Georgia gubernatorial candidate and healthcare executive Rick Jackson has launched a massive ad blitz against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. While the ads were originally set to air Saturday, Aug. 1, Jackson’s initial ad in his campaign blitz seemingly launched a day earlier with the release of an ad entitled “Legacy” on X. When asked about the attack ad against Bottoms, Dr. Kerwin Swint, a professor of political science at Kennesaw State University, stated in an email, “It hits hard, a Jackson campaign trademark. The ad calls the former Atlanta mayor greedy and calls into question her ethics as a public official.” Keisha’s legacy. pic.twitter.com/1xWM6fyeOV— Rick Jackson (@RickJacksonGA) July 31, 2026 The Daily Signal reached out to the Bottoms and Jackson campaigns for comment but did not hear back. Swint commented on the money Jackson has invested into his campaign’s attack ads, stating, “Jackson will easily outspend Lance Bottoms and will surely criticize her performance as mayor and question her fitness for statewide office.” One aspect of this race that has particularly stunned Georgia’s political landscape is Jackson’s strategy in the race. Not only did Jackson enter the race late, but when he did, he invested $50 million of his own funds into his campaign, in addition to a $40 million ad purchase. The Current reported a Jackson campaign spokesperson’s reference of the recent campaign ad expenditure. “This is the largest general election buy of this race, and it reflects exactly how seriously we take the job of earning every vote in every one of Georgia’s 159 counties,” Garrison Douglas, the Jackson campaign spokesperson, said in a statement. The newly launched series of ads against Bottoms centers on her time as Atlanta mayor, and the use of taxpayer funds to purchase flights for her husband to go to the Super Bowl. Additionally, it accuses her of spending $11,000 on luxury car service. “Slick Rick Jackson is lying, just like the man he wants to be—Donald Trump,” TaNisha Cameron, a Bottoms campaign spokesperson, said in a statement, Atlanta News First reports. She continued, “If Rick Jackson wants to talk about greed, let’s talk about the billions he made from taxpayer-funded, no-bid contracts while rural hospitals closed and Georgians lost access to health care. Now he’s trying to buy the governor’s office so he can protect the same rigged system that made him a billionaire.” The Bottoms campaign stated that during her time as mayor, Bottoms acknowledged that she did not make these purchases on a personal account and that these purchases were paid back, Atlanta News First reports. Dr. Charles Bullock III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, commented on the intentions of the ads, telling the Daily Signal in an interview that Jackson, “maybe even hopes to convert to win over some weakly affiliated Democratic voters.” He continued on to say that Jackson would attempt to prove to Georgians to “remember the problems when she was mayor of Atlanta,” and that Jackson was basically saying, “let me plant a seed of doubt as to whether you want to vote for her.” Ultimately, “You’ve got to hope you can win over some members of the other party, or get independent voters to get behind you,” Bullock told the Daily Signal.

CAIRO, Aug 2 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal can be reached quickly to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said late on Saturday on his Truth Social platform that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete a deal that would lead to “the Immediate, Complete and Total” reopening of the vital strait and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”. He did not name the countries in the post, which followed a call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally. “Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump wrote. Israel “joins me in this commitment”, he said. Iran Says It’s Boosting Deterrence Trump’s apparent de-escalation after days of threats of new attacks from each side was the latest twist in the war the U.S. and Israel launched five months ago. Attacks have spread across the Gulf to the Red Sea and even a Mediterranean facility in Egypt. Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world’s oil and LNG before the war, causing energy prices to rise and stoking broader inflation. Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said there was close security and intelligence coordination between Israel and the U.S. on everything happening in the region. But he added: “With or without an agreement, and regardless of any external commitments, if Iran attempts to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will take action, and we will strike.” Trump and Netanyahu met on Tuesday in Washington, with an Israeli official saying they had explored all possible paths to curb Iran’s nuclear program, including diplomacy, economic pressure and force. Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon. Iran’s acting defense minister, Brigadier General Majid Ebn Al-Reza, said Tehran viewed recent U.S. threats as “psychological and cognitive warfare” but was treating them seriously, adding that Iran would boost preparedness and deterrence rather than be caught off guard or remain passive, Press TV reported. In his call with Trump, the Saudi crown prince stressed the “necessity of prioritising dialogue to de-escalate tensions” in the Middle East, according to Saudi Arabia’s state news agency. A White House official told Reuters that the two had spoken but did not provide details. Oil Price Surged Last Month At a cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump said he believed U.S. negotiators, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, could reach a deal with Iran. As an April ceasefire in the war unraveled last month, benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 24%, and analysts polled by Reuters expect prices to rise further this year. Trump has argued that his stated goal of keeping Iran from gaining nuclear weapons justifies higher fuel costs in the near term, but the economic pain has put political pressure on him to find a way to end the war. Adding to the energy industry’s concerns, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen in recent days began threatening the Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the other end of the Red Sea from the Suez Canal, another export route for Saudi crude. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman. In one, an unknown projectile struck a tanker, damaging the engine room. In the other, the master of a tanker reported seeing a large splash and an explosion close to the vessel, though no damage was reported. (Reporting by Yasmine Ghania and Menna Alaa El-Din in Cairo, Steve Holland in Washington DC and Daniel Moshashai in Dubai; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Sergio Non, Rod Nickel, Mark Porter and Kate Mayberry)

On the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., spoke about the rise of dangerous far-Left radicals who intend to shred the Constitution. A lightly edited transcript is below. The driving force in today’s Democrat Party is an extreme organization. It’s called the Democratic Socialists of America. Its membership is growing. Its radical candidates are winning. Its far-left vision is spreading. This organization has issued a manifesto. In a recent interview with Fox News, the co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America admitted this manifesto is filled with extreme policies. Let me say that again. The co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America admitted their manifesto is filled with extreme policies. She has become the face of today’s Democrat Party. She was asked whether her organization wants to abolish the Senate. She said, “True.” She was then asked whether they want to replace the presidency and the Supreme Court. She said, “Yep.” She was asked whether they want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said, “Absolutely.” She was asked whether they want to abolish borders, and give amnesty to every illegal immigrant in America. This includes illegal immigrant criminals. She said, “As a long-term plan, yep.” She was asked whether they want to defund our military. She replied, “Absolutely.” She was asked whether they want to abolish prisons. She said, “Yeah.” She was asked whether they want government control of private companies. She said, “Yeah, absolutely.” There you have it. Those are the policies of the liberal left. Today’s Democrat Party is driven by its activist wing. These are people who are radical, extreme, dangerous, and scary. They’ve put it into writing with their manifesto. They’re admitting it out loud on television. Here in the United States Senate, Democrat Senators are embracing radical policies. They are campaigning for extremists in primaries. One sitting Democrat Senator – whose desk is right over there – said clearly: we are seeing “the future of the Democrat Party.” Their manifesto is being reflected in the votes of the Democrats on the Floor of the United States Senate. For sixty-five years, the National Defense Authorization Act has passed with bipartisan support. This month, every single Democrat in this body voted to block funding for our military. Our service members are paying the price because the Democrats have turned to the radical left. Even the New York Times admits Democrats have crossed a red line by blocking defense funding. The same radical agenda that targets America also targets our closest ally, Israel. One of the leaders of this anti-Israel campaign is the Mayor of New York City. He has called for the arrest of Israel’s Prime Minister. This is exactly what their radical manifesto demands. The liberal Mayor of New York City wants to hand over the Prime Minister of Israel to the unaccountable International Criminal Court. It’s not a real court. It lacks legitimacy. It lacks credibility. In its 24 years of existence, it has never charged a single leader of Iran for Iran’s atrocities against the world. Yet it claims the right to arrest and punish American troops. “The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court. Neither is Israel. The Mayor of New York City is a loyalist of the United Nations – not the United States. From the campaign trail to the cloakrooms of Congress, the far left has revealed its radical beliefs. Democrats are determined to tear down our country and tear up the Constitution. They want to open the borders and control the economy. They want to weaken our military and abandon Israel. These policies are disastrous for our country. There is no part of America they would not destroy. The American people reject Democrats’ radical policies. They demand and deserve better. Republicans are going to continue to fight for freedom, for liberty, and for American greatness. As long as there is a Constitution, Republicans will not abolish the Senate. No state can lose its equal voice without its consent. We will not silence the people we represent. Republicans will not end immigration enforcement. Our priority is the safety of law-abiding citizens, not illegal immigrant criminals. Republicans will never allow America to become a sanctuary country. Republicans will not abolish prisons. Republicans will not release criminals back into our communities. Democrats’ pro-crime policies are dangerous. The Constitution, secure borders, law and order, military strength, and economic freedom are not optional. They are the foundations for our free society. Without them, there is no safety. No security. No prosperity. No self-government. Republicans know that, without them, there is no United States of America.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved the use of the Classic Learning Test, or CLT, for admissions at Texas public colleges and universities. In a July 23 letter to university chancellors and presidents, Commissioner of Higher Education Wynn Rosser informed them that institutions may consider the CLT as a factor when admitting students. “Institutions may currently consider standardized testing scores, including the CLT, as a factor in making admission decisions for first-time freshman who do not qualify for automatic admission pursuant to Texas Education Code, Section 51.803 and 51.804, international admissions, and returning students,” Rosser wrote. The letter follows a study by the Texas A&M Public Policy Research Institute, which found the CLT “met the broad threshold for continued consideration but was at the lower bound of the technical-readiness benchmark.”  The study also noted that, because there is less available evidence on the CLT than on the SAT or ACT, additional time is needed to evaluate the correlation between students’ CLT scores and postsecondary outcomes. Jeremy Tate, founder and CEO of the CLT, told the Higher Education Coordinating Board that the exam better aligns with Texas’ new social studies standards and instructional materials approved in late June. Tate also said approving the CLT would create an educational pipeline that “honors the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.” The Classic Learning Test was created in 2015 as an alternative to the SAT and ACT. The two-hour online exam evaluates students in verbal reasoning, grammar and writing, and quantitative reasoning using classical literature and historical texts. Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow for the Government Reform and Oversight Coalition and K-12 education expert at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told The Daily Signal that classical education provides students with a higher-quality education. “The reality is, if there is an explosion of classical education, parents realize that this is providing a higher quality education, free of indoctrination, grounded in not only the classics, primary sources, but also the ability to think critically, and use persuasion and rhetoric to be able to participate as a member of society.” Drogin said. Drogin also said students attending classical schools or receiving classical education are “scoring upwards of 25% better than students going through traditional schools.” “It’s just a higher quality, more rigorous education where students are really going in depth into literature and history and civics, and economics, and all of these important issues that were ultimately the foundation of Western civilization, and, of course, America,” Drogin explained. In 2023, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published a report on classical education that found more parents were choosing classical schools. One parent quoted in the report said they sought out classical education because of “the bold and clear teaching that truth is absolute. The school rejects that truth is relative and encourages children to discern the truth for themselves.”  “It’s a huge win as we’re trying to restore academic rigor and excellence into the education system as a whole,” Drogin said. Texas now joins other state university systems, including those in Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina, as well as the University of Oklahoma and the University of New Mexico, in recognizing the CLT for admissions.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board plans to begin amending the Uniform Admission Policy to align agency rules with the review’s findings and applicable statutory requirements.  The proposed rules are expected to be presented to the board by January 2028. If adopted, they would take effect for students applying for fall 2028 admission.

Award-winning historian and author David McCullough was a man of his time and a man for all time. He passed away four years ago this month at the age of 89, leaving behind a rich catalogue of writing about the United States and our shared history as Americans. He wrote biographies of John Adams and Harry Truman and other books about American history from colonial times through the 20th century. He also assembled a slim volume, “The American Spirit,” featuring a number of speeches he gave from 1989 to early 2019. Many were commencement addresses, but he also spoke to a joint session of Congress and at the White House on its 200th anniversary. “These beautiful grounds did not exist” in 1800, McCullough told the group that day. “It was a different setting, it was a different country, and it was a different time.” McCullough’s superpower shines throughout the book: He is respectful of the past and recognizes that modern Americans have much to thank our ancestors for. “Let us not look down on anyone from the past for not having the benefit of what we know, or allow ourselves to feel superior,” he writes in an essay about Dr. Benjamin Rush, a lesser-known Founding Father. “The more we learn of that founding generation of Americans—and I mean the real flesh-and-blood human beings, not the myths—the larger they become.” In another essay, McCullough writes that members of the founding generation were different from us. “We have to take into consideration, for example, all they had to contend with that we don’t even have to think about—all the inconveniences, discomforts, and fears. And the hard, hard work.” McCullough studied history because he was a humble man. Throughout this book he advises university graduating classes to read for pleasure, for learning history, and “to learn from the lives of others.” He realized that the more he learned, the more he needed to learn. “A sense of history is an antidote to self-pity and self-importance, of which there is too much in our time,” he said in 1998. “To a large degree, history is a lesson in proportion.” He advises historians to give their subjects the benefit of the doubt. “It’s all too easy to stand on the mountaintop as a historian or biographer and find fault with people for why they did this or didn’t do that, because we’re not involved in it, we’re not there inside it, we’re not confronting what we don’t know—as those who preceded us were.” The Founding Father McCullough knew the most about is John Adams, the first president to move into the White House, which was then known as the Executive Mansion. “I pray heaven,” Adams wrote on his first full day in the home, “to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” That inscription remains, inscribed in marble, at the White House today, where it may serve to inspire future residents. The book features plenty of advice for college graduates. “We have to value what our forebears—and not just in the 18th century, but our parents and grandparents—did for us,” McCullough said at Hillsdale College. At Ohio University, he counseled optimism. “When bad news is riding high and despair in fashion, when loud mouths and corruption seem to own center stage, when some keep crying that the country is going to the dogs, remember it’s always going to the dogs in the eyes of some, and that 90 percent or more of the people are good people—generous-hearted, law-abiding, good citizens.” Finally, McCullough left us with words that are especially meaningful in this semiquincentennial year: “Few nations in the world know when they were born. We know exactly when we began and why we began and who did it.” We know a lot about the founders of America because of David McCullough’s work over the years. His writing should be read widely this year and for centuries to come.