Texas Senator Ted Cruz dismantled California’s leftist Governor Gavin Newsom in a blistering history lesson after Newsom attempted to frame the presence of federalized National Guard troops in his state as some unprecedented act of tyranny.
Newsom — apparently recalling President Trump invoking 10 U.S.C. § 12406 in June 2025 to federalize approximately 4,000 members of the California National Guard over  Newsom&#8217;s explicit objections — desperately attempted to stir up a narrative of &#8220;secret police&#8221; and &#8220;masked men,&#8221; comparing the federal response to Nazi Germany. “I want to remember all those images of masked men, the secret police, something familiar in Germany,” Newsom bloviated.
“Those first images came out of my state. The second-largest city in the United States of America. We saw 4,000 National Guard federalized. First time. We&#8217;ve never seen anything like this. And 700 active duty Marines sent — not overseas, but to the second largest city in the United States of America. Militarizing the streets of my city.  Masked men. Masked men showing up. Unaccountable.”
The problem for Newsom? History actually happened.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmhKfG5jBnA">Responding</a> on his &#8220;Verdict&#8221; podcast, Senator Ted Cruz scorched Newsom’s grasp of the American timeline. “Just like AOC and Whitmer, Newsom is apparently thoroughly historically illiterate,” Cruz stated. “He said we’ve never seen National Guards federalized in the states. I guess his history book does not discuss the civil rights movement; he’s never heard of a president named Dwight D. Eisenhower; he’s never heard of sending the National Guard into Southern states. When Democrats, who refused to desegregate schools, resisted, Eisenhower sent the National Guard in. The pattern is the same; in this instance, you have Democrats who are saying, ‘We refuse to comply with federal immigration law.’ Then you had, in the 50s and 60s, you had Democrats saying, ‘We refuse to comply with civil rights law.’ In both instances, it is lawless Democrats attacking law enforcement. Gavin Newsom is proudly following the tradition of Bull Connor, another Democrat politician.”
When Cruz took to X to reiterate that Newsom is “historically illiterate,” the California Governor — rather than defending his grasp of history — opted for the politics of grievance. Newsom, who has been open about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, attempted to cast Cruz’s critique as a personal attack on his learning disability. “Ted Cruz calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him,” Newsom whimpered.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Ted Cruz calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him. <a href="https://t.co/XC75ybiGKd">https://t.co/XC75ybiGKd</a>
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/2023502733513552233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cruz was having none of it. Firing back on X, the Texas Senator clarified for the Governor that &#8220;historically illiterate&#8221; refers to a lack of knowledge, not a lack of phonics. “I didn’t say you couldn’t read, you 🤡,” Cruz retorted.
He then dropped the hammer with specific receipts: Executive Order 10730. Cruz detailed how Eisenhower used the 101st Airborne Division to break the blockade imposed by Democratic Governor Orval Faubus, allowing the Little Rock Nine to enter Central High School.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I didn’t say you couldn’t read, you 🤡
I said you were “historically illiterate”…
….because you apparently have no idea that Eisenhower federalized the national guard to stop Dem governors from defying federal law.
Specifically, on September 23, 1957, President Eisenhower… <a href="https://t.co/63z3botBKs">https://t.co/63z3botBKs</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/2023603867254997407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Newsom’s schooling appears to have elided the chapters on how his own party has spent decades standing on the wrong side of federal law and basic historical fact.

MixCollage-17-Feb-2026-10-46-AM-4471

‘Historically Illiterate’: Cruz Scorches Newsom After CA Governor Compares Federal Troops To Nazis

HISTORICAL AMNESIA: Cruz Scorches Newsom After CA Governor Compares Federal Troops To Nazi Germany

California

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

National Guard

Ted Cruz

President Donald Trump took action on Thursday to limit state-level regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) and create a new national framework, saying that the United States was in a race with China to develop the best technology. 
Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to challenge “onerous and excessive” AI regulations issued by states. The order also directed his administration to begin developing a national framework for AI. 
“One of the things it has is you have to have a central source of approval. When they need approval of things, you have to come to one source; they can&#8217;t go to California, New York, and various other places,” Trump said as he signed the executive order. 
“To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation. But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative,&#8221; the executive order said. &#8220;State-by-State regulation by definition creates a patchwork of 50 different regulatory regimes that makes compliance more challenging, particularly for start-ups.&#8221;
The order added that the Trump administration was concerned about states’ embedding ideological bias into their models and unconstitutionally regulating interstate commerce. 
“My Administration must act with the Congress to ensure that there is a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones. The resulting framework must forbid State laws that conflict with the policy set forth in this order,” the order added. &#8220;That framework should also ensure that children are protected, censorship is prevented, copyrights are respected, and communities are safeguarded.&#8221;
The order establishes an AI litigation task force to challenge state laws deemed overly burdensome, directs Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to evaluate all state AI laws, and proposes restrictions on federal funding if states enact certain policies. 
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More than 1,000 bills have been introduced in state legislatures addressing AI, which the Trump administration said could disrupt the race with China for technological development.  
The signing of the executive order was attended by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, AI and crypto czar David Sacks, and Lutnick. Sacks noted that the Trump administration would not push back against states that have passed laws protecting child safety. 
Trump signed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-order-launching-manhattan-project-for-artificial-intelligence">executive order</a> last month creating a “national effort” to integrate AI into research and accelerate innovation and scientific discovery. The initiative, known as the &#8220;Genesis Mission,&#8221; focuses on developing an AI model to accelerate scientific discovery.

Trump Signs Order Seeking To Limit State-Level AI Regulation

Trump Pushes Back On ‘Excessive’ AI Regulations, Blocks State Overreach

Artificial Intelligence

China

Executive

Executive Orders

Politics

Technology

When Nicki Minaj stepped up to the podium at the United Nations on November 18th, wearing a somber black suit instead of her usual bubblegum pink, one of the world’s most influential rap artists became one of the most unexpected voices to join the fight against Christian persecution in Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, hundreds of communities live in fear simply because of how they worship,” she said. “Protecting Christians is not about taking sides, and it is not about dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”
Her appearance was arranged by United Nations Ambassador Michael Waltz, who has spent the past several months pushing world leaders to acknowledge the religious genocide in Africa’s most populous and economically successful nation. “We are witnessing atrocities,” Waltz declared earlier in the session. “One bullet at a time, one torched Bible at a time.”
The unlikely partnership between the superstar and former counterterrorism officer came at a moment when the mass Christian killings in Nigeria have triggered the most direct American criticism of Nigeria’s government in decades. President Donald Trump recently reinstated Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern,&#8221; a formal label that opens the door to sanctions, aid restrictions, and military pressure.
A Crisis Long in the Making
Violence in Nigeria’s central and northern regions is not new, and the perpetrators come from a variety of Muslim groups, from Fulani herder militias in the Middle Belt to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province jihadis in the North. Leery of seeming critical of Islam, legacy media outlets have for years regurgitated the narrative of the Nigerian government, shying away from characterizing the attacks as religious persecution. Instead, they’ve cited secondary causes — land disputes, ethnic tensions, weather-related displacement — that sometimes overlap with religious motives.
But in several recent congressional hearings, press briefings, and policy papers, consistent evidence has emerged that Christian communities, particularly in rural regions, are being disproportionately targeted specifically because they are Christians. The numbers vary, depending on the source, but even the most conservative estimates are grim. Advocacy organizations report 7,000 Christians killed and 7,900 abducted this year alone, with more than 19,000 churches destroyed. In a <a href="https://rileymoore.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-moore-introduces-resolution-condemning-persecution-christians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a> condemning the religious violence, Texas Congressman Riley Moore noted that as many as 100,000 Christians have been killed since 2009.
Humanitarian groups like Open Doors stress that more Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined, making it the most dangerous nation on earth for Christ followers. Yet under the Obama and Biden administrations, the federal government refused to classify the violence as persecution, with Biden reversing the first Trump administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has spent years trying to convince his fellow lawmakers to adopt a clearer, more confrontational response to the Nigerian government’s ongoing refusal to address the violence. He told The Daily Wire the Nigerian government has not simply turned a blind eye to the situation but in some cases are complicit in the persecution and murder of Christians.
Cruz’s advocacy has helped initiate a wave of renewed interest in the crisis that was further amplified once Minaj and Ambassador Waltz moved the conversation to the global stage.
Cruz recounted that when Senate Republicans were invited to breakfast at the White House shortly before the Country of Particular Concern designation was reinstated, he pulled the president aside and personally thanked him.
“This unlocks targeted sanctions,” he explained. “It unlocks the ability to use deep economic leverage. It allows the administration to say enough is enough.” He added that Nigeria has 12 states enforcing Sharia-based laws and maintains a federal blasphemy statute. According to Cruz, these legal structures “are used to persecute Christians” and create an environment where extremist groups can operate with impunity.
The senator takes particular issue with outlets like the Associated Press reporting that the data does not support a Christian genocide.
“I think you could actually teach [the AP report] in a journalism class as an example of pure political hackery and dishonest reporting,” he said. Cruz believes the media reluctance stems from a worldview that downplays religious persecution when the victims are Christian. He compared it to coverage of the war in Gaza, alleging that some outlets report atrocities selectively depending on who commits them.
To bolster the strength of the Country of Particular Concern designation, Cruz has introduced the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2747" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025</a>, which will place targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials who enforce Sharia law and facilitate violence against Christians and other minority groups.
The View from the Ground
In Abuja, officials maintain that the crisis cannot be reduced to persecution and accuse some in Washington of using Nigeria as a “political football.” Government spokesmen insist the country’s constitution forbids religious discrimination and that Muslim communities also sometimes suffer violence at the hands of more extreme Muslims. These are the claims regularly echoed by major American media.
But those on the ground in Nigeria say that while it’s true other Muslims are sometimes targeted for not being “Muslim enough,” there’s no question that Christians are disproportionately targeted.
Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, ministers on the ground in Nigeria, and he told The Daily Wire that the Nigerian government regularly fails to act to protect Christians, even with ample forewarning. Yet outlets like the AP and Reuters are content to echo their talking points.
“The mainstream media never shows up. They just take the government’s word for it, and every time Christians are killed, it’s always ‘unknown gunmen.’ But we know who’s doing it,” Saul said. He added that legacy reporters need to visit Nigeria to see the situation on the ground for themselves. “They need to see the dead bodies, hug the wounded, hug the survivors, be there feeding them when they&#8217;re starving, like I have,” he added.
Other Americans ministering in Nigeria echo Saul&#8217;s sentiment.
“Let&#8217;s not forget, [Nigerian] Christians are second class citizens,” Pastor Brad Brandon, who leads a Christian relief organization Across Nigeria, told The Daily Wire. “Oftentimes, they have trouble even buying food at the market or getting medical care or education for their children simply because they&#8217;re Christians.” He further pointed out that of the 3.5 million people in Nigeria’s displaced persons camps, eighty percent are Christians who are there because their homes and their villages have been destroyed by Muslim attackers.
“When somebody denies that this is a genocide or Christians are being targeted, like the AP has done, if it wasn&#8217;t so serious and horrific, it would be laughable,” Brandon said, citing the Yelwata massacre where 250 Christians were slaughtered in a single night. &#8220;Entire villages were razed, houses burned, women and children shot as they fled the flames,&#8221; he said. Brandon himself witnessed the violence close up in 2021 when a Nigerian colleague was hacked to death in his bed by extremists after they torched his church and home during a ministry tour. &#8220;We&#8217;ve lost friends, scouts, partners. We’re constantly in and out of massacre sites,&#8221; Brandon added.
It’s a reality that has led some Nigerian pastors to carry weapons during worship services, prepared to protect their flocks physically if need be.
A Growing Movement
As recognition of the crisis in Nigeria has grown, American churches have begun organizing prayer vigils, fundraising campaigns, and policy petitions. Ambassador Waltz is preparing for closed-door consultations with his UN counterparts in hopes of securing a multilateral fact-finding mission. Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have called for a parliamentary inquiry into Nigeria’s security situation, while several members of the European Parliament have urged the European Union to reassess its aid strategy.
Yet for survivors and displaced families in Nigeria, the long-awaited international response can feel distant and lack urgency. Viral videos circulating online show Nigerian pastors standing in mass graves pleading for help, describing ruined congregations and inaccessible hospitals. One recent clip showed a rural priest surrounded by makeshift wooden crosses, mourning dozens of victims buried less than a day earlier.
Whether Minaj’s intervention will translate into sustainable policy outcomes remains unclear. Celebrity involvement has, historically, produced mixed results for international crises. But for now, what she has undeniably done is thrust Nigeria’s crisis into headlines it had rarely reached. Her UN appearance led to days of debate across cable news and radio programs. Editorial boards that had not covered Nigeria’s rural violence in months published opinion pieces after her social media posts praising President Trump for his action. Lawmakers previously unfamiliar with the issue requested briefings.
As Waltz put it afterward, “Sometimes the world pays attention only when someone unexpected steps forward.”
In the wake of the UN event, the Trump administration is reportedly considering targeted sanctions on specific Nigerian officials accused of failing to prevent extremist violence. The State Department is preparing a report on blasphemy laws and religious-freedom restrictions in Nigeria’s northern states. Ambassador Waltz has indicated that he hopes to formalize new security conditions for future arms sales.
Nigeria, facing diplomatic and economic pressure, is weighing how to respond. Officials have hinted that they will accept additional counterterrorism support but will resist any effort to frame the conflict primarily as religious.
Meanwhile, advocates like Saul say the crisis cannot wait for geopolitical negotiations. He argues that international pressure must intensify immediately, before more villages are burned and more families displaced.
International Stakes and China’s Influence
One complicating factor, though, is China’s expanding presence on the African continent. China is Nigeria’s largest bilateral lender and a key investor in infrastructure, energy, and mining, and it benefits from the status quo. Cruz believes that economic relationship gives the United States further geopolitical incentive to put pressure on Nigerian officials to stop the violence.
“Communist China is the single largest geopolitical threat facing the United States for the next hundred years,” Cruz said. “Their objective is unequivocal. They&#8217;re not shy about it. It is global domination. It is economic domination. It is military domination. And Africa is one of the major battlegrounds where China is trying to exert its influence.”
According to Cruz, China benefits from a weakened or destabilized Nigeria because radical Islamist factions tend to resent Western influence more than Chinese investment.
“Chinese communists are perfectly fine with persecuting Christians,” he said. “The Chinese communist government persecutes Christians in China. They also recognize that the more influence radical Islamists have in Nigeria, the less likely Nigeria is to align with America because radical Islam hates America. And so, from China&#8217;s perspective, if they want Nigeria to side with the communists, one of the ways of doing so is trying to strengthen the forces that hate Americans, that hate Christians, that hate the West. And sadly, that&#8217;s exactly what China is doing.”
For Cruz, Waltz, and scores of humanitarian workers, the moment to stake a clear position on Nigerian persecution feels long overdue. And for the families living through nightly attacks, fleeing burned homes, or burying loved ones in village clearings, it is simply another chapter in a long struggle for survival — one they hope the world, finally, has begun to see.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj Puts Nigeria’s Christian Persecution In The Spotlight

Christian

Mike Waltz

Nigeria

Persecution

United Nations

Tech giant Microsoft yanked its promotion of NewsGuard, which claims to rate the trustworthiness of news websites but is known for targeting conservative outlets like The Daily Wire, months after telling Republican senator Ted Cruz that it had disavowed the site and would no longer recommend it. 
In February 2025, Microsoft publicly <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/2/sen-cruz-s-investigation-leads-microsoft-to-disavow-support-for-newsguard-s-biased-indoctrination-tool">distanced</a> itself from NewsGuard after Cruz demanded answers about why it was promoting the fact-checker on its website. NewsGuard has been criticized for its harsh ratings of conservative websites while seemingly giving legacy outlets a pass.
Microsoft, however, continued to recommend NewsGuard as a trusted “fact-checker” for students even after the firm was accused of colluding with advertisers to censor conservative viewpoints. Only in recent days has Microsoft scrubbed references to NewsGuard from its website, according to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250905060257/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/customize-cce3cff5-3bac-4711-a22e-fb28baa8b467#id0edd=fact_check">archived webpages</a> reviewed by The Daily Wire.
NewsGuard’s removal comes after a <a href="https://thefairelectionfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/MicrosoftReport.pdf">report</a> from the Fair Election Fund flagged that Microsoft was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250905060257/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/customize-cce3cff5-3bac-4711-a22e-fb28baa8b467#id0edd=fact_check">incorporating</a> the company into its Search Coach tool. Search Coach is used in Microsoft’s education products, including Teams for Education, which provides “context and guidance for students to ask effective questions and discover reliable sources.”
In Search Coach, Microsoft referred to NewsGuard as an “objective” and “reputable” organization. Microsoft said that NewsGuard “is embedded in Search Coach to share evaluations of sites&#8217; reliability, has created a list of trustworthy fact checking sites,” according to an archived webpage from September 5, 2025. 
<div id="attachment_999159" style="width: 1481px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-999159" class="wp-image-999159 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-10.02.25-AM.png" alt="" width="1471" height="782" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-10.02.25-AM.png 1471w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-10.02.25-AM-300x159.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-10.02.25-AM-1024x544.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-10.02.25-AM-768x408.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1471px) 100vw, 1471px" />Microsoft/ Sept. 5</div>
The new page has removed references to NewsGuard, though it still recommends left-wing fact-checking outlets like Snopes and PolitiFact. Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment by deadline on why the references to NewsGuard were removed. The Texas Public Policy Foundation and Libs of TikTok both <a href="https://dallasexpress.com/opinion/opinion-microsoft-lied-to-sen-cruz-about-newsguard-continued-censorship-push/">called</a> in late October for Microsoft to completely cut ties to NewsGuard. 
&#8220;We consistently review our business partnerships and did not renew our contract with NewsGuard,&#8221; a Microsoft spokesman told The Daily Wire after publication.
NewsGuard is still listed as a sidebar option on the page, but it leads to an error when clicked on. 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-999163" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-scaled.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1302" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-scaled.png 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-300x153.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-1024x521.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-768x391.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-1536x781.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.25.27-PM-2048x1041.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></div>
NewsGuard once <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/february-2020/">described</a> The Daily Wire as “a site founded by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro that distorts facts to advance a partisan agenda,&#8221; and has consistently rated this website as unreliable. 
One of the other sites it compared The Daily Wire to was Politico, an outlet with a rap sheet that includes pushing the discredited claims from intelligence officers that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. The article <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276">remains published without correction</a>. 
The relationship between Microsoft and NewsGuard first came under scrutiny back in December 2024 when Cruz sent a <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/6801E8CD-60A1-421D-86A2-8B9104AE27EB">letter</a> to the tech giant asking why it was promoting and funding NewsGuard’s Media Literacy tool. That tool was supposed to help students spot so-called “misinformation.” 
“Given growing concerns about NewsGuard’s ideological bias and its efforts to manipulate young minds, I ask for transparency regarding Microsoft’s involvement in and financing of this Orwellian censorship project,” Cruz wrote. “Your company’s financial support for NewsGuard is especially troubling given Microsoft’s purported commitment to protecting free expression online.”
After Cruz sent his letter, Microsoft told the Texas Republican that its relationship with NewsGuard was limited to one donation. It also asked NewsGuard to remove the following line from its website: &#8220;NewsGuard&#8217;s Media Literacy Programs are made possible thanks to generous support from Microsoft.”
In March 2025, it was <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2025/03/04/after-disavowing-newsguard-microsoft-still-promotes-the-censorship-group/">reported</a> that Microsoft advised students to “observe any NewsGuard ratings that come up from your search” before selecting search results when conducting research. At the time, Microsoft removed some of its references to NewsGuard in Search Coach, but not all. 
“Notice that some of the top links don’t have 100/100 scores. Select the NewsGuard rating. What did they lose points for? How might this impact whether the site is credible?&#8221; the <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/get-started-with-search-coach-1dd4334c-9a43-461d-9ddc-630c8f7e6714">Search Coach</a> website reads. &#8220;Why are the different components of a NewsGuard rating important?”
NewsGuard is <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jun/6/news-rating-agencies-federal-scrutiny-colluding-shut-conservative/">currently</a> wrapped up in an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is probing whether news rating agencies colluded with advertisers to target conservatives. 
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said last year that NewsGuard labels could lead to top-dollar consequences for companies. 
“If a website gets a poor rating on NewsGuard’s ‘nutrition label,’ it can choke off the advertising dollars that are the lifeblood for many websites, including platforms on which millions of Americans every day speak their minds,” he said in December 2024.
That same line of questioning is being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-to-probe-media-rating-firm-newsguard-for-possible-taxpayer-funded-censorship?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Congress+To+Probe+Media+Rating+Firm+NewsGuard+For+Possible+Taxpayer-Funded+Censorship">investigated</a> by the House Oversight Committee, as advertisers often used lists from NewsGuard to avoid doing business with companies that supposedly push “misinformation.&#8221; NewsGuard has received funding from the Department of Defense and the State Department, which gave it an award for its work in fighting alleged COVID misinformation.
Many entities still point to NewsGuard and recommend it as a trusted source. For example, the Kalamazoo Public Library in Michigan <a href="https://www.kpl.gov/category/patron-support/resources/voting-info/">promotes</a> NewsGuard as providing a “browser extension that provides an easy way to evaluate websites.” Hawaii’s public library system <a href="https://www.newsguardtech.com/press/hawaii-public-libraries-join-newsguard-in-news-literacy-partnership/">announced</a> a “media literacy” partnership with NewsGuard so that its patrons “see credibility ratings of news sources they encounter while using library computers.”
The Denver Public Library actually <a href="https://archive.ph/rlYMI">lists</a> local newspapers and TV outlets with reliable ratings from NewsGuard on its website. 
<div id="attachment_999167" style="width: 2534px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-999167" class="size-full wp-image-999167" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM.png" alt="" width="2524" height="1059" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM.png 2524w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM-300x126.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM-1024x430.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM-768x322.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM-1536x644.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.30.27-AM-2048x859.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2524px) 100vw, 2524px" />Denver Public Libraries.</div>
Back in 2018, the American Libraries Magazine <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/11/01/check-your-facts-tech-tools/">reported</a> that around 200 public libraries across the country had integrated NewsGuard into their computer systems. The magazine also reported that NewsGuard was supported by Microsoft. 
Grok, the AI tool platformed by X, will cite NewsGuard when asked whether The Daily Wire can be trusted. Meanwhile, NewsGuard has been critical of Grok and suggested it can be turned into a “misinformation superspreader.”
<div id="attachment_999169" style="width: 1774px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-999169" class="size-full wp-image-999169" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM.png" alt="" width="1764" height="657" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM.png 1764w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM-300x112.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM-1024x381.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM-768x286.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-11-at-11.43.13-AM-1536x572.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1764px) 100vw, 1764px" />Grok evaluation of Daily Wire.</div>
NewsGuard has also built a partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, a radical nationwide teachers&#8217; union that pushes leftist policies. The partnership was designed to &#8220;champion legitimate journalism and fact-based reporting&#8221; and help students discern &#8220;misinformation.&#8221;
This story was updated with comment from Microsoft.

MixCollage-11-Nov-2025-12-43-PM-2961

Microsoft Told Ted Cruz It Had Nothing To Do With NewsGuard. Then It Scrubbed Its Website.

Censorship

Microsoft

NewsGuard

Millions of Americans this week will head to the polls in several crucial elections, more revelations regarding former President Joe Biden’s Arctic Frost operation come to light, and President Donald Trump draws a line in the sand regarding Christian persecution in Nigeria.
It’s Monday, November 3, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251103-member-exclusive">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/election-week-preview-trump-warns-nigeria-11-3-25/id1576594336?i=1000735013132" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Election Day Preview</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-994917" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Ballots-And-Bellwethers.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: It’s election week, with millions of Americans heading to the polls for the first time since Donald Trump’s 2024 victory.  
New York: The race for New York City’s mayor is getting the most national attention. An avowed socialist could soon lead America’s largest city. The 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani came out of nowhere this year to win the Democratic Primary, and he’s maintained a significant double-digit lead throughout the general election.
He is running against Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who, after losing in the primary, began running as an independent. Current polling shows Mamdani with an average lead of 14 points.
Mamdani’s endorsements: Typically, whoever wins the primary in New York is immediately endorsed by party leaders. But with the exception of far-Left folks like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, most national Democrats were hesitant to sign on — clearly concerned about tying themselves to Mamdani’s more radical views.
While New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) eventually were pressured into endorsing Mamdani, in an extraordinary move, high-profile Democrats like  Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have yet to do so.
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
Interestingly, Mamdani’s support is coming from foreign-born Americans. One of the latest polls shows that among voters born in America, Cuomo is actually ahead by nine points. But among foreign-born voters, Mamdani holds a massive 38-point lead.
New Jersey: Republicans have had their eye on the Garden State ever since last November, when Trump got within six points of victory. In 2020, he lost by 16% – the second-largest shift to the right in any state in the country.
A few months ago, the governor’s race looked like a blowout, with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) ahead by more than 20 points. But Republican nominee Jack Ciatarelli has gained significant ground. The latest polls show him within about three points.
Virginia: Democrats were embarrassed in Virginia four years ago when Republican Glenn Youngkin pulled off a stunning upset. This time, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears needs an even bigger upset to defeat Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
This governor’s race has, in many ways, been defined by the Attorney General election, specifically, Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee. Last month, leaked texts from 2022 showed him wishing death on Republican colleagues in Virginia, even saying he hoped their children died because “only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.” Despite those messages, Jones stayed on the ticket, though it did lead to him cratering in the polls.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Operation Arctic Frost Revelations</h2>
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Topline: New whistleblower documents expose a Biden-era &#8220;enemies list&#8221; buried deep in a federal investigation codenamed Arctic Frost. Republicans say this probe, which targeted President Trump and hundreds of his allies, weaponized the Justice Department for political reasons.
Arctic Frost started as an FBI operation in April 2022, led by then-agent Timothy Thibault. Initially, it was aimed at probing alleged efforts by Trump allies to challenge the 2020 election. But when Special Counsel Jack Smith took over in November of that year, it ballooned into the basis for Trump&#8217;s election interference indictments. Those charges were eventually dismissed.
But now, whistleblower records obtained by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) show a lot more was going on at the time — Arctic Frost became a sweeping dragnet targeting Republican senators, donors, and outside conservative groups.
Grassley has also revealed that the authorization for Arctic Frost had come from the top of the Biden administration, meaning then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and then-FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The predicate: Grassley released 197 subpoenas issued in 2023 alone. The subpoenas included nonpublic grand jury material that demanded everything from emails to phone metadata to bank records and credit reports of 34 individuals and 163 businesses, including many conservative groups such as Turning Point USA.
The subpoenas sought communications from nine Republican senators, including Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and Ron Johnson, as well as from House members and White House aides such as Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner. They even went after media companies — Fox News, Newsmax, Sinclair — demanding donor lists and fundraising data.
Repercussions: Cruz is demanding the House impeach D.C. Chief Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee, for approving a 2023 gag order that silenced carriers like AT&amp;T from alerting targets. Cruz said there were &#8220;no facts or evidence&#8221; to justify it, and Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) is drafting articles, calling Boasberg a &#8220;radical activist judge&#8221; who enabled spying on senators.
Some could be charged with crimes. Some conservative legal experts are pushing for criminal charges against DOJ and FBI staffers for conspiring to violate the free speech, free assembly, and privacy rights of their targets.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Threatens Nigeria Over Christian Persecution</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-994913" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Nigeria-On-Notice.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump issued a stark warning to Nigeria over the persecution of Christians – while he continues to flex U.S. might in South America.
Nigeria: Trump said the U.S. military would move on Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless it stops the persecution of Christians. He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115476385101120405">posted</a> on Truth Social on Saturday that Nigeria needs to “move fast” or the U.S. military will “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
That post came a day after Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115470116607441456">announced</a> that he had designated Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN,” which means Nigeria has been identified for “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/trump-calls-for-support-for-persecuted-nigerian-christians/">under</a> the International Religious Freedom Act.
The scope of the persecution is vast. According to one report, more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria just since the start of the year, which makes Nigeria easily the deadliest country for Christians globally.
Sen. Cruz <a href="https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-statement-on-president-trump-action-against-nigeria-for-christian-persecution">said</a> that the designation is “a critical step in holding accountable and changing the behavior of Nigerian officials who have facilitated and created an environment conducive to the outrages in Nigeria.” He has introduced legislation to take it a step further, punishing in particular officials who push blasphemy and sharia laws in Nigeria.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu <a href="https://x.com/officialABAT/status/1984640117361840491">said</a> the accusations of Christian persecution do “not reflect our national reality,” and that “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.” A spokesman for the president <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-tells-department-defense-prepare-possible-action-nigeria-rcna241330">added</a> Sunday that he would welcome U.S. help fighting terrorism “as long as it (the U.S.) recognizes our territorial integrity.”
South America: According to reports from the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/u-s-eyes-striking-venezuelan-military-targets-used-for-drug-trafficking-cafcfe47?st=tchg4R%3E">Wall Street Journal</a> and the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article312722642.html">Miami Herald</a>, the president has weighed military strikes on Venezuelan targets, which could be launched at any time.
The reported targets would be military assets used in the drug trade, and if the president moved forward with strikes, it would serve not only as a clear message to drug traffickers but to President Nicolás Maduro, as well. The Trump administration wants him out of government – the sooner the better for him.
The military pressure on Venezuela is the opposite of the pressure Trump has used in Argentina. There, the country’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, won a massive victory in the midterm elections, at least partly due to Trump’s offer of an economic lifeline to Argentina’s government – but only if Milei’s reforms were protected.

MRN_251103_V2

Morning Brief: Election Day Nears, Biden-Era ‘Enemies List,’ & Trump Warns Nigeria

Morning Brief: Election Day Preview, Arctic Frost Revelations, And Trump Threatens Nigeria

Argentina

Chuck Grassley

Media

Morning Wire

New Jersey

New York City

Venezuela

Virginia

Zohran Mamdani

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) gave a <a href="https://www.rev.com/transcripts/arctic-frost-press-conference">press conference</a> on Wednesday in conjunction with a massive document dump relating to a probe — undertaken by former President Joe Biden&#8217;s Justice Department — code-named Arctic Frost.
Arctic Frost, which would ultimately grow into Special Counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s investigation into the 2020 presidential election, included nearly 200 subpoenas aimed at Republicans in Congress and Trump allies outside of Capitol Hill — from high-dollar donors and super-PACs to Mike Lindell&#8217;s MyPillow. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) described the slew of subpoenas as &#8220;nothing short of a Biden administration enemies list.&#8221;
&#8220;Arctic Frost was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus,&#8221; Grassley said when he made the list public. &#8220;Contrary to what Smith has said publicly, this was clearly a fishing expedition.&#8221;
Grassley also revealed a few days earlier that the authorization for Arctic Frost had come from the top of the Biden Administration.
&#8220;Just received this doc frm DOJ Proof that Biden Atty General Merrick Garland + Deputy Atty General Lisa Monaco + FBI Dir Chris Wray all PERSONALLY APPROVED opening Arctic Frost,&#8221; Grassley posted the letter along with a brief comment. &#8220;This investigation unleashed unchecked govt power at the highest levels.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just received this doc frm DOJ Proof that Biden Atty General Merrick Garland+ Deputy Atty General Lisa Monaco+ FBI Dir Chris Wray all PERSONALLY APPROVED opening Arctic Frost
This investigation unleashed unchecked govt power at the highest levels My oversight will continue <a href="https://t.co/atuRnC8ara">pic.twitter.com/atuRnC8ara</a>
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1981426515284721848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Federalist&#8217;s Sean Davis shared a list of organizations whose bank records had been subpoenaed: &#8220;The corrupt Biden FBI subpoenaed the bank records, donor lists, and emails of nearly every major conservative organization and leader in the country, including Donald Trump’s campaign, the RNC, Conservative Partnership Institute, Save America PAC, America First Policy Institute, and even MyPillow.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: New Arctic Frost whistleblower documents show that the corrupt Biden FBI subpoenaed the bank records, donor lists, and emails of nearly every major conservative organization and leader in the country, including Donald Trump’s campaign, the RNC, Conservative Partnership… <a href="https://t.co/EK01dfvilh">pic.twitter.com/EK01dfvilh</a>
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) <a href="https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1983615138856104107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-was-offended-ted-cruz-explains-why-he-wasnt-tracked-by-bidens-fbi">Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) mentioned the operation during a recent podcast, saying that when he&#8217;d learned that Verizon had turned over cellphone data on a number of his colleagues, he&#8217;d initially felt left out that he&#8217;d not been included on the list. It was only later that he&#8217;d learned that his name was only excluded because his wireless carrier, AT&amp;T, had effectively told the FBI to &#8220;go jump in a lake.&#8221;
Grassley later revealed that the subpoenas had also included a landline in Cruz&#8217;s Senate office.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Chuck Grassley just revealed that Jack Smith sent a subpoena to Verizon to tap my Senate office phone.
This comes after learning that nearly 20% of Senate Republicans’ cellphones, including mine, were also subpoenaed.
Arctic Frost is the Biden DOJ’s Watergate, and they… <a href="https://t.co/qBR5lT9XIV">pic.twitter.com/qBR5lT9XIV</a>
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1983617871403217018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In addition to issuing the subpoena for Cruz&#8217;s wireless phone, which he abandoned after being challenged by AT&amp;T, the same <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-judge-threatens-to-hold-trump-admin-in-criminal-contempt-of-court-over-deportation-flights">Judge James E. Boasberg</a> who has tangled repeatedly with Trump over illegal alien deportations issued a <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/29/100-times-worse-than-watergate-3-biggest-revelations-from-latest-arctic-frost-document-dump/">second order</a>.
&#8220;Judge Boasberg issued an order to AT&amp;T and signed that order prohibiting AT&amp;T from informing me of this subpoena for at least one year,&#8221; Cruz explained. &#8220;And Judge Boasberg gave the basis for that order, and I’m going to quote from the order Judge Boasberg signed: &#8216;The court finds reasonable grounds to believe that such disclosure will result in destruction of, or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses, and serious jeopardy to the investigation.'&#8221;
The Texas Senator went on to declare that Boasberg had &#8220;precisely zero evidence to conclude that I am likely to destroy or tamper with evidence or to intimidate potential witnesses. Zero evidentiary basis for that. This order is an abuse of power. This order is a weaponized legal system.&#8221;
That order, according to Davis, is also a violation of federal law.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It is a violation of federal law (2 U.S.C. 6628) to prevent data carriers from informing the Senate of collection of its data. Boasberg wrote an illegal order to ban the Senate from being informed, because that same law REQUIRES federal courts to quash the data collection upon a… <a href="https://t.co/RCMkV71gpJ">https://t.co/RCMkV71gpJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/O3sNNMaSCp">pic.twitter.com/O3sNNMaSCp</a>
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) <a href="https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1984366733331685398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Arctic Frost was Joe Biden&#8217;s Watergate,&#8221; Cruz added. &#8220;Merrick Garland was a fundamentally corrupt Attorney General, Jack Smith was a fundamentally corrupt prosecutor. This was a political enemies list from the beginning: 197 subpoenas for 430 Republican entities and individuals. That is an absolute and egregious abuse of power.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Arctic Frost is Joe Biden’s Watergate.
Biden’s DOJ issued 197 subpoenas for 430 Republican entities and individuals.
This was a political enemies list from the beginning and an outrageous abuse of power. <a href="https://t.co/ak2kktzPvg">pic.twitter.com/ak2kktzPvg</a>
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1983654260387803216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Twenty percent of the Republicans in the United States Senate were the target of this fishing expedition,&#8221; Cruz continued.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) rounded out the mid-week press conference with the assertion that Arctic Frost would never have gotten off the ground if Trump had not declared his intention to return to the campaign trail in 2024.
&#8220;So what I want to explain to the people of the country is that within several days of him announcing, &#8216;I&#8217;m to seek the White House again,&#8217; an avalanche began to form. And I really do believe that none of this would&#8217;ve been happening if Trump had set out the 2024 cycle,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;But once he announced, I&#8217;ll have my own chart one day, we&#8217;ll show you what happened, and when it happened. Within about eight months of announcing, he had 91 felony charges against him in Georgia in New York and other places.&#8221;
&#8220;So here&#8217;s what I think that when he said he wanted to have a political comeback, it triggered the Democratic machine to destroy him before he could ever get started. And in their effort to destroy him, there were no boundaries,&#8221; Graham continued. &#8220;The goal was to stop Trump, and to look at anything and everything that could stop Trump and ignore the Constitution, and a lot of other things &#8230; I don&#8217;t think the 2020 election bothered anybody until Trump decided to run in 2024 legally.&#8221;
&#8220;You deserve to know what YOUR GOVT was doing in the dark Without whistleblowers Arctic Frost would hv stayed in the shadows Now we follow the facts &amp; take action to make sure this govt weaponization NEVER happens again,&#8221; Grassley concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You deserve to know what YOUR GOVT was doing in the dark Without whistleblowers Arctic Frost would hv stayed in the shadows Now we follow the facts &amp; take action to make sure this govt weaponization NEVER happens again
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1984288447050493971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Biden And Attorney General Garland Deliver Remarks On Gun Crime Prevention

‘The Biden DOJ’s Watergate’: Arctic Frost Docs Reveal Massive Operation Targeting Trump Allies

'The Biden DOJ's Watergate': Arctic Frost Docs Reveal Massive Operation Targeting Trump Allies

Joe Biden

Mike Lindell

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) says he was not among the Republicans targeted and tracked by former President Joe Biden&#8217;s FBI — and he claimed during a recent podcast episode that it was largely thanks to his wireless service provider, AT&amp;T.
Cruz was responding to recent reporting on an operation code-named Arctic Frost that the Biden administration used to spy on a number of conservatives and even elected Republicans, including many of Cruz&#8217;s current colleagues in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Chuck Grassley released a list of senators who had been targeted through Arctic Frost early in October, naming Republican Sens. Josh Hawley (MO), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Tommy Tuberville (AL), among others — but Cruz&#8217;s name did not appear on the list.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into &#8220;election conspiracy&#8221; Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#8217;s elector case against Trump
BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE <a href="https://t.co/V2JyiVlX48">pic.twitter.com/V2JyiVlX48</a>
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1975297712712262100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Cruz explained on the October 22 episode of &#8220;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/verdict-with-ted-cruz/id1495601614?i=1000732943212">The Verdict</a>&#8221; that he was one of nine whose phone records were subpoenaed by Biden&#8217;s Justice Department in an effort to investigate the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill — but that AT&amp;T had refused to turn over his information. The DOJ reportedly received information on the other senators from Verizon.
&#8220;All nine of them had their cellphone records handed over to the Biden Department of Justice,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;Now, I gotta admit just over a week ago, Sean Hannity was in town and I had dinner with Sean and with several of the senators on that list as well — and I was laughing with Sean, I was actually kind of offended. Like how did I get left out of this list?&#8221;
The Texas senator laughed, adding, &#8220;What did I have to do? I was literally standing on the Senate floor on January 6 objecting and leading the fight, and I had brought together 11 senators to stand together and fight for an election commission to assess the evidence of voter fraud &#8230; I was joking with Sean, but I wasn&#8217;t entirely joking.&#8221;
Cruz said the reason he had initially been left out was soon clear: &#8220;Well, it turns out the reason that I was not on the list, is apparently all eight of those senators, their cellphones are with Verizon — and evidence had come out that Verizon had handed over their cellphone information. Well, my cellphone is with AT&amp;T, and I didn&#8217;t know it at the time, but I found out late last week that Jack Smith sent a subpoena to AT&amp;T demanding my cellphone records, and AT&amp;T told him to go jump in a lake.&#8221;
AT&amp;T, Cruz explained, refused to give up the information: &#8220;I&#8217;m proud of them. They did the right thing, I appreciate that.&#8221;

Pam Bondi Swears In Kash Patel As FBI Director

‘I Was Offended’: Ted Cruz Explains Why He Wasn’t Tracked By Biden’s FBI

Why Ted Cruz Says He Wasn't Tracked By Biden FBI Along With Other Senators

Spying

WASHINGTON—Daily Wire Host Michael Knowles called for the federal government to &#8220;stop the consistent and accelerating trend of leftist terrorism&#8221; at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Daily Wire’s <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> appears before the United States Senate to expose what Democrats refuse to confront, the rise of left wing political violence. <a href="https://t.co/DbENR3dySX">https://t.co/DbENR3dySX</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983239105140986267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Opening Tuesday’s hearing, Subcommittee on the Constitution Chair Eric Schmitt (R-MO) warned that for the past 15 months, political violence “has been a constant fact of American life.”
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen assassinations. We&#8217;ve seen murder. We&#8217;ve seen death. None of this is random. It&#8217;s organized, coordinated political terror,” Schmitt said.
The hearing comes just two months after Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk was murdered by a leftist assassin while speaking at a campus event in Utah. Knowles, a friend of Kirk&#8217;s, <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/1968365304893030812">announced</a> that Turning Point’s college tour would continue after the tragedy, and he, along with several other conservative speakers, vowed to carry on the mission.
The chairman said he believes the people behind the violence are “determined militant extremists who wield violence for political ends.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We must confront the threat of left-wing extremism.
For the past two years, America has been plagued by arsons, bombings, armed ambushes, assaults, violent riots, mass shootings and assassinations.
None of this is random. It is organized, coordinated political terror. <a href="https://t.co/TZkmWQ3nMi">pic.twitter.com/TZkmWQ3nMi</a>
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1983259140177666266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In addition to Kirk&#8217;s assassination, Schmitt invoked the two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump’s life, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and a slew of arsons, bombings, armed ambushes, assaults, sniper attacks, mass shootings, riots, and violent mobs.
“We are faced with only two paths: Either we confront this political violence and end it, or it will end us,” Schmitt said.
Ranking member Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said he is “absolutely horrified by political violence in this country” and “unequivocally” condemned Kirk’s murder, but cautioned against debating whether there was more political violence &#8220;on one side or the other.&#8221;
In his opening statement, Knowles blasted Welch for suggesting that we “not try to pinpoint exactly which side the violence comes from.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> calls out <a href="https://twitter.com/SenPeterWelch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenPeterWelch</a> for saying it&#8217;s unproductive to point out that political violence is a left-wing problem:
&#8220;This seems to me confusing and misbegotten as one cannot solve a problem if one does not know where the problem lies.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/CsM7tQZnPr">pic.twitter.com/CsM7tQZnPr</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983259013983973673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“This seems to me confusing and misbegotten as one cannot solve a problem if one does not know where the problem lies,” Knowles said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> testifies before the U.S. Senate regarding a left-wing attack on his speaking event at the University of Pittsburgh in 2023:
&#8220;I think we should all be able to agree that throwing an explosive at&#8230;people is no mere minor indiscretion&#8230;That&#8217;s attempted… <a href="https://t.co/RgCavh02Bm">pic.twitter.com/RgCavh02Bm</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983257094267572518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“In light of the murder of my friend Charlie Kirk by a leftist assassin, I am gratified to see that at least some members of our federal legislature are now confronting the consistent and escalating pattern of left-wing terrorism in the country,” Knowles said.
Knowles cited a September 23 Atlantic article which, citing a recent study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, admitted &#8220;that the Left is more violent today than the right.&#8221;
&#8220;Less honest liberals, including members of Congress, continue to deny this fact. Democrat Congressman Seth Moulton, for example, reacted to Charlie’s assassination by blaming the right,&#8221; Knowles said.
Knowles cited examples of left-wing political violence, including a personal experience from April 2023 when he was invited to participate in a debate at the University of Pittsburgh on the topic of transgenderism.
He said several hundred left-wing protesters, many dressed in black, gathered to oppose his appearance.
“They lit the street on fire while burning me in effigy with a little Hitler mustache painted on my face. All because I hold the view, as most Americans do, that men cannot become women,” Knowles said.
He said an “Antifa operative” rolled smoke bombs under police barricades and then threw a lit firework into police officers — injuring several.
They were forced to end the debate early, Knowles said.
“Despite popular efforts to deny the existence of organized left-wing terrorism, Brian and Krystal DiPippa were not merely two citizens protesting a speaker with whom they disagreed. Things just got a little out of hand. No. They are members of an extremist cell,” Knowles said.
Knowles said everyone should be able to agree that throwing an explosive at a group of people is “no mere minor indiscretion.”
The Torch Antifa network has claimed the DiPippas as members, Knowles said, noting they &#8220;raised money for them through a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.&#8221;
“That is a very serious crime. That&#8217;s attempted murder, the kind of crime that merits life in prison,” Knowles said.
But, he explained, Brian DiPippa was only <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/pittsburgh-couple-sentenced-obstructing-law-enforcement-during-campus-protest">sentenced</a> to jail time. His wife Krystal was sentenced to probation.
“The federal government must act now to stop the consistent and accelerating trend of leftist terrorism,” Knowles said.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced Daniel Hodges — a police officer who responded to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Hodges said he believed the press release sent out ahead of the meeting from the chair “made it clear this was not going to be an honest consideration of various causes and effects, but rather a ham-fisted attempt to propagate the unsupported notion that liberal ideology is the greatest origin of modern political violence.”
He added that the hearing was “galling” to him “since every single member of the majority on the subcommittee has either contributed to one of the most infamous examples of conservative political violence of our age or the protection of its perpetrators.”
“Every majority member who could do so voted to acquit Donald Trump during a second impeachment, and now we find ourselves in a new horrific age of political violence,” Hodges said.
In a subsequent exchange, Knowles insisted that “any honest Democrat even would have to acknowledge, as the Atlantic magazine did, as even CSIS has acknowledged, that the threats today to the free marketplace of ideas come from the Left.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenEricSchmitt</a>: How do we solve the problem of increased political violence? <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>: &#8220;You can&#8217;t have a marketplace if bandits keep shooting up the marketplace&#8230;We must regulate where the problem is, and today the problem lies on the Left.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Pdsl8NAKfs">pic.twitter.com/Pdsl8NAKfs</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983261714608254996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“And so, in order to restore the open marketplace of ideas, the healthy exchange of ideas essential to our self-government, we must regulate where the problem is, and today the problem lies on the left,” Knowles said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questioned Knowles about the violence against “people of faith.”
Hawley, who said he was friends with Kirk, described him as “incredibly bold” in speaking about his faith.
“You can’t tell me that that did not play into the reason he was killed,” Hawley said.
He asked Knowles about the reason for the &#8220;uptick&#8221; in violence.
“Cardinal Manning wisely observed that all human conflict ultimately is theological &#8211; a lot of our big policy debates in recent years have really been anthropological and religious in nature,” Knowles said.
Knowles said the attacks on churches, which he called “widespread and increasing” have been “underreported and ignored &#8211; in some cases entirely.”
During the hearing, lawmakers also discussed potential steps to address political violence going forward.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said he introduced the “Stop FUNDERs Act” which he said would add rioting as a predicate offense to RICO, to “enable the Department of Justice to use the full tools that have been directed at the mafia to go after the corrupt enterprise.”
Former acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf endorsed the bill during the hearing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My Stop FUNDERs Act will give the DOJ the tools it needs to go after the financiers of left-wing violence.
I’m glad to see Mr. Wolf joining <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIDirectorKash</a> Patel and a growing chorus of law enforcement professionals in endorsing this legislation. <a href="https://t.co/BUPynxBmCq">pic.twitter.com/BUPynxBmCq</a>
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1983324505591410690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) also made a brief appearance.
“When we hold hearings that come at this issue that reflects the partisanship of our time and the tribalism of our time, we don&#8217;t get to a solution. We are in a crisis right now and there is growing political violence and a glowing justification for it,” Booker said.
Booker admitted there is political violence including “extremists who have left wing ideologies and right-wing ideologies &#8211; to say it&#8217;s just one and not the other is to deepen the problem.”
“The only thing that&#8217;s going to get us out of this condition is for courageous leaders, in both parties to start standing up and extending grace — and self introspection,” Booker said.
Although Booker left the hearing early, Knowles said he made a good point about being &#8220;introspective,&#8221; then brought up Booker’s endorsement of Jay Jones.
Jones, a Democrat running to be the next Attorney General of Virginia, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-them-virginia-dem-sent-shocking-texts-about-killing-gop-leader-pissing-on-graves">fantasized</a> about murdering a state Republican leader with “two bullets to the head” and “piss[ing]” on the graves of other Republicans.
Knowles observed that Booker, &#8220;in the spirit of introspection, is standing by this endorsement,&#8221; having already left the room.
“Senator Booker should practice what he preaches,&#8221; Knowles said. &#8220;So long as anyone stands by an endorsement such as that, their words are meaningless, they’re shedding crocodile tears on the topic of political violence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBooker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenBooker</a>, we know you left the room early, so we wanted to make sure you heard this from <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>:
Sen. Booker endorses a man who called for the murder of a Republican and his children&#8230;
&#8220;So long as anyone stands by an endorsement such as that, their words are… <a href="https://t.co/QDUM5OStYw">pic.twitter.com/QDUM5OStYw</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1983269416952311901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Following the hearing, Knowles said he was “grateful” to Schmitt and the members who attended the hearing — noting that Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) didn’t attend.
“He couldn’t make the time while his side is promoting political violence,&#8221; Knowles said.
“Senator Booker made it in and then ran away as quickly as he possibly could, which makes sense because he is endorsing a man for Attorney General of Virginia who calls for murdering Republicans and their kids,” he added.
“I think the crocodile tears from the Democrats were preposterous,&#8221; Knowles added. &#8220;They were doing everything they could to avoid accepting the blame that sits squarely with them.&#8221;
Still, Knowles said he thought the hearing was &#8220;productive, because I think it showed the American people where the problem really lies.&#8221;

MK-Testifies

‘The Problem Lies On The Left’: Michael Knowles Brings The Heat To Senate Political Violence Hearing

Charlie Kirk

Cory Booker

Daily Wire

Michael Knowles

Political Violence

Senate

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a dire warning to New Yorkers ahead of the imminent mayoral election, saying that things were likely to get much worse if they elect self-described democratic socialist assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to fill the office.
Cruz, during the most recent episode of &#8220;Verdict,&#8221; told cohost Ben Ferguson that he could foresee several different potential outcomes that might result from Mamdani&#8217;s election — and none of them were good for the people of the Big Apple.
&#8220;Look, Comrade Mamdani is apparently the future of the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party is now explicitly, openly, unapologetically communist and unapologetically jihadist,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;This guy is so extreme, and yet the Democrats in New York don&#8217;t seem to care &#8230; Yet, given the choice between a solidly left-wing democrat and a full-on communist and I believe America hating jihadist. It sure looks like I hope these polls are wrong, and maybe a burst of sanity will pull us back.&#8221;
Cruz followed his opening salvo with a defense of his assessment, saying that he was drawing from Mamdani&#8217;s own previous statements to make his determinations: &#8220;When I call him a communist jihadist, I call him a communist because he&#8217;s called for, among other things, seizing the means of production, which is the very essence of the economic core of communism.&#8221;
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&#8220;People are going to die if and when Comrade Mamdani is elected, that is going to be the concept,&#8221; Cruz continued.
He went on to say that there would be some who saw benefits from Mamdani&#8217;s election — but the average citizens of New York City would not be among them.
&#8220;If comrade Mamdani is elected, I&#8217;m going to make a nomination right now, which is a year from now, I want to name him the Conservative Party of New York Man of the Year, because Comrade Mamdani is going to make more people join the conservative party in New York than anyone has in history, as they realize these people are nuts,&#8221; Cruz explained.
He then added that the only businesses likely to thrive under the weight of communist leadership were the companies that helped people move away, out of their reach.
&#8220;Not only is he going to drive New Yorkers to join the Republican Party and the Conservative Party, but he is going to result, he is going to rent more U-Hauls than the very best Willy Loman salesman that has ever been in U-Haul of people moving from New York and coming to Texas and coming to Florida, and anyone with any sense is going to get out of this,&#8221; he said.
Critics have long been warning that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-mamdani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mamdani&#8217;s plan</a> to tax the rich and tax corporations that do business in New York — even if they don&#8217;t have offices there — was likely to send everyone who could afford to move running for the hills.

US-POLITICS-NEW YORK-MAMDANI

Ted Cruz Issues Grim Warning To New Yorkers If Mamdani Is Elected

Communism

Democratic Socialism

Persecution reaches a fever pitch in the “Christian Murder Capital” of the world, Russia ratchets up its saber-rattling with a nuclear drill, and an illegal immigrant honored by the City of Los Angeles allegedly rams an ICE vehicle.
It’s Thursday, October 23, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Christian Genocide You Probably Haven’t Heard Of</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990063" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Christian-Murder-Capital.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Christian genocide ongoing in Nigeria has claimed thousands of lives this year alone, but human rights advocates say the Nigerian government has turned a blind eye.
In the first nine months of this year, advocacy groups estimate that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed across Nigeria, many in attacks that leave entire communities burned to the ground.
For more than a decade, this pattern of violence has gone largely unnoticed. But American lawmakers — including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) — are calling for Nigeria to be reclassified as a “country of particular concern” for religious persecution.
“Many in the media share the same woke mindset that they will not call out radical Islamic terrorism for what it is, especially when it&#8217;s Christians who are the victims. And so it takes the rest of us to highlight this needs to end,” Cruz told Morning Wire.
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Judd Saul is the founder of Equipping the Persecuted, a group that has been on the ground trying to minister to Nigerian Christians. He said the crisis has been building for decades as radical Muslim groups have been taking control of the area.
“What they have done is they move in, they populate, and once they gain population, they start taking political control. And once they gain political control, the killing starts,” Saul told Morning Wire.
These deaths often occur among women, children, and the elderly who can’t easily flee their small villages.
Why the silence: One of Saul’s biggest frustrations is how little the world knows about the ongoing genocide. The Nigerian government effectively controls what gets reported. Western outlets too often repeat official denials without sending reporters to see the devastation themselves.
“The mainstream media never shows up. They just take the government’s word for it, and every time Christians are killed, it’s always ‘unknown gunmen.’ But we know who’s doing it,” Saul said.
Now footage is emerging of burned churches, mass graves, and displaced families living under tarps in camps with no food or medicine.
Response from Washington: Cruz introduced legislation this month: the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. It will impose sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of facilitating violence against Christians and other religious minorities.
Response from Nigeria: Nigerian officials continue to deny that Christians are being targeted for their faith. They’re framing the violence as clashes between herders and farmers. But many international watchdogs like Open Doors and International Christian Concern say that’s false.
Saul says the Nigerian military has repeatedly failed to respond to warnings of attacks. It’s because of this inaction that many Nigerian Christians are calling on the United States government to use its international influence to shine a spotlight on these atrocities.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Push For Peace In Ukraine</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990061" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Peace-Summit-Axed.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump canceled a second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and hours later, a fresh barrage of Russian missiles rained down on Ukraine.
Moscow doesn’t appear to want to end the war. It recently launched another major missile and drone attack on Ukraine that killed seven people – part of Russia&#8217;s campaign to knock out Ukraine’s energy supplies ahead of winter.
According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-lifts-key-restriction-on-ukraines-use-of-western-long-range-missiles-5a15c12d?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdQ8iMn0Xl6WlTrEflM-qAdv5sTUs7vuBvNZqNHOO44yer9ClOXnPh5RoBrwOw%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68f9bcbf&amp;gaa_sig=bR0aCbBe-iAb62JlmwUtP7EmQ0bOUlbyBoNFYlO5isMUbFBJT0FTYJFJG1PtWOXrVgGcUK2uNDoFNFO31R14WQ%3D%3D">The Wall Street Journal</a>, the United States has given Ukraine the green light to launch its own attacks inside Russian territory. Trump has <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115419686256202789">denied</a> that report, but on Tuesday, Ukraine used a British Storm Shadow cruise missile to hit a plant in Bryansk, Russia.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced on Wednesday a “substantial pickup” in sanctions against Russia.
The exchange in missile attacks came as Trump backed out of a second peace summit with Putin. It was supposed to be held in Budapest, Hungary. The White House canceled the summit after a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Trump said Tuesday he <a href="https://x.com/Osint613/status/1980741977000821245">canceled</a> the summit because he did not “want to have a wasted meeting.”
Foreign policy experts <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/10/22/russia-does-not-feel-enough-pressure-ukraine-bombarded-over-2-deadly-nights-as-trump-sours-on-meeting-with-putin/">say</a> this was a necessary move by Trump, recognizing that Putin does not feel enough pressure for peace talks to be productive.
Ceasefire deal?: Trump said this week that the battle lines should be frozen where they are as a precondition to peace talks. Europe has backed that position, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I think that was [a] good compromise, but I’m not sure that Putin will support it,” Zelensky told reporters after landing in Oslo.
The Ukrainian president has continued to press his case for Tomahawk missiles after his meeting at the White House last week. Zelensky said in a <a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1980683702448386417">post</a> on X that “Russia continues to do everything to weasel out” of a ceasefire, and “as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less immediate, [Moscow’s] interest in diplomacy faded. This signals that deep strike capabilities may hold the key to peace.”
Israel: Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to Israel this week, primarily signaling the Trump administration’s commitment to holding together the ceasefire and moving forward with Trump’s 20-point peace plan. While there, Vance recognized some of the limits of the current situation.
“You basically have two regions in Gaza, one of which is relatively safe – I wouldn&#8217;t say very safe – and one of which is incredibly dangerous, and part of ensuring that we get to a durable peace is to broaden the scope of the area that&#8217;s safe,” <a href="https://x.com/AdamMilstein/status/1980692659422576716">said</a> Vance. “The international security force is a big part of that. We don&#8217;t yet have the international security force set up. That&#8217;s something we&#8217;re working towards.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Illegal Alien TikToker Nabbed In Los Angeles</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990059" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Anti-ICE-Activist-Shot.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: An illegal immigrant and well-known TikToker was shot by federal authorities in Los Angeles after he tried to evade arrest for a second time and allegedly rammed a federal vehicle.
The illegal immigrant allegedly behind the attack is Carlitos Ricardo Parías, 44, who is known on TikTok as Richard LA and who regularly exposes ICE operations online to his more than 132,000 followers.
The suspect allegedly tried to impede an ICE operation months ago, but got away. He was seen in handcuffs being hauled into a vehicle by bystanders while federal authorities were trying to arrest him for allegedly interfering with immigration operations, federal law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.
U.S. Marshals encountered him again this week, arresting him while he attempted to flee a second time. During the attack on ICE agents in which Parías allegedly rammed a federal vehicle, agents responded with gunfire, hitting Parías in the elbow. A U.S. Marshal was wounded by a ricochet bullet that hit him in the hand.
Parías has been charged with assaulting a federal officer, which carries a sentence of up to eight years in prison.
Parías has been considered somewhat of a local hero, being honored by the Los Angeles City Council for his “tireless efforts to safeguard our neighborhoods from illegal raids” in exposing ICE operations on TikTok.
He is being prosecuted aggressively by U.S. attorneys in part because federal officials get so little support in deep blue, sanctuary areas that protect illegal aliens.
New York City riot over deportations: Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday raided New York City’s Canal Street, notorious for illegal immigrant crime, as a mob of rioters attempted to stop them.
Law enforcement arrested illegal aliens of African origin, each with a lengthy rap sheet. Five of the aliens entered the United States illegally and were let go under former President Joe Biden.
The raid on Canal Street came after Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez exposed African immigrants selling counterfeit designer handbags along the sidewalk. The aliens would take off running wherever the police showed up.
Sanctuary policies have protected the illegal immigrants, as well as facilitated their illicit activities on Canal Street, according to federal officials.

MRN_251023_V1

Morning Brief: Nigerian Christians Slaughtered, Russia Standoff, & Illegal Alien TikToker Nabbed

Christianity

genocide

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Los Angeles

Russia

TikTok

Ukraine

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

WASHINGTON—A bill to honor a prominent Cuban anti-communist has bipartisan congressional support.
Cory Booker isn&#8217;t having it.
The New Jersey Democrat blocked a bill that would rename the street outside the Cuban Embassy after the late anti-communist Cuban activist Oswaldo Payá. Payá, who founded the Christian Liberation Movement in the 1980s, died in a 2021 car crash, that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights determined to be an intentional act by the Cuban government against Payá, according to the New York Times.
The bill to name the street “Oswaldo Payá Way” in his honor has been introduced multiple times, most recently by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Cruz described the late activist as a “Cuban dissident who fought against the communist regime and who stood up and fought for free speech for democracy and for human rights. He was a thorn in the side of the Cuban communist regime his entire life.”
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Booker called Payá an “extraordinary hero&#8221; who should be honored, but said it should be up to the Washington, D.C. City Council to rename the street.
“His work should be recognized more by our nation, and I would support the D.C. Council, their elected representatives, if it decided through their democratic process to work with the senator and the Democratic sponsor to rename the street,” Booker said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
“My objection is simply right now about Washington, D.C.’s, right to control their own local affairs. This objection is about home rule and self-governance. Now it is true, as my colleague said, that this has passed through this chamber multiple times,” the Democrat continued.
Cruz, whose family fled Cuba&#8217;s communist regime, rebutted Booker’s argument. The Texas Republican said Booker&#8217;s opposition is simply about opposing President Donald Trump, who faced Democratic pushback for the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
“The purpose here is to put pressure on the Cuban Communist regime, and naming the street does that. Now, Mr. President, as I pointed out, Sen. Booker voted for this identical legislation just two years ago, this bipartisan legislation that leads to the obvious question, what has changed?” Cruz said on the floor.
“And one thing has changed. The resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when Senator Booker voted for this bipartisan legislation, Joe Biden was the president. Today, Donald J. Trump is the president, and unfortunately, our Democrat colleagues have decided bipartisan cooperation is no longer something they&#8217;re interested in. Their party is instead unified behind one principle, which is that they hate Donald J. Trump,” the Republican continued.
Booker, who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spartacus-cory-booker-breaks-record-for-longest-senate-floor-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke the record</a> for the longest-ever Senate floor speech, has a history of grand political gestures.

Meet the Press – Season 74

Booker Blocks Bipartisan Bill Honoring Anti-Communist Hero

Cuba

Dick Durbin

Multiple people are dead after what appears to be an anti-ICE attack in Dallas, red state homeowners are suing over a COVID-era bailout program, and Senate Democrats stall a funding bill that would keep the lights on in Washington.
It’s Thursday, September 25, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">ICE Targeted In Dallas</h2>
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Topline: A shooter opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas on Wednesday, killing multiple immigrant detainees.
The gunman shot three detainees. Two of them died from their wounds. The shooter then turned the gun on himself and died at the scene.
Photos of the aftermath of the attack showed that bullets struck windows and walls inside the facility, but no law enforcement personnel were injured.
Federal law enforcement sources tell The Daily Wire that authorities believe that the shooter was trying to shoot at ICE officers when he aimed at an unmarked van. That van was holding illegal immigrant detainees who were being walked in for processing.
The shooter: Reports indicate the alleged shooter was 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. While not much is known about his history, authorities say he did give a glimpse into his motive after leaving shell casings behind, one engraved with the words “ANTI-ICE.” The FBI is investigating the targeted shooting, and the agency’s director, Kash Patel, says the casings prove that there was “an ideological motive” behind this attack.
Step back: The fatal shooting comes amid an uptick in left-wing violence targeting law enforcement and conservatives. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke about that during a press conference on Wednesday, where he called for his left-leaning colleagues in Congress to stop fanning the flames of the violence with their rhetoric.
“To every politician who is using rhetoric demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP, stop. To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxxed and calling for people to go after their families, stop,” said Cruz. “This has very real consequences. Look, in America, we disagree. That&#8217;s fine. That&#8217;s the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis. We need to learn to work together without demonizing each other, without attacking each other.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Biden Housing Bailout Sparks Racial Backlash</h2>
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Topline: A $10 billion coronavirus-era housing bailout paid Americans&#8217; mortgages and even their HOA dues. But 40% of the funds went to black Americans, due to the program including explicit racial preferences.
Now, some white residents are suing their states, saying the government illegally withheld assistance from them based on their race.
The significance: This is one of the largest race-based government wealth transfers in history. And it happened because it came during the COVID pandemic, when the United States was hemorrhaging billions of dollars.
The program is called the <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/homeowner-assistance-fund">Homeowner Assistance </a><a href="https://www.ncsha.org/homeowner-assistance-fund/">Fund</a>, and it provided people up to $50,000 to pay housing-related bills. It was passed by Congress and required about half the money to go to homeowners at or below the median income, while the remainder could be allocated to wealthier individuals, with priority given to “socially disadvantaged” homeowners.
“Socially disadvantaged?” Congress didn’t define it, and the program was run separately by each state, which received money after submitting a plan to the federal government. But the Biden administration heavily suggested a definition for the states to include in their plans: “those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias.”
The “presumption,” the administration said, is that “the following individuals are socially disadvantaged: Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”
How it played out: In Alabama, 85% of the funds went to black residents. In Georgia, it was 82%. That’s surprising because, just based on the fact that half the money was supposed to be doled out based on income, you should have seen more people of other races. Only about half of Georgians below the median income are black. 
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit say that’s because Georgia deliberately ensured that white people didn’t even know it existed. The state’s plan included texting residents to inform them about this opportunity for $50,000 – but only residents of counties with high minority populations.
The Biden administration was never clear about the criteria, but many states used the definition provided by the Biden administration. Now, Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma are being sued by residents for going along with it, despite politicians in those states claiming to oppose DEI.
The lawsuits: In Missouri, the program was administered by a housing commission, where the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general serve as commissioners. Missouri partnered with the Black Chamber of Commerce to advertise the program, and 44% of the money went to blacks, who make up less than 12% of the population. A spokeswoman for Missouri Republican Governor Mike Kehoe declined to comment on the ongoing litigation but called him “a strong advocate for removing DEI.”
In Oklahoma, plaintiffs include a massage therapist who was forced out of a job by COVID policies and her disabled-veteran husband. They point out that the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency said prominently on its website that “African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, [and] LGBTQ+” residents would get preference.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Budget Deadline Looms Over Congress</h2>
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Topline: President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Democratic congressional leaders this week to discuss government funding. The president blasted Democrats’ demands as “unserious and ridiculous” as government funding is set to expire at the end of the month.
The deadline to avert a partial government shutdown is September 30, giving lawmakers less than a week. House Republicans have already passed a clean, 7-week funding extension. However, the bill is currently stalled in the Senate. Even though the GOP holds the majority, Republicans need 60 votes, which means they need some Democrat support.
Trump had planned to meet this week with Democratic leaders – Sen. Chuck Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries – but scrapped the meeting over the Democrats’ demands. The president doubled down on Wednesday, writing on Truth Social that Democratic demands include free healthcare for illegal aliens, half a billion dollars for “Radical Left News Outlets,” leaving “DEAD PEOPLE on Medicaid and Social Security rolls,” and “men playing in women’s sports.” 
What Democrats are saying: Democrats say they won’t back down. Schumer and Jeffries have been on a media blitz this week following the meeting&#8217;s collapse. The main line of attack from Democrats is centered on healthcare.
“Republicans have engaged in an unprecedented assault on the healthcare of the American people throughout this year. The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Millions of people are going to lose coverage because of what Republicans have done,” said Jeffries during an appearance on <a href="https://youtu.be/CLm2OIhjkUo?t=228">MSNBC</a>.
State of play: According to some reports, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged Trump to cancel the meeting. Congressional Republicans thought that Democrats were unserious and that meeting with them would only erode Republicans’ leverage.
Johnson sent the House into recess after it passed its 7-week extension, and he said he won’t recall lawmakers back to DC until after the September 30 deadline. If Democrats don’t agree to a clean bill, there will be a fight over who takes the blame for the shutdown.
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MRN 9.25.25 Thu Thumbnail V4

Morning Brief: Dallas ICE Attack, Housing Bailout Sparks Racial Lawsuits & D.C.’s Budget Standoff

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