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Controversial internet celebrity and &#8220;looksmaxxer&#8221; Clavicular avoided jail time after allegedly shooting an alligator in Florida earlier this year.
The 20-year-old livestreamer, whose real name is Braden Peters, was <a href="https://ktar.com/arizona-news/clavicular-arrested-scottsdale/5819599/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken</a> into custody on February 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Peters was later charged with multiple offenses, including two felony counts, according to court records reviewed online. Clavicular faced nearly eight years in prison for the offenses, which included allegations that he shot an already-dead alligator in the Florida Everglades.
But Clav will live to mog another day, thanks to a plea deal he struck late Friday. A judge agreed to sentence Clavicular to six months&#8217; probation, during which time he must perform 30 hours of community service and complete a firearm safety course. If he serves his sentence without issue, his charges will be stricken from the record, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/us/clavicular-plea-deal-alligator-shooting.html">according</a> to the New York Times.
Clavicular rose to fame thanks to his near-constant livestreams, which broadcast every aspect of his life to the internet. Much of his content centers around &#8220;looksmaxxing,&#8221; a niche internet trend popular among young men who will go to great lengths to improve their physical appearance. &#8220;Looksmaxxers&#8221; have captivated the internet with their unique argot, a lexicon of extremely-online slang and portmanteaus of ordinary words with suffixes like &#8220;mogged&#8221; and &#8220;maxxing,&#8221; which signify embarrassment and commitment to a practice, respectively.
Clavicular has admitted to using methamphetamine to stay skinny and &#8220;bonesmashing,&#8221; a practice in which an individual lightly fractures his jaw bones, in the hope that they will heal more defined.
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During an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8qj9RNA938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, Peters said, “I do meth, yeah. Meth is very similar to … Adderall, but it’s got a little bit better psychoactive benefits … stimulants cause appetite suppression.” When pressed on why he was doing meth despite its negative effects, he replied, “I have enough willpower to be able to taper off of meth.”
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Clavicular

Probation-Maxxing: Clavicular Avoids Brutal Sentencemogging From Florida Judge

Florida

Guns

Jail

An 83-year-old Democrat lawmaker from Florida has missed over 40 straight House votes and was caught recycling old photos on social media this week as she faces questions about her recent voting record. 
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) has missed 43 straight House roll call votes and has not voted since April 17, according to official voting tallies. Wilson’s recent voting history was <a href="https://x.com/jamiedupree/status/2054710645514232177">first flagged</a> on Wednesday by veteran Capitol Hill reporter Jaime Dupree. The Daily Wire reached out to Wilson’s office and asked why she has not voted in nearly a month. 
Dupree also noted that Wilson, who represents portions of Miami, posted a picture on her congressional X account on May 12 that featured a photo first posted to her account on October 4, 2025. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Frederica Wilson D-FL missed all 10 votes on Wednesday in the House. Wilson has now missed 43 straight votes &#8211; she last voted on April 17.
Wilson&#8217;s X account this week sent out photos of a Service Academy day &#8211; but pictures from the same event were posted last October <a href="https://t.co/ncemZstJGP">pic.twitter.com/ncemZstJGP</a>
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamiedupree/status/2054710645514232177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The post from May 12 <a href="https://x.com/RepWilson/status/2054291109807878358">said</a>, “As students plan their futures, service through a U.S. Service Academy remains a powerful path to leadership, discipline, and opportunity. I was proud to host a Service Academy Day at FIU, bringing together representatives to share guidance with the next generation. For nomination information, visit my website or call my office.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1095145" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.02.57-AM.png" alt="" width="1036" height="1105" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.02.57-AM.png 1036w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.02.57-AM-281x300.png 281w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.02.57-AM-540x576.png 540w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.02.57-AM-768x819.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1036px) 100vw, 1036px" />
A second post featuring one of the exact same photos and nearly the same text from October 4 said, “As high school students plan their future, service through a U.S. service academy is an excellent path. I was proud to host a Service Day Academy at [FIU] and I thank all the academy representatives who presented. For nomination information, visit my website or call my office.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1095147" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.03.18-AM.png" alt="" width="1074" height="1112" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.03.18-AM.png 1074w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.03.18-AM-290x300.png 290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.03.18-AM-556x576.png 556w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8.03.18-AM-768x795.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1074px) 100vw, 1074px" /></div>
The Daily Wire also asked Wilson’s office why she was recycling social media posts. 
Wilson’s office has published just one press release since she last voted. That release condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to end requirements for black-majority congressional districts. 
“This decision is a setback for voting rights and fair representation. Full stop,” she said. “Let me be clear. For generations, people fought, marched, and even died for the right to vote in this country. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was supposed to protect that right and make sure communities that were shut out of power finally had a fair chance to be heard.”

House Committee On Transportation Holds Hearing On Rail Safety In The Aftermath Of The East Palestine Ohio Derailment

Questions Raised After Dem Racks Up Skipped Votes

Congress

Democrat

U.S. Politics

Two South Florida-based police officers are suing for defamation following the release of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s action thriller “The Rip.”
Miami-Dade area sergeants Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed a lawsuit against the film’s production company, Artists Equity, earlier this month in Miami federal court, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rip-lawsuit-ben-affleck-matt-damon-98647a282521fe01ce73d8a7afeb4400">per</a> the Associated Press. Smith and Santana are seeking an undisclosed amount of compensatory damages, along with punitive damages and attorney fees. They are also asking for a retraction and added disclaimers in the film.
“The Rip” was inspired by the true story of two police officers who discovered millions of dollars inside a house. 
“A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the huge seizure, making them question who to rely on,” the IMDb description says.
It was released on Netflix in January and currently has a 78% critic rating and 65% audience score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rip">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. 
The lawsuit states that people now believe Smith, the real-life supervisor of the investigative team, and Santana, the lead detective on the case, actually committed the criminal acts portrayed in the film, even with the film’s disclaimers stating that it’s not a true story.
&#8220;Third parties have asked Plaintiffs which characters in the Film they were and how many buckets they kept,&#8221; the lawsuit states. &#8220;Family members, colleagues and peers in other entities unknown to the Plaintiffs but aware of the 2016 case, also remarked that Plaintiffs must have used seized funds to build personal property improvements, purchase vehicles and vessels, and afford private schooling for their children.&#8221;
The lawsuit further states that Smith and Santana have &#8220;repeatedly been questioned by third parties regarding the characters and events depicted.&#8221; They claim to have been contacted by a Miami-Dade County State Attorney inquiring about the allegations and threatening an investigation. 
&#8220;The Film and its promotional content imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law-enforcement operation,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-dade-officers-suing-over-matt-damon-and-ben-affleck-movie-the-rip/3807644/">says</a>. &#8220;As a result, Plaintiffs have suffered damage to their reputations, diminished standing among peers and colleagues, and injury to their credibility in law-enforcement and professional circles.&#8221;
An attorney for Artists Equity said in March that the film already has a disclaimer saying it doesn’t depict real events or people, the outlet noted. The disclaimer text says, &#8220;This program is inspired by real events; however, the characters and events depicted have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, and any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental and unintentional.”
Affleck and Damon already stated that the narrative was inspired by the real 2016 incident in Miami and hired Miami-Dade Police Capt. Chris Casiano as a technical advisor on the film.
“We really wanted to kind of understand what those dynamics were like,” Damon told AP during an interview in January. “I mean, these units are very tight because they’re really putting their lives in each other’s hands, and they’re doing something that’s very dangerous.”

Matt Damon Ben Affleck

Police Officers Slap Matt Damon And Ben Affleck With Defamation Lawsuit

Police Officers Sue Matt Damon And Ben Affleck For Defamation

Ben Affleck

Entertainment

Hollywood

Lawsuit

Matt Damon

Movies

Police

The nationwide battle for congressional seats shifted dramatically Friday after Virginia’s Supreme Court struck down the state&#8217;s Democrat-favored congressional map, even as Republican-led states across the South charge ahead to redraw their own.
The Virginia ruling undercuts what Democrats had expected to be a 10-1 advantage in the state&#8217;s House delegation. Instead, the map reverts to a narrower 6-5 Democrat edge that was in place before the April special election, giving Republicans a clearer path to compete. 
The decision comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week striking down requirements for black-majority districts in Southern states, prompting a wave of redistricting efforts in Republican-led states. 
Florida and Tennessee have already approved new maps, with more red states likely to follow. 
Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/brutal-blow-for-democrats-in-red-state-sparks-leftist-outrage?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Brutal+Blow+For+Democrats+In+Red+State+Sparks+Leftist+Outrage">approved</a> a congressional map expected to hand Republicans control of all nine of the Volunteer State’s congressional districts come November. The map, signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, spreads out the heavily Democratic population centers in Memphis and Nashville across multiple Republican-favorable districts. 
The new map is likely to eliminate Tennessee’s lone Democratic seat, currently held by Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis. 
In Florida, lawmakers led by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-passes-new-maps-that-could-threaten-multiple-democratic-seats">passed</a> new district lines projected to give Republicans four additional House seats. The changes target Democratic-leaning areas in Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida, aiming to flip those districts to Republican control.
Alabama could be next. Lawmakers are considering legislation that would produce a congressional map favoring Republicans 6-1, shifting one seat away from Democrats. 
Prior to the Supreme Court decision last week, Alabama was forced to maintain one majority-black district and a second with a near-majority black population under an interpretation of the Voting Rights Act that has now been ruled an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. 
Lawmakers in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Mississippi are also reviewing potential redistricting plans that could further shift even more seats to Republicans. 
President Donald Trump called on states to redraw maps after the Supreme Court decision last week. 
“We cannot allow there to be an Election that is conducted unconstitutionally simply for the ‘convenience’ of State Legislatures,” Trump said Sunday. “If they have to vote twice, so be it. We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done. That is more important than administrative convenience. The byproduct is that the Republicans will receive more than 20 House Seats in the upcoming Midterms.”

Tennessee Governor Signs Trump-Backed Redistricting Plan

Virginia Ruling Reshapes Redistricting Battle For House Control

2026 elections

Tennessee

Virginia

An illegal immigrant hid in the ceiling of a women&#8217;s bathroom in a Florida church while recording video on his phone, according to authorities.
The Fort Walton Beach Police Department arrested Panamanian illegal immigrant Aquilino Sanjur Ortega on Sunday after receiving a call about a possible armed person at Grace Church during a religious service. One woman said that while she was inside the women&#8217;s restroom, &#8220;she observed a mobile phone positioned above the ceiling with its camera pointed downward in her direction,&#8221; police <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fwbpd/posts/pfbid02BeudRCiPUCdk3ycUCELR71UDLdc3pPm2gD3TxEgviCoxoXhmPNGUGVznTBJq7iPMl?rdid=GIAivwzSYIKbGnwu#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The woman &#8220;immediately&#8221; left the restroom and informed church staff.
Parishioners evacuated from the building before officers arrived at the scene, according to authorities. Witnesses told the officers that a man was hiding in the women&#8217;s restroom ceiling, which they confirmed after entering the church.
Ortega, who was unarmed, was swiftly arrested.
Ortega is charged with video voyeurism and disturbing a religious assembly.
Ortega came to the United States in March 2007 with a tourism visa that expired that September, federal law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire. Because Ortega overstayed his visa by nearly two decades, he&#8217;s considered an illegal immigrant.
As a result, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer with the Okaloosa County Jail. Local authorities are likely to honor the request and hand Ortega over to federal authorities for eventual deportation.
He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
&#8220;Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,&#8221; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Daily Wire in response to the case.
Upon his return to the White House, President Donald Trump stripped churches, schools, and hospitals of protections that prevented ICE from entering. They were previously considered &#8220;sensitive&#8221; locations that ICE could not enter or go near.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” DHS <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-sensitive-locations-trump-ab0d2d2652e9df696f14410ebb52a1fc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the time of the policy change.
Trump&#8217;s border czar, Tom Homan, has said that ICE attempts to avoid those institutions. But if an illegal immigrant criminal tries to hide inside a church, ICE may go in to arrest them, Homan <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/2609704789400477" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> while leading immigration operations in Minneapolis in February.
&#8220;Those locations are not off the table. I&#8217;ve said from day one, there&#8217;s no sanctuary for a significant public safety threat or a national security threat,&#8221; he said at the time.

Untitled design – 2026-05-08T095623.726

EXCLUSIVE: The Creepy Church Bathroom Discovery Now Fueling A Bigger Immigration Debate

Christianity

Church

Crime

Immigration

The Bright Side: Wild Flamingos Return, Gen Z Discovers Beethoven, And FOMO Finally Dies

cherie devaux

Classical Music

flamingos

FOMO

golden tempo

kentucky derby

Mothers Day

national dog mom's day

ROMO

south korean bananas

The Devil Wears Prada 2

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This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars.
In this piece, Manhattan Institute fellow Danyela Souza Egorov takes a look at ballooning public education spending and asks: What are we getting for this money? Her answer may surprise you.
***
American K-12 public education spending <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED679904.pdf">reached</a> $1 trillion for the first time in 2024.
But what are students getting for that money?
While <a href="https://edunomicslab.org/roi-over-time/">spending grew</a> by 56% since 2013, reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as “the nation’s report card” — declined. Over the next decade, national student enrollment is <a href="https://bellwether.org/publications/how-student-enrollment-declines-are-affecting-education-budgets/?activeTab=2">projected</a> to decline by 5.5%, around 2.7 million students.
There are some bright spots. According to the Georgetown University Edunomics Lab, students in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia have seen <a href="https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=179e2a9db6ce62a03ab6a0a74&amp;id=1262a5adf2">some</a> recent gains, with Mississippi <a href="https://www.progressivepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PPI_Mississippi-Marathon.pdf">leading</a> in reading improvement.
However, most states with increased education budgets have not improved student outcomes, and some have even experienced declines.
What they have done is hire staff. A lot of staff.
K-12 staff <a href="https://edunomicslab.org/staffing-v-enrollment-trends/">grew</a> from 5.9 million in 2014 to 6.6 million in 2024, even as schools served about 1 million fewer students. This disconnect between spending and enrollment has resulted in situations such as a Chicago school <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/chicagos-empty-ghost-schools-teach-us-about-how-system-failing">with</a> 28 staff members for 27 students.
There’s also a Memphis charter <a href="https://www.tnfirefly.com/news/memphis-shelby-county-school-board-renews-public-charter-school-despite-enrollment-of-just-14-students">school</a> that was renewed despite having only 14 students enrolled — it may have helped that the principal is <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/email/23233/view">married</a> to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent, who is responsible for charter renewal — and 112 New York City schools projected to enroll <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-public-schools-enrollment-zohran-mamdani">fewer</a> than 150 students, effectively creating micro schools and raising per-pupil spending to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/30/us-news/nyc-doe-projected-to-spend-over-42k-per-student-this-school-year-the-most-in-the-country/">approximately</a> $42,000.
But while lots of states are snatching up staff, they’re not all spending money the same way. Take the four largest states — Florida, Texas, California, and New York — which collectively educate 34% of American students.
<h3 dir="ltr"><a href="https://manhattan.institute/subscribe?utm_source=DailyWire&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=reihan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for more Manhattan Institute content.</a></h3>
The red states are expanding school choice. Florida dedicates nearly 12% of its budget to school choice programs, <a href="https://www.edchoice.org/2026-edchoice-spending-share-rankings">more</a> than any other state. Currently, 53% of Florida students attend a school of their choice rather than the one assigned to them by the government based on their home address. Texas recently passed a bill <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/national-school-choice-week-republican-states">allocating</a> $1 billion to the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, now the largest first-year education savings account program in the country, with over 274,000 students <a href="https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/media-center/news/20260402-texas-comptrollers-office-releases-comprehensive-overview-of-texas-education-freedom-account-applications-1775142014682#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTexas%20didn't%20just%20meet,showed%20up%20in%20record%20numbers.%E2%80%9D">applying</a> in its first year.
Meanwhile, California and New York are moving to limit school choice for families. California previously saw rapid charter school growth, with about 80 new schools <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558484.pdf">opening</a> annually. However, <a href="https://edsource.org/2019/new-era-for-charter-schools-newsom-signs-bill-with-compromises-he-negotiated/618099">a 2019 law</a> that allowed local school boards to deny charter applications <a href="https://laist.com/news/education/buffeted-by-change-california-charter-schools-continue-to-grow-amid-scrutiny">reduced</a> new charter openings from 80 in 2014 to 12 in 2023.
Similarly, New York has imposed limits on school choice. Statewide, charter schools enroll <a href="https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/migrant-influx-helps-curb-new-yorks-k-12-enrollment-decline/#:~:text=Enrollment%20in%20charter%20schools%20grew,Homeschool">about</a> 7% of students, with higher concentrations in major cities like Buffalo (25%) and New York City (16%), where the number of charter schools has been capped.
This gap may widen next year as states decide whether to participate in the Federal Scholarship Tax program, which offers taxpayers a $1,700 dollar-for-dollar federal tax reduction for donations to scholarship-granting organizations.
Participation requires states to opt in, and neither California Governor Gavin Newsom nor New York Governor Kathy Hochul has done so. As two of the top states in federal tax payments, their nonparticipation could result in California losing $3 billion and New York losing $1.5 billion in potential donations from their residents that will benefit low-income kids in the other 27 <a href="https://www.k12dive.com/news/27-states-opting-into-federal-school-choice-program-IRS-Congress/818087/#:~:text=States%20are%20awaiting%20rules%20defining,building%20is%20pictured%20on%20Feb." target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a> that have already opted in, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YTP9avQpzmXRpQ96zxQ0w60g81A3cdK8/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Democrats for Education Reform. On Tax Day, all four senators from California and New York <a href="https://www.kelly.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MCG26237.pdf">joined</a> 30 Democrats to propose repealing the program.
Differences in how states allocate the $1 trillion on education resources will continue to influence where families live and how many students can access high-quality education. As David Shor, head of a major Democratic consulting firm, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-david-shor.html">told</a> the New York Times, “education has gone from being basically one of the best issues for Democrats to basically neutral now.”
As red states continue to expand family choice in education spending, Democrats will inevitably face challenges in explaining to voters policies that limit educational options for families.
Danyela Souza Egorov is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Mother hold hand schoolboy walking to bus. Energetic pupils running crossway.

Schools Received More Money Than Ever. Parents Aren’t Seeing The Results.

Charter Schools

Education

MI x DW

spending

A newly approved Florida congressional map could eliminate up to four Democratic-held seats ahead of the November midterm elections, intensifying a nationwide redistricting fight.
Florida Republicans, who hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, passed the map on Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2049508175368315113?s=20">over loud liberal opposition</a>, sending it to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill. 
The redrawn districts target Democratic seats in the Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida areas, aiming to flip them to Republican control. Democrats currently hold seven of Florida&#8217;s 28 districts. 
Under the plan, Florida Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Jared Moskowitz, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz could face significantly tougher re-election fights. 
If enacted, the map would reflect the Sunshine State&#8217;s broader political shift in recent years. Once a swing state that backed Barack Obama twice, Florida has moved decisively to the Right, with Republicans now holding a roughly 1.5 million-voter registration advantage.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats">DeSantis told Fox News Digital</a>. &#8220;Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.&#8221;
The push to redraw Florida&#8217;s map coincides with a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf">bombshell</a> Supreme Court ruling sharply limiting the use of race in congressional redistricting. 
In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down Louisiana&#8217;s map, which included two majority-black districts, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the Constitution generally forbids race-based line drawing absent a compelling justification.
Wednesday’s ruling clears the way for other states with majority-minority districts to change course. New maps in states including Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee could net Republicans as many as 12 seats in Congress, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/upshot/supreme-court-voting-rights-gerrymander.html">according to a New York Times analysis. </a>
Democrats decried the decision as an attack on democracy, despite pursuing partisan gerrymandering in California and, more recently, Virginia. 
“Now we&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity gone, inclusion gone, racial tolerance gone, the Voting Rights Act largely gone, but guess what, extremists, we’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hakeem Jeffries: “We&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity is gone, inclusion is gone&#8230;” <a href="https://t.co/4b9Bm7KNwy">pic.twitter.com/4b9Bm7KNwy</a>
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/2049567900688605318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Florida’s map is likely to face legal challenges. A provision in the state constitution effectively bars partisan gerrymandering, according to The New York Times. DeSantis has argued that recent court rulings from both the state and U.S. Supreme Court have laid the groundwork to uphold the maps.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The SCOTUS ruling also invalidates the below provisions of the FL Constitution requiring the use of race in redistricting:
”…districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in… <a href="https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L">https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L</a>
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2049510607108358651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling did not address political gerrymandering. 
“So at least from a federal constitutional perspective, the federal constitution isn&#8217;t going to have anything to say about political gerrymanders,” Smith said in an interview with The Daily Wire. 
“That&#8217;s going to be left to the states and really depend on what each state&#8217;s laws in each state&#8217;s constitution says about how their state legislatures draw their legislative maps,” he added.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, holds a press conference to speak

Florida Passes New Maps That Could Threaten Multiple Democratic Seats

Redistricting

Ron DeSantis

The only thing thicker than Hakeem Jeffries’ hypocrisy is the smog of self-delusion that follows him into every room, choking the life out of the very truths he claims to uphold.
Last week, Jeffries, the House minority leader, was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkJG--0ScE0">practically doing a victory lap</a> in the end zone after Virginia Democrats pulled off the ultimate &#8220;Democracy™&#8221; maneuver: convincing 51.5% of voters to scrap an independent commission so the General Assembly could gerrymander a 10-1 split. To Jeffries, this wasn&#8217;t a power grab; it was a &#8220;big victory for America&#8221; and a &#8220;march toward a more perfect union.&#8221; Apparently, a &#8220;more perfect union&#8221; looks exactly like a map where half the voters get 90% of the representation.
Jeffries and the &#8220;Dollar-Store Obama&#8221; brigade framed this as a noble &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the orange man in the White House. Even Barack Obama emerged from his latest Netflix production to explain that gerrymandering is actually fine, as long as Democrats do it to &#8220;level the playing field.&#8221; It’s a bold strategy: saving democracy by destroying it first.
But fast forward to Monday, April 27, and Jeffries has suddenly rediscovered the sanctity of &#8220;Fair Districts.&#8221; The moment Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suggested that the Sunshine State—which has seen a decade of growth in just three years—might need its own mid-decade tune-up, Jeffries’s halo reappeared.
Jeffries took to X to huff and puff about &#8220;blatant partisan gerrymandering&#8221; and &#8220;nakedly targeting communities of color.&#8221; He actually wrote, &#8220;See you in Court,&#8221; without a hint of a blush, despite the fact that a Virginia judge just tossed his own party’s referendum into the trash for being unconstitutional.
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The DeSantis Dummymander blatantly violates Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment banning partisan gerrymandering.
It also violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by nakedly targeting communities of color. 
See you in Court. <a href="https://t.co/DeDqW84s7M">pic.twitter.com/DeDqW84s7M</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries/status/2048812217915642288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The hypocrisy is so thick you could carve it. When Virginia Democrats attempt a 10-1 sweep, it’s a &#8220;march toward justice.&#8221; When DeSantis looks at a map, it’s a &#8220;Dummymander&#8221; and a violation of the 14th Amendment. Jeffries has <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2046984191716340211">told</a> Florida Republicans to &#8220;F around and find out,&#8221; which sounds a lot like a threat from a guy whose own &#8220;victory&#8221; is currently stuck in judicial purgatory.
DeSantis, ever the happy warrior, has <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2047020226785493096">responded</a> by offering to pay for Jeffries’ plane ticket to Florida. He even offered to take him fishing.
It’s a generous offer: Jeffries could use the time on the water to practice his latest trick—complaining about the &#8220;rigged system&#8221; in Florida while the ink is still wet on his own attempt to rig Virginia.
If Jeffries wants a war, he’s found a battlefield, but he might want to check his own backyard before he starts crying about the neighbors&#8217; fences.

Hakeem Jeffries

High Priest Of Hypocrisy: Hakeem Jeffries Demands Fairness In Florida Only After Rigging Virginia

Politics

A political firestorm has ignited in Southwest Florida after a local Democrat Party organization posted &#8220;that sucks&#8221; after the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner.
The controversy began Saturday night shortly after a shooting unfolded at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In the immediate aftermath of the security breach, the Sarasota County Democratic Party appears to have <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/792986-sydney-gruters-rips-sarasota-county-democratic-party-social-media-message-following-shooting-near-donald-trump">posted</a> a message to Facebook, stating, “Well, that sucks,” accompanied by a laughing face emoji and a status update noting the group was “feeling disappointed.”
While thousands of guests, including senior government officials, were gathered to honor the First Amendment, an armed suspect—later identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California—attempted to rush the ballroom. Allen was apprehended and faces multiple charges, including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.
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The official Sarasota County Democratic Party posted this after the Trump ass*ssination attempt 
This is not fringe. This is the mainstream Democrat Party view
Absolutely abhorrent 
How are we supposed to share a country with these people? <a href="https://t.co/mwJw0on66U">pic.twitter.com/mwJw0on66U</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2048551469259833388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐓𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐒𝐒∗𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓.
Above is a screenshot of the Sarasota County Democratic Party’s… <a href="https://t.co/DzZuX4SfuO">pic.twitter.com/DzZuX4SfuO</a>
&mdash; M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelARothman/status/2048565146528931918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The fallout has drawn sharp condemnation from Republican leaders, who are calling the rhetoric &#8220;disgraceful&#8221; and a dangerous escalation of political tension.
Sydney Gruters, a Republican congressional candidate for Florida’s 16th District, was among the first to seize on the post before it was deleted Sunday morning.
“This was not a joke, and it should not be treated like one,” Gruters said in a scathing news release. “People could have been killed last night. Southwest Florida deserves leaders who understand the weight of their words. Political violence is wrong no matter who it targets.”
The Republican Party of Sarasota County joined the fray later Sunday, issuing this statement:
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Once again, our nation has been put through an assassination attempt against President Trump during a time of unparalleled hysteria in our nation, driven by the political left and the Democratic Party, calling President Trump a Nazi, fascist, authoritarian, dictator who is destroying the nation, is bound to bring out the crazies. And it has and it will.
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While the post has been scrubbed from the Democrats’ social media presence, the digital footprint has left local leaders demanding a formal apology. Gruters insisted that a &#8220;deleted post and the hope that no one noticed&#8221; is insufficient for the community.
As of Sunday evening, the Sarasota County Democratic Party had not issued an official response to the backlash. Meanwhile, federal investigators continue to probe the security lapses at the Washington Hilton, an incident that has once again put the nation on edge regarding the safety of political figures in an increasingly polarized climate.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

‘WELL, THAT SUCKS’: Florida Democrats Mock Failed Assassination Attempt On President Trump

assassination attempt

Democrats

Donald Trump

Sarasota

The nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle appears to be entering its final stretch, with major developments unfolding in Florida, Texas, and Virginia.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday unveiled his proposed congressional map that could add up to four GOP- leaning seats, as lawmakers prepare to take up the plan during a special session that kicks off on Tuesday.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; DeSantis told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. &#8220;Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas’s congressional map to move forward, shooting down a lower court ruling that had blocked it over claims of race-based gerrymandering. The map is expected to produce five Republican-leaning seats, according to the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/27/texas-redistricting-map-ruling-us-supreme-court-upheld-2026-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Tribune</a>, and the high court had previously signaled in December that it was likely to allow the plan to stand.
“This was an intentional effort to limit the power of people of color in a state known for going to extremes to suppress the vote,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “It is one of the most blatant examples yet of modern-day racial gerrymandering, under the thin guise of partisanship.”
In Virginia, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a closely watched case that could determine the fate of a newly approved congressional map. Voters last week narrowly backed a constitutional amendment that would shift the state&#8217;s delegation from a 6-4 split to a 10-1 Democratic advantage.
If the Virginia court blocks the new map, it could significantly alter the broader redistricting fight and determine which party will come out on top.
“Hang in there. This isn’t over in Virginia, and that’s just the Virginia chapter,&#8221; former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>. &#8220;I think there’s a lot of regret across the country about the redistricting play in Virginia.”
With Republicans holding a narrow 218-212 majority in the House, and five seats currently vacant, the outcome of these redistricting battles will play a decisive role in determining control of Congress.

Governor DeSantis And ICE Announce Largest Joint Immigration Enforcement Operation In Florida History

Map Wars Heat Up As DeSantis, Supreme Court, And Virginia Clash Over Congressional Lines

Texas

Florida could be the Republicans’ last stand in the mid-decade redistricting battle, as the state legislature prepares to convene a special session Tuesday to consider new congressional maps.
If approved, the proposed maps could add three to five seats that favor Republicans in the state, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/florida-redistricting-desantis-republicans-maps-trump-00887120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico,</a> potentially shaping the balance of power in a narrowly divided U.S. House.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has criticized the effort, warning Florida Republicans to “F around and find out.”
“If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans who are on the run right now,” Jeffries said at a Wednesday press conference.
Jeffries also expressed confidence that Democrats will win tough seats in red states, adding, &#8220;Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They&#8217;ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”
“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast because they started this war and we&#8217;re going to finish it,” he continued.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis laughed off Jeffries&#8217; comments, suggesting that a national campaign by Democrats targeting the Sunshine State would only bolster the GOP.
“There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state,” DeSantis said, according to <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/792314-the-door-is-open-ron-desantis-scoffs-at-hakeem-jeffries-threat-to-expand-dem-efforts-in-florida/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida Politics</a>. &#8220;Please, be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida and campaign. I’ll put you up in the Florida Governor’s mansion. We’ll take you fishing.&#8221;
Mid-decade redistricting efforts have rocked numerous states. In California, recent changes are expected to favor Democrats in several districts, while Texas Republicans have approved new maps to strengthen their position.
In Virginia, a Tuesday special election approved changes that could create four more Democrat-leaning seats, though a state circuit court judge has temporarily blocked the results from taking effect pending further legal review, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
When The Daily Wire reached out to DeSantis’ office for further comment, a spokesperson simply stated, “Stay tuned!”
At the state level, Democrats in Florida are also pushing back on the process. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith criticized the lack of publicly released maps ahead of the session.
“Just 6 days out from the Florida GOP dummymander and still NO MAPS!” Smith posted to X on Wednesday. “They want rigged Congressional maps that keep Trump’s Republican party in power despite majority opposition from Florida voters.”
Florida&#8217;s current congressional delegation includes eight Democrats and 20 Republicans. Nationally, Republicans hold a slim 218-212 majority in the House, with several vacancies and a number of competitive races expected to factor into the chamber&#8217;s balance of power. The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> ranks 16 House races as &#8220;toss-ups,&#8221; with 14 contests considered &#8220;Lean Democrat&#8221; and two as &#8220;Lean Republican.&#8221;

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GOP Has One Final Chance To Counteract Dems Big Win

House of Representatives

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