Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday refused to endorse Troy Jackson, the last-minute candidate party elites chose to replace accused rapist Graham Platner on the November ballot. 
In an interview with local outlet <a href="https://www.wmtw.com/article/mills-calls-collins-vulnerable-but-stops-short-of-endorsing-troy-jackson/73292374">WMTW</a>, Mills said she has not spoken with Jackson and stopped short of endorsing him, adding that she still wants to see Republican Senator Susan Collins go down in November. 
“We haven’t spoken, but clearly Susan Collins is vulnerable, and she should be — she should be defeated,” Mills said. She did not comment on whether the process her party had used to coronate Jackson as the nominee would alienate voters. 
It&#8217;s unusual for a sitting Democratic governor to withhold an endorsement from her party&#8217;s U.S. Senate nominee. Perhaps the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-democrats-choose-nazi-tatted-graham-platner-in-senate-primary?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=125&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dems+Pick+Nazi-Tatted+Graham+Platner+Even+After+%E2%80%98Predator%E2%80%99s+Paradise%E2%80%99+Photos+Surface">lingering resentment</a> stems from Mills spending months crisscrossing Maine, warning party activists and voters that Platner&#8217;s baggage would be too heavy to carry — even in a blue-leaning state. Voters, along with much of the Democratic establishment, ignored her warnings. 
The Democratic establishment viewed Mills, who was recruited and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as the strongest candidate to defeat Collins. However, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had different plans. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-was-really-lefts-2nd-choice-for-maine-senate-option-1-had-a-big-skeleton?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Was+Really+Left%E2%80%99s+2nd+Choice+For+Maine+Senate+%E2%80%94+Option+1+Had+A+Big+%E2%80%98Skeleton%E2%80%99">The Daily Wire previously reported</a> that leftists turned to the embattled Platner after their initial choice was found to have a major “skeleton” in his closet. In July 2025, two Bernie Sanders-aligned political operatives hunted for a Democrat to challenge Collins, ultimately landing on and recruiting Platner. The oyster farmer launched his campaign a month later <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1957780836062826868?s=20">with a viral video</a> that quickly attracted national attention from leftist activists and Democratic donors. 
Trying to stop his momentum, Mills went on the attack against Platner in commercials, highlighting his scandals and running with the tagline, &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2033915569401958580?s=20">Graham Platner: The closer you look, the worse it gets</a>.&#8221; One advertisement in particular featured older women expressing disgust. 
Ultimately, her strategy failed to gain traction with an increasingly restless base eager to buck their party’s establishment. On April 30, Mills suspended her campaign. 
“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” <a href="https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2049832653189152925?s=20">Mills said in a statement</a>. 
Now that Platner is off the ballot, Democrats face a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/likely-platner-replacement-used-to-be-normal-before-the-activists-got-to-him?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=27&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Likely+Platner+Replacement+Used+To+Be+Normal%2C+Before+The+Activists+Got+To+Him">new challenge</a>: rallying their base behind a nominee who previously opposed abortion and same-sex marriage and is known for a history of public outbursts.
Republicans hope to use Jackson&#8217;s conservative past and his new leftward platform as a wedge issue, arguing the shift will alienate voters across the political spectrum and help propel Collins to victory in November.
“He’s a Bernie Bro,” Collins <a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/2080406319870230991?s=20">told</a> reporters in the halls of the U.S. Senate. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Susan Collins on Troy Jackson: “He’s a Bernie Bro.” <a href="https://t.co/qzt63Y3phE">pic.twitter.com/qzt63Y3phE</a>
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/2080406319870230991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>

President Trump Meets With Governors At The White House

Maine Democratic Governor Refuses To Endorse Platner Replacement

Democrats

graham platner

janet mills

Maine

Midterms

News

Republicans

Susan Collins

Troy Jackson

U.S. Senate

Haunting new 911 audio captures the frantic moments after a caller reported a house full of smoke after a Michigan father who had allegedly been unfaithful shot his wife and six children and set their home ablaze.
“Grand Haven Township for a residential fire at 14936 Riverside Trail,” a dispatcher is heard saying on the audio obtained by <a href="http://foxnews.com/us/dispatch-audio-released-michigan-family-murder-suicide-troubled-family-secrets-emerge#&amp;_intcmp=fnhpriver_2">Fox News</a>. “White smoke coming out of the window. House is full of smoke seen from the outside and smells electrical.” 
A Grand Haven home matching the address in the 911 audio is a sprawling 4,103-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom property estimated to be worth about $760,000, <a href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14936-Riverside-Trl-Grand-Haven-MI-49417/74229129_zpid/">according to Zillow.</a> The home, last sold in 2019, boasts an upgraded interior and a backyard pool surrounded by a private wooded area.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A Michigan mother of six had just returned from a trip to China with her two adopted daughters — calling it one of the &#8220;funniest and coolest&#8221; experiences of her life — when her recently laid-off husband shot and killed the entire family before setting the house on fire and… <a href="https://t.co/ySnzjYnXGD">pic.twitter.com/ySnzjYnXGD</a>
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) <a href="https://x.com/FoxUSNews/status/2082436410909626403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
On the morning of July 24, firefighters entered the home near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to search for victims, only to discover a horrific scene inside.
Police said Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, used a handgun to fatally shoot his wife, Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and the couple’s six children before taking his own life. Authorities have not released the identities of the couple’s children, who included four boys, ages 5, 11, 12, and 15, and two 11-year-old girls. Two of the children had been adopted into the family. The medical examiner determined all eight died of gunshot wounds.
To outsiders, the family looked like something out of a Hallmark movie. But new details reveal a marriage falling apart and a mother of six living in fear.
Amanda posted under the Reddit username &#8220;MandyK1179,&#8221; under which she detailed her troubled marriage and accused her husband of infidelity, according to The Detroit News. The Holland Sentinel said it independently verified the account by matching details about the couple, including where they lived, their ages, and their occupations.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-reddit-posts-that-surfaced-after-a-michigan-family-tragedy?author=Gus+Wilson&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=The+Reddit+Posts+That+Surfaced+After+A+Michigan+Family+Tragedy">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported on one Reddit post in which Amanda lamented that her husband had a thing for office interns.
“I was the intern at the company we both worked for. He was divorced and older than me… fast forward ten years and five kids, he was cheating with the intern again- the same age I was when I was the intern,” she wrote in the ‘As One After Infidelity’ subreddit. “I was five babies in, and was actually not in bad physical shape, but I was in the trenches of little kids, and just couldn’t be who I was before.”
According to the posts, Amanda also wrote that she was “terrified” and would not have remained married if not for their children.
The account further alleged that Kristopher’s infidelity led the couple to marriage counseling and therapy. 
“I don’t feel bad still. He towers over me and destroyed me mentally,” the account commented two years ago, describing the time she shoved her husband after learning of his affair. “It felt like I was being assaulted and needed to fight back. I think it’s a fight or flight thing.”
In one May 2024 post, she said: “We have six kids, so the idea of leaving is insanely terrifying,” <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/07/28/michigan-mom-posts-about-marriage-struggles-years-before-murder-suicide-as-family-says-make-it-make-sense/">according to Detroit&#8217;s WDIV</a>.
Just weeks before the murder-suicide, Amanda posted multiple TikTok videos of trips she took to Canada and China earlier this month with her boys and two adopted daughters.
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandykarolk/photo/7663032209799990542?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7627692178450105870">One video,</a> dated July 16, shows her dressed in a traditional Hanfu style of clothing, along with her two daughters, in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province. 
<div id="attachment_1144623" style="width: 477px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1144623" class="wp-image-1144623 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-467x576.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-467x576.jpg 467w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-243x300.jpg 243w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2.jpg 584w" sizes=" (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" />Photo credit: @[mandykarolk]/TikTok.com</div>“By far one of the funniest and coolest experiences of my life! What an awesome experience with my precious daughters,” she wrote. “We are so proud of their Chinese heritage.”
The mom of six and dedicated teacher shared a video of the family’s July 4 celebration at Stony Lake in Michigan. The video shows a quick glimpse of the stone-faced father lighting a firework. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandykarolk/video/7655129358817905933">Another TikTok video,</a> dated June 24, shows Amanda getting ice cream with her boys in Quebec, Canada, writing: “The most delicious, produced-to-order ice cream — unlike anything we have ever eaten!” 
Police believe the fire was intentionally set in multiple locations throughout the interior of the home. The family’s pets also died from the fire or smoke inhalation. Authorities said they do not believe any suspects remain at large.
“This is far more than a news story. The situation personally impacts dozens, if not hundreds, of people in the county,” said Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

ewscripps.brightspotcdn

911 Audio Reveals Frantic Response To Michigan Family Murder-Suicide

Crime

Michigan

True Crime

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is holding up and threatening to derail Todd Blanche&#8217;s nomination as U.S. attorney general over a $1.8 billion &#8220;anti-weaponization&#8221; fund, which the Justice Department says it has no plans to pursue.
The Texas Republican, fresh off a bruising primary defeat, says Thursday&#8217;s Senate Judiciary Committee vote to advance Blanche&#8217;s nomination likely won&#8217;t happen without additional guarantees from the White House.
<a href="https://x.com/LauraEWeiss16/status/2082470661281177633?s=20">Punchbowl reported</a> Wednesday that the DOJ sent Cornyn a written proposal in an effort to satisfy his demands. It did not work. 
“They know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn <a href="https://x.com/LauraEWeiss16/status/2082475546596757684?s=20">told</a> Punchbowl, announcing he called off his scheduled meeting with Blanche.
Ahead of that now-canceled meeting, Cornyn took to social media Tuesday to draw his line in the sand: “Fake news alert: there is no &#8216;deal&#8217; on Blanche nom. They know what they have to do,” Cornyn <a href="https://x.com/JohnCornyn/status/2082141659786051682?s=20">posted</a>.
Cornyn is working with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, to secure additional commitments that the Justice Department will amend its settlement with President Trump to explicitly rule out a $1.8 billion &#8220;anti-weaponization&#8221; fund.
The controversy started in May, when Trump agreed to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441086/dl?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">dismiss</a> his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a formal apology and the creation of a new $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-establishes-1-776b-fund-to-combat-deep-state-weaponization">The Daily Wire</a> reported. The program would&#8217;ve compensated people who say federal authorities unfairly targeted them under the Biden administration. A separate provision of the agreement also barred the IRS from pursuing certain tax claims against Trump, his family, and their businesses. 
Only a few weeks later, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-the-gop-revolted-against-trumps-anti-weaponization-fund">Anti-Weaponization Fund was dead</a>. Clinton-appointed Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary restraining order May 29, blocking the Justice Department from taking further action on the fund. Justice Department officials complied, and after tense meetings with Senate Republicans, acting Attorney General Blanche testified: “We are not moving forward with the fund, period.” 
President Trump blasted Republicans who opposed the agreement. 
“Well, Congress didn’t want it,” President Trump told The Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese from the Oval Office. “You have to talk to Congress. The Republican senators, some of them, got very weak knees. They didn’t have the stomach for the fight.”
The DOJ&#8217;s pledge to scrap the fund hasn&#8217;t satisfied Cornyn, who was supposed to meet with Blanche before Thursday&#8217;s committee vote. With all Democrats opposed, a single Republican vote against Blanche would effectively kill his nomination. 
“We need it in writing. We don’t need well-wishes or, you know, impressions,” he said, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/28/congress/todd-blanche-judiciary-committee-delay-01013621?nname=playbook&amp;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&amp;nrid=5c65d8fa-b7c7-44e5-98d0-43e6086e71cd">Politico</a>. “We need concrete confirmation.”
Tillis has suggested to Politico that he is “pretty much following Cornyn’s cue.&#8221; 
Cornyn’s threat comes one week after he <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-secures-commitment-from-trump-admin-to-release-pepfar-funds/">successfully threatened</a> to block two of President Donald Trump’s ambassadorial nominees unless the administration released more than $1 billion in foreign aid funding for Africa. 
A White House official previously told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-cornyn-threatens-to-sink-trump-nominees-over-foreign-aid-cuts?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=22&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=John+Cornyn+Threatens+To+Sink+Trump+Nominees+Over+Foreign+Aid+Cuts">The Daily Wire</a> that the Trump administration has strengthened President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) by providing clearer strategic direction, encouraging greater recipient-country ownership, and sharpening the program’s focus on measurable health outcomes.
The Trump-Cornyn clashes come just weeks after Cornyn suffered a decisive defeat in the GOP primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, despite spending months courting Trump&#8217;s endorsement.
“The only way it seems like you can get the administration’s attention on some of these funding issues is by using the leverage to withhold votes on nominees,” Cornyn told <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/21/2026/cornyn-threatens-to-sink-trump-nominees-over-pepfar">Semafor</a>. “We are going to use the committee vote tomorrow as a way to … get the money distributed the way Congress appropriated it.”

Sen. John Cornyn

Senator Scorned By Trump Threatens To Hold AG Nominee Hostage Over Weaponization Fund

Attorney General

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

John Cornyn

Politics

President Trump

Texas

Todd Blanche

Trump Administration

CBS News unveiled its first major slate of &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; hires under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss on Tuesday, tapping New York Times columnist Ross Douthat as the network presses ahead with its overhaul of the iconic news magazine.
Executive producer Nick Bilton announced in a memo that Douthat will join the program as a correspondent, while bestselling author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, former VICE News and CNN journalist Gianna Toboni, and British broadcaster Trevor Phillips will serve as contributors. Former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O&#8217;Donnell, who has contributed to &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; for more than a decade, has also been elevated to full correspondent.
&#8220;An exceptional lineup of journalists will be joining &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221;, carrying on its tradition of fearless, independent and impartial reporting,&#8221; Bilton wrote. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait for them to get started.&#8221; 
The hires are the first major on-air additions since Weiss took control of CBS News and began restructuring &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; after several longtime correspondents and senior producers departed earlier this year.
Douthat joined the Times in 2009 and has become one of the paper&#8217;s best-known conservative opinion writers. Bilton praised him as &#8220;one of the preeminent public intellectuals in America today, a thinker of uncommon rigor and a journalist of deep empathy.&#8221;
Bilton also announced that Junger, the author of &#8220;The Perfect Storm&#8221; and co-director of the Oscar-nominated Afghanistan war documentary &#8220;Restrepo,&#8221; will join the program as a contributor
Toboni, whose reporting has included investigations into ISIS, Mexican cartels, mass shootings, and the death penalty, will also join as a contributor, while Phillips — recently hired as CBS News&#8217; senior global affairs correspondent — will contribute to 60 Minutes from London. 
Bilton praised the whole group as &#8220;entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences.&#8221;
Earlier this year, Weiss removed longtime executive producer <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/28/bari-weiss-ousts-tanya-simon-60-minutes-favor-nick-bilton/">Tanya Simon</a> and several senior producers before dismissing veteran correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/longtime-60-minutes-reporter-fired-after-attacks-on-new-leadership">Scott Pelley</a>. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/celebrating-anderson-cooper-60-minutes/">Anderson Cooper</a> later departed the program voluntarily.
The personnel changes followed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/longtime-60-minutes-reporter-fired-after-attacks-on-new-leadership">years of criticism</a> that &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; had abandoned its reputation for impartial journalism, including backlash over its heavily edited 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which ultimately contributed to CBS parent company Paramount settling President Donald Trump&#8217;s lawsuit for $16 million.
Since taking over, Weiss has pledged to restore trust in the network while broadening the program&#8217;s appeal. Bilton, a former technology journalist and author who was tapped to lead &#8220;60 Minutes,&#8221; has likewise promised to modernize the nearly six-decade-old broadcast without sacrificing its journalistic standards.
&#8220;My responsibility is not just technological transformation,&#8221; Bilton previously told staff. &#8220;It is also our trust with the public. Above all, that means a commitment to fairness—in story selection, in the edit room, and in the broadcast.&#8221;
Season 59 of &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; is scheduled to premiere September 13.

Preparations Ahead Of Vice Presidential Debate

CBS News Shakeup Continues As ’60 Minutes’ Adds New Correspondents

60 Minutes

Bari Weiss

CBS News

Journalism

Legacy Media

Media

Media Bias

New York Times

Scott Pelley

The New York Times

Florida is set to become the first state in nearly a decade to conduct two executions in a single day on Tuesday as Gov. Ron DeSantis&#8217; administration continues to move on death penalty cases at an unprecedented rate.
James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at noon at Florida State Prison near Starke, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-execution-duckett-occhicone-4c313a84631ad20a62998f7dd061dbcf">Associated Press.</a> Duckett, a former Mascotte police officer, was convicted of the <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/2026/sc2026-0449.html">1987 kidnapping, rape, and murder</a> of 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee. Prosecutors said he abducted the girl, sexually assaulted her, strangled her, and drowned her in a lake less than a mile from the store where she was last seen.
About six hours later, Florida plans to execute 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone, who would become the second-oldest inmate put to death in the modern era of the U.S. death penalty, according to the Associated Press. 
Occhicone was convicted of the <a href="https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/4190fe57-e5c6-47b5-990f-773f93586035/docketentrydocuments/bc305c22-4efd-4801-9ab9-fd43568dd02a?utm_source=chatgpt.com">1986 murders</a> of his former girlfriend&#8217;s parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner, in Pasco County. Prosecutors said he returned to the family&#8217;s home armed with a handgun after his former girlfriend refused to speak with him, cut the home&#8217;s telephone lines, fatally shot Raymond Artzner outside the house, then forced his way inside and killed Martha Artzner.
The Florida Supreme Court earlier this week rejected emergency appeals from both Duckett and Occhicone. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court also <a href="https://x.com/KelseyReichmann/status/2082146169627578589?s=20">denied</a> their final appeals, clearing the way for the back-to-back executions. No justice noted a dissent.
With six months left in office, DeSantis has presided over a record 19 executions in 2025, the most by any Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to an AP analysis. Tuesday&#8217;s two executions would raise the number of executions under DeSantis&#8217;s final two years in office to 31, with another scheduled for August.
“July 28 represents an unprecedented escalation of Florida’s use of the death penalty,” <a href="https://www.fadp.org/florida-set-to-execute-james-duckett-and-dominick-occhicone-tuesday-amidst-innocence-claim-and-7-5-jury-vote/">said</a> Grace Hanna, Executive Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. “These are two profoundly different cases, but they point to the same troubling reality: Florida continues to expand the use of capital punishment, despite mounting evidence that it is not what Floridians want.&#8221;
The Florida Governor, however, is not alone. 
In April, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice on Friday directed the Bureau of Prisons to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-commuted-death-sentences-trumps-doj-is-bringing-back-the-firing-squad?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Biden+Commuted+Death+Sentences.+Trump%E2%80%99s+DOJ+Is+Bringing+Back+The+Firing+Squad.">bring back the firing squad and lethal injection</a> for federal executions.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-takes-actions-strengthen-federal-death-penalty">announced a series of new measures</a> to strengthen enforcement of the federal death penalty, clearing the way for the DOJ to carry out executions once inmates exhaust their appeals.
“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
The directives fulfill a campaign promise for Trump, who on his first day back in office <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-the-death-penalty-and-protecting-public-safety/">issued</a> an order to “pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use” and marks a reversal from the Biden administration’s handling of federal executions.
In 2021, former President Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ imposed an indefinite moratorium, effectively blocking all federal executions. In December 2024, he commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row at the urging of then-Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Those granted mass clemency included Thomas Sanders, who was convicted of murdering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-commutes-sentences-of-dozens-of-murderers-two-days-before-christmas">12-year-old Lexis Roberts</a> and hiding her body in the woods. Another included Daryl Lawrence, who killed 33-year-old Ohio police officer Bryan Hurst during a 2005 bank robbery in Columbus.
“These decisions inflicted untold damage on victims of crime and, ultimately, to the rule of law itself,” Blanche <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1437806/dl?inline">said</a>.

Lethal Injection Room at Huntsville

Red State Set To Carry Out Rare Double Executions On Same Day

Capital Punishment

Death Penalty

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool, just held an &#8220;emergency press conference&#8221; explaining why New York City’s democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani isn’t wanted at the 9/11 25th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony.
The millionaire social media mogul took to X Monday night to list several reasons why Mamdani should be excluded from the ceremony, emphasizing that the socialist mayor has not &#8220;hid who he is.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hmm I wonder why the families of 9/11 don’t want Mandami at the 25th anniversary memorial ceremony. Could it be for any of the following reasons?
He campaigned with Hassan Piker who said US deserved 9/11
He endorsed Claire Valdez who also said America deserved 9/11
He… <a href="https://t.co/EH1vQMysWb">https://t.co/EH1vQMysWb</a>
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) <a href="https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/2081922743230984620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;He campaigned with Hassan Piker who said US deserved 9/11,&#8221; Portnoy began.
Portnoy is correct. In 2019, on a Twitch livestream, Piker said, &#8220;America deserved 9/11, dude. F*ck it, I&#8217;m saying it,&#8221; adding, &#8220;We totally brought it upon ourselves … We did, we f*cking did.&#8221;
Portnoy then pointed out that Mamdani endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier, who co-founded a group at Columbia University whose <a href="https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/anti-israel-columbia-students-call-for-total-eradication-of-western-civilization-divest-palestine-hamas-bangladesh-protests-demonstrations">mission</a> included this statement: &#8220;We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-newest-pick-is-their-most-radical-yet">Democrats’ Newest Pick Is Their Most Radical Yet</a>
The Massachusetts native also pointed out that back in 2013 Mamdani sympathized with the Boston Marathon bombers who killed three and injured more than 250 people on April 15, 2013.
Five days after that terrorist attack, Mamdani defended one of the bombers in a <a href="https://x.com/ZohranKMamdani/status/325639432000655361?s=20">post</a> that read, &#8220;The implications of not mirandizing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.&#8221;
Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, justified suicide bombing three years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil in his 2004 book titled &#8220;Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror.&#8221;
The elder Mamdani said that &#8220;we need to recognize the suicide bomber, first and foremost, as a category of soldier.&#8221;
Portnoy continued with nearly a dozen more reasons why he believes 9/11 families don’t want to see Mamdani on the 25th anniversary of arguably the worst day of their lives.
Making a name for himself in sports, Portnoy hasn’t shied away from political issues over the last few years. He spoke out against Mamdani during his mayoral campaign, and is still baffled at how someone who has repeatedly refused to denounce anti-America rhetoric can be in charge of the country’s most-populated city.
&#8220;How the hell did we get here in the 1st place?&#8221; Portnoy asked Monday.
Critics of Mamdani, including Portnoy, haven’t forgotten his previous statements and endorsements, which are mentioned at length in <a href="https://www.change.org/p/please-sign-to-support-honoring-the-memory-of-those-lost-on-september-11th-with-dignity?recruiter=1421960844&amp;recruited_by_id=0999a100-7bbb-11f1-8944-997c0a94f6b3&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_campaign=petition_dashboard&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;share_id=kbk5YJfjfS">a petition</a> initiated by 9/11 widower Giovanni Galante.
Galante&#8217;s petition has more than 25,000 signatures and counting in support of keeping Mamdani away from the ceremony meant to honor and remember the lives lost to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
&#8220;We felt that having Mamdani there would show a disrespect to our family members because of the people he supports,&#8221; Galante told CBS New York.
&#8220;Mr. Mamdani’s own father, whom he has acknowledged as having shaped his views, penned a book shortly after 9/11 in which he argued that suicide bombers should be &#8216;understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism,'&#8221; Galante wrote. &#8220;He also argued that there was a moral equivalence between the United States and al-Qaeda.&#8221;
It’s a question Dave Portnoy and 25,000-plus people are asking as Mamdani defends his right to attend the ceremony.

Credit: Theo Wargo/ Spencer PlattGetty Images

Dave Portnoy Goes Scorched Earth On Mamdani Over 9/11 Controversy

9/11

New York

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

Another far-Left socialist bartender running for governor in the American heartland is giving Democrats a fresh headache as the party reels from deep ideological divisions and mounting financial woes.
Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is leading the crowded field in Wisconsin&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial primary in a race Republicans see as ripe for a flip.
In the mold of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the state representative&#8217;s <a href="https://francescahong.com/policy/">Left-wing platform</a> calls for a sweeping expansion of government into everyday life, including abolishing ICE, imposing a one-year moratorium on data centers, creating government-owned grocery stores, and providing universal childcare and paid leave for all.
Hong also supports legalizing marijuana to fund high-speed broadband and backs a state-run development bank, a 32-hour workweek with no reduction in pay, restoring voting rights to felons, and dramatically reducing the role of prisons and police, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/a-democratic-socialist-bartender-rattles-party-elite-in-run-for-wisconsin-governor-3fe159c0">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“It&#8217;s so stressful to get by these days, and I know a lot about stress. I work in restaurants,” Hong said in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMPU_oRquM8&amp;t=1s">campaign launch video</a>. “I&#8217;m a service worker, community organizer, and a mom. I work for a living, always have, still do.” 
“The system is rigged. I&#8217;m running for governor to fix it. For years, we&#8217;ve been told that doing better is impossible. Well, let me tell you, that&#8217;s bullsh*t,” she added. 
Hong also <a href="https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/1360704499883536385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">called</a> for abolishing the U.S. Senate in a February 2021 social media post. In a statement to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/dsa-co-chair-mocked-proudly-confirming-socialists-want-abolish-senate-national-borders-prisons">Fox News</a>, Hong&#8217;s campaign denied that she had ever called for eliminating the upper chamber: &#8220;Rep. Hong has never called for abolishing the U.S. Senate. Tiffany cannot produce a single statement where she did, because it doesn&#8217;t exist.&#8221;
The leftist populist platform has resonated with much of the Wisconsin Democratic base, triggering a last-minute scramble among establishment leaders who fear that nominating a socialist in a state that President Trump won could hand the governor&#8217;s mansion to Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, the expected GOP nominee.
<a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/governor/democratic-primary/2026/wisconsin">Recent polling</a> shows Hong with a double-digit lead over established politicians, including former <a href="https://evers.wi.gov/Pages/Newsroom/About_Mandela.aspx">Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes</a> and Milwaukee County Executive <a href="https://www.crowleyforwi.com/">David Crowley</a>, who suspended his gubernatorial bid before reviving it two weeks later with the backing of outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers. 
“The Republican Governors Association is bankrolling millions right now, not to attack a Democrat, but to boost one, because they&#8217;ve decided which Democratic nominee they can beat in November,” Crowley <a href="https://www.crowleyforwi.com/">said</a>, explaining his decision to get back into the race. 
“That is a five-alarm warning sign. We cannot let the GOP choose the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin,” he added. 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/wisconsin-democrat-david-crowley-dirt-mcgirk-twitter-rcna588646">NBC News</a> recently uncovered old social media posts linking Crowley to a pseudonymous X account called &#8220;Dirt McGirk,&#8221; which the outlet said featured racist, sexist, and homophobic posts between 2010 and 2014. Crowley insisted other people had access to the X burner account and condemned the derogatory posts. 
The August 11 primary will test the appeal of democratic socialists in the industrial Midwest, following a string of victories in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Denver. <a href="https://polymarket.com/event/wisconsin-governor-democratic-primary-winner">Prediction markets</a> overwhelmingly favor Hong to win the primary.  
A similar battle is playing out right next door in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan, where Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens is working overtime to fend off a stronger-than-expected challenge from leftist Abdul El-Sayed, who is leading in most polls.
The contentious race took an unexpected turn when a black Farmington school board member backing Stevens urged El-Sayed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-democrat-tells-muslim-senate-candidate-to-stop-speaking-arabic?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Black+Democrat+Tells+Muslim+Senate+Candidate+To+Stop+Speaking+Arabic">stop embracing</a> his Muslim identity on the campaign trail.
“The other candidate seems to be … doesn’t work a room. You have to know how to work the room. Don’t come out speaking only Arabic,” Angie Smith said at a Stevens campaign event. “Don’t come out with your Arabic music on. Represent everyone.”
“You know, I’m the mother of a lesbian. I’m Puerto Rican and Cherokee, with a grandfather that was a white man from Ireland. Represent us all. Don’t just represent one ethnicity or one race,” she added.
The Democratic Party&#8217;s heartburn, spilling out of deep-blue cities and into purple battleground states, comes as the cash-strapped DNC sinks <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flat-broke-dnc-meltdown-sparks-panic-on-the-left?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DNC+Chair+Has+Phone-Hurling+Tantrum+As+Party+Melts+Down+Over+Midterm+Cash">deeper into internal turmoil</a>.
DNC chairman Ken Martin is descending into fear and “a growing sense of paranoia” about his job security, The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flat-broke-dnc-meltdown-sparks-panic-on-the-left?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DNC+Chair+Has+Phone-Hurling+Tantrum+As+Party+Melts+Down+Over+Midterm+Cash">New York Times reported</a> on Sunday. The chairman — responsible for fundraising, party operations, and campaign infrastructure — is “relying on a vanishingly small circle of people he trusts.” 
And for good reason. 
Heading into the midterms, the financial gap between the parties is striking. President Trump has amassed a $400 million war chest, the RNC has another $130 million available, and the DNC is reportedly about $2 million in debt, according to The New York Times.
“This is not sustainable,” said MS NOW host Joe Scarborough. “Anyone who cares about the Democratic Party — including Ken Martin — would say ‘Enough.’ The DNC is flat broke. This must change now.”

Untitled design – 2026-05-28T104054.501

A New Socialist Bartender Is Giving Democrat Elites Headaches

Democratic Party

Democratic Socialists Of America

Elections

Francesca Hong

Rustbelt

Socialism

Wisconsin

Bryan Kohberger, the man who admitted to stabbing four college students in Idaho nearly four years ago, says he wants to take back his guilty plea.
In an interview from his jail cell — where he is serving four life sentences at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho — he told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/bryan-kohberger-idaho-college-deaths.html">The New York Times</a> that he wants the plea vacated because &#8220;he is innocent and was misled into confessing to the high-profile killings.&#8221;
&#8220;My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,&#8221; Kohberger told The Times on Sunday night. He doubled down in the phone call saying he had an “absolute claim of innocence,&#8221; the outlet reported.
When pressed about what went wrong during the process, he declined to discuss any evidence or other specific details related to his innocence claim — and also declined to outline any specific concerns he had about the plea process — The Times noted.
Per Bryan Kohberger’s Affidavit of Facts In Support Of Post-Conviction Petition — obtained by The Times after it was filed July 22, 2026 — Kohberger said his counsel failed to tell him about exculpatory discovery received during the plea discussions. Kohberger specifically <a href="https://people.com/read-bryan-kohberger-petition-claiming-innocent-idaho-murders-12027835">references</a> &#8220;clumps of unknown hair&#8221; found in the hands of Ethan Chapin, one of the four victims.
Kohberger further explained in that document that he was convinced that &#8220;actual guilt&#8221; was not an important factor in considering plea acceptance and that death row would be “imminent” if he failed to accept the deal as presented.
The Daily Wire has reached out to Latah County for comment on the new filing.
To put this new push for freedom into perspective, it is rare for a defendant to win a post-conviction challenge according to former prosecutor David Gelman. Gelman told The Daily Wire &#8220;you have a better chance of winning the PowerBall than getting post-conviction relief.&#8221;
Kohberger, who was studying criminology at Washington State, admitting to killing four college students during the night at a house in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. The manhunt that ensued after the gruesome stabbings captivated the nation until Kohberger was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania in late December of that year. The victims were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. A motive was never identified.
The mountain of evidence against the now 30 year old included his DNA found on a KA-BAR knife sheath that was left next to two of the victims, Amazon records showing the purchase of the knife sheath found at the scene and a KA-BAR knife. Other evidence showed Kohberger’s phone pinging that night around the town, with his phone turned off at the time of the murders, and his white Elantra matched the description of the car investigators said was at the crime scene on surveillance footage.
Kohberger did not talk about the evidence laid out against him in his call with The Times. He said instead, &#8220;The intention is for all of those questions to be investigated and answered appropriately in a trial setting.&#8221;
Court-appointed lawyers were Kohberger’s counsel throughout the case until his guilty plea was entered weeks before his trial was scheduled to start last July. But Kohberger told The Times his conviction challenge was prepared on his own without his counsel, and he will look for a lawyer to represent him moving forward.
Kohberger signed a plea agreement where he said he &#8220;knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waives all rights to appeal any and all issues in this case.&#8221; He is not legally barred from making other claims about the legal process through post-conviction relief.

Credit: Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images

Killer Who Murdered Idaho College Students Makes Stunning New Court Request

Bryan Kohberger

Idaho

That's So Criminal

A West Michigan father reportedly killed his wife and six children before setting their home ablaze and taking his own life in a gruesome murder-suicide that police described as an “unspeakable tragedy.”
On the morning of July 24, deputies assisting the Grand Haven Township Fire Department responded to a house fire near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. As smoke engulfed the home, firefighters entered to search for victims, only for law enforcement to discover a horrific scene inside.
Authorities said Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, used a handgun to fatally shoot his wife, Amanda Karolkiewicz, 39, and the couple’s six children before taking his own life. Police have not released the identities of the victims’ children, who included four boys, ages 5, 11, 12, and 15, and two 11-year-old girls. Two of the children had been adopted into the family. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death for all of the victims to be homicides from gunshot wounds.
<div id="attachment_1144623" style="width: 477px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1144623" class="wp-image-1144623 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-467x576.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-467x576.jpg 467w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2-243x300.jpg 243w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4525_720-2.jpg 584w" sizes=" (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" />Photo credit: @[mandykarolk]/TikTok.com</div>“This is far more than a news story. The situation personally impacts dozens, if not hundreds, of people in the county,” said Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ottawa County investigators share update on murder-suicide that killed couple, 6 kids" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AmUwvjUiVQw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Our hearts go out to those families, the neighbors, the coworkers, the teachers, the students of Grand Haven Public Schools, and the friends of the victims. This is an unspeakable tragedy that we may never completely understand why it happened,” he added. 
Police believe the fire was intentionally set in multiple locations throughout the interior of the home. The family’s pets also died from the fire or smoke inhalation. Authorities said they do not believe any suspects remain at large.
“The investigation at this point shows that this was a murder-suicide, with the fire being started after the murders,” Sparks said at a Monday press conference, noting investigators do not know the exact circumstances leading up to the tragedy. “We believe that this incident could have started, you know, the night before, and then carried over into the morning.” 
Sparks added that the basement floor of the house was more damaged than the main floor. 
Just weeks before the murder-suicide, Amanda Karolkiewicz posted multiple TikTok videos of trips she took to Canada and China earlier this month with her boys and two adopted daughters.
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandykarolk/photo/7663032209799990542?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7627692178450105870">One video,</a> dated July 16, shows a beaming Karolkiewicz dressed in a traditional Hanfu style of clothing, along with her two daughters, in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province. 
“By far one of the funniest and coolest experiences of my life! What an awesome experience with my precious daughters,” she wrote. “We are so proud of their Chinese heritage.”
The mom of six shared a video of the family’s July 4 celebration at Stony Lake in Michigan, which shows a quick glimpse of the stone-faced father lighting a firework. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandykarolk/video/7655129358817905933">Another TikTok video</a> dated June 24 shows the mom getting ice cream with her boys in Quebec, Canada, writing: “The most delicious, produced-to-order ice cream- unlike anything we have ever eaten!” 
Back in April, the family took a spring break beach trip, according to Amanda’s <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mandykarolk/photo/7625820447916952846">TikTok page</a>, which featured photos of her with her husband, Kristopher.
Mandy Karolkiewicz was a dedicated teacher, her parents said in a <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/07/27/sister-of-one-of-victims-of-grand-haven-township-family-dead-public-not-to-believe-theories/91061528007/">statement</a> to The Detroit News. 
“Our daughter Mandy was a kind and devoted soul who loved her family and her students,” the statement said. “We treasured every moment we had with her and her six children, and words cannot adequately express our devastation.”
“We pray for God’s peace and comfort as we grieve their deaths and honor their lives.”
<div id="attachment_1144625" style="width: 471px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1144625" class="wp-image-1144625 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4524_720-461x576.jpg" alt="" width="461" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4524_720-461x576.jpg 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4524_720-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/img_4524_720.jpg 575w" sizes=" (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" />Photo credit: @[mandykarolk]/TikTok.com</div>

Father Kills Wife, 6 Children, Sets Home On Fire In Apparent Murder-Suicide

Michigan Dad Kills Wife, 6 Children, Sets Home Ablaze Before Taking Own Life

American family

Domestic Violence

family

United States

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical advisor to the president, appears to have misled Congress about the coronavirus fatality rate in the early days of the pandemic, making statements in private that contradicted his public testimony.
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) released a <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026.07.24_Tonys-Diary-Package.pdf#&amp;_intcmp=fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1">trove of previously private Fauci diaries</a> ahead of his expected testimony this Wednesday before a key oversight committee. 
A February 8, 2020, journal entry shows Fauci recounting a phone call with former CDC Director Tom Frieden in which he compared the novel coronavirus to a &#8220;bad influenza&#8221; and predicted a lower-than-expected fatality rate.
The Daily Wire is publishing excerpts from Fauci’s journal without any edits or spelling corrections.
“Tom Frieden called me this AM and we discussed various aspects of the outbreak. He and I are on the same page in thinking tht this is acting like a bad influenza in its transmissibility and that the denominator is much greater than 34,867 (above) making the case fatality rate (CFR) more like 0.2-0.3 % rather than 2.0%,” he wrote. 
At that moment, Fauci estimated more than 34,000 infections and 724 deaths.  
About a month later, however, the physician — who privately blushed about his rising public profile — presented Congress with a markedly different assessment of the disease. <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20200312/110713/HHRG-116-GO00-Transcript-20200312.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Testifying under oath</a> at a March 11 hearing, Fauci responded to a question from Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) about the similarities between COVID-19 and influenza.
“The seasonal flu that we deal with every year has a mortality of 0.1 percent. The stated mortality overall of this when you look at all the data including China is about three percent. It first started off as two and now three,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp717hJVI5Y&amp;t=2810s">Fauci told the panel.</a> &#8220;I think if you count all the cases of minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality rate down to somewhere around one percent, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu. I think that is something that people can get their arms around and understand.&#8221;
During the hearing, Cloud questioned Fauci about whether COVID-19 was more lethal than previous diseases, including H1N1, commonly known as swine flu.
“No, absolutely not,” Fauci said. “The 2009 pandemic of H1N1 was even less lethal than the regular seasonal flu.” 
“I&#8217;m trying to help the American people know where to appropriately set their gauge,” Cloud fired back. 
Fauci doubled down on the alarm bells, despite privately downplaying the virus&#8217;s lethality.
“I think to set the gauge is that this is a really serious problem that we have to take seriously. I mean, people always say, &#8216;Well, the flu, you know, the flu does this, the flu does that.&#8217; The flu has a mortality of 0.1 percent,” Fauci said. “This has a mortality of 10 times that, and that&#8217;s the reason why I want to emphasize we have to stay ahead of the game in preventing this.” 
The newly revealed contradictions come after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-fauci-diaries-reveal-celebrity-obsession-at-height-of-covid-crisis?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Fauci+Diaries+Reveal+Celebrity+Obsession+At+Height+Of+COVID+Crisis">The Daily Wire reported</a> Fauci’s obsession with media attention as the coronavirus pandemic claimed lives and overwhelmed hospitals around the globe.
“Press still hot and heavy about me,” Fauci wrote on April 7, 2020. “Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me.”
Weeks later, hundreds of thousands of infections spread worldwide, and nearly 10,000 had died from the virus when Fauci penned the following journal entry on May 21, 2020. 
“Big front page article abut me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyoperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson in the world,” Fauci wrote.

Dr. Fauci Testifies To Senate Health Committee On Country’s COVID-19 Response

Fauci’s Personal Diary Highlights Shocking Contradiction On COVID Fatality Rate

Anthony Fauci

Congress

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Dr. Fauci

fauci diaries

Health

Pandemic

Rand Paul

Rep. Cloud

Science

Senator Paul

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday said he is still recovering at a rehabilitation facility from a June medical episode, according to another health update from his office. 
In the statement, the Republican said he&#8217;s still undergoing treatment and won&#8217;t be attending local events this weekend. 
“I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders. Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday,” he said,<a href="https://www.wlky.com/article/sen-mitch-mcconnell-written-statement-photo-july-27/73274265"> according to local outlet WLKY.</a> “As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.”
The health update included a fresh photo with his wife, Elaine Chao, and also provided a statement from McConnell’s physician. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
McConnell’s office releases a new photo plus a statement saying he is undergoing “intense physical therapy” and not ready to get back to work in person. No timeline for his return to the Senate. He has not been seen in the Capitol since his June 14 hospitalization. <a href="https://t.co/G9h99SboZA">pic.twitter.com/G9h99SboZA</a>
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) <a href="https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/2081767125555757332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
“Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care,” the Office of the Attending Physician said. “Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.”
&#8220;His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office,” the OAP added. 
The 84-year-old’s extended hospitalization has fueled mounting questions about both his health and what would happen if Kentucky’s longest-serving senator were unable to complete his final term. He has remained hospitalized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=84-Year-Old+Mitch+McConnell+Hospitalized+After+%E2%80%98Unknown+Medical+Incident%E2%80%99">since June 14</a>, when emergency responders were dispatched to his Washington residence following what was widely reported as an emergency radio traffic describing a cardiac arrest requiring CPR. 
The lack of information sparked widespread speculation online. Still, it has also drawn renewed attention to an unusual wrinkle in Kentucky election law that could become significant if McConnell were to resign or otherwise vacate his seat before his term expires in January 2027. With a Democrat occupying the governor’s office, Republican lawmakers<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-legislature-senate-vacancies-faf6f1f41fa42c3e0b818fc3fb3d4d4a"> recently moved</a> to eliminate the governor’s appointment authority in favor of a special election process.
McConnell, who is not running for another term, has missed <a href="https://www.wlky.com/article/sen-mitch-mcconnell-written-statement-photo-july-27/73274265">38 Senate votes</a> since the medical incident.

Mitch McConnell

McConnell’s Office Shares New Photo And Update On The Senator

Kentucky

A knife-wielding man injured three women, including a pregnant woman, during a stabbing spree in central Paris, reportedly shouting that Allah had ordered him to do it.
The suspect attacked three women, ages 19, 24, and 36, on Monday morning with two kitchen knives near Porte de Clichy in Paris, severely wounding two of them, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/french-police-arrest-man-after-knife-attack-paris-2026-07-27/">told reporters</a>. Police have not yet released the identities of the suspect or victims. 
Two of the women remain in critical condition, <a href="https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/paris-stabbing-pregnant-woman-three-injured-knife-attack">according to GB News</a>. One woman was stabbed in the lower back, while another suffered a stab wound to the abdomen. An off-duty police officer is said to have detained the disturbed man at the scene.
<a href="https://x.com/ScopeReport_/status/2081701503203455484?s=20">Multiple videos</a> circulating on social media appear to capture moments before and after the attack. Footage shows the suspect, who has long black hair and is wearing a cream-colored tracksuit, carrying two large knives. In one clip, he is seen running down a street before appearing to lunge at a woman who is walking alone.
French outlet Le Figaro reported that the suspect shouted, “It is Allah who ordered me.&#8221; At the scene, however, police urged caution, insisting the man made &#8220;incoherent&#8221; statements and that investigators had not yet identified a motive.
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/benshapiro/status/2081736070643757447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">posted</a> on X: &#8220;What was his motive? We may never know.&#8221;
The Paris stabbing spree came roughly 40 hours after another Islamic terror attack rocked a neighboring European country.
German police on Sunday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/known-islamic-terrorist-on-the-run-unleashed-machete-attack-after-plowing-van-into-crowd?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Known+Islamic+Terrorist+On+The+Run+After+Deadly+Berlin+Car-Ramming+Attack">shot and killed</a> a Muslim man who previously tried to join the Islamic State after he rammed a vehicle into Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday and then attacked bystanders with a machete, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
The Associated Press reported 21-year-old Abdul Ballout was shot and killed by police at a complex in Spandau, one of Berlin’s boroughs.
Police said Ballout fled the “horrific scene” on foot. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt <a href="https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2081357342902300677?s=20">connected</a> the attack to radical Islamist ideology.
The BBC reported Sunday <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3r2nz9ed3lt?post=asset%3Af7bf096b-0bc4-4496-b0f8-d2def8c5a207#post">Ballout</a> was a German citizen of Lebanese background who was known to police for being part of Berlin’s “Islamist scene” and had previously “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3r2nz9ed3lt?post=asset%3A679975ea-dc63-4cff-b17e-cc95f0cbef6f#post">committed a number of crimes</a>.” Ballout was born in Germany, and his mother became a naturalized German citizen in 2002, three years before his birth, police told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-berlin-lgbtq-pride-parade-van-ramming-3ba5e3f1becffd0da5f47b29aa08da9d">Associated Press</a>.
<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/26/abdul-ballout-berlin-pride-suspect-tried-join-islamic-state/">The Telegraph</a> reported Ballout was a convicted terrorist who tried to join the Islamic State terror group. Ballout was previously arrested in Lebanon after he was accused of attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria and plotting a terrorist attack. Then, he returned to Germany, where, according to Die Welt, he was arrested by German authorities and sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison for plotting a “serious act of violence that threatened the state.”
“Horrendous attack in Berlin last night,” Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K.’s Right-wing Reform UK party, said of the attack. “The strange left-wing alliance between Islamists and the LGBT community in this country cannot last.”

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