At least 14 states have declared a state of emergency as they brace for snow, record cold, and potentially crippling ice from a winter storm that will stretch from New Mexico to Maine.
Around 172 million people are in the storm&#8217;s path this weekend, with the ice being the biggest threat. Up to an inch of ice is possible in some spots in the Southeast, which is enough to down trees and power lines, potentially knocking out power for days. Some cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., could see up to a foot or more of snow, while Minneapolis and Chicago face extreme cold. A polar vortex is expected to bring in frigid Arctic air to around 35 states following the major storm.
States that have declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also preparing to respond to the storm, setting up staging areas in multiple locations, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/winter-storm-live-updates-tracking-dangerous-ice-snow/?id=129469173">reported</a>. In Louisiana, FEMA is preparing 250,000 meals, 400,000 liters of water, and 30 generators at Camp Minden near Shreveport.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders <a href="https://x.com/arkansasguard/status/2014734071088206232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2014734071088206232%7Ctwgr%5E8379399732f31524804ffc98aa29501a8f40a1f5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiframe.nbcnews.com%2FvDYMbArB%3F_showcaption%3Dfalseapp%3D1">ordered</a> 168 National Guard troops to active duty on Friday to support state police &#8220;until weather conditions improve.&#8221;
&#8220;Winter weather is headed our way as early as this evening. Stock up on essentials now, stay inside, and follow local and state guidance,&#8221; Sanders said on Friday morning.
In the South, where ice remains the biggest risk, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency <a href="https://x.com/TennesseeEMA/status/2014660446154821724">urged</a> residents to finalize their plans &#8220;and get home or to a safe place&#8221; by Friday night. In Texas, officials have warned residents to prepare for a &#8220;long-duration freeze&#8221; that will likely affect the state Saturday night through Monday night. Public buses and light rail trains will be completely shut down on Saturday afternoon in Austin, where the city&#8217;s mayor urged residents to stay indoors.
&#8220;Travel will become difficult, especially on bridges, overpasses, and untreated roadways,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/winter-weather/live-blog/winter-storm-snow-ice-weather-cold-live-updates-rcna255524/rcrd97174?canonicalCard=true">said</a> National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Runyon.
The storm will <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/winter-weather/live-blog/winter-storm-snow-ice-weather-cold-live-updates-rcna255524/rcrd97153?canonicalCard=true">move</a> across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on Friday night before ice and snow are expected to reach the Carolinas and Virginia by Saturday and into Sunday. The National Weather Service warned that heavy snow can also &#8220;bring multi-day Power Outages, block emergency routes, and cause Communication Loss from downed lines.&#8221; Cold temperatures are expected to persist throughout the first half of next week, potentially prolonging power outages and travel difficulties in many states that are ill-equipped to clear roads.

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Over A Dozen States Declare Emergencies As Americans Brace For Massive Winter Storm

Over A Dozen States Declare Emergencies As Americans Brace For Massive Winter Storm, Frigid Temps

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Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is being sued under North Carolina’s “Homewrecker Law” over alleged interference in the marriage between a former member of her “security detail” and his now ex-wife.
North Carolina is only one of the handful of states that allows individuals to sue for “alienation of affection,” and the lawsuit accuses Sinema of “intentional and malicious interference” in a “good and loving marriage” between Heather and Matthew Ammel, who separated in November 2024, according to the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ncmd.103845/gov.uscourts.ncmd.103845.2.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> filed in September 2025 that has recently resurfaced.
Ammel joined Sinema’s security team in 2022, and the lawsuit claims that Sinema&#8217;s head of security left her job in fall 2023 over concern that the senator was &#8220;having sexual relations with other security members.&#8221; Ammel decided to stick around &#8220;due to the financial security of the job,&#8221; despite receiving encouragement from the head of security to also quit, the lawsuit says. Sinema allegedly hired Ammel as a Defense and National Security Fellow for her official Senate office while also working as her &#8220;personal security guard.&#8221;
The lawsuit alleges that Sinema had “numerous lengthy conversations with Mr. Ammel” through multiple platforms, including in-person and over text, that were “emotionally romantic or sexual in nature.&#8221; The lawsuit also alleges that Sinema met with Ammel regularly outside of professional settings, including meetings that were “emotionally or physically romantic or sexual in nature,” and that Sinema was &#8220;encouraging&#8221; Ammel to leave his wife. It says in the spring or early summer of 2024 that Ammel &#8220;stopped wearing his wedding ring,&#8221; and the lawsuit says it is because Ammel said it was to avoid negative &#8220;public optics&#8221; when the then-senator was &#8220;putting her hands on a married man when they were out at concerts and various other public events.&#8221;
Other allegations in the lawsuit detail messages where Sinema was “wrapped in a towel” and suggested that Ammel “bring MDMA drugs on a work trip so that she could guide him through a psychedelic experience,” as Sinema offered assistance with his “mental health challenges.”
The lawsuit said that Ammel was on numerous trips with Sinema, and that starting in 2024, the plaintiff noticed frequent messaging on Signal between the two, alleging that it “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship.” One of the messages exchanged included Sinema saying she was not attending the State of the Union address because &#8220;she didn&#8217;t need to listen to some old man, President Biden, talk about the legislation that she wrote.&#8221;
Another message exchange said that Ammel wanted to start a &#8220;F*ck the troops&#8221; chant at a baseball game he attended alone, to which Sinema allegedly replied that &#8220;she would &#8216;f*ck the hot ones.'&#8221;
It also outlines that the duo went to numerous concerts together, including U2 and the Extra Innings Festival. The plaintiff claims that Ammel said that Sinema was &#8220;handsy with him at this event.&#8221; She is asking for damages “in excess of” $25,000 for the allegations outlined in the case.
The lawsuit said that Ammel is an Army veteran with PTSD, and the <a href="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/why-arizona-sinema-is-pushing-for-psychedelic-drug-research-21386425/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoenix New Times</a> reported in March about Sinema’s post-Senate advocacy for more psychedelic research, noting Ammel’s experience with it.
“I saw the difference it was making in his life, his thinking, and his behavior,” Sinema said to the Phoenix New Times in the interview.
The Daily Wire reached out to the former senator, who is now an attorney at Hogan Lovells, for comment. The Daily Wire attempted to reach Matthew Ammel through a publicly available email that appeared to belong to him. A man by the same name appeared to have been arrested in Moore County, North Carolina, for assault charges in November, but The Daily Wire is unable to confirm whether it is the same individual.

Kyrsten Sinema At State Of The Union Address

Kyrsten Sinema Sued By Ex-Wife Of Security Guard, Alleging Affair

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Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro pleads “not guilty” in New York City, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz abruptly ends his re-election bid amid numerous fraud scandals, and new details regarding a foiled New Year&#8217;s Eve terror attack come to light.
It’s Tuesday, January 6, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maduro-pleads-not-guilty-tim-walz-withdraws-1-6-26/id1576594336?i=1000743947459" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">U.S. v. Nicolás Maduro Begins</h2>
Captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance in an American courtroom Monday, as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its aggressive foreign policy. Barely 72 hours ago, Maduro was living lavishly in the country he ruled with an iron fist. But now he is wearing a prison jumpsuit and ankle shackles, preparing to face the U.S. justice system. His initial court hearing lasted just 30 minutes, during which the ousted strongman was defiant, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-united-states-strikes-venezuela-captures-president-maduro">telling</a> a judge through a translator: “I am innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man. I’m still the president of my country.” As he was led from the courtroom, a man stood up and yelled in Spanish that he would pay for his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-united-states-v-nicolas-maduro-the-cartel-of-the-suns-indictment">crimes</a>, to which Maduro replied that he would win his freedom, calling himself a “prisoner of war.” The next hearing is set for March 17.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Walz Bows Out Of Re-Election After Fraud Fracas</h2>
Political shockwaves <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-walz-drops-out-of-minnesota-governors-race-amid-fraud-concerns">ran</a> through Minnesota and the nation on Monday morning as Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek re-election amid the state’s numerous fraud scandals. Walz made the announcement in a statement bemoaning the “sour note” on which 2025 ended for his state on account of allegations of rampant fraud, especially within Minnesota’s Somali community. Walz ultimately accused President Donald Trump and his allies of wanting to make Minnesota “a colder, meaner place” with political attacks because of the reports of fraud. Increasingly, reports about fraud flooding Minnesota have suggested that Walz and his administration may have played a role through feigned ignorance or corruption.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">FBI Foils ISIS-Inspired Attack In North Carolina</h2>
The FBI says it has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-thwart-isis-inspired-terrorist-attack-planned-in-north-carolina">foiled</a> an ISIS-inspired attack in North Carolina. Authorities arrested a Charlotte-area man they say planned to launch a terror attack on New Year&#8217;s Eve. A federal court <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2026/01/02/fbi-disrupts-alleged-new-years-even-attack-man-charged-attempting">unsealed</a> the criminal complaint against 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant on Friday. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said authorities closed in on Sturdivant after he contacted two law enforcement officials, believing them to be members of ISIS. Sturdivant allegedly detailed plans to the undercover officers to attack a crowded mall and fast food restaurant on New Year&#8217;s Eve. Sturdivant allegedly planned to wear a Kevlar vest and wield a knife and hammer to kill as many people as possible. Federal prosecutors have charged Sturdivant with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

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Morning Brief: Maduro In Shackles, Walz Bows Out, & FBI Stops Terror Attack

Morning Brief: Maduro In Court, Walz Bows Out, And FBI Foils NC Terror Plot

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Federal authorities said Friday that they thwarted an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack that was planned for New Year&#8217;s Eve at a grocery store and fast food restaurant in Mint Hill, North Carolina.
United States citizen Christian Sturdivant, 18, allegedly planned to massacre Americans using &#8220;knives and hammers&#8221; in the Charlotte suburb after he became radicalized online, federal authorities revealed during a press conference Friday. He planned to become a &#8220;martyr&#8221; in the attack.
&#8220;He was preparing for Jihad and innocent people were going to die,&#8221; Russ Ferguson, the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, opened Friday&#8217;s presser.
&#8220;He was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals,&#8221; Ferguson said.
Sturdivant, who worked at a local Burger King, was previously on law enforcement&#8217;s radar in January 2022, when he was just 14-years-old and communicating on social media with an overseas ISIS member who instructed him to dress in all black, knock on people&#8217;s doors and attack them with a hammer, James Barnacle, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Charlotte, said Friday. He was stopped from carrying out the attack by his own family, Barnacle added. Sturdivant then underwent psychological care and did not face charges.
At the time, the FBI was told that Sturdivant &#8220;no longer had access to social media,&#8221; which they learned &#8220;wasn&#8217;t true&#8221; on Dec. 18, according to Barnacle.
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Sturdivant began reading ISIS websites, making TikToks before he reached out to an individual he believed was a member of the terrorist organization who turned out to be an undercover agent with the NYPD, with whom he &#8220;pledged his allegiance to ISIS&#8221; and &#8220;disclosed his plans to &#8216;do jihad soon,'&#8221; authorities said.
He later communicated with an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed was an ISIS operative, and shared &#8220;very specific&#8221; plans about where he planned to commit the attack and how he planned to do so.
He also asked the person for help obtaining firearms to execute his plans.
The FBI then executed a search warrant at the suspect&#8217;s residence, where they found hammers and knives that were hidden under his bed and notes showing his plans. His family previously hid knives from him in the home.
The alleged terrorist was arrested on New Year&#8217;s Eve as he was being released from a medical facility. He is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
&#8220;Without the swift action of the FBI, joint terrorism, task force, New York City, police department, the Mint Hill Police Department and our partners at the United States attorney&#8217;s office for the western district North Carolina, we could be announcing national tragedy. Instead, a terrorist attack was thwarted,&#8221; Barnacle said.
The planned attack comes just one year after Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed through a crowd celebrating the new year on New Orleans&#8217; Bourbon Street while displaying an ISIS flag on his vehicle. He killed 14 people and injured 57 others before local police took him out.
Din-Jabbar also placed bombs in the area, which failed to detonate.

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Feds Thwart ISIS-Inspired Terrorist Attack Planned In North Carolina

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Longtime NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family were among those killed in a plane crash on Thursday morning in Statesville, North Carolina, about 45 miles outside of Charlotte.
Representative Richard Hudson confirmed the news.
&#8220;I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them,&#8221; Rep. Hudson said.
Biffle&#8217;s close friend, Garrett Mitchell <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AMbpQWYR7/">said</a> the Biffles were flying to visit him when the plane crashed.
&#8220;Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane &#8230; because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I&#8217;m so sorry to share this,&#8221; Mitchell said.
Biffle&#8217;s daughter was a teenager, and their son had just turned five.
A source with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Wire there were a total of six passengers on board.
According to airport officials, the Cessna C550 airplane crashed while landing at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DkbX45b4h/">Statesville Regional Airport</a> around 10:15 a.m. <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2001696669822284016?s=20">Video</a> from witnesses showed the aircraft engulfed in flames near the runway. The crash caused a multi-agency response.
Flight tracking records showed a Cessna C550, registered to GB Aviation Leasing LLC, that took off from Statesville Regional Airport at 10:06 a.m. before turning around shortly after takeoff to head back to the airport. GB Aviation Leasing LLC is a private company linked to Biffle.
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Biffle was a longtime NASCAR driver, becoming one of only three drivers to win the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series. He was a nominee for the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Biffle was known for more than just his skills on the track. He was a humanitarian who helped out greatly when North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Biffle used his personal helicopter to take generators, chainsaws, water, and essential supplies needed to those in the impossible-to-reach regions devastated by the storm. He even helped raise more than $60,000 from t-shirt sales for western North Carolina relief efforts.
&#8220;They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others,&#8221; Rep. Hudson said. &#8220;He was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track.
Biffle said he loved anything with gas and wheels — it was evident in his love for aviation.
The private pilot flew out of the Statesville airport often. According to the city of Statesville’s website, the airport is city-owned and provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
Airport officials said in a press conference Thursday that the airport is shut down while debris is cleaned up. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. At this time, there is no official cause of the crash.

Credit: Jared Tilton/SRX/Getty Images

NASCAR Driver, Family Dead After Plane Crashes Near Charlotte

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It’s not even 2026 yet, but President Donald Trump is already headed to the swing state of North Carolina on Friday in the next stop in his affordability tour, where he is expected to tout his economic record and work to boost Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms.
The Tar Heel State faces a critical Senate race next year that will likely feature former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. North Carolina’s Senate race blew wide open when GOP Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would not seek re-election amid major disagreements with Trump.
“We are extremely excited to welcome President Trump back to North Carolina tomorrow,” Whatley told The Daily Wire on Thursday morning. “Under Joe Biden and Democrats like my opponent, Roy Cooper, inflation skyrocketed in our state and across the country. President Trump has been working tirelessly every single day to bring prices down, rein in out-of-control government spending, and undo the damage caused by Democrats’ reckless economic policies.”
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The Cook Political Report ranks the contest as a “toss-up” along with Senate races in Maine, Michigan, and Georgia.
In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-crime-could-tip-the-scales-in-north-carolinas-crucial-senate-race?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Illegal+Immigrant+Crime+Could+Tip+The+Scales+In+North+Carolina%E2%80%99s+Crucial+Senate+Race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, Whatley said that voters’ wallets will be one of the most significant issues in the midterms.
“We need the economy to be clicking. I think ultimately the economy is the most important factor when people vote, right? We need to create jobs, we need to raise wages, we need to lower costs,” he said earlier this month. “And the American people need to feel like we have a very strong economy. All signs right now are pointing towards us having a very strong, robust economy.”
Cooper’s campaign told The Daily Wire that he “has spent his career fighting for North Carolina families by lowering health care costs and keeping their communities safe,” while accusing Whatley of spending “decades at the beck and call of DC politicians delivering for billionaires and special interests at the expense of the middle class.”
As for the president, the first part of his tour was in Pennsylvania last week, and he also addressed the nation from the White House on Wednesday night with a focus on the economy. Most notably, he announced a $1,776 payout to qualifying American service members.

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Trump Targets Battleground North Carolina To Spotlight His Economic Record

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Doctors who perform transgender procedures on children across the globe may soon be unwelcome in the United States thanks to new legislation proposed by a North Carolina Republican.
Rep. Addison McDowell introduced a bill Thursday that would block the entry of foreign doctors who have put American children on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers or performed transgender surgeries on them. The proposal, first shared with The Daily Wire, would also bar the entry of foreign doctors who are members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a radical organization that has promoted transgender procedures for kids. 
“There is no reason Washington should look the other way while American kids are harmed overseas,” McDowell told The Daily Wire. “This bill draws a clear line – if you participate in the mutilation of American children, you are not welcome in this country.”
The push comes as there have been <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/families-say-leaving-us-anti-transgender-climate-rcna206560">reports</a> of parents leaving the United States with their children to pursue such procedures because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on radical transgender ideology. 
“This is about protecting kids, plain and simple,” McDowell added. “If a procedure is so extreme that it’s restricted in states here at home, we shouldn’t allow foreign actors to profit from it and then come back to the United States like nothing happened. American children deserve protection, not loopholes.”
Republican Reps. Tim Moore (NC), Josh Brecheen (OK), Randy Weber (TX), David Taylor (OH), and Marlin Stutzman (IN) are co-sponsoring the legislation, titled the “Protecting Children From Foreign Mutilation Act.”
&#8220;Foreigners who perform irreversible gender transition procedures on our children are not welcome here. Congress must continue our work to shield our children and families from falling victim to the Left&#8217;s gender ideology, and I&#8217;m proud to support the Protecting Children from Foreign Mutilation Act,” Taylor said.
The legislation would also bar entry into the United States from those who operated a clinic, hospital, or pharmacy that facilitated “chemical or surgical mutilations” of American citizens. It would also allow for revocations of current visas granted to pro-trans doctors and WPATH members. 
WPATH has long <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leading-transgender-health-association-releases-new-guidelines">faced criticism</a> over its Standards of Care policies, which have no minimum age recommendations for minors to obtain puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries like removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys. The standards also suggest that males under the age of 18 can have vaginoplasties, a procedure where a fake vagina is made using genital tissue.
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The bill would also create a reporting mechanism that allows people to report doctors or others who have facilitated these treatments, to aid the State Department in carrying out the ban. An exemption from visa restrictions would exist for whistleblowers who have spoken out against transgender procedures. 
If the bill becomes law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be required to produce a report detailing the actions being taken to enforce it and the number of doctors barred from entry under the act.
The legislation is backed by the American Principles Project, a conservative organization that fights for traditional American values. 
“Voters gave Republicans a mandate to fix the Democrats’ immigration mess and root out evil from our health care system,” American Principles Project President Terry Schilling told The Daily Wire. “The Protecting Children from Foreign Mutilation Act does both,” Schilling said. “American families deserve the very best care delivered by ethical doctors, not glorified butchers bearing dubious diplomas.”
The Department of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-to-cut-funding-from-all-hospitals-that-perform-trans-procedures-on-kids?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Admin+To+Strip+All+Federal+Funding+From+Hospitals+That+Perform+Trans+Procedures+On+Kids">moved</a> Thursday to cut off all funding from hospitals that do transgender procedures on kids. That came after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-nationwide-ban-on-trans-procedures-for-gender-confused-children?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=House+Passes+Nationwide+Ban+On+Trans+Procedures+For+Gender-Confused+Children">voted</a> Wednesday to ban transgender procedures on minors and punish doctors who perform the procedures.

Rep. Addison McDowell

‘Not Welcome’: Pro-Trans Foreign Doctors Could Soon Be Banned From The United States

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A North Carolina Republican hopes to close a loophole in a federal law that he says allows child predators to get away with making sexually explicit videos featuring young children. 
Congressman Mark Harris introduced <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Child-Predators-Accountability-Act-of-2025-Final-Text.pdf">legislation</a> on Monday that would allow predators to be punished for producing pornographic videos with children in the background, his office told The Daily Wire. He said that prosecutors sometimes have trouble bringing cases where a child may be seen in a pornographic video, but not engaged in an actual sexual act. 
“Protecting our children from sexual exploitation is one of the government&#8217;s most sacred duties — yet dangerous loopholes in federal law allow predators to evade justice and exploit minors,” Harris said. “We must act now to close these gaps, eliminate ambiguities, and equip law enforcement with tools to prosecute criminals fully and without excuse.”
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Harris&#8217;s office pointed to a <a href="https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/19-1005/19-1005-2020-08-03.pdf?ts=1596490236">decision</a> from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals where a man named Matthew Howard had two convictions of producing child pornography vacated on a technicality. 
“The videos in question do not depict a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; they show Howard masturbating next to a fully clothed and sleeping child. In other words, the videos are not child pornography,” the court said in an August 3, 2020 ruling. 
The court said that the government&#8217;s case against Howard stretched the &#8220;statute beyond the natural reading of its terms considered in context.&#8221;
Harris says his bill would clarify the law to classify those videos as child pornography, arguing they harm children regardless of how the child was involved. It would amend “federal law in three parts to ensure that videos intentionally depicting a minor in a sexually exploitative context – regardless of their role in the act – are treated as child exploitation under federal law,” his office said. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">WATCH: Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic</a>
Under the definitions put forth in the legislation, intentionally depicting a child in a sexually explicit video would come with a 15-year minimum prison sentence. The bill is titled the ‘‘Child Predators Accountability Act of 2025.&#8221;
“Congress must act now to strengthen our laws and deliver real protections, ensuring that criminals who use children in any sexually exploitative context face real justice,” Harris told The Daily Wire.

Vice President JD Vance Speaks In North Carolina

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Moves To Close ‘Loophole’ Letting Child Predators Off The Hook

Pornography

Sex Crimes

When twice-deported Honduran illegal immigrant Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia allegedly fatally stabbed a passenger on a North Carolina train, the incident immediately drew national attention.
&#8220;Another stabbing by an Illegal Migrant in Charlotte, North Carolina,&#8221; President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. &#8220;What&#8217;s going on in Charlotte? Democrats are destroying it, like everything else, piece by piece!!!&#8221;
But North Carolina had become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate well before Trump&#8217;s post. The Department of Homeland Security has been conducting “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in the region, which has yielded over 400 arrests so far, according to <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2025/12/03/425-arrested-operation-charlottes-web-federal-officials-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WBTV</a>.
Michael Whatley, a Republican Senate candidate in the state and the former Republican National Committee chairman, told The Daily Wire that immigration-related woes are no surprise, as the Biden-era crisis turned “every state, including North Carolina, into border states.”
The Republican is poised to face off against Democrat Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, in one of 2026&#8217;s most hotly competitive races If elected, the Republican said that “we need to make sure that ICE is going to be funded,” along with Border Patrol.
He also took a jab at Cooper, who left office at the start of this year, for his immigration stances. The Democrat vetoed House Bill 10 last November, which would have required sheriffs to work with ICE. His veto was <a href="https://dailytarheel.com/article/city-ncga-ice-regulations-sheriff-deportation-20241126">overturned</a> by the North Carolina General Assembly.
“He has set up a revolving door for criminals in North Carolina,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He is fighting harder for criminals and illegal aliens than for his own constituents as governor.&#8221;
“When we talk about going into the Senate, ultimately it&#8217;s a vote, and it&#8217;s going to be a vote for the president and his agenda, or it&#8217;s gonna be a vote for Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer and the rest of the card-carrying woke mob that Roy Cooper belongs to,” Whatley continued.
“Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough-on-crime laws and stricter bail and pretrial release rules as governor,&#8221; a Cooper campaign spokesman told The Daily Wire.
Whatley also pushed back on the notion that some Trump voters were surprised at how immigration enforcement was going to be conducted. On the campaign trail, signs even said “Mass Deportation Now.”
“The fact is, the American people voted for security. They voted for safe communities and safe kids, right? They voted to shut down the border. They voted to deport violent, criminal, illegal aliens,” Whatley said.
“President Trump made it very clear that that was his plan. So any voter who was voting on those issues knew that the president was going to be moving very forcefully to get this done. And that we&#8217;re seeing those protests and in a lot of different places is a little bit surprising to me,” he continued. “But you also have paid organizations that are out there, you know, fomenting these protests as a very real point.”
Whatley said that immigration is likely to be a top issue once again in 2026, along with the economy.
“We need the economy to be clicking. I think ultimately the economy is the most important factor when people vote, right? We need to create jobs, we need to raise wages, we need to lower costs,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And the American people need to feel like we have a very strong economy. All signs right now are pointing towards us having a very strong, robust economy.&#8221;

Lara Trump, Michael Whatley

Illegal Immigrant Crime Could Tip The Scales In North Carolina’s Crucial Senate Race

Immigration

The NFL’s first transgender-identifying cheerleader has been let go from the squad and is now blaming the organization for discriminating against him.
Justine Lindsay, who was previously a member of the Carolina Panthers squad, left the team in August after cheering for the organization since 2022, <a href="https://www.out.com/gay-athletes/justine-lindsay-nfl-transgender-fired">per</a> Out Magazine.
“I was cut because I’m trans. I don’t wanna hear nobody saying, ‘She didn’t wanna come back.’ Why the hell would I not wanna come back to an organization that I’ve been a part of for three years,” Lindsay told Gaye Magazine during an Instagram livestream, adding that he still has Panther pride despite the alleged discriminatory firing.
“I love them down. I appreciate everything that they’ve done for me, but I feel like I was done wrong,” he added. “It was like a big slap in the face to not only me, but for the youth. And this was right after Trump became president.”
“I was devastated. It stung. I was hurt,” he added.
The Carolina Panthers did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment.
Lindsay is planning to compete in the Miss International Queen pageant for trans-identifying men next year, and mentioned that during a statement ahead of this year’s NFL season.
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&#8220;For now, I’m focusing on my pageantry work and community involvement, striving to be recognized not just as an NFL cheerleader, but as someone making a positive impact, especially during these uncertain times,&#8221; he said in a statement in August.
&#8220;Being in the NFL was a stepping stone to get me where I need to be, and God is blessing me each and every day, giving me the breath to do the work and change lives. My focus is to educate and uplift the younger generation of leaders to focus on their dreams and goals. Don&#8217;t let a president who is delusional stop them from reaching their goals, whether they are trans, African American, not American, etc.&#8221;
Male cheerleaders became a topic of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fan-backlash-against-male-nfl-cheerleaders-intensifies-vikings-issue-statement">debate</a> ahead of this year’s NFL season as several were featured in promo videos for various teams, including the Minnesota Vikings.

Justine Lindsay

NFL’s First Ever ‘Trans’ Cheerleader Fired, Cries Discrimination: ‘Cut Because I’m Trans’

NFL's First Ever 'Trans' Cheerleader Fired, Cries Discrimination: 'Cut Because I'm Trans'

Cheerleaders

Discrimination

Football

Social Issues

Transgender

A mother is speaking out after learning that the alleged sex offender who preyed upon her 13-year-old daughter was an illegal immigrant set free by local authorities who chose not to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trump administration recently brought the case to light after launching mass deportation raids in Charlotte. While exposing local authorities for setting illegal immigrants free, the Department of Homeland Security highlighted the case of Costa Rican illegal immigrant Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez, 29, as one out of roughly 1,400 cases in Charlotte where local cops refused to honor federal immigration detainers.
&#8220;It&#8217;s hurtful that my child is a victim and they had this person and let him go,&#8221; the victim&#8217;s mother, Misha Rose, whose own father was deported from the United States after committing a crime, told WSOC.
&#8220;This is serious &#8230; we need justice, he needs to go,&#8221; she said as she fought back tears.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez was released after North Carolina authorities failed to honor the ICE detainer.
Castillo-Chavez, a criminal illegal alien from Costa Rica, was arrested for indecent liberties with child, first degree sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted… <a href="https://t.co/mVl6VSw73W">pic.twitter.com/mVl6VSw73W</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1991870683702247783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pineville police charged Castillo-Chavez in March with indecent liberties and other sex offenses after he allegedly began messaging the young victim online. But he later bonded out of custody.
&#8220;There was this message from this guy, and I was like, &#8216;Who is this?&#8217; and she was like, &#8216;Oh, that&#8217;s my friend, I just met him online.&#8217; And I looked at the messages, there were photos, there were messages that indicated he was like coming to pick her up, and I immediately just like dropped, like I fainted, like this is not happening right now,&#8221; Rose recalled.
The Department of Homeland Security said local authorities failed to honor their detainer request to hand over the illegal immigrant if he was to be released.
The Mecklenburg County sheriff&#8217;s office, however, claims that ICE made a request for advanced notice of Castillo-Chavez&#8217;s release, but never issued a formal detainer, according to WSOC. The sheriff&#8217;s office said they never notified federal immigration agents because there was no legal requirement in place.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its deployment of Border Patrol agents to Charlotte to clean up the mess created by sanctuary policies. The feds have already made over 200 arrests since the operation began over the weekend.
&#8220;Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said recently of the operation.
“There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t,&#8221; she said.
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Untitled design – 2025-11-21T100513.076

Mom Speaks Out After Charlotte Authorities Release Illegal Immigrant Who Preyed Upon Her Daughter

Mom Speaks Out After Authorities In Charlotte Let Go Predator Who Preyed Upon Her Daughter

Charlotte

Illegal Immigration

Sanctuary Cities

Trump and Russia are reportedly near a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, the administration is looking to overhaul SNAP, and Charlotte’s ICE presence is clearing roads and classrooms.
It’s Thursday, November 20, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ukraine-deal-emerges-snap-system-shakeup-11-20-25-member-exclusive">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ukraine-deal-emerges-snap-system-shakeup-11-20-25/id1576594336?i=1000737568672" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Peace In Ukraine At Last?</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ukraine-Peace-Plan.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is crafting a plan to end the war in Ukraine. According to a new report, officials are in talks to get both sides on board with a 28-point framework.
While few details of a potential deal have been made public, administration officials seem confident about it. <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/11/19/a-peace-deal-as-soon-as-this-week-00658623">Politico</a> quoted one official as saying, “What we are going to present is reasonable.”
The plan reportedly emerged from extensive talks between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The two ambassadors met in Miami last month and spent three days together on what a potential deal could look like.
According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/ukraine-peace-plan-trump-russia-witkoff">Axios</a>, Dmitriev came out of that meeting feeling like “the Russian position is really being heard.” He went on to describe the negotiations as &#8220;a much broader framework” that seeks to bring “lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine.”
What’s not so clear is how far talks have moved forward with Ukraine, or with European officials who may be interested in any potential peace deal–especially one that may involve security guarantees the Europeans have to provide for Ukraine.
The White House seems to think that Kiev and Europe will eventually accept the deal, though, as long as “flexibility” is shown, as one White House official put it.
When? Some reports suggest a deal could be on the table as soon as the end of this week. That might sound fast, but we have seen a lot of movement lately.
According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/top-army-officials-set-for-drone-focused-visit-to-ukraine-00658328" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other senior U.S. military officials traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who then traveled to Turkey to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about restarting peace talks with Russia.
Zelensky didn’t talk more of any deal in the works, though, and it’s worth noting that there have been times in the past when Zelensky hasn’t had trouble dissenting from the White House. His buy-in is necessary before a peace plan can move forward.
According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/trump-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-donbas">Axios</a>, part of the Trump administration’s plan includes asking Ukraine to trade some land for security guarantees–including some land that Russia does not currently control. That alone could be a sticking point for Ukraine.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">SNAP Waste, Fraud, And Abuse</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003177" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/SNAPs-Big-Reset.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has announced a complete overhaul of the food stamp program, promising to rein in fraud and abuse.
Rollins is changing a number of things, but most notably, her department is requiring current food stamp recipients to reapply for benefits. Currently, about 43 million people are in the SNAP program, about 12% of the population, and it costs taxpayers about $100 billion annually.
The department’s logic is that reapplying will reduce fraud and abuse, ensuring that benefits go to Americans who really need assistance.
Rollins said Americans know SNAP is “extremely corrupt” by the many anecdotal stories of fraud and waste. Videos have circulated on social media of people admitting to selling their benefits, or grabbing eye-popping grocery hauls for people who don’t seem very needy.
But, but, but: Without hard data, it’s impossible to know how much abuse is going on and where. Rollins has asked every state to share SNAP data to track down the fraud, but only 29 states, mostly Republican-led, have complied. 
“The number is closer to 186,000 deceased men and women who are receiving a check,” Rollins <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDLcYeSKxw">said</a>, based on the data the department has compiled so far. “500,000 people getting two times the benefits, individuals getting benefits in 4, 5, 6 different states – and those are just the red states.”
Rollins has said her department is suing to get SNAP data from remaining states, such as New York and California, and suggested the fraud and abuse will be even worse there.
SNAP to illegals? Despite the dearth of data on SNAP benefits, some evidence exists that points to illegal aliens receiving SNAP benefits.
A 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation, <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/article/major-study-finds-illegal-immigrants-collecting-taxpayerfunded-snap-benefits">analyzed</a> by The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), shows that, even though SNAP is restricted to applicants with legal status, potentially up to 4.5 million illegals are using SNAP. This is especially alarming since illegals are already permitted to use WIC, which is another welfare food program that’s a little more restrictive. 
CIS also found that 47% of all noncitizen households receive taxpayer-funded food assistance. And generally, about 60<a href="https://cis.org/Report/Welfare-Use-Immigrants-and-USBorn?utm_source=chatgpt.com">% of illegal immigrant households</a> use at least one major welfare program. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Charlotte Empties After ICE Raids</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003175" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Queen-City-ICE-Sweeps.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration’s immigration sweeps in Charlotte, North Carolina, have left schools with minimal attendance and roads free of traffic.
Charlotte is a place that doesn’t seem like a traditional hotbed for illegal immigration, but immigration raids are starting to expose it as one. What we&#8217;ve seen so far is that school attendance is down. Around 30,000 students did not show up to class in Charlotte Public Schools on Monday after the sweep started over the weekend.
Immigration raids have yielded about 200 arrests and put fear into other industries around the city. Traffic is down altogether, and some construction sites have been completely abandoned.
Why Charlotte: The raids have revealed the city to be a major hotspot for illegal immigrants.
Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security, more broadly, saw Charlotte as a sanctuary after the sheriff of Mecklenburg County ended its partnership with ICE in 2018. The sheriff said that he would no longer allow ICE to come into his jails to take in illegal immigrant criminals that were set to be released, effectively adopting a sanctuary policy similar to places such as New York City and Chicago, where ICE and Border Patrol have already been active.
With Charlotte, federal officials say that there were 1,400 illegal immigrants sitting in jails in the city that local authorities were refusing to hand over to ICE. Officials trying to clean up the mess have effectively said, ‘If you&#8217;re not going to help us, we&#8217;re going to take matters into our own hands.’ And that&#8217;s what has happened.
The commander of Border Patrol, Gregory Bovino, has said that the sweeps are yielding more collateral arrests. In other words, illegal immigrants who are with the violent illegal immigrant offenders that federal officials are targeting are being arrested alongside those violent aliens. 
According to Bovino, those aliens wrapped up in collateral arrests actually have more serious criminal histories than officials have seen in other cities where raids are happening.

11.20.25 MW

Morning Brief: Ukraine Deal Emerges, Food Stamps Fraud, & ICE Raids Spark Exodus In Charlotte

Morning Brief: Will Ukraine See Peace, Crackdown On SNAP, And Charlotte Empties Over ICE

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