The government shutdown is over, the Justice Department investigates riots surrounding a Turning Point USA event, and a standoff brews in the Caribbean between Venezuela and the United States.
It’s Thursday, November 13, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251113">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-ends-shutdown-venezuela-mobilizes-troops-11-13-25/id1576594336?i=1000736567005" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Shutdown Comes To A Close</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000149" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Marathon-Shutdown-Ends.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The government shutdown finally came to a close on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump signing legislation to reopen the government.
The House voted on legislation to fund the government through the end of January. The vote came after eight Senate Democrats sided with Republicans earlier this week to break the filibuster and push through a continuing resolution to fund the federal government.
After more than 40 days, the shutdown’s impacts hit all across the country. From air travel to food stamps, Americans felt it.
What comes next:  The debate will quickly shift to healthcare and Obamacare subsidies, which the Democrats used as a rhetorical tool to prevent funding the government for the past 40 days. When they voted to reopen the government over the weekend, part of the deal was to bring that debate back to the Senate in December.
On the House side, Democrats such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have proposed extending those subsidies for three years. But with Republicans in the majority, the calculus is different, and there is a lot unknown about the continuation of those subsidies.
The argument from many Republicans and opponents of the renewed subsidies for the Affordable Care Act is that the program was never sustainable to begin with.
Shutdown drama continued:  Republicans are very pleased with the outcome, but many Democrats, aside from those few who voted to reopen the government, are not. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Berkeley Riot</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000153" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/DOJ-Probes-TPUSA-Riot.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The DOJ is investigating a protest outside of a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley this week.
TPUSA has gotten more attention than ever over the last two months since Charlie Kirk, the group’s founder, was assassinated. In the wake of that tragedy, rather than pull back, the conservative activist group has gone all in.
While a number of its events have faced significant protest, thanks to increased security, most have been peaceful. But during the final stop of the Turning Point tour this week at Cal Berkeley, a protest turned violent. In the hours leading up to the event, hundreds of black-clad protesters <a href="https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1988056273716474048?s=20">descended</a> on the venue, hurling insults and threats at conservative students attending the event, and mocking Kirk’s murder.
Other chants included, “When fascists come and cause a wreck, they get a bullet in the neck.” At one point, a group of protesters attempted to rob a man of his necklace and proceeded to beat him when he attempted to stop them. As the victim, who was briefly detained by police himself, stands up, dripping blood from his face, some in the crowd begin to taunt him, <a href="https://x.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1988051012050186316?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying,</a> “white boy, you’re bleeding.”
Turning Point staffers say rioters set off smoke bombs and tear gas outside the venue, and hurled fireworks and glass bottles at those trying to get in, including parents carrying small children. And then, as the event ended, large groups of rioters blocked exits and hurled threats at those leaving. 
DOJ steps in: Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will &#8220;spare no expense unmasking all who commit and orchestrate acts of political violence” and seeking out the identities of specific agitators. Bondi <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1988339354754769099">added</a>, &#8220;Antifa is an existential threat to our nation.&#8221; The Justice Department also sent a letter to the University of California Board of Regents, notifying them that an investigation had been opened into their handling of the riot, ordering them to preserve all internal records regarding security preparations. 
“ There was a sold out crowd of over 2,000 tickets for this event with Rob Schneider, the comedian, and in fact, only a thousand people were allowed to enter,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/1988582068776026127?s=20">said</a> the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon. &#8220;There were shenanigans with the ticketing, but a lot of people didn&#8217;t come because of what we call the ‘heckler&#8217;s veto,’ the violent mob allowed to fester outside.” 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Fracas In Caracas</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1000145" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Will-Venezuela-Blink.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Venezuela says it’s launched a “massive mobilization” of its armed forces – as the United States’ largest aircraft carrier arrives in the region.
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, on Tuesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maduro-orders-massive-military-mobilization-as-u-s-carrier-group-nears-venezuela">announced</a> a military buildup to counter what he called the “imperialist threat” from the United States. That buildup included military exercises on Wednesday that reportedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-military-mobilization-us-navy-flotilla-nears-caribbean-uss-ford/">involved</a> around 200,000 troops. Reports say that the military has prepped anti-aircraft systems across Venezuela in case Trump decides to order land strikes, as he has hinted at a few times.
State of play: The United States’ largest and most advanced warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has finally arrived in the region, military officials said on Tuesday.
But diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington have broken down, and it is unclear whether they have since rebounded.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/maduro-venezuela-us-oil.html">reported</a> last month that diplomacy between the two sides is basically broken. It broke over Maduro’s refusal to vacate leadership.
Caracas had offered the United States a majority stake in its oil and other mineral wealth. Part of the agreement would have been that Caracas would distance itself from powers hostile to the United States – namely, China, Iran, and Russia. But the United States walked away.
Invasion?: Many have made comparisons between the military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. There remain some stark differences, however. Venezuela is much larger than Panama, has a larger military, and Maduro is protected by special forces from Cuba, and Moscow has promised to help Venezuela in the event of an invasion.
Also, in 1989, the United States went into Panama to oust dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/us/politics/panama-noriega-maduro.html">roughly</a> 27,000 troops. With the addition of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the United States still has only <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/americas/venezuela-military-mobilization-us-buildup-intl-latam#:~:text=Maduro%20has%20also%20claimed%20that,CNN's%20Haley%20Britzky%20contributed.">around</a> 15,000 troops in the Caribbean Sea.

MRN_251113_V1

Morning Brief: The Swamp Reopens, Berkeley Riot On FBI’s Terror Radar, & The Fracas In Caracas

Morning Brief: Govt Shutdown Ends, DOJ Probes Berkeley, And Venezuela Calls Up Troops

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Government Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries

Harmeet Dhillon

Media

Mike Johnson

Morning Wire

Nicolas Maduro

Pam Bondi

Politics

U.S. House of Representatives

United States

University of California Berkeley

Venezuela

Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, said on Monday that her office is looking at a potential racial motivation behind the brutal, unprovoked murder of a Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dhillon, speaking to host Benny Johnson, also said she&#8217;s looking into why Democrat Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles thanked &#8220;media partners&#8221; for not airing the full footage of the attack, suggesting there could be an &#8220;antitrust&#8221; issue and mainstream media coordination.
The 23-year-old victim, Zarutska, who is white, was returning from her job at a local pizzeria when suspect Decarlos Brown Jr., who is black, allegedly stabbed her repeatedly in the neck.
&#8220;To draw the conclusion that it was racially targeted, you&#8217;d want to see what his prior victims look like,&#8221; Dhillon said, when asked if her office was investigating the incident. &#8220;I would want to know that evidence before I reach any conclusions, and so we&#8217;re certainly looking at this fact pattern.&#8221;
&#8220;One thing that drew my attention regarding the mayor&#8217;s comments regarding this situation is her reference to thanking her media partners for suppressing this video,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;That leads to a question &#8212; we&#8217;ve seen other instances of this, of mainstream media coordination. Whether this is an instance, or this nationally is an instance in which mainstream media partners of these left-wing cities are coordinating to suppress significant crime like this from being reported where there may be a racial angle to it.&#8221;
&#8220;That might be an antitrust issue, it might be other issues as well,&#8221; Dhillon said. &#8220;Why are we not seeing this disturbing incident and footage on all the news shows at night when we saw the same with respect to George Floyd? That&#8217;s a real serious question, and all the people in this department may want to look at that.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Assistant AG for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announces federal investigations in Charlotte over possible federal civil rights violations for racially biased judgement.
This follows the brutal murder of innocent Iryna Zarutska by a repeat offender who had… <a href="https://t.co/FDlWrh5H2s">pic.twitter.com/FDlWrh5H2s</a>
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1965092482535784749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
As referenced by Dhillon, Mayor Lyles thanked &#8220;our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.&#8221;
The case has sparked outrage, both over the liberal city&#8217;s crime policies regarding the suspect, who has a lengthy rap sheet, and the extremely limited mainstream media coverage of the crime. Lyles, specifically, has received much backlash for her statements following the tragedy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Not only did Charlotte Democrat Mayor Lyles refuse to condemn the lunatic repeat offender who stabbed a woman to death on the train, but she suggested we should actually have compassion for him. <a href="https://t.co/8DufqC9YnF">pic.twitter.com/8DufqC9YnF</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1964739505912762785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fatal-charlotte-stabbing-highlights-the-failure-of-racial-equity-policies?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Megan+Basham&amp;category=News+and+Analysis&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Fatal+Charlotte+Stabbing+Highlights+The+Failure+Of+Racial+Equity+Policies">Fatal Charlotte Stabbing Highlights The Failure Of Racial Equity Policies</a>

Image 9-8-25 at 11.46 AM

Trump Admin Looking Into Brutal Charlotte Murder By Repeat Offender

Charlotte

Crime

Decarlos Brown Jr.

Iryna Zarutska

Murder

North Carolina

Trump Administration

U.S.

The Department of Justice said on Monday that it would probe &#8220;deeply concerning&#8221; videos of a Texas A&amp;M student being asked to leave class after pushing back on radical gender theory.
The videos, obtained and shared by Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-texas-am-student-booted-from-lecture-after-objecting-to-professor-pushing-radical-gender-theory?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Texas+A%26M+Student+Booted+From+Lecture+After+Objecting+To+Professor+Pushing+Radical+Gender+Theory">first reported</a> by The Daily Wire, show a student confronting Dr. Melissa McCoul during a children’s literature class after McCoul pushed leftist views on sex and gender. In one clip, the student told McCoul that the course material went against President Donald Trump’s orders on gender and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“This also goes against, not only myself, but a lot of people’s religious beliefs,” the student added. “And so I am not going to participate in this because it’s not legal.”
McCoul told the student that her teaching on transgenderism and other LGBT issues was &#8220;biologically true,&#8221; adding that she did not believe that the student would be able to stop her from teaching those ideas.
“Because I do have the legal and ethical authority [and] professional expertise in this classroom,” McCoul told the student. “It’s time for you to leave.”
Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, reposted Harrison&#8217;s thread on X, writing, &#8220;This is deeply concerning. The @CivilRights will look into this!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is deeply concerning. The <a href="https://twitter.com/CivilRights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CivilRights</a> will look into this! <a href="https://t.co/OSy0uEtfCv">https://t.co/OSy0uEtfCv</a>
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/1965127511228232127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The children&#8217;s literature class devoted considerable attention to sex, gender, and “queerness,” according to slides reviewed by The Daily Wire. One slide argued that it&#8217;s appropriate to teach LGBT issues to young children, stating, &#8220;Thinking that homosexuality or queer people are always ‘x-rated’ is an effect of heteronormativity, the idea that heterosexual or straight is normal as well as normative.&#8221; Another slide was titled “Let’s talk gender in children’s lit!” and argued that “Childhood is the time for figuring out how to be a boy, girl, man, woman, or another gender.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Isn&#8217;t [talking about queerness] way too &#8216;adult&#8217; for little kids? Well, no.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/hb7C3LWzeF">pic.twitter.com/hb7C3LWzeF</a>
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianeharrison/status/1965093867352719529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Harrison told The Daily Wire that the professor&#8217;s teachings were &#8220;transgender indoctrination,&#8221; adding, “This is one of the clearest and most disgusting examples of taxpayer abuse and the weaponization of Texans’ tax money against them, against their values, against their children.”
The Texas Republican sent letters to Governor Greg Abbott, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, asking for the state and federal government to take action against Texas A&amp;M.
A university official told The Daily Wire, “We are aware of an isolated incident in which a summer course’s content was misaligned with the course curriculum. The college took steps in collaboration with faculty to ensure all course content aligns with the course curriculum moving forward.”
In a recorded phone call between the student and Texas A&amp;M President Mark Welsh, the president stated that the university would review the children’s literature course and discuss providing more detailed descriptions of any classes that teach radical gender theory. Welsh told the student that “there’s not a problem” teaching LGBT literature as long as the university makes it clear it will be part of a class.

Harmeet Dhillon/Texas A&M

DOJ To Probe Texas A&M After Daily Wire Report On Student Booted For Opposing LGBT ‘Indoctrination’

DOJ To 'Look Into' Texas A&M After Student Booted From Lecture For Opposing LGBT 'Indoctrination'

Civil Rights Division

LGBT

Texas

Texas A&amp;M

Transgender

Assistant Attorney General For Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday about the dangers of using Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices in the federal government.
Committee Chairman Eric Schmitt (R-MO) began the hearing by saying that &#8220;For at least the last decade, America&#8217;s civil rights laws have been used not to prohibit discrimination but to institutionalize it&#8230;It slunk in through the backdoor cloaked in bureaucratic double-speak and soothing euphemisms.&#8221;
Dhillon testified that, based on one of President Donald Trump&#8217;s early <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-woke-federal-employees-could-keep-dei-alive-in-defiance-of-trumps-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive orders</a>, her department has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-investigating-more-than-50-universities-for-anti-white-anti-asian-discrimination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working</a> to end DEI and antisemitism in the federal government and at other organizations.
She referenced the Department of Health and Human Services&#8217; Office for Civil Rights, which recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-finds-harvard-discriminated-against-jewish-students-threatens-funding?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Finds+Harvard+Discriminated+Against+Jewish+Students%2C+Threatens+Funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sparred</a> with Harvard University over antisemitism among students and staff. Dhillon also referenced the federal government&#8217;s legal action against many state governments — including California and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oregon-is-doubling-down-on-dei-in-the-classroom-it-should-focus-on-test-scores-instead?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=As+Oregon+Defies+Trump+On+DEI+In+Schools%2C+Its+Students+Are+Falling+Through+The+Cracks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oregon</a> — which have defied the Trump administration&#8217;s anti-DEI directive.
&#8220;The goal is clear: either DEI will end on its own, or we will kill it,&#8221; Dhillon said.
Ranking Member Peter Welch (D-VT) disagreed with Schmitt and Dhillon, saying &#8220;The question before this Congress is whether we&#8217;re going to save the Civil Rights Division or we&#8217;re going to destroy it.&#8221;
Welch alleged that the Department of Justice, namely the civil rights division that Dhillon leads, operated at the whim of Trump rather than the Constitution.
Welch brought Alabama State Senator Robert Stewart (D) to testify about the Justice Department&#8217;s <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-terminates-environmental-justice-settlement-agreement-advancing-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancellation</a> of funds to install a septic system in poor parts of the state over DEI practices, accusing the department of intentionally harming poor black communities.
Stewart testified that &#8220;DEI initiatives are not preferences or perks. They are attempts to rectify generations of exclusion and ensure equal access to opportunity.&#8221; He continued by saying that &#8216;to eliminate these efforts under the guise of enforcing civil rights is to misinterpret history and undermine justice.&#8221;
Gene Hamilton, the president of America First Legal — a nonprofit aimed in part at eliminating DEI practices — responded later that &#8220;The civil rights division of the Department of Justice does not need to be involved with septic tanks. That is not a civil rights issue.&#8221;
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) spoke about how he sees the real meaning of DEI. He said that &#8220;When someone says &#8216;diversity, equity, and inclusion&#8217; — we&#8217;re talking about quotas.&#8221;
&#8220;The American people understand that souls have no color,&#8221; Kennedy added. &#8220;They believe that to a bear we all taste the same — like chicken.&#8221;
Schmitt recently cosponsored a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2037?s=1&amp;r=9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> aimed at strengthening Title VII to include the discrimination against those who express the belief in two genders as unlawful. In February, Schmitt also introduced <a href="https://www.schmitt.senate.gov/media/press-releases/senator-schmitt-congressman-cloud-introduce-the-dismantle-dei-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> to codify Trump&#8217;s anti-DEI executive orders. Neither bill has reached the Senate floor as of yet.
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) touted her counter-<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/240" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a> to Schmitt&#8217;s anti-DEI bills, &#8220;A resolution affirming that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are fundamental values of the United States and emphasizing the ongoing need to address discrimination and inequality in the workplace, pre-K through 12th grade and higher education systems, government programs, the military, and our society.&#8221;
&#8220;My Republican colleagues are intent on teaching young people that people different from them are to be feared, mistrusted, and treated with suspicion,&#8221; Hirono said.
She continued, &#8220;This country was built by slaves dragged here against their will from a continent they would never see again. So we have always struggled with racism and exclusion in our country.&#8221;

‘We Will Kill It’: Harmeet Dhillon Pledges To Get Racial Ideology Out Of Government

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Eric Schmitt

Senate Republicans

A federal judge on Monday sentenced former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison to nearly three years in prison over a drug raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
The judge’s sentence dismissed a request from the Department of Justice that Hankison be sentenced to only one day in prison and three years of supervised release, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/us/politics/breonna-taylor-brett-hankison-prison.html">The New York Times</a>. Hankison was convicted of excessive use of force for firing rounds through Taylor’s window during a drug raid. None of the shots hit Taylor.
Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights arm, had asked the judge in the case, Rebecca Grady Jennings, for a sentence that included only one day in prison which would have essentially amounted to time served.
The Taylor family attorneys, led by Ben Crump, said in a statement: “While today’s sentence is not what we had hoped for — nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused — it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement. The jury found Brett Hankison guilty, and that verdict deserved to be met with real accountability.”
Dhillon’s request symbolized the shift in focus of the Trump Justice Department away from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and racial justice priorities that dominated the previous administration. Taylor’s case made national waves in the wake of George Floyd’s death and was promoted as another example of allegedly endemic racial bias in law enforcement.
Police shot and killed Taylor in March 2020 while executing a drug raid on her apartment in connection with convicted drug trafficker Jamarcus Glover, who was <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/news/jamarcus-glover-the-target-of-the-breonna-taylor-raid-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison/article_44b58304-eb9d-11ee-bbac-1b9e491f9c14.html">sentenced</a> to seven years in prison last year for violating his probation. Police targeted Taylor’s apartment in connection with Glover, who had dated Taylor previous to the raid, because Glover had stayed at the apartment and at times received his mail there.
Unknown to police at the time, Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker was with her in the apartment on the night of the raid. Police first knocked, then broke down the door, surprising Taylor and Walker. Walker, who told police he thought Glover was breaking into the apartment, fired on police officers, hitting one in the leg. Officers fired back, missing Walker, but fatally striking Taylor.
Two other officers involved in the raid, former detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany, are facing charges related to violation of civil rights and obstruction of justice.

Brett Hankison

Cop Receives Three-Year Sentence In Breonna Taylor Case. DOJ Said One Day Would Be Enough

Breonna Taylor

California on Monday rejected the resolution agreement from the Trump administration to follow federal law and keep men out of women&#8217;s sports.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) aligned itself with the California Department of Education (CDE) and refused to sign the resolution agreement. The resolution was proposed on June 25, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the conclusion of its Title IX investigations into the state for allegations of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex.
Federal officials found that California was in clear violation of Title IX.
“As a result of the noncompliance finding, OCR has issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to CDE and CIF to resolve their Title IX violations,” the U.S. Department of Education <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-finds-california-department-of-education-and-california-interscholastic-federation-violation-of-title-ix">said</a> in a press release issued last month. “OCR has offered both entities an opportunity to voluntarily agree to change these unlawful practices within 10 days or risk imminent enforcement action, including referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for proceedings.
In March, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, in a move widely regarded as an attempt to distance himself from his leftist record and position himself for a future presidential run, <a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> on his podcast that he opposed men competing in women&#8217;s sports. When criticisms were made of a high school boy who had won a regional meet, Newsom responded, “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair. I’m not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”
After the CIF informed the CDE on Monday that it would not sign the resolution agreement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote on X, “Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that ‘it’s an issue of fairness’ was empty political grandstanding,” adding, &#8220;You&#8217;ll be hearing from (Attorney General Pam Bondi).&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women&#8217;s sports.
Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that “it’s an issue of fairness” was empty political grandstanding.<a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CAgovernor</a>, you&#8217;ll be hearing from <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>. <a href="https://t.co/wa945HtmG6">pic.twitter.com/wa945HtmG6</a>
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/EDSecMcMahon/status/1942299613387522437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“The technical term for what California just did is ‘FA.’ Stay tuned for the rest of the equation,” Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Civil Rights, posted on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The technical term for what California just did is “FA.” Stay tuned for the rest of the equation. <a href="https://t.co/Yh9rulFhec">https://t.co/Yh9rulFhec</a>
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon/status/1942399648443904360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On June 25, McMahon noted:
<blockquote>
Although Governor Gavin Newsom admitted months ago it was “deeply unfair” to allow men to compete in women’s sports, both the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation continued as recently as a few weeks ago to allow men to steal female athletes’ well-deserved accolades and to subject them to the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions. The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls, and our findings today make clear that California has failed to adhere to its obligations under federal law. The state must swiftly come into compliance with Title IX or face the consequences that follow.
</blockquote>

MixCollage-08-Jul-2025-05-20-AM-826

California Rejects Title IX Plan To Keep Boys Out Of Girls’ Sports: ‘You’ll Be Hearing From Bondi’

California

Gavin Newsom

Title IX

Transgender Athletes

Women's sports

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon issued a blanket condemnation of universities across the country, averring that virtually none of them have acted in accordance with federal law regarding non-discrimination in admissions.
Dhillon and her law firm joined the Alliance Defending Freedom to represent The Daily Wire when it <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/daily-wire-v-occupational-safety-and-health-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became</a> the first major company to file a lawsuit against the emergency vaccine mandate implemented by the Biden administration in 2021. Other groups later joined the case, which was consolidated into National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of The Daily Wire and its fellow plaintiffs.
Dhillon <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/07/01/assistant-a-g-almost-every-school-violated-federal-discrimination-law/">said</a> with regard to Harvard University, “even if they never took a penny of federal funding again in the future, they’ve taken billions annually over the past many years. And so, the United States has jurisdiction over discrimination that has occurred during the time. And, to be very clear, every time a vendor like a university like Harvard takes federal money, they sign certifications saying that they’re compliant with federal law. Except they aren’t.”
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial&amp;_gl=1*r8odly*_gcl_au*MTQ5MDUzNjQ0NC4xNzQ1ODQ0MzMyLjEwNDAyMzM0NDQuMTc0NzY1MzIxNy4xNzQ3NjUzMjE3*_ga*MTM1OTk4Njg2NS4xNzA2NzE2NTAy*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NTEyOTIzMDQkbzMyJGcxJHQxNzUxMjkyOTI5JGo1NyRsMCRoMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-75638">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
“Almost no university in the United States has been compliant with federal law when it comes to anti-discrimination in admissions, and particularly the most elite ones,” she said, widening the argument. “They have quotas. They have discrimination. This sort of wave of antisemitism on American campuses, which I believe stems from foreign funding, but is absolutely allowed and exacerbated by callousness or even reckless disregard by these universities, is making life miserable for students, and the American government’s not going to put up with it. So, we have a choice as to where the federal money goes. And a minimum criterion is you can’t be in violation of federal law.”
According to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559738&quot;:320,&quot;335559739&quot;:80,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}">, universities and colleges that receive federal financial aid are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. A student cannot be prevented from any educational opportunities or subjected to discriminatory treatment based on their color or ethnicity. Those anti-discrimination laws are enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), a division of the U.S. Department of Education.
In 2019, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released the results of a seven-year study into illicit funding of U.S. universities by foreign governments. The study <a href="https://isgap.org/follow-the-money/">found</a> “substantial Middle Eastern funding (primarily from Qatar) to US universities that had not been reported to the Department of Education. &#8230; ISGAP has uncovered and established that the foreign donations from Qatar, especially, have had a substantial impact on fomenting growing levels of antisemitic discourse and campus politics at US universities, as well as growing support for anti-democratic values within these institutions of higher education.”
ISGAP followed that report with another titled, “<a href="https://isgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ongoing_Failure_Report_Yale.pdf">The Ongoing Failure to Report: Yale, Qatar, And Undisclosed Foreign Funding</a>.”

US-POLITICS-REPUBLICANS-RNC

DOJ Warns: Almost All U.S. Universities Are Breaking Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws

American Universities

Discrimination

Education

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against North Carolina and its elections board on Tuesday over its maintenance of voter rolls.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit says that the North Carolina State Board of Elections violated federal election law and risked the integrity of its voter rolls. Voters in the state were allowed to register without providing identification, such as a driver’s license, in violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), according to the suit.
“Defendants have failed to maintain accurate lists in North Carolina’s computerized statewide voter registration in violation of Section 303(a)(5) of HAVA and the sacred trust that the people of the State of North Carolina have put in them to ensure the fairness and integrity of elections for Federal office in the state, necessitating this litigation,” the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1401636/dl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> says.
President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> in March directing the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal election laws.
“Above all, elections must be honest and worthy of the public trust. That requires voting methods that produce a voter-verifiable paper record allowing voters to efficiently check their votes to protect against fraud or mistake. Election-integrity standards must be modified accordingly. It is the policy of my Administration to enforce Federal law and to protect the integrity of our election process,” the order states.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing the president’s directive on election integrity. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Civil Rights Division, said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-help-america-vote-act-lawsuit-against-north-carolina-inaccurate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>: “Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in North Carolina are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud.”
“The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that maintain inaccurate voter registration rolls in violation of federal voting laws,” Dhillon added.
Sam Hayes, the executive director of the North Carolina elections board, acknowledged shortcomings in the state’s voter registration process.
“I was only recently notified of this action by the United States Department of Justice. We are still reviewing the complaint, but the failure to collect the information required by HAVA has been well documented. Rest assured that I am committed to bringing North Carolina into compliance with federal law,” Hayes told <a href="https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/department-of-justice-suing-north-carolina-for-inaccurate-voter-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS17</a>.

DOJ: North Carolina Violated ‘Sacred Trust’ With Faulty Election Rolls

Elections

The Trump administration is investigating the City of Chicago after Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson bragged about the number of black people he has hired.
The Justice Department informed Johnson on Monday of the probe just one day after he appeared at a church and suggested that he had staffed his administration based on race. In a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1400811/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a>, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told Johnson that the investigation would examine whether the city violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in employment.
Dhillon told Johnson the investigation was “based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race.”
On Sunday, Johnson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcD_HXIFQW4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn and talked about the racial makeup of his administration. He also emphasized hiring “our people.” 
“When we say ‘our people hire our people,’ I just want to name this,” he said, pointing out how the percentage of white people in the mayor&#8217;s office had dramatically decreased during his administration making it &#8220;the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago.”
Johnson&#8217;s office later <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-department-justice-opens-civil-rights-investigation-chicago-hiring-practices-letter-mayor-brandon-johnson/16472280/">released</a> demographics of staffers in the mayor&#8217;s office, indicating 34.3% are black, 30.5% are white, 23.8% are Hispanic, and 6.7% are Asian. 
He then went on to suggest that black people should be in charge because they would govern for the greater good.  
“There are some detractors that will push back on me and say, ‘The only thing that mayor, the mayor, talks about is the hiring of black people.&#8217; No, what I’m saying is, when you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else,” he said. “We are the most generous people on the planet. I don’t know too many cultures that have play cousins. That’s how generous we are. We just make somebody a family member, right. That’s just how we are.” 
He then went on to list senior positions in his administration staffed by black people. 
&#8220;Business and economic neighborhood development, the deputy mayor is a black woman. The Department of Planning and Development is a black woman. Infrastructure deputy mayor is a black woman. Chief operations officer is a black man. Budget director is a black woman. Senior advisor is a black man. And I&#8217;m laying that out because when you ask, how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business? Having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone — and everyone means you have to look out for the interest of black folks, because that hasn&#8217;t happened.&#8221;
Dhillon said that these comments prompted the question of whether similar racially based hiring decisions were being made systematically throughout the city’s government. 
“Considering these remarks, I have authorized an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above,” Dhillon said. “If these kind of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions.”
Johnson responded to the investigation by saying he was proud to lead the most “diverse administration in the history of our city.”

National Urban League Conference Plenary II: State of Black America

Trump DOJ Probing Chicago Mayor After He Bragged About Race-Based Hiring

Brandon Johnson

Chicago

Illinois

Race

Social Issues

A father who has been engaged in a year-long battle against his local school district asked the Trump administration on Friday to investigate Pennsylvania over its “systemic failure” to provide parents with a mechanism to hold school officials accountable. 
The controversy began after the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-enlists-genderqueer-witch-to-speak-to-students-about-dating-survey-them-about-their-sexuality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowed</a> a “genderqueer” witch to distribute a sexually-themed survey to 14-year-olds in May 2023 without parental consent. Chad Williams, a parent who lives in the district, says that no one has been held accountable for the distribution of the surveys, which he says violated state and federal privacy laws. 
Williams wants the Justice Department to look into both the school district and Pennsylvania after he says state entities failed to conduct any serious investigation. 
“Parents must be given the right to opt-out of instruction that is religiously offensive or otherwise violates parental rights and the failure of a school district to afford such opportunities is a violation of due process and equal protection,” the Pacific Justice Institute&#8217;s Janice Lorrah wrote in a complaint sent to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently closed the educator misconduct complaint that Williams filed against the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. 
In an email to district parents, Sanville celebrated the conclusion of the Pennsylvania Department of Education probe and said that school complaint processes had been &#8220;weaponized for personnel grievances.&#8221;
Williams told The Daily Wire that no one from the state interviewed him or allowed him to present evidence during its year-long investigation. He now says that he needs the Justice Department to step in because Pennsylvania has dropped the ball. 
“Unlike other states, which have robust administrative mechanisms to investigate and adjudicate privacy violations, Pennsylvania lacks a centralized complaint system, dedicated oversight, and effective enforcement, thus denying parents and students due process under the Fourteenth Amendment,&#8221; his complaint says. 
“Instead, Pennsylvania delegates complaint handling to local education agencies, leaving parents without recourse when a school district fails to — or refuses to — follow its own policies and procedures,” the complaint adds. 
Williams believes that the district violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. He points out that President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> on “ending radical indoctrination” in public schools specifically calls out violations of the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. 
In previous communications with parents, the district <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-admits-to-surveying-students-about-sexuality-without-parental-permission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that the surveys were in violation of district policy and federal privacy laws. The surveys asked students about their gender identity and whether they had ever been “pressured” into a sexual act or whether someone had pressured them to do something sexual.
“The district admitted that they violated those statutes but yet the state wouldn’t take any disciplinary action for the violations of law,” Williams told The Daily Wire.

Daily Life In Washington, D.C.

Father Takes ‘Genderqueer Witch’ Survey Fight To Trump, Accuses Pennsylvania Of Failing Parents

Pennsylvania

Conservatives celebrated on Thursday as the Senate voted 52-45 to confirm Harmeet Dhillon to a top Justice Department position.
Dhillon, a conservative lawyer who fought Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate, will now become the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. She was confirmed in a mostly partisan vote, with one Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting alongside Democrats against Dhillon’s confirmation.
Throughout her legal career, Dhillon has fought for free speech, religious liberty, and defended President Donald Trump when a group of leftist voters attempted to throw him off the ballot in Colorado during the 2024 election.
“I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by [Attorney General Pam Bondi]. I cannot wait to get to work!” Dhillon said after she was first nominated by Trump. “I would not be here today without my amazing mother and brother’s support, and my beloved father Tejpal and husband Sarv, who did not live to see this day. I hope I will honor their memories, with God’s grace.”
Conservatives celebrated Dhillon’s confirmation, saying that she was a welcome addition to the DOJ.
“Congrats to my former lawyer [Harmeet Dhillon] on her confirmation as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights,” conservative activist Robby Starbuck <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1907922482050617740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X. “No one will fight harder to ensure that EVERY American has their civil rights protected. A fearless champion for justice!”
The Dhillon Law Group, which was founded by Dhillon, posted a video featuring Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro and others congratulating her after the Senate vote wrapped up. 
“Hey Harmeet, I just want to say thank you so much for all the work you’ve done with Daily Wire to preserve free speech and free access to work and all the rest of the things that you’ve helped us with,” Shapiro said. “I can’t wait to see what you do at the DOJ. They put you in literally the perfect position to kick ass.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIG CONGRATULATIONS from all of us at the Dhillon Law Group to our founder and FORMER managing partner, <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarmeetKDhillon</a> on her confirmation today as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. You’re going to do great things! <a href="https://t.co/wuBHIe9aBg">pic.twitter.com/wuBHIe9aBg</a>
&mdash; Dhillon Law Group (@dhillonlaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/dhillonlaw/status/1907921768565833761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One of Dhillon&#8217;s best-known cases was when she <a href="https://www.dhillonlaw.com/lawsuits/the-daily-wire-challenges-biden-administration-vaccine-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">represented</a> The Daily Wire in the legal fight that led to the Supreme Court blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a COVID vaccine mandate for private employers. With Dhillon’s help, The Daily Wire became the first major company to file a lawsuit against the emergency mandate in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Conservatives Cheer As Harmeet Dhillon Confirmed To Key Justice Department Role

Civil Rights

Executive

Lisa Murkowski

Senate

Vaccine Mandate

Hearing-Dhillon

Confirmation Hearing For Harmeet Dhillon: Live Updates

Menu