A popular YouTube star sparked backlash after making a disturbing announcement on social media that he and his wife ended the life of their unborn child after finding out the child may be born with Down syndrome. 
Jesse Ridgway, who has over four million subscribers on YouTube, made the announcement on Wednesday that he and his wife aborted their baby because of the Down syndrome diagnosis. The post prompted a strong response from pro-life activists and even House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who said the child&#8217;s life had value despite the medical diagnosis. 
“This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,” Ridgway <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062315803177881822">posted</a> on X. “The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.”
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When learning the child may be born with Down syndrome, Ridgway said he first was &#8220;optimistic&#8221; that they could “make it work” if the child was just “a little slow intellectually.” 
“But I just didn’t fully understand what Down syndrome entailed,” he said. “I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family … more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”
Between 350,000 and 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome, meaning they were born with an extra chromosome. When polled, these individuals <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/improving-joyful-lives-societys-response-to-difference-and-disability/">consistently say</a> they are satisfied with their life and were happy they were born. 
Studies generally show that at least 67% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted. In Iceland, there are almost no cases of Down syndrome because all those who would have been born with it were killed in the womb. Some Republicans <a href="https://estes.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5906">have pushed</a> for protections to prohibit Down syndrome-based abortions. 
Back in April, Ridgway posted an ultrasound picture of his child, writing, “first look at the little nugget.”
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first look at the little nugget. 😱 <a href="https://t.co/yjtVWzbyhh">pic.twitter.com/yjtVWzbyhh</a>
— Jesse Ridgway (@McJuggerNuggets) <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2041974939767480735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Ridgway referred to the death of his unborn child as a “difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family&#8221; and appeared to make a political statement by adding, &#8220;Thankfully, we had a choice.&#8221; 
In response to that post, many pro-life advocates pointed out the wonderful lives that many of those with Down syndrome live. 
“Because God made us all in His image, it means EVERY SINGLE PERSON has inestimable DIGNITY and VALUE — and our value is not related in any way to the color of our skin, what zip code we live in, what our talents are, our health condition, or any other factor,” Speaker Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/2062864877471797445">said</a>. “Our value is inherent, because it is given to us by our loving Heavenly Father.”
“When a culture devolves to the point of depravity where ‘influencers’ can go online and so casually dismiss the deliberate murder of their own precious child, the survival of that culture itself is at risk,” he added. 
Kelsey Pritchard, the communications director for SBA Pro-Life America, told The Daily Wire that she hoped Ridgway and his wife would realize the value of all human life.
&#8220;I hope someday they wake up and realize, and the humanity of the unborn children and the humanity of people who have Down syndrome, because, honestly, we should feel bad for them, because they just robbed themselves of a lot of joy that they otherwise would have had they allowed this child to live,&#8221; she said.
She said that the cultural acceptance of targeting people with disabilities was a result of an abortion-saturated culture.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s just evidence too of how stripping away the right to life for the unborn, it leads to this stripping away of the dignity of the human being, and bleeds into these other areas, like people with disabilities,&#8221; Pritchard said. &#8220;We know the slippery slope that exists when you start taking people&#8217;s rights away, and you dehumanize a whole class of humans.&#8221;
After the negative response to his announcement, Ridgway <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062706211787571502">said</a> that he had “never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision” and claimed he had received death threats. 
He also said he was surprised that his announcement of ending the life of his unborn child to his 345,000 followers on X was “newsworthy.”
Many pro-life advocates responded by noting that Ridgway and his wife decided to end the life of their child. 
“My God. You two didn’t suffer a miscarriage or a stillbirth like millions of couples do every year,” <a href="https://x.com/sagesteele/status/2062743081602990214">said</a> former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. “You CHOSE to abort your baby. And then you CHOSE to announce it publicly. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM. This is narcissism at its finest.”

Foetus ultrasound

YouTube Star Ends Life Of Unborn Child After Down Syndrome Diagnosis

Abortion

Down Syndrome

Mike Johnson

Pro-Life Movement

MSNOW host Katy Tur, in a stunning display of historical illiteracy, questioned the foundational bedrock of the American republic, targeting House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had dared to repeat the very premise that birthed the United States: that our rights come from God, not the government.
During a segment on her show, Tur referred to Johnson’s speech at the &#8220;Rededicate 250&#8221; rally on Sunday, in which Johnson stated:
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And You gave our fathers the wisdom and faith to establish this new nation, premised on the Biblical and foundational principle that all men are created equal and free before you. Through Your divine providence, our Founders acknowledged and boldly proclaimed this self-evident truth: That every single person is created in your image and that we are endowed by you, our Creator, with our unalienable rights to life and liberty. The pursuit of happiness.  
</blockquote>
To any student of basic American history, Johnson&#8217;s words were a standard recitation of the Declaration of Independence. But to Tur, it was a scandalous theological overreach. A bewildered Tur asked, “What about this passage from Mike Johnson declaring that our rights do not derive from government, they come from You, our Creator and heavenly Father. Is this him putting God over the Declaration of Independence?”
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God talk is SO foreign to MS NOW. Katy Tur: What about this passage from Mike Johnson declaring that our rights do not derive from government? They come from you, our creator and heavenly father. Is this him putting God over the Declaration of Independence? McKay Coppins: I… <a href="https://t.co/sfpykN5bYc">pic.twitter.com/sfpykN5bYc</a>
&mdash; Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimJGraham/status/2056471098057744725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The irony, of course, is that by asserting our rights come from God, Johnson wasn&#8217;t putting God over the Declaration of Independence — he was literally quoting it.
The Left&#8217;s modern discomfort with this concept betrays a dangerous desire to elevate the State to the position of the Almighty. The American Founders, heavily influenced by John Locke and the concept of &#8220;Natural Law,&#8221; synthesized a radical political philosophy: there is a divine law that supersedes any earthly king, parliament, or congress.
Thomas Jefferson famously encapsulated this in 1776, writing that all men are &#8220;endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.&#8221; By definition, &#8220;unalienable&#8221; means these rights are inherent to human nature. Because the government did not grant them, the government has no authority to revoke them. In the Founders’ view, the state is not the source of rights; it is merely a trustee — a security guard hired to protect them. If the security guard begins to violate those rights, the citizens retain the moral authority to fire the government.
Whether looking through an orthodox Christian lens or a Deist Enlightenment lens, the Founders united under a singular banner: No human politician has the authority to override divine design.
This distinction is not a matter of semantics; it is the ultimate shield against tyranny. If rights are granted by the state — via a constitution, a dictator, or a shifting democratic majority — then they can be amended, restricted, or entirely voted away by the state. But if they are a gift from God, they remain absolute and permanent.
Katy Tur’s inability to grasp this fundamental truth exposes the Left&#8217;s ultimate goal: a society where the government is the supreme arbiter of human freedom.

InStyle 30th Birthday Celebration

Leftist Host Gives Away The Game: Let Government Replace God

Declaration of Independence

Katy Tur

MSNOW

Following a third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democratic lawmakers for rhetoric that openly invited violence.
“They’ve incited violence, in my view,” he said. “It’s time to turn down the rhetoric. We’ve been seeing this over and over. I hope that this will be a sobering reminder for everybody about that very important cause.&#8221;
Leavitt, who was already supposed to have begun her maternity leave, hosted an impromptu White House Press Briefing and echoed Johnson’s tone.
&#8220;This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment,” she said. “Those who constantly, falsely label and slander the president as a fascist, as a threat to democracy and compare him to Hitler, to score political points, are fueling this kind of violence.”
Addressing the gathered reporters, Leavitt asked what separated the rhetoric wielded by Democratic lawmakers from that contained in the would-be assassin’s manifesto.
The shooter who attempted to attack Trump administration officials on Saturday, for example, claimed that he acted because he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has repeatedly claimed that Trump is an authoritarian and a threat to Democracy — and, like shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen, did not hesitate to call the president a “rapist.”
“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” she said in a 2025 X <a href="https://x.com/AOC/status/1943736675877658637">post</a>.
And Ocasio-Cortez was not alone. Even after one assassination attempt on Trump — which left one dead and two others gravely injured at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally — former Vice President Kamala Harris ignored calls to tone down the rhetoric and referred to her opponent as a “fascist.”
President Trump appears to have had enough of the rhetoric as well, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-explains-delay-leaving-ballroom-says-he-wanted-to-personally-assess-scene">pushed back immediately</a> when CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell raised a question from Allen’s manifesto: “I was totally exonerated &#8230; You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that &#8230; You’re a disgrace.”
Since the news broke that yet another would-be assassin had targeted President Trump, a number of Democratic lawmakers have attempted to sidestep the landmines in their own party’s rhetoric and simply issue blanket calls condemning political violence.
Former President Barack Obama sparked backlash when he did so, in part because he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-claims-shooters-motive-is-unknown-despite-manifesto-raging-against-trump">also claimed</a> hours after the manifesto’s release that “we don&#8217;t yet know the details about the motives.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp (D-WA) was one of the few who stood out, <a href="https://x.com/RepMGP/status/2048232340954943936">saying,</a> in spite of her own personal and political opinions, “Please stop trying to murder the President.”

Secret Service

Republican Leaders Blame Democratic Rhetoric After Third Trump Assassination Attempt

assassination attempt

Karoline Leavitt

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a fundraising email shortly after former Rep. Eric Swalwell&#8217;s (D-CA) resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations, including rape accusations, using the vacancy to urge donors to help Democrats quickly reclaim the seat.
&#8220;With a very slim Republican majority in Congress, I was not going to give Mike Johnson even a single extra day before filling this seat,” Newsom wrote in the email, which was sent by his Campaign for Democracy PAC, according to <a href="https://x.com/jamesd0wns/status/2044510404596924828?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Journal</a>.
Swalwell stepped down Tuesday as multiple investigations were launched into the allegations. He is now under investigation by the Justice Department, the Manhattan District Attorney, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department. No charges have been filed against the Democrat, but the disturbing claims led to his resignation from Congress and exit from the California governor&#8217;s race.
At a Tuesday press conference, model Lonna Drewes accused Swalwell of raping her during an alleged 2018 encounter.
“He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness,” Drewes said. “And I thought I died. I did not consent to any sexual activity.”
At least one other woman has claimed that Swalwell raped her. Others alleged that the Democrat sent them inappropriate messages over Snapchat, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/10/us/eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-allegations-invs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> reported.
Despite the nature of the allegations, Newsom&#8217;s email did not address them directly, instead focusing on the political stakes of the vacancy and the narrow Republican majority in the House.
The message concluded with a fundraising appeal from Newsom&#8217;s political action committee, asking recipients to donate $35.
Newsom has said the special election, scheduled for August 18, is the earliest date allowed under state law.
Republicans criticized the move, arguing Newsom has not shown the same urgency in similar situations.
Besides rape accusations, others alleged that the Democrat sent them inappropriate messages over Snapchat, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/10/us/eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-allegations-invs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> reported.
The timing has drawn criticism from Republicans, who argue Newsom has not applied the same urgency in similar situations.
The Daily Wire previously reported that Newsom scheduled a special election for the late to fill the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa&#8217;s (R-CA) right-leaning seat months after his death earlier this year. In another case, the seat of former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) remained vacant for nearly a year following his 2020 resignation. can Hunter (R-CA) was left vacant for nearly a year following his resignation in 2020.
“It’s another example of how Gavin Newsom, he doesn’t care about stripping people of their voice and their representation as long as it politically benefits him,” state Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-CA) told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-accused-of-running-the-clock-differently-depending-on-who-it-helps?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Newsom+Accused+Of+Running+The+Clock+Differently+Depending+On+Who+It+Helps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>.
Republicans currently hold a narrow 218-213 majority in the House, raising the stakes for quickly filling vacant seats.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Newsom’s PAC and office for comment.

62. Munich Security Conference

Following Rape Accusations Against Swalwell, Newsom Fundraises Off His Ouster

2026 election

California

Congress

Eric Swalwell

Gavin Newsom

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President Donald Trump voiced his opposition to the bipartisan Senate deal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-erupts-as-house-poised-to-reject-senate-deal-to-end-dhs-shutdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Congress+Erupts+As+House+Poised+To+Reject+Senate+Deal+To+End+DHS+Shutdown">passed</a> early Friday morning to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Trump told <a href="https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2037615753868833269?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> on Friday afternoon that “it wasn&#8217;t good. It wasn&#8217;t appropriate,” specifically mentioning how the proposal does not fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of the agreement.
“You can&#8217;t have a bill that&#8217;s not going to fund any form of law enforcement &#8230; This whole thing is about the Democrats wanting to have open borders, no ICE, no border patrol. These people are crazy,” he said, according to the outlet.
The president has repeatedly called for an end to the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule to move legislation forward, including DHS appropriations and the SAVE America Act, which is a voter identification bill.
Trump’s comments come after Speaker Mike Johnson and many other House Republicans trashed the Senate proposal and the subsequent departure of senators for a two-week recess for Easter.
Johnson will instead push for a continuing resolution until May 22, which would temporarily fund all of DHS while a longer-term solution for the remainder of the fiscal year is negotiated.
“They’ve gone half the fiscal year without a regular paycheck; we cannot ask that of anyone,” Johnson said in reference to TSA officers, who have dealt with the brunt of both the full federal government shutdown last fall and the current shutdown.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-to-pay-tsa-agents?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Executive+Order+To+Pay+TSA+Agents">signed</a> an order on Friday to pay TSA agents, as travelers have faced long wait times at airports nationwide due to officer callouts and resignations.
“Republicans will do the responsible and honorable thing, and Democrats will continue to play politics,” Johnson told reporters on Friday.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already called the possibility of a continuing resolution “dead on arrival.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said his caucus plans to back the bipartisan Senate proposal, saying Republicans have sought to &#8220;create chaos&#8221; at airports nationwide.
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&#8220;House Democrats are prepared to support the bill to end the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security,&#8221; Jeffries said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
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If the House of Representatives passes anything other than the Senate deal without additional amendments, it would have to return to the Senate before it could go to the president&#8217;s desk for his signature or veto.
</div>

Donald Trump

Trump Kills Senate Bill To Re-Open DHS Without ICE Funding

homeland security

Immigration

John Thune

Senate

House Speaker Mike Johnson defied the naysayers on Thursday, telling Daily Wire host Michael Knowles that Republicans will expand their majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I’m very bullish about the midterms,” Johnson said during the interview. “I’m absolutely convinced we are going to win the midterms and grow the majority. It will defy historic trend.”
Johnson acknowledged that such a result would break a longstanding pattern. “It’s only twice in the last 90 years that a sitting president has picked up seats in that first two-year cycle,” he said.
Still, Johnson argued the political landscape favors Republicans, pointing to fundraising advantages and Democratic struggles to define a clear agenda.
“We have a fundraising advantage right now because the stakes are so high — Republicans over Democrats for the first time in 10 years,” Johnson said. “Democrats are at historic lows in approval ratings. They have no leadership, no message, no vision for where they’re going.”
“Their whole platform is they hate Donald Trump,” he added. “Well, good luck with that. That’s not exactly something to sell to constituents.”
Of all the issues Republicans are leading on, Johnson stressed election integrity, noting that the House has already passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification to vote in federal elections. Johnson told Knowles the problem is the Senate, where the legislation has been held up.
“We passed the SAVE Act twice, the previous Congress and this Congress,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;Now we pass the Save America Act because now it’s voter ID and proof of citizenship together.&#8221; He added that Trump has recently pushed for additional provisions to strengthen the bill, calling the package the “greatest hits” of election integrity measures.
Johnson said the bill now faces a complicated path in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune must decide whether to attempt moving the legislation despite procedural hurdles. According to Johnson, Senate rules could allow Democrats to stall the process with a flood of amendments.
“They’re concerned that if they open the talking filibuster … Democrats could flood the field with thousands of amendments,” Johnson said. “There’s no germaneness limitation. They can add any crazy Democrat policy they want.”
He warned that under Senate rules, each amendment must be read into the record in full, which could tie up the chamber. “They could file 1,400-page amendments and tie the Senate floor up for months,” Johnson said. “That’s what they’re concerned about.” 
Johnson said he has discussed the issue directly with Trump and that the president believes Republicans should move forward despite the risks. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Johnson said. “I talked to the president about the risks versus the benefits, and he said, ‘Let’s risk it. Go for it.’”
Johnson argued that voter ID and citizenship verification requirements enjoy broad public support and are necessary to restore trust in elections.
“You can’t have a constitutional republic if people don’t have faith in the election system,” Johnson said. “These are basic requirements.”
Johnson also addressed the challenges of managing the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, which has forced leadership to carefully balance competing factions inside the conference.
“I mean, we have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” Johnson said. “I have a one-vote margin. Which means I have to get unanimity because the aforementioned colleague of mine votes no almost every day.”
The comment was in reference to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is in the midst of a feud with President Trump and frequently breaks with party leadership on spending and foreign policy issues.
Johnson pushed back on the notion that internal disagreements reflect a broader ideological divide over the party’s direction on foreign policy, insisting Republicans are not pursuing an interventionist approach.
“We are not in the nation-building business,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;We are not interventionists. We are not out trying to be the world’s policemen.&#8221;
He added that fiscal realities also limit America’s ability to pursue large-scale overseas commitments. “In reality, because of our financial situation, we don’t have the ability to do those things even if someone wanted to,” Johnson said.

Speaker Johnson And Leader Jeffries

Mike Johnson Is ‘Absolutely Convinced We Are Going To Win The Midterms’

2026 Midterms

Michael Knowles

Republicans

Thomas Massie

A hot debate has now broken out in the Republican Party over the so-called SAVE Act.
Republicans support the SAVE Act, which would force voter ID nationally. Democrats in the Senate have been holding it up.
President Trump correctly <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">points out </a>that the SAVE Act is quite popular with Americans.
“Even the Democrats — you saw the numbers today?— Democrats voted 86% that this stuff should be passed,” he noted. “With the Republicans, you&#8217;re at 98%. But Democrats are at 86%, except for the people that run the Democrat Party, because they want to try and win elections illegally. The only reason you vote against voter I.D. is because you want to cheat. There&#8217;s no other reason. They come up with reasons; they say it&#8217;s racist. That&#8217;s their number one: racist. Then they have to explain it, and they&#8217;re just sitting there mumbling. They can&#8217;t explain it.”
President Trump has also been having fun <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">mocking</a> Chuck Schumer: “It&#8217;s the easiest thing we have. Now the problem is you call it the SAVE Act, and nobody knew what the hell the SAVE Act was. &#8230; It&#8217;s called ‘The Save America Act’. And I saw Schumer yesterday: ‘We will stop Save America.’ He’s getting killed. They can&#8217;t do it.”
President Trump says that Republicans should <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">not approve anything</a> until the SAVE Act passes:
“But they have to get it done. Because if we don&#8217;t get this done, if it takes six months, I&#8217;m for not approving anything. I don&#8217;t think we should approve anything until this is approved. And they can&#8217;t win politically. Look, you have them in a corner, and they&#8217;re listening to every word I&#8217;m saying. It doesn&#8217;t matter because they can&#8217;t win it politically. Because when they say, ‘We don&#8217;t want voter identification. We don&#8217;t want proof of citizenship,” all these things are just losers for them.”
Chuck Schumer, for his part, keeps arguing that if we clean the voter rolls of people who have moved or are dead and require people to use voter ID, somehow this is going to result in mass voter disenfranchisement, a proposition that pretty much no one actually agrees with. 
“It allows ICE to kick tens of millions of people off the rolls, off the rolls, and they don&#8217;t tell them until Election Day,” he <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/senate-democratic-agenda/675075">huffed</a>. “And you show them, you say. ‘You&#8217;re not registered anymore, you&#8217;re not registered here, you&#8217;re not on the rolls.’ And they say, ‘I didn&#8217;t know that.’ This is a bill that destroys the country. And it is not about showing ID when you show up to vote. It&#8217;s about the voter registration rolls, destroying them, purging them, not letting people know, and taking the rights in an algorithm put together by ICE, put together by DOGE and Musk. It&#8217;s an outrage.” 
If you just say DOGE or Musk three times in a row, Beetlejuice appears, according to Chuck Schumer.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2385-iranian-propaganda-syndrome?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This is silly. If you can&#8217;t abide by the law with regard to voting, you shouldn&#8217;t vote. And if you moved and you didn&#8217;t tell them you moved, then you probably should tell them you moved. Democrats trying to turn basic adult functions into some sort of Mensa test are lying. It’s not that hard to register to vote. It&#8217;s not hard to determine where and how to vote. People have been figuring it out for decades.
But now, because Democrats are trying to filibuster the SAVE Act in the Senate, to prevent it from passing by forcing Republicans to find 60 votes in the Senate, President Trump is talking about killing the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, by contrast, says, no, we&#8217;re not doing that.
“We don&#8217;t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, nor to sustain one if we got on it,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-EQvN-hLoz0">stated</a>. “But that is just a function of math. &#8230; I understand the president&#8217;s got a passion to see this issue addressed, as we all do. We’ll continue to make that argument because I think it&#8217;s important that everybody understands this is really about the votes. It&#8217;s about the math.”
A lot of people are asking, why doesn&#8217;t Thune kill the filibuster? The answer is simple. He&#8217;s concerned if Republicans kill the filibuster, the next time the Democrats have a majority in the House and the Senate and run the presidency, they simply run roughshod over Republicans and essentially end any chance of possible parity in future elections, all with just 51 votes. They add new states, they add new senators, and they change the voting rules and all the rest.
There have been two arguments that have been put out there to counter John Thune’s argument. First, there&#8217;s the argument that Republicans should end what&#8217;s known as the “talking filibuster.” When most people think about the filibuster, they think of Jimmy Stewart talking for hours until he faints in the film “Mr. Smith goes to Washington.”
It takes 60 votes to ensure “cloture,” which means to stop a talking filibuster. Under Senate Rule 19, each senator can speak twice per day. Members of the same party can hold the floor continuously. Theoretically, Johnson could force Democrats to do that, get up there and just talk and talk and talk and talk.
In the past, however, opposing parties have allowed the so-called “silent filibuster,” a filibuster that all agree would be possible in the absence of talking for days at a time. People basically say, “You don&#8217;t have 60 votes. Instead of making us talk for weeks on end, we are not going to do that. You don’t have 60 votes to kill it anyway.”
So why doesn&#8217;t John Thune kill the silent filibuster? There are a few practical reasons. First, if 47 Democrats each gave six-hour speeches and did that continuously in a cycle, they could stop the business of the Senate for months. The only way to keep the Senate in session, in order to keep the pressure on Democrats to keep talking, would be for Republicans to maintain a quorum, meaning 51 senators nearby. If they didn&#8217;t have a quorum, if somebody goes home and suddenly there are 49 senators, Democrats can move to adjourn the session, the clock restarts, and all the senators can speak twice again. Which means that killing the silent filibuster basically ensures pain, but not gain.
That&#8217;s not going to stop critics from attacking Senator Thune and other Republicans as somehow feeble or insufficient in their defense of conservative policy. That&#8217;s always the rap from people in my industry toward politicians: “The reason that Republicans don&#8217;t do enough is a lack of will. If only they had more Nietzschean willpower! Or maybe they&#8217;re corrupt?” 
 
But that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happening. The simple case here is that in the Senate, which happens to be a more collegial body than the House, Republicans must always have one eye on the question of what happens when the political shoe is on the other foot.
Just as Democrats killed the judicial filibuster only to watch Republicans stack the Supreme Court, Republicans have to be careful not to kill the filibuster on other issues, just to watch Democrats ram through fundamental changes to the nature of American life and law.
Democrats are obstructing, there&#8217;s no question about it.
They aren’t interested in honest voting.

SchumerSAVE

The SAVE Act Standoff

Chuck Schumer

House of Representatives

Iran

Opinion

SAVE America Act

U.S. Senate

Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris will presumably face off in an April 7 runoff special election in former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Georgia district, based on the results available as of Tuesday evening.
Greene resigned from her position representing the 14th Congressional District on Jan. 5 after a public falling out with President Donald Trump over the Epstein files, despite once being close allies.
The special election comes as Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) Republican majority remains extremely slim, as Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) announced that he would still caucus with Republicans, but would leave the party. This leaves only 217 registered Republicans in the House.
Fuller is the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, according to his campaign website.
&#8220;We have to come together and beat the Democrat, Shawn Harris, in this race, and go and win this thing on April 7th,&#8221; Fuller said in a video on Wednesday morning.
His website also lists an “America First economy” and supporting for mass deportations as someone his top issues.
“And I have Fuller on my side. I know that I got my Fuller. You better win that election,” Trump said during an economy-focused visit to Rome, Georgia, which is in the district, in February.
He was also backed by Johnson, who touted his runoff advancement on Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Trump-endorsed and our endorsed candidate, [Clay Fuller], for advancing to the [GA-14] April 7 runoff!” Johnson posted.
There are two other vacancies in the House, one in a Republican-leaning seat and another in a Democratic-leaning seat, with those special elections in the coming months.
Harris, a farmer and retired brigadier general, wrote in an X post on Tuesday night that “Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t on the ballot, but the fallout from her feud still is.”
“This race isn’t about loyalty to Trump. It’s about loyalty to the voters of Northwest Georgia,” he wrote. “I’m running to serve the people here at home — not chase anyone in Washington.”
The Democrat has gotten the attention of some high profile Democrats, like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no such thing as a permanently red state or district, and I believe Shawn Harris has the background and values to bring people together and win,&#8221; Buttigieg said in a February statement. &#8220;Shawn is running because he knows the status quo in Washington isn&#8217;t working for people in the district, and he&#8217;s ready to get to work to lower prescription drug prices, pass a farm bill that works for rural Georgia, and defend Medicare and Medicaid.&#8221;
Former State Sen. Colton Moore and Brian Stover were other key Republicans in the special election, but Fuller ultimately earned the Trump nod in February, with the president writing on Truth Social that Fuller is “strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in Georgia, and many Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
In November, Greene shared a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-to-resign-from-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> explaining her decision, saying that “loyalty should be a two-way street.”
“I’ve been blessed to represent the 14th District of Georgia for five years. That district is filled with some of the most wonderful, kind-hearted, God fearing, patriotic, hardworking people you will ever meet. Good, regular, common Americans,” the congresswoman said.
“Because my self worth is not defined by a man, but instead by God, who created everything in existence,” Greene added at the time.
The district is deeply Republican, with Greene winning re-election in 2024 with over 64% of the vote compared with Kamala Harris’ roughly 36%. Trump won the district with 68% of the vote, and he won the battleground state of Georgia with just under 51%.
All eyes will remain on the Peach State through November, as the United States Senate race is considered a “toss-up,” according to the Cook Political Report.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) will face off against either Reps. Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, or former football coach Derek Dooley, depending on who wins the Republican primary on May 19. Trump has yet to endorse a candidate in the race.

President Trump Participates In National Day Of Prayer Event At White House

Top Two Candidates Emerge In Runoff For Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Open Congressional Seat

Elections

Georgia

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Politics

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Thursday that he will end his re-election campaign just one day after admitting to having an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide last year. 
Gonzales said in a statement that “after deep reflection,” he has decided not to seek re-election in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. His announcement comes after he was forced into a GOP primary runoff by challenger Brandon Herrera and calls from fellow Republicans to drop out of the race. 
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district. Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful,” he <a href="https://x.com/RepTonyGonzales/status/2029772094481842245">said</a>. 
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) all called on Thursday for Gonzales to end his campaign. 
“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously,” the Republicans said. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
That call came after Gonzales <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-admitting-affair-with-staffer-texas-rep-faces-gop-calls-to-end-re-election-bid?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=After+Admitting+Affair+With+Staffer%2C+Texas+Rep+Faces+GOP+Calls+To+End+Re-Election+Bid">admitted</a> to an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old married mother who died in September 2025 after dousing herself in an accelerant and setting herself on fire at her home in Uvalde, Texas. 
Gonzales said on Wednesday that his affair with Santos-Aviles ended in the summer of 2024, more than a year before Santos-Aviles committed suicide. Text messages <a href="https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/tony-gonzales-santos-aviles-affair-husband-21360950.php">published</a> last month by the San Antonio Express-News appear to show Gonzales making sexual requests to Santos-Aviles.
On Tuesday, Gonzales was forced into a GOP runoff after Herrera took 43.3% of the primary vote to Gonzales&#8217;s 41.7%. Herrera, a YouTuber and gun manufacturer, thanked Gonzales for dropping out. 
“I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision,” he said. “I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves. From the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues. It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas proud.”

House Republicans Hold News Conference On Border Security

Texas Republican’s Affair With Staffer Derails Re-Election Campaign

Texas

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly passed a measure to overturn President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs on Canada on Wednesday.
Six Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure 219-211. The Republicans who voted in favor of the measure were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin Kiley of California, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Dan Newhouse of Washington, and Jeff Hurd of Colorado.
The resolution, which was introduced by Democratic New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, mostly serves as a symbolic rebuke of Trump&#8217;s far-reaching trade policies, but it also shows how the Republican Party&#8217;s dwindling control of the House is already coming with consequences. The anti-tariff measure advanced by a vote of 217-214 thanks to a united Democratic front and the votes of three Republicans: Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Kevin Kiley of California, and Don Bacon of Nebraska.
Shortly before the vote, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116054544240272433">wrote</a> on Truth Social, &#8220;Canada has taken advantage of the United States on Trade for many years. They are among the worst in the World to deal with, especially as it relates to our Northern Border. TARIFFS make a WIN for us, EASY. Republicans must keep it that way!&#8221;
On Tuesday, the House cleared the way for the anti-tariff resolution and set up more potential votes on Trump&#8217;s tariffs in the near future. Tuesday&#8217;s procedural vote, which was approved by when Democrats and those three same Republicans, shot down a rule that blocked members from proposing resolutions to reject Trump&#8217;s tariffs. After the successful vote pushing back on Trump&#8217;s Canada tariffs, Democrats are soon expected to bring up more resolutions rejecting the president&#8217;s tariffs on Mexico and Brazil, POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/11/congress/house-votes-trump-tariffs-resolution-canada-00775520">reported</a>.
Even though the resolution likely won&#8217;t go anywhere past the House, the vote still takes time away from other matters that the lower chamber could be debating and voting on, including major parts of Trump&#8217;s agenda. That fact was acknowledged by Bacon, who voted in favor of the resolution.
&#8220;I don’t like putting the important work of the House on pause, but Congress needs to be able to debate on tariffs,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RepDonBacon/status/2021418451911295376?s=20">said</a> Bacon, who has bucked Trump and the Republican Party on multiple occasions.
&#8220;Tariffs have been a &#8216;net negative&#8217; for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying,&#8221; Bacon argued. &#8220;Article I of the Constitution places authority over taxes and tariffs with Congress for a reason, but for too long, we have handed that authority to the executive branch. It’s time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility.&#8221;
The resolution now advances to the Republican-controlled Senate, and even if the upper chamber passed the resolution, it would then have to be signed by the president whose tariffs it seeks to shoot down. While the House resolution will almost assuredly hit a dead end, it represents a growing issue for Republicans as they seek to address the economy and prepare for tightly contested midterm elections. Trump&#8217;s tariffs have also faced scrutiny at the Supreme Court, which could drop a ruling on the issue as early as this month.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has his hands full trying to keep the small Republican majority in line, said the vote was &#8220;a big mistake.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t think we need to go down the road of trying to limit the president’s power while he is in the midst of negotiating America-first trade agreements with nations around the world,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021575438716297379?s=20">told</a> Fox Business on Wednesday, adding, &#8220;The tariffs [have] been a tool that the president has used very effectively to level the playing field and put America back on top, and I think it&#8217;s wrong for Congress to step in the middle of that.&#8221;
Since the beginning of 2025, Johnson has been tasked with uniting Republicans while holding the narrowest House majority in modern history. What began as a 220-215 Republican majority at the beginning of this term dwindled to a 218-213 majority following the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the death of California Rep. Doug LaMalfa. Democrat Christian Menefee&#8217;s victory in a Texas special election earlier this month further reduced the GOP majority to 218-214, where it currently stands.
The GOP could soon receive another blow, as the Florida Congressman Neal Dunn is <a href="https://x.com/PeterSchorschFL/status/2021293823431716976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2021293823431716976%7Ctwgr%5E327351469860fe8cb0e6a4acffd7e486f19cf0ea%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fpolitics%2Fwith-house-gop-majority-teetering-on-the-brink-florida-congressman-plans-to-retire-early-report%2F">reportedly</a> planning to announce his immediate resignation next week. Dunn already said he would not seek re-election in 2026, but a resignation before the election would drop the Republican Party&#8217;s majority to just three seats.

Trump Goes On With New Tariffs

GOP In Trouble? House Passes Democrat Resolution To Overturn Some Of Trump’s Tariffs

House GOP

Tariffs

Tennessee&#8217;s Republican congressman John Rose was originally a “no” vote on a move to get the spending package up for a final vote before going to the president to end the government shutdown. In the room with leadership, he switched his vote to “yes.”
It wasn&#8217;t due to a change in heart on the spending proposal, according to Republican congressman with knowledge of the conversation. Rose, according to the Republican colleague, planned to vote &#8220;no&#8221; in protest of positive comments that Trump made about his gubernatorial primary opponent, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn.
The congressman, who provided details of the situation on background, said Rose &#8220;was just mad because the president had not endorsed him.”
The congressman said that Rose was able to leverage his stance into a meeting with Republican leadership, which CNN also confirmed with Rose directly. Rose said the meeting centered on his frustrations that the SAVE Act not be tacked onto the package, but also said that the gubernatorial race was discussed.
“John is engaged in a tight race for the governorship of Tennessee,&#8221; House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
&#8220;He’s thoughtful about that and he wants a fair fight there and so that&#8217;s what we discussed, but no promises,” Johnson continued when reporters asked about Rose’s flip on Tuesday, according to a CNN clip.
&#8220;You can imagine what that means,” Rose told <a href="https://x.com/elliskkim/status/2018773546835546410?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> in response to Johnson’s “fair fight” comments.
A White House official confirmed to The Daily Wire on background that the president and Rose “did not speak” on Tuesday.
The president has yet to make an official endorsement in the race, but the recent positive comments about Blackburn fueled endorsement speculation, including in the <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/29/trump-praises-blackburn-for-governor-raising-speculation-of-endorsement/88398974007/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=true&amp;gca-epti=z11xx65p118950c118950v11xx65d--39--b--39--&amp;gca-ft=203&amp;gca-ds=sophi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knoxville News Sentinel</a>.
“Marsha Blackburn is an incredible person. Unfortunately, she is running for governor. She is running for governor of Tennessee,” the president said at the Trump Accounts summit last week.
“I’d love her not to, I begged her, I said Marsha, &#8216;Don&#8217;t, we don&#8217;t want to lose you in the Senate,’ but I have to say, they&#8217;re lucky. They&#8217;re lucky to get you. Because you&#8217;re a talent and a great person, and you&#8217;ve been with me all the way, and I appreciate it, and you&#8217;re a very special person. Marsha, stand up, please,” he continued.
The Republican congressman said Rose “took that as an endorsement.”
The procedural vote ended up squeaking by with just 217 votes, as Republicans hold a narrow 218 majority. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted against the rule, along with all Democrats. The actual spending package vote passed with 217, but with bipartisan support and opposition. Rose voted to reopen the government.
The Daily Wire reached out to Rose’s office and his campaign for comment.
A January poll of 559 Republican primary voters shows Blackburn leading Rose with 56% compared with his 9%, according to The Beacon Center of Tennessee. The Cook Political Report ranked the general election race as “Solid Republican.”
Rose was part of the group of GOP lawmakers that wanted the act included in the spending package as a way to get it up for a Senate vote. The legislation, which would require nationwide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, has already passed the House but has yet to be voted on in the Senate.
On X, Rose wrote that Senate Majority Leader John Thune “is already backtracking on what he reportedly told some House Republicans: that if we reopened the government, he’d keep his word and bring the SAVE Act to the floor.”
“House Republicans MUST hold the line and refuse to fold on something as fundamental as election integrity. The SAVE Act belongs on must-pass legislation,” he added.
The House voted to end the shutdown on Tuesday afternoon, as Congress gears up for a battle over Department of Homeland Security funding, which was only approved through Feb. 13.

TrumpJohn Rose Split (getty)

Tennessee Republican Threw Wrench Into Shutdown Vote Because He Was ‘Mad’ At Trump, Congressman Says

john rose

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee

The House voted to end the government shutdown on Tuesday in a 217 to 214 bipartisan vote, and the appropriations bills will head to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The spending package returned to the House after the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to split Department of Homeland Security funding from the rest of the broader legislation. Lawmakers instead opted for a continuing resolution to fund DHS while immigration enforcement policies remain under debate. The CR for DHS is set to expire on Feb. 13, while the other bills would fund the federal government through September.
The House had already passed the spending bills, but they were punted back to the chamber after pressure from Senate Democrats for the DHS split following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.
Some Republican lawmakers wanted the SAVE Act, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, inserted into the package to send it back to the Senate.
The proposal has already passed the House, but it has not progressed in the Senate, with GOP House lawmakers calling on Senate Rules Committee Chair Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to get the process started.
However, Trump said Monday that there should be no changes to the spending package the Senate approved on Friday.
“I am working hard with Speaker Johnson to get the current funding deal, which passed in the Senate last week, through the House and to my desk, where I will sign it into Law, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump posted to Truth Social at the time.
“There can be NO CHANGES at this time. We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!” He continued.
As for the DHS debate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expects tension in Washington.
“Next week and the week after will be intense. The two sides are pretty far apart,” Johnson (R-LA) told Punchbowl News on Tuesday.
Democrats have a long list of demands that they want for ICE and CBP to limit their current immigration enforcement tactics, including the end of masking for agents.
“No more anonymous agents. No more secret operatives,” Schumer said last week.
“These are common-sense reforms – ones that Americans know and expect from law enforcement,” he added.

President Trump Presents The Mexican Border Defense Medal At The White House

Government Shutdown To End As House Sends Spending Package To Trump

Government Shutdown

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