Another red state is kicking Pride Month to the curb. In Arkansas, Republican Governor Sarah Sanders is instead declaring June as Fidelity Month. 
“Here in Arkansas, June is Fidelity Month: fidelity to family, fidelity to country, fidelity to God,” Sanders told The Daily Wire.
In a declaration reviewed exclusively by The Daily Wire, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary says that Fidelity Month will be a time for Arkansans to celebrate the “values of faith, liberty, and patriotism.” 
The resolution highlights the state’s goal of creating a healthy society by sowing faithfulness to “God, family, community, and country.” Arkansas aims to provide an opportunity to return to and reflect on its commitments to the values and virtues found in the nation’s founding documents. June is declared as a time to renew dedication to these core principles. 
The nod to traditional values mirrors actions in Tennessee, where Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gods-design-red-state-swaps-pride-month-for-nuclear-family-month">Governor Bill Lee</a> declared June “Nuclear Family Month.” The resolution celebrates the traditional family with “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.”
Pride Month celebrations were notably less prevalent in 2025 after the election of President Donald Trump, who made clear in the first year of his presidency that there would be no <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-there-will-be-no-pride-proclamation?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=White+House%3A+There+Will+Be+No+%E2%80%98Pride%E2%80%99+Proclamation">national pride designation</a> from the White House. Pride parades across the country folded up due to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-pride-parade-loses-corporate-sponsors-begs-for-individual-donations?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=NYC+Pride+Parade+Loses+Corporate+Sponsors%2C+Begs+For+Individual+Donations">lack of financial support from large corporations</a>, which pulled away from the LGBTQ movement that they overtly supported during the Biden administration. 
While certain cities in Arkansas hold pride events, the state has never formally recognized pride month. The declaration by Arkansas this year, however, is a clear statement in opposition to pride month that had not been done in past years.
Instead, Sanders says, she’s choosing to use the month to nod to the nation’s founding principles.
“The United States of America was founded on the values of faith, liberty, and patriotism as acknowledged in its founding documents and in the statements of its Founding Fathers,” her declaration states. “The commitment of Arkansas to spiritual and civic institutions is at the core of the State&#8217;s collective identity. Cultivating fidelity to God, family, community, and country contributes to human flourishing and supports a healthy, stable, well-ordered society.”
Under Sanders, Arkansas has been a leader in countering radical gender ideology that has become synonymous with the LGBTQ movement.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead

Arkansas

Donald Trump

LGBTQ

Pride Month

The Arkansas restaurant that kicked the state&#8217;s governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, out, citing concerns that employees were threatened by her presence, has responded to the firestorm, with employees digging in even as ownership says politics had nothing to do with it.
Hours after The Daily Wire revealed the details of the incident at The Croissanterie in Little Rock, in which Sanders was asked to leave after having lunch with two mom friends, and was both shouted at and flipped off as she departed, the restaurant told local press that it had nothing to do with her conservative politics.
&#8220;After the party completed their meal, a member of the security detail was quietly asked to help conclude the visit in line with our standard 90-minute table policy,&#8221; the restaurant told KARK. &#8220;The request was not immediately received, and the party remained for an additional period before departing without incident once communication was established.&#8221;
Restaurant employees didn&#8217;t seem to get the memo. In a widely circulated Facebook post that was taken as a statement from restaurant staff, an employee called the governor &#8220;evil&#8221; and made it very clear that Sanders&#8217; politics made the governor&#8217;s visit controversial.
&#8220;I’m proud af to work here! I’m proud af to be gay and I’m proud af to be an Arkansan,&#8221; the employee wrote. &#8220;My voice matters. Try again.&#8221;
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1062341" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HDx4MhfWcAAaJ2p-370x576.jpg" alt="" width="370" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HDx4MhfWcAAaJ2p-370x576.jpg 370w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HDx4MhfWcAAaJ2p-193x300.jpg 193w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HDx4MhfWcAAaJ2p-768x1194.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HDx4MhfWcAAaJ2p.jpg 771w" sizes=" (max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" /></div>
The restaurant also denies there was any commotion, contrary to the account from the Sanders camp.
&#8220;We want to be clear: there was no disruption in the restaurant,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Claims that an employee made an inappropriate gesture are incorrect—it was a customer, and the situation has been addressed.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/red-hen-deja-vu-sarah-sanders-kicked-out-of-arkansas-restaurant-flipped-off-by-staff">Red Hen Déjà Vu: Sarah Sanders Kicked Out Of Arkansas Restaurant, Flipped Off By Staff</a>
There was never any claim by the governor that an employee gave her the middle finger as she left. The Daily Wire reported on Thursday that as Sanders was leaving without making a scene, a group started shouting, “It’s time to leave,” and they flipped her the middle finger in front of other guests. It was not reported that an employee made the gesture.
This is the second time Sanders has found herself in the situation of being kicked out of a restaurant by liberal owners. Back in 2018, when she was White House press secretary, it made national news when a small Virginia restaurant called the Red Hen told her and her family to leave because she worked for Donald Trump. The incident earned the restaurant owner praise from liberal media outlets like the Washington Post, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE3JwfWm2EI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hailed the owner</a> for “taking a stand” against Sanders.
The Virginia restaurant <a href="https://www.thenews-gazette.com/article/4303,red-hen-to-close" target="_blank" rel="noopener">permanently closed in 2023</a>.
Though the Croissanterie appears to have received support from liberal members of the community, the social media backlash has been harsh.
&#8220;Absolutely VILE ppl,&#8221; wrote one self-proclaimed Arkansas user. &#8220;I hope this restaurant goes under just like the Red Hen.&#8221;
&#8220;What a classy establishment,&#8221; wrote conservative commentator Guy Benson. &#8220;They took her business &amp; money before performatively throwing her out for &#8216;safety&#8217; reasons, while giving her the finger.&#8221;

Arkansas_Restaurant_response

Restaurant That Booted Sarah Sanders Responds As Staff Contradict Their Own Story

It&#8217;s the Red Hen all over again.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas and former White House press secretary, says she was having lunch with two mom friends at a restaurant called <a href="https://www.thecroissanterielr.com/menu#sectionId-d6c124ee-7ad0-461a-b274-1929dc7a5462">The Croissanterie</a> in Little Rock when the owner kicked them out. Her presence at the restaurant, the owner told the governor, made the employees feel &#8220;threatened and uncomfortable&#8221; because of her political views. As they left, she was given the middle finger.
This is the second time Sanders has found herself in this exact situation. Back in 2018 when she was White House press secretary, it made national news when a small Virginia restaurant called the Red Hen told her she and her family to leave because she worked for Donald Trump. The incident won the owner of the restaurant profiles from liberal media like the Washington Post, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE3JwfWm2EI">hailed the owner</a> for &#8220;taking a stand&#8221; against Sanders.
That restaurant <a href="https://www.thenews-gazette.com/article/4303,red-hen-to-close">permanently closed in 2023</a>.
For Sanders, it was more surprising to have it happen in her home state of Arkansas. She told The Daily Wire on Tuesday night that the only people to talk to her during her just over an hour meal at The Croissanterie came over to thank her for the work she was doing in the state. By the time they were booted, they had already eaten and paid.
When her security detail was informed that they were being asked to leave, she decided that they&#8217;d leave without making a scene. But then the group started shouting, &#8220;It&#8217;s time to leave,&#8221; and giving her the middle finger in front of other guests.
Sanders, who is up for reelection this year, is widely popular in Arkansas. She was elected in 2022 by nearly thirty percentage points, and is viewed positively by more than half of the state, polls show.
In a statement on the incident, Sanders says The Croissanterie doesn&#8217;t meet the proper &#8220;standard&#8221; for Arkansas.
&#8220;Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn&#8217;t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” Sanders said.
The Croissanterie did not respond to a request for comment. After publication of this story, a group of employees at the restaurant posted on Facebook taking a shot at the governor. The post indicates
&#8220;Sarah Huckabee Sanders, no amount of evil you send our way can ever take our smiles away!!!&#8221; wrote Hickman, along with a picture of the staff. &#8220;I’m proud af to work here! I’m proud af to be gay and I’m proud af to be an Arkansan. My voice matters. Try again.&#8221;
&nbsp;
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blue gradient travel (Presentation (169)) (2)

Red Hen Déjà Vu: Sarah Sanders Kicked Out Of Arkansas Restaurant, Flipped Off By Staff

White House

Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is rolling out workplace reforms for state employees, including implementing a new Infant at Work policy and ceasing future remote work, The Daily Wire has exclusively learned.
The new policy for parents of newborn babies is part of her Arkansas Forward initiative and will allow parents to bring their infants, from four weeks to six months old, into the workplace with supervisor approval. The program was initially piloted in the Governor’s Office and the Department of Human Services, but will now be expanded statewide. Sanders says it gives working families greater flexibility during a child’s earliest months of life.
“As a working mom, I know how important a child’s earliest months are for bonding and education,” Sanders said in a letter that was sent to state employees. “Working moms and dads are a critical component of our workforce, and I want to make sure we provide additional options for families to have flexibility and not have to choose between staying home with their infant or returning to work.”
In addition to the expanded Infant at Work program, Sanders announced another policy change. Starting October 1, Arkansas will end the regular use of remote work in state agencies plus will extend office hours to 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., encourage in-person meetings over virtual ones, and implement standardized flexible and alternative schedules.
“State employees serve our citizens best when they collaborate in person,” the governor wrote in the letter.
Sanders described these changes as part of a broader effort to leave behind “inefficient policies” that had become standard during the pandemic. 
“Five years ago, COVID-19 changed workplaces in Arkansas and around the world. But the pandemic is in the rearview mirror,” she wrote in the letter. “It’s time to leave the inefficient policies implemented five years ago in the past, too.”
The Arkansas Forward program has identified at least $300 million in cost savings while raising salaries for two-thirds of state employees to bring them closer in line with the private sector, Sanders shared. With these new reforms, the governor wrote, the state is attempting to create a more efficient government that doesn’t force families to choose between work and parenthood.
“We all entered public service because we care about the people of this state. I know all of you work hard to deliver for our citizens – but that doesn’t mean we can’t look for ways to improve our best practices. With these new policies, we’ll be able to build the responsive, efficient government our people want and deserve,” the letter from Sanders concluded.

Arkansas Governor Implements Infant At Work Policy, Ends Remote Work For State Employees

Parenting

Work environment

Arkansas has moved forward with banning the purchases of candy and soda with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps.
Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was one of the first governors in the nation to submit a waiver to the federal government, asking for approval to limit SNAP. This week, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins approved the waiver.
“This approval sends a clear message: President Trump and his administration are tackling America’s chronic disease epidemic, and Arkansas stands with him in that fight,” Sanders said of the approval, as first <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/06/10/exclusive-arkansas-bans-junk-food-food-stamps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by The Daily Signal.
“I am incredibly grateful for Secretary Rollins’ quick approval of our waiver. Arkansas leads the nation in getting unhealthy, ultra-processed foods off food stamps and helping our most vulnerable citizens lead healthier lives,” she added.
Rollins has previously said she&#8217;s working closely with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to advance the &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; movement. Kennedy, the figurehead of the MAHA movement, has called sugar &#8220;poison,&#8221; led the phasing out of petroleum-based food dyes, and encouraged states to limit SNAP.
Nebraska, another red state, has also been approved by the federal government to limit SNAP purchases to healthier options.
The Daily Wire spoke to Sanders earlier this month about Arkansas becoming a leading state in the MAHA movement. On SNAP limitations, Sanders said it only makes sense.
“It&#8217;s crazy to think that you can use food stamps to purchase soft drinks and candy, but not a hot rotisserie chicken,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire in a video interview. &#8220;The very definition of SNAP, if you look at the second word, it&#8217;s &#8216;nutrition.'&#8221; 
&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing nutritional about candy bars and Cokes,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;So making sure that we are actually helping the people who really need it, and help incentivize healthier choices is something we have to do.&#8221;
&#8220;The food stamp program is a $119 billion federally run program, but about $27 billion of that are spent on candy, soft drinks, and unhealthy desserts and snacks,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;So we are literally helping fund the epidemic crisis that we have going on of unhealthy lifestyles in our country, when we&#8217;re supposed to be helping these recipients of the food SNAP program.&#8221; 
&#8220;We can and we have to do a better job,&#8221; the Republican added. &#8220;I&#8217;m proud of the fact that Arkansas is again leading the way.&#8221; 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sarah-sanders-wont-back-down-after-cvs-threatens-to-leave-arkansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave Arkansas</a>

Texas Bill Would Mandate Warning Label “Not Recommended For Human Consumption” On Some Foods

MAHA: Another Republican State Bans Candy, Soda Purchases With Food Stamps

brooke rollins

Food Stamps

Health

Politics

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not backing down after pharmacy giant CVS has threatened to leave the state over a new state law targeting drug middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqAe_rGGNek">interview with The Daily Wire</a>, Sanders said she would not allow CVS, which owns one of the &#8220;Big Three&#8221; PBMs called Caremark, to &#8220;manipulate and control the market simply so that they keep a few stores in our state open.&#8221; 
“It shows where their priorities are,&#8221; the governor said over CVS&#8217;s response to the law. &#8220;They would rather own the PBM than keep their pharmacy open and provide care to the patients they claim to care about. I think it tells us everything that we need to know, that they care more about their bottom line.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, I&#8217;m all for private industry making money, but not on the backs of the people who really need access to care, really need access to some of these specialty drugs that they&#8217;re inflating the market on,&#8221; Sanders continued. 
The Republican told The Daily Wire that other pharmacies are willing to take CVS&#8217;s place if need be.
&#8220;We have a number of other pharmacies that I know will be happy to step up and take CVS’s place if they decide to take their ball and go home,&#8221; Sanders blasted. 
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last month, CVS said it might have to close all 23 of its pharmacies in Arkansas over the new policy. The company issued similar threats before Sanders signed the bill into law in April.
The law in question is a first-in-the-nation targeting of PBMs, and is set to go into effect in January 2026. It bans PBMs from holding permits for prescription drug sales in Arkansas.
PBMs are supposed to lower drug prices for Americans. They act as middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacies, and negotiate prices. 
However, over the last decade, PBMs have consolidated, and now there are just three companies overseeing prescriptions for more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html">270 million Americans</a>. They’ve been accused by both Republicans and Democrats of inflating prices for their own benefit and driving small pharmacies out of business. 
“What was happening is you have these pharmaceutical companies, they’re supposed to use PBMs to negotiate better drug prices between the insurance companies and the pharmacies,&#8221; Sanders explained. &#8220;But what was actually happening is the pharmacies were buying the PBMs and completely controlling and monopolizing the market. We call &#8217;em drug middlemen, because that’s exactly what they are.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re over-inflating prices and passing that inflation down to the consumer,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;You had three of the largest PBMs in the country controlling 80% of the pharmaceutical market – complete control allows them to charge more.” 
Sanders also stressed that this law in Arkansas is intended to help small pharmacies keep their doors open. PMBs reportedly pay lowball prices to small independent pharmacies, forcing many to close their doors. 
“We&#8217;re optimistic that prices will come down not only in our state, but also that our local pharmacies will be able to keep their doors open, which was another big priority for us, so that people in rural communities don&#8217;t lose that access to care,&#8221; Sanders said. 
In a statement sent to The Daily Wire on Wednesday, CVS called the law in question &#8220;harmful&#8221; and &#8220;unconstitutional.&#8221;
&#8220;We’ve filed a lawsuit to block Act 624, a harmful law that will shut down 23 CVS Pharmacy locations, eliminate hundreds of jobs, and drive-up costs for Arkansans,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;This unconstitutional law puts local politics ahead of patients, restricting their access to life-saving medications and undermining fair competition.&#8221;
The company notes its PBM reimbursing small independent pharmacies in the state more than it does CVS pharmacies.
About a month after Sanders signed the Arkansas bill, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting PBMs. The EO encourages direct consumer purchases, cutting out PBMs, and mandates more pricing transparency. 
Sanders said momentum is building across the country to tackle this issue. 
&#8220;I think the big thing here is that this isn&#8217;t just going to be something that takes place in Arkansas,&#8221; she said. &#8220;You&#8217;re seeing Louisiana look at passing similar legislation, New York, Texas, other states all over the country. It&#8217;s not even a Republican or Democrat issue. This is something that I think a lot of governors, as well as this president, are recognizing and actually taking action on something that&#8217;s been needed for a long time.” 
Sanders said she&#8217;s optimistic that consumers will have more access to prescription drugs and lower prices soon after this law goes into effect in 2026. 
WATCH the Morning Wire interview with Governor Sanders:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Illegal Immigrant Terror &amp; Lowering Drug Prices" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqAe_rGGNek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This post has been updated to include comment from CVS. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen</a>

Conservatives Gather For Annual CPAC Conference In Washington DC

Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave Arkansas

Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave State

Business

Morning Wire

Last month, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill banning drug middlemen from holding permits for prescription drug sales in the state. Now, CVS might have to close its pharmacies there.
The new law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2026, revokes permits for pharmacies affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The drug middlemen have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutinized</a> by multiple states and even the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pharmacy-benefit-managers-marked-up-specialty-drugs-by-over-1000-ftc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a> in recent years, as locally owned independent pharmacies say they are subject to the dictates of PBMs, which give an unfair advantage to large pharmacy corporations such as CVS.
CVS — which owns pharmacy benefits manager, Caremark Rx — said over the weekend that it is &#8220;looking at all available options to stay open and continue to serve Arkansans&#8221; after Gov. Sanders signed the crackdown on PBMs. Beginning in 2026, CVS must either close all of its 23 locations in Arkansas or change its PBM business model, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette <a href="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/may/24/cvs-says-its-looking-at-ways-to-keep-arkansas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;For far too long, drug middlemen called PBMs have taken advantage of lax regulations to abuse customers, inflate drug prices, and cut off access to critical medications. Not anymore,” <a href="https://www.medben.com/pbm-owned-pharmacies/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFor%20far%20too%20long%2C%20drug,House%20Bill%201150%20into%20law." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sanders after signing House Bill 1150 into law.
The three largest PBMs in the country —  which are owned by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — manage nearly 80% of prescription drug claims for all Americans, according to the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Trade Commission</a>. An FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-releases-second-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published in January found that &#8220;the three major pharmacy benefit managers hiked costs for a wide range of lifesaving drugs, including medications to treat heart disease and cancer.&#8221;
CVS ripped the new Arkansas legislation after it was signed by the governor, calling it &#8220;bad policy&#8221; that &#8220;forces the closures&#8221; of its pharmacies.
&#8220;The Governor and legislature have chosen to pass HB 1150 which forces the closure of all CVS pharmacy operations by 1/1/26 &#8212; this includes CVS Pharmacy, CVS Specialty, and Omnicare,&#8221; a company spokesman said. &#8220;Our stores and pharmacies remain open, and our teams are continuing to serve patients and customers.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Day Sale – Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Arkansas Pharmacy Association Chief Executive Officer John Vinson, who supported the legislation, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that there are steps for CVS to take to continue operating its pharmacies in Arkansas, such as giving up its PBM license in the state.
&#8220;There are ways to do it &#8230; if they don&#8217;t, they&#8217;re choosing the conflict and the business model over customers,&#8221; Vinson said.
Independent pharmacy owners told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last year that PBMs have a direct negative effect on local pharmacies, often paying them lowball prices for filling prescriptions. With PBMs putting their hands on the scales of the prescription drug industry, patients are also directed toward pricier options and charged steep markups, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
Other states, such as Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Carolina, have moved to regulate PBMs and reel in their control over the prescription drug industry. At the federal level, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/lowering-drug-prices-by-once-again-putting-americans-first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order in April to improve transparency of &#8220;the direct and indirect compensation received by pharmacy benefit managers.&#8221;
Two bipartisan bills were <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-cantwell-reintroduce-bills-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices-drive-pbm-accountability#:~:text=Pharmacy%20Benefit%20Manager%20(PBM)%20Transparency,spread%20pricing%20and%20pharmacy%20fees." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reintroduced</a> in Congress earlier this year to &#8220;combat the high cost of prescription drugs and provide greater transparency of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).&#8221;
This article has been updated to remove a mention of Walgreens since Walgreens does not own a PBM and is not affected by the new law. We regret the error.

CVS Pharmacy

Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen

Economy

Pharmaceuticals

Prescription Drugs

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders took a big step toward protecting her state from the Chinese Communist Party and other nefarious foreign agents.
She signed a bill demanding representatives acting on behalf of hostile foreign adversaries such as the People&#8217;s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea register publicly, disclose who bankrolls them, and spell out exactly what they are doing in Arkansas politics.
Although this foreign-agent registration is the first statute of its kind in the country, other legislatures should explore similar laws as a defense against hostile foreign actors and their agents covertly swaying policy or political activities at the state level.
Our country is facing a new kind of warfare waged through manipulation, money, and misinformation. Our adversaries are well-funded and coordinated, working relentlessly to sow division and destabilize our society. They’re attacking at the state and local level more and more, hiding behind layers of nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Take Students for Justice in Palestine, for example – a shadowy group that played a prominent role in riling up violent mobs on college campuses last year. This group and others like it (Within Our Lifetime, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, etc.) routinely accept secret money, raising concerns about potential support from hostile foreign actors.
Some of these organizations are not even registered as nonprofits, and alarmingly, many pro-Hamas groups have established local chapters on college campuses and receive funding from student activity fees.
The CCP perfected this playbook long ago. There are Confucius Institutes embedded on college campuses masquerading as language centers while disseminating the Party’s propaganda. Other groups such as Code Pink echo CCP talking points, attacking American energy policy and championing topics that align with China’s geopolitical objectives.
Research has shown that the CCP’s influence stretches far beyond college campuses. It targets state pension funds, critical infrastructure, farmland near military bases, and even municipal procurement of drones and surveillance tech. Every contract, endowment, or protest it bankrolls is another opportunity to steal American intellectual property, map supply chains, and erode public trust.
It’s no surprise the Federal Bureau of Investigation has labeled the Chinese Communist government a “grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States,” and national security agencies from some of our top allies have warned the CCP is engaging in the most “sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history.&#8221;
Arkansas has taken the first step in combating this foreign interference. The law will shine a spotlight on every foreign‑funded front group operating in the state. Agents who fail to register face stiff penalties; those tied to hostile nations risk even higher fines.
<div id="attachment_916433" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916433" class="size-large wp-image-916433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg" alt="DustyPixel. Getty Images." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />DustyPixel. Getty Images.</div>
The new law also strengthens campaign finance disclosure laws, exposing individuals and organizations seeking to undermine democratic values through covert influence operations. The law is singularly focused on hostile foreign actors; international businesses and lobbyists representing allied nations are unaffected.
It is encouraging that this effort is also a part of a larger “Communist China Defense” suite of bills from Governor Sanders, with proposals to divest state resources from China and ban land purchases near critical infrastructure.
These measures are a timely reminder that safeguarding our communities begins in the statehouse, not just in Washington. Other legislatures should move quickly to adopt similar protections and fortify America’s democracy and sovereignty against those determined to erode them.
 * * *
Joe Gebbia is the CEO and Founder of State Shield, an organization dedicated to educating state leaders and uniting state and federal efforts to combat the growing threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to America’s security, supply chains, and core values.
The views in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Arkansas Strikes First Blow Against Foreign Influence In U.S. Politics

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The White House will host a Friday roundtable on school choice with top Republican governors amid sweeping victories on the issue across the country, The Daily Wire has learned.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who spearheaded a major victory for school choice in her state after taking office, will moderate the National School Choice Week Roundtable at noon on Friday, according to a White House official. Also at the table will be Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee, where the legislature just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-passes-school-choice-milestone-in-advancing-education">passed a universal school choice bill</a>, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick of Texas, where <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-senate-school-choice-vouchers-education-savings-accounts/">school choice legislation is also expected to pass</a>.
“The White House is excited to honor National School Choice Week with this roundtable,&#8221; a senior White House official told The Daily Wire. &#8220;President Donald Trump wants parents throughout the nation to be empowered to direct their children’s education.”
Universal school choice is a policy that gives parents access to public money to use towards a wide range of education options for their children, including private schools. Currently, three major bills on the topic are poised to become law in Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Twelve states already <a href="https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-unprecedented-rise-in-school-choice-a-new-era-in-american-education#:~:text=SCHOOL%20CHOICE%20WINS%20RECAP&amp;text=Tennessee%2C%20Utah%2C%20Vermont%2C%20Virginia,Washington%2C%20D.C.%2C%20allow%20charters.">offer</a> universal school choice: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
Republican governors Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Jeff Landry of Louisiana will be in attendance at the roundtable on Friday, which will take place in the Roosevelt Room, according to the White House official.
The roundtable comes two days after Trump signed an executive order on school choice, ordering his administration to develop a plan for how federal funds can be used to &#8220;expand education freedom for America&#8217;s families.&#8221;
&#8220;Parents want and deserve the best education for their children,&#8221; Trump said in the order. &#8220;But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.&#8221;
Other expected attendees include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and his wife Erika Donalds of the America First Policy Institute, Archdiocese of New York Chancellor John Cahill, Susquehanna International Group&#8217;s (SIG) Jeff Yass, and American Legislative Exchange Council&#8217;s Jonathan Williams.
Trump has consistently advocated for school choice in his time on the campaign trail and in government, emphasizing that he wants every American parent to be &#8220;empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice.&#8221;
&#8220;A child’s fate should be determined by their love of education, by their parents, by so many factors,&#8221; he said on the campaign trail in 2024. &#8220;But it can’t be determined by a ZIP code. And no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government-run school.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_868671" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-emphasizes-need-for-fast-confirmations-in-wake-of-tragic-plane-crash/us-politics-trump-aviation-accident-2" rel="attachment wp-att-868671"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-868671" class="wp-image-868671 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images</div>
He also promised last year:  “I will support UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE. We will let federal education dollars follow the child instead of propping up a woke federal bureaucracy.”
During the 2016 presidential election, he similarly promised to establish a national goal of &#8220;providing school choice to every American child living in poverty.&#8221;
&#8220;If we can put a man on the moon, dig out the Panama Canal and win two world wars, then I have no doubt that we as a nation can provide school choice to every disadvantaged child in America,” he added in September 2016.
The roundtable will likely dive into some of the top legislation on school choice making headlines around the country.
That includes the Education Freedom Act, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-passes-school-choice-milestone-in-advancing-education">passed the Tennessee House</a> on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, and would award over $7,000 per child to parents for those children to attend a K-12 private school.
In Texas, legislation <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-senate-school-choice-vouchers-education-savings-accounts/">expected to pass soon</a> would allow universal school choice eligibility immediately, serving as many as 100,000 students in the first year and giving parents $10,000 for private schools, $11,500 for special needs students, and $2,000 for homeschool students.
In Wyoming, the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act <a href="https://wyofile.com/universal-school-voucher-bill-advances-amid-questions-of-accountability-constitutionality/">passed the House on Wednesday</a> and is expected to pass the Senate. That bill would give parents $7,000 per year for every student.

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EXCLUSIVE: White House Roundtable To Highlight School Choice With Top GOP Govs

EXCLUSIVE: First White House Roundtable To Highlight School Choice With Top GOP Govs

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Former President Donald Trump will hold a town hall event in the heavily Democratic city of Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday, September 17, as he seeks to flip the Great Lakes State back to red in November.
The town hall is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET and moderated by Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to the Trump campaign.
&#8220;After Michigan voters have been forced to suffer three and a half years of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden&#8217;s dangerously liberal policies, President Trump will meet with Michiganders to listen to their concerns and share his vision to make America affordable again,&#8221; Team Trump said in a statement.
&#8220;The auto industry is the backbone of Michigan&#8217;s economy, and Kamala Harris&#8217; actions have only shown that she will destroy it,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;If Kamala Harris has her way with a gas-powered car ban, Michigan will lose, at a minimum, 40,000 jobs. It&#8217;s painfully clear that Michiganders cannot afford four more years of Kamala Harris, and voters in the Great Lakes State are eager to hear how President Trump will lower inflation and protect the auto industry.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: President Trump to hold Flint, Michigan town hall next Tuesday at 7PM ET. <a href="https://t.co/qIMJIdLm27">pic.twitter.com/qIMJIdLm27</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1834270975933734973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Biden-Harris administration <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/climate/biden-phase-out-gas-cars.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a rule earlier this year requiring auto manufacturers to produce more electric vehicles and tightened regulations on tail-pipe emissions, which target gas-powered vehicles. The Kamala Harris campaign attempted to distance the vice president from the administration&#8217;s policies, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-camp-declines-clarify-whether-kamalas-values-have-shifted-ev-mandates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> last month that she &#8220;does not support an electric vehicle mandate.&#8221; During her first major interview as the Democratic nominee, however, Harris doubled down on her commitment to addressing the &#8220;climate crisis.&#8221;
&#8220;The most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,&#8221; she told CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash. &#8220;You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time.&#8221;
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Flint, known as &#8220;Vehicle City&#8221; for its boom during the height of the auto industry in Michigan, is now a heavily Democratic area whose population has declined for decades. When Flint was at the center of a water crisis nearly a decade ago, Trump <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2016/09/a_look_back_at_donald_trumps_v.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> to the city to tour the water plant. Trump&#8217;s motorcade in 2016 was met by angry Flint residents who told him to &#8220;go home.&#8221;
Trump lost Genesee County, where Flint is the largest city, to both Hillary Clinton in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016</a> and Joe Biden in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-michigan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020</a> by nearly 10 points. Michigan is a vital battleground state for Trump and Vice President Harris in the 2024 election. Polls currently show Harris barely leading Trump by less than one point in the state, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> average.

Trump To Hold Town Hall In Deep Blue Flint, MI

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Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during an interview this week that she believes this week&#8217;s presidential debate is going to be more important for Vice President Kamala Harris than former President Donald Trump because Harris has avoided answering questions and sitting down for interviews.
Sanders made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; while discussing how Trump is preparing for Tuesday&#8217;s debate.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s actually more important for Vice President Harris, somebody who doesn&#8217;t speak to the media, doesn&#8217;t take questions &#8212; in fact, at the end of this interview, I will have done more interviews during this election cycle than she has since becoming the Democrat nominee for president,&#8221; Sanders said.
She continued, &#8220;It is absurd that she does not take questions from the press, from the American people, and so I think this is actually a much more important night for her because it&#8217;s so rare that we hear from her, that we hear her take questions, or that we know anything that she actually stands for.&#8221;
Sanders said that Trump has been preparing every day for the debate throughout the entire campaign cycle because he travels around the country, talks to voters, and answers media questions often.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724361346607000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZhyOQfEkxcMH_D1Ago3CQ">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
&#8220;He&#8217;ll go in game-time ready just as he does for every interview, every rally that he does. This is not something that is a heavy lift for him,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s why you&#8217;re hearing so much about the preparation for Vice President Harris because this isn&#8217;t something she does very often, and I think she has a lot to get ready for, and I don&#8217;t think that she&#8217;s up to the challenge, in large part, not just because I don&#8217;t know that she&#8217;s a great debater, but she&#8217;s so wrong on the issues that Americans care about, and she has a terrible track record to talk about.&#8221;
Sanders said that Trump will enter the debate from a position of strength because of his record as president while Harris has been tied to foreign policy disasters, the inflation crisis, and the border crisis.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump will show up at the debate ‘from a position of strength’: Gov. Sarah Sanders" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEIJ7LBwTJE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arkansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkansas</a> Supreme Court rejected a last ditch effort from a leftist group seeking to get an abortion amendment added to the November ballot that would roll back pro-life protections.
On Thursday, the court ruled 4-3 against a challenge from the pro-abortion Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG) to Secretary of State John Thurston’s decision to reject their amendment liberalizing the state’s abortion laws from the ballot. Thurston rejected the ballot initiative last month, saying that the group failed to disclose who it had paid to gather 14,143 of the signatures it collected in support of ballot placement.
“This court is being asked to order another constitutional officer, the Arkansas Secretary of State, to ignore a mandatory statutory provision that he has enforced,” the majority wrote. “That is not the proper role of the court.”
“We find that the secretary correctly refused to count the signatures collected by paid canvassers because the sponsor failed to file the paid canvasser training certification,” the majority added.
The ballot <a href="https://ag-opinions.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024-004.pdf">initiative</a> would have added exceptions to existing Arkansas abortion law for rape, incest, and fetal anomaly, as well as instituting a right to an abortion up to 18 weeks after conception. At <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151">18 weeks</a>, an unborn baby’s digestive system begins working and they can hear sounds.
Dissenting Justices Karen Baker and Courtney Rae Hudson <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/22/arkansas-supreme-court-blocks-abortion-measure-00175823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that Thurston had manufactured a reason to reject the proposed amendment.
“This requirement was made up out of whole cloth,” they wrote. “Regnat Populus — The People Rule — is the motto of Arkansas. Today’s decision strips every Arkansan of this power.”
Thurston said that his office was only following the law when it rejected the amendment.
“During the electoral process, my staff maintained the highest professional standards and did not allow partisan politics or misinformation to deter them from their duty to comply with the law,” he said in a <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/arkansas-abortion-amendment-reaction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “I am dedicated to my calling to serve Arkansans and will continue to do so.”
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The court’s ruling was praised by GOP Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“Proud I helped build the first conservative Supreme Court majority in the history of Arkansas and today that court upheld the rule of law, and with it, the right to life,” she <a href="https://x.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1826675980246949938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
Other red states like Florida and South Dakota will have abortion rights on the ballot in 2024, while abortion measures are pending in other conservative states like Missouri and Montana.

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