Jenny Racicot, 41, said during a CNN interview that aired Monday that Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Democrat, had stopped briefly to apologize while he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner">raping her</a>.
Racicot described the scenario to CNN anchor Jake Tapper, claiming that Platner had appeared to be &#8220;blackout drunk&#8221; when he came into her house — and although he did not listen when she told him to stop, there were periods where he &#8220;came to&#8221; and apologized before going right back to what he was doing.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ro Khanna and numerous other Democrats have dropped their endorsements of Graham Platner just in time.
Just minutes before CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper conducted a lengthy exclusive interview with the woman accusing the Senate candidate of r*ping her. <a href="https://t.co/oqyxVuIm03">https://t.co/oqyxVuIm03</a> <a href="https://t.co/5VVWA7oVE1">pic.twitter.com/5VVWA7oVE1</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://x.com/MediasLies/status/2074260143261290668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Racicot explained that she and Platner had been texting each other on the evening of the alleged assault, and that she must have said something that he had believed to be an invitation. She said she had not meant it that way, but he said he was going to come over. According to Racicot, she said again that he should not come over, and he stopped responding — at which point she believed he had gotten the message.
It was about thirty minutes later that she said he showed up, entered her home through an unlocked door, and got on top of her. Racicot said she told him several times that she was &#8220;not into&#8221; what he was doing, but that he did not listen. She said that as the assault continued, Platner had a blank look in his eyes.
She said that in the struggle, one of them had knocked over a sewing kit that she kept near the couch — and when the contents hit the ground and scattered, that was the moment she began thinking that she should &#8220;comply&#8221; for her own safety.
&#8220;That was me recognizing that this wasn&#8217;t just like oh, hey, somebody showed up and I&#8217;m going to tell him to go home, like he was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn&#8217;t listening when I said no,&#8221; she claimed.
As the assault continued, she said he seemed to be going in and out of moments of lucidity — and even said that he &#8220;would apologize&#8221; before going right back to what he&#8217;d been doing.
Racicot said that once it was over, she sat in her bathroom for quite some time attempting to process what had happened. The hardest thing, she said, was realizing that he had been someone she trusted and had been involved with before, was that it &#8220;was consensual until it wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;
By the time she came out of the bathroom, she said that Platner had fallen asleep in her bed. Realizing that he had driven to her house drunk and not wanting to put him back on the road in that condition, she said she waited until he woke up and told him to leave. He said he did not remember anything that had happened the night before — and Racicot told him that nothing he had done that night had been acceptable, demanding that he leave.
&#8220;He just got up and got dressed and didn&#8217;t seem concerned,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t ask me a single question &#8230; How can somebody that you&#8217;ve been in some type of a relationship with for this long tells you to never speak to [them] again because of something that you did and you don&#8217;t even ask what you did?&#8221;
Racicot told Tapper that she had been torn on whether to come forward, in part because she is a Democrat and would like to see a Democrat win the Senate seat in Maine — but that she felt like she couldn&#8217;t stay silent any longer.
&nbsp;

Maine Democratic Candidate For Senate Graham Platner Campaigns Across The State

Platner Accuser Says He Stopped To ‘Apologize,’ Then Raped Her Anyway

Platner Accuser Says He Stopped To 'Apologize,' Then Raped Her Anyway

graham platner

Jake Tapper

Maine

Media

Politics

U.S. Senate

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) delivered a Bible-based — and very personal — Father&#8217;s Day message specifically aimed at children who were growing up without fathers.
Scott joined CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday morning&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; where he talked about the fact that he&#8217;d grown up from the age of seven without his own father present — and then, when he married, he&#8217;d become a stepfather to his new wife&#8217;s adult children.
He spoke about <a href="https://x.com/CNNSOTU/status/2068700521251119222">advice</a> from a pastor, who&#8217;d reminded him that he had to &#8220;earn the right to influence&#8221; the lives of the adult children in his newly-blended family — and he said that advice had so far served him well. But then Tapper asked what advice he had for fathers — or for those who might be living without a father.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senator Tim Scott&#8217;s powerful Father&#8217;s Day message: &#8220;If you are without a father, do not think that his absence somehow makes you less qualified to do anything. You are fearfully and wonderfully made&#8230; Do not let your dad&#8217;s absence be an excuse for doing something that you will… <a href="https://t.co/QUZErFshMg">pic.twitter.com/QUZErFshMg</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://x.com/CNNSOTU/status/2068698028710506509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;On this Father&#8217;s Day, what&#8217;s your message to all the people out there, either the dads or the people who don&#8217;t have dads?&#8221; Tapper asked.
&#8220;If you are without a father, do not think that his absence somehow makes you less qualified to do anything. You are fearfully and wonderfully made,&#8221; Scott said, quoting Psalm 139:14. &#8220;But it is your responsibility at a certain age to take responsibility of your life and to make the most out of it.&#8221;
&#8220;Do not let your dad&#8217;s absence be an excuse for doing something that you will later regret,&#8221; he added.
Scott told Tapper that even though his own father had left when he was young, he&#8217;d always felt motivated to go out and make him proud.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senator Tim Scott&#8217;s dad left when he was 7 years old, but he still saw him through rose-colored glasses: &#8220;I don&#8217;t know very many kids who don&#8217;t want to make their dads proud.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/t1eGwVO028">pic.twitter.com/t1eGwVO028</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://x.com/CNNSOTU/status/2068697600300032413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know very many kids who don&#8217;t want to make their dads proud,&#8221; he said.

Sen. Tim Scott

WATCH: Tim Scott Has Bible-Based Father’s Day Message For Kids Growing Up Without Dads

Father's Day

Tim Scott

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro gave an update on the investigation into Cole Tomas Allen — who opened fire one week earlier at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner — and said that it was clear the would-be assassin had an inflated sense of his own capabilities.
Pirro, the U.S. Attorney assigned to Washington, D.C., spoke with CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper about the ongoing investigation in Allen&#8217;s actions and motives — and she described the shooter&#8217;s actions leading up to the moment he charged a security checkpoint manned by the United States Secret Service.
Tapper began by asking Pirro — who was in attendance at the dinner herself — whether the fact that she could have been a potential target meant that she should recuse herself from the case entirely. Pirro was adamant that the two things were unconnected.
&#8220;Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way &#8230; my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: &#8220;Has it been suggested to you, at any point, by anyone that maybe you need to recuse yourself because you were both a witness and a potential target?&#8221; 
JEANINE PIRRO: &#8220;Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way&#8230; my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my… <a href="https://t.co/clLO5SJ9DA">pic.twitter.com/clLO5SJ9DA</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2050932287219359922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pirro went on to address Allen&#8217;s behavior and actions leading up to the assassination attempt, much of which was either recovered from his personal effects or captured by security cameras at the Washington Hilton.
&#8220;Clearly, the president is a target. And make no mistake, it is not just the manifesto. It is his actions,&#8221; Pirro said of the suspect, who referred to himself as the &#8220;Friendly Federal Assassin&#8221; throughout the manifesto he sent to family. &#8220;I mean, this guy thought he was Rambo.&#8221;
&#8220;And he takes a picture of himself. He is smug, he is proud, and he is focused on what he’s doing,&#8221; Pirro added.
&#8220;I think if you read the manifesto … it is very clear who the intended target is. It is very clear, based upon the fact that as soon as this president said that he was going to be at the Hilton for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on March 2nd, [Allen] then made the decision to hatch the plan,&#8221; Pirro told Tapper, adding, &#8220;I can tell you, we will be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.&#8221;
She went on to say that the defense might have a difficult time if they opted to go for an affirmative defense and claim that Allen was insane: &#8220;The one issue that people might think about is, is he insane. He is far from insane. He is brilliant. He has a master’s degree. He work[ed] at a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on case against alleged press dinner gunman: &#8220;We have a lot of evidence that indicates his intent&#8230; whether it was, you know, following what the president was doing, where he was going, to the day of the of the event at the hotel. Tracking on his phone:… <a href="https://t.co/J9NtXGI3HU">pic.twitter.com/J9NtXGI3HU</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2050937470800343261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Win McNamee/Getty Images, CBS Photo Archive

Why Jeanine Pirro Says Would-Be Trump Assassin ‘Thought He Was Rambo’

Jeanine Pirro: DC Shooting Suspect 'Thought He Was Rambo'

Jeanine Pirro

Shooting

CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly insisted that President Donald Trump had openly called for &#8220;genocide&#8221; in Iran, prompting a quick response from his Sunday morning guest, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Stefanik joined the longtime host of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; to discuss her book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elise-stefanik-the-moment-the-ivy-league-lost-the-country">Poisoned Ivies</a>&#8221; — where she confronts the &#8220;academic and moral rot&#8221; that have taken over America&#8217;s elite educational institutions — and Tapper used her criticisms of the recent pro-Hamas protests to lay a rhetorical trap for her.
Stefanik shared a clip from Sunday morning&#8217;s interview along with her own caption that read, &#8220;@jaketapper falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property. President Trump has targeted the Iranian terrorist regime to save the Iranian people and the world from the largest state sponsor of terror that has slaughtered their own people.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
And here it is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥from <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNNSOTU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaketapper</a> falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property.
President… <a href="https://t.co/dXO68D98DW">pic.twitter.com/dXO68D98DW</a>
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) <a href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/2045872839069192558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tapper began by noting that Stefanik had called out the anti-semitic protests at the time, saying, &#8220;You were praised by many in the Jewish community when you criticized the college presidents who refused to condemn students for chanting ‘From the river to the sea,’ which many Jews interpret to be, and you agreed — you characterized it as a genocide, a call for genocide, to wipe out all the Jews in Israel, ‘From the river to the sea.'&#8221;
But then he pivoted: &#8220;So just to be clear, you believe that wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?&#8221;
Stefanik said yes, genocide is always bad.
&#8220;That’s why the question I asked, which was, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct, yes or no? I worded it because it was a very simple straightforward question. It was not a political one. And the world heard as these universities equivocated saying it depends on the context or it’s a context-dependent decision. It is not,&#8221; she said.
Tapper dropped the other shoe then, referencing Trump&#8217;s blustery Truth Social posted threatening the Iranian regime and asking, &#8220;What did you think when President Trump threatened to obliterate the entire Iranian civilization?&#8221;
Stefanik pushed back immediately, noting that Trump had been speaking directly to the Iranian regime in an attempt to verbally strong-arm them to the negotiating table.
&#8220;And what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table. It led to the ceasefire. We know that President Trump has very strong statements when it comes to his tweets, but it has been targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;He said the entire civilization will die,&#8221; Tapper insisted.
&#8220;He was focused on the Iranian terrorist regime. And Jake, isn’t it true that it brought the Iranians to the table to a cease-fire agreement?&#8221; Stefanik continued.
&#8220;I don’t know,&#8221; Tapper replied.
&#8220;It did, because they had a ceasefire agreement going on for days. And President Trump is correct to call out the Iranian terrorist regime, which has financed Hamas and Hezbollah, which I believe has led to some of the financing of the skyrocketing antisemitism,&#8221; Stefanik said.
&#8220;Yes, but I’m not talking about the regime,&#8221; Tapper protested.
&#8220;Jake, you can ask this question, but the reality is it was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. It was an effective tool to bring them to the table. They have no cards,&#8221; Stefanik added.
Tapper continued to insist that he was not talking about the regime, and that what Trump had said was clearly a call for genocide — but Stefanik was not convinced.
&#8220;I just have to say it’s interesting that a 20-year-old college kid on a campus yelling ‘From the river to the sea,’ that’s worthy of condemnation, but a President of the United States who actually has—&#8221; Tapper began.
&#8220;You don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation? Jake, you don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation of students that are targeting Jewish students, that are physically assaulting them, that are spitting in their face, that are drawing swastikas on their doors, these students who have to hire security?”
“I don’t need a lesson on what it’s like to be a Jewish student,” Tapper replied.
“But you’re equivocating, like those university presidents,&#8221; Stefanik declared.
The two went on in that same vein for several minutes as Tapper tried unsuccessfully to end the interview.
&#8220;President Trump was not calling for genocide. Shame on CNN for saying that,&#8221; Stefanik jabbed as they wrapped the segment.
&#8220;I read the quote. Thank you so much,&#8221; was Tapper&#8217;s reply.

IMG_2385

Tapper Hurls ‘Genocide’ Accusation — Stefanik Fires Off A Sharp Counterpunch

Jake Tapper Claims Trump Called For 'Genocide' In Iran. Elise Stefanik Is Having None Of It.

Donald Trump

Elise Stefanik

Global Politics

Iran

Iran war

CNN anchor Jake Tapper and former director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent traded barbs over media coverage of Operation Epic Fury and Iranian state-promoted propaganda.
Kent, who abruptly left his position in the United States intelligence community over President Donald Trump&#8217;s military operation in Iran, spurred the back-and-forth when he commented on the ongoing rescue mission to retrieve an airman from behind enemy lines in Iran.
&#8220;Praying for the rescue of our downed pilot &amp; the safe return of our Special Operators going in to get him back. USAF PJs &amp; CSAR Air crews are top notch,&#8221; Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2040578006230462496">posted</a>, but also shared a report from Drop Site News that parroted Iranian propaganda that suggested the United States was actively attempting to kill the downed airman rather than rescue him.
<blockquote>Iranian state-linked Tasnim News, citing a military source, claims U.S. forces are bombing areas in southwest Iran where a missing pilot may be located, alleging Washington has “lost hope” of recovery and is attempting to kill him.</blockquote>
Tapper <a href="https://x.com/jaketapper/status/2041125801051967769">pushed back</a> early on Monday, one day after an elaborate rescue mission had succeeded in safely extracting the weapon systems specialist, saying, &#8220;Former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent sharing Iranian state-linked outlet nonsense claiming, falsely, that the U.S. was trying to kill the then-lost U.S. pilot. Aged rather poorly, I think it&#8217;s fair to say.&#8221;
Kent responded by claiming that Tapper was promoting the war and that Iranian media was &#8220;independent,&#8221; and said that anyone &#8220;cheering on wars&#8221; should be questioned.
&#8220;Tapper’s purpose, like the entire corporate media, is to promote this foolish war &amp; attack anyone who points out how this war isn’t in our nation’s interest. Read independent media, Iranian media &amp; US media &#8211; always question those cheering on wars &amp; always pray for our troops,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2041140400304337063">posted</a>.
The CNN anchor disputed Kent&#8217;s characterization, saying that neither he nor CNN were in the business of promoting any war. &#8220;We cover it, critically.&#8221;
&#8220;Moreover, I wasn’t attacking Mr. Kent. I pointed out that he had promoted false information suggesting the U.S. was seeking to *kill* the missing U.S. pilot. Wild stuff,&#8221; Tapper concluded.
Kent had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-iran">previously</a> called for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-circa-2020-i-personally-think-trump-should-have-crushed-their-ballistic-nuke-capes">far more aggressive treatment</a> of Iran, but pivoted and quickly announced his departure from the Trump administration after the president took action.

GettyImages-2251397231-2

Even The Left Calls Out Joe Kent After He Pushes Iranian Narrative

Joe Kent

Military

Propaganda

World

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared to acknowledge that the ongoing Senate standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security is largely a political dispute rather than a pure funding crisis, conceding in a television interview that immigration enforcement agencies already have substantial funding.
The admission came during an appearance Sunday on State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, as Democrats continue blocking a House-passed bill that would fund the entire department. Tapper asked Buttigieg whether Democrats should accept what he described as a partial victory and move to reopen DHS.
“Don’t you think Democrats should take what’s something of a win and start funding DHS again?” Tapper asked. Buttigieg responded by arguing that Republicans were blocking Democratic proposals to fund most parts of the department while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement agencies.
“I think Republicans should stop blocking the Democratic proposals to fund all of DHS including TSA and other parts, except for the parts that should be negotiated over which is ICE and Customs and Border Patrol,” Buttigieg said. “Remember ICE has already gotten tens of billions of dollars of funding — it’s larger than many of the world’s militaries.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Pete Buttigieg admits Democrats are the ones shutting down DHS knowing ICE is already funded.
BUTTIGIEG: &#8220;ICE has already gotten&#8230;funding.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/EVFsBEOzwA">pic.twitter.com/EVFsBEOzwA</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2033187325153366041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The comments come as Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted to block a motion to proceed on a House-passed funding bill for DHS. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5781155-democrats-blocks-homeland-security-funding-bill/">The latest vote </a>failed 51–46, short of the 60 votes needed to advance. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to move the legislation forward.
Democrats have argued that the bill should not advance because it includes funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without changes to immigration enforcement practices.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Democrats want reforms that would require immigration agents to operate more like traditional law enforcement. “We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE,” Schumer said before the vote. “Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
He added on the Senate floor on Thursday, “Who’s standing in the way? America, look at it. We’re not putting any preconditions on funding TSA; the Republicans are.”
Republicans argue the stalemate is the result of <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/democrats-republicans-dhs-shutdown-00827135">Democrats refusing to fund</a> core immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said GOP negotiators had repeatedly offered compromise proposals, including a short-term resolution that would reopen the entire department.
“There have been offers made repeatedly,” Thune said on the Senate floor, urging lawmakers to fund not only the Transportation Security Administration but also agencies such as the United States Coast Guard and FEMA.
Democrats, meanwhile, attempted to pass funding bills for individual components of DHS, including the TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA. Republicans blocked those efforts, trying to keep the funding package whole, to prevent what would essentially be an unlegislated freeze on ICE and CBP.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) accused Democrats of political “gamesmanship” on the Senate floor. “The Democrats do not want to fund the Coast Guard because they’re hell-bent on defunding ICE,” Schmitt said.
Buttigieg’s remarks highlighting the existing funding levels for ICE could add a new dimension to the debate, as lawmakers continue to clash over whether the standoff is about government funding or broader disagreements over immigration enforcement policy.

Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Testifies On 2025 Budget In House Hearing

Pete Buttigieg Admits DHS Shutdown Has No Impact On ICE, Still Blames GOP

Pete Buttigieg

When CNN anchor Jake Tapper contrasted President Trump’s blunt remarks with those of past presidents, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t hesitate. He delivered a sharp counterpunch that instantly reframed the moment.
Tapper glossed over the behavior of Democrats at Tuesday evening&#8217;s State of the Union address by suggesting that the real problem was the fact that President Donald Trump had noticed — and dared to say something about it. Speaking to Duffy after the speech, he complained that Trump effectively shattered the fourth wall when he spoke directly to the American people about the Democrats in the chamber who refused to stand for even the most basic of shared values.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JAKE TAPPER: &#8220;He said, &#8216;these people are crazy I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy.&#8217; That&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that that stage.&#8221;
SEAN DUFFY: &#8220;We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either&#8221;
This is why Trump likes TV guys in his cabinet. <a href="https://t.co/4c2NrUvHGu">pic.twitter.com/4c2NrUvHGu</a>
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMHern/status/2026524857668649365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;He said, quote, &#8216;These people are crazy, I&#8217;m telling you, they&#8217;re crazy,'&#8221; Tapper said, referencing Trump&#8217;s brief departure from his remarks to call out Democrats who would not stand in support of key policies. &#8220;I mean, but that&#8217;s not something we ever heard from Obama or Biden from that stage.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah. We&#8217;ve never had a Speaker rip up a speech either,&#8221; Duffy punched right back, referencing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s performance during the 2020 State of the Union, when she dramatically ripped up her copy as Trump concluded his remarks.
Duffy went on to argue that what Trump was saying at the time — addressing concerns about illegal aliens being given commercial driver&#8217;s licenses and putting American citizens at risk — should not have been a partisan issue.
&#8220;You have states that are issuing driver&#8217;s licenses to illegals — illegals who haven&#8217;t been trained to drive an 80,000-pound truck on an American road,&#8221; Duffy continued. &#8220;We have a little girl that has been — had her life impacted for the rest of her life — and she&#8217;s five years old, it was an illegal who hit her. I think the question becomes, why doesn&#8217;t every Democrat stand up and go, &#8216;No, we want well-qualified drivers on American roads.'&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s not partisan,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want illegals who can&#8217;t speak the language, contrary to American law for decades, to be on American roads. I think these are easy issues, Jake, and I don&#8217;t think we saw Democrats stand up and support them.&#8221;
Duffy noted that there was one truly bipartisan moment during the speech — when the U.S. Olympic hockey team entered the chamber after winning gold for the first time in 46 years — and said that was truly &#8220;too bad.&#8221;
&#8220;If inflation is down, Democrats should applaud it. If real incomes are up, Democrats should applaud it. Those are good things that we should support as Americans,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Just because Donald Trump&#8217;s in office doesn&#8217;t mean you have to sit on your hands.&#8221;

Sean Duffy

WATCH: Sean Duffy Torches Tapper With One Brutal SOTU Reminder

Democrats

Nancy Pelosi

Democrats followed big wins — albeit in the reliably blue states of Virginia and Maryland and the deep blue city of New York — with what could only be described as capitulation on the government shutdown as it stretched into its 40th day, as eight Democratic senators voted with Republicans to break the filibuster.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire normally would compile a short summary of what you may have missed. But with the shutdown driving discussions and an 11th-hour deal to break the stalemate, the real news rolled in a bit later than usual.
In the moments leading up to and immediately following the test vote — and then a final vote in the Senate — critics in the media and within their own party quickly began piling on the Democrats who chose putting an end to the suffering of their constituents over another day fighting for something Republicans were clearly unwilling to give.
CNN let the mask slip almost immediately, after weeks of largely giving cover to the Democrats, and conceded that their pet party was actually the driving force behind keeping the Capitol shuttered.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 JUST IN: CNN has STUNNED viewers after stating the quiet part out loud after Democrats caved on the shutdown
“The DEMOCRATIC filibuster has been broken!”
They just called it the Democrat shutdown!
Remember who REFUSED to pay the troops!
<a href="https://t.co/eXOIzTDxMf">pic.twitter.com/eXOIzTDxMf</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1987738827814031841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We&#8217;ve got plenty more on the other side, we will talk much more about this,&#8221; the anchor said. &#8220;Again, you&#8217;re looking live at the Senate floor as the Democratic filibuster has been broken. We have so far reached 60, we are waiting for the official count, but right now, 60 votes that would unlock moving forward with this plan to reopen the government on the Senate side.&#8221;
CNN anchor Jake Tapper had conceded several days earlier that Democrats were ultimately responsible for the stalemate, but he qualified the statement by noting that he certainly understood why they were holding out.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN exposes Democrats for shutting down the government and trying to mislead the American people.
JAKE TAPPER: &#8220;Democrats are the ones that are not voting to fund the government&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/9sTlM9hCwI">pic.twitter.com/9sTlM9hCwI</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1985870804081655847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Democrats are the ones that are not voting to fund the government,&#8221; he said on election night, adding immediately, &#8220;Now, I understand why they&#8217;re doing so, they&#8217;re doing so because of health care, and they want to fight and they want Republicans to negotiate, etc., etc.&#8221;
He went on to praise Democrats for sticking to &#8220;sharper&#8221; messaging and convincing voters that Republicans were actually the ones holding things up.
But Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and had previously voted no on efforts to break the filibuster, said after casting his vote with Republicans that the messaging — however &#8220;sharp&#8221; — was just not working.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A Democrat senator who helped keep the shutdown alive is now admitting the truth: he caved because the strategy had completely collapsed.
Sen. Angus King told reporters he voted for the compromise funding deal for one simple reason — “it wasn’t working.”
And he openly… <a href="https://t.co/aD9awqpXzO">pic.twitter.com/aD9awqpXzO</a>
— Overton (@overton_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/overton_news/status/1987715584604119345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It’s been six weeks. The Republicans made it clear they weren’t going to discuss the health care issue. The Affordable Care Act, tax credits until until the shutdown was over,&#8221; King told reporters. &#8220;We tried to keep working that for six weeks. It didn’t happen. The vote that we have is not a guarantee for sure &#8230; As I assessed it, there was zero chance of dealing with the ACA issue as long as the shutdown continued.&#8221;
On MSNBC, a panel discussion laid out what was happening on Sunday evening – and immediately questioned what Democrats had actually won by keeping the government closed for nearly six weeks.
&#8220;Weekend Primetime&#8221; host Antonia Hylton kicked off the conversation by noting how &#8220;strange&#8221; it seemed to watch Democrats win so handily in Tuesday&#8217;s elections and then roll over just a few days later.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;The President is kinda getting what he wanted&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t understand how a democratic senator goes, &#8216;wow we won really big &#8212; let me cave now. I don&#8217;t understand. That makes no sense to me.&#8217; &#8221; <a href="https://t.co/xkkOptXJlD">pic.twitter.com/xkkOptXJlD</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1987687026053824842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We spoke about this earlier, but it&#8217;s strange, Dean, to go back to the original sort of part of this conversation of whether [Trump] is a good deal maker,&#8221; she began. &#8220;In a way, it seems like the president is kind of getting what he wanted 40 days ago when all this started — he was out there saying that oh, this is all about Democrats trying to give health care to illegal immigrants, he just said that to reporters moments ago, repeated that refrain the Democrats had actually very successfully pushed back against.&#8221;
&#8220;Then there&#8217;s all this energy in the wake of the election on Tuesday,&#8221; Hylton continued, noting that even Trump had conceded that the shutdown was likely hurting Republicans in Tuesday&#8217;s major races. &#8220;[Trump was] acknowledging that he was on his back foot, and now here he is winning again? How did he do it?&#8221;
&#8220;The Democrats — I don&#8217;t understand how a democratic senator goes, &#8216;Wow, we won really big — let me cave now.&#8217; I don&#8217;t understand. That makes no sense to me,&#8221; another replied.
Another questioned whether Democrats had intentionally dragged things out in order to get through the election.

Spin Cycle: Dems Shut The Government Down For 40 Days. What Did They Win?

Government Shutdown

MSNBC

Actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) quickly terminated CNN anchor Jake Tapper&#8217;s argument that the Republican Party was largely responsible for gerrymandered congressional maps all across the United States.
Schwarzenegger, who served as California&#8217;s governor from 2003-2011, joined Tapper on Sunday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; and argued that &#8220;extreme gerrymandering&#8221; had been happening for decades and would only end up hurting the American people.
WATCH:
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NEW: Arnold Schwarzenegger claps back at CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper, calls out &#8220;extreme gerrymandering&#8221; in blue states.
Tapper: &#8220;Do you believe that the Republican Party is starting this?&#8221;
Schwarzenegger: &#8220;No, Jake. There has been gerrymandering going on for 200 years.&#8221;
&#8220;There is such… <a href="https://t.co/ovxGJ6ll8p">pic.twitter.com/ovxGJ6ll8p</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1982528723674071061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;As you&#8217;ve acknowledged, this all started because of redistricting in Texas — and this was Trump pushing Republican-controlled states to throw out their current congressional maps so as to cook the books so that there is less — it is less likely for Democrats to retake control of the House during the next year midterms,&#8221; Tapper began. &#8220;I mean, is it fair to argue that — do you believe that the Republican Party is starting this?&#8221;
&#8220;No, Jake. No, Jake. There has been gerrymandering going on for 200 years,&#8221; Schwarzenegger replied, shaking his head. &#8220;There is such extreme gerrymandering going on that in a state like Massachusetts, it has like 40% of the people voting for Trump, they only — they have zero representatives. The Republican Party has zero representatives sent to the House. Think about that.&#8221;
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.
&#8220;In New Mexico, 45% of the people voted for Trump and vote Republican, and zero is sent to the House, zero representatives from the Republican Party,&#8221; the &#8220;Terminator&#8221; actor continued. &#8220;So there&#8217;s gerrymandering — crazy gerrymandering — going on all over the country, and we wanted to try to stop it in California, and we did stop it in California.&#8221;
This is not the first time Schwarzenegger has vocally opposed gerrymandering — regardless of which party was redrawing the maps. In 2019, he joined with Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) <a href="https://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/institute_in_action/governor-arnold-schwarzenegger-took-his-mission-to-terminate-gerrymandering-to-dc/">in opposition</a> to a New Democrat-favored map in Maryland and a Republican-favored map in North Carolina.
&#8220;It is a national scandal with what is going on with the gerrymandering and the way our politicians draw the district lines. Both parties are doing it. Democrats are gerrymandering, Republicans are gerrymandering. It is a real disservice to the people. It is not a representative government, but a mis-representative government,&#8221; he said at the time.

”Raising Hope for Climate Justice” Conference Opens

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Jake Tapper’s Effort To Blame GOP For Gerrymandering

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Jake Tapper's Effort To Blame GOP For Gerrymandering

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Redistricting

Democrats have repeatedly insisted that they did not shut the government down over a demand for healthcare for illegal aliens, and several of them have expressed their displeasure at the media outlets willing to call them out on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-democrats-want-to-give-illegals-free-healthcare-here-are-the-facts">that lie</a>.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) got testy with &#8220;CBS Mornings&#8221; host Tony Dokoupil on Thursday, claiming that it wasn&#8217;t &#8220;strictly true&#8221; when he challenged her directly on the issue.
&#8220;So, Senator, you know, Republicans say what you’re really fighting for is taxpayer dollars for, as they put it, illegal aliens. I know that’s not strictly true but there is a provision –&#8221; Dokoupil began.
&#8220;Oh, excuse me, not strictly true,&#8221; Warren&#8217;s protest was immediate.
&#8220;It’s not directly true, but –&#8221; Dokoupil tried again.
&#8220;It is a flat-out lie. It is a flat-out lie,&#8221; Warren insisted. &#8220;There is nothing in Medicaid, nothing in Medicare, that permits one undocumented immigrant to get one dollar of assistance. None.&#8221;
&#8220;Sorry, in the Democratic counteroffer the proposal for funding, there is a restoration of Medicaid benefits for certain noncitizens that had been taken away in the &#8216;Big, Beautiful Bill,&#8217; as Republicans put it,&#8221; Dokoupil pushed back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren explodes when ‘CBS Mornings’ co-host Tony Dokoupil points out Democrats do, in fact, want to provide health care to “noncitizens…on the taxpayer dime.”
Warren snapped back by declaring “it’s not strictly true” and “a flat-out lie”….… <a href="https://t.co/fOSqgcSdUI">pic.twitter.com/fOSqgcSdUI</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1973743570755506319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On CNN, a very similar scene played out between anchor Jake Tapper and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
&#8220;Here&#8217;s a provision &#8230; it shows you want to give illegal aliens healthcare,&#8221; Tapper noted.
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&#8220;It&#8217;s a lie!&#8221; Jeffries protested.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a lie — but, what you support does bring back funding for emergency Medicaid to hospitals, which pays for undocumented immigrants &#8230; and a provision for people seeking asylum and &#8216;temporary protected status,&#8217; noncitizens &#8230; why even include that?&#8221; Tapper asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Hakeem Jeffries REGRETS going on CNN, Jake Tapper just embarrassed him. <a href="https://t.co/KmdS9gMxJN">pic.twitter.com/KmdS9gMxJN</a>
TAPPER: Here&#8217;s a provision&#8230;it shows you want to give illegal aliens healthcare&#8230;
JEFFRIES: It&#8217;s a lie!
TAPPER: It&#8217;s a lie &#8211; BUT, what you support DOES bring back…
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1973515804919345641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) attempted to claim that she&#8217;d never heard anyone in her party calling for providing healthcare for illegals — and Fox News host Lawrence Jones responded with video evidence of members of her party doing exactly that.
&#8220;I haven&#8217;t heard anybody in my party saying illegal immigrants should get access to the health insurance marketplace,&#8221; she said.
Jones showed a clip of Democrats on the 2020 debate stage, and then replied, &#8220;That&#8217;s literally every member of your party from moderate to more progressive that have said that in the past.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: I haven&#8217;t heard anybody in my party saying illegals should get taxpayer-funded health care!
*ROLLS THE TAPE*
Fox: &#8220;That&#8217;s literally every member of your party from moderate to more progressive&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ziu6pMhLKO">pic.twitter.com/ziu6pMhLKO</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1973728411085578487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Republicans shared the receipts in a post to X, highlighting the relevant portion of the resolution: &#8220;It’s right there on paper. Democrats are fighting for healthcare for illegal aliens, NOT the American people.&#8221;
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It’s right there on paper.
Democrats are fighting for healthcare for illegal aliens, NOT the American people. <a href="https://t.co/HIRQyu9lZK">https://t.co/HIRQyu9lZK</a> <a href="https://t.co/qaj4KGzBIj">pic.twitter.com/qaj4KGzBIj</a>
— GOP (@GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1973800680055009462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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And it&#8217;s not a new position, either. Several people posted videos and still photos from one of the 2020 Democratic primary debates, when every Democrat on the stage raised a hand to confirm that all of their healthcare plans would include coverage for &#8220;undocumented immigrants.&#8221;
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The question was:
Raise your hand if your healthcare plan covers illegal immigrants. <a href="https://t.co/xS4WYIZCo5">pic.twitter.com/xS4WYIZCo5</a>
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1973540060529303939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-VOTE-2020-DEMOCRATS-DEBATE-POLITICS-ELECTION

Dems Peeved That Media Sees Through Their ‘No Healthcare For Illegals’ Lie

Dems Peeved That Media Sees Through Their 'No Health Care For Illegals' Lie

Elizabeth Warren

Hakeem Jeffries

illegal alien

Illegal Immigration

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper on Sunday and defended the recent indictment of former FBI head James Comey.
Tapper pressed Johnson on the indictment, asking if it was proper for a president “to publicly or privately instruct their Attorney General to prosecute a political opponent,” but Johnson pushed back.
“As a constitutional attorney and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, do you believe it&#8217;s acceptable for any president to publicly or privately instruct their attorney general to prosecute a political opponent and go as far as firing a U.S. attorney if they don’t bring charges because they don’t think the case is strong enough?” Tapper asked.
Johnson rebutted Tapper, noting that it wasn’t the president who indicted Comey, but a grand jury of his peers.
“I’m glad you brought up the principle, that is exactly what’s at issue here. James Comey lied to Congress. He took an oath. He said things to Congress that were simply not true. It’s called perjury. A grand jury … a non-partisan, non-biased grand jury that was assembled looked at the charges and they agreed. They voted to bring an indictment of James Comey &#8212; not President Trump, not the DOJ, but a grand jury,” Johnson said. “That’s how our system works. It’s a very important principle for us to apply that everybody has to subscribe to the law — even a former FBI director. And he has lots to answer for.”
Johnson added that there were “many things” over which Comey could have been indicted, but the statutes of limitations ran out.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN’s Jake Tapper: “As a constitutional attorney and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, do you believe it&#8217;s acceptable for any president to publicly or privately instruct their Attorney General to prosecute a political opponent and go as far as firing a US attorney if… <a href="https://t.co/8fE3Fk04pi">pic.twitter.com/8fE3Fk04pi</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1972291949630497196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Comey was indicted on Thursday by a grand jury for allegedly lying under oath.
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The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comey-indicted-for-lying-to-congress-no-one-is-above-the-law?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Comey+Indicted+For+Lying+To+Congress%3A+‘No+One+Is+Above+The+Law’">indictment</a> stems from statements the former FBI head made to Congress in September 2020 when he testified regarding his handling of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to the <a href="https://x.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1971357752443404605">indictment</a>. Comey’s indictment comes just days ahead of a major deadline: September 30, when the statute of limitations was set to expire on claims made by Comey during the 2020 hearing.
Comey is the first former senior administration official to be indicted in connection with the Russian collusion conspiracy and the FBI investigation into false ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson

Speaker Johnson Pushes Back On CNN Host’s Claim That Trump Forced Comey Indictment

James Comey

Mike Johnson

Google Bay Bridge

We Just Got Proof Of A Huge Attack On Free Speech, And It Has Nothing To Do With Jimmy Kimmel

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