Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at first denied, then dismissed Chicago’s notorious murder rate among America’s most populous cities.
Pritzker sat for an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Thursday evening and was forced to defend his approach to crime when his state’s capital is consistently one of the worst ranked among comparable urban areas.
The Democratic governor at first claimed that Chicago is “not in the top 30 in terms of our murder rate” before Baier brought up a map of the United States&#8217; most populous cities, showing Chicago’s murder rate, at 17.47 per 100,000 people, higher than that of Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, and San Diego.
“Look, you can pull statistics up. I can, too,” Pritzker responded before asserting that “our murder rate has been cut in half” over four years.
While true, the significant drop in Chicago’s murder rate, down from a peak in 2021 of 30.1 per 100,000 people, mirrors a trend reflected across the United States and is not necessarily because of any specific action taken by Pritzker. Homicide rates have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5448852/murders-down-nationwide-covid">plummeted</a> across the country since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of people were barred from work or other activities.
Chicago’s current homicide rate is just better than what it was in 2019 before the pandemic when the city <a href="https://counciloncj.org/crime-in-chicago-what-you-need-to-know/">tallied</a> 18.9 murders per 100,000 people.
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
Pritzker declined to note the national trend in crime since the pandemic and instead pointed to his own policies.
“Very importantly, we&#8217;ve been doing the things that are necessary to bring crime down,” Pritzker claimed. “We&#8217;ve invested in community violence interruption. We&#8217;ve invested in police. I&#8217;ve added more state police than any governor in quite a long time. It&#8217;s very important that we do both of those things, and more, to invest in our communities so that we bring crime down.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/BretBaier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BretBaier</a> presses Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on why Chicago has the highest murder rate of all big American cities <a href="https://t.co/LbhTU0CQMn">pic.twitter.com/LbhTU0CQMn</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1981492592433918160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
Pritzker has battled President Donald Trump in the media for weeks over the president’s attempts to crack down on crime in America’s most dangerous cities. The president’s anti-crime agenda has run parallel to his deportation agenda, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have struggled for backing from local law enforcement in deep blue areas.

JB Pritzker

Pritzker Puffs About Investment When Asked About Chicago’s Obscene Murder Rate

Illinois’ Pritzker Puffs About Investment When Asked About Chicago’s Obscene Murder Rate

Chicago

Donald Trump

Fox News

Media

Politics

After Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares squared off against Jay Jones on the debate stage Thursday, Miyares appeared on Fox News to blast his Democrat opponent.
“If Jay Jones was applying to be a line prosecutor in my attorney general’s office — in fact, any attorney general’s office in all 50 states — he wouldn’t pass the background check for the job,” Miyares said on <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/jay-joness-gop-opponent-burns-dem-ag-candidate-over-violent-fantasies-he-wouldnt-pass-the-background-check/">America Reports</a>.
During Thursday&#8217;s debate, Miyares repeatedly brought up text messages that Jones sent in 2022 in which he wished death on former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert, said Gilbert and his wife were “breeding little fascists,” and claimed he would like to “piss” on Republican graves, among other horrifying statements.
“I’m ashamed, I’m embarrassed, and I’m sorry,” Jones <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/16/virginia-jones-apology-attorney-general-00612739">said</a> on the debate stage — to which Miyares <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFv8bFlgTdw">responded</a> that if he were truly sorry, he would not be running for attorney general.
Miyares also brought up the fact that in 2022, Jones was convicted of reckless driving for going 116 mph in a 70 mph zone — but essentially walked for it.
“There were four people in court that day, all going around the same speed,” Miyares said on Fox News. “Three of those four people got active or suspended jail time. The only person that didn’t was Jay Jones because he’s a politician, and then he did the community service hours…for his own political action committee, which obviously isn’t a charity.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jay-jones-walked-on-speeding-charge-that-landed-others-in-jail?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Jay+Jones+Walked+On+Speeding+Charge+That+Landed+Others+In+Jail">data</a> reviewed by <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/virginia-residents-jail-time-reckless-driving-jay-jones-community-service-virginia-democrat-attorney-general-candidate-new-kent-county-speeding">7News,</a> Jones appears to have been handled with kid gloves by the court system in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and others who committed similar infractions have faced much steeper consequences.
Reporter Nick Minock found that others who were convicted of similar speeding infractions — in approximately a dozen cases — often faced jail time in addition to fines and suspended licenses.
The text scandal appears to have moved the needle significantly in the race for Virginia attorney general. In polls from June to late September, Jones was leading Miyares consistently, but after the scandal broke, polling has shifted with Miyares now 0.3% ahead of Jones, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/attorney-general/general/2025/virginia/miyares-vs-jones">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has also come under pressure due to the fallout from the texts. Her opponent, Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, released a scathing ad featuring Spanberger refusing to comment when confronted with Jones’ remarks.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.

Jason Miyares

Miyares Blasts Jones After Debate: ‘Wouldn’t Pass Background Check’ To Be ‘Line Prosecutor’

Elections

Jay Jones

Virginia

Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro analyzed President Donald Trump’s Israel-Hamas peace deal, saying on Friday morning that the first phase agreement is “one of the great diplomatic achievements of [his] lifetime.”
Shapiro appeared on “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6382557865112">Fox &amp; Friends</a>” to discuss the ceasefire and hostage deal, providing insight into how the president successfully pushed Israel and Hamas to move forward with his plan.
“I think the president ignored pretty much all the conventional wisdom, all the State Department conventional wisdom that has failed for 80 years,” Shapiro told “Fox &amp; Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade.
“He understands that in the Middle East you have to force people to keep their promises,” Shapiro added. “He understands that supporting our allies in the Middle East is much smarter than pretending a neutrality between our allies and their enemies and our enemies as well. The president refused to accept the idea of an Iranian-dominated Middle East, and instead, he gave the Israelis what they needed to succeed militarily.”
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout!</a>
Shapiro also credited Trump for working with other Middle Eastern countries, such as Qatar and Turkey, to make them “promise that they were going to push Hamas into the corner.”
“That’s the thing that changed between two years ago, or a year ago, and now. President Trump is the added ingredient — and Israeli military victory across the Middle East,” Shapiro continued.
Shapiro added that accomplishing phase one of Trump’s peace plan “is an extraordinary achievement.”
“Like a Nobel Prize-worthy achievement by the president of the United States,” he added. “One of the great diplomatic achievements of my lifetime.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Phase one is an extraordinary achievement&#8230; one of the great diplomatic achievements of my lifetime.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benshapiro</a> praises President Trump for his role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza and helping to bring the hostages home. <a href="https://t.co/Qc7S6pkorU">pic.twitter.com/Qc7S6pkorU</a>
— FOX &amp; Friends (@foxandfriends) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/1976636667160408394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shapiro warned that the most challenging test for Trump’s plan may still lie ahead.
“What happens next in phase two [is] whether there will be a provisional government [in Gaza], whether Hamas will actually give up its guns and disarm, whether there will be any sort of solid interim government that is created capable of actually investing in the people of Gaza and building something working there,” he said. “That is a very difficult task, and it remains to be seen how that plays out.”
The host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bibi-netanyahu-the-security-of-the-world-is-dependent-on-the-strength-of-the-united-states">spoke</a> to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days before the ceasefire was announced. During the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA2bQ1k1M-s&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fbibi-netanyahu-the-security-of-the-world-is-dependent-on-the-strength-of-the-united-states&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE">interview</a>, which was released on Monday, Netanyahu told Shapiro, “Right now the liberty of the world, the security of the world, is dependent on the strength of the United States.”
“What President Trump has done, in a very short time, is bring America back to the driver’s seat in world affairs,” he added. “That’s very important, because we all depend on America’s strength and America’s resolve.”

Donald Trump/Ben Shapiro/Israel

Ben Shapiro Breaks Down Trump’s ‘Extraordinary’ Israel-Hamas Peace Deal And What Comes Next

Ben Shapiro

Benjamin Netanyahu

Executive

Global Politics

Hamas

Israel

Middle East

President Donald Trump ripped Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday morning, saying the New York Democrat&#8217;s &#8220;philosophy&#8221; was &#8220;bad for the country.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that philosophy can come close to winning,&#8221; the president told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy in an appearance on &#8220;The Sunday Briefing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a>: &#8220;Her philosophy&#8217;s bad for the country. I don&#8217;t think that philosophy can come close to winning.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/dsKdNGMmCx">pic.twitter.com/dsKdNGMmCx</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969780975807971726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script></blockquote>
Trump also laid into Democrats in general, calling them &#8220;deranged.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re sick in so many different ways,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They want crime; we don&#8217;t. They want open borders; we don&#8217;t &#8230; They want men playing in women&#8217;s sports. They want transgender for everybody,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on congressional Democrats: &#8220;They&#8217;re deranged. They&#8217;re sick in so many different ways&#8230; They want crime; we don&#8217;t. They want open borders; we don&#8217;t&#8230; They want men playing in women&#8217;s sports. They want transgender for everybody.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/w6uf7191nh">pic.twitter.com/w6uf7191nh</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969783660313289097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
At the end of the interview, Doocy asked the president to share &#8220;one thing on&#8221; his &#8220;bucket list.&#8221;
&#8220;To Make America Great Again, to make America so great like it&#8217;s never been before,&#8221; Trump said.
&#8220;That is my only thing. That&#8217;s what I live for. I want to turn this country around. We&#8217;ve been abused by other nations for years, we&#8217;ve been taken advantage of by everybody. We&#8217;ve been laughed at, and we&#8217;ve been scoffed at — very simply, to make America great again.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/pdoocy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pdoocy</a>: &#8220;What&#8217;s one thing on your bucket list?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;To Make America Great Again&#8230; That is my only thing. That&#8217;s what I live for.&#8221; 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/etLzJFHDxZ">pic.twitter.com/etLzJFHDxZ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1969785365591367853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump Rips AOC In Sunday Morning Interview: ‘Her Philosophy Is Bad For The Country’

Trump Rips AOC In Sunday Morning Interview: 'Her Philosophy Is Bad For The Country'

Peter Doocy

Daily Wire host Isabel Brown joined Fox and Friends First Wednesday morning to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376615015112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explain</a> why Gen Z is shunning remote work in favor of a traditional office setting.
“When you think about culturally the shift that started happening in about 2020, young people had our entire lives thrown into the metaverse against our will,” Brown said. “We started dating online, all of our friendships and relationships took place online, certainly all of our entertainment was digital, and work and school were as well.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gen Z is ditching &#8220;work from home&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/theisabelb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@theisabelb</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@foxandfriends</a> why: &#8220;Young people had our entire lives thrust into the metaverse against our will&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/fuziJxVIhf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/fuziJxVIhf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1953102883244625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
“We constantly were thrust into a disconnected culture where loneliness and mental health problems started to thrive.” The World Health Organization found that anxiety and depression <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> by 25% in the first year of the pandemic, disproportionately affecting young people.
Isabel said that Gen Z is on a “quest to rebuild meaningful connection.”
“I think the easiest button and the easiest way to do that is starting a hybrid work schedule or in person work.”
“You’re starting to see this behavior not just in the workplace but we’re ditching our dating apps and bringing back in person speed dating events in big cities all over the country, you’re looking at people really wanting to build something with their hands, to touch one another, and to have that sense of real connection,” she said.
Brown’s suggestion that Gen Z is looking for connection is supported by a recent Gallup <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/692675/fully-remote-work-least-popular-gen-z.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a>, which found 27% of Gen Zers say they feel lonely doing remote work, while 21% of Millennials, 15% of Gen Xers, and 10% of Boomers say the same.
According to Gallup, only 23% of Gen Zers prefer working from home, compared to 35% of every other generation.
Brown says Gen Z is increasingly disillusioned with social media acting as a replacement for in person contact.
“I think we’ve faced this paradox culturally and it&#8217;s a question left for our generation to answer: how do we responsibly balance the role of technology in connecting us, while also preventing that isolation and loneliness that often is hiding behind the screen?”
“I think this is why you’re watching Gen Z for example lead the religious resurgence happening in America right now, it&#8217;s young people that are flooding church pews on Sunday morning and reviving church communities at Catholic churches across the country and having mass baptism events on our college campuses,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gen Z is ditching &#8220;work from home&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/theisabelb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@theisabelb</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@foxandfriends</a> why: &#8220;Young people had our entire lives thrust into the metaverse against our will&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/fuziJxVIhf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/fuziJxVIhf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1953102883244625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
“That real sense of community with the people around you can never be replaced by an algorithm or a social media feed.”
Brown, a leading Gen Z conservative commentator, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-isabel-brown-the-daily-wires-newest-host" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last month that she was joining The Daily Wire. “The Isabel Brown Show” launches this fall on DailyWire+.

virtual learning

WATCH: Isabel Brown Explains Why Gen Z is Rejecting Remote Work

Gen Z

Isabel Brown

Religion

Remote Work

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy got a strange look from President Donald Trump — and a chuckle from Vice President JD Vance — when he asked the president point blank about the rumors of his death that had circulated over the weekend.
During an Oval Office event on Tuesday afternoon, Doocy pressed Trump to reveal when and how he&#8217;d come to find out that he&#8217;d died over the weekend.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump just SLAMMED his critics who wished him dead after not having a news conference for TWO DAYS!
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t do any for two days, and they said there must be something wrong with him.&#8221;
&#8220;Biden wouldn&#8217;t do &#8217;em for MONTHS! You wouldn&#8217;t see him! And nobody ever said… <a href="https://t.co/W5X7aRsuuY">pic.twitter.com/W5X7aRsuuY</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1962955369241526579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?&#8221; Doocy asked, prompting a quick sideways glance from the president, but no other change in his expression. Vance, standing behind Trump and to his left, was clearly amused by the question.
&#8220;Did you see that?&#8221; Doocy pressed on as Trump said he hadn&#8217;t. &#8220;People didn&#8217;t see you for a couple of days, 1.3 million user engagements as of Saturday morning about your demise.&#8221;
Vance shook his head, still smiling, and only then did Trump&#8217;s eyebrows raise: &#8220;Really? I didn&#8217;t see that. You know, I have heard — it&#8217;s sort of crazy, but last week I did numerous news conferences, all successful, they went very well like this is going very well. And then I didn&#8217;t do any for two days and they said, &#8216;There must be something wrong with him.'&#8221;
Trump then pivoted to compare his busy schedule to that of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who routinely went weeks without speaking directly to the press.
&#8220;Biden didn&#8217;t do &#8217;em for MONTHS!&#8221; he exclaimed, prompting laughs around the room as he continued, &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t see him! And nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him! And we know he wasn&#8217;t in the greatest of shape.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CABINET

Reporter Presses Trump On Crazy Rumor: ‘How Did You Find Out Over The Weekend That You Were Dead?’

Reporter Presses Trump On Crazy Rumor: 'How Did You Find Out Over The Weekend That You Were Dead?'

Joe Biden

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there would be no American troops on the ground in Ukraine under his watch.
Trump made the comments in an interview on “Fox and Friends” as he recapped his Monday meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European leaders, and a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump added that European nations like France, Germany, and the U.K. might have boots on the ground in Ukraine at some point.
“You have my assurance — and I’m president. I’m just trying to stop people from being killed,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957779018746355883">said</a> when asked by Fox News host Charles Hurt if he would confirm that American soldiers would not be used to defend Ukraine. “Look, they’re losing from five to seven thousand people a week.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;What kind of assurances do you feel like you have that&#8230; it won&#8217;t be American boots on the ground defending that border [in Ukraine]?&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;You have my assurance — and I&#8217;m President. I&#8217;m just trying to stop people from being killed.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/mzmYxtK0HJ">pic.twitter.com/mzmYxtK0HJ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1957779018746355883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That vow came after Trump declined on Monday to rule out the possibility that American troops would be in Ukraine as part of a security guarantee. 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9270">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Trump said during the same interview that he initially thought the Ukraine-Russia War would be” one of the easier” conflicts to end, but that it has turned out to be the “most difficult” to resolve. He said Putin needed to cooperate, and that Zelensky would have to show some “flexibility.”
After the White House meetings, Trump said that Putin and Zelensky would meet in the coming weeks. Following that discussion, Trump said he would meet with both leaders to attempt to negotiate an end to the war. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be coordinating the meetings with Russia and Ukraine, Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday night. 
Trump also recapped his “very good” phone call with Putin, telling “Fox and Friends” that he pressed the Russian dictator to come to the table with Zelensky.
“I told him that we’re going to set up a meeting with President Zelensky, and you and he will meet, and then after that meeting, if everything works out OK, I’ll meet and we’ll wrap it up,” he said. “It takes, in this case, two to tango. They have to have somewhat of a relationship, otherwise we’re just wasting a lot of time.”
Trump joked that ending the war might be his ticket through the pearly gates.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed…I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with US President Donald Trump in DC

No U.S. Boots On The Ground In Ukraine, Trump Pledges

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

Josh Holmes remembers the warnings were as clear as day.
The political strategist had just started “Ruthless,” a raucous show covering the latest news, when his Beltway colleagues cried foul.
&#8220;&#8216;Are you out of your minds?'&#8221; Holmes recalls of the steady drumbeat during the show’s 2020 launch. The critiques made sense. Holmes and his co-hosts — Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook, and the pundit known as Comfortably Smug didn’t talk like political consultants.
They called themselves “the Fellas,” and, true to the name, they talked like regular guys cracking wise at the bar. Smart fellas, to be sure. But fellas nonetheless.
And funny. Always funny.
Their colleagues may have been right, but the public disagreed. The variety &#8220;progrum,&#8221; as they call it, caught fire despite their unorthodox style and humble roots.
Now, they’ve sealed a deal with Fox News, bringing the progrum to the next level.
“The conventional wisdom that has governed the industry of politics is bulls***,” Holmes tells The Daily Wire.
Longtime fans, also known as “minions,” may fear the corporate partnership, but Smug says the best is yet to come.
“For listeners, the only thing this means for them is you get more. More episodes. More content. More capabilities,” Smug said.
“Nothing’s changing,” Holmes adds.
The show’s comedy veers from ribald banter to signature games like “Dem or Journo” and “King of the Hill.” The latter pits former Republican pundits squaring off for the most unhinged social media hot takes. The competition is fierce, all the better for show prep.
“Too many people in politics want to prove how smart they are all the time,” Duncan says. “If you’re not laughing, you’re going to be crying. Politics can be frustrating.”
The satire practically writes itself, assuming you’re paying attention, Holmes says.
“Watch the House of Representatives for 10 minutes and not have enough for a full, 30-minute comedy sketch,” Holmes says.
The show’s rise coincides with the country’s shift to the Right, Ashbrook suggests. Comedy mainstays like late-night TV don’t grasp that transition, he adds, consistently avoiding liberal targets in their monologues. “Ruthless” fans crave the comedic parts of the show, a rarity with right-leaning talkers. That’s especially true when digesting some of the heavier news cycles.
The show’s shocking ascent became clear earlier this year. The show joined the White House briefing room as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to expand the pool beyond legacy outlets. Ashbrook represented the progrum with a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368074243112">question for spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.</a>
There’s a practical side to their high jinks. Pre-election, GOP voters got to know Vance as not just a youthful candidate but a wisecracking dad who could hang with the boys.
Other Beltway guests get to let down their guard, too, swapping jokes with the foursome and showing a fresh side of their personas. You won’t see that on C-SPAN. 
“You can see these folks in an environment that isn’t staid Washington, D.C.,” Holmes says. The Pelosis, Harrises and Buttigieges often visit Jimmy Kimmel or Seth Meyers to show their softer side.
Republicans get “Ruthless.”
The accidental podcasters all have day jobs. Holmes, Ashbrook, and Duncan work at <a href="https://cavalryllc.com/">Cavalry</a>, a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs and communications firm. Smug is a political consultant and hedge fund guru. Together, they’ve joined the podcast revolution at a critical moment.
Both sides of the political aisle acknowledge how vital podcasts were in the 2024 presidential election. President Donald Trump dropped by “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Flagrant” with Andrew Schulz, while future Vice President JD Vance visited “The Tim Dillon Show” and “This Past Weekend” with Theo Von.
Vice President Kamala Harris infamously balked at a Rogan sitdown, much to her campaign’s eventual dismay.
“Listeners see podcasts as a more realistic source of information,” Smug says, blaming traditional media outlets for that shift. People can’t trust media outlets that told them President Joe Biden was the “sharpest guy around,” he adds.
“People were getting flat-out lied to, adds Holmes.
The 2024 election cycle “opened people’s eyes to the way the electorate consumes information,” Duncan says. The Fellas were ahead of the curve.
“The Legacy Media is entirely captured by the Left, and it is a disease. They’re fundamentally incapable of getting over that disease,” Ashbrook says. Journalists &#8220;care more about what rich people in New York think about them than they do about how the rest of the country views them … will they course correct? I always thought they would, but it’s only gotten worse.”
“They’re living in a society that does not exist in America beyond their X feed,” Holmes adds.
The Left has been begging to find their own Rogan since November 5, forgetting that the ex-“Fear Factor” host leaned to the Left before Democrats forgot their core principles, like free speech.
“There are very funny Democrats in this country. ‘Saturday Night Live’ was the funniest thing on the planet, staffed and written by Democrats,” Ashbrook says. But now, &#8220;they’re not allowed to be funny. They’re handcuffed by the Left.”
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire

Hosts Of “Ruthless” Podcast Visit “Jesse Watters Primetime”

‘Ruthless’ Hosts Reflect On Five Years Of Success, Look To The Future

Podcast

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, alleging the news network deliberately misrepresented the timeline of a phone call between him and President Donald Trump to make it appear the governor lied about their communication.
The lawsuit, first <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/27/newsom-sues-fox-news-defamation-case-00429168">reported</a> by POLITICO, centers on Fox News&#8217; coverage of a June 7 phone call between Trump and Newsom during anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles County. President Trump said he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-to-liberate-los-angeles-shut-down-migrant-riots-and-insurrectionist-mobs">deployed</a> thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to the area to quell the violence despite the governor&#8217;s objections, but local officials say they are there to protect federal buildings and federal workers.
The dispute arose when Trump claimed on June 10 that he had called Newsom &#8220;a day ago.&#8221; Newsom subsequently denied any recent contact, stating: &#8220;There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn&#8217;t even know who he&#8217;s talking to.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No more lies.
I’m suing Fox News for $787 million.<a href="https://t.co/L73VUsPsuB">https://t.co/L73VUsPsuB</a> <a href="https://t.co/qKoRaxHRDW">pic.twitter.com/qKoRaxHRDW</a>
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1938587950704677237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Fox News then ran a segment on Jesse Watters&#8217; program that Newsom&#8217;s claims &#8220;willfully distorted&#8221; the timeline to the network&#8217;s viewers. According to the lawsuit, Watters aired a deceptively edited video that juxtaposed Trump&#8217;s &#8220;day ago&#8221; claim with call logs obtained by Fox host John Roberts showing the call occurred on June 7 — three days earlier, not one day as Trump had claimed. Newsom accuses the network of falsely claiming he lied about the phone call and violated California’s Unfair Competition Law, which outlaws “deceptive and unfair business practices.”
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-6563">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
&#8220;If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump&#8217;s behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case,&#8221; Newsom said in a statement to POLITICO, referencing Fox&#8217;s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023.
&#8220;I believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet. Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine,&#8221; the governor added.
Fox News dismissed the lawsuit in a statement to The Daily Wire, writing, &#8220;Gov. Newsom’s transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.&#8221;
In Fox News&#8217;s initial reporting on the disputed call, headlined &#8220;Trump brings receipts he called Newsom amid LA riots as California gov claims there wasn&#8217;t &#8216;even a voicemail,'&#8221; the network did <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-brings-receipts-he-called-newsom-amid-la-riots-california-gov-claims-wasnt-even-voicemail">include</a> Newsom&#8217;s clarification that the call was from &#8220;3 days ago&#8221; rather than the &#8220;day ago&#8221; Trump had claimed.
POLITICO notes that defamation cases brought by public officials face a much higher legal standard than those filed by private citizens. Newsom has indicated he would retract the lawsuit if Fox News issues a formal retraction and Jesse Watters delivers an on-air apology.

California Governor Newsom Announces Lawsuit Challenging Trump Tariff Authority

Newsom Targets Fox News With Dominion-Sized Lawsuit Over Trump Phone Call Dispute

California

Defamation

Gavin Newsom

Lawsuit

Los Angeles

National Guard

News

Riots

U.S.

Michael LaRosa — who once worked as former First Lady Jill Biden&#8217;s press secretary — went scorched earth on his ex-employer during a recent Fox News appearance, saying that President Joe Biden and his family were &#8220;allergic to transparency.&#8221;
LaRosa joined &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends: Weekend&#8221; on Sunday to discuss the recently-released audio of former President Joe Biden&#8217;s interview with then-Special Counsel Robert Hur, and he commented specifically on how difficult it was for even those working for the Bidens in the White House — like himself — to get a &#8220;straight answer&#8221; out of anyone.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;ALLERGIC TO TRANSPARENCY&quot;: Jill Biden&#39;s former press secretary slams the Biden administration for its lack of openness <a href="https://t.co/SthIfnW9k1">pic.twitter.com/SthIfnW9k1</a>
&mdash; FOX &amp; Friends (@foxandfriends) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/1924067930699927781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Host Rachel Campos Duffy asked LaRosa about the Hur interview audio, specifically questioning him on how things might have changed if the Bidens had been unsuccessful in keeping the audio out of the public square even after the transcripts were released.
&#8220;If you only knew how hard it was — I mean, this was a group in the White House who were allergic to transparency,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I go back to my — and I&#8217;m just talking about like just in the East Wing [the First Lady&#8217;s office]. I mean, the very first day walking into the White House, the usher was fired and I couldn&#8217;t get reporters straight answers because nobody would give me straight answers.&#8221;
&#8220;It was not intuitive to them, it was not their style, to be transparent about anything,&#8221; LaRosa continued. &#8220;They took days and months to be deliberative, and I&#8217;m talking about the small things. About when the dog bites occurred, or about the wedding with the grandkids. They got caught lying to the press about press coverage because they were so scared to be transparent about anything.&#8221;
LaRosa said he eventually got to the point where he had to consider the possibility that if they were unwilling to be even the slightest bit transparent on the little things, &#8220;My God, what would happen if there were big things?&#8221;
LaRosa&#8217;s comments came just two days ahead of the release of &#8220;Original Sin&#8221; — the book from CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson on Biden&#8217;s obvious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-book-promises-to-deliver-bombshells-but-are-they-bombshells-if-everyone-already-knew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cognitive and physical decline</a> — and hours before Biden&#8217;s office revealed that he had an &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doctors-raise-questions-about-timing-of-biden-cancer-diagnosis-unbelievable-this-was-missed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aggressive form</a>&#8221; of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones.

US President Joe Biden Raleigh, NC Campaign Event

Jill Biden’s Former Press Sec Goes Scorched Earth On Ex-Employer: ‘Allergic To Transparency’

Jill Biden's Former Press Sec Goes Scorched Earth On Ex-Employer: 'Allergic To Transparency'

Jill Biden

A former White House staffer shocked viewers and everyone in the studio when she collapsed mid-sentence during an appearance Thursday evening on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Fox News at Night.&#8221;
Camryn Kinsey was External Relations Director for the Presidential Personnel Office from August 2020 until January 2021. She was responding to a question from guest host Jonathan Hunt — who was filling in for regular host Trace Gallagher — when she appeared to briefly struggle with her words and then slumped to one side, falling to the floor.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING NEWS
LIVE on FoxNews, political commentator and former Trump White Official, Camryn Kinsley, while answering a question, passes out on camera and falls to the ground….
FoxNews had to cut to a break to tend to Camryn Kinsley.
🙏🏻 Hoping she is okay, prayers! <a href="https://t.co/OdOHJUpKTT">pic.twitter.com/OdOHJUpKTT</a>
— American USMC Veteran ❤️🇺🇸 (@MarineF18ret) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarineF18ret/status/1920681716911341693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kinsey was responding to former President Joe Biden&#8217;s Thursday appearance on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View,&#8221; where he had attributed former Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; presidential campaign loss to too many voters &#8220;going the sexist route&#8221; — and also claimed that he would have won the 2024 election if he had remained on the ballot.
&#8220;This is what they have to do. They have to rewrite history because they had a failed campaign, they had a failed presidency,&#8221; Kinsey said. &#8220;They put [Kamala] as the border czar, she never went to the border, so this is about incompetency, it&#8217;s not about — ah — ideology or — ah — it&#8217;s not about — ah —&#8221;
Without another word, Kinsey slumped to her left and fell off the chair, apparently unconscious.
&#8220;Oh — Oh, my goodness,&#8221; Hunt exclaimed as staffers could briefly be seen running to assist Kinsey and the camera cut to Hunt: &#8220;We&#8217;re just going to get some help here for Camryn, let me come back to Lydia while we get some help for Camryn here. So, Lydia — we&#8217;re going to actually go to a break.&#8221;
Kinsey shared an update on X on Friday, and she did not give details about the nature of the emergency, but made it clear that she was on the mend.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wow, sorry for the scare last night.
I want to start by thanking the incredible Fox News team and the EMTs who responded with such speed and care. It was an unexpected and frightening moment, but thanks to their professionalism and kindness, I’m doing well.
To everyone who has…
— Camryn Kinsey (@camrynbaylee) <a href="https://twitter.com/camrynbaylee/status/1920878060905353598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Wow, sorry for the scare last night. I want to start by thanking the incredible Fox News team and the EMTs who responded with such speed and care. It was an unexpected and frightening moment, but thanks to their professionalism and kindness, I’m doing well,&#8221; she said. &#8220;To everyone who has called, texted, prayed, or checked in, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support has meant the world. I’m taking it slow, staying hydrated, letting my body rest, and thanking the Lord that everything is okay.&#8221;
&#8220;It may not have been how I planned to end the segment, but I’ll be back on your TV soon. Hopefully long enough to finally finish my point about Kamala!&#8221; Kinsey concluded.

Los Angeles Premiere Of “Reagan” – Arrivals

Former Trump White House Staffer Collapses During Live Fox News Interview

Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum&#8217;s patience ran out during a Wednesday segment when American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten interrupted her — and called her &#8220;sweetheart&#8221; — before she was forced to backpedal and eventually apologize.
MacCallum brought Weingarten in as a guest on &#8220;The Story,&#8221; where she asked about issues raised by a current case before the United States Supreme Court — Mahmoud v. Taylor — that involves a group of parents demanding an &#8220;opt out&#8221; for certain LGBTQ-themed lessons in the Montgomery County School District in Maryland. While Weingarten said that she could not comment directly on the case, she said that she was happy to talk about the broader issues at hand.
The Fox News anchor pointed to the dismal test scores recorded across the board at that particular school district, and asked why the schools were more worried about mandating books about pronouns than about ensuring that kids were actually learning to read, write, and understand mathematics.
&#8220;Look at this. I mean this — if this isn’t a failure that needs to be so much more important than whether or not you’re reading a book about your pronouns. This is the Maryland rankings,&#8221; MacCallum said. &#8220;Fourth graders, these same little kids who’ve had these books, you know, fed to them at a very young age, their reading ranked in 2013, they were second in the nation in Maryland. 2024, 20th. Math, 16th in the nation, plummeting down to 39th. So if I were a parent in this district, I would be saying, &#8216;Please, please leave these books out of the picture teach my child to read and to do math okay, and let’s focus on why we’re there.'&#8221;
Weingarten argued that scores were going up in Massachusetts and down in Florida — which she claimed was proof that Florida&#8217;s anti-&#8220;woke&#8221; model was not working and that throwing more money at education was the answer. MacCallum pushed back, saying that Newark, New Jersey — where per capita student funding was among the highest in the nation — suggested otherwise.
WATCH;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
After repeating over and over that she&#39;s fighting for respect for women, awful union boss Randi Weingarten then sounds like an old 1970&#39;s Lou Grant calling Martha McCallum &quot;sweetheart&quot;:<a href="https://t.co/YgsD5JHDC1">pic.twitter.com/YgsD5JHDC1</a>
&mdash; MARK SIMONE (@MarkSimoneNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkSimoneNY/status/1914825498934288838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But as MacCallum was trying to make her point, Weingarten attempted to shut her down: &#8220;Martha, Martha, sweetheart, sweetheart, listen to me —&#8221;
&#8220;Please don&#8217;t call me sweetheart,&#8221; MacCallum objected, clearly fed up.
&#8220;I’m sorry — my bad,&#8221; Weingarten backpedaled, but continued to claim that education problems could be fixed with more money.
MacCallum, referencing the state of Mississippi, pointed out that what was done with that money was also important. &#8220;Well, one of the things that they’ve done in Mississippi is to expand choice. They’re also doing something really important in Mississippi, which is to expand teacher training,&#8221; she said.

Walker Hayes Visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum”

‘Don’t Call Me Sweetheart’: Disgusted Fox News Anchor Fires Back At Teachers Union Prez

'Don't Call Me Sweetheart': Disgusted Fox News Anchor Fires Back At Randi Weingarten

Education

Martha MacCallum

Randi Weingarten

Menu