if-u-s-should-defend-taiwan?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=AOC+Spits+Out+Word+Salad+When+Asked+About+China%2C+Refuses+To+Say+If+U.S.+Should+Defend+Taiwan">failing to answer</a> a basic question on U.S. foreign policy at the conference last week.
The Munich Security Conference is considered one of the most important stages for lawmakers, diplomats, and world leaders to set themselves apart as important voices on foreign policy and the direction of global politics. For Ocasio-Cortez, the event came as speculation swirls around 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, with the New York leftist often floated as a top contender. After multiple missteps at the conference, Ocasio-Cortez picked up the phone and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/us/politics/aoc-germany-munich-security-conference.html">spoke</a> to her hometown paper, telling the legacy media outlet that the link between her supposed presidential aspirations and the conference is far-fetched.
&#8220;Everyone’s got this story wrong, that this is about me running for president,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez said. &#8220;I could give — whatever, about that, to be honest.&#8221;
Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s appearance in Munich was marked by an awkward response to a question on China and Taiwan and an indecipherable comment on the &#8220;rise of populism.&#8221; During one panel discussion, the congresswoman was joined by Matt Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, and Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is also considered a 2028 presidential hopeful. When asked whether the United States should send troops to Taiwan if China advances on the island, Ocasio-Cortez struggled to speak for around 20 seconds before her attempt to answer the question.
When she finally spit out an answer, she said only that the United States should &#8220;avoid any such confrontation,&#8221; and did not answer whether U.S. troops should be deployed if China attempted to invade Taiwan. Ocasio-Cortez was blasted over her response, including by President Donald Trump.
&#8220;I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2023579424491253844">told</a> reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday night.
&#8220;She had no idea what was happening,&#8221; he added. &#8220;She had no idea how to answer, you know, very important questions concerning the world.&#8221;
Whitaker, Trump&#8217;s NATO ambassador who was sitting next to Ocasio-Cortez during the panel discussion, <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2023753952874164640">told</a> Fox &amp; Friends on Tuesday morning that he was surprised that Ocasio-Cortez and Whitmer &#8220;didn&#8217;t have better answers, or at least, better preparation.&#8221;
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s really quite obvious that the Left really does not have an answer for President Trump&#8217;s very clear articulation and success on the international stage, and they&#8217;re struggling to do that,&#8221; Whitaker added. &#8220;But on the China and Taiwan issue, that issue is so obvious what the answer is; it&#8217;s to make sure China doesn&#8217;t make a move on Taiwan, that Taiwan is strong and can defend itself, and that the region is stable and prosperous and that American interests are protected.&#8221;
Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that it is &#8220;out of touch&#8221; to consider the Munich Security Conference as an important gauge for the 2028 presidential election, adding that she was really there to send a warning about &#8220;right-wing populist movements&#8221; throughout the world. The lawmaker told the Times that a reporter asked her whether Munich is &#8220;the new New Hampshire,&#8221; referring to the important early primary election.
&#8220;I cannot say enough how out of touch and missing the point, genuinely, that is,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Global democracies are on fire the world over, and established parties are falling to right-wing populist movements.”
She added that she went to Munich &#8220;not because I’m running for president, not because I’ve made some kind of decision about a horse race or a candidacy, but because we need to sound the alarm bells that a lot of those folks in nicely pressed suits in that room will not be there much longer if we do not do something about the runaway inequality that is fueling far-right populist movements.&#8221;
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro told Fox News host Dana Perino on Tuesday, &#8220;It&#8217;s not our fault for noticing she&#8217;s horrible.&#8221;
&#8220;My favorite conceit here is that she goes abroad and says a bunch of incredibly stupid things. &#8230; I&#8217;m sorry, but if you give an answer reminiscent of that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww">famous clip</a> of Miss South Carolina attempting to answer a question about the Iraq War from 15 years ago, and you&#8217;re on an international stage, that is your fault,&#8221; Shapiro added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry, but if you give an answer reminiscent of that famous clip of Miss South Carolina attempting to answer a question about the Iraq War&#8230; that&#8217;s your fault.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benshapiro</a> joins <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaPerino?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaPerino</a> to slam AOC&#8217;s geopolitical incompetence at the Munich Security Conference 😂 <a href="https://t.co/w3EIJUdf0Z">pic.twitter.com/w3EIJUdf0Z</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2023792851201699861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some of the congresswoman&#8217;s other gaffes during the conference included saying that Venezuela is below the equator (the entire country is north of the equator) and mocking Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-declares-new-western-century-in-world-speech-says-america-wont-oversee-managed-decline">his speech</a> at the Munich Security Conference that the American cowboy was born in Spain.
&#8220;My favorite part was when he said that American cowboys came from Spain,” Ocasio-Cortez <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-mocked-absolute-train-wreck-weekend-global-stage-made-fool-out-of-herself">said</a>. “And I believe the Mexicans and descendants of African enslaved peoples would like to have a word on that.”
Spain is largely responsible for introducing horses to North America in the 1500s, and historians credit the Spanish vaqueros with influencing American cowboy culture, as Rubio mentioned during his widely praised speech.
During another panel discussion at the conference that focused on &#8220;the rise of populism,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez offered another head-scratching answer. While addressing President Trump’s shift on foreign policy and how the rest of the world has responded, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I think what we are seeking is a return to a rules-based order that eliminates the hypocrisies around when too often in the West, we look the other way for inconvenient populations to act out these paradoxes, whether it is kidnapping a foreign head of state, whether it is threatening our allies to colonize Greenland, whether it is looking the other way in a genocide. Hypocrisies are vulnerabilities, and they threaten democracies globally.”
Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that the criticism of her answers in Munich that have gone viral on social media &#8220;distract from the substance of what I am saying.&#8221; In its article breaking down Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s Munich appearance, the Times wrote that there were &#8220;mostly positive&#8221; responses to Ocasio-Cortez &#8220;on the ground in Germany.&#8221;
Warsaw&#8217;s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, was quoted in the Times article and praised Ocasio-Cortez for speaking out about &#8220;right-wing populism.&#8221;
“It’s of course refreshing to see some American politicians who talk openly about all of those challenges that we face,” said  Trzaskowski. “It’s good to hear progressive voices which are courageous enough to call a spade a spade.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AOC Mocked For Global Stage Disaster — Then Phones A Friend

2028 presidential election

Congress

Munich

The New York Times

Americans may not be in love with everything President Trump is doing, but they really hate the radicalism of Democrats.
According to <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/cnns-harry-enten-reports-an-all-time-high-percentage-of-americans-think-the-dems-are-too-liberal/">CNN</a>, among voters who say the Democrats are now too liberal, the percentage rose from 42% in 1996 to 48% in 2013 to 58% in 2025.
Democrats continue to swivel to the Left. It&#8217;s truly insane. After Donald Trump shellacked Joe Biden, their decision was, “Perhaps we should move further to the Left.”
Bernie Sanders, a career useless person and a leech on the ass of American society for all of his eight decades, has somehow become the ideological thought leader of an entire major party in the United States.
This is totally psychotic. Totally crazy. The man has produced nothing of value. He has the political mentality of a seven-year-old. Everything he says is along the lines of the fortune cookie idiocy only found in small children.
Yet, somehow, this has gained all sorts of credibility inside the Democratic Party base.
According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/11/bernie-sanders-mejia-left-primaries-new-jersey">Axios</a>:
<blockquote>Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is feeling emboldened by progressives&#8217; shock victory in a New Jersey special House primary last week — and sizing up his next targets. The senator has endorsed over a dozen progressive House and Senate candidates who are aiming to reshape the Democratic Party. 
Asked in a phone interview where else he thinks the left can win upset victories, Sanders pointed to a &#8220;Fighting Oligarchy&#8221; rally he is doing on Friday with Nida Allam, who is challenging Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.). &#8220;That might be another area where progressives can win a strong victory,&#8221; he said. Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller challenging Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), also has &#8220;a strong chance to win,&#8221; Sanders said.</blockquote>
All of this is following the victory of leftist Analilia Mejia to succeed now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill in a special New Jersey primary election last week. “Mejia will have to win an April general election to get seated and then another primary in June to keep the seat for another two years, but New Jersey&#8217;s Democratic establishment is now beginning to coalesce around her,” Axios stated. 
Of course, Democrats have decided to coalesce around her because this is the way it works. Apparently, neither party has the stomach to simply say to its most extreme actors, “No, you don&#8217;t get to hang out with us.”
Sanders told Axios that she ran on a strong, progressive agenda and will stand up to “oligarchs” while comparing her to Zohran Mamdani.
Sanders has also endorsed leftist House candidates in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Utah and Montana. He is also backing radical Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Graham Platner in Maine, the man who had the SS logo carved into his chest and then had to pretend that&#8217;s not what it was. He also endorsed radical leftist Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, as well as Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2368-it-s-bernie-s-party-you-can-cry-if-you-want-to?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The Democratic Party is swiveling out to the Bernie Sanders Left.
Let us never forget that Bernie Sanders’ ideas have failed everywhere they&#8217;ve ever been tried. They are garbage ideas, trash ideas.
His latest trash idea is that he wants a moratorium on data center construction.
Okay, cool. Let&#8217;s just destroy economic growth in the country. Sounds great.
His chosen proteges have already destroyed tens of thousands of jobs across the country. You&#8217;ll recall AOC — bartender turned congresswoman turned media sensation because of her “fresh-facedness” — who, when Amazon was thinking of relocating to her district, killed it, thus shoving tens of thousands of jobs out of her own district, a major win for her constituents.
And now Sanders wants to destroy data center construction. On MS NOW, he said, “We have not a clue. We are totally unprepared for what is coming. We&#8217;ve got to slow this thing down.”
What is he talking about? Slowing down AI, because redistributing misery is better than redistributing prosperity.
Sanders says that AI is bad because it alienates workers from their labor.
The real issue, of course, is that businesses might do well on the stock market and, in general, that’s what he wants to oppose.
If Democrats want to choose the “Let&#8217;s destroy the economy wing” of the party, good luck to you.

Bernie Party

It’s Bernie’s Party, You Can Cry If You Want To

Artificial Intelligence

Ben Shapiro

Bernie Sanders

Democrats

Leftists

Opinion

U.S. Politics

The influence wielded by the far-left in the Democratic Party has grown significantly stronger in recent decades, according to CNN polling analyst Harry Enten.
Enten presented data on Thursday that shows the number of Democrats who identify as “very liberal” has surged from 5% in 1999 to 21% today, while the number who identify as “conservative” has plunged from 26% to just 8% within the same period. As the Democratic Party drifts leftward, data suggests that movement could lead to political trouble in the future.
“The far-left, which used to just be a smidgen within the Democratic Party, has gained considerable power,” said Enten.
The CNN analyst made the point following a New Jersey special election in which the progressive Democratic candidate, Analilia Mejia, beat her primary opponent in the race to represent the state’s 11th Congressional District. Mejia was backed by prominent socialists, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and lacked the support of the party establishment inside the Garden State, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-jerseys-special-election-politics-desk-rcna258478">NBC News</a>.
“The results from that special election, that Democratic primary in the 11th District in New Jersey, speak to a larger point within the Democratic Party, and that is that the far-left is significantly more powerful than they once were,” said Enten.
The percentage of self-identified democratic socialists in the Democratic Party registers at about a third, but appears to be ascending. Among younger Democrats, those under the age of 35, 42% of them identify with the far-left label.
“Bernie Sanders and [New York City Mayor] Zohran Mandani are not alone. They are a considerable part of the Democratic base at this point,” said Enten.
“What happened in New York City is not some aberration, right? It is not something that just happened in New York City, it is something that we are seeing grow within the Democratic Party at this particular point,” he added.
Americans generally appear to be growing increasingly dissatisfied with the leftward drift of the Democratic Party. Enten pointed to polling showing that a majority of Americans now feel that Democrats overall are “too liberal,” from 42% in 1996 to 58% today.
“The Democrats are moving to the left, the far-left is gaining power, and there could be some electoral repercussions because what we see right now is voters, the clear majority, say that they are too liberal,” said Enten.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
An all-time high, 58%, of voters say the Dem Party is too liberal.
This comes as 1-in-3 Democrats think of themselves as Democratic Socialists!
And the % of Dems who say they&#8217;re very liberal has quadrupled since 1999.
NJ-11, NYC mayor &amp; Bernie Sanders are no aberration. <a href="https://t.co/J0xuskHgn6">pic.twitter.com/J0xuskHgn6</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2021987601612517792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>

Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

CNN Analyst: ‘Far Left’ Has Grown ‘Significantly More Powerful’ In Democratic Party

Harry Enten

A new poll shows that Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) could be Texas’ Democratic Senate nominee, as all eyes have been on the messy primaries in the Lone Star State ahead of the March 3 Election Day.
The University of Houston <a href="https://www.uh.edu/hobby/primary2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> of 550 likely voters showed Crockett up by eight points over state Rep. James Talarico, with 47% compared with his 39%.
“Congresswoman Crockett is in the best position to reassemble a winning Texas democratic coalition in November. That coalition requires exciting the base to turn out, while bringing working people, Latinos, and young voters back into the fold. The poll demonstrates that independents and disillusioned Republicans favor Crockett as opposed to the other candidates,” her campaign said in a press release on Monday regarding the survey conducted from Jan. 20-31.
Other polls have shown Crockett leading, but some, like a recent Emerson College survey, have shown Talarico ahead by as much as nine percentage points. The race turned ugly after former Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Colin Allred strongly criticized Talarico over an allegation that the state representative referred to the former congressman as a “mediocre Black man,” according to the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/02/texas-us-senate-democratic-primary-colin-allred-james-talarico-mediocre-black-man-tiktok/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Tribune</a>.
The National Republican Campaign Committee said that Crockett&#8217;s lead in the poll is a sign that the Democratic Party is moving further to the Left, even in the traditionally conservative Lone Star State.
&#8220;Today&#8217;s Democrat Party is getting more progressive and extreme by the second, but one thing remains true: Jasmine Crockett&#8217;s radical anti-Trump agenda is wrong for Texas,&#8221; NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said in a statement to The Daily Wire. The group is backing incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the competitive Republican primary.
On the Republican side, President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race, and it’s unclear if he will with less than a month to go. Cornyn is up against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt for the seat, and the same University of Houston poll showed Paxton leading with 38%, compared with 31% for the incumbent senator and 17% for Hunt.
Hunt&#8217;s campaign spokesperson, James Kyrkanides, said in a statement that the poll is an “interesting snapshot” into the general electorate. In head-to-head matchups, each of the Republican candidates would defeat either Crockett or Talarico by a thin margin. Paxton would defeat either Democrat by two points, Cornyn would beat Crockett by two and Talarico by one, and Hunt would beat Crockett by three and Talarico by four.
Kyrkanides said other polls have indicated that the “campaign has surged into second place&#8221; and that “John Cornyn’s campaign has collapsed.”
Texas primaries require a candidate to break 50% of the vote to become the nominee.
“While the primary results in the [university] poll are being debated, one fact is undeniable: Among general election voters, Wesley Hunt once again outperforms both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton,” the statement continued. “This has been consistent since the day Hunt entered the race in October. The data keeps saying the same thing. Anyone making ‘electability’ arguments while excluding Wesley Hunt isn’t serious about winning. They’re serious about protecting the status quo. Texas voters are moving on.&#8221;
Paxton said that the poll, which also indicates he would defeat Cornyn in a runoff, is a good sign that he will be the Republican nominee.
&#8220;Ensuring that low-propensity America First voters are motivated to show up in November is critical to Republicans&#8217; success in 2026, and John Cornyn is the single worst person in Texas to accomplish that. Luckily, he won&#8217;t be on the ballot because Texans are ready to fire him this spring. In 2022, I faced tens of millions in negative attacks and then proceeded to overwhelmingly defeat my primary opponents and win the general by nearly ten points. I&#8217;m ready and in a strong position to do the same in 2026.&#8221;
As for Cornyn, he&#8217;s pulled no punches against his opponents on both sides of the aisle, as he came out with an ad on Sunday taking aim at both Democrats, and recently saying that he is the &#8220;only electable Republican in this primary, a proven conservative with real experience and results who votes with President Trump more than 99% of the time.&#8221;
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the general election race as “Likely Republican.”

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Texas’ 30th District: An Intimate Brunch

Crockett Could Become Texas Senate Democratic Nominee As Primaries Heat Up: Poll

Jasmine Crockett

John Cornyn

Ken Paxton

Texas

U.S. Senate

Wesley Hunt

More Minnesota protestors face federal investigation after disrupting a church service in St. Paul, the effects of Virginia Democrats’ election sweep begin to take shape, and the Pentagon purchases a curious new device as evidence has come to light about the so-called “Havana Syndrome.”
It’s Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doj-probes-church-protesters-havana-syndrome-revelations/id1576594336?i=1000745870277" 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>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Anti-ICE Protestors Storm Minnesota Church</h2>
Federal authorities are investigating after anti-ICE <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/career-activist-who-disrupted-minneapolis-worship-service-also-targeted-hegseths-dc-church">activists</a> stormed a church service in Minnesota. The protestors, accompanied by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-ice-activists-storm-minnesota-church-with-don-lemon-doj-launches-probe">interrupted</a> worship and demanded that congregants condemn ICE. The situation unfolded during the Sunday morning service at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in St. Paul. A group of anti-ICE activists entered the sanctuary mid-service and started chanting, shouting accusations, and filming the congregants. The protesters accused the church of supporting ICE because one of its staff pastors also serves as an acting field director for ICE’s St. Paul office. Several of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minneapolis-prosecutors-aide-spouse-of-city-council-member-disrupted-church-service-in-ice-protest">protestors</a> are associated with groups that led demonstrations over the death of George Floyd. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-could-face-criminal-conspiracy-charges-over-involvement-in-minnesota-church-protest">Lemon</a>, who was with these protestors, has claimed that the disruption was simply free speech. But DOJ Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told The Daily Wire that activists “don&#8217;t have a First Amendment right to trespass and invade a house of worship.” The Justice Department is investigating the incident for potential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harmeet-dhillon-doj-weighing-charges-over-literally-illegal-anti-ice-church-protest">violations</a> of the FACE Act and other laws.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Democrats’ Virginia Agenda</h2>
Virginia swore in its Democratic slate of leaders over the weekend, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Attorney General Jay Jones, and they, along with their congressional counterparts, are laying out a heavily leftist agenda. One of the first actions Spanberger took as governor was to end the state government’s support for ICE, rescinding an executive order signed last year by former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. Jones put out a legal opinion shortly after he took office backing the push for redistricting. The new congressional map could be up for a vote in a few months ahead of the November midterm elections, and it could lead to four more seats for Democrats in the currently narrow Republican-majority House. Meanwhile, Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly could bring other constitutional proposals to the ballot soon, such as placing a right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Did The U.S. Finally Crack The Havana Syndrome?</h2>
The Pentagon believes it may have solved a decade-long mystery surrounding Havana Syndrome, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-outrageous-rubio-weighs-in-on-biden-admin-dismissing-havana-syndrome-victims">mysterious</a> ailment impacting American personnel stationed around the world. The story is equal parts terrifying and fascinating. At first, officials thought these were isolated and natural medical events. They called them “anomalous health episodes,” but over time, a clear pattern emerged. New victims were overwhelmingly coming down with the ailment while working sensitive diplomatic events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, especially Cuba, thus the name Havana Syndrome. The Pentagon has been tight-lipped about the total number of cases, but reports say there have been at least 200 victims. Some are now permanently disabled, suffering from severe short and long-term memory loss. In the final days of the Biden administration, the Pentagon secretly purchased a device that emits high-frequency pulsed radio waves. Specific details of the purchase are sparse, but reports say it cost in the “eight-figure” range and was acquired covertly as part of an “undercover operation.”

MRN-012026_V2

Morning Brief: Church Protest Fallout, Virginia Blue Surge, & ‘Havana Syndrome’ Twist

Department of Justice

Havana Syndrome

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Virginia

I don’t think Republicans will waltz to victory in 2028.
I don&#8217;t think Democrats will waltz to victory in 2028.
It&#8217;s going to be a dogfight.
And problems exist inside both parties.
The Republican Party is divided on some major issues, ranging from the involvement of the state and economics to foreign policy. The record of whoever is the Republican nominee will also come up for scrutiny.
I&#8217;ve discussed the problems facing the Democratic Party before, which are pretty obvious: There&#8217;s a big divide between the radical base and the moderation they&#8217;re going to need to win.
Gavin Newsom may well be their presidential candidate. He wants to campaign as the guy who cooperates with ICE, as the guy who wants to be at least moderate during the transition. Newsom also wants to be fairly moderate on foreign policy, and doesn&#8217;t want to engage in a lot of the same sort of rhetorical radicalism of his own party.
Will the base allow him to do that? I don’t think so. He&#8217;s been able to hide it so far by attacking Trump. I&#8217;m not sure how long that will last. So that&#8217;s one problem for him. And of course, the other problem is his record in California. There will be a lot of Willie Horton-type ads that come out against Newsom as he runs for the presidency.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2348?contentProgram=The%20Ben%20Shapiro%20Show&amp;contentType=ShowEpisode&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The problem for the Republicans is that Gavin Newsom is a very talented guy. I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any doubt when you <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2348?contentProgram=The%20Ben%20Shapiro%20Show&amp;contentType=ShowEpisode&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel">watch my interview with him</a>. He is good on his feet, and slippery when he needs to be. He also does a convincing imitation of a pro-capitalist moderate. If you think that&#8217;s an imitation, maybe that&#8217;s the real Gavin Newsom, and he has had to slather it over with radicalism to get where he wants to go.
Here&#8217;s what I would urge for both parties: Perhaps you ought to take a look at what the American people want. Look at the closeness of every American election for the last 12 years and think to yourself: &#8220;Maybe if I tacked toward the middle, maybe what Americans really want is normalcy.”
It’s possible the primary structure prevents normalcy from taking the floor. But as we&#8217;re seeing from the polling data, more and more Americans are identifying as independent. And the reason for this is because all they want is a return to normalcy.
I think the reason President Trump won in 2024 is that he was by far the most normie candidate – by far.
Joe Biden was not a normie candidate. He was dead on his feet and a radical. Kamala Harris was not a normie candidate. She was an empty suit and a radical.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump took the middle position on nearly every issue. Will Republicans do the same, or will they be so high on their own supply that they go rhetorically radical over and over and over for no apparent reason?
Pursuing mainstream policy is going to be the big battle of 2028.

Governor Newsom And San Francisco Mayor Lurie Announce New Funding For Homelessness And Mental Health Ffforts In The City

2028: A Dogfight For The Middle

Gavin Newsom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

A record-high 45% of Americans identified as political independents last year, with both Democrats and Republicans tied at 27% in party identification, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. <a href="https://t.co/1vKF7J2RnE">pic.twitter.com/1vKF7J2RnE</a>
— Gallup (@Gallup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gallup/status/2010775854117171569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/700499/new-high-identify-political-independents.aspx">survey</a>, which interviewed 13,000 respondents over the course of 2025, found that 45% of Americans are political independents. Of that 45%, 20% lean Democratic, 15% lean Republican, and the remaining 10% expressed no partisan preference — a three-point decline in Republican leaners and a three-point increase in Democratic leaners compared with 2024.
The five-point Democratic advantage among independent leaners erodes what had been a key GOP edge during the 2024 election cycle, returning party identification to the levels seen in Trump&#8217;s first term.
Despite this unfavorable shift in party preference, more Americans in 2025 described their political views as &#8220;very conservative&#8221; or &#8220;conservative&#8221; (35%) than as &#8220;very liberal&#8221; or &#8220;liberal&#8221; (28%), with 33% identifying as &#8220;moderate.&#8221;
The Gallup poll showed a stark contrast in party identification across generations. Majorities of Gen Z adults (56%) and millennials (53%) identified as political independents in 2025, compared with just 33% of baby boomers and 30% of Silent Generation adults.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In 2025, majorities of Gen Z adults and millennials identified as political independents, as did more than four in 10 Gen X adults.
One-third or less of baby boomers and Silent Generation adults were politically independent. <a href="https://t.co/5JxXbwqyuU">pic.twitter.com/5JxXbwqyuU</a>
— Gallup (@Gallup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gallup/status/2011087055733080219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 56% of Gen Z adults identifying as independents today substantially exceeds the 47% of millennials who did so in 2012 and the 40% of Gen X adults in 1992.
Gallup notes that the shift does not indicate Americans are warming to the Democratic Party, as &#8220;favorable ratings of the Democratic Party are no better than those of the Republican Party.&#8221; Instead, the polling organization suggests these changes appear to be &#8220;a consequence of one party&#8217;s association with an unpopular incumbent president,&#8221; a pattern that has led to frequent changes in party power in recent federal election cycles.

Democrats vs. Republicans

Independent Voters Hit Record High As Both Parties Lose Ground: Poll

2026 Midterms

polling

Polls

Republican Party

The FBI arrests a suspect linked to the infamous January 6 pipe bomb case, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo ink a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, and the border fight goes digital.
It’s Friday, December 5, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251205-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video version</a> can be seen on The Daily Wire:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j6-pipe-bomb-breakthrough-trump-brokers-more-peace-12-5-25/id1576594336?i=1000739827019" 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>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">DOJ Says It Finally Caught The J6 Pipe Bomb Suspect</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1010329" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/J6-Pipe-Bomb-Arrest.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The FBI has arrested a suspect in the January 5, 2021, pipe bomb case. The arrest comes after five years of investigations into who planted two explosive devices outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties.
According to the Department of Justice, the election of President Trump marked the start of the search for the suspect in earnest. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel hammered that point in a press conference on the arrest on Thursday. 
“The FBI, along with U.S Attorney Pirro and all of our prosecutors, have worked tirelessly for months sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI with the Biden administration for four long years,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-fWeLzgNyI">said</a> Bondi.
Officials gave much credit to FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Even before he was picked to help lead the FBI, Bongino closely followed this case.
“You&#8217;re not going to walk into our capital city, put down two explosive devices, and walk off in the sunset. Not gonna happen. We were gonna track this person to the end of the earth,” said Bongino on Tuesday.
The suspect: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Brian Cole Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, will be charged with “transporting an explosive device” and “attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.”
Officials refrained from giving many more specifics on the case. At the time of the press conference, the search at Cole’s house hadn’t even concluded.
Charging <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287327/gov.uscourts.dcd.287327.1.1.pdf">documents</a> released Thursday gave a few more details. Law enforcement said it reviewed Cole’s credit card activity and found that he purchased components consistent with the materials needed to make the bombs between 2018 and 2020. They also reviewed Cole’s cell phone data, which showed him in the area around the RNC and DNC headquarters on January 5. They also caught Cole’s car, a 2017 Nissan Sentra, on a license plate reader about half a mile from where the bombs were placed.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Peace In The Congo And Senate War Crime Hearing</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1010331" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/From-D.C.-With-Peace.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump hosted African leaders on Thursday for the signing of yet another peace deal, as military leaders testified before Congress regarding recent airstrikes on alleged drug smuggling boats.
Peace president: Trump hosted leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo–two countries that have been engaged in a bloody conflict for more than a decade. But on Thursday, after negotiations brokered by the president, the two countries signed on to the Washington Accords, which will create a “permanent ceasefire.”
Under the agreement, Rwanda will remove all of its troops from Congolese territory, and both sides will cut off all support to militia groups operating there. The presidents of Rwanda and Congo were complimentary of Trump, crediting him with the peace agreement they both signed
“I would like to express, quite solemnly, our deep thanks to the President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump. I would like to thank his administration, and I also wish to thank the American people,” Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1996650157052776787?s=20">said</a>.
What’s in it for the United States? Despite being among the poorest countries on earth, both Congo and Rwanda are home to enormous deposits of rare-earth minerals. Congo, in particular, is the world’s largest producer of Cobalt and the second largest producer of copper. Trump helped move the deal along by <a href="https://x.com/TabZLIVE/status/1996648347403477443?s=20">promising</a> that, with economic development spurred on by the United States, “everybody’s going to make a lot of money.”
War crime or hoax? Congress is moving full speed ahead on its investigation of the strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. On Thursday, Congress heard closed-door testimony from Adm. Frank Bradley, who oversaw the operation, and reportedly claimed he was given no orders to kill survivors, contradicting that Washington Post report.
Members were also shown footage of the attack. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said it proved the two survivors were “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for the United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Democrat members, though, had a very different take. Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes said it showed “the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors.”
President Trump said he would support making that footage public.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Immigration Information War</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1010333" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ICE-Fact-Checks-Back.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: As the Trump administration ramps up its immigration crackdown following the attack in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan national, it’s also fighting a PR battle against the Democrats and legacy media outlets.
Kilmar Abrego-Garcia was just the tip of the iceberg. Since the large-scale deportations began, Democrats and media personalities have glommed onto the stories of any illegal aliens that tug at the heartstrings. Whether or not the story is true does not appear to figure into their calculus.
A recent example is CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan. She claimed that nearly half, 48%, of the illegal aliens currently being detained by ICE are being held without any charges or deportation orders. 
But DHS fact-checked the claim. It says this is simply “WRONG,” and that about 70% of illegal aliens arrested “have pending criminal charges or criminal convictions.” They then pressed the outlet, asking, “Does CBS really want us to release accused murderers and rapists back on the streets?”
Democrats weigh in: Democratic lawmakers are painting the administration as reckless and tyrannical.
A recent example is Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who referred to federal agents as kidnappers and parroted a story about a teen taken into custody at school.
But DHS pushed back on him as well, saying he’s “missing the facts.”
“This 17-year-old used his vehicle to violently ATTACK ICE and Border Patrol agents,” the agency posted. It included a timeline of events that identified the teen as an American citizen — but also identified him as a suspect who had allegedly attacked and impeded federal law enforcement officers.
Another Democratic senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, recently responded to the news that a nail salon owner in his state was set to be deported to Vietnam. He said that “Melissa Tran came here on a Green Card at age 11. She’s since raised four kids, started a business, &amp; is a beloved member of the Hagerstown community.”
But as DHS noted, Van Hollen was “omitting some pesky facts.” The nail salon owner in question had “criminal convictions including grand larceny, multiple counts of forgery and fraud.” In fact, an immigration judge issued her a final order of removal way back in 2004. ICE arrested her in May.

MRN_251204_V1

Morning Brief: J6 Pipe Bomb Breakthrough & Trump Brokers More Peace

Congo

Immigration

Rwanda

Aftyn Behn, the Democratic congressional candidate for Tennessee’s 7th District, once had recurring dreams in which she screamed, “I don’t want children. I want power!”
In an audio clip posted online on Monday, Behn can be heard speaking about her sessions with her therapist and dreams she has had. She connects the dreams back to advice her mother gave her to forgo children in order to focus on a career. It was not immediately clear when the audio clip was recorded.
“My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams when they happen, and the recurring dream I&#8217;ve had is standing up in a cafeteria full of women – I don&#8217;t know why I was there or whatever – and saying, ‘I don&#8217;t want children. I want power!’ And just screaming it at the top of my lungs,” Behn can be heard saying.
“For someone who grew up with my mother telling me, never have kids because you will, you know, you&#8217;ll have to give up a lot. You&#8217;ll have to sacrifice professionally,” she continued.
Behn said that the political field has not “met the challenge of working moms” and added that those women who do choose marriage and a family are in “deeply patriarchal structures.”
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“I think in the South, it&#8217;s incredibly difficult to shake those [patriarchal structures], especially if you&#8217;ve grown up here and that all you&#8217;ve been told is the definition of success, the metrics of success is how many kids you have, the bigger the square footage of your house, and where your kids go to school,” Behn said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Democrat nominee for the upcoming TN07 special election Aftyn Behn condemns women who get married and start families&#8211; saying it&#8217;s the product of &#8220;deeply patriarchal structures&#8221;:
&#8220;My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams and the recurring dream I&#8217;ve had is standing… <a href="https://t.co/LTsYj0im7Q">pic.twitter.com/LTsYj0im7Q</a>
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1993043067486527894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
Behn, currently serving as a state representative in Tennessee, has a history of controversial comments that have undermined her campaign to represent Tennessee’s 7th District in the U.S. Congress. In another clip discovered and posted last week, the Democratic candidate said she hated the city she is running to represent.
“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>.
She later said that she was only venting frustrations about the tourism that comes to Nashville.
Behn is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in a special election to replace former Rep. Mark Green. The election is scheduled to be held early next week.

Aftyn Behn

Tennessee Dem Candidate Aftyn Behn: ‘I Don’t Want Children. I Want Power!’

Aftyn Behn: ‘I Don’t Want Children. I Want Power!’

Tennessee

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Republicans should end the filibuster if the Democrats attempt to once again shut down the government in January.
Speaking with Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Bessent was asked about the viability of ending the filibuster.
“You call for an end to the filibuster. In the past, leader Thune has said that it&#8217;s just not happening. There aren&#8217;t the votes. Mr. Secretary, do you believe that you have enough votes, that the president has enough votes to get rid of the filibuster?” Welker asked.
Bessent responded, saying that his editorial, which was published in The Washington Post on Sunday, was designed to “put the Senate on notice.”
“The Democrats kept the government shut down — and Ezra Klein in The New York Times took the mask off. He said this wasn&#8217;t about health care; this was about stopping totalitarianism. The Democrats haven&#8217;t been able to stop President Trump in the courts; they haven&#8217;t been able to stop him in the media, so they had to harm the American people — 1.5% hit to GDP, $11 billion permanent hit. They don&#8217;t care. So I believe that Senate Democrats, if Senate Democrats close the government again, Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster,” the Treasury secretary stated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: &#8220;If Senate Democrats close the government again [on January 30], then Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/IXTzdKMDwN">https://t.co/IXTzdKMDwN</a> <a href="https://t.co/XqJNXuJeNo">pic.twitter.com/XqJNXuJeNo</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1992611413903159675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In his Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/23/scott-bessent-treasury-senate-republicans-filibuster/">editorial</a>, Bessent laid out the history of the filibuster, arguing that it is a relic that no longer serves its intended purpose. “Today, the minority party can abuse the filibuster to the point of rendering the Senate almost useless as a deliberative body,” he wrote.
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“Some Republicans hesitate to end the filibuster out of fear that Democrats will one day use that same power against them,” Bessent noted. “But Democrats will use that power against them whether Republicans end the filibuster or not. GOP senators who defend the filibuster are ignoring basic game theory. As the classic prisoner’s dilemma shows us, in a repeated game, the player who always cooperates while the opponent who always betrays is doomed to lose.”

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