Two Republican U.S. senators called for a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms on Thursday after Reuters exclusively reported on an internal policy document that permitted the company’s chatbots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.”
Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said that after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the company removed portions that stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children. The standards described in the Meta document don’t necessarily reflect “ideal or even preferable” generative AI outputs, the document states. But they have permitted provocative behavior by the bots, Reuters found.
In one example, the document notes that it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.”
&#8220;So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc,&#8221; Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said in a post on social media site X. &#8220;This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation,&#8221; Hawley said.
A spokesperson for Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, said she supports an investigation into the social media company.
A spokesperson for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Blackburn also added that the report illustrates the need to pass reforms to better protect children online, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill she co-sponsored that the Senate passed last year but which failed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“When it comes to protecting precious children online, Meta has failed miserably by every possible measure. Even worse, the company has turned a blind eye to the devastating consequences of how its platforms are designed,&#8221; Blackburn said.
The Kids Online Safety Act would make explicit a &#8220;duty of care&#8221; that social media companies have when it comes to minors using their products, focusing on the design of the platforms and the regulation of the companies.
Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, called the policies &#8220;deeply disturbing and wrong,&#8221; adding that Section 230, a law that shields internet companies from liability for the content posted to their platforms, should not protect companies&#8217; generative AI chatbots.
&#8220;Meta and Zuckerberg should be held fully responsible for any harm these bots cause,” he said.
Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat of Vermont, said the report &#8220;shows how critical safeguards are for AI — especially when the health and safety of kids is at risk.&#8221;
The Senate voted 99-1 in July to remove a provision in President Donald Trump&#8217;s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that would have effectively barred states from passing AI regulation.
In the absence of federal laws regulating AI, states have passed legislation, including bans on using the technology to create child sexual abuse material.
(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows Meta logo

GOP Senators Push For Probe Into Meta’s AI Chatbot Engaging In ‘Sensual’ Discussions With Children

Artificial Intelligence

Children

Josh Hawley

Mark Zuckerberg

Marsha Blackburn

House Rules Committee Holds Late Night Meeting On Budget Bill

‘That’s Disgraceful’: Trump Says Nancy Pelosi Should Be Investigated For Insider Trading

Congress

Donald Trump

Insider Trading

Nancy Pelosi

A Senate panel on Wednesday advanced a bill that seeks to prohibit members of Congress, presidents, and vice presidents from trading or holding individual stocks — although the ban would not force a full divestment for current office holders until if and they win and start another term.
Part of an effort led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), the legislation passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8-7 vote. Democrats joined with Hawley in supporting the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26036909/s-1498-hawley-substitute-as-modified-wal25677.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a>, while the rest of the Republicans opposed it.
“Americans have watched politicians earn a fortune using information not available to the general public while the average family struggles to get by. It&#8217;s just wrong,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Members of Congress should be focused on delivering results for their constituents, not returns on investments. It&#8217;s time to find out where members stand. It&#8217;s time we restore trust in Congress and ban all members from trading and holding stocks.&#8221;
Featuring a name <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/29/opinion/pelosis-prime-profits-prove-its-time-to-ban-congress-stock-trading/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her strong performance in the stock market, the bill initially offered by Hawley sought to keep just lawmakers and their spouses from stock picking, but allow for investment in diversified mutual funds, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Treasury bonds. President Donald Trump even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sen-hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-curb-congressional-stock-trading-trump-signals-approval" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> he would sign the legislation.
A change was later offered to add the president and vice president to the ban, part of what Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/29/white-house-lobbies-hawley-stock-trading-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> to be Hawley&#8217;s bid to gain Democrat support. But with the White House raising Article II concerns, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ultimately approved a version that bars only current office-holders from stock trading if they get elected to another term — effectively giving Trump a pass, given he&#8217;s in his second term. Still, that was enough for the Democrats.
&#8220;The American people think ALL politicians, Democrats and Republicans, use our position to enrich ourselves,&#8221; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1950599974686691459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in a post on X. &#8220;Today, we sent a bill to the Senate floor that bans Members of Congress, the President, and VP from trading stocks. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good first step, and we should pass it into law.&#8221;
Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congressional-stock-trading-ban-clears-senate-committee-republicans-arguing-insults-2025-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that even though full divestment from individual stocks would not be required immediately, it would prevent Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and lawmakers from buying stocks right way and, 90 days after enactment, disallow them from selling stocks.
Now the legislation heads to the full Senate, where the GOP has a 53-seat majority.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he opposed exempting Trump because he believes &#8220;everybody should be treated fairly.&#8221; He also bemoaned how it excluded the courts and staff of office-holders.
Another Republican on the panel, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfalT1gSTbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">derided</a> what he called &#8220;legislative demagoguery.&#8221; He noted that insider trading laws and financial disclosure rules already exist. In addition, Johnson warned the measure would &#8220;make it very unattractive&#8221; for people to run for office, particularly those with business experience.
There is GOP support for a congressional stock trading ban in the House. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has signaled that she will <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950317068911263752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">force</a> a vote.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be banned from trading individual stocks because their access to privileged, nonpublic information creates unavoidable conflicts of interest that erode public confidence in government,&#8221; Luna <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950589449600929876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
&#8220;As lawmakers, we receive classified briefings, shape economic policies, and interact with industry leaders, giving us insights that can influence stock prices. Even if no laws are broken, the appearance of profiting from this access fuels distrust among Americans,&#8221; she added. &#8220;The American people do not trust the US government and banning stock trading is a step forward to building that trust.&#8221;

Sen. Josh Hawley

Senate Panel Votes To Ban Stock Trading For Lawmakers, President, And VP — But Spares Trump

Corruption

Executive

Politics

Rand Paul

Ron Johnson

Stock Market

U.S. Senate

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) unveiled a bill this week that would offer tax rebates to &#8220;hard-working&#8221; Americans and their families using revenue attained from tariffs championed by President Donald Trump.
The <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hawley-American-Worker-Rebate-Act-Bill-Text.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a>, called the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025, aims to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and provides credits of at least $600 to each qualifying adult and child starting this year, with <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-legislation-to-send-rebate-checks-to-working-americans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential</a> increases if collections beat projections.
Modeled after the 2020 stimulus payments, the bill proposes decreasing rebates for those who earn more than a certain amount of money. Specifically, the credits shrink by 5% for adjusted gross income above $150,000 for joint filers, $112,500 for heads of household, or $75,000 for other taxpayers.
Hawley introduced the legislation after Trump suggested last week that his administration was considering the prospect of rebates, citing revenue the United States is taking in from tariffs.
&#8220;We have so much money coming in, we&#8217;re thinking about a little rebate, but the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. We&#8217;re thinking about a rebate,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1948745482484023525" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> to a reporter outside the White House.
Tariffs led to concerns about inflation, but revenues from the levies issued by Trump exceeded the expectations of &#8220;experts&#8221; and brought in more than $100 billion over the first six months of his second term, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trumps-economy-continues-to-defy-the-experts-and-shock-the-panicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last week.
&#8220;Americans deserve a tax rebate after four years of Biden policies that have devastated families’ savings and livelihoods,&#8221; Hawley said in a statement. &#8220;Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.&#8221;
Trump has struck a number of framework agreements since announcing &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs as part of a bid to get other countries to negotiate trade deals and establish more favorable terms for the United States.
On Sunday, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-secures-biggest-of-all-trade-deals-with-eu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> what he called &#8220;the biggest of all the deals,&#8221; in which the European Union agreed to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States, open up its member nations to trade with America, and settle on a 15% tariff rate on many imports from the bloc.

Hawley Bill Sends Tariff Surplus Back To Americans

Hawley Bill Sends Tariff Surplus Back to Americans

Tariffs

Trade War

West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley called Thursday for the Trump administration to use diplomatic means to protect Christians in Islamic nations from persecution.
Moore introduced a <a href="https://rileymoore.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/rileymoore.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/final-moorwv_021_xml.pdf">resolution</a> in the House urging lawmakers to condemn the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries and asks the Trump administration to prioritize the protection of Christians during peacekeeping efforts throughout the Middle East. Hawley introduced the same resolution in the Senate. 
“Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by.”
The resolution includes a list of over a dozen countries, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East, where Christians face intense persecution. A copy of the resolution viewed by The Daily Wire “encourages the President to prioritize the protection of persecuted Christians in U.S. foreign policy, including in the President’s diplomatic engagement with Muslim-majority countries and his efforts to stabilize the Middle East.”
The resolution also asks to use diplomatic tools like trade and national security discussions to advance the protection of Christians abroad. 
Examples of persecution included killings, forced marriages, kidnappings of girls, and the prohibition of holding worship services or discussing the Gospel. For example, it says that in Algeria &#8220;nearly all evangelical churches have been shut down for years and pastors are regularly arrested and charged for their evangelism&#8221; and that in Egypt &#8220;Christian girls are regularly kidnapped and forcefully converted with impunity.&#8221;
Other countries called out for their treatment of Christians include Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Turkey, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and others.
“Our country was founded on religious liberty. We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,&#8221; Hawley told The Daily Wire. &#8220;We must condemn these heinous crimes.&#8221;
&#8220;Year after year, the number of Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria has numbered in the thousands. Millions more have been displaced. We cannot allow this to continue,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians around the world by supporting this resolution.&#8221;
Moore pointed to two specific areas where Christians have been attacked. 
“In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith. During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more,” he said. “These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis.”
Last month, jihadists <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terrible-massacre-hundreds-of-christians-killed-by-jihadists">massacred</a> around 200 Christians in Nigeria’s Benue State after a group of militants screaming “Allahu Akbar&#8221; attacked a group who had previously been displaced by Fulani Jihadist attacks.
Moore also said previous American “foreign policy blunders” had made the situation worse for Christians, saying that the failure to stabilize Iraq after the 2003 invasion led to the ethnic cleansing of the Christian population. 
The resolution was endorsed by a number of advocacy groups including Alliance Defending Freedom International, In Defense of Christians, Global Christian Relief, CatholicVote, Advancing American Freedom, The Center for Urban Renewal and Education, Family Policy Alliance, Christians Engaged, and Save the Persecuted Christians.

TOPSHOT-ADDITION-NIGERIA-BLAST

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Say America Cannot ‘Sit Idly By’ As Islamic Terrorists Massacre Christians

Christianity

Persecution

Radical Islam

Riley Moore

West Virginia

Senator Josh Hawley joined with a Democrat colleague on Tuesday to introduce a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15.
&#8220;For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline,” the Missouri Republican told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/josh-hawley-raise-federal-minimum-wage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News.</a> “One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hard-working Americans every day.”
Along with Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), Hawley introduced the Higher Wages for American Workers Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, where it’s been since 2009. The bill would also provide a tax credit for workers making under minimum wage.
&#8220;We&#8217;re in the midst of a severe affordability crisis, with families in red and blue states alike struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Every hard-working American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table — $7.25 an hour doesn&#8217;t even come close.&#8221;
Hawley is the latest Republican lawmaker to challenge his party’s economic orthodoxy. But it’s unclear if Hawley’s colleagues will throw their support behind his effort. In 2021, every Republican Senator voted against a <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/senators-vote-15-dollar-minimum-wage/507-ca50e569-4757-4bed-a13f-f687853c85c0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> to institute a $15 minimum wage. Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have <a href="https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/commentary/increasing-the-minimum-wage-comes-too-high-price-workers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">historically opposed</a> minimum wage hikes.
Opposition is already mounting against Hawley’s proposal.
“Sen. Hawley should know better,”<a href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/republican-senator-wants-more-double-federal-minimum-wage"> said</a> Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute. “This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs.”
“Hawley’s proposal would take similar failed policies like California’s and export them nationwide,” Paxton <a href="https://fox59.com/news/national-world/federal-minimum-wage-would-rise-to-15-under-sen-hawley-bill/">continued</a>.
California recently raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour — a policy that has caused restaurants to cut staff and reduce hours, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/california-restaurants-cut-jobs-as-fast-food-wages-set-to-rise-eb5ddaaa?mod=hp_lead_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Wall Street Journal.
At least one Senate Republican has already come out against Hawley’s proposal.
“I don&#8217;t even know why we have a &#8216;federal minimum wage&#8217; to be honest,&#8221; Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1932443558260138493" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in an interview</a> with Fox Business today. “I think the market works really well,” he said, adding, “I just think manipulating markets with mandatory wages doesn&#8217;t make any sense.&#8221;

Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing For Amy Coney Barrett To Be Supreme Court Justice

Hawley Teams Up With Democrat On $15 Federal Minimum Wage Bill

California

Economics

Minimum Wage

Senate Democrats

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has committed to reviewing the abortion pill&#8217;s safety, according to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Hawley posted a letter he received from Makary on social media, noting the FDA head promised to review the safety of mifepristone, the popular abortion drug.
&#8220;As the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, I am committed to conducting a review of mifepristone and working with the professional career scientists at the Agency who review this data,&#8221; Makary wrote in his letter to Hawley.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FDA chief Marty Makary just committed to me to do a full review of the chemical abortion drug’s safety: “As Commissioner of Food and Drugs, I am committed to conducting a review of mifepristone” 👇 <a href="https://t.co/nMxUhE18UA">pic.twitter.com/nMxUhE18UA</a>
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1929696353010987013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As with all drugs, FDA continues to closely monitor the postmarketing safety data on mifepristone for the medical termination of early pregnancy,&#8221; Makary wrote.
Makary also noted that mifepristone is currently enmeshed in legal battles.
&#8220;FDA generally does not comment on matters that are the subject of pending litigation and therefore is unable to provide further information on this topic at this time,&#8221; the FDA chief said.
&#8220;FDA is committed to safeguarding public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of the products it regulates,&#8221; Makary wrote. &#8220;The Agency carefully evaluates the scientific data, leveraging rigorous science to make informed decisions.&#8221;
The two-pill chemical abortion regimen — mifepristone, usually followed by misoprostol — aims to end the life of the unborn baby and expel it from the woman’s uterus. However, the drugs sometimes fail to expel all the fetal tissue, which can cause life-threatening complications.
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abortion-pill-22-times-more-dangerous-than-fda-claimed-new-study-says?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abortion+Pill+22+Times+More+Dangerous+Than+FDA+Claimed%2C+New+Study+Says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> released in April found that more than one in 10 women experienced a “serious adverse event” after taking the mifepristone abortion pill in 2023. This can include hemorrhaging, needing a blood transfusion, an emergency room visit, and even deadly conditions like sepsis.
That is about 22 times higher than what the FDA listed on its label for the brand Mifeprex in 2023. The FDA <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/020687Orig1s025Lbl.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> clinical studies saying less than 0.5% of women suffered “serious adverse reactions” to mifepristone.
Meanwhile, more than one in 20 women need a second abortion attempt after the abortion pill fails, another analysis of insurance claim data <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-than-1-in-20-women-need-second-abortion-attempt-after-abortion-pill-fails?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=More+Than+1+in+20+Women+Need+Second+Abortion+Attempt+After+Abortion+Pill+Fails" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> this week showed.
Last month, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, told lawmakers he had requested the FDA do a “complete review” of the abortion pill in the wake of the new data.
“It’s alarming,” RFK Jr. told Hawley during a Senate committee hearing.
“Clearly, it indicates that at the very least the label should be changed,” he said. “I’ve asked Marty Makary, who’s the director of the FDA, to do a complete review and to report back.”
A few months before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the FDA scrapped the requirement that women must obtain abortion pills in person from a healthcare provider, allowing them to get them online through the mail.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At The White House

FDA Chief Commits To Full Review Of Abortion Pill

Abortion

Abortion Drug

Health

Medical Research

Pro-Abortion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says he is ready to assist President Donald Trump in lowering drug prices if the commander-in-chief is &#8220;serious&#8221; about doing it.
The offer came on Monday after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-order-to-reduce-drug-prices-tells-rest-of-world-to-pay-up?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Order+To+Reduce+Drug+Prices%2C+Tells+Rest+Of+World+To+Pay+Up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> an executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/delivering-most-favored-nation-prescription-drug-pricing-to-american-patients/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> that aims to align U.S. prescription drug prices to match the lowest amount offered to other developed nations, promote &#8220;direct-to-consumer&#8221; sales at these rates, and prevent foreign countries from &#8220;freeloading&#8221; on American-funded pharmaceutical innovation.
&#8220;I agree with President Trump: It is an outrage that the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,&#8221; Sanders said in a <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-trumps-executive-order-on-prescription-drugs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;It is beyond unacceptable that we pay, in some cases, ten times more for the same exact prescription drugs than people in other major countries. But let’s be clear: The problem is not that the price of prescription drugs is too low in Europe and Canada. The problem is that the extraordinarily greedy pharmaceutical industry made over $100 billion in profits last year by ripping off the American people.&#8221;
Sanders added: &#8220;Further, as Trump well knows, his executive order will be thrown out by the courts. If Trump is serious about making real change rather than just issuing a press release, he will support legislation I will soon be introducing to make sure we pay no more for prescription drugs than people in other major countries. If Republicans and Democrats come together on this legislation, we can get it passed in a few weeks.&#8221;
Trump unveiled his executive order during a press conference at the White House. He was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H79QL4UDU44" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a> by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who in the 2024 cycle ran unsuccessfully for the presidency while challenging the Democratic Party&#8217;s establishment, just like Sanders did in 2016 and 2020. Kennedy Jr. said that Democrat leaders have promised Americans for 20 years they would lower drug prices without actually doing it and asserted that Trump&#8217;s effort now was the &#8220;fulcrum&#8221; of Sanders&#8217; campaigns for the White House.
&#8220;I have a couple of kids who are Democrats, are big Bernie Sanders fans, and when I told them that this was gonna happen, they had tears in their eyes because they thought this was never going to happen in our lifetime, and we finally have a president who&#8217;s willing to stand up for the American people,&#8221; Kennedy Jr. said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) echoed the call for action, urging Congress to make Trump’s move <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1921950612104601836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;permanent&#8221;</a> through legislation he introduced with Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT).
Their <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/in-bipartisan-push-hawley-welch-introduce-major-legislation-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a>, the &#8220;Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act,&#8221; would keep pharmaceutical companies from charging higher drug prices in the United States than the average in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom, with penalties of 10 times the price difference per unit sold for violations.

Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Offers To Help Trump If He’s ‘Serious’ About Lower Drug Prices

Bernie Sanders

Drugs

Health Care

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the anti-corruption PELOSI Act on Friday, aiming to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, while President Trump signaled he would sign such legislation into law.
The legislation, whose acronym PELOSI stands for &#8220;Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments,&#8221; and is named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband has drawn <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deceptive-tactic-nancy-pelosi-disclosed-180000159.html">scrutiny</a> for millions in suspected insider trading.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve — not day trading at the expense of their constituents,&#8221; Hawley <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-ban-congress-from-trading-stocks/">stated</a>, according to a press release from his office.
&#8220;Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public,&#8221; the Missouri Republican added. &#8220;It&#8217;s time we ban all members of Congress from trading and holding stocks and restore Americans&#8217; trust in our nation&#8217;s legislative body.&#8221;
Under Hawley&#8217;s proposal, elected officials and their spouses would be barred from owning individual stocks while serving in Congress.
The legislation would still allow investment in broader financial instruments such as mutual funds, ETFs, and Treasury bonds.
The bill provides a six-month grace period for compliance after enactment. Any lawmaker refusing to divest would face financial penalties and surrender profits to the federal treasury.
The Government Accountability Office would be required to audit congressional compliance with the law within two years of enactment and submit a report to congressional ethics committees, according to the <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hawley-PELOSI-Act.pdf">legislation</a>.
When asked on Friday by a reporter if he would support a ban on congressional stock trading, President Trump said he would “absolutely” sign such a bill.
&#8220;Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,&#8221; the President said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It is time! Pass my PELOSI Act now &#8211; no stock trading by members of Congress <a href="https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG">https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1915759963386822771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A 2022 New York Times investigation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/politics/congress-members-stock-trading-list.html">identified</a> at least 97 members of Congress who reported stock trades that potentially intersected with their committee work, raising questions about whether elected officials were using privileged information to enrich themselves.
The issue has <a href="https://publicconsultation.org/united-states/stock-trading-by-members-of-congress/">garnered</a> bipartisan support for reform, with polls consistently showing over 80% of Americans favor banning congressional stock trading.
Similar legislation has been introduced in previous sessions of Congress but failed to advance to a floor vote in either chamber despite widespread public support.

119th Congress Begins Its Term On Capitol Hill

Sen. Hawley Reintroduces PELOSI Act To Curb Congressional Stock Trading, Trump Signals Approval

Paul Pelosi

WASHINGTON — Missouri&#8217;s Republican senator Josh Hawley unleashed on Code Pink activists who confronted him in the halls of Congress on Thursday, videos first obtained by The Daily Wire show.
As the senator took a question from a reporter about TikTok, the head of Code Pink, Medea Benjamin, questioned Hawley, &#8220;How about weapons to Israel?&#8221; holding a phone up to his face to record his response. Hawley, aware of which group she was with, quickly responded: &#8220;Oh, you&#8217;re the China people! You are 100% funded by the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
Code Pink is a far-left anti-war group known for its antisemitism and ties to China. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/europe/neville-roy-singham-china-propaganda.html">New York Times reported</a> in 2023 that the group is part of a &#8220;lavishly funded influence campaign&#8221; working closely with &#8220;the Chinese government media machine&#8221; to promote the CCP — it has, in turn, gone as far as defending the Chinese detention of Uyghur Muslims.
The group, which has aligned with Hamas since its October 7, 2023 terrorist attack against Israel, has <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/09/17/josh-hawley-fires-back-protesters-swarmed-him-after-hearing-code-pink-palestine-ccp/">repeatedly protested</a> against Hawley, who has defended the Trump administration in its efforts to deport anti-Israel protesters who promote Hamas on college campuses.
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NEW: Videos obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> show <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a> unleashing on pro-CCP Code Pink activists protesting against Israel.
&quot;It is a moral travesty what you do,&quot; he tells Code Pink&#39;s Medea Benjamin. &quot;You have blood on your hands&#8230;you&#39;re awash in blood and dirty money.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8BeeLBZkgb">pic.twitter.com/8BeeLBZkgb</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1907951358717624669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You&#8217;re deflecting from all the money you take from AIPAC! You&#8217;re a foreign agent!&#8221; the activist exclaimed on Thursday. &#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer because you want to send more bombs to kill more children in Gaza.&#8221;
Hawley responded, interjecting between her responses: &#8220;You are anti-semite&#8230;.anti-Israel, pro-China, pro-CCP, it is disgusting. Your organization has defended the Uyghurs being violated, being persecuted, it is a moral travesty what you do.&#8221;
&#8220;Where is the blood on your hands?&#8221; he continued emphatically. &#8220;You have blood on your hands. You&#8217;re awash in blood and dirty money and I hope that you are accountable for that one day.&#8221;
She continued to follow him as he walked away, surrounded by reporters.
Another video obtained by The Daily Wire shows Benjamin pursuing Hawley, asking why he is sending taxpayer dollars to &#8220;bomb people in Gaza,&#8221; questioning, &#8220;Are you America first? Are you America first?&#8221;
At this point, another activist appears on the scene, this one dressed in a black and white keffiyeh, and she tells Hawley, &#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer,&#8221; he responded. &#8220;The Uyghur babies? Their blood is on your hands. The blood of the Chinese is on your hands. And of course of the Jews.&#8221;
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The Code Pink activists followed Hawley, berating him for supporting Israel. 
Hawley was giving it right back.
&quot;You&#39;re just a Jew hater, right? You&#39;re along for the ride?&quot; 
&quot;You are rabidly anti-Israel. You are absolutely morally despicable. You are appalling.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PRsRs17dDo">pic.twitter.com/PRsRs17dDo</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1907951360764510557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The second, younger activist laughs as she films close to Hawley&#8217;s face and asks, &#8220;You&#8217;re a Christian Zionist right?&#8221;
&#8220;Oh no, no, don&#8217;t accuse ME of things,&#8221; he responded. &#8220;You&#8217;re a Jew hater. You would destroy the nation of Israel.&#8221;
&#8220;Sir, you&#8217;re a public official,&#8221; laughs the activist. &#8220;You&#8217;re a public official!&#8221;
&#8220;Which means what, I can&#8217;t speak truth to power?&#8221; he asked.
They continue to argue as the senator leans in and tells the activist: &#8220;You love China, you are taking their money, and you are rabidly anti-Israel. You are absolutely morally despicable and I look forward to one day, the moral come-uppance that you will deserve.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m a health care worker!&#8221; the activist pipes up. &#8220;I save lives!&#8221;
&#8220;You are appalling,&#8221; he responds. &#8220;You don&#8217;t save lives, you are killing Jews and loving it. You are despicable.&#8221;
&#8220;You are a war criminal, baby killer,&#8221; responds the younger activist, raising her voice emotionally as the senator departs. In the background, the elderly activist calls after him, &#8220;Baby killer, you have blood on your hands.&#8221;
During a Senate Help Committee last week on antisemitism on campuses, the senator grilled a Democrat witness on what is being done to protect students on college campuses for anti-semitism. Hawley strongly defended the decision to deport Ivy League anti-Israel ringleader Mahmoud Khalil, saying: “I want to say for the record, I’m glad [Mahmoud Khalil] is gone, and I hope he never comes back.&#8221;
Code Pink did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

Congress Meets To Work On Budget Reconciliation Process

Hawley Unloads On Code Pink Activists: ‘You’re Awash in Blood And Dirty Money’

Code Pink

Gaza

Israel

The Senate confirmed former TV star and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz today in a strictly partisan vote to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he will oversee more than $1.5 trillion in federal health spending.
The 53-45 vote split perfectly along party lines, with Oz now set to oversee insurance coverage for more than 160 million Americans.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed concern over Oz’s previous stances regarding transgenderism and abortion, but voted for the former GOP Senate candidate in the end on Thursday.
When reached for comment in March, an Oz spokesperson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-nom-dr-oz-is-committed-to-protecting-children-from-trans-procedures?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Trump+Nom+Dr.+Oz+‘Committed’+To+Protecting+Children+From+Trans+Procedures&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Daily Wire: “Dr. Oz fully understands the harms caused to minors by such procedures and is committed to implementing President Donald J. Trump’s agenda of protecting children so they can grow to live out their God-given potential.&#8221;
The statement, which comes shortly after Oz advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 vote, seems to have cleared up some apprehensions about where Oz stood on the hot-button issue, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-exposed-kamalas-radical-stances-on-gender-americans-voted-against-it">drove many voters to the polls</a> in November.
Oz had also defended Roe v. Wade in 2019, but in a 2022 op-ed, the doctor clarified his pro-life position.
Oz takes the helm amid a significant downsizing at HHS, where a reorganization launched Tuesday by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency eliminated 10,000 jobs department-wide.
The cuts directly led to the firing of 300 CMS employees, but closed five HHS offices tasked with assisting states with Medicare issues, with similar cutbacks indirectly affecting Oz’s new venture, Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/03/senate-confirmation-mehmet-oz-medicare-medicaid-00270913">reports</a>.
During the confirmation hearings, Oz closely aligned himself with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again” by focusing on combatting obesity and supporting preventative care measures.
“The deeper promise that we should all be making to America is we’re going to make it easy for America to do the right thing when it comes to their health,” Oz <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/04/03/mehmet-oz-cms-medicaid-confirmation/">said</a> during his confirmation hearing, per The Washington Post.
The new administrator will immediately <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/03/senate-confirmation-mehmet-oz-medicare-medicaid-00270913">face</a> Medicaid reform demands, as House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee seek $880 billion in savings to curb what they claim is substantial waste and abuse in the program, according to Politico.
“Let’s be aggressive in modernizing our tools to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. This will stop unscrupulous people from stealing from vulnerable Americans and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund,” Oz said in his Senate hearing, notes The Hill.
Prior to his confirmation, Oz hosted a popular daytime television show from 2009 to 2022 and suffered a narrow defeat in 2024 for Pennsylvania&#8217;s Senate seat against Democrat John Fetterman.
Mary Margaret Olohan contributed to this report.

Mehmet Oz

Senate Confirms Dr. Oz As Head Of Medicare And Medicaid Services

John Fetterman

Trump Administration

WASHINGTON — Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told The Daily Wire on Tuesday evening that he is opposed to all transgender procedures on minors.
&#8220;Dr. Oz fully understands the harms caused to minors by such procedures and is committed to implementing President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s agenda of protecting children so they can grow to live out their God-given potential,&#8221; an Oz spokesman told The Daily Wire on Tuesday evening.
The statement, which comes shortly after Oz advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 vote, may clear up some apprehensions about where the nominee stands on hot-button transgender issues, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-exposed-kamalas-radical-stances-on-gender-americans-voted-against-it">drove many voters to the polls</a> this fall. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) had voiced concerns about Oz&#8217;s record on both transgender issues and abortion, pointing out that in the past, Oz had &#8220;praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments &amp; puberty blockers for kids in the past,&#8221; as well as &#8220;criticized state laws protecting life.&#8221;
&#8220;I hope he’s changed his views to match President Trump!&#8221; Hawley tweeted this week. &#8220;We need the Trump agenda at CMS.&#8221;
A member of Oz&#8217;s team told The Daily Wire on Tuesday night that Oz had requested a meeting with Hawley, but the Missouri senator declined. A source close to the Missouri Republican countered that Hawley did not decline the meeting, but was rather following standard Senate procedure in waiting to schedule his meeting with Oz until he received answers to the questions he sent over in his petition, which Oz has not provided.
On Tuesday evening, after hearing that Oz had promised to implement the president&#8217;s agenda on protecting children from irreversible transgender procedures, a spokesman for the senator told The Daily Wire of Oz: “We look forward to hearing from him.”
<div id="attachment_897759" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-nom-dr-oz-is-committed-to-protecting-children-from-trans-procedures/mehmet-oz-testifies-in-senate-nomination-hearing-to-be-administrator-of-the-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services" rel="attachment wp-att-897759"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897759" class="wp-image-897759 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Dr. Mehmet Oz arrives for his confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The Daily Wire previously reported that Oz had drawn fire for his past stances on abortion when he campaigned for a Pennsylvania senate seat in 2022. Notably, Oz had defended Roe v. Wade in 2019 as a measure that prevents coat hanger abortions, saying he did not “want to interfere” with a woman’s ability to abort her baby, accusing pro-lifers of “picking fights,” and suggesting that pro-life laws would make businesses leave red states.
Oz clarified where he stood in a 2022 op-ed where he promised: “I will be a bold voice in the Senate and a proud champion for the pro-life movement. I won’t ever shy away from sharing my pro-life beliefs, even as pro-abortion advocates in medicine, the media, and Big Tech try to silence me.”
Hawley is a staunch defender of both children targeted by transgender ideology and unborn babies whose lives are lost through abortion, and has positioned himself as a sort of safeguard over the past few months since Trump&#8217;s inauguration.
In January, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-to-pardon-imprisoned-pro-life-activists-within-days">urged the president</a> to release the pro-life prisoners imprisoned by President Joe Biden&#8217;s Justice Department (which Trump did), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-tale-of-two-phone-calls-how-josh-hawley-fought-for-victims-of-bidens-doj">intervened</a> as Texas Children’s whistleblower Eithan Haim faced DOJ punishment (the case against him was dropped), and most recently lobbied against the Food and Drug Administration’s newly selected chief counsel Hillary Perkins by airing scrutiny of her record on abortion and vaccines (she resigned the following day, and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/josh-hawley-smears-a-pro-life-lawyer-food-and-drug-administration-confirmation-vote-fb95c8e9?st=zgWXUA&amp;reflink=article_imessage_share">accuses</a> Hawley of smearing her).
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Senator Hawley’s written questions for Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominee for Administrator of CMS <a href="https://t.co/8xquP0SICy">pic.twitter.com/8xquP0SICy</a>
— Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1902170714376941604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
A source close to Hawley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-the-fdas-chief-counsel-went-from-hired-to-fired-in-two-days">told The Daily Wire earlier this month</a> that the senator&#8217;s vociferous opposition to Perkins at the FDA stemmed from his concerns that the Biden administration’s abortion drug rules completely undermine the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, and that the senator is worried about the Trump administration waffling on handling the matter of abortion drugs.
Oz&#8217;s nomination next heads to a full senate vote.

US CMS administrator nominee Mehmet Oz – confirmation hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Nom Dr. Oz ‘Committed’ To Protecting Children From Trans Procedures

Transgender

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