Even before he raised his right hand to take the Oath of Office for the second time, Donald Trump was warring with legacy media outlets over who would control the narrative. That battle played out all year long in headlines, press rooms, and on the Sunday morning political talk shows.
The Spin Cycle was there all year long, capturing the moments Democrats and the legacy media worked overtime to spin the narrative against President Trump and his administration. 
So, as 2025 comes to a close, let&#8217;s look back at five times that happened.
<h4>Inauguration Day:</h4>
The Sunday shows aired just hours before Trump was officially sworn in, and already a question hung in the air: was a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-today-the-world-either-ends-or-it-begins-again">second Trump presidency</a> a new beginning or the beginning of the end?
ABC News host Jonathan Karl opened &#8220;This Week&#8221; with this statement: &#8220;We come on the air this morning on the precipice of a historic moment, one that feels more like the beginning of a new era than a new presidency.&#8221;
He balanced that almost optimistic sentiment, however, by pausing to note that Trump would swear the oath in &#8220;the very building that was attacked by rioters shortly before the last inauguration.&#8221;
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“We come on the air this morning on the precipice of a historic moment, one that feels more like the beginning of a new era than a new presidency.” <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> has the latest on Donald Trump’s return to Washington: <a href="https://t.co/DK1VYkzLWF">https://t.co/DK1VYkzLWF</a> <a href="https://t.co/CyrF40EIEz">pic.twitter.com/CyrF40EIEz</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1880981125557891496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Of course, several Democrats voiced concerns over policy changes Trump promised to make, from tariffs to mass deportations, saying that they expected more bad than good to come out of the president&#8217;s second term. But on &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; a CBS News poll suggested that the public took a different view than the Democrats.
&#8220;There is majority optimism in the country about the next four years with Donald Trump as president,&#8221; Anthony Salvanto explained, showing a graphic of the poll results that said 60% were optimistic about Trump&#8217;s second term.
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A majority of Americans say they are optimistic about Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, a CBS News poll finds one day before the president-elect&#8217;s inauguration, with high expectations for the economy after he returns to office.<a href="https://twitter.com/SalvantoCBS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SalvantoCBS</a> breaks down what we&#8217;re seeing: <a href="https://t.co/wXABLCOVNc">pic.twitter.com/wXABLCOVNc</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1881039442477232421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<h4>DOGE Musk Be Stopped!</h4>
By February, nearly all of the new Trump administration hit the ground running — save for a few nominations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-complains-bondi-isnt-doing-the-job-his-party-is-blocking-her-from-getting">held up</a> in the Senate. That group included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, with Trump&#8217;s full support, spearheading efforts to streamline the federal government via the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-this-sudden-move-toward-government-accountability-doge-musk-be-stopped">dove in headfirst</a>, playing up the &#8220;chaos and confusion&#8221; caused by DOGE&#8217;s efforts, emphasizing details such as how much &#8220;access&#8221; to sensitive information DOGE employees must have in order to complete their tasks.
Raddatz had help from Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who claimed, &#8220;I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly, since Watergate. The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes.&#8221;
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“I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly, since Watergate,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a>.
“The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes.” <a href="https://t.co/XbLNUK9FRE">https://t.co/XbLNUK9FRE</a> <a href="https://t.co/mzJMn0uscV">pic.twitter.com/mzJMn0uscV</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1888596549212443075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Murphy did not, however, endeavor to explain what was corrupt about suggesting that the American people should not be forced to fork over tax dollars to fund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Central and South America or build electric cars for Vietnam — just a few of the wasteful items uncovered by DOGE employees.
The Connecticut Democrat even suggested that &#8220;full-scale&#8221; opposition to Musk and DOGE was not only reasonable but necessary: &#8220;You cannot just rely on the court system when the challenge to the Constitution and the billionaire takeover is so acute and so urgent.&#8221;
The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser also weighed in, asking, “How is it possible that one unelected billionaire, the richest man in the world, can unilaterally do that without any process?”
To date, according to the DOGE website, the department has uncovered some $214 billion in savings, which amounts to more than $1,200 per taxpayer.
<h4 class="css-12aqo6z e1a9f8qs0">Beat The Press</h4>
In May, President Trump sat down for an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-trump-takes-on-nbc-anchor-in-combative-meet-the-press-interview">interview</a> with NBC’s Kristen Welker, moderator of &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; and he routinely pushed back on the framing of her questions.
Welker asked about the economy, pressing Trump to say whether or not Americans were still living in the Biden economy or in his — and he threaded the needle carefully, noting that some policies would give noticeable effects more quickly than others.
&#8220;I think certain aspects of it are. Costs are. I was able to get down the costs, but even that, it takes a while to get them down but we got them down good. … We lost $5-6 billion a day [on trade] with Biden — $5-6 billion. And I’ve got that down to a great number right now in a record time.&#8221;
True to form, NBC published a piece on the interview stating that Trump had claimed ownership of the &#8220;good parts&#8221; of the economy while blaming Biden for the bad.
Welker pressed Trump on whether or not he believed everyone in the United States — whether citizen or not — was entitled to due process and the right to plead their case before a judge, and Trump’s reply was simple: “I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer.”
&#8220;We have thousands of people … some of the worst, most dangerous on earth — and I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it,” Trump added.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;We have thousands of people &#8230; some of the worst, most dangerous on earth — and I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/uNJESyWas1">pic.twitter.com/uNJESyWas1</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1919022289397452899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<h4>They Really Can’t Help It, Can They?</h4>
In September, the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus prompted President Trump to issue one of the first public statements mourning his friend. He later took the stage at Kirk’s memorial, expressing sorrow and anger before a crowd of thousands.
Charlie’s widow, Erika, also spoke at the memorial service, where she said she had forgiven the man responsible for murdering her husband and leaving her two children without their father: “That young man, that young man. On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do.&#8221;
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Erika Kirk forgives the man who murdered her husband:
&#8220;My husband Charlie&#8230;he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life&#8230;that young man&#8230;
I forgive him.
I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Pd1yGRMRVw">pic.twitter.com/Pd1yGRMRVw</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1969893178393206823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On MSNBC (Now MS NOW), Ayman Mohideen praised Erika Kirk — but he used her speech to attack President Trump for taking a different route.
&#8220;There is that disconnect between the grief that a mother who is just going to bury her husband, the father of her children, and a president who’s talking about the politics of this moment,” Mohideen complained. &#8220;And I think that’s what my takeaway was from that speech, you know, the opportunity for the president to try to heal and bring the country, as many had hoped he would, and not doing it in the way that many people would expect a president to do.&#8221;
On CNN, former Democratic National Committee comms director Xochitl Hinojosa gave essentially the same assessment: &#8220;I think in times like this, especially when there is political violence, you need the president, regardless of who it is, to bring the country together. And that has not happened. This was an opportunity for Trump to do that. He did not take that opportunity. The person who really did that was Erika Kirk.&#8221;
<h4>Jay Who? Sunday Shows Ignore Virginia AG Scandal</h4>
When a text scandal plagued Attorney General-elect Jay Jones (D-VA) in October, legacy media outlets all but ignored it — a move that likely aided him in coasting past incumbent and Trump-ally Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-VA) in November.
After the scandal broke, the topic was only discussed on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; — and even then, it was not the show&#8217;s host who made it a topic of discussion. Marc Short, who served as Former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, brought it up.
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BONKERS. Neera Tanden excuses Virginia Democrat AG candidate Jay Jones calling for the assassination of a Republican leader and his kids as just merely just a “private conversation.”
Utterly disgraceful. 🤡🤡🤡🤡 
<a href="https://t.co/N5KEyFZHPU">pic.twitter.com/N5KEyFZHPU</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1974871008147616176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Can we stop with the pearl-clutching about the mean tweets and the sombrero tweets?” he asked. “This week it came to light that a Democrat candidate for attorney general in the state of Virginia called for the assassination of a political opponent, called for the assassination of that political opponent’s family, and there’s not one national Democrat calling for him to step aside — not one! It’s disgraceful.”
Kristen Welker prompted Neera Tanden, who worked in the Biden White House, to then weigh in, and she almost immediately pivoted to suggest that Trump was worse.
“I mean, I absolutely think people should criticize that, 100%,” Tanden said. &#8220;I think it was a private conversation he had, but still awful and disgusting … it should be condemned, but then we should condemn that, but then you should condemn when the president calls the Democratic Party the ‘party of satan.’”
Short mentioned the Jones scandal in light of so many Democrats engaged in a public meltdown over a few memes featuring House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) with a fake mustache and a sombrero.
Vice President JD Vance also pushed back on efforts to scuttle the story, saying, &#8220;The Democrat candidate for AG in Virginia has been fantasizing about murdering his political opponents in private messages. I&#8217;m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race.&#8221;

President Trump Delivers Remarks In North Carolina

Spin Cycle: Five Times The Legacy Media, Trump Battled For Narrative Control In 2025

ABC News

CBS News

Donald Trump

Legacy Media

Media

NBC News

Politics

CBS Chief Legal Analyst Jan Crawford sharply decimated claims from the Left that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court is corrupt, describing such narratives as &#8220;patently false&#8221; and &#8220;dangerous.&#8221;
In November, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called the Court dishonorable, telling CNN&#8217;s Wolf Blitzer: “We&#8217;re committed to driving down the high cost of living, to fixing our broken health care system and, at the same period of time, cleaning up the corruption that exists in Washington, D.C., in the Congress, at the Supreme Court and, of course, with the Trump administration, the most corrupt administration in American history.”
“I just want to be precise,” Blitzer cautioned. “You say the Supreme Court has been corrupt? Is that what you&#8217;re saying?”
“Yes, what I&#8217;m saying is that the outrageous behavior by individual justices like Clarence Thomas and Justice Alito and the failure to have an ethical code of conduct is corrupt. These are the only people in the country who can operate above the law,” Jeffries answered.
“There is a narrative that the Supreme Court is corrupt,” Crawford said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “We saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. And now we see it, that they&#8217;re ‘in the tank for Trump.’ Not only is that narrative overreported, it is patently false, and it is dangerous for the institution and the public&#8217;s faith and confidence in the rule of law.”
“This is a conservative Supreme Court,” she stated. “It has been a conservative Supreme Court for 20 years. People can disagree and do disagree with their opinions, but it&#8217;s profoundly wrong to call it – or say corruption where there, in fact, is none.”
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“What&#8217;s underreported is any understanding of what this court&#8217;s been doing for the past 20 years,” she explained. “Its views of its role, vis-à-vis the other branches. How it sees the law. How it&#8217;s trying, in its focus, to restore some kind of accountability and our constitutional structure. Again, this is a court that is functional. It is consistent. They are nine justices. They don&#8217;t necessarily see the Constitution the same way by any means or how to interpret federal law. There&#8217;s a struggle over the proper way to interpret the Constitution. But that is as it should be. And I think as we approach our 250th anniversary of this country, it&#8217;s important to think about the court and their rule of law as the justices are doing, especially if we hope to keep democracy intact.”
“That&#8217;s a big statement, Jan, if we hope to keep democracy intact,” host Margaret Brennan responded. “My goodness.”
Undaunted, Crawford replied, “If we lost — if the public loses confidence in the rule of law, I don&#8217;t know what that means for democracy. And that&#8217;s why I think some of the rhetoric about corruption is so, so profoundly irresponsible.&#8221;
“And it causes threats,” CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane pointed out.
“Oh, yes. Which, again, I mean the justices are under tremendous (pressure), and federal judges as well,” Crawford concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FaceTheNation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JanCBS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JanCBS</a> Crawford scolded the press corps in naming her “under-reported” story of the year: “There is a narrative the Supreme Court is corrupt. We saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision&#8230;and now we see it that they’re in the tank for Trump. Not only… <a href="https://t.co/2rPcXbEnvQ">pic.twitter.com/2rPcXbEnvQ</a>
&mdash; Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/2005408938599051421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President

CBS Chief Legal Analyst Slams Left’s ‘Corrupt Supreme Court’ Narrative As ‘Patently False’

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Leftism

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President Donald Trump presses on for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, a fraudulent daycare scheme adds to the scandals in Minnesota, and major cities tighten security for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
It’s Monday, December 29, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below or on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251229">The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Hosts Zelensky</h2>
As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-peace-deal-in-ukraine-is-closer-than-ever-save-a-few-thorny-issues">hosted</a> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, hoping to finalize a peace deal to end the war. Hours before the meeting, Russia hammered Kyiv with one of the most extensive airstrikes in months, killing four, wounding dozens, and knocking out power to much of the city. Trump described his meeting with Zelensky as “good and very productive.” Trump also said that “land” is a major sticking point in the peace process. Zelensky has vowed never to give up land to Russia, but did offer a compromise: turning some Ukrainian land in the East into a demilitarized zone. As an apparent show of good faith toward Trump, Zelensky has also expressed a new willingness to hold nationwide elections, a move Trump has long called for.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Empty Somali-Run Daycares Bilk Taxpayers For Millions</h2>
New reports of rampant fraud across dozens of Minnesota daycares have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shocking-video-exposes-more-apparent-somali-linked-fraud-in-walzs-minnesota">stirred</a> controversy online and even attracted the attention of federal lawmakers and the FBI. Independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a roughly 40-minute investigative documentary online that racked up tens of millions of views within days. Shirley claims that he uncovered more than $100 million in fraud involving Somali-run businesses. For example, Shirley and his co-investigator identified a childcare center that has received millions in taxpayer funds, but no one has seen the children purportedly cared for there. The explosive report has increased pressure on Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to be held accountable.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Admin’s Anti-Terror And Immigration Operations</h2>
While Americans took time to unwind over the holiday season, the Trump administration was active on several fronts. Alongside its aggressive foreign policy and national security moves abroad, it continued its immigration and counterterrorism operations at home. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been ramping up her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-warns-that-islamist-ideology-is-freedoms-greatest-threat">warning</a> about the threat posed by terror actors, especially after the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia and the attacks on U.S. servicemembers in Syria. Major cities worldwide, including in the United States, have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-cities-scuttle-new-years-plans-amid-increased-islamist-terror-threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">altered</a> or canceled New Year’s celebrations due to security concerns. In the meantime, the Trump administration’s deportation operations have continued.

MRN_251229_V1

Morning Brief: Zelensky Visits Mar-A-Lago, Minnesota Daycare Fraud & New Year’s Terrorism Risks

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Tim Walz

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Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) lavished praise on current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), claiming that he is a &#8220;unifier&#8221; and more than qualified to take over as Speaker and insisting that Democrats would regain control of the House in 2026.
Pelosi sat down with ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl to discuss her lengthy tenure in the United States House of Representatives — and as the first female House Speaker — on Sunday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;This Week,&#8221; as she is set to begin her final year in Congress.
WATCH:
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Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi says she thinks the Democrats will re-take the House of Representatives in 2026: “Hakeem Jeffries is ready, he&#8217;s eloquent, he&#8217;s respected by the members, he is a unifier.” <a href="https://t.co/ZnRxKy0sL5">https://t.co/ZnRxKy0sL5</a> <a href="https://t.co/O6RtIf76eh">pic.twitter.com/O6RtIf76eh</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2005313931665953007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;So, if the Democrats win the House back —&#8221; Karl began, but Pelosi interrupted.
&#8220;No, no — when. When the Democrats win the House back, because we will,&#8221; Pelosi insisted.
&#8220;How does the next Democratic speaker of the House deal with Donald Trump?&#8221; Karl asked. &#8220;What would be your advice?&#8221;
&#8220;Be yourself. Just do your own thing, just be yourself,&#8221; Pelosi said. &#8220;Hakeem Jeffries is ready, he&#8217;s eloquent, he&#8217;s respected by the members, he is a unifier &#8230;&#8221;
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&#8220;You have no doubt it will be Hakeem Jeffries?&#8221; Karl asked.
&#8220;No.&#8221;
Karl asked whether there were already plans in place going into the second half of Trump&#8217;s presidency, specifically whether there were plans for impeachments or investigations — &#8220;or do you deal with him and get something done on all the other issues?&#8221;
Pelosi argued that it would be &#8220;hard to come up with something that [Trump] will sign because of the problem that he is,&#8221; and claimed that Trump would &#8220;hold up&#8221; anything useful that Democrats were able to force through.
But while Jeffries apparently has Pelosi&#8217;s full confidence, he has already run into trouble as the Minority Leader in recent weeks.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-catches-hakeem-jeffries-in-straight-up-lie-about-government-shutdown">challenged Jeffries</a> during an interview while Senate Democrats were keeping the government shutdown going, rebuffing his claim that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was refusing to speak with him about bringing the shutdown to an end. Within seconds, it was revealed that Johnson and Jeffries had spoken about ending the shutdown — and that Johnson had initiated the conversation — and that Jeffries had written him off because he was not willing to simply give up and let Democrats have what they wanted.
Jeffries also ran into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hakeem-jeffries-earns-annoyed-eye-roll-from-cnbc-anchor">several challenges</a> from CNBC hosts who disputed his claims that Republicans were the ones at fault for the government shutdown and that Democrats were offering reasonable solutions to the potential extension of COVID-era Obamacare subsidies.
During a recent press conference, when asked a question about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hakeem-jeffries-trashes-dr-oz-gets-hit-with-brutal-fact-check">Dr. Mehmet Oz</a> — who is currently serving in President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration as the 17th administrator of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, Jeffries trashed the renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon as &#8220;woefully unqualified.&#8221;
In short order, Fox News anchor John Roberts replied with a fact-check: &#8220;@hakeemjeffries just insisted that @DrOz is ‘unqualified.&#8217; Just a quick fact check for the minority leader: Mehmet Oz: Undergraduate degree — Harvard; MD — UPenn; MBA — Wharton School; He was a renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital before taking the leap into TV.&#8221;

Rep. Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi Is Certain Dems Will Retake House, Praises Jeffries As ‘Unifier’

Nancy Pelosi Is Certain Dems Will Retake House, Praises Jeffries As 'Unifier

Nancy Pelosi

Cheryl Hines admitted during a recent interview that her husband, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had offered her the chance to stage a &#8220;fake&#8221; separation in order to divert politically motivated attacks away from her.
Hines told Dr. Phil McGraw that Kennedy had known he would be a political target, but that he&#8217;d made the offer in the hopes that he could draw some of the negative attention away from her, sparing her the stress of constant scrutiny.
WATCH:
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🚨NEW: Cheryl Hines tells Dr. Phil how RFK Jr. offered her fake separation so she’d stop taking heat for his politics🥹
“Things got really intense. I didn’t consider it.”
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t marry him because of his politics. Why would I leave him because of his politics?”<a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a> <a href="https://t.co/19slzW2zKr">pic.twitter.com/19slzW2zKr</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2005030903257727297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Dr. Phil raised the question, asking whether it was true that Kennedy had offered her an out, and then immediately followed up by asking whether she had actually considered going through with it.
&#8220;Well &#8230; Things got really intense,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t consider it.&#8221;
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Hines went on to say that Kennedy had drawn a significant amount of criticism for his stance on vaccines during COVID — particularly vaccine mandates — and that she had often gotten lumped in with him when he was attacked.
When Kennedy voiced his unpopular opinions, Hines said, people would turn on her and ask how she could stay married to him if those were the things he believed. Others would refuse to spend time with her because she stayed with him, saying, &#8220;I can&#8217;t be around you because you&#8217;re married to him.&#8221;
Hines brushed it all off, saying that she&#8217;d known she and Kennedy would have disagreements before they were married, and nothing had changed. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t marry him because of his politics. Why would I leave him because of his politics?&#8221;

HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr Testifies At Senate Finance Hearing

Cheryl Hines Says RFK Jr. Offered Her ‘Fake’ Separation To Divert Political Attacks

"Things got really intense. I didn’t consider it."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

School choice advocate Erika Donalds said that students will be better off when parents have better access to what their kids are learning and when schools are held accountable for veering away from what should be taught.
Donalds, the wife of Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL), sat down with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Tim Rice and Mary Margaret Olohan for an interview at Turning Point USA&#8217;s 2025 AmFest, the first one held without the group&#8217;s late founder, Charlie Kirk.
Donalds began by saying that she was excited to see so many people of all ages attending breakout sessions at the conference that were devoted to reforming education — and how fixing what was wrong with education in the United States played into saving the republic as well.
&#8220;President Trump is doing exactly what he promised the American people,&#8221; Donalds said of President Donald Trump&#8217;s plan to first dismantle the Department of Education as a federal entity and then return power to the schools and the states. &#8220;He&#8217;s going to return that power not just to the states, but expand school choice and give power to the parents to make decisions on behalf of their children.&#8221;
Donalds praised Education Secretary Linda McMahon, saying that she had been instrumental in delivering on Trump&#8217;s promises.
The conversation turned to charter schools — several of which Donalds has had a hand in founding — and she said that they can serve as valuable school choice options, especially in areas where private schools are too expensive or otherwise inaccessible. She said that even with advances in school choice, she saw a major role for charter schools to partner with Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and to offer more &#8220;modular style&#8221; classes.
In her home state, Donalds noted, charter schools were already adapting to the changing educational landscape by offering &#8220;individual courses and extracurricular activities that families can access using their ESA dollars.&#8221;
Responding to a question from Olohan, who noted she was homeschooled for a time herself, Donalds said that the number of families homeschooling in the United States was higher than it had ever been — and that even more families indicated that they&#8217;d like to homeschool if they could. Donald made it clear that one of her goals was to help families remove as many of the barriers preventing potential homeschoolers from moving forward as possible.
Rice then raised the issue of artificial intelligence — and how the knee-jerk reaction is often to keep AI out of schools because students will obviously use it to cheat — but Donalds argued that she believed there was certainly room for AI in education.
There should certainly be guard rails in place, Donalds argued, but AI could be used to find gaps in education and help children to succeed who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
&#8220;We need guardrails and we need parents to have visibility into what&#8217;s going on in the AI used in their classrooms,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Once those guardrails are in place, I believe AI can absolutely help with the abysmal academic results in this country.&#8221;
She went on to explain that AI could help a child struggling with reading by identifying the particular concept that was causing the hang-up and tailoring a curriculum to the child&#8217;s needs. The same could be done with other subjects, she said, giving the example of a child having difficulty with algebra and saying that AI could identify where they were going wrong — even if it was a skill they should have picked up in elementary school.
The remainder of the interview focused on ideological and cultural issues seeping into the education system and how expanding parental rights and access to resources and curriculum were the best guard against that.
&#8220;We want to make sure that when students are graduating 12th grade that they are civically literate,&#8221; Donalds said, arguing that if America&#8217;s young people did not understand how the founders had built the country or why the government had been set up the way that it had, they would be unable to defend it in the future.

Erika Donalds

Erika Donalds Talks Trump, School Choice, And Why AI Is Good For Classrooms

Byron Donalds

Charter Schools

Daily Wire

Education

Parental Rights in Education

President Donald Trump let a second holiday missive fly late on Christmas Day, taking aim this time at the &#8220;Sleazebags&#8221; who had cozied up to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and reminding his followers that he had dropped Epstein &#8220;long before it became fashionable to do so.&#8221;
Trump posted the <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115782891296626533">message</a> via his Truth Social platform on Thursday evening, just an hour after his post announcing military strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria, and said that once the truth was out in the open, it would be primarily Democrats who had a lot of explaining to do.
&#8220;Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth, only to &#8216;drop him like a dog&#8217; when things got too HOT,&#8221; Trump began, saying that they then &#8220;falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn’t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so.&#8221;
&#8220;When their names get brought out in the ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt (plus one lowlife Republican,&#8217; Massie!), and it is revealed that they are Democrats all, there will be a lot of explaining to do, much like there was when it was made public that the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax was a fictitious story,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;A total Scam — and had nothing to do with &#8216;TRUMP.'&#8221;
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Trump then turned his attention to the media — specifically The New York Times — saying that the outlet was &#8220;losing many subscribers due to their highly inaccurate (FAKE!) coverage.&#8221;
&#8220;Now the same losers are at it again, only this time so many of their friends, mostly innocent, will be badly hurt and reputationally tarnished,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;But sadly, that’s the way it is in the World of Corrupt Democrat Politics!!! Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas! President Donald J. Trump.&#8221;
Congress has released <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-drops-30000-more-epstein-docs-that-include-accusations-against-trump">a number of documents</a> related to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-the-epstein-and-redacted-files">Epstein</a> in recent days, pursuant to the Epstein Transparency Act, but critics have said that it&#8217;s not enough — and that too much information remains redacted.

Trump Targets ‘Sleazebags’ Who Cozied Up To Epstein In Holiday Howler

Democrats

Jeffrey Epstein

Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro principally values a habit of telling the truth in any leader of the Republican Party.
Shapiro spoke about what he values in GOP politicians in an interview with The Daily Wire on the sidelines of the Turning Point USA AmericaFest conference that ended on Sunday.
“The number one thing that I would look for from any Republican leader at this point is simply telling the truth,” said Shapiro after he was asked a question on the future of Republican politics.
“I think the president has a habit of doing this in sort of pithy, short versions,” Shapiro said of President Donald Trump.
“He has a capacity for saying unpopular truths, which is great. We need more conservative leaders saying things that are true, even if, in the short-term, they&#8217;re not quote-unquote coalitional,” he continued, “because, again, you&#8217;re going to need to break whatever is here and you need to rebuild it stronger, and the only way to do that is with some true leadership.”
Shapiro spoke on the main stage at AmericaFest on the opening night in a speech that generated headlines because of its bomb-throwing, but put forward a message on the importance of truth in politics.
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“Because victory — true victory — cannot be achieved without truth. Victory without truth is victory for a lie. And that is no victory at all. And unity without truth is no unity. It is merely solidarity in falsehood,” said Shapiro in a version of his speech posted on <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/ben-shapiro-only-cowards-tolerate?r=nyv5h&amp;utm_source=flipboard&amp;utm_content=topic%2Fmossad">The Free Press</a>.
In the interview, Shapiro said that the conservative movement has drifted away from a commitment to truth as more “clowns” have come into the movement.
“You have people who were not conservative, who have entered, who have brought their non-assimilated, non-conservatism into the conservative tent,” said Shapiro. “To sort of pretend that the leadership of the movement ought to be vested in people who are either brand new and don&#8217;t hold those principles or people who have abandoned the key principles that have upheld the conservative movement for the last several decades, I think, is an enormous error.”
“A movement without principle is not a movement at all. It&#8217;s an agglomeration of people who are following whoever happens to be the leader that day,” he said.

Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro Reveals ‘Number One Thing’ He Looks For In GOP Politicians

AMFEST

Republican Party

The Daily Wire

The White House did not publish an official &#8220;Naughty List&#8221; for 2025 — though whether they made one is anyone&#8217;s guess — a handful of lawmakers would have been shoe-ins for inclusion.
These people worked against President Donald Trump and his administration over the past year by holding up votes on Trump&#8217;s nominees and agenda, attacking the president on social media and in the press, and badmouthing him and his team in front of any microphone they could find.
They come from both parties and across the country, unified only in their opposition to the Big Man. Let&#8217;s take a look at which Grinches made the list.
<h4>LaMonica McIver</h4>
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was one of three New Jersey lawmakers who physically pushed their way into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility in her state. She and the others claimed that ICE agents had gotten &#8220;rough&#8221; with them, but body cam footage belied her account.
McIver was indicted for her trouble, on three counts of &#8220;forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.&#8221;
<h4>Marjorie Taylor Greene</h4>
President Trump&#8217;s former ally is the most recent lawmaker to incur Trump&#8217;s wrath.
After a series of criticisms from Greene — focused primarily on the Trump administration&#8217;s handling of files related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — Trump attacked the Georgia congresswoman in several Truth Social posts. Calling her &#8220;Marjorie Traitor Greene&#8221; in one instance, he cheered her eventual resignation from Congress as &#8220;good for the country.&#8221;
In the days since, Greene has given a handful of interviews — and they&#8217;ve been progressively less flattering to Trump.
<h4>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</h4>
The New York firebrand has been a more-or-less constant thorn in the side of Republicans since she was elected, and 2025 has proved to be no different. With the policies championed in her proposed Green New Deal languishing under the weight of Trump&#8217;s regulatory reform, she has turned to jabbing at members of the administration and those who support it via social media.
One such barb was aimed at former collegiate swimmer — and staunch advocate for women and girls — Riley Gaines, who pointed out the dangers of embracing socialism as AOC has.
&#8220;Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldn’t have come in fifth,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referencing the 2022 NCAA championships where Gaines had tied for 5th place with trans-identifying male swimmer Lia Thomas.
Gaines was unperturbed, replying, &#8220;It’s always hilarious when they think they’ve landed a ‘gotcha’ by pointing out I was the 5th-fastest woman *in the nation* yet they conveniently forget the mediocre man who ranked 462nd in the men’s division lol. Misogynistic dunce.&#8221;
Ocasio-Cortez also took to social media to crow about a poll that showed her besting Vice President JD Vance in a potential 2028 match-up. What she didn&#8217;t mention was that the poll was taken in Canada, where socialism has already taken hold — and where no one can vote for her, anyway.
<h4>Mark Kelly</h4>
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) joined five other members of Congress — all of them veterans of either the Armed Services or the Central Intelligence Agency — to make a video encouraging members of the military to question their orders in real time. Nicknaming them the &#8220;Seditious Six,&#8221; Trump said his administration was prepared to investigate Kelly in particular because, as the only member of the group who retired from the military, he is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can be recalled to be court-martialed for his actions.
<h4>Chuck Schumer</h4>
Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-roast-chuck-schumer-over-shutdown-deal-we-need-new-leadership">Chuck Schumer</a> kept members of his party in line through the longest government shutdown in American history — and despite the fact that he and his party got nothing for their trouble, they still managed to inflict a significant amount of pain on people who either worked for the federal government and were furloughed or were dependent on government assistance.
When the shutdown finally ended, Democrats got none of the things they&#8217;d demanded, and members of Schumer&#8217;s party began to turn on him.
&#8220;Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?&#8221; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said at the time.
<h4>Hakeem Jeffries</h4>
House Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-catches-hakeem-jeffries-in-straight-up-lie-about-government-shutdown?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=CNN+Catches+Hakeem+Jeffries+In+Straight-Up+Lie+About+Government+Shutdown">Hakeem Jeffries</a> (D-NY) has almost constantly been at odds with the Trump administration — and his attacks have often been disingenuous at best. After claiming that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had refused to talk to him about bringing the shutdown to an end, Jeffries was forced to admit to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins that they had, in fact, spoken — and that Johnson had initiated the call.
On another occasion, Jeffries aimed his ire at Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services Administrator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hakeem-jeffries-trashes-dr-oz-gets-hit-with-brutal-fact-check?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Hakeem+Jeffries+Trashes+Dr.+Oz%2C+Gets+Hit+With+Brutal+Fact-Check">Mehmet Oz.</a> He mocked the acclaimed cardiothoracic surgeon and claimed that no one should take him &#8220;seriously.&#8221;
Fox News anchor John Roberts laid out the fact check: &#8220;Just a quick fact check for the minority leader: Mehmet Oz: Undergraduate degree — Harvard; MD — UPenn; MBA — Wharton School; He was a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital before taking the leap into TV.&#8221;
Jeffries did praise Trump for issuing a pardon to Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hakeem-jeffries-sides-with-trump-over-pardon-for-texas-democrat">Henry Cuellar</a> (D-Texas), whose indictment was viewed by a number on both sides of the political aisle as politically motivated — but on balance, he more than earned the sombrero memes in which he was featured.
<h4>Chris Van Hollen</h4>
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was at first of many congressional Democrats who sided with dangerous criminal aliens over American citizens, attacking ICE agents for faithfully enforcing federal immigration laws. But when his party and their media cohorts effectively adopted MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia as their cause du jour, it was Van Hollen who took his activism to absurd new heights.
When the criminal illegal alien was deported and sent to El Salvador — an admitted mistake made by the Trump administration, which could legally have deported him to any country other than El Salvador — it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-border-czar-tears-into-dem-senator-van-hollen-for-el-salvador-trip">Van Hollen</a> who took it upon himself to fly to El Salvador and demand to meet with Abrego Garcia.
<h4>Adam Schiff</h4>
Perhaps the naughtiest of them all, Schiff made the leap from the House to the Senate in January, and although he still hasn&#8217;t delivered the &#8220;evidence&#8221; he swore he had of Trump colluding with Russia, he has poured a fair amount of time and effort into being a bee in the Trump administration&#8217;s bonnet.
Just two days after Trump&#8217;s inauguration, Schiff <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-complains-bondi-isnt-doing-the-job-his-party-is-blocking-her-from-getting?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Adam+Schiff+Complains+Bondi+Isn’t+Doing+The+Job+His+Party+Is+Blocking+Her+From+Getting">complained</a> in an X post that Pam Bondi — then Trump&#8217;s nominee for attorney general — had not given a thorough review to all of the January 6th pardons. He omitted the fact that his party had stalled Bondi&#8217;s confirmation process — and therefore it was ridiculous to expect her to already be doing the job they were preventing her from getting.
In the months since, Schiff&#8217;s statements have been an exercise in lacking self-awareness.
&#8220;That attitude that you can make a president or a party unsuccessful, no matter what damage it might do to the country, because it’s good politics — we have to get past that ruinous idea,” he said on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-claims-lawmakers-shouldnt-use-politics-to-destroy-presidents?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Adam+Schiff+Claims+Lawmakers+Shouldn’t+Use+Politics+To+Destroy+Presidents">recent podcast</a>, omitting his own history of doing exactly that to Trump.
When War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered strikes on narco-terrorists in the Caribbean, Schiff referred to men who survived the initial strike as &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-defends-narcoterrorists-claims-they-were-shipwrecked-survivors?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Adam+Schiff+Defends+Narcoterrorists%2C+Claims+They+Were+‘Shipwrecked+Survivors’">shipwreck survivors</a>&#8221; and declared the strikes illegal. He later complained that Trump had only survived multiple prosecutions because then Attorney General Merrick Garland had not been &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-complains-that-merrick-garland-wasnt-partisan-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Adam+Schiff+Complains+That+Merrick+Garland+Wasn’t+Partisan+Enough">partisan enough</a>.&#8221;
Here&#8217;s hoping these naughty folks enjoy their coal — and learn to be nicer next year!

Eight Lawmakers (Probably) On The White House’s Naughty List

Eight Lawmakers [Probably] On The White House's Naughty List

Adam Schiff

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Chuck Schumer

Hakeem Jeffries

Marjorie Taylor Greene

In a five-point memo sent to CBS News staff on Sunday, Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss laid out each of her reasons for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cbs-news-pulls-60-minutes-segment-on-notorious-el-salvador-prison-needed-additional-reporting">postponing</a> a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; segment on the Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of illegal immigrants.
Weiss prevented the segment on El Salvador&#8217;s CECOT prison from airing on Sunday over concerns that the piece lacked important information, such as &#8220;the Trump administration&#8217;s argument for why it sent 252 Venezuelans to CECOT.&#8221;
The segment, spearheaded by CBS News journalist Sharyn Alfonsi, focused on interviews with some of the illegal immigrants who were sent to CECOT and have since been released. After Weiss pulled the story from Sunday&#8217;s lineup, Alfonsi claimed that it was for &#8220;political&#8221; reasons, arguing that if they hold a story because the government has not commented on it, they are becoming a “stenographer for the state.”
Weiss, however, argued that the segment did not attempt to go deep enough to present its viewers &#8220;with the full context they need to assess the story.&#8221; In the first point her <a href="https://x.com/thesimonetti/status/2003142908854313225">memo</a>, Weiss argued that other legacy media networks had already extensively covered the &#8220;horrific conditions&#8221; at the Salvadoran prison and CBS News needed to do more to &#8220;advance&#8221; the story to justify a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; segment.
&#8220;Last month, many outlets, most notably The New York Times, exposed the horrific conditions at CECOT. Our story presents more of these powerful testimonies—and putting those accounts into the public record is valuable in and of itself,&#8221; Weiss said in her memo. &#8220;But if we’re going to run another story about a topic that has by now been much-covered, we need to advance it. Among the ways to do so: does anyone in the administration or anyone prominent who defended the use of the Alien Enemies Act now regret it in light of what these Venezuelans endured at CECOT? That’s a question I’d like to see asked and answered.&#8221;
The segment reportedly focused on highlighting the “brutal and torturous conditions” endured by those sent to CECOT. Despite CBS News pulling the segment domestically, it aired briefly in Canada and then was shared online.
Weiss urged &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; producers to &#8220;push harder&#8221; to set up interviews Trump administration officials, such as adviser Stephen Miller and border czar Tom Homan.
&#8220;At present, we do not present the administration’s argument for why it sent 252 Venezuelans to CECOT. What we have is Karoline Leavitt’s soundbite claiming they are evildoers in America (rapists, murderers, etc.). But isn’t there much more to ask in light of the torture that we are revealing?&#8221; Weiss asked. &#8220;Tom Homan and Stephen Miller don’t tend to be shy. I realize we’ve emailed the DHS spox, but we need to push much harder to get these principals on the record.&#8221;
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In her third point, Weiss criticized one of the angles of the &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; segment, arguing that it focuses too much on the illegal immigrants sent to CECOT who do not have criminal histories and not enough on the violent criminals who have been removed from America.
&#8220;The data we present paints an incongruent picture. Of the 252 Venezuelans sent to CECOT, we say nearly half have no criminal histories. In other words, more than half do have criminal histories. We should spend a beat explaining this,&#8221; Weiss said. &#8220;We then say that only 8 of the 252 have been sentenced in America for violent offenses. But what about charged? My point is that we should include as much as we can possibly know and understand about these individuals.&#8221;
Weiss also blasted the producers&#8217; decision to include analysis from students at the University of California, Berkeley, asking, &#8220;What does the analysis add?&#8221;
Weiss concluded by telling the staff that CBS News should better explain &#8220;the legal rationale by which the administration detained and deported these 252 Venezuelans to CECOT.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s not as simple as Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act and being able to deport them immediately. And that isn’t the administration’s argument. The admin has argued in court that detainees are due &#8216;judicial review&#8217;—and we should explain this, with a voice arguing that Trump is exceeding his authority under the relevant statute, and another arguing that he’s operating within the bounds of his authority,&#8221; Weiss argued. &#8220;There’s a genuine debate here.&#8221;
CBS News said on Sunday that the CECOT segment would air at a later date.

Bari Weiss

Bari Weiss Had 5 Reasons For Yanking ’60 Minutes’ Report On El Salvador Prison

60 Minutes

El Salvador

Trump Administration

U.S.

Democrats are shelving their 2024 election autopsy despite having completed it, and attempting to move forward as though nothing has happened — prompting people outside their camp and even some within it to ask what was so bad that they didn&#8217;t want anyone to see?
A post-election autopsy — like an After-Action Review (AAR) in the military — is supposed to look at all aspects of any given election cycle and determine what went right and what went wrong. While it certainly can be useful to look at those factors after winning an election, often the most valuable lessons come from acknowledging what went wrong in an election that ended in loss.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin — who said as recently as February that he&#8217;d have no problem releasing the report — <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/politics/democrats-autopsy-dnc">announced last week</a> that he would not be releasing the completed report after all, claiming that the party was already showing gains and arguing that its release would not aid in their efforts to move forward.
&#8220;We are aligned on what’s important, and that’s learning from the past and winning the future. Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission,&#8221; he claimed.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) brushed off questions about the DNC&#8217;s decision during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN&#8221;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; saying simply, &#8220;What went wrong is, we lost the election.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin on DNC&#8217;s refusal to release 2024 post-election autopsy: &#8220;What went wrong is, we lost the election.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/X5pTYPvSwl">pic.twitter.com/X5pTYPvSwl</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2002776072967135375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Xochitl Hinojosa <a href="https://x.com/XochitlHinojosa/status/2001704268882153501">backed Martin&#8217;s play</a> as well, saying, &#8220;I could not agree more with this decision. We all know why Dems lost in 2024. The DNC has and should continue to make changes, and that is one of the reasons Dems have been winning up and down the ballot. Let’s stop looking back. Let’s look forward and continue winning.&#8221;
But there were some rumblings from the Left as a few worried that former Vice President Kamala Harris would reap the most benefit from less scrutiny directed at the election she lost. Jeff Weaver, who managed Senator Bernie Sanders&#8217;s (I-VT) 2016 campaign, observed: &#8220;Kamala Harris certainly benefits from not having an open discussion.&#8221;
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Rebecca Katz, adviser to Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), added, &#8220;How are Democrats going to learn from mistakes if we don&#8217;t have any concept of the depth and breadth of those mistakes?&#8221;
&#8220;I suspect the reasons why this isn&#8217;t being released are precisely the reasons why it should be released,&#8221; Lis Smith, adviser to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, <a href="https://x.com/Lis_Smith/status/2001717083290153057">said</a>.
CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked a panel on Sunday&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; whether refusing to release the report would just give voters one more reason to feel like the Democratic Party was not listening to them. She asked whether it might feel like &#8220;a continuation of the reasons the public doesn’t trust the Democratic Party.&#8221;
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CNN panel melts down after host asks why Democratic party’s decision not to release their autopsy on losing 2024 election is “not a continuation of the reasons the public doesn’t trust the Democratic party?”
Bakari Sellers: “This is laughable.”
CNN host: “18% of Americans… <a href="https://t.co/mu9UPEkeY7">pic.twitter.com/mu9UPEkeY7</a>
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TVNewsNow/status/2002907455617974688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On &#8220;The Big Weekend Show,&#8221; Fox News regular and Marine Corps veteran Joey Jones argued that the reason the Democrats lost in 2024 should be obvious: Kamala Harris was &#8220;a terrible messenger for a terrible message.&#8221;
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&#8220;A TERRIBLE MESSENGER FOR A TERRIBLE MESSAGE&#8221; &#8211; Democrats are refusing to release their 2024 autopsy report, saying there&#8217;s no point because it won&#8217;t help them win future elections. But <a href="https://twitter.com/Johnny_Joey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Johnny_Joey</a> already knows why they lost and it’s all because of Kamala Harris. Do you agree? <a href="https://t.co/WOLjytPmz4">pic.twitter.com/WOLjytPmz4</a>
— The Big Weekend Show (@BigWeekendShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/BigWeekendShow/status/2002917426057646534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On Fox News panel show &#8220;The Five,&#8221; Tyrus suggested in mocking tones that he didn&#8217;t really blame Democrats for scuttling the report — largely because if he&#8217;d lost that badly, he wouldn&#8217;t be too keen on watching the replay either: &#8220;Some of the worst behind-whoopings of your life… you don’t sit down and break out the, ‘hey, let’s watch the video when Mom left Dad at Christmas for his uncle. Let’s break that video out.'&#8221;
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“Some of the worst behind-whoopings of your life… you don’t sit down and break out the, ‘hey, let’s watch the video when Mom left Dad at Christmas for his uncle. Let’s break that video out.”
The DNC is getting slammed for killing their autopsy on what went so wrong in the 2024… <a href="https://t.co/vecDQM2zZi">pic.twitter.com/vecDQM2zZi</a>
— The Five (@TheFive) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFive/status/2002174612029985087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Democrat panelist Jessica Tarlov disagreed, arguing that the party was going against promises of transparency by refusing to release the report.
&#8220;I wish they had released it. I don’t think you can give a slew of interviews saying ‘we need this’ and then tell people ‘it’s ok, it’s going to be fine,'&#8221; she said.
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🚨 Even Jessica Tarlov is calling out the DNC for not releasing their 2024 election autopsy report: “I wish they had released it. I don’t think you can give a slew of interviews saying ‘we need this’ and then tell people ‘it’s ok, it’s going to be fine’.” <a href="https://t.co/k4NCfYMaQS">pic.twitter.com/k4NCfYMaQS</a>
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TVNewsNow/status/2002367100967395453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Of course, the writing may have already begun to appear on the wall months earlier when it was revealed that the autopsy would not include a review of then-President Joe Biden&#8217;s insistence upon running for reelection, his spectacular implosion as a candidate, and then-Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; effective installation as heir apparent.
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The Democrats’ 2024 election autopsy will reportedly not examine the Biden fiasco or Harris’ quality as a candidate. Odd choice! <a href="https://t.co/Bh3jyAjOw1">pic.twitter.com/Bh3jyAjOw1</a>
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) <a href="https://twitter.com/guypbenson/status/1948796238817542358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Martin, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/18/dnc-autopsy-report-kamala-harris/">The Washington Post</a>, said at the time that he did not feel it was important to review those particular issues because he did not believe it likely that a similar set of circumstances would present in a future election.

Kamala Harris

2024 Election Autopsy Report Is So Bad Democrats Are Burying It

2024 Elections

Joe Biden

Legacy media hosts spent a good part of Sunday morning discussing the hundreds of thousands of pages of photos and documents — all related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — that were released to the public on Friday.
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 has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
Nearly all of them were concerned that too much information had been redacted, and some were also complaining that the document dump — despite its volume — did not account for the remainder of the information that had been covered under the Epstein Transparency Act.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — who can be counted among the majority of Democrats who exhibited zero interest in releasing the Epstein files when his party had control of the House, the Senate, and the White House — joined ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl on &#8220;This Week&#8221; to complain about the fact that not everything was released on Friday.
&#8220;I think there needs to be a full and complete explanation and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required,&#8221; he said.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reacts to the partial release of the Epstein files: “I think there needs to be a full and complete explanation and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.” <a href="https://t.co/edYpn3KR1k">pic.twitter.com/edYpn3KR1k</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2002753628575015170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested that it was a mistake to release any of the files if they were not going to release everything at once: &#8220;Any kind of indication that there&#8217;s not a full reveal on this will just plague them for months and months more. So my suggestion would be, give up all the information, release it.&#8221;
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Sen. Paul calls the partial release of the Epstein files “a big mistake” for the administration: “Any kind of indication that there&#8217;s not a full reveal on this will just plague them for months and months more. So my suggestion would be, give up all the information, release it.” <a href="https://t.co/ezw1nuZJ40">pic.twitter.com/ezw1nuZJ40</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2002766554379800837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On CBS News, &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; guest Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) claimed that the Justice Department was &#8220;flouting the letter and the spirit of the law&#8221; with the Friday document dump because it was incomplete and because it was so heavily redacted.
&#8220;I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,&#8221; Massie said.
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The Department of Justice is “flouting the spirit and the letter of the law” with its initial release of thousands of new records related to Jeffrey Epstein that include heavily-redacted pages, says Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). He tells @margbrennnan the Trump administration’s… <a href="https://t.co/05MgVtIqrf">pic.twitter.com/05MgVtIqrf</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002811224153633040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;They sent a six-page memo to Congress and they cited pre-existing laws as reasons that they weren&#8217;t going to follow our law,&#8221; Massie added, claiming that he knew of a number of men accused of sex crimes related to Epstein whose names were not included in the released documents, and was unsure as to whether they&#8217;d ever be released.
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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) says he has been told of at least 20 men accused of sex crimes known to the FBI related to Jeffrey Epstein, but tells <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> he didn’t see the names in the files the Justice Department has released so far and isn’t optimistic they’ll ever be… <a href="https://t.co/xInQWaxKOD">pic.twitter.com/xInQWaxKOD</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002812237052801150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Khanna suggested that Congress could hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt over the release, adding, &#8220;I believe we’re going to get bipartisan support in holding her accountable and a committee of Congress should determine whether these redactions are justified or not.&#8221;
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Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) say they’ll take action against the Trump administration for its partial release of the Epstein files, including using Congress’ inherent contempt powers against Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I believe we’re going to get bipartisan… <a href="https://t.co/0kBoVdCA9V">pic.twitter.com/0kBoVdCA9V</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002812622324785652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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One of the storylines a number of them fixated on came from early reports that suggested a number of the redactions were made to protect not just victims but people who were considered to be politically connected. This narrative picked up steam quickly as it was revealed that a handful of the photos that were released in Friday were quickly pulled down — a move that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said was made out of concern that some of the women in the photos might need to have their identities redacted.
Of course, the fact that one of the photos appeared to include President Donald Trump quickly became media fodder as well, and host Margaret Brennan asked Khanna about that directly.
&#8220;I am less concerned about that photo,&#8221; Khanna said of the Trump photo. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know the facts. My concern is the major documents that we know are out there that haven&#8217;t been released.&#8221;
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When asked about 15 images being pulled down from the Justice Department&#8217;s Epstein files website, including a photo of a drawer with a picture of President Trump, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) says, “I am less concerned about that photo.”
“I don&#8217;t know the facts. My concern is the major… <a href="https://t.co/P3ivwYLeRu">pic.twitter.com/P3ivwYLeRu</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2002813144784134144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; NBC anchor Kristen Welker asked Deputy AG Todd Blanch directly about the Trump photo — and asked whether any of the redactions had been done because of potential embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.&#8221;
Blanche&#8217;s reply was simple: &#8220;Absolutely, positively not.&#8221;
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NBC: Has anything in the Epstein Files been redacted on that basis of &#8217;embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity&#8217;?
Todd Blanche: &#8220;Absolutely, positively not.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bwGtieJJgC">pic.twitter.com/bwGtieJJgC</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2002749527623876652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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And on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — who also showed no interest in releasing the Epstein files until President Trump won reelection — said that he was ready to pull out all the stops in his effort to ensure the Trump administration was held accountable for failing to issue a full and complete release.
&#8220;Everything is on the table,&#8221; he said.
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Rep. Jamie Raskin: &#8220;Everything is on the table&#8221; to force DOJ to release all Epstein files <a href="https://t.co/cIYBzVrZjm">pic.twitter.com/cIYBzVrZjm</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2002775268793241749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Patrick McMullan Archives

Spin Cycle: The Epstein And [Redacted] Files

Alan Dershowitz

Ghislaine Maxwell

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