Hunter Biden and Candace Owens may be the strangest political media pairing of the week. Owens announced that Hunter will appear on her show Thursday, posting a promo image of the two together and setting off immediate reactions across the political world. This Thursday. Hunter Biden and me. @candaceoshow pic.twitter.com/iNISQNoIGA — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) May 18, 2026 The preview clip contains the line everyone is already talking about. Hunter looks across at Owens and acknowledges what she has called him for years. Washington Examiner reported on the upcoming interview and the subjects previewed for the episode. Owens is expected to sit down with Hunter Biden for a wide-ranging interview on The Candace Owens Show. The preview frames the conversation around addiction, politics, faith, Washington political culture, and the Biden laptop saga. The most viral line came when Hunter directly addressed Owens’ long-running insult. He said he had heard her call him a “crackhead” many times, then answered, “the truth of the matter is, I was a crackhead.” That is the quote turning this from another podcast booking into a political spectacle. The former president’s son is walking past the friendly Democratic media lane and sitting across from a conservative host who built part of her audience by hammering him and the Biden family. The interview is scheduled to air Thursday, which matters. The public has seen the preview clips and reactions, but the full exchange still has not aired, so the bigger question is whether Owens presses Hunter or gives him a rehabilitation platform. The subject list alone is enough to make the booking explosive, because the laptop story and addiction timeline sit at the center of years of Biden-family damage control. That last point is the heart of the story. Hunter Biden has been one of the central figures in the Biden family scandal machine for years, from the laptop to the addiction spiral to the business questions that the media worked overtime to downplay. Now he is walking into a setting where those subjects should be impossible to dodge. Jake Tapper noticed the same thing, though his reaction centered more on the platform than the substance. Hunter Biden making some curious statements here on the podcast of one of the political world’s most outspoken antisemites: pic.twitter.com/kEFcP8mjDE — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 19, 2026 That reaction tells you how quickly the conversation shifted. Instead of focusing on Hunter’s own words, the media class is already arguing over the host, the platform, and the strange new alliance lines in political media. The Spectator flagged the political weirdness of the pairing and the content of the preview. Owens announced the Hunter Biden interview for Thursday, and the trailer highlighted the same blunt line: Hunter saying he had heard Owens call him a crackhead and admitting, “The truth of the matter is, I was a crackhead.” The writeup also pointed out why the pairing is so jarring. Owens has spent years attacking Hunter, including over the laptop and addiction story, and now the two appear across from each other in a polished promo clip. The preview reportedly runs just over two minutes and touches on the laptop and what the article described as “the Epstein class.” That is enough to make the full interview a political-media event before it even drops. The Spectator also cited backlash from Alexis Wilkins, who mocked Owens as an “ideological chameleon” and suggested the interview fits a broader pattern of high-profile media figures reinventing their lanes for attention. Online critics went even harder at Owens over the reversal. Candace Owens, Dec. 2024: Accuses Hunter Biden of sexually abusing his underage niece after allegedly getting her hooked on crack. VS.Candace Owens, May 2026: Welcomes Hunter Biden into her home, smiling ear to ear as he tops her wishlist of people… pic.twitter.com/GG4565VQQS — Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) May 19, 2026 The criticism is fair terrain. If Owens previously treated Hunter as one of the great symbols of Biden-family corruption, viewers should expect a serious interview rather than a soft-focus redemption tour. At the same time, Hunter Biden sitting down in that chair is news by itself. For years, the establishment press circled around the Biden scandals, softened the edges, and treated conservative questions as conspiracy talk until the facts became impossible to bury. Now Hunter is openly acknowledging one of the ugliest parts of his public story in front of a host who spent years mocking him for it. The full interview drops Thursday. If Owens actually presses him, it could produce one of the most revealing Biden-family media moments in years. If she does not, the whole thing will look like another strange stop on the new influence circuit, where old enemies sit down, smile for the camera, and hope everyone forgets what they said yesterday. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood in front of a progressive conference on Tuesday and said exactly what Democrats think about the tens of millions of Americans who voted for President Trump. He wants to break them. He said Democrats had to beat them at the ballot box, then break their spirit. Hakeem Jeffries tells a progressive conference that Democrats must 'break the spirit' of tens of millions of Trump voters — and Republicans call it 'a declaration of war.' The House Minority Leader framed the midterms as an existential fight: 'Either MAGA extremists are going to… pic.twitter.com/8CjLT4LyNV — Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) May 19, 2026 The remarks came during the 2026 CAP IDEAS Conference, hosted by the Center for American Progress and streamed online via Zoom. Jeffries, who would become Speaker of the House if Democrats retake the majority in November, used his session to frame the midterm election as an existential fight between his party and the Americans he labels “MAGA extremists.” Fox News reported on the remarks and the swift backlash they generated. While speaking at a progressive conference on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called for Democrats to defeat “MAGA extremists” electorally and also “break their spirit.” Jeffries, who stands to gain the House speaker’s gavel if Democrats take the majority in the midterm election, said that “part of how we as House Democrats view this moment, either MAGA extremists are going to break the country, or we’re going to break them, and our goal is to break them.” During the panel, Jeffries assured, “As a guarantee, we are taking back control of the United States House of Representatives in November.” “We will defeat them,” he continued. “We have to beat them electorally, and then we have to break their spirit, because of the extremism that’s being unleashed on the American people, that’s completely and totally unacceptable.” The backlash moved fast. Edgar Barrios, a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson, said Jeffries wanted to “BREAK the spirit” of 77 million Americans and described it as the way Democrats talk about people who disagree with them. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters added that the majority of Americans voted for President Trump in 2024 and said Democrats want to break those who did. Senator Mike Lee posted that Jeffries wants to “break” Trump voters and asked what the remark even means. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries for comment. Read those words again carefully. He said defeat them, then break their spirit. That is a man describing how he wants to crush the political will of 77 million Americans who exercised their right to vote. The Center for American Progress billed the conference as its signature annual gathering of center-left leaders and policy figures. The Center for American Progress listed the May 19 gathering as the 2026 CAP IDEAS Conference, describing it as the organization’s signature event and saying it convenes “the big thinkers and doers on the center-left” for a day of policy discussion. The agenda placed House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a session titled “A Look Ahead at the 120th Congress” from 10:43 AM to 11:05 AM EDT. CAP described the session this way: “House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries will lay out what a new majority would do on day one and beyond. Moderated by John Podesta.” The same agenda listed other Democratic and center-left figures, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and several MS NOW hosts or contributors serving as moderators. MS NOW was listed by CAP as the official media partner for the event. This was a prepared appearance by the House Democratic Leader, sitting on a panel moderated by John Podesta, at the progressive establishment’s premier policy conference. Jeffries used that stage to lay out the party’s mission against MAGA. Republicans responded immediately. Edgar Barrios, a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson, wrote on X: “Hakeem Jeffries says he wants to ‘BREAK the spirit’ of 77 million AMERICANS. This is how Democrats talk about people who don’t agree with them: violently.” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said: “The majority of Americans voted for President Trump in 2024. Democrats want to break those who did.” Senator Mike Lee posted the clip and asked the obvious question. Hakeem Jeffries wants to “break” Trump voters He says “we have to defeat them electorally and then we have to break their spirit.” What does that even mean? pic.twitter.com/bRq9cW67gj — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 19, 2026 What does it mean? It means exactly what it sounds like. It means lawfare, investigations, social media censorship, corporate pressure campaigns, and every other tool Democrats have deployed against Trump supporters since 2016. It means making it so painful to support the MAGA agenda that regular Americans give up and stop fighting. Grabien posted the clip and confirmed the full context of the remarks. Grabien posted a clip page dated May 19, 2026, identifying the source as the Center for American Progress and the original recording as the Center for American Progress IDEAS Conference. The page headline summarized the moment this way: “Hakeem Jeffries: ‘Either MAGA Extremists Are Going to Break the Country, or We Are Going to Break Them, and Our Goal Is to Break Them.’” The visible transcript on the page includes Jeffries saying that House Democrats view the moment as one where MAGA extremists are going to break the country or Democrats are going to break them. It also includes the follow-up line that Democrats have to beat them electorally and then break their spirit because of what Jeffries called extremism being unleashed on the American people. The clip page ties the remarks back to the same CAP IDEAS Conference session where Jeffries was asked to describe how House Democrats view the political moment. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries for comment. As of publication, there was no response. This is how the Democratic Party’s top House leader talks about you when he thinks his audience is friendly. He does not see political opponents. He sees a spirit that needs to be broken. Voters who support President Trump should take Jeffries at his word and answer the only way that counts: at the ballot box in November. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) conceded in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Trump-endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Massie wasted little time taking shots at Gallrein in his speech. “I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent and concede,” Massie said. “It took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” he added. Watch below: Massie: I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took a while to find him in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/DmTkDfS17a — Acyn (@Acyn) May 20, 2026 Massie also teased a potential 2028 presidential run. A crowd of Massie supporters chanted, “2028!” “What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?” Massie asked the crowd. The crowd chanted, “President!” “You made a compelling argument. You spoke your peace. But I need a medical margarita right now. And we’ll talk about it later,” he said. Watch below: NOW: Thomas Massie's election party attendees demand he runs for president CROWD: "2028! 2028!" MASSIE: "What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?" CROWD: "No! President!" MASSIE: "We'll talk about it later." pic.twitter.com/EDXXMp4dbH — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026 WHAS 11 has more: The primary was one of the most expensive in American history and was a test of Trump’s influence not only in Kentucky, but the Republican Party. “For 14 years those SOB’s in Washington tried to buy my vote. They couldn’t buy it. Why did the race get so expensive? Because they decided to buy deceit. And it got real expensive for them,” Massie explained. He accused his opposition of using “dirty tricks” but said his campaign stayed the course, running a clean campaign. “We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein, we weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in.” Massie has been at odds with Trump with his outspoken nature. He pressed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, voted against the “Big, Beautiful Bill” and voted against the war in Iran. President Trump reacted to Massie’s defeat saying, “He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.” In the end, Massie told his supporters the country needs to come together and have a unified party. Massie’s congressional term will end in January 2027. It’s unclear if he will seek another political office. “What happened tonight was God’s will,” Massie said. “And we have to figure out what was the purpose of having the biggest fight ever,” Massie continued. “What was God’s purpose? What is He showing us tonight?” he questioned. Watch below: Thomas Massie says his loss was part of “God’s will” and that everything happens for a reason and a greater purpose. Massie says the battle was lost, but the war against the Epstein class will continue. “What was God’s purpose? What is He showing us tonight?” “It couldn’t… pic.twitter.com/Io5NaC2t8A — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 20, 2026 The Hill shared further: Federal Election Commission (FEC) data — which includes advertising along with other campaign expenses — showed the candidates and outside groups working to influence the race spent roughly $35 million combined. Massie’s campaign outspent Gallrein’s, $5.8 million to $2.6 million, according to FEC data. But super PACs heavily favored the GOP challenger, spending more than $16.4 million to boost Gallrein compared to roughly $10.1 million backing the incumbent. The contentious faceoff featured vicious and personal television ads, including some that used AI-generated “deepfakes” to undermine candidates’ conservative credentials or loyalty to Trump. One pro-Gallrein super PAC released an ad falsely accusing Massie of being “in a throuple” with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), while a pro-Massie group aired an AI-generated ad depicting Gallrein abandoning Trump on a battlefield. Massie, a libertarian Republican, has long had an independent streak but found himself increasingly at odds with Trump this past year on issues of outsized significance to the president. He helped lead the push for the administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, frequently criticized the party’s foreign policy approach and voted against Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation, citing concerns about increased deficit spending.

Democrats love a good oversight performance, right up until someone turns the question back on them. President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand tried to turn the hearing into an ethics attack. Her target was a DOT travel initiative called The Great American Road Trip, tied to America 250 and the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. Sean Duffy resorts to whataboutism to defend spending parts of 7 months on a roadtrip: DUFFY: The great American roadtrip was a partnership with a nonprofit– GILLIBRAND: Funded by organizations and companies that you oversee DUFFY: Do you have jurisdiction over law firms?… pic.twitter.com/zTALPIJsIT — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026 Gillibrand accused Duffy of using his office politically, alleging the project was funded by companies including Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, and Royal Caribbean Group. Duffy pushed back that the project was part of an official America 250 partnership through a nonprofit, and that Congress itself had sanctioned America 250. Then he turned the whole exchange around. As Mediaite reported, Duffy asked Gillibrand whether she has jurisdiction over law firms, then brought up her trial-bar money. Mediaite reported that Gillibrand pressed Duffy over The Great American Road Trip during testimony on the Department of Transportation’s proposed $26.6 billion FY2027 budget. She argued that the project should not have been funded by companies that Duffy oversees, naming Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, and Royal Caribbean Group. Duffy answered that the project was officially tied to America 250, that Congress had sanctioned the America 250 effort, and that promoting tourism and travel is part of what the Transportation Department is supposed to do. When Gillibrand said the project was funded by organizations and companies under his oversight, Duffy asked whether she has jurisdiction over law firms. He then said she had received $7 million in political contributions from the trial bar. Gillibrand objected that the hearing was about Duffy and the Trump administration, but Duffy kept pressing the point and said he made no money from the project. That is when Gillibrand tried to shut the counterattack down by reminding Duffy he was the witness. As Mediaite detailed, Duffy did not blink. Mediaite’s transcript captured the exchange as Gillibrand told Duffy, “You’re the witness! I am not the witness.” Duffy came right back with the line that drove the clip: “Well, maybe you should be.” The back-and-forth continued until the time expired, with Gillibrand accusing him of being political and Duffy pointing back to the donations question she clearly did not want to answer in that moment. The exchange was tense because Duffy refused to accept the premise that only the administration side of the table could be questioned about money and influence. Gillibrand accused Duffy of going on a paid vacation, a characterization he denied while explaining that he had filmed the project quickly and that the purpose was to encourage Americans to travel and see the country. The clash turned a routine budget hearing into a broader fight over who gets to lecture whom about conflicts of interest while sitting on their own donor records. That one line did more damage than Gillibrand’s entire setup. The Democrat senator walked into the hearing trying to paint Duffy as compromised by a travel-promotion project. She walked out with Duffy asking why her own donor sheet should be off-limits. That is the part Democrats never like. They want to interrogate everyone else about influence, donors, optics, and ethics. But when the same logic is turned back on them, suddenly the hearing is only about the witness. Duffy’s point was not subtle. If Gillibrand wants to suggest that a cabinet secretary’s work is tainted because companies have interests before his department, then she should be ready for questions about trial lawyers and political money too. The Gateway Pundit featured the clash as an explosive Senate hearing showdown, and the clip explains why. The Gateway Pundit highlighted the exchange as Duffy destroying Gillibrand after she attacked the road-trip project and its corporate funding. The conservative framing centered on Duffy’s counterpunch over the $7 million trial-bar line and his reminder that lawmakers are not above scrutiny when they use hearings to accuse others of political conflicts. That is why the clip hit so hard with conservative audiences. Duffy was not merely answering a question; he was showing the double standard in real time, on camera, with the senator sitting right in front of him. For President Trump’s team, the moment showed a cabinet official refusing to sit quietly while a Democrat senator turned a budget hearing into a partisan scolding. Duffy answered the policy point, defended the America 250 partnership, and then forced Gillibrand to live under the same donor-conflict standard she was trying to impose on him. Gillibrand did not land a glove on Duffy’s budget or his policies. All she did was remind everyone that members of Congress who take huge sums from powerful industries should be careful before lecturing anybody else about conflicts of interest.

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia is heading to a June 16 runoff. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) has advanced to the runoff. However, it’s unclear who Collins will face. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and former college football coach Derek Dooley are vying for the second spot in the runoff. DDHQ Race Update (est. 71% in): Georgia US Senate Republican Primary Mike Collins (R): 272,800 (41.3%)Derek Dooley (R): 189,014 (28.6%)Buddy Carter (R): 171,916 (26.0%) Follow more results here:https://t.co/bLRquoa3zQ pic.twitter.com/4bI4kEEBjh — Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 20, 2026 CBS News has more: A handful of Republicans have been seeking the nomination as the GOP eyes a chance at flipping a Senate seat in Georgia. With Ossoff being the sole Democrat seeking reelection in a state President Trump won in 2024, the race has been seen as a key pickup opportunity for Republicans. But a messy primary, and the inability to coalesce behind a candidate has complicated their path forward. Ossoff, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, has been in the Senate since 2021 when he delivered Democrats one of two runoff victories in Georgia, which secured their majority in the upper chamber. A formidable fundraiser, the 39-year-old has amassed a significant warchest to fight back against an inevitable GOP onslaught and improve his outlook despite the state’s rightward shift during the last election. Two members of Congress, Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, had been gunning for the GOP nomination. Collins, the owner of a trucking business, has represented Georgia in the House since 2023, while Carter has been in Congress since 2015, after serving as mayor of Pooler, Georgia and in the Georgia General Assembly. Both men have strongly tied their campaigns to the president, although Mr. Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the primary. Dooley, 57, was also seeking the nomination. An attorney who coached football at the University of Tennessee, Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and was endorsed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who passed up on a Senate bid himself. Dooley hasn’t embraced the president as readily as the other two men, and has positioned himself as a political outsider. Some outlets are projecting Dooley will face Collins in the runoff. According to The Hill, a runoff between Collins and Dooley could set up a “proxy battle between the factions of the party aligned with President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp.” DDHQ: Republicans Mike Collins and Derek Dooley advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for US Senate in Georgia. https://t.co/NuWDQcgyo1 pic.twitter.com/TiOOz66v5g — Politics & Poll Tracker (@PollTracker2024) May 20, 2026 The Hill explained further: The candidates’ lone Senate debate was dominated by squabbling between Collins and Carter, who attacked each other over various ethics issues. Carter has taken shots at Collins over a probe into whether his office violated House rules by hiring an intern who had a relationship with a top Collins aide and who allegedly didn’t do any work for the congressman. Meanwhile, Collins has dubbed Carter a “career politician” and suggested he’s a hypocrite and that his career “been littered with complaints, crooked land deals.” Carter has received scrutiny for land he purchased near the site of a potential federal project that later fell through. Georgia is seen as a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, but the party could face increasing pressure to coalesce around one of the candidates. A pre-primary campaign report filed with the Federal Election Commission shows Ossoff has a whopping $32.5 million in the bank, and GOP members acknowledge the first-term candidate is a formidable challenger.