Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has been missing from Congress for over a month now due to an undisclosed health issue. Today, he finally addressed his absence for the first time. In a statement posted on social media, he said that he expects to recover and be back at Capitol Hill soon. Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ), who has been missing since March 5th, posted on his campaign social media page that he was dealing with a "personal medical issue" and expects to recover soon.https://t.co/ZNhON6rhRu — Katie Liane (@TheKaterPotater) April 28, 2026 Notably, Rep. Kean did not state what the medical issue is that he is recovering from. Read his full statement here: pic.twitter.com/4bnkizkBL5 — Tom Kean (@KeanForCongress) April 27, 2026 In case that print is hard to read, here’s the full text: “I want to thank my constituents and colleagues for their patience as I address a personal medical issue. My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon. I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent. I take my responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult. I am especially proud of my Congressional team, who have kept constituent services and legislative work moving forward without interruption, and my political team for ensuring the campaign continues to run strong. I also want to thank my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their patience and understanding during this time. I appreciate your support and look forward to being back in the near future.” – Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. Of course, Rep. Kean’s absence comes at a pivotal point for the GOP, with several important bills coming up, including a budget resolution to fund the DHS. Since House Republicans have a slim majority, every single vote matters and could potentially sway a piece of legislation. Rep. Kean is also up for re-election this year in one of our nation’s most competitive districts. The New York Post reported further: Kean is running for reelection in one of the country’s most competitive districts. His fellow New Jersey GOPers have seemingly been kept in the dark until late last week about why he vanished from the Capitol. His office had also declined to publicly disclose the health issue he faced. Fears about his well-being grew last week as Congress has reckoned with multiple lawmakers falling ill or dying over the past year and a half — all while Republicans control the house with very small margins. Since the current session of Congress began in January of last year, five reps have died, the most recent of whom was Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) last week. Please pray that Rep. Kean makes a full recovery from whatever health issue he is battling very soon.

Days after yet another apparent attempt on President Donald Trump’s life, he’s been joined by fellow Republicans (and rational Americans of all political affiliations) in condemning the violent rhetoric that has fueled such political extremism. But if there was any question about whether the incendiary remarks are representative of the Democratic Party’s leadership, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is working hard to clear up the confusion. After receiving backlash for his recent remarks about “maximum warfare” against political rivals, Jeffries lashed out at one of his most prominent critics, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Fox News covered the exchange: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., doubled down on his inflammatory rhetoric toward Republicans during a fiery news conference Monday, telling critics, “I don’t give a damn.” “I stand by it,” Jeffries told reporters, when asked about his vow last week to unleash “maximum warfare” on the GOP to counter the party’s redistricting efforts ahead of November’s midterm elections. “You can continue to criticize me for it. I don’t give a damn about your criticism.” Jeffries’ messaging sparked backlash from Republicans following the third apparent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday. His diatribe went on to take aim at Leavitt: Jeffries also had harsh words for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who he labeled a “disgrace” and a “stone-cold liar” after she criticized Democrats’ rhetoric that frequently labels Trump as an existential threat. “This so-called White House press secretary wants to lecture America and lecture us about civility. Get lost,” Jeffries said. “Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use.” Leavitt’s condemnation of the left’s violent rhetoric clearly resonated with many on social media, though: .@PressSec Karoline Leavitt: "This is the third major assassination attempt against President Trump in two years. No other president in history has faced such serious repeated attempts on his life." pic.twitter.com/Wj7uG2KELm — CSPAN (@cspan) April 27, 2026 The left has always been violent, since the French revolution they have shown the same violent behaviour. The communist Russians and German Nazis; both left wing both violent. — Tickerade (@tickerade) April 27, 2026 @ABC What are you going to do to hold @Jimmy Kimmel responsible for his disgusting comments regarding Melania Trump the night before the shooting? Any moral American- no matter their political persuasion, should be outraged. — Tricia Duke (@DukeTricia) April 27, 2026 The Hill also reported on Jeffries’ reaction: “She had the nerve to stand up there and read talking points being critical of statements all taken out of context that Democrats have made and didn’t have a word to say about anything that MAGA extremists have said or done, including providing aid and comfort to violent insurrectionists here at this capital on January 6th who brutally beat police officers,” he added. During a Monday briefing at the White House, Leavitt called out a number of high profile Democrats over their past rhetoric in the wake of the shooting, where a gunman targeted President Trump and other administration officials at the the annual gala in Washington. She pointed to remarks made by Jeffries last week, when he said Republicans would be targeted with “maximum warfare” if they proceed with redistricting efforts in Florida. Here’s a clip of a relevant segment of Jeffries’ press conference: .@RepJeffries bashing WH Press Secy.: "How can we take them seriously when they raise these partisan attacks? This so called White House Press Secretary wants to lecture America, and lecture us? Get lost, clean up your own house." pic.twitter.com/DLyAonzG9l — CSPAN (@cspan) April 27, 2026

Assassination attempts targeting President Donald Trump have become almost commonplace in today’s volatile political climate, but the trend didn’t just come out of nowhere. In a hard-hitting segment of his popular Fox News show, Greg Gutfeld pointed the finger at many of his colleagues in the media for fanning the flames of such extremism. The commentary soon began spreading via social media with posts praising his assessment of the current environment: WOW! GREG GUTFELD MIC DROP: “This [would be Trump assassin] DID hear voices.” “They were Ted Lieu's, they were Brandon Johnson's, they were CNN's, they were The View, they were MS NOW." "He wasn't a crank. HE WAS JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS.” pic.twitter.com/5Reiw7XusJ — Eric Daughterty (@EricDaughertyl) April 27, 2026 Greg Gutfeld just delivered the single most succinct and cutting indictment of the leftwing media's complicity in Saturday's WHCD attack: "This guy did hear voices. They were Ted Lieu's, they were Brandon Johnson's, they were CNN's, they were The View, they were MS NOW." "I… pic.twitter.com/1uuULdANGy — Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) April 27, 2026 Gutfeld’s critique extended to the Democratic Party during the same show, as Bill Clinton accuser Juanita Broaddrick noted: Whoa!!! Harold Ford and Greg Gutfeld are at odds today on The Five. Harold is completely off base saying Republicans are as violent as Democrats. He can’t see the forrest for all the trees. — Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) April 27, 2026 In light of Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a number of comments from mainstream media figures have come under renewed scrutiny. Fox News highlighted on-air remarks made by CNN commentator S.E. Cupp just minutes before the shooting: “The Correspondents’ Association was trying to sort of mend some fences with a guy who wants us dead, figuratively. Figuratively, he wants journalism dead,” Cupp said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.” Cupp made the remarks about 20 minutes prior to the reported shooting during a panel discussion with CNN anchors John Berman and Laura Coates as the network previewed Trump’s arrival. The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has historically celebrated press freedom while bringing together reporters and government officials, though Trump boycotted the event during his first term. As Politico noted, several high-profile Republicans called out objectionable comments made by members of the media in reference to Trump: Official GOP social media accounts accused prominent battleground candidates of stoking political tensions. “Democrats like Abdul El Sayed fuel this hate,” Republicans’ Senate campaign arm wrote of the progressive candidate in the Michigan Senate race. In Maine, the group posted that Graham Platner, the Democratic primary polling leader, “said that violence with a gun was a necessary means to achieving social change.” It’s a reference to since-deleted Reddit posts from 2018; Platner has disavowed the violent rhetoric in them. And in North Carolina, an RNC account criticized Senate candidate and former Gov. Roy Cooper for not publicly condemning the attack while previously calling Trump “a significant threat to our democracy.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered similar condemnation in her remarks during a conference on Monday:

Conservative parents have a lot to be concerned about when it comes to sending their kids to schools these days. If the constant stories of LGBT indoctrination weren’t enough, there’s also been an uptick in reports about educators expressing some extreme (typically far-left) political views. One recent example came out of Ohio in the wake of Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, as Fox News reported: “Man, there’s been a few creators on here saying that like Friday or yesterday could have been the day and then I wake up to that news, but not that news,” a teacher for BrightPath identified as Corrine Baum said in the video. “We’re going to have to pay really close attention to what they’re trying to actually distract us from.” In a Monday statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for BrightPath, an early learning and childcare provider in Cincinnati, said, “Our organization does not tolerate and explicitly condemns any calls for violence.” The spokesperson added, “The comments made online by this individual are deeply inconsistent with our values. The individual in question has been terminated.” The popular social media account Libs of TikTok exposed the post to a wide audience, then provided an update about her termination, all within the span of a day: Meet Corinne Baum, a teacher at The Children's House in Cincinnati. She posted a video talking about how sad she was that she woke up to the news that Trump WASN'T ass*ssinated. This person teaches your children. You can contact the school here: (513) 898-3400 pic.twitter.com/qk55WOBm5I — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 27, 2026 BREAKING: Cincinnati kindergarten teacher Corinne Baum, has been FIRED following video where she complained that Trump wasn’t assassinated Another one bites the dust!pic.twitter.com/nnP5xrDLSK — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 27, 2026 A number of other prominent accounts brought attention to the matter: The pre-K teacher who recorded a video expressing disappointment that she didn’t wake up to news of President Trump’s assassination being successful has been identified as Corinne Baum, an employee at The Children’s House, now renamed to Bright Path Kids in Cincinnati. You know… https://t.co/7r4XOQSi3H pic.twitter.com/at5sqob8cX — I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) April 27, 2026 And this wasn’t an isolated incident. As KFRV reported, a school employee in Wisconsin was placed on leave in response to a Trump assassination-themed post: Administration with the Kaukauna School District announced that the employee who posted about the assassination attempt on President Trump has been placed on administrative leave. The employee’s post expressed disappointment in the failed assassination attempt made during the White House Correspondents Dinner and leaders from the school district tell Local Five that they reject any conduct that condones any form of violence. The Kaukauna Area School District is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, families, and staff, and unequivocally rejects any conduct, expression, or behavior that may encourage, condone, or promote violence in any form. And Cole Allen, the man charged with carrying out the shooting, has himself been identified as an educator:

The shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night made it very clear why we need to build the ballroom — ASAP! If we had a designated White House ballroom with boosted security, that gunman couldn’t have entered the venue in the first place — let alone gotten close enough to put the President of the United States and countless administration members in danger. This shouldn’t be a controversial thing. But of course, the left has been battling President Trump on the ballroom every step of the way. Most recently, an activist judge has ordered President Trump to halt construction until Congress approves it. So now, Senate Republicans are taking action. They are pushing to fast-track a bill through Congress that explicitly approves the construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom. Watch Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham give more details here: IT’S OFFICIAL: Senate Republicans are filing legislation AUTHORIZING President Trump’s White House ballroom, which is vital to national security and requested by the military “The sooner we get the ballroom built, the better it is for the country!” pic.twitter.com/EQO1NnG9tj — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 27, 2026 Backup here if needed: This legislation shouldn’t be needed, in the first place, given that President Trump is not using a cent of taxpayer money to build the ballroom. He is funding it entirely himself, through private donations, as a gift to America. But, if this is the fastest way to get the ballroom built, then so be it. Reuters has more details on the bill: Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and two fellow Republicans have crafted a bill that would finance the construction, which already is underway, at taxpayers’ expense, according to a statement on Monday. Graham’s office, citing “increased threats,” said, “By funding these necessary upgrades to ​the ballroom and the White House’s security infrastructure, President Trump and future presidents will be able to host large events ​without having to leave the White House grounds.” Neither Trump nor the White House hosted Saturday’s dinner, which ⁠had around 2,600 guests. Trump has already torn down the historic East Wing of the White House to begin construction of a ​massive White House ballroom, which would seat a maximum of 1,000 guests. Trump previously had said that private donations would pay for the ​estimated $400 million cost of the ballroom project that he has been pushing for. It was unclear how Graham would navigate the measure through the Senate, where Democrats are expected to oppose it. Let’s get it done!