A hot debate has now broken out in the Republican Party over the so-called SAVE Act.
Republicans support the SAVE Act, which would force voter ID nationally. Democrats in the Senate have been holding it up.
President Trump correctly <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">points out </a>that the SAVE Act is quite popular with Americans.
“Even the Democrats — you saw the numbers today?— Democrats voted 86% that this stuff should be passed,” he noted. “With the Republicans, you&#8217;re at 98%. But Democrats are at 86%, except for the people that run the Democrat Party, because they want to try and win elections illegally. The only reason you vote against voter I.D. is because you want to cheat. There&#8217;s no other reason. They come up with reasons; they say it&#8217;s racist. That&#8217;s their number one: racist. Then they have to explain it, and they&#8217;re just sitting there mumbling. They can&#8217;t explain it.”
President Trump has also been having fun <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">mocking</a> Chuck Schumer: “It&#8217;s the easiest thing we have. Now the problem is you call it the SAVE Act, and nobody knew what the hell the SAVE Act was. &#8230; It&#8217;s called ‘The Save America Act’. And I saw Schumer yesterday: ‘We will stop Save America.’ He’s getting killed. They can&#8217;t do it.”
President Trump says that Republicans should <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-addresses-house-republicans-at-annual-retreat/674954">not approve anything</a> until the SAVE Act passes:
“But they have to get it done. Because if we don&#8217;t get this done, if it takes six months, I&#8217;m for not approving anything. I don&#8217;t think we should approve anything until this is approved. And they can&#8217;t win politically. Look, you have them in a corner, and they&#8217;re listening to every word I&#8217;m saying. It doesn&#8217;t matter because they can&#8217;t win it politically. Because when they say, ‘We don&#8217;t want voter identification. We don&#8217;t want proof of citizenship,” all these things are just losers for them.”
Chuck Schumer, for his part, keeps arguing that if we clean the voter rolls of people who have moved or are dead and require people to use voter ID, somehow this is going to result in mass voter disenfranchisement, a proposition that pretty much no one actually agrees with. 
“It allows ICE to kick tens of millions of people off the rolls, off the rolls, and they don&#8217;t tell them until Election Day,” he <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/senate-democratic-agenda/675075">huffed</a>. “And you show them, you say. ‘You&#8217;re not registered anymore, you&#8217;re not registered here, you&#8217;re not on the rolls.’ And they say, ‘I didn&#8217;t know that.’ This is a bill that destroys the country. And it is not about showing ID when you show up to vote. It&#8217;s about the voter registration rolls, destroying them, purging them, not letting people know, and taking the rights in an algorithm put together by ICE, put together by DOGE and Musk. It&#8217;s an outrage.” 
If you just say DOGE or Musk three times in a row, Beetlejuice appears, according to Chuck Schumer.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2385-iranian-propaganda-syndrome?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This is silly. If you can&#8217;t abide by the law with regard to voting, you shouldn&#8217;t vote. And if you moved and you didn&#8217;t tell them you moved, then you probably should tell them you moved. Democrats trying to turn basic adult functions into some sort of Mensa test are lying. It’s not that hard to register to vote. It&#8217;s not hard to determine where and how to vote. People have been figuring it out for decades.
But now, because Democrats are trying to filibuster the SAVE Act in the Senate, to prevent it from passing by forcing Republicans to find 60 votes in the Senate, President Trump is talking about killing the filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, by contrast, says, no, we&#8217;re not doing that.
“We don&#8217;t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, nor to sustain one if we got on it,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-EQvN-hLoz0">stated</a>. “But that is just a function of math. &#8230; I understand the president&#8217;s got a passion to see this issue addressed, as we all do. We’ll continue to make that argument because I think it&#8217;s important that everybody understands this is really about the votes. It&#8217;s about the math.”
A lot of people are asking, why doesn&#8217;t Thune kill the filibuster? The answer is simple. He&#8217;s concerned if Republicans kill the filibuster, the next time the Democrats have a majority in the House and the Senate and run the presidency, they simply run roughshod over Republicans and essentially end any chance of possible parity in future elections, all with just 51 votes. They add new states, they add new senators, and they change the voting rules and all the rest.
There have been two arguments that have been put out there to counter John Thune’s argument. First, there&#8217;s the argument that Republicans should end what&#8217;s known as the “talking filibuster.” When most people think about the filibuster, they think of Jimmy Stewart talking for hours until he faints in the film “Mr. Smith goes to Washington.”
It takes 60 votes to ensure “cloture,” which means to stop a talking filibuster. Under Senate Rule 19, each senator can speak twice per day. Members of the same party can hold the floor continuously. Theoretically, Johnson could force Democrats to do that, get up there and just talk and talk and talk and talk.
In the past, however, opposing parties have allowed the so-called “silent filibuster,” a filibuster that all agree would be possible in the absence of talking for days at a time. People basically say, “You don&#8217;t have 60 votes. Instead of making us talk for weeks on end, we are not going to do that. You don’t have 60 votes to kill it anyway.”
So why doesn&#8217;t John Thune kill the silent filibuster? There are a few practical reasons. First, if 47 Democrats each gave six-hour speeches and did that continuously in a cycle, they could stop the business of the Senate for months. The only way to keep the Senate in session, in order to keep the pressure on Democrats to keep talking, would be for Republicans to maintain a quorum, meaning 51 senators nearby. If they didn&#8217;t have a quorum, if somebody goes home and suddenly there are 49 senators, Democrats can move to adjourn the session, the clock restarts, and all the senators can speak twice again. Which means that killing the silent filibuster basically ensures pain, but not gain.
That&#8217;s not going to stop critics from attacking Senator Thune and other Republicans as somehow feeble or insufficient in their defense of conservative policy. That&#8217;s always the rap from people in my industry toward politicians: “The reason that Republicans don&#8217;t do enough is a lack of will. If only they had more Nietzschean willpower! Or maybe they&#8217;re corrupt?” 
 
But that&#8217;s not what&#8217;s happening. The simple case here is that in the Senate, which happens to be a more collegial body than the House, Republicans must always have one eye on the question of what happens when the political shoe is on the other foot.
Just as Democrats killed the judicial filibuster only to watch Republicans stack the Supreme Court, Republicans have to be careful not to kill the filibuster on other issues, just to watch Democrats ram through fundamental changes to the nature of American life and law.
Democrats are obstructing, there&#8217;s no question about it.
They aren’t interested in honest voting.

SchumerSAVE

The SAVE Act Standoff

Chuck Schumer

Congress

Donald Trump

House of Representatives

Iran

John Thune

Mike Johnson

Opinion

SAVE America Act

U.S. Senate

Between lengthy TSA lines and increased concerns about national security threats amid the conflict with Iran, conservative experts told The Daily Wire that there are serious risks associated with the continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, as talks in Washington stall.
DHS has faced a lapse in funding since Feb. 14, as Democrats and Republicans are at odds on federal immigration enforcement tactics, despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection already being heavily funded through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. Still, other agencies under DHS like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard are unfunded.
“We’re dealing with a heightened threat environment right now, and we need the federal government security capabilities to be firing on all cylinders,” Nathan Sales, former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, said.
“If you’re a Hezbollah operative and you want to carry out an attack in the United States, you have to cross the border, and that’s a DHS responsibility,” he noted, later adding that “this is not the time to be playing politics with national security.”
Sales specifically highlighted the risks of FEMA not having the money it needs to fully operate.
“What happens if, God forbid, there is a terrorist incident on American soil and we need an immediate federal response to that,” Sales asked. “It’s not a great time for FEMA to be sitting on the sidelines either.”
Meanwhile, Garrett Exner, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on terrorism, national security, and defense, slammed the lack of funding for TSA as “insane,” saying &#8220;it&#8217;s not a good faith argument&#8221; for Democrats to use the other agencies under DHS as leverage for immigration reform.
“We have 11 million people that came here, and we don’t know who they are, and ICE is doing the legal business of moving those people out of the country, and Democrats are trying to stop that. They’re trying to slow it down,” Exner said, referencing the Biden-era border crisis.
Recent incidents like the attempted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-city-in-heightened-state-of-alert-after-saturdays-attack?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=New+York+City+In+%E2%80%98Heightened+State+of+Alert%E2%80%99+After+Saturday%E2%80%99s+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISIS-style terrorist attack</a> outside the New York City mayoral residence, along with the Southwest Airlines flight bomb threat over the weekend, are also sparking concerns, according to Lora Ries, the director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center.
“The House passed the DHS funding bill last week, so now it’s down to the Senate, and Senate Democrats are playing chicken with terrorists in this country,” Ries said, adding that it’s a “dereliction of duty by refusing to fund securing our homeland.”
In addition, the FBI is currently investigating the Austin, Texas, bar shooting from March 1 as a possible act of terrorism, as the alleged shooter was wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie and a pro-Iran shirt.
Outside of the security risks, those who are essential workers, like TSA agents, are now working without pay, which will likely lead to a higher number of callouts at airports nationwide.
“They’re not getting rich doing these jobs. They live paycheck to paycheck,” Ken Cuccinelli, a former top Homeland Security official during the first Trump administration, pointed out regarding TSA, as shutdowns can “dissuade people from doing those jobs.”
Cuccinelli noted potential for the shutdown to hurt “morale” within DHS, and it could also create a ripple effect as FEMA responds to disasters like the recent Potomac River sewage spill.
TSA and other essential workers, like air traffic controllers, also bore the brunt of the 43-day-long full federal government shutdown last fall, which was triggered by Democrats pushing for an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s pandemic-era subsidies, but no permanent deal on the subsidies was ultimately reached. The remainder of the federal government is fully funded through September.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be leaving her role at the department at the end of the month amid multiple controversies, and President Donald Trump plans to replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). However, Noem&#8217;s ouster is not considered enough to warrant a deal with Senate Democrats.
&#8220;I’ve been asked if I would support Sen. Mullin as Noem’s replacement. The answer is a resounding NO. The rot in DHS is deep, much deeper than any individual. It’s a question of policy not personnel. The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in,&#8221; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted to X last week.

Denver International Airport scenes

Top National Security Experts Warn Dems ‘Playing Chicken With Terrorists’

Immigration

National Security

Politics

Senate Democrats

Terrorism

Texas State Representative Talarico Holds Primary Election Night Event

The Truth About The Radical Far Left Heretic Who Just Won The Primary In Texas

Bible

Democrats

Leftists

Matt Walsh

Texas

President Donald Trump signaled this week that he will soon issue an endorsement in the high-stakes Texas Republican Senate primary runoff, a move that could dramatically reshape the race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to announce his endorsement soon and urged the candidate who does not receive it to step aside to unify the party ahead of the general election. 
“I will be making my Endorsement soon,” Trump wrote. He added that the candidate he does not back should “DROP OUT OF THE RACE” so Republicans can “TOTALLY FOCUS” on defeating the Democratic nominee.
<iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116172264831357045/embed" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script>
The statement comes as the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/texas-senate-results">Texas primary</a> heads toward what is expected to be a bruising runoff. Cornyn finished the initial round of voting ahead of Paxton, leading by roughly 25,000 votes with more than 95 percent of ballots counted. However, neither candidate secured the majority required to avoid a second round, setting up a competitive 12-week showdown.
Behind the scenes, several Senate Republicans and major donors are urging Trump to move quickly, and many are lobbying for Cornyn.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/05/congress/gop-trump-texas-endorsement-cornyn-paxton-00813727">told</a> reporters he hopes the endorsement comes soon, saying he personally made the case to the president. Other Republicans have echoed that message, warning that a drawn-out primary battle could weaken the eventual nominee and provide Democrats with an opening in November.
Some party operatives fear the fight could burn through more than $100 million in Republican donor money. Democrats have already consolidated behind their nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, who secured his party&#8217;s nomination outright.  
Several GOP senators have argued that Cornyn would be the stronger general election candidate.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) told POLITICO that Cornyn is “without a doubt the candidate to win in November,” while also acknowledging the political weight of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries.
Similarly, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) argued the party should rally behind Cornyn to protect the seat. “We need to hold that seat which means we need to nominate someone who is going to win in November,” Barrasso said.
Despite the mounting pressure, Paxton has signaled he has no intention of leaving the race regardless of Trump&#8217;s decision.
In an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RealAmericasVoice/videos/paxton-im-staying-in-this-raceno-im-staying-in-this-race-i-owe-it-to-the-people-/913491044731688/">interview</a> on Wednesday, Paxton argued that Cornyn has failed to represent the state’s conservative base. “I owe it to the people of Texas,” Paxton said. “I’ve spent a year campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well.”
Paxton doubled down on that stance in a post on <a href="https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2029607496395239546?s=20">X</a> Thursday, tying his candidacy to Trump’s legislative agenda and the proposed SAVE America Act. He said he would consider stepping aside only if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster and pass the legislation, while accusing Cornyn of refusing to support abolishing the filibuster to advance it. 
Paxton further defended his loyalty to the president, citing his support for Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 United States presidential election and his presence at Mar-a-Lago during Trump’s 2024 campaign launch.
While Trump has not yet publicly revealed whom he will support, many Republicans in Washington believe momentum is shifting toward Cornyn following his stronger-than-expected showing in the first round of voting.
Still, the final decision could determine whether the Texas GOP faces a prolonged and expensive intra-party battle or quickly coalesces around a nominee ahead of the general election.

Untitled design (13)

Trump Signals Imminent Endorsement In Texas GOP Senate Runoff

Elections

John Cornyn

Ken Paxton

A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing went sideways on Wednesday when an anti-war protester and Green Party candidate attempted to disrupt the proceedings, shouting, &#8220;No one wants to fight for Israel!&#8221;
The protester, identified as Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, had to be dragged from the hearing by Capitol Police — and when he grabbed onto a door to prevent them from removing him, Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) jumped into action as well.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 UPDATE: New video from the moments BEFORE the Sen. Sheehy intervened show the veteran aggressively resisting US Capitol Police’s attempts to remove him from the hearing following his interruption
THREE officers were treated for injuries by DC EMS, per USCP
You can also… <a href="https://t.co/nZdSHpw9dB">pic.twitter.com/nZdSHpw9dB</a>
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2029346900898377897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The initial confrontation showed McGinnis, wearing his Marine Corps dress uniform as he resisted, flailing and attempting to use his body weight against the officers who were trying to get him out of the room. When Capitol Police were finally able to get him to the door, he could be seen grabbing the door, wedging his arm between the door and the frame.
Sheehy, a retired Navy SEAL, assisted the officers in their efforts, pausing only briefly to help pry McGinnis&#8217;s hand from the door.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senator Sheehy joined Capitol Police in lifting up and ejecting anti war protestor Brian McGinnis from a SASC subcommittee hearing. McGinnis is a Green Party candidate running for Senate in N.C. An antiwar activist filmed the video below: <a href="https://t.co/0dVA0ORWXQ">pic.twitter.com/0dVA0ORWXQ</a>
— Alan He (@alanhe) <a href="https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/2029301477341061613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;No one wants to fight for Israel!&#8221; McGinnis shouted, apparently referencing Operation Epic Fury, the joint campaign with Israel against the Iranian regime.
Another protester could be heard shouting as Sheehy tried — with no luck — to pull McGinnis&#8217;s hand away from the door, claiming that Sheehy had broken the candidate&#8217;s hand: &#8220;A U.S. Senator just broke the hand of a Marine!&#8221;
Back on his feet, McGinnis complained that his hand was stuck, and several Capitol Police officers continued to attempt to free him from the door.
Sheehy responded to the incident in a post on X, saying, &#8220;Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing. He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation. This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.&#8221;
Capitol Police also released a statement following the altercation, telling <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2026/03/04/montana-sen-sheehy-gets-in-altercation-with-anti-war-protester/">The Daily Montanan</a>, &#8220;This afternoon, an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing, put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officer’s attempts to remove him from the room.&#8221;
The statement also said that McGinnis was treated for an unspecified injury — but that three of the Capitol Police officers also had to be treated for injuries as a result of his actions.
McGinnis faces three counts of  &#8220;resisting arrest and crowding, obstructing, and incommoding for the unlawful demonstration&#8221; as well as three counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer.
&#8220;Protests are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings. There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed,&#8221; the statement added.

House Hearing Examines Current Readiness Of U.S. Joint Force

Watch Navy SEAL Senator Help Cops Drag Out ‘Unhinged’ Anti-War Protester

Military

Protest

Tim Sheehy

Senators Speak To The Press Following Policy Luncheons On Capitol Hill

Why Are Republican Senators Sabotaging Trump?

2026 Midterms

Filibuster

Jasmine Crockett

Republicans

Thom Tillis

A growing rift inside the Republican Party burst into public view this week as President Donald Trump and several House Republicans openly blasted Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the stalled SAVE America Act, accusing the longtime Kentucky lawmaker of standing in the way of legislation they argue is critical to securing federal elections.
What might once have played out behind closed doors is now unfolding in plain sight — with Trump mocking McConnell online and GOP lawmakers questioning both his motives and his leadership as the bill sits idle in the Senate.
One of the most pointed comments came from Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC), who on SiriusXM blasted McConnell directly, saying “he hates Donald Trump” and argued the Kentucky senator “should be in a nursing home” rather than blocking the bill. Norman said McConnell is “beholden to the special interests” and insisted the GOP needs new leadership and term limits.
Norman’s remarks were shared on <a href="https://x.com/WilkowMajority/status/2027161540432969925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2027161540432969925%7Ctwgr%5E3383e92a7556d2a8fb97a3079c218e9523329448%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Famericanwirenews.com%2Fhouse-republican-blasts-mcconnell-over-save-act-he-should-be-in-a-nursing-home%2F">X</a>, calling out McConnell by name and questioning his effectiveness in the Senate, a rare and unusually blunt rebuke from a Republican colleague.
That sentiment reflects wider frustration among Trump-aligned Republicans over the SAVE Act’s slow progress in the chamber. While President Donald Trump used his 2026 State of the Union to call for Senate passage of the bill — urging lawmakers to “approve the SAVE America Act” as part of his agenda to require voter ID and proof of citizenship — the Senate has yet to bring it up for a vote.
Trump escalated the pressure on social media, <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2028109709824139442">posting</a> a clip from &#8220;Weekend at Bernie’s&#8221; and captioning it: “Mitch McConnell arriving to block the SAVE Act in a last-ditch attempt to save his name.” The jab underscored growing frustration among conservatives who see the bill as a must-pass election integrity measure with overwhelming grassroots support.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) suggested McConnell’s opposition may be personal, saying on <a href="https://x.com/timburchett/status/2024875245966958916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024875245966958916%7Ctwgr%5E77f261b58e40fcfc14a750af0055b2b809e4fae9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewrepublic.com%2Fpost%2F206864%2Fmcconnell-trump-election-overhaul-bill-save-america-act">X</a> he believes it is “partially just out of meanness,” adding that “he doesn’t like Trump.” Burchett went further, questioning who is truly making decisions in McConnell’s office: “Is it him or a staff member? Because, as you know, he’s a lot like Joe Biden in his last days in office.”
Other Republicans have pressed Senate leadership to move the bill forward, arguing that requiring proof of citizenship is common sense and widely supported by voters. Trump has repeatedly urged the Senate to act, framing the measure as essential to election security.
Representative Andy Barr (R-KY), who will be running for McConnell’s seat after he retires, sent the senator a <a href="https://barr.house.gov/2026/2/barr-backs-voter-id-mandate-calls-on-mcconnell-to-advance-save-america-act">letter</a> last month. The letter strongly urged McConnell, “as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, to expeditiously move the America Act through the Senate and to the President’s Desk.” He added, “This marks the second time that the U.S. House of Representatives has acted to advance common sense voter identification and proof of citizenship requirements to strengthen the integrity of our federal elections.”
For his part, McConnell and his team have not claimed responsibility for the stall. A spokesperson for the Kentucky senator <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/article314828972.html">wrote</a> in a statement, “Senator McConnell has not, at any point in time, prevented a floor vote on any version of the SAVE Act. The most recent version of the bill that passed the House was not referred to any committees and is currently awaiting Senate floor consideration. Senator McConnell has no role in or power to control floor consideration of this bill.”
McConnell has not publicly embraced the legislation and has resisted procedural efforts to fast-track it, fueling criticism from within his own party as tensions between Trump-aligned Republicans and the Senate’s Republican leadership once again spill into public view.
Senate Republican leadership has tried to take the scrutiny from McConnell. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), in a statement to the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4473765/senate-gop-warns-house-save-act-agitators-do-not-tell-us-what-to-do/">Washington Examiner</a>, said, “House members are going to say what they’re going to say. They aren’t going to tell us how we’re going to run the Senate.” Another Senate leader said the Senate was “going to do what we’re going to do,” regardless of outside commentary.
Thune also <a href="https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/2/thune-joins-america-s-newsroom-on-fox-news">addressed</a> the SAVE America Act directly in an interview with Fox, saying the chamber plans to put Democrats “on the record,” but is focused first on broader issues like reopening the government, and that a floor vote will come “in due time.”
With McConnell nearing retirement and allies jockeying to replace him, the fight carries added political weight, especially in Kentucky. As House Republicans and Trump continue to escalate public pressure, Senate leadership insists the chamber will move on its own timetable. But for many in the GOP base, the optics are clear: a bill framed as “common sense” election security is stalled, and McConnell’s critics are making sure voters know exactly who they believe is responsible.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R)

Trump, Fellow Republicans Take Shots At Mitch McConnell Over SAVE Act Stall

Mitch McConnell

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, explained on Sunday what comes next in the Iran offensive after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Dana Bash, Cotton first noted that Iran has crossed numerous red lines over the decades.
“The red lines have been crossed … red lines of the civilized world, going back to the 1979 hostage crisis, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the bombing of the Khobar Towers, killing and maiming thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan — those are the red lines that have been crossed,” Cotton said. “President Trump has finally put his foot down and made it clear that we will no longer tolerate the revolutionary violence of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Bash pressed the senator on what comes next: “But the question is the people below them, and whether or not you are confident, based on what you&#8217;re seeing, that enough of the Iranian regime was taken out that there really can be a change in leadership. And then the next question is, how does that work?”
Cotton explained that the first priority is destroying Iran’s military power, which the Islamic nation uses to attack Israel and Arab allies in the region. He added that just as Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, it cannot be allowed to have thousands of missiles in its arsenal either, “much more than the United States and Israel have in missile defense combined.”
“So what the American people see in the days ahead is going to be a methodical and systematic focus on Iran&#8217;s missiles, its missile launchers, and ultimately, its missile manufacturing capability, so they can&#8217;t continue to threaten our troops in Israel and our other friends in the region,” Cotton stated.
The senator concluded that while we don’t know exactly what the future holds for the Iranian regime, the people of Iran now have the opportunity to take their country back after decades of brutal oppression.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Intelligence Committee Chairman, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) tells Dana Bash Iran has crossed red lines: &#8220;There&#8217;s no doubt, though, that Iran is going to continue to target our bases in the region, our Arab friends, and Israel. That&#8217;s why it was so vitally necessary that we put an end to… <a href="https://t.co/mE4TxM2S40">pic.twitter.com/mE4TxM2S40</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2028125240862167191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tom Cotton

WATCH: Tom Cotton Explains What Comes Next Following Khamenei Death

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Global Politics

World

<div>A new digital ad in the Nebraska Senate race is bringing revelations from the Epstein files to the campaign trail.</div>
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released an ad pointing out Independent Dan Osborn’s canceled fundraiser with high-level Democratic strategist Dana Chasin, whose name was referenced in an email in the files for allegedly moving children on a plane for Jeffrey Epstein. Chasin has strongly denied any allegations, according to Politico.
&#8220;Even after that information was public, Osborn continued to raise money with Chasin until he got caught,” the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UFJFn0Te1Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ad</a> states.
Although the fundraiser was scrapped, the ActBlue link to donate with Chasin’s name on it as part of the host committee was still up until Monday morning. After The Daily Wire reached out to the Osborn campaign about the active <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/021026dc?refcode=invite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ActBlue link</a> with Chasin’s name mentioned, it was taken down.
<div id="attachment_1048505" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1048505" class="size-medium wp-image-1048505" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928-300x298.jpg" alt="A screenshot of the ActBlue link for Dan Osborn's cancelled fundraiser with Dana Chasin as of Monday morning." width="300" height="298" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928-300x298.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928-579x576.jpg 579w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928-768x764.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_1928.jpg 1393w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />A screenshot of the ActBlue link for Dan Osborn&#8217;s canceled fundraiser with Dana Chasin as of Monday morning.</div>
Chasin, who’s part of the Rockefeller family, told <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/10/congress/dan-osborn-dana-chasin-fundraiser-00775138" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> that he’s “never owned or rented a prop plane, or any plane for that matter.”
“I stand with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and their pursuit of justice and accountability,” he added.
The Osborn campaign said on background that the claims made against the candidate in the ad are “categorically false,” and underscored that the fundraiser was canceled after they were made aware of Chasin’s alleged Epstein ties.
In terms of donations, the campaign said that Chasin did not donate to Osborn&#8217;s 2026 race and that the campaign gave $3,300 to an anti-human trafficking charity to serve as an equal counteraction to Chasin’s 2024 donation.
“Pete Ricketts is a member of the Epstein Class, and has spent his time in the Senate doing everything he can to protect them, including voting against the release of the Epstein files,” an Osborn spokesperson said in a statement. The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed the Senate with unanimous consent in November, but many Senate Republicans received pushback in September for scrapping a Democrat-backed amendment to a defense bill that would have triggered the release of the files, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/schumer-epstein-senate-vote-rcna230389" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
“Dan Osborn was notified that an attendee of an event was cited in the files and immediately upon knowing, canceled the event,” the spokesperson continued. “Pete Ricketts is lying because he’s scared of Dan Osborn, and the working people’s movement to take down the Epstein class.”
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the Senate race as “Solid Republican.” Osborn ran against Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) in the 2024 election, garnering 46.5% of the vote compared with just over 53% for the Republican.
“Dan Osborn built his brand on moral outrage over Epstein. But when a wealthy Democrat donor named in the Epstein files offered to host a fundraiser, that outrage disappeared fast. Fake Dan Osborn chose campaign cash over the values he pretends to stand for,&#8221; Will Coup, Ricketts for Senate communications director, said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
The ad serves as another example of how the release of the Epstein files has created a global political shakeup, including the arrests of former Prince Andrew and former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson in the United Kingdom.

Dan Osborn Nebraska Senate Candidate

Epstein Accusations Against Dem Strategist Trigger Campaign Chaos

Dan Osborn

Epstein Files

Jeffrey Epstein

Nebraska

Pete Ricketts

In Michigan, late winter and early spring are unpredictable. It’s a time of year when the state could get buried under a foot of snow at the beginning of a week and then reach 60 degrees with sunshine by the weekend.
This year, Michigan&#8217;s unpredictable late winter season will also serve as an important gauge in a wide-open 2026 midterm Senate election. For the first time in the state’s history, the governor&#8217;s race and the U.S. Senate contest will both take place without an incumbent running in either election, thanks to the retirement of Democratic Senator Gary Peters. While the primary elections and the warm Michigan summer are still months away, the Michigan Senate race is already heating up.
The 2026 Senate election in Michigan could also serve as a bellwether for other important races across the country as the GOP looks to hold onto control in the upper chamber. Michigan remains a political paradox as a state that returned Trump to the White House in 2024 while simultaneously electing a Democrat to the Senate. In 2026, it once again remains a pure toss-up.
Recent elections have been brutal for Michigan Republican Senate candidates. The party hasn’t won a Senate race in the state since 1994 — when star athletes Isaiah Thomas and Barry Sanders were still playing in Detroit.
<h3>Strong Start For Republicans</h3>
Republicans are hoping for a breakthrough in this year’s Senate election with former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a familiar name on the ballot in Michigan. Rogers ran for an open Senate seat in 2024, but despite voters pushing Trump over the edge in Michigan, Rogers lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by just over 20,000 votes.
Asked if there is any lingering trepidation from the 2024 election loss, Rogers told The Daily Wire that he&#8217;s confident he has &#8220;enough votes in the bank to win this election.&#8221;
&#8220;We had over 100,000 people walk into the polls in 2024, vote for Donald Trump, and turn around and leave, didn&#8217;t vote for any other Republican,&#8221; Rogers said. &#8220;Here&#8217;s the good news: I got more Republican votes than any other statewide candidate for a state of Michigan office in the history of the state by 300,000 votes. So I have enough votes in the bank to win this election. We&#8217;ve just got to get people ginned up to get there.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_816855" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-816855" class="wp-image-816855 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2166165020-1-864x576.jpg" alt="US Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R-MI) speaks before Republican Vice Presidential Nominee, Senator JD Vance to delivers remarks at Cordes, Inc. in Byron Center, Michigan, on August 14, 2024." width="864" height="576" />Mike Rogers (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
This year, Rogers once again boasts an endorsement from Trump, which came much earlier in the race than in 2024, marking him as the clear favorite to win the GOP primary. With the primary all but secure, Rogers is busy building a general election war chest as a crowded field of Democrats vie for the nomination. That&#8217;s a welcome development for the Rogers campaign, which fell far behind the Democrats in fundraising in 2024.
Rogers told The Daily Wire that he believes his campaign represents Republicans’ best chance to pick up a Senate seat in the 2026 midterms.
“Having President Trump’s endorsement early, having the Senate leadership support early, having our ground game organized early, all of that has made a tremendous difference,” he said. “And the result of that is that we’ve led in the last four current polls, which tells you in a state like Michigan, getting out a little bit early like this and having better ground game, better organization, better funding is really, really significant.”
Rogers said that after decades of Democratic control of both U.S. Senate seats in Michigan, residents are ready for “change.”
“People are fired up about this race, and they’re excited for change,” he said. “And why not have a voice of reason finally, after 30 years, representing somebody who actually started working on a factory floor and is now a candidate for Senate.”
As he gears up for a general election battle, Rogers is fine-tuning his messaging on the economy and the housing market, issues that President Trump has also focused on in recent months. Earlier this month, Rogers unveiled a plan to help Americans “unlock homeownership.” The Republican Senate candidate proposed expanding 529 savings plans to cover first-time home down payments and deferring student loan payments while saving for a down payment.
“The Democrats will find everything to be against. They don&#8217;t stand for much of anything for how to fix a problem,” Rogers said. “They know that I&#8217;ve fixed problems, and I&#8217;m going to fix problems when I become their next United States senator. That&#8217;s what people are fired up about.”
The Daily Wire asked Rogers about Americans&#8217; ongoing economic frustrations one year after Trump, who was largely elected on promises to fix those economic issues, was sworn in. Rogers said the Trump administration and Republicans are trying to fix &#8220;four years of really bad Democrat policies&#8221; under the Biden administration. The GOP Senate candidate specifically called out how former President Joe Biden&#8217;s policies affected Michigan autoworkers.
&#8220;They damn near put out of business two great American car companies with all these EV mandates. Even the Ford CEO came out and said it was the EV mandates that was the cause of the increase of cost for these cars,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Democrats have had years to do this damage. The Republicans and Donald Trump have had about a year to undo as much of that as possible.&#8221;
<h3>A Big Question Mark For Democrats</h3>
Three Democratic candidates are in a close primary race for the chance to face Rogers and maintain the Democratic Party’s dominance in Michigan Senate elections.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Senate leader Mallory McMorrow, and former health care director Dr. Abdul El-Sayed are at the top of the field in a crowded race. While Republicans are already focusing on the general election, the door remains wide open for Democrats. According to the most recent <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/michigan-2026-poll-crowded-democratic-senate-primary-remains-wide-open/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polling</a> from Emerson College, McMorrow leads the field at 22%, with Stevens coming in at 17% and El-Sayed standing at 16%. Nearly 40% of voters polled, however, remained undecided.
Each of the Democratic candidates is struggling to maintain momentum and has been hurt by recent controversies. A <a href="https://x.com/townhallcom/status/2001727745919680652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001727745919680652%7Ctwgr%5E8a533198239aecff6fa22f4f663189c37d2763b6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fdem-senate-hopeful-says-shed-throw-beer-at-conservative-justices-lacks-self-control">video</a> published by conservative outlet Townhall in December shows McMorrow suggesting to supporters that she would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-hopeful-says-shed-throw-beer-at-conservative-justices-lacks-self-control">throw beer</a> at conservative Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh if she saw them in public.
“I talked to somebody yesterday who said they saw her with Brett Kavanaugh at a tailgate last weekend. I was like, ‘I would not be able to control myself,&#8217;” McMorrow said. “That would be bad — there would be beers thrown in people’s faces.”
<div id="attachment_983569" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-983569" class="wp-image-983569 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2166823388-865x576.jpg" alt="CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES - AUGUST 19: State Senator Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Michigan speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, United States on August 19, 2024." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2166823388-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2166823388-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2166823388-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2166823388.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Stevens was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-dem-files-articles-of-impeachment-against-rfk-jr-and-even-her-own-party-is-trashing-her">criticized</a> by some Democratic leaders late last year after she filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to The New York Times, some of Stevens Democratic colleagues viewed the move as a political stunt.
Stevens shot back, arguing that she’s “not one for political theater” and that she was “standing up for the health and safety of the people I represent.”
<div id="attachment_98743" style="width: 711px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-98743" class="wp-image-98743 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/Haley-Stevens.jpg" alt="Freshman Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), center, celebrates after being sworn in by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Thursday January 3, 2019. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)" width="701" height="407" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/Haley-Stevens.jpg 701w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/Haley-Stevens-300x174.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px" />Rep. Haley Stevens (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
In October, El-Sayed sent a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-candidate-accuses-israel-of-invading-gaza-in-oct-7-fundraising-email">fundraising email</a> on the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, but in the email, El-Sayed made no mention of the terror group’s atrocities and blamed Israel for launching “a ground invasion of Gaza.” After the email was sent, the Democratic candidate said that it was pushed out by mistake, and he released a separate statement on the anniversary of October 7 condemning Hamas for the “heinous attack,” but also accusing Israel of committing “genocide.”
El-Sayed, who was endorsed by democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-a-socialist-michigans-mamdani-has-the-lefts-new-playbook-but-doesnt-want-the-new-label">told</a> The Daily Wire last week that the email had been approved to go out, but was supposed to be sent on a different day.
“It went out, and I very quickly reached out to leaders in the Jewish community to apologize for having stepped on their grief,” he said, adding, “The message in the email is something I stand by.”
<div id="attachment_983129" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-983129" class="wp-image-983129 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1206289728-864x576.jpg" alt="Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a coronavirus public health roundtable with Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont and 2020 presidential candidate, not pictured, in Romulus, Michigan, U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2020. Sanders said any eventual vaccine for the deadly novel coronavirus should be made available free of charge once developed and approved for use." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1206289728-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1206289728-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1206289728-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-1206289728.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</div>
The top Democratic candidates are already beating up on each other, and there are still months to go in the bitter primary battle before Michigan’s August 4 primary. In a forum hosted by the United Auto Workers in Detroit last week, the Democratic candidates clashed over multiple issues, including how far to the Left Michigan voters would be willing to go.
McMorrow, who is leading in early polls, suggested that El-Sayed — who is the farthest to the Left of the three Democrats — is focusing on “rhetoric” over delivering results, while arguing that Stevens is “too beholden to corporate interests.” During the forum, Stevens, who is viewed as most in line with the Democratic establishment and is endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, focused her attacks on Trump and Rogers, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democrats-vying-michigan-senate-seat-clash-corporate-money-first-forum-rcna258221">reported</a>.
El-Sayed, meanwhile, ran to the Left of both McMorrow and Stevens, calling for “Medicare for all” and for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “abolished,” stances he also discussed in a 20-minute phone conversation with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-a-socialist-michigans-mamdani-has-the-lefts-new-playbook-but-doesnt-want-the-new-label" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last week.
The Daily Wire reached out to the campaigns of McMorrow and Stevens, requesting interviews, but they have not responded.
The race could ultimately come down to how well Republicans can maintain their focus on the general election and whether Rogers can maintain his fundraising advantage, as the Democrats battle it out for the nomination.
A lot can change in these political campaigns in a short amount of time — just like Michigan&#8217;s weather in late February.

Michigan Senate Race

The Senate Race Democrats Have Controlled For Decades — Now It’s Wide Open

Michigan

I’ve been fortunate to build a career as a working musician in the music industry for more than thirty years now.
Over the course of my career, I’ve experienced the music business from the inside on every level. I&#8217;ve written, produced, and performed chart-topping songs not only for myself, but many other platinum artists.
What I’ve seen is simple: the system isn’t working the way it should for the people who actually perform the music.
Because of a loophole in the law, terrestrial radio has managed to avoid paying artists for the use of their music for more than a century. Today, American performers are being asked to give their work away under outdated rules, while everyone else in the chain gets paid. That imbalance doesn’t just hurt artists — it devalues the very creativity that sustains our culture. When music plays on the radio, songwriters and publishers are paid, but performers receive absolutely nothing.
Meanwhile, Big Radio corporations like iHeart, Cumulus, and others pull in nearly $14 billion each year, selling advertising wrapped around the performer&#8217;s talent and work. They’ve built their entire business on the backs of American artists, yet still tell us we should be grateful for the “exposure” that comes from being played on the radio. &#8220;Shut up and be happy that we&#8217;re playing your music! You have no right to the income stream.&#8221; This is their mantra.
Don’t get me wrong: radio has played an important role in my career as a country artist, and I appreciate the foundational place it holds in American music. There’s no better feeling than hearing your song on the radio for the first time. But gratitude for the radio’s role doesn’t mean we should accept a system that only lets one side of the table participate in the success.
As of today, the United States is the only major democracy that does not pay artists when their music is played on terrestrial radio — putting us in league with countries like Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. So would it be fair to say we have a &#8220;Communist business model when it comes to terrestrial radio in America?&#8221;
This question answers itself.
What’s more, many nations that do pay artists are now withholding hundreds of millions of dollars owed to American performers because our own system refuses to recognize their rights. Money that should be coming home to American artists is instead being held overseas.
To me, this issue is just common sense: If you use the music and leverage it to make money for your company, you should pay the artist. That’s how things work in this country. If you work hard, your work deserves to be honored with fair pay. That’s a core American value — AM/FM radio knows this, but they have the benefit of antiquated rules allowing them to take a free ride. 
So they do.
They’ve protected that free ride for decades with armies of lobbyists and political contributions designed to keep the system just the way it has always been. But now, we have a President who understands this fight.
President Trump knows the entertainment business because he’s worked in it, and he has been a true friend to American artists. In 2018, he signed the Music Modernization Act to improve compensation and copyright laws for the digital era. Now, he’s supporting the next step: a bill that will finally ensure artists are paid fairly when their music is played on terrestrial radio.
The American Music Fairness Act, introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in the Senate and Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) in the House, would require AM/FM radio corporations to start paying performers, just as digital radio already does. Royalties would go directly to artists.
What about the mom and pop stations? Well, small, independent broadcasters would pay only a few hundred dollars a year for unlimited access to music, and Big Radio would finally pay its fair share.
It’s no surprise this bill is already supported by conservative policy groups, more than 300 major recording artists, and community broadcasters alike. In December, Gene Simmons of Kiss testified before the Senate on behalf of the American Music Fairness Act, telling lawmakers, “If you are against this bill, you are un-American.” I believe he’s right.
All of us deserve an America where hard work still matters, and fair pay still means something. Passing the American Music Fairness Act would send that message clearly. It would tell the world that we stand with artists — not with the Big Radio companies that continue to profit by exploiting them.
It’s time for Congress to take action and finally right this ship. No more delays. Send the American Music Fairness Act to President Trump’s desk and deliver a victory for every American who believes that hard work and fair pay go hand in hand.
* * *
John Rich is an American country music songwriter, artist, and producer, best known as one half of the duo Big &amp; Rich.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Editor&#8217;s note: The title of this article has changed.

Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute To Charlie Daniels

The Billion-Dollar Radio Free Ride Faces A Reckoning

Economics

Entertainment

John Rich

Marsha Blackburn

Money

Radio

As Michigan Democrats enter the thick of a competitive Senate primary campaign, one candidate is trying to position himself as an outsider who wants to fix a broken system and take on the oligarchy.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a Bernie Sanders-endorsed former public health director who has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/13/abdul-el-sayed-democrat-senate-candidate-michigan">compared</a> to New York City’s recently elected democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He wants Medicare for all, believes big corporations are to blame for the problems in government and the economy, and insists that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be abolished. 
But El-Sayed doesn’t want to be labeled a leftist or a democratic socialist. 
“I’m a scientist. I’m not a socialist,” El-Sayed told The Daily Wire during a 20-minute phone interview last week. “As a scientist, I&#8217;m interested in answering empirical problems. I&#8217;m interested in what works to solve a big problem.” 
“I don&#8217;t know what far-Left means, but I am the change agent, and I think the better way to analyze our politics right now is not Left and Right,” El-Sayed said. “I think those monikers are ill-suited for this time and, frankly, they&#8217;re a bit of a callback to a bygone era.”
El-Sayed is a Muslim running to represent a state with one of the highest Muslim populations in the United States. He is also running to represent a purple state that has voted to elect President Donald Trump twice. 
Asked how he felt about the increased scrutiny of Muslim immigrants in places like Michigan and Minnesota and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he believes ICE should be abolished. He also argued that conservatives should support calls for ICE to be abolished. 
“It&#8217;s interesting that again we&#8217;ve allowed one narcissistic man to completely twist the idea of what being a conservative was supposed to be about,” he said. “Because when I talked to folks across the state — whether they&#8217;re self-described Democrats or Republicans or independents or none of the above — they&#8217;re always saying, ‘I just want our government to operate in a way that respects and empowers the Constitution.’&#8221; 
“Conservatives talk about small government, conservatives talk about protecting folks from tyranny. This is literally big government in support of tyranny,” El-Sayed said of Trump’s ICE deployment. “So I just think abolishing is a conservative position, don&#8217;t you?”
El-Sayed is clearly no fan of President Trump, and he told The Daily Wire that he believes Trump is the “worst symptom” of a broader “disease.” 
“The disease is the system that allows big corporations, billionaires, oligarchs to buy and sell access to politicians that lets them rig the system against us,” he added. “It&#8217;s the reason we get paid less for the work we do, and we have to pay more for the things we have to buy.” 
If that messaging sounds familiar, it’s because it echoes the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTNHoller/videos/zohran-we-are-an-existential-threat-to-billionaires-who-think-their-money-can-bu/1898412347696567/">rhetoric</a> of far-Left politicians, including New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OcasioCortez/posts/there-is-an-extreme-concentration-of-power-greed-and-corruption-is-taking-over-t/1234154698067114/">said</a> last year, &#8220;The oligarchs who installed Donald Trump in power have one mission: to make billionaires richer at the expense of the United States of America. It is their agenda to keep wages low and loot our public goods.&#8221;
Mamdani also used similar language on his way to winning New York City’s mayoral election last year. Speaking at a rally last October, Mamdani said that the leftist movement propelling his campaign is an “existential threat to billionaires who think their money can buy our democracy.” 
“We are an existential threat to a broken status quo that buries the voices of working people beneath corporations,” Mamdani added at the time. 
It also aligns with the messaging that democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders has used for decades. In his endorsement of El-Sayed last year, Sanders <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOBjGD2AKE9/">said</a> that Congress “desperately needs right now … members with the guts to stand up to the oligarchs.” 
“Abdul certainly would be doing that, so I’m delighted to be supporting him,” Sanders added. 
While Mamdani, Sanders, and AOC fully adopted the democratic socialist moniker, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he’s a capitalist who believes the “biggest danger to capitalism is monopoly,” not “government regulation.” 
“We&#8217;re living in an era right now where monopolies and oligopolies are destroying the idea of a market itself,” El-Sayed said. “And so if we want capitalism to work, you actually have to have meaningful government involvement to protect markets from monopoly and oligopoly too big to fail.”
The democratic socialism of Mamdani, Sanders, and AOC propelled them into power in the liberal enclaves of New York and Vermont, but it likely won&#8217;t play well in Michigan, a blue-collar manufacturing hub that helped elect Trump in both 2016 and 2024. El-Sayed seems to be putting himself in a position to garner some of the momentum of the far-Left without explicitly identifying with the far-Left&#8217;s newfound fascination with socialism.
The Bernie Sanders-endorsed candidate is in a tightly contested race for the seat left open by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. The former health director faces state Senator Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, with recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/michigan-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html">polling</a> showing El-Sayed sitting in third place, but not by much. The Daily Wire reached out to the campaigns for McMorrow and Stevens, requesting interviews, but they have not responded. 
El-Sayed has sought to separate himself from the other Democrats in the race by highlighting his refusal to accept campaign donations from corporations. He is also the candidate who has been the most critical of U.S. support for Israel, telling The Daily Wire, “Our tax dollars are being used to continue genocide.” 
His anti-Israel stance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-candidate-accuses-israel-of-invading-gaza-in-oct-7-fundraising-email">sparked controversy</a> last October when El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign sent a fundraising email on the anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel that made no mention of Hamas’ atrocities and blamed Israel for launching “a ground invasion of Gaza.” After the email was sent on October 7, 2025, El-Sayed’s campaign said it went out by mistake. 
Asked by The Daily Wire this week how such a mistake could happen, El-Sayed said the email had been approved to go out, but was supposed to be sent on a different day. 
“It went out, and I very quickly reached out to leaders in the Jewish community to apologize for having stepped on their grief,” he said, adding, “The message in the email is something I stand by.” 
When asked about his faith, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he’s “proud” to be Muslim and also “really proud” of the U.S. Constitution. 
“One of the things I love about my constitution is that it protects my right to practice as I choose to practice or not practice at all,” he said. “The idea that anybody should be pointing at one religious group in the name of the Constitution and saying that those people are not fit to be here or not fit to serve seems to me to be inconsistent with what the Constitution actually guarantees.” 
El-Sayed condemned conservatives who he said attempt to “twist conservatism to be about a very particular kind of fascism.” 
“When people come at me because I&#8217;m Muslim, I always laugh,” he added. “I&#8217;m like, man, you think you know something about America and you know nothing at all.”

Abdul El-Sayed

‘I’m Not A Socialist’: Michigan’s Mamdani Leans On The Left’s New Playbook But Rejects The Label

'I'm Not A Socialist': Michigan's Mamdani Has The Left's New Playbook But Doesn't Want The New Label

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