St. Paul Democratic Mayor Kaohly Her made excuses for the protesters who crashed a church service on Sunday, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had effectively set the precedent by enforcing federal immigration law in &#8220;sacred&#8221; spaces like public schools.
Her, who was just elected mayor in November, spoke with CNN anchor Erin Burnett on Tuesday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;Erin Burnett Outfront,&#8221; and although she initially tried to claim that she did not support protesters disrupting Sunday worship services, she immediately pivoted to blame ICE for scaring the community to the point that they felt they didn&#8217;t have a choice.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: St Paul&#8217;s mayor, Kaohly Her, speaks for what is believed to be the first time publicly about the Christian church that was stormed in her city, days after it happened, when asked about it on CNN. Saying ICE lead the way by going into sacred places&#8230;
&#8220;I don’t ever… <a href="https://t.co/9xtmCwKqFa">pic.twitter.com/9xtmCwKqFa</a>
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/2013943896733024353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I will say that ICE has led the way in their charge of going onto school properties and detaining people from places that should be just as well kept sacred,&#8221; she began. &#8220;And so we responded the exact same way we would have at any place of worship.&#8221;
Her noted that local police had arrived at the scene, but then said that she could not make additional comments because the investigation was still ongoing. She once again declared that the situation would not have been handled any differently at any other place of worship.
Burnett asked then if Her&#8217;s claim — that ICE had effectively started the tit-for-tat — meant that she thought it was acceptable for the protesters to do the same.
&#8220;I don’t ever believe that it is OK for us to cross the line in which there are spaces in which people have certain rights and freedoms,&#8221; Her said, but immediately pivoted to add, &#8220;But I will say that if this government wants us to obey rule of law that they also need to follow that as well and that they cannot expect residents who are feeling terrorized and sieged to be operating under any different circumstances or any different rules than they are operating in.&#8221;

Kaohly Her, St. Paul, Minn. mayor-elect

St. Paul’s Democrat Mayor Makes Excuses For Church-Crashing Protesters

St. Paul Mayor Makes Excuses For Church-Crashing Protesters

Church

Don Lemon

Media

Minnesota

Politics

Protesters

From tax hikes and lax election laws to leaf blower bans and Second Amendment infringements, Virginia Democrats have wasted no time implementing their radical agenda upon returning to power.
With newly inaugurated Governor Abigail Spanberger at the helm, Virginia Democrats also control both chambers of the state legislature, meaning many items off their leftist wish lists could actually become law.
At the top of the agenda — and dominating the headlines — seems to be implementing some kind of wealth tax. Lawmakers have already introduced several competing bills that would create new tax brackets with steeper rates for high earners. One bill would nearly double the state income tax rate for Virginians who make over a million dollars a year.
As one prominent Virginia politics X account <a href="https://x.com/NoVA_Campaigns/status/2013073149265347033">noted</a>, these tax hikes could devastate family farms, small businesses, and sole proprietor companies, whose business profits can be taxed as part of their personal income tax returns.
Virginians can also expect to take a hit through a proposed investment income tax, which would levy a 3.8% tax on all income from investments, trusts, and estates beginning in tax year 2027.
Residents of the state will also likely face additional &#8220;sales and use&#8221; taxes, including one proposal to apply state sales tax rates to everything from gym memberships to home repairs and more.
At least two proposed tax bills seem designed to infringe upon Virginians&#8217; Second Amendment rights: one would levy an 11% tax on all firearms and ammunition, and another would implement a flat $500 tax on all firearm suppressors. Other bills would ban &#8220;assault weapons&#8221; and certain magazines, while one would ban the discharge of firearms — even on private property — unless the property in question measures at least five acres.
But taxes are just the tip of the iceberg. The Virginia legislature is also considering a number of bills that would make it difficult to root out voter fraud or increase transparency and election integrity.
One such bill would remove the deadline for receipt of all absentee ballots, and extend the deadline for curing ballots from noon on the third day after the election to one full week after Election Day. Another includes a provision that would allow absentee ballots to be &#8220;received, marked, and cast electronically through the internet.&#8221;
Other proposals would bar election officials from double-checking &#8220;machine-readable&#8221; ballots with a hand count and make it far more difficult for voters to challenge the legality of another voter&#8217;s registration.
In addition to the tax- and election-related bills, Democrats have bills teed up to make the state softer on crime and illegal immigrants while throwing the book at legal residents who only want to exercise their First Amendment rights or do a little bit of yard work.
One bill would <a href="https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086561.PDF">eliminate mandatory minimum sentences</a> for certain offenses, including but not limited to illegal sales of cigarettes and alcohol, &#8220;certain conduct punishable as involuntary manslaughter,&#8221; and violations of certain provisions of protective orders.
Two bills would help protect illegal immigrants in Virginia — one by barring officials from arresting illegal aliens in courthouses and another by fining employers who pay illegal aliens less than the established minimum wage. The latter bill does not fine businesses for employing illegal aliens.
The First Amendment is not safe either, as SB 137 would make it a crime to approach within eight feet of another person who is standing within 40 feet of an abortion clinic — even if both parties are still standing on public property.
A number of other bills have been proposed to promote a more &#8220;woke&#8221; Virginia, with one stripping tax-exempt status from any organization with ties to &#8220;Confederate&#8221; heritage. Another bill would officially change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples&#8217; Day, while yet another would ban gas-powered leaf blowers.
It&#8217;s unclear which of these bills will pass and whether or not Spanberger — who ran as a moderate — will sign them. But if these early days of Democratic rule are any indication, Richmond is about to get a whole lot bluer.

Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger Speaks At An Everytown For Gun Safety Rally

Virginia Democrats Get Right To Work Implementing Their Radical Leftist Agenda

Virginia Legislature Churns Out List Of New Bills Straight Out Of Every Democrat's Fever Dream

Democrat

Second Amendment

Virginia

Michele Tafoya, a longtime NFL sideline reporter turned political activist, is running for Senate in Minnesota, telling The Daily Wire her home state is at a &#8220;crisis moment.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve raised my family here and I love this place, and we are at a crisis moment in Minnesota, a crisis of leadership,&#8221; Tafoya said in an interview ahead of Wednesday&#8217;s launch. &#8220;These career politicians that have brought us to this place show no inclination of getting us out of it.&#8221;
Tafoya spent nearly four decades working in sports, most notably as the sideline reporter for Monday Night Football on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC. After she stepped away from NBC in 2022, Tafoya became a regular voice in the political sphere, launching a podcast where she discusses the issues of the day.
Now, Tafoya is stepping further into the political fray with a bid to replace retiring Democrat Senator Tina Smith. Minnesota, which has not had a Republican senator in 20 years, has become a political flashpoint following allegations of widespread fraud that occurred under Democrat Governor Tim Walz, and the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Hours before Tafoya officially launched her campaign, Vice President JD Vance announced that he would travel to Minneapolis to hold a roundtable on the ongoing fallout from Good&#8217;s death. The tense political climate and prospect of a formidable Democrat opponent — Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have both entered the race — pose a challenge for any Republican candidate. Tafoya says she&#8217;s ready.
&#8220;I have a willingness and a spine to do the hard work and really fight for all Minnesotans, and that&#8217;s what I will do in the Senate,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I bring new ideas to the mix and ask the tough questions, particularly about this fraud. We have to hold people accountable for this. This can&#8217;t just slip by anymore. This is right versus wrong, and we&#8217;re either going to choose the common sense that built this country or we&#8217;re going to choose corruption and craziness.&#8221;
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/02meCc00NNDMOBNl2fyvEbhQCnOJsMXfq01?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=eb58017e-7763-47e5-ab10-a94a092d25a2&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=1-20-2025%20Michele%20Tafoya%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F9b7b0bba-35b8-4b7f-a86d-46520d6c7cd0.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Tafoya has been critical of Walz amid the fraud scandal, and has also slammed Minnesota Democrats for adopting soft-on-crime policies.
&#8220;We have failed leadership that has led us to the chaos that we&#8217;re seeing. It has led us to the fraud and the circumstances in which we find ourselves,&#8221; Tafoya said. &#8220;We have a crisis of law enforcement. The local law enforcement here are not allowed to work with federal law enforcement, and that has resulted in some absolutely disastrous results.&#8221;
Tafoya told The Daily Wire she&#8217;s trading the gridiron for the GOP because she wants to see the Minnesota middle class thrive again.
&#8220;People are really struggling to make ends meet and we&#8217;ve had some good signs, like gasoline is at a five-year low and GDP is high, but 
healthcare is a mess and getting a college education costs a fortune,&#8221; Tafoya said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got rent and mortgage that is too high, and these things need to be corrected.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got fourth- and fifth-generation Minnesotans who love it here, who believe in this state,&#8221; she adds. &#8220;They don&#8217;t want to leave.&#8221;
Tafoya is proud of her political outsider status, but enters the race with a major ally in her corner: the National Republican Senatorial Committee for her campaign, led by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, has already endorsed her. That endorsement could help her emerge victorious from an already-crowded Republican field that includes former NBA player Royce White, former state Republican Party chair David Hann, and others.
Despite the challenges, Tafoya says she&#8217;s ready to fight — and win.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to have to reach every single Republican in Minnesota,&#8221; Tafoya says. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to have to reach Democrats as well and find people who are willing to cross the aisle.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a lot of independents here in Minnesota. Right now it&#8217;s about reaching out for those votes and working really hard for those votes.&#8221;

Credit: Roy Rochlin/Ethan Miller via Getty Images

Former NFL Reporter Michele Tafoya Enters Minnesota Senate Race

Michele Tafoya

News

Senate GOP

U.S. Senate

Joy Behar complained on Tuesday that it was time to &#8220;do something&#8221; about President Donald Trump — and she argued that just getting out in the streets to protest and even voting were not cutting it anymore.
Behar claimed that it was time for Trump to go, saying that Americans were just going to have to &#8220;step up&#8221; and make that happen, although she was largely unclear as to how that would work, logistically speaking.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The View calls for Congress to invoke the 25th Amendment (but they can&#8217;t). <a href="https://t.co/wOFHJgGWHp">pic.twitter.com/wOFHJgGWHp</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2013647217710477781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I think this is the end of it now for [President Trump]. It has to be. And Americans need to step up now. It&#8217;s not enough to go into the streets. It&#8217;s not enough to vote,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I believe that people need to start calling their congressmen and their Senators.&#8221;
&#8220;I mean, he has eroded civil rights at this point, he&#8217;s erasing history &#8230; he&#8217;s wrecking the economy, it&#8217;ll be decades before we get back to where we&#8217;re supposed to be, and he&#8217;s alienating us from our friends in NATO,&#8221; Behar claimed, as the cohosts voiced their agreement. &#8220;And all because he&#8217;s not getting his award.&#8221;
&#8220;You know, the shrinks call that a narcissistic injury,&#8221; Behar continued. &#8220;And that is what will get us into World War III because his ego is involved. And the only thing that Americans can do, including us, I mean, we have a forum here and we speak out.&#8221;
Behar went on to claim that people loved &#8220;The View&#8221; for exactly that reason — and she called on the audience to call their representatives and say, &#8220;It&#8217;s time to do something about this guy, because he&#8217;s leading us into World War III.&#8221;
Sunny Hostin followed Behar, claiming that Trump was only after Greenland because he wanted the rare earth minerals — and that people should take him seriously when he postured about taking the island nation by force.
Behar interrupted then, claiming that she blamed Congress because she believed the president was not well and held them responsible for failing to do something about it. The 25th Amendment was mentioned, but as Alyssa Farah Griffin pointed out, that would have to come from the president&#8217;s own cabinet.

Joy Behar

Joy Behar Says It’s Time To ‘Do Something About Trump,’ Complains Protests And Voting Aren’t Enough

Donald Trump

Protests

The View

Exactly one year into President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, the economy remains a top concern for voters, and the president believes his administration is doing enough to address so-called affordability issues, but is failing to promote that success to combat &#8220;fake news.&#8221;
Trump spoke to reporters in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, highlighting his biggest wins so far in his second term. <a href="https://x.com/PhilipWegmann/status/2013729430741365212">Asked</a> by RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Melanchthon Wegmann if economic woes are still pressing down on Americans or if the economy is a messaging issue for the White House, Trump replied, &#8220;A lot of people are listening to the fake news a little bit.&#8221;
&#8220;And I&#8217;m not blaming everybody. I blame ourselves,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;I think we&#8217;ve done a much better job than we were able to promote. We&#8217;re not promoting. We&#8217;re doing a great job and sort of letting the promotion take care of itself.&#8221;
&#8220;But if you look at prices, compared to a year or a year-and-a-half ago, you look at the Biden prices, they were way up through the sky,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;And they use the word &#8216;affordability,&#8217; they just say &#8216;affordability&#8217; and they don&#8217;t talk about it. They created the affordability problem, and we are solving it. We have solved a lot of it.&#8221;
Addressing the economy, along with immigration, have been the biggest issues for the president since he was sworn in last January. In his first year back in the White House, Trump has rewritten global trade with his unprecedented tariffs, which have resulted in billions of dollars of commitments from countries and companies to ramp up manufacturing in the United States.
It will take time before those commitments materialize, however, and in the meantime, Trump&#8217;s tariffs are hitting Americans&#8217; wallets in some cases. Grocery items such as beef, coffee, and some fruits jumped thanks to the president&#8217;s tariffs on nearly all foreign imports. After some concerning election results for Republicans in November, Trump began to more aggressively address the economy, and he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rolls-back-tariffs-on-dozens-of-food-imports-heres-what-will-be-affected">rolled back</a> tariffs on numerous grocery items and agricultural products.
Under Trump, other grocery items have dropped in price as inflation steadied around 3% for most of the past year. Egg <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eggs-us">prices</a> are down over 13% since last year and reached their lowest level since 2019, according to Trading Economics. <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/poultry">Poultry</a> prices have also dropped over 12% since last year. Gas prices nationwide have tumbled since Trump took office, with the current U.S. average down over 15 cents per gallon compared to this time last year, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/gas-prices-nudge-higher-remain-lower-than-last-year/">AAA</a>.
Trump made sure to mention the drop in gas prices during the briefing on Tuesday afternoon, saying, &#8220;Everybody in this room agrees that gasoline prices are way down. When that happens, everything else goes down.&#8221;
The Trump administration has also floated some other policies to address the economic pinch that many Americans are feeling, such as allowing Americans to tap into their 401k penalty-free to purchase a home. Last week, President Trump demanded that credit card companies cap interest rates at 10%, an idea that has been criticized by many conservatives. The administration has also promised that Americans would see massive tax refunds this year thanks to the president&#8217;s tax policies.

Trump Says Admin Isn’t Good At ‘Promoting’ Economic Success As Voters Hear ‘Fake News’

affordability

Economy

Executive

Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, are pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, the second lady announced on Tuesday.
The Vances put out a statement announcing that they are expecting their fourth child, a boy, to be born in July. The baby boy will join his three older siblings Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.
“We’re very excited to share the news that Usha is pregnant with our fourth child, a boy. Usha and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July,” the <a href="https://x.com/slotus/status/2013712959608946721">announcement</a> posted to Usha Vance’s social media pages said.
“During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” it continued.
The vice president, 41, and his wife, 40, have been married since 2014. With the birth of their new son, the couple will have joined a small club of presidents and vice presidents to have had a child while in office.
The couple received congratulations from across the administration after the announcement.
“The most pro-family administration in history!” the official White House X account <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2013714277740237237">posted</a>. “CONGRATULATIONS!”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard <a href="https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/2013726983885091115">shared</a> the news, saying, “Congratulations to our friends @JDVance and @SLOTUS on this wonderful news! Abraham and I are thrilled for you and your family.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote, “Congratulations, @VP and @SLOTUS! There is no greater joy than being a parent. Honored to work for an administration that puts family first!”

Vance family

‘Most Pro-Family Administration’: Vances Announce They Are Expecting Their Fourth Baby In July

JD Vance

Trump Administration

Usha Vance

A new poll indicates that the majority of Americans back President Donald Trump’s proposal to allow people to buy their own health insurance with direct funding from the government, as it is being mulled as a possible alternative to continuing Affordable Care Act subsidies.
OnMessage Public Strategies and the Insurance Watchdog Coalition asked 1,000 likely voters nationally their thoughts on a variety of health care issues from Jan. 15-18, including 59% who said they would back Trump’s health care pitch. A memo from the polling firm described it as a “center-right coalition” with that 59% being made up of 82% of Republicans and 51% of Independents. Twenty-eight percent opposed, 13% did not know or did not have an opinion.
Last week, Trump announced the “Great Healthcare Plan” pitch for Congress, as the president said in a video announcement last week that it “will truly make health care affordable again.”
The webpage for the policy states that it “stops sending big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments and instead sends that money directly to eligible Americans to allow them to buy the health insurance of their choice.”
Sixty-three percent of those polled said that health insurance companies should be the focus of policymakers “to solve the problems in health care” affecting them, with 13% saying pharmaceutical companies.
There was also 97% consensus on having “more transparency for health insurance companies so they can’t use secret rules or computer programs to decide who gets care and when” and that “health insurance pricing needs to be made more transparent so that patients know the cost for every appointment, procedure or prescription drug, allowing patients to make informed choices, driving down costs overall.”
In addition, 70% of those polled agreed with the premise that “health insurance companies should be forced to cover all drugs offered on the new government website without marking up the price,” in a specific reference to TrumpRx, a government website launched to help people find the lowest drug prices available for specific medications. Only 11% disagreed.
“While many Democrats believe that the issue of health care offers them political inroads, Republicans and the Trump Administration have the chance to go on offense with meaningful policy wins for voters as it relates to health insurance and have begun to do so,” the OnMessage memo stated.
Congress has been at odds over the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired at the end of 2025, with the House voting to extend the subsidies for three years with the support of a handful of Republicans through a discharge petition. Talks have been murkier in the Senate on the continuation of the subsidies, as ACA plan premiums rose significantly for many, as many conservatives have argued it serves as evidence that Obamacare was not a fiscal sound policy to begin with.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/20/congress/congress-clinches-health-deal-to-crack-down-on-drug-intermediaries-00736680" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> reported Tuesday that a bipartisan health care deal was achieved on some aspects of the debate, but not the subsidies.

President Trump Tours Ford Rouge Complex In Michigan

Exclusive: Majority Of Americans Back Key Element Of Trump’s ‘Great Healthcare Plan’

Congress

Health

Healthcare

Obamacare

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten named President Donald Trump the &#8220;kingmaker in chief,&#8221; at least when it came to his record on Republican primary endorsements.
Enten spoke with CNN anchor John Berman about Trump&#8217;s decision to back Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) in a potential primary match-up with incumbent Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and said that Trump was nearly undefeated in primaries featuring a candidate he&#8217;d endorsed.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump going with Julia Letlow over Cassidy in the Louisiana GOP Sen primary is a huge deal!
Trump&#8217;s the kingmaker GOP primaries (endorsees win 95%+ of the time). His approval rating with the GOP? ~90%!
When Trump goes against you, you go in the grinder to quote Good Burger. <a href="https://t.co/xPBi0swOiV">pic.twitter.com/xPBi0swOiV</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2013294448159957312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;President Trump is the kingmaker in Republican primaries, that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s such a big deal,&#8221; an animated Enten explained to Berman on Monday. &#8220;Take a look here: times Trump endorsees won GOP primaries, these are congressional and gubernatorial. In 2020, it was 98%; in 2022, it was 95%; in 2024, it was 96%.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump has the magic touch when it comes to endorsing in Republican primaries,&#8221; Enten continued. &#8220;And when he doesn&#8217;t endorse you, you go — to quote the great movie &#8216;Good Burger&#8217; — into the grinder!&#8221;
Trump offered his full-throated endorsement to Letlow via a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115913724519885202">Truth Social post</a> on Saturday, saying in part, &#8220;I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate.&#8221;
&#8220;As your next Senator, Julia will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Support our Amazing Farmers and Fishermen, Champion Louisiana Oil &amp; Gas, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,&#8221; Trump added.
Letlow has not officially launched a Senate campaign, but is reportedly considering a run.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-GOP

‘Kingmaker In Chief!’: CNN Pollster Says Trump Has 95% Win Rate In Primary Endorsements

'Kingmaker In Chief!': CNN Pollster Says Trump Has 95% Win Rate In Primary Endorsements

Harry Enten

Polls

Republican Primary

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to acquire Greenland for the United States, and while his administration has insisted the goal is a negotiated purchase of the strategically-located island from Denmark, critics in the media and the Democratic Party have nonetheless suggested he will use the military to take the island by force.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
The renewed furor over Greenland began with a Saturday <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115911344443637897">Truth Social post</a> from the president leveraging tariffs against a number of European nations until an agreement is reached for the United States to purchase it.
&#8220;The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades,&#8221; Trump said.
Following a week of military buildup in Greenland — as European nations attempt to help Denmark shore up defenses against a U.S. invasion that the Trump administration has repeatedly stated is not coming — anchors and guests across the legacy networks discussed the fate of the island nation as if an invasion was imminent.
Anchor Jonathan Karl raised the question with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; asking what he made of the president&#8217;s rhetoric regarding gaining control of Greenland.
&#8220;I want to put your foreign affairs hat on — what do you make of what&#8217;s going on with the president and Greenland? And how he&#8217;s slapped tariffs on eight of our allies in Europe? He&#8217;s not rolling out military force to get Greenland?&#8221; he asked, his tone almost one of disbelief.
McCaul quickly pointed out the fact that American presidents had considered Greenland to be a strategic purchase since the United States acquired Alaska, adding, &#8220;It is very strategic right now from a national security standpoint against China and Russia. But in 1951 we signed a treaty with Denmark that allows us full access to Greenland — to protect Greenland, and this was after World War II — President Truman initially was involved and then President Eisenhower.&#8221;
&#8220;The fact is, the president has full military access to Greenland to protect us from any threats,&#8221; McCaul added, noting that Trump could increase the American military presence in Greenland without the United States officially taking ownership of the territory. &#8220;If he wants to purchase Greenland, that&#8217;s one thing. But for him to militarily invade would turn Article 5 of NATO on its very head, in essence, put us at war with NATO itself.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GOP Rep. Michael McCaul on President Trump’s proposed action in Greenland: “If we want to put more military in there, we can, we don&#8217;t have to invade it. If you want to buy it, that&#8217;s fine. But I don&#8217;t see a willing seller right now.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/XjdJpMxs7P">https://t.co/XjdJpMxs7P</a> <a href="https://t.co/VuenM5BGQA">pic.twitter.com/VuenM5BGQA</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2012910723244888229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Karl also brought in Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to discuss the situation, and he immediately accused the president of an attempted land grab with regard to Greenland.
&#8220;Donald Trump wants to get his hands on the minerals and other resources of Greenland, just like the real reason he went into Venezuela had nothing to do with stopping drugs from coming,&#8221; he claimed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Chris Van Hollen calls President Trump’s pursuit of Greenland a “land grab.”
“Donald Trump wants to get his hands on the minerals and other resources of Greenland, just like the real reason he went into Venezuela had nothing to do with stopping drugs from coming.” <a href="https://t.co/c1JOw3UudA">pic.twitter.com/c1JOw3UudA</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2012916694298079330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) also joined Karl on Sunday morning, and she argued that it would be unfair to the people of New Jersey for Trump to spend federal funds — some of which come out of her state — on a strategic purchase like Greenland.
&#8220;There is not one person in New Jersey that wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Gee, I hope today&#8217;s the day that the president dumps billions of dollars into buying Greenland,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“There is not one person in New Jersey that wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Gee, I hope today&#8217;s the day that the president dumps billions of dollars into buying Greenland.”
NJ Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill criticizes President Trump’s use of federal funds. <a href="https://t.co/jWAURz3lDw">pic.twitter.com/jWAURz3lDw</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2012931291994350023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) threatened a vote on a bill that would prevent Trump from using federal funds to exert control over Greenland — and claimed that there was no threat to Greenland from Russia or China. Ignoring the fact that the Trump administration&#8217;s assertion is that the three is not to Greenland but to the United States – and that Greenland, protected solely by Denmark, is the weak link in the security chain — Warner claimed that the only actual threat to Greenland was coming from Donald Trump.
&#8220;There is no current security threat from Russia or China to Greenland. The only security threat to Greenland right now is the United States,&#8221; he told &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; anchor Margaret Brennan on CBS News.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he would “of course” vote in support of a bill proposed by Sens. Shaheen and Murkowski that would prohibit the use of federal funds to assert control over the territory of a NATO state. But Warner tells… <a href="https://t.co/bzXWVgwf23">pic.twitter.com/bzXWVgwf23</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2012934974203199978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Brennan also ran with a new CBS News poll that showed Americans were largely opposed to possible U.S. military action in Greenland, and worried that such action would likely &#8220;create more instability in the world.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
There’s widespread bipartisan opposition to the prospect of U.S. military action in Greenland, with many Americans saying the implications would create more instability in the world, a new CBS News poll finds. <a href="https://t.co/a6pikO0swy">https://t.co/a6pikO0swy</a> <a href="https://t.co/EnQZgoFnpP">pic.twitter.com/EnQZgoFnpP</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2012942648055566729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CNN, anchor Jake Tapper brought in former Vice President Mike Pence to push back on Trump&#8217;s apparent plan. Pence argued that while it was perfectly reasonable to look at Greenland as a strategic objective, the issue was how President Trump might go about bringing Denmark to heel.
&#8220;Well, look, I think it&#8217;s a question right now, Jake, not of what the president&#8217;s trying to accomplish, but how? And I have concerns about using what I think is a questionable constitutional authority, imposing unilateral tariffs on NATO allies to achieve this objective,&#8221; he explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former Vice President Mike Pence questions President Trump threatening new tariffs on allies over Greenland:
&#8220;Well, look, I think it&#8217;s a question right now, Jake, not of what the president&#8217;s trying to accomplish, but how? And I have concerns about using what I think is a… <a href="https://t.co/2MYQrcpZTb">pic.twitter.com/2MYQrcpZTb</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2012896195752968501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) rounded out the conversation with Tapper by complaining about the use of federal funds to gain a strategic foothold in the Arctic.
&#8220;The idea that we&#8217;re going to waste money for everything we want is the dumbest decision we can make. The only person who can make a decision this dumb is someone who could let a casino go under, and guess who is President right now?&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego on Trump&#8217;s push to acquire Greenland:
&#8220;The idea that we&#8217;re going to waste money for everything we want is the dumbest decision we can make. The only person who can make a decision this dumb is someone who could let a casino go under, and guess… <a href="https://t.co/uubEY1KMMC">pic.twitter.com/uubEY1KMMC</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2012901242503127129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Spin Cycle: As Trump Escalates On Greenland, Media Speculates

ABC News

CBS News

Greenland

NBC News

The Trump administration&#8217;s top auto policy officials on Saturday touted federal efforts to lower car prices by eliminating vehicle emissions regulations, as affordability remains a key concern among Americans.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer toured the annual Detroit Auto Show to wrap up a two-day Midwestern swing that included stops at a Ford truck factory and Stellantis Jeep plant in Ohio on Friday.
The administration has aggressively rolled back electric vehicle rules from former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.
Duffy said the rules &#8220;will bring car prices down and allow car companies to offer products that Americans want to buy.&#8221;
He added, &#8220;this is not a war on EVs at all &#8230; We shouldn&#8217;t use government policy to encourage EV purchases all the while penalizing combustion engines.&#8221;
President Donald Trump is grappling with economic headwinds a year after taking office and ahead of November&#8217;s midterm ⁠elections, having campaigned on quickly fixing higher prices for American consumers.
Average new car transaction prices hit a record $50,326 in December as Americans bought more pricey trucks and SUVs, research firm Cox Automotive said, while automakers are offering fewer entry-level vehicles.
Trump signed legislation last year eliminating a $7,500 EV tax credit, rescinding California&#8217;s EV rules and cancelling penalties for automakers not meeting fuel efficiency requirements.
Zeldin said the government &#8220;should not be forcing, requiring, mandating that the market go in a direction other than what the American consumer is demanding.&#8221;
Automakers also face steep tariffs imposed by Trump on imported vehicles and parts. Despite the EV policy changes and new tariffs, new U.S. vehicle sales rose 2.4% in 2025 to 16.2 million vehicles.
Democrats say auto tariffs and efforts to eliminate EV incentives will harm consumers. But Greer said car prices are trending down and &#8220;whatever effects those tariffs may have on various parts of the supply chain, they&#8217;re not really getting down to the consumer.&#8221;
Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at environmental activist group NRDC, criticized the administration&#8217;s auto policies. &#8220;The oil industry will rake in billions more from cash-strapped Americans who can&#8217;t afford to spend more to fuel up their car or truck.&#8221;
In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed rolling back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards that had prodded auto companies to build more EVs to comply. The EPA is also expected to finalize a rule in the coming weeks eliminating vehicle tailpipe emissions requirements.
USDOT estimates its proposal would reduce average up-front vehicle costs by $930, but increase fuel consumption by as much as 100 billion gallons through 2050, and cost Americans up to another $185 billion for fuel.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in DetroitEditing by Rod Nickel)

Cars

Trump Admin Touts Push To Lower Car Prices, De-Emphasize EVs

Electric cars

Without support from a single House Democrat, Republican Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil’s “Stop Insider Trading Act” passed the House Administration Committee and will move on to the House floor for consideration.
If enacted, the bill would restrict members of Congress from buying individual securities and would require notice seven to 14 days before a sale. Lawmakers would be able to continue to buy index and mutual funds, as well as continue investing dividends in previously purchased securities.
Democrats continue to argue that the bill is not strong enough, with many stating that trading should be banned entirely and that lawmakers should be required to fully divest before taking office.
Throughout the two-hour markup, Democratic House reps proposed amendments. Ranking member Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) proposed requiring “Congress and the President and the Vice President” to fully divest. Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) offered a similar amendment that would mandate full divestment without providing relief from capital gains taxes.
Steil pushed back, warning that mandatory divestment could discourage qualified candidates from seeking office.
“Under the amendment offered by our colleague from Texas, that [capital gains tax] would obviously continue to apply &#8230; [and] for some people that may be a very significant financial impact,” he said.
He added that the financial burden could lead “some individuals … to not come to Congress — and not because they did anything wrong, but because they had a successful private sector career.”
Chris Josephs, the co-founder of Autopilot, an app that allows average Americans to trade the same stocks Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) trades, previously voiced the same concerns to The Daily Wire about legislation requiring full divestment.
“I think it would demotivate a major class of successful people from running,” Josephs said. “Businesspeople are successful. They know how to run things. They know how to lead. They know how to hire. They know how to create strategies. They know how to execute on those strategies. We should not just say no to those potential candidates just because they own businesses and they&#8217;re not gonna sell.”
Josephs told The Daily Wire he suspected that the 2024 election would have looked drastically different with full divestments in place.
“The 2024 election, you got Trump and Vance. Vance is an ex-venture capitalist, ex-business guy. He owns a lot of individual stocks that are private. And then you’ve got Trump, who owns a lot of stuff. On the other side of the ticket, though, you’ve got Kamala, who&#8217;s a career-long politician. You’ve got Tim Walz, who proudly doesn&#8217;t even own a house. And if that bill were to be passed, just based on how that would work, Trump and Vance wouldn&#8217;t be allowed to run unless they sold their stuff, which I doubt they would have.”
After full-divestment amendments were rejected, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) introduced an amendment to prohibit the reinvestment of dividends. Republicans voted it down, keeping dividend reinvestment permissible under the bill.
Steil defended the decision, arguing that dividend payments do not pose the same insider trading risks.
“Those dividends are structured within the company with advanced notice, outside of the control of any given member. It doesn&#8217;t carry the risk of insider trading,” he said. “Because it doesn&#8217;t carry the risk of insider trading, what we allowed for was the reinvestment of dividends.”
He later emphasized the bill’s intent, saying, “The focus here is to prevent members from being able to profit off of insider information — not to make elected officials poor.&#8221;

House Dems Save Healthcare Presser

GOP Advances Bill To Stop Congress From Trading Stocks Without Any Dem Support

Insider Trading

Money In Politics

Nancy Pelosi

Just months after California was rocked by violent anti-ICE riots, California Governor Gavin Newsom claims that his state “cooperates” with federal immigration authorities.
Newsom made the statement during an interview with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Ben Shapiro, who pressed him on California’s sanctuary state status and his history of anti-ICE rhetoric. Most recently, Newsom’s press office <a href="https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2009067671124627833">suggested</a> that the shooting of a woman driving her car toward an ICE agent in Minneapolis was “state-sponsored terrorism.”
“We work very directly with ICE as it relates to [California prisons]. California has cooperated with more ICE transfers than probably any other state in the country. And I’ve vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that have come from my legislature to stop the ability for the state of California to do that,” Newsom said.
“ So when it comes to the issues of violent criminals, when it comes to felons, people that are being released from the largest state system in the United States of America, California cooperates with ICE,” he added.
While Newsom told Shapiro that California prisons had handed over 10,000 illegal alien felons to ICE, the data during his tenure as governor tell a different story.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> REFUSES to tell <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benshapiro</a> if he thinks boys can become girls:
Shapiro: &#8220;The fundamental question&#8230;is the question that you&#8217;re not wanting to answer, which is whether boys can become girls.&#8221;
Newsom: &#8220;Yeah…I think…I&#8217;m for the grace of God…Yeah.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Lse5fNw3SY">pic.twitter.com/Lse5fNw3SY</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2011954165728047375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a href="https://cis.org/Vaughan/Which-Sanctuary-Jurisdictions-Have-Released-Most-Criminals">According</a> to the Center for Immigration Studies, from October 1, 2022, to February 6, 2025, 52% of all ICE detainers — requests for local law enforcement to hold illegals arrested for crimes — were in California. The total number was over 13,000, well over the next highest total of 2,946 (Illinois).
Newsom also talked tough on handing over violent offenders, but during that same time, law enforcement in his state released at least 29 illegals facing homicide charges or convictions. Additionally, local law enforcement have pointed to state sanctuary city policies for hamstringing their ability to reach out to ICE when they arrest illegal aliens for crimes.
During his interview with Shapiro, Newsom admitted that it was a “fair” criticism to knock his press office for accusing ICE of committing terrorism and criticized calls from fellow Democrats to completely abolish the agency.
Newsom’s admission came after Shapiro told him his office accusing ICE of terrorism “makes our politics worse” and “our ICE officers are obviously not terrorists.”
After the Minneapolis shooting, Newsom claimed that ICE was acting as President Donald Trump’s “personal police force” and had “rampaged” America.
“His administration has driven extremism and cruelty while discarding basic safeguards and accountability,” Newsom <a href="https://x.com/CAgovernor/status/2009049140689313876">claimed</a>. “His reckless crackdown must end.”
In September, Newsom signed legislation aimed at barring ICE officers from wearing masks while they conduct operations. The bill came as ICE officers have faced a surge in harassment, assaults, and violent threats.
That law came after Los Angeles was rocked by violent riots as law enforcement officers were attacked and vehicles were burned after ICE started conducting operations in the area. The riots prompted President Trump to send in the National Guard to protect federal operations.
Newsom <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/07/100856/">claimed</a> that the move was “purposefully inflammatory” and would “erode public trust.” Those riots ended up costing more than $30 million, including more than $1.4 million in property damage.

MixCollage-15-Jan-2026-03-32-PM-9857

Months After Violent Riots, Gavin Newsom Tells Ben Shapiro That ‘California Cooperates With ICE’

Ben Shapiro

Gavin Newsom

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Menu