After a bombshell Daily Wire investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse tied to the government-funded home health care industry, the Trump administration moved on Wednesday to freeze over a billion dollars’ worth of spending and is warning states to root out fraud or pay the price.
The White House fraud task force <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-halting-medicare-enrollments-new-home-healthcare-hospice-providers-2026-05-13/">announced</a> on Wednesday morning that not a single new home health care company would be enrolled in Medicare while the Trump administration probes the program. Around <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vance-led-task-force-cuts-home-health-hospice-providers-suspected-fraud.amp">$1.4 billion</a> in funding for home health care and hospice providers has been paused. 
“Widespread fraud has gone on for far too ​long. But under the Vice President&#8217;s task force we are finally putting a stop to the massive scale fraudsters ripping off the ​American people once and for all,” said a spokesman for Vice President JD Vance. 
 The announcement comes days after Daily Wire reporter Luke Rosiak <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/medicaid-millionaires-how-the-feds-pay-immigrants-billions-to-hang-out-with-their-families">published a series of stories</a> documenting how Ohio spent a billion dollars on home health care in 2024. Home health care services can include things like doing “homemaking” and “chores” for family members. 
Vance, who runs the fraud task force, is set to warn states to crack down on fraud or risk losing federal Medicaid funding, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-jd-vance-medicaid-fraud-40e9e78e">reported</a>. The federal government provides over 60% of Medicaid funding for most states, and the Trump administration is expected to start an audit on Wednesday of state Medicaid Fraud Control Units to ensure they are doing enough to combat fraud. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
These shocking allegations, if true, show why the Fraud Task Force’s work is so important. I’m directing the task force to look into it and take immediate action to prosecute any fraudsters involved and stop all further payments as appropriate. <a href="https://t.co/dg9prv9mYz">https://t.co/dg9prv9mYz</a>
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2051391872623362379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Your failure to do your job,” Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Thomas Bell wrote in a letter to the states, “has put all of your state’s Medicaid funds in jeopardy.”
The plan was developed by Vance and Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, who is working with Vance on the task force.
&#8220;The American taxpayer is tired of states receiving billions of dollars to police fraud and elder abuse and instead using that money for no-show jobs,&#8221; FTC director of public affairs Joe Simonson <a href="https://x.com/SaysSimonson/status/2054564421951795308">said</a>. &#8220;We cannot have a country with entitlements built on fraud and theft. Our most vulnerable are suffering.&#8221;
Vance vowed to investigate home health care in response to The Daily Wire’s “Medicaid Millions” series on Ohio, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-ohios-home-health-empire-7-buildings-288-medicaid-companies-250-million">showed</a> that just seven buildings in Columbus housed 288 home health care businesses that billed taxpayers more than $250 million. Columbus is home to one of the largest African immigrant populations in the country.
“These shocking allegations, if true, show why the Fraud Task Force’s work is so important. I’m directing the task force to look into it and take immediate action to prosecute any fraudsters involved and stop all further payments as appropriate,” he posted, sharing a thread from Rosiak detailing the uncovered fraud.
During the pause of new approvals of home health care and hospices funded by Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will audit the home health care system, which is fully funded and administered by the federal government. States with funding from both the federal government and the states administer the Medicaid home health program. 
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-launches-new-task-force-probes-alleged-250b-medicaid-fraud-ohio">tasked</a> Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) with leading a new task force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses. Gill will focus the task force’s efforts on investigating home health care and Medicaid in Ohio in the wake of The Daily Wire&#8217;s reporting. 
“The reports of Ohio’s Medicaid fraud scandal are appalling — and we’re just uncovering the tip of the iceberg of the fraud and swindling of millions of American dollars,&#8221; Gill told The Daily Wire. &#8220;My Task Force is demanding answers and transparency from the Director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid, as we will continue to press those who need to account for their abuse of American taxpayers.”
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Vice President JD Vance Speaks At A Manufacturing Facility In Des Moines, Iowa

Daily Wire Medicaid Investigation Triggers A $1.4 BILLION Spending Freeze

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waste fraud abuse

President Donald Trump’s high-stakes trip to China this week comes as the ongoing conflict with Iran threatens to complicate already fragile relations between Washington and Beijing. 
While trade is expected to dominate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. officials are also pressing China to use its leverage over Tehran as the situation escalates.
China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, giving Beijing significant influence at a time when Iran&#8217;s actions in the Strait of Hormuz are impacting global energy markets. Attacks on commercial vessels in the area have raised concerns of broader disruptions.
Following Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi&#8217;s trip to China last week to meet his Chinese counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hopes Beijing will privately pressure Iran to stop threatening shipping routes. 
“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told, and that is that what you are doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated,&#8221; Rubio said. &#8220;You’re the bad guy in this, you guys should not be blowing up ships, you should not be putting mines, you should not be trying to hold hostage the global economy.”  
Rubio argued that China’s export-driven economy would ultimately suffer if Iran continues disrupting global trade routes and energy flows. 
Despite those concerns, the Trump administration, which had long anticipated this meeting, is walking a fine line to keep the Iran conflict from derailing broader negotiations with Beijing.
Trump sought to downplay the issue shortly before departing for China on Tuesday, telling reporters he expects to discuss “a lot of things” with Xi but does not believe Iran will be a major topic of conversation. Trump added that he has Iran “very much under control.”
Still, administration officials have made clear that they do not want the Iran conflict to overshadow the broader relationship with Beijing.
“We don’t want this to be something that derails the broader relationship or the agreements that might come out of our meeting in Beijing,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said last week, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-iran-sanctions-trade-48b0ca751712ce473ffcd207997928af">according to the Associated Press</a>.
Despite the effort, tensions over Iran have continued to escalate. 
Last week, the State and Treasury Departments announced new sanctions targeting Chinese and Iranian entities accused of supporting Tehran’s military and weapons programs, including firms tied to satellite imagery used in strikes against U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury.
The sanctions targeted companies connected to Iran’s procurement networks for drones and ballistic missile components, with U.S. officials warning the administration is determined to prevent Tehran from rebuilding military capabilities damaged during recent American and Israeli strikes.
Beijing condemned the move as “illegal unilateral pressure” and activated a blocking statute that bars Chinese entities from complying with certain foreign sanctions.
During Araghchi’s trip to Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended Iran’s right to maintain a civilian nuclear energy program. The Trump administration believes Iran has for years sought to pursue a nuclear weapon under the camouflage of a civilian nuclear program.
The economic stakes for Beijing are significant. Roughly 45% to 50% of China’s crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and more than half of China’s crude oil and nearly one-third of its liquefied natural gas imports came from the Middle East in 2025, <a href="https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/implications-of-the-conflict-in-the-middle-east-for-chinas-energy-security/">according to Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy</a>.
Official Chinese government data shows approximately 42% of China’s crude imports come from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. Analysts <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-heavy-reliance-iranian-oil-imports-2026-01-13/">estimate</a> that another 12% comes from Iran, despite Beijing officially reporting no Iranian imports since 2022, as much of the oil travels through Iran’s sanctioned “dark fleet,” which uses disguised shipping methods and falsified tracking data to evade U.S. sanctions.
“Xi is increasingly exposed. China remains heavily dependent on energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz while facing slowing growth, pressure on industrial production, and major investments at risk inside Iran,” Rich Goldberg, a former Trump administration official and senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told The Daily Wire. 
“At the same time, U.S. energy exports are pulling Asian importers into longer-term strategic alignment with Washington. Beijing has a great deal riding on what Trump chooses to do next,” Goldberg added.
Reports that China was considering selling surface-to-air missiles to Iran also raised alarm in Washington because the systems could potentially threaten U.S. helicopters and aircraft operating over Iranian territory. Beijing denied the reports and warned it would respond to additional U.S. penalties.
The United States has increasingly targeted those networks as part of a broader effort to economically isolate Tehran both through sanctions and the blockade. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reportedly threatened secondary sanctions on Chinese banks tied to Iranian accounts.
Despite those pressures, analysts say China still has substantial short-term energy reserves that could help cushion disruptions in Gulf shipping routes. According to geospatial analytics firm Kayrros, China currently has roughly 1.39 billion barrels of oil in storage — enough to cover around 120 days of net crude imports at current levels.
Still, experts warn that those reserves are not a long-term solution if the conflict intensifies or the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. Smaller Chinese “teapot refineries,” many of which rely heavily on discounted Iranian crude, could face pressure first because of thin profit margins and dependence on cheap imports.
The conflict has also complicated China’s broader relationships throughout the Middle East. 
After the United States and Israel launched strikes during Operation Epic Fury, Iran responded with rocket and drone attacks targeting multiple countries, including Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — many of the same countries Beijing relies on for trade and energy imports.
In Kuwait, officials recently accused an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps team of attacking Bubiyan Island, where China is helping fund the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project. Kuwaiti officials said the armed group clashed with security personnel before being apprehended, leaving one Kuwaiti servicemember injured. Kuwait condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty and warned that it reserved the right to self-defense.
That has left China attempting to balance ties with both Tehran and its regional rivals while avoiding becoming too publicly involved in ceasefire negotiations. Analysts say Beijing has deliberately kept a relatively low diplomatic profile in order to avoid blame if negotiations collapse.
Trump’s meetings in Beijing are now expected to test whether China is willing to use its economic leverage over Tehran, or whether the war with Iran is becoming another major flashpoint in the growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

XI and Trump

Trump’s Beijing Showdown Comes With A Dangerous Wildcard

China

Donald Trump

Iran

Operation Epic Fury

U.S. President Trump Arrives In China

LIVE UPDATES: President Trump Officially Steps Into The Belly Of The Dragon

Inflation reached its highest rate under President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, ticking up 0.6% in April, for a one-year pace of 3.8%, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">data</a> released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
The 3.8% annualized rate is the highest inflation mark since May of 2023, when it came in at 4% and was on its way down from a 40-year high under former President Joe Biden. Experts expected April&#8217;s inflation report to come in at 3.7%.  
Energy costs rose 3.8% in April, accounting for 40% of the monthly increase and pushing the 12-month gain to 17.9%. That marked a cooldown from March, when energy prices jumped 10.9% — the largest monthly gain since 2005. Shelter (0.6%) and food (0.5%) also posted notable increases.
Inflation in April outpaced the month&#8217;s wage gains by 0.2%. United States equities fell by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/11/stock-market-today-live-updates.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.PostToTwitter">0.7%</a> after the inflation report was released. The Nasdaq also dropped 1.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.6%. 
“It isn’t like it’s an avalanche, but it’s a steady move upward,” Thomas Martin, the senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments, told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/11/stock-market-today-live-updates.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.PostToTwitter">CNBC</a>.
Rising prices have hit Americans the hardest at the pump in recent months as the national average price for gas has ticked up to $4.50 per gallon. 
The White House appeared to respond to the inflation report by sharing a chart showing goods and services that have fallen over the last year. Oil was notably not on the list. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/WPYOsC3sUb">pic.twitter.com/WPYOsC3sUb</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2054189194096894295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
White House spokesman Kush Desai told The New York Times that the administration “remains laser-focused on delivering growth and affordability on the home front while working to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.” Data shows the price uptick is driven by higher energy prices due to the war with Iran. 
The Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of the world&#8217;s oil supply, remains closed. On Monday, President Trump said that a proposed deal to end the conflict with Iran is on “life-support.”
Following April&#8217;s inflation report, the Polymarket odds of a Fed rate hike before 2027 jumped nearly 10 points to 31% — just as Kevin Warsh prepares to take the reins from Fed chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday.

Gas Prices

Inflation Rises To Highest Level In Three Years

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President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine beginning Saturday, hinting at the possibility of the “beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116540259118606629">posted</a> Friday on Truth Social, adding that the ceasefire would mark the anniversary of Victory Day in World War II — one of Russia&#8217;s most important national holidays.
President Trump said the ceasefire will mean the &#8220;suspension of all kinetic activity&#8221; in a conflict that began in February 2022 and has resulted in more than 2 million casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the details of the ceasefire, adding that &#8220;a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000&#8221; would also take place between Russia and Ukraine.
&#8220;Within the framework of the negotiating process mediated by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,&#8221; Zelensky wrote on X. &#8220;A ceasefire regime must also be established on May 9, 10, and 11. Ukraine is consistently working to bring its people home from Russian captivity. I have instructed our team to promptly prepare everything necessary for the exchange.&#8221;
Russia had spent weeks lobbying Ukraine for a Victory Day ceasefire, threatening to strike Kyiv if the planned Victory Day parade was disrupted. Ukraine dismissed the ceasefire proposal as &#8220;unserious&#8221; until Trump intervened and brokered a prisoner exchange.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian media that Moscow agreed to the arrangement following a phone call between Putin and Trump.
The three-day truce will mark the first mutual ceasefire between the two nations since Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion began more than four years ago. Russia has previously declared unilateral pauses around Orthodox church holidays and Victory Day in past years, and the two nations briefly observed a one-month halt to strikes on energy infrastructure earlier this year. A deep mutual distrust between the two sides has prevented any comprehensive cessation of hostilities from being reached until now.
&#8220;Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day,&#8221; Trump said.

Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin

Trump Announces Ceasefire In Russia-Ukraine War

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Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary says his agency is working hard to bring back &#8220;gold standard science&#8221; while Americans&#8217; trust in science and medicine is at historic lows.
&#8220;We have brought back gold standard science and taken politics out of the process,&#8221; Makary told The Daily Wire during an exclusive interview this week. &#8220;We&#8217;ve been going hard on what&#8217;s right. Be it the COVID vaccine, be it getting back to basic science — gold-standard science &#8230; We are going up against Big Food, Big Pharma, and we aren&#8217;t afraid to stand up to them.&#8221;
Makary has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle during his 14 months as FDA Commissioner. <a href="https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/ec-democrats-demand-answers-fdas-covid-vaccine-memo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrats</a> have criticized his vaccine policies, while pro-life groups have called for his resignation over what they say is inaction on Biden-era abortion pill regulations. Asked about safety concerns surrounding the abortion drug mifepristone, Makary told The Daily Wire the FDA is committed to addressing these concerns and that a study on the drug&#8217;s safety is underway.
&#8220;There needs to be a good, detailed granular study for mifepristone, which to date has not been done. We have committed to conducting a granular study,&#8221; Makary told The Daily Wire. &#8220;We&#8217;re doing it the right way, and that study will inform any potential next steps.&#8221;
But <a href="https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/martin-makary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Makary</a> has experience swimming through the turbulent waters of public opinion. A pioneering surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, Makary is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed medical journal articles and was one of the few scientists calling out the politicization of science during the COVID pandemic.
Under Makary, the FDA is on a mission to make American children healthier, find new treatments for diseases, and regain America&#8217;s place as a world leader in scientific breakthroughs.
&#8220;When I came into office 14 months ago, the year prior, China was doing four times the number of phase one trials as the United States,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;In the first Trump administration, the U.S. was the leader, and that changed under the Biden administration. We walked into a mess.&#8221;
Makary says the agency is achieving its mission in record time. Within weeks of his March 2025 Senate confirmation, the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services announced an initiative to phase out petroleum-based food dyes, something Makary says the FDA talked about doing for decades.
&#8220;We announced action to remove all nine artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply,&#8221; Makary told The Daily Wire. &#8220;A lot of companies are ahead of schedule. It is a tremendous success. These are petroleum-based artificial dyes. American kids don&#8217;t need more petroleum in their bodies.&#8221;
In the past 14 months, the FDA has also taken steps to <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/wtas-fda-announces-major-steps-implement-real-time-clinical-trials.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">modernize</a> and increase the efficiency of drug applications and trials. The FDA launched the Commissioner&#8217;s National Priority Voucher program, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzMG6_hOB5w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduces wait times</a> for drug applications and allows therapies for rare diseases to forgo randomized trials, which are <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/wtas-fda-launches-framework-accelerating-therapies-ultra-rare-diseases.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">difficult</a> to conduct due to small patient populations.
&#8220;We introduced a new pathway to approve drugs at the speed patients would demand if they&#8217;re suffering from a terminal or debilitating condition,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;Typically, the FDA takes a year to review and file a drug application. We have that down now to one to two months, regularly.&#8221;
The Daily Wire asked Makary about criticisms he&#8217;s faced over the FDA&#8217;s rejection of several drug applications, including those for cancer treatments. Patient groups say Makary&#8217;s FDA is <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/president-trumps-marty-makary-problem-08ebd71a">slow-walking</a> rare disease drugs, making companies jump through unnecessary hoops in order to get approval for things like Huntington&#8217;s Disease.
But Makary says it&#8217;s simply a matter of good science.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a very simple system at the FDA: if the drug works, it gets approved,&#8221; Makary told The Daily Wire.
In an effort to regain the public trust in science and medicine, the FDA is giving the public unprecedented transparency of the drug application process.
&#8220;If the drug fails in its trial and the FDA does not approve it, in my opinion, the public deserves to know why. So we have taken the bold step of making our decision letters public information.&#8221;
The FDA has posted the complete response letters of approved and non-approved new drug applications on its<a href="https://open.fda.gov/apis/transparency/completeresponseletters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> website</a>.
&#8220;In the past, politics has resulted in overruling scientists at the agency. But in this Trump administration, we stand by our scientists,&#8221; Makary told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Every time the commissioner has overruled scientists at the FDA, it&#8217;s been a fiasco. The Biden administration overruled scientists who recommended against approving the Covid vaccine for healthy children. It was a fiasco.&#8221;
The FDA is also taking bold steps to improve the quality of school lunches and baby formula.
After hearing from parents wanting better quality food in schools, the FDA launched a <a href="https://x.com/DrMakaryFDA/status/2045249715642495124?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pilot</a> program giving schools resources to provide healthier meals to students. The program has been hugely successful, showing a 70 to 80% reduction in pesticides and 80% to 90% reduction in heavy metals contained in school lunches, Makary told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;We proved that you can make a switch to healthier food in an affordable way,&#8221; Makary said.
On April 29, the FDA released results of the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-releases-results-largest-ever-testing-infant-formula-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largest-ever testing</a> of infant formula in the United States, testing more than 300 infant formula samples for contaminants such as mercury, lead, and forever chemicals like PFAS. The testing found the samples overwhelmingly had undetectable or very low levels of contaminants, which Makary called a &#8220;resounding success.&#8221;
&#8220;Many companies find it too hard to bring new products to market because you have to follow a rigid recipe,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;So we are modernizing the monograph that&#8217;ll enable more companies to come to market, that will both lower prices and create more options for moms that are healthier, while at the same time, make the supply chain more resilient.&#8221;
In the midst of swirling public opinion, Makary remains focused on the FDA&#8217;s mission to promote strong science and healthier Americans.
&#8220;We set the priority of the agency to a simple mission of more cures, meaningful treatments, and healthier food for children.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2026-05-08T091712.133

EXCLUSIVE: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary Says He’s Taking Politics Out Of Science

Abortion Drug

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A Republican congressman is pushing the Trump administration to investigate a North Carolina high school after female students complained that a biological male has been using the women&#8217;s locker room, according to a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire. 
Rep. Addison McDowell wrote a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1036268220/Title-IX-Letter-to-OCR">letter</a> on Thursday calling on the Education Department to investigate Cox Mill High School in Cabarrus County for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/principal-tells-girls-to-go-somewhere-else-if-theyre-uncomfortable-with-boys-in-their-bathrooms">reportedly allowing</a> a boy to access intimate female spaces. He urged Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey to review a parental complaint filed on April 17 claiming the school violated a female student&#8217;s Title IX privacy rights. 
“I was profoundly concerned to learn of reports that the school is allowing biologically male students to enter women’s restrooms and locker room facilities on school property,” McDowell wrote. “As a father of three girls and one on the way, and the Representative for the Sixth Congressional District of North Carolina, I remain committed to working to protect women and girls and preserving their civil rights for generations to come.”
The Trump administration has interpreted Title IX as protecting the right of girls to access private, single-sex spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms. 
In recent months, students and parents have asked the Cabarrus County School Board to adopt policies ensuring female-only spaces at the high school. School officials have downplayed concerns from parents, saying some claims about incidents involving the transgender student are false. 
The district previously <a href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/verify/viral-claim-that-boy-tried-to-watch-young-girl-in-school-restroom-is-false-cabarrus-county-school-district-says">said</a> it was constrained by a law that mandates “schools may not discriminate against students by denying them access to the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity.”
McDowell said the district must step up to ensure students&#8217; privacy. 
“It is the bare minimum for schools to ensure a safe learning environment, and schools owe students’ parents a guarantee that the school is taking every available measure to protect the health and safety of kids,” he said. “The policy that the school district has adopted is in direct opposition to these principles.”
On Tuesday, the organization NC Values <a href="https://x.com/NCValues/status/2051752454035824984" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a video featuring Trista Ruck, a junior at Cox Mill High School, who said she had seen a male in the girls&#8217; bathroom. 
&#8220;I encountered a male in the female restroom. I walked straight to the restroom, did my business, and then whenever I went to go wash my hands, he walked in,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He then just looked at me, and then went about his business, but honestly, I felt uncomfortable. Why would I want someone who has different parts than me in the same bathroom as me?&#8221;

Rep.-elect Addison McDowell

Congressman Urges Trump Admin To Intervene After High School Girls Say Spaces Invaded By Boy

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The Trump administration sued the New York Times for anti-white discrimination on Tuesday, saying the newspaper giant passed over a male employee because of the color of his skin. 
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that The Times “chose” not to promote a white male employee with “extensive experience in real estate” journalism, leaving him out of the final interview process in 2025. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, pointed to the Times’ DEI policies as the source of its bias. 
“Every candidate who advanced through to the final interview process was not a white male,” the commission said. “The company ultimately hired an outside candidate for the role — a non-white female with little to no experience in real estate journalism, despite such experience being a requirement for the real estate editor position.”
The complaint said that the minority candidate was ultimately hired outside the standard interview process and chosen despite two internal candidates being rated more favorably by the interview panel. 
“As a White male, Charging Party did not match the race and/or sex characteristics NYT sought to increase in its leadership through its diversity actions and aspirations,” the suit said. “The four candidates advanced to the panel interview stage matched the race and/or sex characteristics NYT sought to increase in its leadership. Specifically, the final pool of candidates was composed of a White female, a Black male, an Asian female, and a multiracial female.”
In 2021, the Times <a href="https://www.nytco.com/2021-new-york-times-diversity-and-inclusion-report/">published</a> a “Call to Action” saying that it was committed to making itself more “diverse, equitable and inclusive” and increasing “racial diversity of leadership.” Since 2017, the newspaper has also published the racial and gender demographics of its staff, and various subsequent reports have talked about making “progress” in increasing minority and women employment. 
“A decrease in the percentage of White male employees (whether new hires, existing employees, or those in leadership, as appropriate) was a necessary consequence for the NYT to achieve these results,” the lawsuit said. 
Internal company Slack messages from May 2024 show that Deputy Managing Editor Monica Drake and Assistant Managing Editor for Strategy, Operations and Finance, Jonathan Galinsky, were concerned about not enough “people of color” being hired in leadership positions, according to the lawsuit. 
“The May 2024 conversation between Drake and Galinsky, who were senior editors, shows that NYT top leadership discussed ‘targeted efforts’ and were ‘alarmed’ about the trends in the percentage of Whites in leadership reflected in that data, and shows NYT intended to act to increase the numbers of non-White leaders,” the lawsuit said. 
Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha told The Daily Wire the complaint was &#8220;politically motivated.&#8221; 
&#8220;Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The allegation centers on a single personnel decision for one of over 100 deputy positions across the newsroom, yet the EEOC’s filing makes sweeping claims that ignore the facts to fit a predetermined narrative. Neither race nor gender played a role in this decision — we hired the most qualified candidate, and she is an excellent editor.&#8221;
EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said that there was no “diversity exception” to race-based hiring or programs. 
“No one is above the law — including ‘elite’ institutions. There is no such thing as ‘reverse discrimination’; all race or sex discrimination is equally unlawful, according to long-established civil rights principles,” she said. “Federal law is clear: making hiring or promotion decisions motivated in whole or in part by race or sex violates federal law. There is no diversity exception to this rule.”

The New York Times Entrance

Trump Admin Sues NYT For Anti-White Discrimination

anti-white

Racial Discrimination

The New York Times

Nearly a decade ago, he led an attempted coup d&#8217;etat in the West African nation of Burkina Faso.
Zakaria Songotoua, 40, fled his country and eventually ended up in New York, and has since become a target of President Donald Trump&#8217;s mass deportation effort, The Daily Wire has learned. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers sent him back to Burkina Faso on April 22.
The one-way flight came after Songotoua was ordered deported by an immigration judge after he was found &#8220;ineligible&#8221; for immigration status.
Songotoua participated in the coup attempt which began on September 16, 2015, while he was a member of the Presidential Security Regiment (RSP). At the time, a rogue group of his force stormed the presidential palace and took the interim president, Michel Kafando, along with the country&#8217;s prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, and several cabinet members hostage, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/world/africa/burkina-faso.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
They also fired upon protesters, resulting in an estimated 11 fatalities, while more than 100 people were injured. The overthrow attempt ultimately failed after 13 days of violence and chaos, according to The New York Times.
Songotoua fled his home country before his trial, where he was convicted in absentia of murder, assault and battery, and an attack on state security. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo said that &#8220;individuals&#8221; like Songotoua &#8220;who engage in such bloodshed anywhere in the world have no place in the United States.&#8221;
ICE did not disclose when or where he entered the United States.
“Songotoua’s role in the violent 2015 effort to overthrow Burkina Faso’s government, which included holding a national leader hostage and killing and injuring protesters, reflects a grave disregard for human life and the rule of law,&#8221; Genalo said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents investigated the case as part of the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, which focuses on targeting individuals who have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers, ICE said.
HSI has more than 190 active investigations into suspected human rights violators. The agency has also received more than 1,985 leads and removal cases involving alleged human rights violators who hail from 95 countries.
&#8220;ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] New York, with essential support from Homeland Security Investigations New York and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, will continue to identify and remove human rights violators who attempt to seek refuge in our communities,&#8221; Genalo said.

Untitled design – 2026-05-05T090655.272

EXCLUSIVE: Foreign Rebel Who Led Coup Attempt Booted From U.S.

deportation

Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

New York

The New Yorker had a full-blown meltdown this week over E.P.A. Administrator Lee Zeldin’s unapologetic effort to carry out President Trump’s environmental agenda.
In the process, the magazine unintentionally elevates Zeldin to folk hero status among the conservative faithful, making him look exactly like what many conservatives have long wanted: an E.P.A. chief who is finally willing to fight aggressive environmental leftism instead of accommodating it.
Titled “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/04/can-the-epa-survive-lee-zeldin">Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin</a>?” the article begins by expressing outrage over Zeldin slapping the wrists of 144 insubordinate career E.P.A. bureaucrats who published a public letter excoriating their boss. The <a href="https://www.standupforscience.net/epa-declaration">letter</a> begins by stating, “Declaration of dissent: E.P.A. employees join in solidarity with employees across the federal government in opposing this administration&#8217;s policies,” while singling out Zeldin by name for special criticism.
The letter reads like an Ilhan Omar press release. It alleges that “black communities,” “disabled communities,” “LGBTQIA+ communities,” and the usual mix of leftist special-interest groups are disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental harm. The letter then chastises Zeldin for cutting back funding and staff dedicated to “environmental justice.”
So much for career bureaucrats in Washington being dispassionate, politically neutral applicators of law and policy.
<div id="attachment_1087961" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/04/can-the-epa-survive-lee-zeldin"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1087961" class="size-large wp-image-1087961" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ-1024x474.jpg" alt="Screenshot: The New Yorker" width="1024" height="474" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ-1024x474.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ-300x139.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ-768x356.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ-1536x711.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/TNY-LZ.jpg 1624w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>Screenshot: The New Yorker</div>
For the crime of carrying out the elected president’s agenda, Zeldin is accused by career bureaucrats of “undermining public trust,” “promot[ing] misinformation,” and even backing “President Trump’s tariffs.”
The E.P.A. is part of the executive branch of the federal government, and the administrator reports directly to the president. E.P.A.’s role is to implement environmental laws and policies consistent with federal law and the president’s direction.
By definition, it is aggressively insubordinate for a federal agency’s bureaucratic employees to publicly criticize and issue a “Declaration of dissent” against the boss of their agency.
How did Zeldin respond? He placed the offending employees on temporary administrative leave, receiving full pay and benefits. In other words, Zeldin gave the insubordinate staffers free vacation time. Reading The New Yorker article, however, one would think Zeldin sentenced the staffers to hard labor in a gulag.
The New Yorker then goes on to attack Zeldin’s voting record in Congress. As an elected Republican, Zeldin voted “mostly along party lines” rather than joining Democrats in opposition to Republican-supported policies.
According to the <a href="https://heritageaction.com/scorecard/search/">Heritage Action Scorecard</a>, which tallies how often a member of Congress votes the conservative or liberal position on the most important congressional votes, Zeldin strayed from the conservative Republican position 22% of the time during his years in Congress. By comparison, so-called “conservative” Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema deviated from the liberal Democrat position just 21% and 10% of the time, respectively.
Zeldin deviated from the conservative position more frequently than so-called conservative Democrats, and yet The New Yorker still brands Zeldin a conservative extremist.
The New Yorker then complains that in the September 12, 2025, issue of the official E.P.A. newsletter, Zeldin engages in “mourning” Charlie Kirk’s assassination. To illustrate its outrage, The New Yorker points out, exasperated, that Zeldin wrote, “In Loving Memory” in the E.P.A. newsletter under a picture of Kirk.
The fact is, The New Yorker, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and the rest of the leftist cabal are <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-epa-chief-vows-he-wont-take-morality-lessons-dem-senator-after-heated-clash">losing their minds</a> because Zeldin is the most principled and effective implementer of common-sense conservative environmental policy in the history of the E.P.A.
Under the squishy presidencies of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, the two Bushes searched for the most environmentally leftist “Republican” they could find. Both cases were a futile effort to win Democratic votes. George H.W. Bush chose William K. Reilly, who previously served as head of the leftist environmental activist group World Wildlife Fund, to lead his E.P.A. George W. Bush chose one of the most liberal self-identified Republican politicians in the country, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, to lead his E.P.A.
Lee Zeldin is unquestionably the greatest conservative administrator the E.P.A. has ever had. The New Yorker can’t stand that, and its amateurish hit job on a very competent and effective Zeldin only makes them look more toxic.
* * *
James Taylor (<a href="mailto:JTaylor@heartland.org">JTaylor@heartland.org</a>) is President of The Heartland Institute.

Zeldin II

The Left’s Latest Hit Job On Zeldin Goes Sideways

The Left's Latest Hit Job On Zeldin Goes Sideways

DW Opinion

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Lee Zeldin

The New Yorker

The first commercial flight from the United States to Venezuela since 2019 took off from Miami International Airport on Thursday morning, a win for the Trump administration as the president reshapes Washington&#8217;s relationship with Caracas.
The American Airlines plane destined for Caracas was given a water salute by fire engines on the tarmac before it took off from Miami at around 10:00 a.m. ET. Flight AA3599 was operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The plane was one of the airline&#8217;s America 250 commemorative aircraft.
&#8220;For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela,&#8221; the State Department said. &#8220;Under President Trump we&#8217;re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Under President Trump we&#8217;re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored. <a href="https://t.co/3fsLVwWHQQ">pic.twitter.com/3fsLVwWHQQ</a>
— Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2049870663138083123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Flight AA3599 is expected to arrive in Caracas just after 1:20 p.m. local time. The plane will return to Florida later Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/flights-resume-from-miami-to-caracas-venezuela-for-the-first-time-in-7-years/3803307/">reported</a>. Miami resident Lennart Ochoa said he was excited for the reopening of commercial air travel between the two countries.
“I’m very excited to go and see the family and I’m looking forward to see the country,” Ochoa said, according to the AP.
Thursday&#8217;s flight from the United States to Venezuela comes less than five months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. In March, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314795646.html">praised</a> acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and said his administration&#8217;s relationship with Venezuela had greatly improved after the operation to capture Maduro.
The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/15/politics/dhs-suspends-venezuela-flights">suspended</a> air travel between the United States and Venezuela in 2019 during Trump&#8217;s first term &#8220;based on the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela.&#8221; Just a few months earlier, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela&#8217;s state-run oil company, citing Maduro&#8217;s corruption.
“As a result of the Maduro regime’s inability to govern and perpetuation of lawlessness, it is no longer possible to certify that Venezuela is meeting baseline standards of security,&#8221; a U.S. official told CNN at the time.
The flight to Caracas on Thursday is just the first of many commercial flights to come between the two countries. In the coming months, American Airlines will also offer <a href="https://www.aa.com/en-us/flights-to-venezuela">flights</a> to Caracas from Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, and Washington, D.C.

American Airlines

Trump Officially Opens Flights To His Favorite South American Country

Air Travel

Global Politics

Venezuela

World

The Daily Wire dives into the incredible details of one of America’s most daring rescue missions in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/daily-wire-explains-the-world-ep-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mini documentary</a> that hit the platform on Thursday.
Just over a month after the United States launched its massive military operation against Iran, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by Iranian forces on April 3, sending the fighter jet’s two crew members directly into enemy territory.
It marked the first time in more than 20 years that a U.S. warplane was lost to enemy fire, but President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth had a bigger problem: finding the missing Americans and bringing them home.
The jet’s pilot was rescued by U.S. forces within hours, but the weapons system officer, a colonel who ejected from the jet, vanished in some of the most remote and treacherous terrain on earth.
Back in Washington, U.S. officials quickly drew up a daring plan to rescue the colonel before Iranian forces could capture him. American officials knew the stakes. Either an American soldier would fall into the hands of a terrorist regime, die of dehydration, or the U.S. military would go into hostile territory and get him.
The next 48 hours would prove to be one of the greatest success stories in American military history, a rescue that President Donald Trump called an “Easter miracle.”
The Daily Wire’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/daily-wire-explains-the-world-ep-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Race To Rescue</a>” provides a detailed account of the incredible mission to find the missing U.S. colonel and bring him home. “The Race To Rescue” is now available exclusively for DailyWire+ members.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/daily-wire-explains-the-world-ep-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: THE RACE TO RESCUE</a>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Race to Rescue | First Look" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Vikl-XYz34?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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