Texas Republicans proposed a new congressional map Wednesday that would create five new GOP-leaning districts in a move to maintain the party’s slim House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The redistricting plan targets districts in South Texas with growing Hispanic Republican support and aims to solidify the party&#8217;s slim House majority. If passed, the new lines would flip the Texas delegation from 25-13 in favor of the GOP to 30-8.
President Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trumps-texas-sized-redistricting-dreams-politics-desk-rcna218981">advocated</a> for the redistricting effort earlier this month, pushing for &#8220;a very simple redrawing&#8221; to &#8220;pick up five seats.&#8221;
Under the proposal, several Democratic incumbents would have their districts carved up or eliminated. 
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TEXAS GOP PROPOSE CONGRESSIONAL MAP ELIMINATING 5 DEMOCRATIC SEATS <a href="https://t.co/zUgfKjHG0c">pic.twitter.com/zUgfKjHG0c</a>
&mdash; NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsWire_US/status/1950565448942068074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Representatives Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, who narrowly won reelection in 2024 despite Trump carrying both districts, would see their districts redrawn to favor Republicans by 10-point margins. The map also <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/new-congressional-texas-map-redistricting-00483086?utm_content=politico/magazine/Politics&amp;utm_source=flipboard">eliminates</a> three Democrat-held seats in San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas, replacing them with districts that Trump won by 15 or more points.
In Houston, leftist Rep. Al Green&#8217;s Ninth Congressional District would be combined with the vacant Democratic-held 18th, creating a new 61% Hispanic district further east that Trump would have carried by 15 points, according to Politico.
Cook Political Report Senior Editor &amp; Elections Analyst Dave Wasserman identified a &#8220;clear&#8221; Republican strategy shown in the new map.
&#8220;Bottom line: it&#8217;s clear what Republicans&#8217; strategy is here. Create as many solid Trump seats as possible while *increasing* the number of Hispanic-majority seats by population, even though Hispanic *voters* will be well south of 40% of the electorate in several of them,&#8221; Wasserman <a href="https://x.com/Redistrict/status/1950575922903654900">said</a> on X.
Democrats have vowed to fight the redistricting effort on multiple fronts. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is set to meet Texas Democratic lawmakers in Austin to discuss potential responses, including the possibility of denying Republicans a quorum by walking out of the special session.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened retaliatory action, suggesting he would redraw his state&#8217;s maps to counter the GOP&#8217;s Texas plan — a move that would require bypassing California&#8217;s independent redistricting commission.
&#8220;Donald Trump asks for 5 seats and Greg Abbott automatically bends the knee. The 2026 election is being rigged,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1950575761448124564">posted</a> on X. &#8220;California won&#8217;t sit back and watch this happen.&#8221;
Vice President JD Vance responded, blasting California&#8217;s already &#8220;outrageous&#8221; gerrymander.
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The gerrymander in California is outrageous. Of their 52 congressional districts, 9 of them are Republican. That means 17 percent of their delegation is Republican when Republicans regularly win 40 percent of the vote in that state. 
How can this possibly be allowed?
&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1950581570173354396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Texas legislature will consider the plan during a 30-day special session ending August 19. The redistricting committee is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the proposed map this Friday.

President Trump Tours Devastation In Texas After Deadly Flash Flooding

Texas Republicans Drop New Congressional Map That Would Flip 5 Democrat Seats Red

2026 Midterms

Congress

Gavin Newsom

Greg Abbot

News

Politics

Redistricting

Texas

A city councilman from Danville, Virginia, was doused in gasoline and set on fire in a horrific attack on Wednesday, multiple reports have confirmed.
Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, was allegedly attacked by Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29 — who has since been placed under arrest — in the offices of Showcase Magazine. Hayes, according to the outlet&#8217;s publisher and local law enforcement, dumped a five-gallon bucket of gasoline over Vogler — and when Vogler ran out of the building, Hayes followed and set him on fire.
Vogler was able to identify his attacker at the scene and was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment. &#8220;Lee is awake and talking, and is en route to the burns center in Lynchburg,&#8221; Andrew Brooks, publisher of Showcase Magazine, said in a statement.
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&#8220;Our hearts and prayers are with him. We don’t really know what to say,&#8221; Brooks added.
According to multiple reports, Vogler and the suspect knew each other prior to the attack, and the motive is not believed to be political.
&#8220;Please join me in praying for Councilman Lee Vogler and for his family. We stand with Danville and support a full investigation into this attack. Violence is never the answer and must be condemned,&#8221; Lt. Governor Winsome Sears responded to the attack with a call for prayer — and an investigation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Please join me in praying for Councilman Lee Vogler and for his family. We stand with Danville and support a full investigation into this attack.
Violence is never the answer and must be condemned.
— Lt. Governor of Virginia &#8211; Winsome Earle-Sears (@WinsomeSears) <a href="https://twitter.com/WinsomeSears/status/1950629561580048601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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John Reid, who is running to be Virginia&#8217;s next Lt. Governor, added, &#8220;What happened in Danville is horrifying. A deranged individual broke into the offices of Showcase Magazine and set City Councilman J. Lee Vogler on fire. Let me say this as clearly as I can: Violence has no place in our Commonwealth. No disagreement ever justifies hatred, threats, or brutality.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, we stand with J. Lee Vogler. We are praying for his full recovery, for strength in the days ahead, and for peace for his loved ones and the entire Danville community. This is about humanity. It’s about drawing a line and saying, &#8216;Enough.&#8217; We can disagree without dehumanizing. We can debate without descending into chaos. Virginia is better than this. And we all have a role to play in keeping it that way,&#8221; he continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What happened in Danville is horrifying. A deranged individual broke into the offices of Showcase Magazine and set City Councilman J. Lee Vogler on fire.
Let me say this as clearly as I can: Violence has no place in our Commonwealth. No disagreement ever justifies hatred,…
— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnReid4VA/status/1950612773249208617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lee Vogler

Virginia City Councilman Doused In Gasoline, Set Aflame In Horrific Attack

attack

Fire

Virginia

CNBC hosts Joe Kernen and Rick Santelli tag-teamed a roast of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) after the second quarter economic numbers came back stronger than expected.
Kernen led the charge, first talking about the positive changes in the economy and then using that to bash Warren for repeatedly claiming — even in the face of evidence to the contrary — that the United States economy was heading into doom and gloom because of President Donald Trump.
WATCH:
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🚨 LMAO! CNBC is currently MOCKING the CRAP out of Democrats and Elizabeth Warren after the latest inflation and strong GDP report.
&#8220;The left, the people who don&#8217;t like the president, don&#8217;t want things to work. Senator Elizabeth Warren will come on and say, &#8216;Inflation is OUT OF… <a href="https://t.co/hz79jZZ9m7">pic.twitter.com/hz79jZZ9m7</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1950544074311688203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Left, and the people who don&#8217;t like the president, and don&#8217;t want things to work, you know, like Senator Elizabeth Warren, will come on and say, &#8216;Inflation is out of control, and the economy is getting killed by what&#8217;s happening, by these tariffs!&#8221; Kernen began. &#8220;This three percent, with the market at new highs — and really, we haven&#8217;t seen inflation go up back to three percent, maybe it will this week and we&#8217;ll see it.&#8221;
&#8220;But none of these things, none of these horrible things have happened, but they still talk like it&#8217;s happening. It&#8217;s amazing!&#8221; Kernen continued.
&#8220;There&#8217;s an important lesson there,&#8221; Rick Santelli added. &#8220;Don&#8217;t pick a congressman to be your money manager, that&#8217;s what I would say. In the end, Congress has their own reasons to point out certain things, and the Democrats, as you pointed out, really don&#8217;t want to see the current administration have some success, but there&#8217;s no doubt that this is some success.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re seeing more horsepower, we&#8217;re seeing better equities, inflation — inflation really hasn&#8217;t changed much in the last year or so,&#8221; Santelli concluded.
Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chuck-schumer-gaslights-senate-with-his-take-on-q2-numbers-you-dont-see-what-you-see">Chuck Schumer</a> gave an example in real time of what Kernen had described, taking to the Senate floor on Wednesday to claim that despite the strong second quarter numbers, doom and gloom lay &#8220;under the hood.&#8221;

Elizabeth Warren

CNBC Hosts Use Economic Numbers To Roast Elizabeth Warren

CNBC

Donald Trump

Economy

Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday that she will not run for governor in her home state of California — and while she did not rule out any future campaign plans, she hinted that, at least &#8220;for now,&#8221; her place was not in any elected office.
Harris commented, &#8220;My statement on the California governor&#8217;s race and the fight ahead&#8221; — as she shared her announcement in a post on X.
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My statement on the California governor&#8217;s race and the fight ahead. <a href="https://t.co/HYzK1BIlhD">pic.twitter.com/HYzK1BIlhD</a>
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1950633431945379888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Over the past six months, I have spent time reflecting on this moment in our nation&#8217;s history, and the best way for me to continue fighting for the American people and advancing the values and ideals I hold dear,&#8221; Harris said in a statement, going on to say that she valued her time in the multiple elected offices she&#8217;s held — from California Attorney General to Vice President — and planned to continue working as &#8220;a public servant.&#8221;
&#8220;In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their governor. I love this state, its people, and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,&#8221; she announced.
She went on to say that she planned to continue supporting other Democrats as they ran for office, adding, &#8220;For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office. I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans.&#8221;
Harris did not mention the possibility of a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/kamala-harris-wont-run-for-california-governor-00484884">second run</a> at the White House in 2028, but rumors have swirled about that possibility since she lost her 2024 bid to President Donald Trump. Her decision not to run for California Governor may fuel more speculation on that topic — and it certainly changes the landscape for potential gubernatorial candidates in California, many of whom were expecting her to enter the race.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Will Not Run For Governor In California

California

A Senate panel on Wednesday advanced a bill that seeks to prohibit members of Congress, presidents, and vice presidents from trading or holding individual stocks — although the ban would not force a full divestment for current office holders until if and they win and start another term.
Part of an effort led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), the legislation passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8-7 vote. Democrats joined with Hawley in supporting the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26036909/s-1498-hawley-substitute-as-modified-wal25677.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a>, while the rest of the Republicans opposed it.
“Americans have watched politicians earn a fortune using information not available to the general public while the average family struggles to get by. It&#8217;s just wrong,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Members of Congress should be focused on delivering results for their constituents, not returns on investments. It&#8217;s time to find out where members stand. It&#8217;s time we restore trust in Congress and ban all members from trading and holding stocks.&#8221;
Featuring a name <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/29/opinion/pelosis-prime-profits-prove-its-time-to-ban-congress-stock-trading/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her strong performance in the stock market, the bill initially offered by Hawley sought to keep just lawmakers and their spouses from stock picking, but allow for investment in diversified mutual funds, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Treasury bonds. President Donald Trump even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sen-hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-curb-congressional-stock-trading-trump-signals-approval" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> he would sign the legislation.
A change was later offered to add the president and vice president to the ban, part of what Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/29/white-house-lobbies-hawley-stock-trading-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> to be Hawley&#8217;s bid to gain Democrat support. But with the White House raising Article II concerns, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ultimately approved a version that bars only current office-holders from stock trading if they get elected to another term — effectively giving Trump a pass, given he&#8217;s in his second term. Still, that was enough for the Democrats.
&#8220;The American people think ALL politicians, Democrats and Republicans, use our position to enrich ourselves,&#8221; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1950599974686691459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in a post on X. &#8220;Today, we sent a bill to the Senate floor that bans Members of Congress, the President, and VP from trading stocks. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good first step, and we should pass it into law.&#8221;
Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congressional-stock-trading-ban-clears-senate-committee-republicans-arguing-insults-2025-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that even though full divestment from individual stocks would not be required immediately, it would prevent Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and lawmakers from buying stocks right way and, 90 days after enactment, disallow them from selling stocks.
Now the legislation heads to the full Senate, where the GOP has a 53-seat majority.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he opposed exempting Trump because he believes &#8220;everybody should be treated fairly.&#8221; He also bemoaned how it excluded the courts and staff of office-holders.
Another Republican on the panel, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfalT1gSTbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">derided</a> what he called &#8220;legislative demagoguery.&#8221; He noted that insider trading laws and financial disclosure rules already exist. In addition, Johnson warned the measure would &#8220;make it very unattractive&#8221; for people to run for office, particularly those with business experience.
There is GOP support for a congressional stock trading ban in the House. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has signaled that she will <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950317068911263752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">force</a> a vote.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be banned from trading individual stocks because their access to privileged, nonpublic information creates unavoidable conflicts of interest that erode public confidence in government,&#8221; Luna <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950589449600929876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
&#8220;As lawmakers, we receive classified briefings, shape economic policies, and interact with industry leaders, giving us insights that can influence stock prices. Even if no laws are broken, the appearance of profiting from this access fuels distrust among Americans,&#8221; she added. &#8220;The American people do not trust the US government and banning stock trading is a step forward to building that trust.&#8221;

Sen. Josh Hawley

Senate Panel Votes To Ban Stock Trading For Lawmakers, President, And VP — But Spares Trump

Corruption

Executive

Josh Hawley

Rand Paul

Ron Johnson

Stock Market

U.S. Senate

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) responded to the second quarter economic numbers by attempting to gaslight other members of the deliberative body and effectively telling them they weren&#8217;t really seeing what they were seeing.
Schumer took to the Senate floor on Wednesday, where he reacted to the news that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States was up 3.0% in the second quarter — surpassing the predicted 2.3% and reversing a 0.5% decline from the first quarter.
WATCH:
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Schumer confronts GDP report: Labels strong numbers a “mirage.&#8221;
“If Donald Trump keeps up the chaos, the dangers for the economy will continue to get worse.&#8221;
The collapse they want so badly is always riiiight around the corner. <a href="https://t.co/dxZWlD56eE">pic.twitter.com/dxZWlD56eE</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1950569645062197428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;And while the Trump administration will try to wave rosy headlines about the Q2 numbers, today&#8217;s GDP number is, in fact, a mirage,&#8221; Schumer claimed, warning, &#8220;Some ominous numbers lurk under the hood.&#8221;
&#8220;Business investment plunged in the second quarter,&#8221; he said, claiming that Trump&#8217;s economy was so unstable that businesses were afraid to deploy capital. &#8220;Businesses are worried about growing their operations, worried about hiring more workers, worried about trading with their international partners, and worried in general about the future.&#8221;
Schumer went on to blame President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs for the whole scenario — which he continued to insist was far gloomier than it looked, warning, &#8220;And if Donald Trump keeps up the chaos, the dangers for the economy will continue to get worse.&#8221;
During his remarks from the Senate floor, Schumer also panned Trump&#8217;s historic trade deal with the European Union — inked during his trip to Scotland over the weekend — and tried to claim that it would be bad for the United States.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨Chuck Schumer is wailing about President Trump&#8217;s historic trade deal with the EU — which has been universally praised as a HUGE WIN for America.
&#8220;Donald Trump is, as usual, trying to hype up, exaggerate, and LIE about his accomplishment!&#8221;
&#8220;Donald Trump ALWAYS LIES — almost… <a href="https://t.co/0G9TCkhqUC">pic.twitter.com/0G9TCkhqUC</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1949923028868927752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Using air quotes around the word &#8220;deal,&#8221; Schumer offered no evidence as he claimed, &#8220;It will result in a $90 billion per year tax hike on American families. When you raise tariffs, the American families pay for it. $90 billion tax on American families in the tariff deal with the European Union.&#8221;
&#8220;Donald Trump is, as usual, trying to hype up, exaggerate, and lie about his accomplishment!&#8221; he claimed, and then lost his place and had to check his notes for the right insult as he continued: &#8220;He — Donald Trump always lies — almost always lies — about his accomplishments — and this is no — exception.&#8221;

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Chuck Schumer Gaslights Senate With His Take On Q2 Numbers: You Don’t See What You See

Chuck Schumer Gaslights Senate With His Take On Q2 Numbers: You Don't See What You See

Chuck Schumer

European Union

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will keep interest rates unchanged, defying President Donald Trump’s calls to cut them after continued positive economic indicators.
After two days of meetings, the central bank policymakers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/fed-meeting-live-updates.html">voted</a> to keep the rate in the 4.25% to 4.50% range, where it has remained since December. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell continues to point to unease around Trump’s tariffs, with more set to take effect on Friday. Last month, year-over-year inflation also rose to 2.7%, which remains above the Fed’s target of 2%.
“Although swings in net exports continue to affect the data, recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year,” the Fed said in a post-meeting statement. “The unemployment rate remains low, and labor market conditions remain solid. Inflation remains somewhat elevated.&#8221;
At a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0V3gnOjOi0">press conference</a> Wednesday afternoon following the announcement, Powell acknowledged that inflation &#8220;has eased significantly from its highs in mid-2022,&#8221; but he added that it &#8220;remains somewhat elevated relative to our 2% longer-run goal.&#8221;
Powell said that Trump&#8217;s increased tariffs &#8220;are pushing up prices in some categories of goods.&#8221; He added that policymakers &#8220;have made no decision&#8221; about where they will land at the next Fed meeting in September.
&#8220;We don’t do that in advance,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We’ll be taking that information into consideration and all the other information we get as we make our decision.&#8221;
The announcement is likely to set off another round of angry comments from President Trump, who has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks, regularly pushing the Fed to bring down interest rates. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday morning, Trump highlighted the “better-than-expected” second-quarter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-economy-keeps-roaring-3-gdp-growth-shatters-expectations">GDP report</a>, which showed that the U.S. economy grew at a 3% rate, once again surprising economists. He referred to Powell as &#8220;Too Late.&#8221;
“2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! ‘Too Late’ MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114942222209732295">wrote</a>, using the nickname, “Too Late,” that he coined for Powell.
Trump also discussed interest rates during a press conference at the White House just moments before the Fed released its decision. The president said that the Fed &#8220;probably&#8221; wouldn&#8217;t lower the interest rates on Wednesday, adding, &#8220;I hear they&#8217;re going to do it in September, not today. For what reason, nobody knows.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on interest rates: &quot;What you do is you lower them&#8230; Right now, there&#39;s no inflation&#8230; we&#39;re keeping the rates high and it&#39;s hurting people from buying houses — so we don&#39;t want that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/zHTgtdyu14">pic.twitter.com/zHTgtdyu14</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1950616453289230363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Two Fed Governors, Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, voted against the Fed&#8217;s decision to keep interest rates the same, marking the first time since 1993 that multiple governors voted no on a rate decision, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/fed-leaves-interest-rates-unchanged-as-expected.html">CNBC</a>.
The president met with Powell last week to discuss interest rates and tour the renovations at the Federal Reserve headquarters. During their comments in front of the cameras, Trump told reporters that he would “love” for Powell “to lower interest rates” before giving the Fed Chair a slap on the back.
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Trump, with Powell beside him: I&#8217;d love him to lower interest rates.
Trump then slaps him on the back. <a href="https://t.co/KPgAhPYe1F">pic.twitter.com/KPgAhPYe1F</a>
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) <a href="https://twitter.com/unusual_whales/status/1948478543283077310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump, who has <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/trump-versus-powell-how-far-can-he-push-the-fed-chair">referred</a> to Powell as one of the “most destructive” people in government, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-believes-fed-chair-will-start-recommending-lower-rates?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Believes+Fed+Chair+Will+%E2%80%98Start+Recommending+Lower+Rates%E2%80%99">said</a> last Friday that his discussion with Powell led him to believe that the Fed was ready to lower interest rates.
“[Powell] said to me — now I don’t know if he’s going to say this … on what day he speaks — he said to me very strongly, ‘The country is doing well.’ Trump said, ‘Congratulations, the country is doing really well.’”
The president has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-drafted-letter-to-fire-fed-reserve-chair-but-says-were-not-planning-on-doing-it?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Drafted+Letter+To+Fire+Fed+Reserve+Chair%2C+But+Says+%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99re+Not+Planning+On+Doing+It%E2%80%99">considered</a> firing Powell, reportedly drafting a letter and asking House Republicans if he should move forward with terminating the Fed Chair, which would be an unprecedented move. Trump later said that he would wait for Powell’s term as the Chair to expire in early 2026 before choosing his replacement.

Donald Trump/Jerome Powell

Federal Reserve Defies Trump Again, Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged

Federal Reserve

Interest Rates

Jerome Powell

FBI Director Kash Patel found a trove of classified documents related to the Trump-Russia probe buried inside &#8220;burn bags&#8221; in a secret room at FBI headquarters, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/patel-found-thousands-sensitive-trump-russia-probe-docs-inside-burn-bags-secret-room-fbi">reported</a> on Wednesday.
Among the thousands of documents discovered was the classified annex of special counsel John Durham&#8217;s final report on the Russian collusion conspiracy, according to multiple sources cited by Fox News. Durham&#8217;s classified annex reportedly contains the purported evidence against President Donald Trump that he reviewed. The burn bags found by Patel are used to destroy classified documents.
Sources told Fox News that the classified annex contains evidence from &#8220;credible foreign sources&#8221; indicating that the FBI might have played a role in spreading the Trump–Russia collusion conspiracy before it launched the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
&#8220;Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia,&#8221; said one source who spoke to Fox News on condition of anonymity.
The Trump administration is in the process of declassifying Durham&#8217;s annex as Patel coordinates with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. The report comes shortly after Gabbard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-receives-tusli-gabbards-criminal-referral-for-obama-russia-intel-controversy-report">released documents</a> indicating that the Obama administration knew it had no evidence to pin Trump on the bogus Russian collusion charges, but pushed the narrative forward anyway.
Gabbard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gabbard-obama-launched-years-long-coup-treasonous-conspiracy-against-american-people?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Gabbard%3A+Obama+Launched+%E2%80%98Years-Long+Coup%2C%E2%80%99+%E2%80%98Treasonous+Conspiracy%E2%80%99+Against+American+People">said</a> that the evidence points to former President Barack Obama &#8220;leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment.&#8221; President Trump accused Obama of committing “criminal acts” over the Russiagate hoax, adding that the former president, along with other Democrats, should face &#8220;severe consequences.&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-scotus-immunity-ruling-could-protect-obama-he-owes-me-big">said</a> earlier this week, however, that the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity last year would likely shield Obama from prosecution.
The FBI has opened <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doj-puts-brennan-and-comey-under-investigation-for-russiagate-report">investigations</a> into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey over their role in the Trump-Russia probe.
Patel and his team reportedly found the documents in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) that was previously undisclosed in the FBI headquarters. The FBI director hinted at finding a secret room at the bureau&#8217;s headquarters during a June interview with podcast giant Joe Rogan, but he did not reveal what documents the room contained.
&#8220;Just think about this,&#8221; Patel said during the interview. &#8220;Me, as director of the FBI, the former &#8216;Russiagate guy,&#8217; when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, &#8216;No one&#8217;s ever gonna find this place.'&#8221;

Kash Patel

Kash Patel Finds Secret FBI Room Filled With Thousands Of Trump-Russia Docs In ‘Burn Bags’

Kash Patel Finds Secret FBI Room Filled With Thousands Of Trump-Russia Docs In 'Burn Bags'

Elections

John Brennan

John Durham

kash patel

Obama Administration

Russia Collusion Hoax

Russiagate

Trump Administration

If late night comedy on network television is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/late-night-collapse-colberts-fall-and-the-death-of-balanced-comedy">dying</a>, NBC host and comedian Seth Meyers may have inadvertently revealed one of the reasons for that — and admitted that he has played a part in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cbs-host-breaks-ranks-offers-surprisingly-sane-reason-for-colberts-ouster">bringing that about</a>.
Meyers told host Dax Shepard on his &#8220;Armchair Expert&#8221; podcast that his goal — as the host of &#8220;Late Night with Seth Meyers&#8221; — is to make sure that his show is &#8220;cathartic&#8221; for him while he&#8217;s making it and for the audience as they&#8217;re watching it.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Seth Meyers goes on the Armchair Expert podcast and claims that he views his &#8216;Late Night&#8217; NBC job as wanting &#8220;to make a show that&#8217;s both cathartic to do and cathartic to watch.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/wqHq2AeTYG">pic.twitter.com/wqHq2AeTYG</a>
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexchristy17/status/1950235834671599859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shepard began by pointing to the obvious left-leaning nature of Meyers&#8217; show, asking whether he felt like people who agreed with him came to watch his show because they found it comforting in a way. What he didn&#8217;t say aloud was that having a show that leaned so far in one particular direction could potentially alienate half of the country.
&#8220;Have you felt over the years that it&#8217;s a bit of a dog whistle for people to come commiserate with you in a way that you&#8217;re like, ‘Ugh,’ I don&#8217;t, let&#8217;s put it this way. I have my own political opinions. I find one of the most boring things in the world is to hear someone else&#8217;s political opinions because there&#8217;s only two, but everyone&#8217;s saying it as if they thought of it themselves and it&#8217;s novel,&#8221; Shepard said. &#8220;No. You just declared you&#8217;re on that side. I get it. So, I would imagine people find you in restaurants and they want to bond over that with you.&#8221;
Meyers agreed, but went on to take the argument a bit further — saying that ultimately it didn&#8217;t matter if he was changing the minds of people who did not agree with him and suggesting that his show might inspire more of the people who do agree with him to get out and vote.
&#8220;Early on, people would say, ‘Do you really think you&#8217;re changing anyone&#8217;s mind?’ And it was ‘no.’  I would like to think that maybe we could, like, if someone&#8217;s like, ‘Should I vote or not?’ You would want to maybe if they watch our show, they think ‘You know what, I am going to get out and cast a ballot,'&#8221; he claimed.
&#8220;Yeah. Yeah. But I think you&#8217;d be hard-pressed to find someone in America that doesn&#8217;t know how they feel about Trump,&#8221; Shepard replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s one left.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that for us, we want to make a show that&#8217;s both cathartic to do and cathartic to watch,&#8221; Meyers continued, making it clear that he viewed his show as a place for liberal opinion first and comedy second — if at all.

Late Night with Seth Meyers – Season 11

Seth Meyers Helped Kill Late Night Comedy: Here’s How

Seth Meyers Helped Kill Late Night Comedy: Here's How

Comedy

Seth Meyers

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says he was &#8220;offended&#8221; by President Donald Trump&#8217;s call for him to scrap the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; tradition in which home-state senators can effectively block nominees they do not support.
The rebuke from Grassley, whose panel has been advancing Trump’s picks for U.S. attorney and judge positions, came as Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thune-warns-dems-are-setting-dangerous-and-ugly-precedent-with-trumps-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressures</a> the Senate to cancel its plans for a summer recess and confirm more of his nominees.
&#8220;Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the &#8216;blue slip,'&#8221; Grassley announced at the beginning of a nominations hearing.
&#8220;Now, to people in the real America — not here in this Washington, D.C., an island surrounded by reality — the people in real America don’t care about what the &#8216;blue slip&#8217; is, but, in fact, it impacts in their states the district judges who serve their communities and the U.S. attorneys who ensure law and order is enforced,&#8221; Grassley said.
He continued, &#8220;I was offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rips-unconstitutional-senate-custom-that-allows-democrat-sleazebags-to-stall-judicial-noms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> Grassley to do away with the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; custom in a post on Truth Social, contending that any of his nominees from states with Democrat senators would keep getting shut down because of it.
&#8220;Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the &#8216;Blue Slip&#8217; problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114938820270436889" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>.
The president also said the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; tradition was &#8220;probably&#8221; unconstitutional while pushing Grassley to &#8220;step up&#8221; and &#8220;not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective.&#8221; He called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and others &#8220;SLEAZEBAGS.&#8221;
Democrats have already used the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; tradition against Trump&#8217;s nominees in the first six months of his second term.
Schumer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-intervenes-block-trumps-us-attorney-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> he would block two picks for federal prosecutor roles earlier this year, but Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-outmaneuvers-schumer-on-pick-for-top-federal-prosecutor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sidestepped</a> the process the Democrat sought to jam by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/nyregion/nocella-edny-us-attorney.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appointing</a> his nominees to be interim U.S. attorneys — a designation that lasts only 120 days.
Grassley has voiced support for Trump’s call for the Senate to cancel its August recess to combat tactics by the Democrats to hinder the confirmation process.
“If Pres Trump asks us to not take [an August recess, I’m with] him. Democrats [have] been slow walking nominations,” Grassley <a href="https://x.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1949630801978495084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a Sunday post on X written with a lot of short-hand. “We [have] to make up for their wasted time, he went on, &#8220;Trump needs his administration in place.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who <a href="https://x.com/jordainc/status/1950568488650859007" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> backs Grassley on the &#8220;blue slip&#8221; issue, warned Democrats on Tuesday that they were setting a &#8220;dangerous and ugly precedent&#8221; with their &#8220;historic level of obstruction.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rips-unconstitutional-senate-custom-that-allows-democrat-sleazebags-to-stall-judicial-noms">Trump Rips &#8216;Unconstitutional&#8217; Senate Custom That Allows Democrat &#8216;SLEAZEBAGS&#8217; To Stall Judicial Noms</a>

Senator Chuck Grassley,

Republican Chairman ‘Offended’ As Trump Pushes Him To Nuke Senate Custom

Chuck Grassley

Presidential nomination

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy regulator has reportedly been ousted from his position.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, recently came under scrutiny for a request to <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-requests-sarepta-therapeutics-suspend-distribution-elevidys-and-places-clinical-trials-hold">pause</a> shipments of a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), claiming the genetic treatment is linked to three potential deaths. Earlier this week, the FDA lifted the pause for DMD patients who are still able to walk.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for Health and Human Services, confirmed Prasad is no longer with the FDA but did not share details about his departure.
“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” Nixon said in a statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.”
In a statement issued on July 18, Prasad said the gene therapy &#8212; called Elevidys and made by Sarepta Therapeutics &#8212; needed to be paused for patient safety.
“Protecting patient safety is our highest priority, and the FDA will not allow products whose harms are greater than benefits,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The FDA will halt any clinical trial of an investigational product if clinical trial participants would be exposed to an unreasonable and significant risk of illness or injury,”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary gave his support to Prasad, seeming to praise the &#8220;swift action.&#8221;
“Today, we’ve shown that this FDA takes swift action when patient safety is at risk,” Makary said. “We believe in access to drugs for unmet medical needs but are not afraid to take immediate action when a serious safety signal emerges.”
Some conservatives criticized Prasad for pausing the therapy. A piece published by RealClearHealth said Prasad was standing with &#8220;progressive health policies,&#8221; and not the president.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
More on the man destroying <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> legacy for helping patients. FDA’s Vinay Prasad Stands with Progressive Health Policies <a href="https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U">https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U</a>
— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) <a href="https://twitter.com/RickSantorum/status/1948769526776025597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Prasad’s hostility toward breakthrough therapies is not confined to policy memos. He has dismissed Elevidys as &#8216;disgusting&#8217; because of its $3.2 million price tag, decried its &#8216;unclear benefit,&#8217; and labeled it a &#8216;useless drug,'&#8221; the piece said. &#8220;He lumped it together with Sarepta’s earlier exon-skipping therapy Exondys 51, calling its approval the result of &#8216;shenanigans&#8217; and &#8216;FDA politics&#8217; overriding science.&#8221;
In the past, Prasad expressed publicly his skepticism of President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;right to try&#8221; policy.
However, Emily Kopp, an investigative journalist from The Daily Caller, suggested Big Pharma was playing a role in the controversy. &#8220;Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy,&#8221; she wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy. <a href="https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ">https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y8aeRtqBU9">pic.twitter.com/Y8aeRtqBU9</a>
— Emily Kopp (@emilyakopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyakopp/status/1948867147855212627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
Though Prasad was a critic of COVID vaccine protocols and other pandemic-related approaches, his personal politics have also become <a href="https://loomered.com/2025/07/28/exclusive-trump-fda-official-vinay-prasad-once-said-he-stabbed-a-trump-voodoo-doll-to-curse-him/">a topic</a> for some on the Right. Makary, however, recently defended Prasad from attacks. “There’s not a political bone to his body,” Makary <a href="https://www.politico.com/video/2025/07/26/commissioner-marty-makary-defends-fdas-vinay-prasad-1690337">said</a> of Prasad last weekend. “He’s an impeccable scientist, I think one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation.”

Chasing Cancer Summit

FDA Shake-Up: The Controversial Ouster Of The Top Vaccine Regulator

Covid vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine

Health

vaccine

Vaccines

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will sign legislation Wednesday aimed at helping veterans receive federal assistance with their mortgages, The Daily Wire has learned.
Trump will sign the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act on Wednesday, a White House official shared with The Daily Wire. The signing will take place in the Roosevelt Room of the White House at 1:3o pm ET.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) originally introduced the bill in March, and the legislation passed the Senate earlier this month.
&#8220;This is going down!&#8221; Van Orden said in a <a href="https://x.com/derrickvanorden/status/1950562940580467071">post</a> celebrating the news on Wednesday. &#8220;We are making sure that the VA Home Loan Guarantee will remain a viable program into the future so our vets can achieve the American Dream of homeownership.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_954321" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-sign-bill-to-help-veterans-buy-and-keep-their-homes/topshot-france-history-wwii-dday-anniversary-2" rel="attachment wp-att-954321"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-954321" class="wp-image-954321 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>TOPSHOT &#8211; A WWII veteran points to US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump during a French-US ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, 2019. (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
The legislation is intended to help veterans who have fallen behind on their mortgages receive federal aid: it establishes a permanent partial claims program within the VA Home Loan Program, &#8220;bringing VA in line with other federal agencies that lend money for homes and replacing the fiscally irresponsible Biden administration-era VASP program,&#8221; according to a release from Van Orden&#8217;s office.
“Under the Biden administration, the VA created the VASP program without consulting Congress, costing the American taxpayers $5.8 billion and endangering the entire VA home loan guarantee program,” Van Orden said in a statement earlier this month.
“The time for faceless bureaucrats to run roughshod over elected officials is over,&#8221; added Van Orden, who serves as  Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. &#8220;My bill offers a real solution to help every servicemember and veteran maintain the American Dream of homeownership. I am grateful to my Senate colleagues for passing this important bill, and I look forward to President Trump signing it into law.”
The president will also deliver remarks on &#8220;Making Health Technology Great Again&#8221; on Wednesday afternoon at the White House following the bill signing.

President Trump Departs The White House For Pittsburgh

Trump To Sign Bill To Help Veterans Buy And Keep Their Homes

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