President Donald Trump’s Drug Enforcement Administration is defending a Biden-era initiative that allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills into the country for the purpose of building a larger case against drug dealers. This comes after President Trump earlier this week posted a news story which labeled the initiative a possible “Fast and Furious 2.0,” a reference to an infamous Obama administration program. Fast and Furious 2.0?’ Biden DEA let 1M fentanyl pills flow to streets, whistleblower lawyer says:https://t.co/v3iHvqdCzE( TS: Jun 22 2026, 11:40 PM ET )​​​‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​‌‍​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍… pic.twitter.com/eKVGJY3Hb0— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 23, 2026 The DEA issued a statement late Wednesday asserting that media reports have mischaracterized the program that ran from 2023 to 2025. “Public descriptions suggesting that DEA knowingly permitted fentanyl to reach communities are false and fundamentally mischaracterize the facts,” a DEA spokesperson said of the story first reported by the Associated Press. The spokesperson said that courts authorized the investigations through Title III—also known as the Wiretap Act—which is meant to balance individual privacy rights with law enforcement demands through a court-supervised process for intercepting private communications. Under the process, “agents and prosecutors conducted real-time surveillance, intelligence gathering, and operational analysis targeting larger drug trafficking organizations,” the statement said. The DEA spokesperson provided an email statement in response to questions from the Daily Signal. The spokesperson didn’t address specific questions, such as whether fentanyl was allowed to be trafficked in areas beyond New Mexico or exactly when the program ended. The AP reported the program ran between 2023 and 2025, but did not report specific dates or whether it ended with a change of administrations. A 2024 decision by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, referenced in the statement, determined the operation was reasonable. “For operational decisions in investigations like this, DEA is mandated to coordinate investigative decisions with USAO [U.S. Attorney’s Office] leadership to ensure investigative steps are carefully coordinated to prevent harm to the public,” the DEA spokesperson said. “Several independent reviews concluded that the investigative decisions at issue were lawful, reasonable under the circumstances, and consistent with Department guidance.” Biden-appointed former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez of New Mexico, who oversaw the program, told the Associated Press, “The bigger fish are worth catching.” The DEA operation is reminiscent of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program under President Barack Obama’s administration dubbed “Operation Fast and Furious,” which allowed illegal guns to flow from the United States into Mexico for the purpose of tracking them to build a case against drug cartels. However, the government lost track of some of the guns, one of which was used in the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, a whistleblower advocacy group, is representing DEA Special Agent David Howell, who made the first complaint about the fentanyl program. Leavitt posted on X, in response to Trump’s post on the program, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for taking notice of my interview regarding what our client, DEA whistleblower David Howell, exposed. Now it’s time for full transparency. If feds in any other states were allowing this tactic during the Biden Admin, the American people deserve to know.” Thank you @realDonaldTrump for taking notice of my interview regarding what our client, DEA whistleblower David Howell, exposed. Now it’s time for full transparency. If feds in any other states were allowing this tactic during the Biden Admin, the American people deserve to know. https://t.co/QtK9GFmDYa— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) June 23, 2026 Leavitt formerly worked for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who led efforts to investigate Operation Fast and Furious in the Senate. In a separate post on X, he said: “As @ChuckGrassley’s lead line attorney to investigate Operation Fast and Furious, I can say the Biden Administration’s fentanyl Fast and Furious is just as big of a scandal. @EMPOWR_us is proud to represent Special Agent David Howell, and we hope Congress and the @JusticeOIG will do the work to expose the precise staggering amount of just many pills were really walked.” As @ChuckGrassley’s lead line attorney to investigate Operation Fast and Furious, I can say the Biden Administration’s fentanyl Fast and Furious is just as big of a scandal. @EMPOWR_us is proud to represent Special Agent David Howell, and we hope Congress and the @JusticeOIG will… https://t.co/EP0J16HJyE pic.twitter.com/1kOGG0zxXT— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) June 22, 2026

The Heritage Foundation on Thursday announced the recipients of its annual “Innovation Prizes,” a program that awards $1 million in prizes to nonprofit organizations for their work to strengthen society. This is the sixth year that Heritage has given the awards to organizations that put conservative principles into action. Recipients of this year’s prizes include Cardinal Newman Society, Center for Responsible Technology, College of St. Joseph the Worker, Election Integrity Network, FACTS About Fertility, Independent Medical Alliance, Inter-State Security Organization, Love Your School, Reformers Academy, Stop Predatory Gambling, True Charity, and Voices for the Voiceless. “The conservative movement is always stronger when we work together,” said Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation. “Nowhere is that collaboration more important than when it comes to securing our states and our election systems and strengthening our schools, health care systems, workplaces, and families.” Organizations that received awards range from policy-training organizations to advocacy groups. Groups such as Love Your School and the Cardinal Newman Society received awards for promoting education by connecting parents and students with schools that provide necessary support and religious formation. “This year’s winners exemplify the partnerships and love of neighbors that lead to flourishing families and civil societies,” Roberts said. “We are grateful for their work and honored to support their noble efforts to preserve the permanent things in our republic.” Heritage established the Innovation Prizes in 2022 to encourage conservative organizations to develop solutions for modern societal problems, according to Roberts. “America is at one of the most critical turning points in her history,” he said in a statement. “The only way we will save our republic is if the American people stand up and take action to defeat radical leftists and the destruction they are unleashing on our country. The conservative movement must go on offense like never before against those trying to bring down the nation from within.”

Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal.   We are witnessing in this year of 2026, for the first time really in over a century, a resurgence of socialism. And it’s a strange kind of socialism. It’s the democratic-socialism of America. And what it is, the Democratic Party has been taken over by young zealots who do not believe in free-market capitalism. They do not believe in the unique story of the United States. They do not believe in this 250th-year anniversary, in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the exceptional virtue and brilliance of the American nation. It’s mostly a critical message they have, past and present. So who are these people, and why are they coming into prominence? In Maine, we have Mr. [Graham] Platner. He’s a former veteran. He’s running on—I don’t know what his ticket is. All he seems to do is talk about millionaires and billionaires and the privileged, and everybody’s being exploited. But notice he does not say, “I want to do the following. I want this particular program, and this is how I’m going to fund it.” You don’t get any details. It’s mostly a critique of free-market capitalism and the American tradition and the American status quo. In Michigan, we have Mr. [Abdul] El-Sayed. He was a health official for the city of Detroit, a very young epidemiologist with a Ph.D. He is even more critical. He adds an Islamist tinge to socialism. He was the one that said, basically, “Don’t criticize the death of the supreme leader in Iran because my constituents might take offense,” meaning most of his Michigan constituent base is Muslim, and in that sense at odds with the majority of Americans who much welcome the news that this theocratic fascist in Iran was dead. Then we have Mr. Bernie Sanders. He’s been around for years. He’s in his mid-80s now, a perennial candidate for president. He feels very happy that at the end of his life somebody finally is listening to his socialist message. We have Mr. [Zohran] Mamdani. He is the mayor of New York. I don’t know what he was doing before he ran for office. He had one term in the legislature. He was a rap singer. He’s an immigrant from Uganda, the Indian-American community, 1% of the population in Uganda. They’re sort of, to use Mamdani’s own phrase, settler colonialists in a foreign country. Then his parents, very highly educated, very successful, very wealthy. One is an endowed professor. The other is a very celebrated and heavily subsidized filmmaker. And now he’s the mayor of New York and trying to implement a socialist agenda. What do they all have in common? Well, ideologically, they feel that they can take over the Democratic Party and, by extension, America. And then they can raise taxes to an enormous level, raise entitlements, and do what [Barack] Obama had once promised—when, remember, he said he wanted to spread the wealth. And the idea is that we would have an equality of result, not equality of opportunity, and we would have millionaires’ and billionaires’ taxes that are now on the ballots in certain states. We would see millionaires flee, as they are from California to red states. It’s a pretty radical message. We haven’t seen anything like this since the perennial socialist Eugene Debs from, I guess it was, 1900 to 1920. He ran for president five times. The final time, in 1920, he was in prison. He got over a million votes. But what else do these people have in common? They also tend to be quite well off. Mr. Platner really hasn’t had a job. He has one client for his oyster business, and that’s his mother’s upscale restaurant. He works out of his father’s friend’s property. He’s been on a government pension-disability check from his war service. His father bought him a house. Mr. Mamdani has been heavily subsidized most of his youth and early adulthood by his affluent parents. Bernie Sanders really didn’t have a job. But notice what I’m getting at. Now Bernie Sanders has three homes. The Squad, the so-called four or five representatives that are socialists in the Congress, are pretty affluent. I mean, one day Rep. [Ilhan] Omar says she was worth $30 million. The next day, when she faced a storm of criticism, not so much. Bernie Sanders has three houses, as I said. It’s a very odd phenomenon that the people from the upper, upper-middle class are advocating for redistribution of wealth and property. There’s another thing. These people are all what I would call a blue-state phenomenon. They rise up in either local elections, like Mr. Mamdani, a mayoral election in a city that’s 85% Democratic or left-wing, as far as the voters identify themselves. But they don’t do well in red states, and they so far have not won national elections. In fact, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, they haven’t really won a statewide election. This is going to be very interesting to see if their support transcends the local environment of leftists from which they arose. We have members of Congress who are socialists, but again, those are from congressional districts of about 750,000 people. We’ll see if we get socialists. Now, some of you are going to say, “Victor, of course, they don’t say they’re socialists,” but what was Kamala Harris but a socialist? What was Gavin Newsom but a socialist? And you make a good point. We had in Virginia Abigail Spanberger. We had Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey. We had Katie Wilson, the mayor of Seattle. They had one thing in common. They said to themselves, “Americans don’t like socialism. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and they like rugged individualism, blah, blah, blah. “But I can’t run on that because I’m a socialist. But I can’t run on socialism either because they hate it. So what am I going to do? I’m going to mask my political views until I’m elected.” And that’s what all three of those candidates did once they took office. The locus classicus is, of course, Joe Biden. They’re always looking for a working-class person. Mr. [James] Talarico—he is a working-class evangelical Christian. Forget about his strident commentary about trans issues or gay issues that are at odds with the propensities and political feelings of Texans, or the fact he’s subsidized heavily by his parents. But they always try to be a Graham Platner, a working person, because socialism is a boutique fetish of the upper-upper class. Marx and Engels were very well off. Most socialists, progressives come from the upper class. It’s not any longer a grassroots movement. And we will see in November if this breaks with tradition. But if American history and protocol and tradition are any guide, once socialists run in statewide races or in national races, they are exposed for who they are, and it’s very hard to keep dissimulating and hiding their agenda. And one thing we know from the history of America: It’s one of the few countries in the world that does not like communism. It does not like statism, and it certainly doesn’t like socialism. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Charleston, South Carolina, marks the 250th anniversary of Carolina Day on June 28, 2026. This day commemorates the American victory at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, the first major Revolutionary War success in South Carolina. The triumph boosted patriot morale, rallied support for independence, and helped pave the way toward ultimate victory.   For me, the occasion carries deep personal meaning: My fifth-great-grandfather, James Baggett, helped defend Sullivan’s Island against overwhelming British forces.  In January 1776, American patriots forced British troops out of Charleston (then Charlestown). Determined to restore control, King George III approved a Southern campaign led by Maj. Gen. Henry Clinton, supported by Lord Charles Cornwallis and Commodore Sir Peter Parker.  Charleston was a vital prize. With about 12,000 residents, it was the wealthiest city in the Southern colonies and a major hub for trade in rice, indigo, and enslaved labor. Its economic importance and strong ties to Britain made it strategically essential. British leaders also counted on strong Loyalist support throughout the region.  Patriot leaders understood that losing Charleston would be disastrous. In spring 1776, Col. William Moultrie began constructing a fort on Sullivan’s Island to guard the city’s harbor entrance. Capt. Francis Marion (later called the Swamp Fox) assisted him, while Lt. Col. William “Danger” Thomson defended the island’s opposite end. Among Thomson’s men was my ancestor, James Baggett. men was my ancestor, James Baggett.  Baggett, a 20-year-old farmer from North Carolina, enlisted in a South Carolina ranger regiment led by Capt. Samuel Wise. The descendant of London-born colonists, he joined an eclectic unit of men from multiple colonies and about 80 Catawba warriors. Largely inexperienced, they quickly found themselves marching to Charleston and preparing for battle.  Their youth and lack of training initially concerned senior officers like Maj. Gen. Charles Lee, but he was impressed by their determination. Soon after their arrival, a British fleet of 10 ships appeared, landing troops on nearby islands. Both sides endured harsh coastal conditions—heat, mosquitoes, rattlesnakes, alligators, and unforgiving terrain—while skirmishes erupted in the days leading up to the battle.  At the same time, enslaved men joined Moultrie’s troops to construct the fort. Built from palmetto logs with sand and clay packed between double walls rising about 16 feet, the structure appeared crude but would prove remarkably effective.   Despite heated disagreements between Lee and Moultrie—Lee favored abandoning the unfinished fort—South Carolina President John Rutledge ordered Moultrie to hold his ground. A deep blue flag with a white crescent, modeled after militia uniforms, flew over the fort.  The British planned a swift seizure of Sullivan’s Island rather than an immediate attack on Charleston. Confident in their naval superiority, they believed the fort would fall quickly. Reconnaissance revealed vulnerabilities, including the soft logs and an incomplete rear wall.  Meanwhile, Lee assumed Charleston itself was the primary target and ordered extensive preparations. Militia and Continental troops gathered, while citizens built barricades and melted lead into bullets.  On June 28, 1776, approximately 435 men under Moultrie defended the fort, while Thomson commanded about 780 men on the island’s other end. At around 10 a.m., nine British warships advanced and began bombardment.  The battle lasted about nine grueling hours. Despite the power of the Royal Navy, the Americans held firm. Several factors contributed to their success: poor British communication, difficult tides that stranded ships on sandbars, and disciplined American cannon fire.  Most importantly, the palmetto logs absorbed British cannon fire instead of splintering. Cannonballs that might have shattered traditional wooden walls instead bounced off and landed in the sand. While Moultrie’s men carefully rationed ammunition, Thomson’s forces successfully blocked any land advance.  British losses mounted. What had been expected to be an easy victory became a frustrating and costly engagement. Sir Parker was wounded in his thigh and knee, and his torn britches exposed his backside. What a blow to the British ego!  During the battle, a cannonball knocked down the fort’s flag. Sgt. William Jasper climbed the bastion under fire, retrieved it, and held it high until it could be resecured. His bravery rallied the defenders and reassured observers in Charleston that the fort had not fallen.  Moultrie praised Jasper, and President Rutledge presented him with a sword and offered him an officer’s commission. Jasper declined the commission due to his illiteracy but accepted the sword. He died three years later while similarly rescuing a flag during battle in Savannah.  The flag he saved became known as the Moultrie, or Liberty, Flag and evolved into the South Carolina state flag. The palmetto tree, central to the fort’s defense, later became South Carolina’s state symbol. These remain enduring symbols of resilience and independence.  By nightfall, British forces withdrew, abandoning their attempt to take Sullivan’s Island. American casualties were relatively light—12 killed and 25 wounded—while British losses included 90 killed and 120 wounded.  The victory electrified Charleston. Just days later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia. When news of Sullivan’s Island victory reached the Continental Congress on July 19, it reinforced confidence in the fight for independence.  Moultrie was honored with a promotion, and the fort was named after him. In 1777, Charlestonians marked the first anniversary with a parade, beginning the long-standing tradition of Carolina Day.  Although the British captured Charleston in 1780, they were eventually forced out in 1782, restoring American control.  Today, Fort Moultrie is preserved as a National Historical Park. The 250th Carolina Day celebration includes reenactments, educational programs, concerts, and commemorative events, including a once-in-a-generation harbor procession. Volunteers have placed 1,000 flags in honor of those who fought and died.  A prayer service will be held at St. Michael’s Church, followed by a parade to White Point Garden at the tip of The Battery. Young men and women will carry American, Moultrie, and Gadsden flags while speakers memorialize Moultrie, Marion, and Jasper. Cannon fire will honor those who gave all.  Carolina Day leads directly into the nation’s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026. Across the country, Americans will celebrate with cookouts, music, and fireworks that blend joy with remembrance. From historic cities like Charleston and Philadelphia to communities nationwide, the anniversary offers a moment of unity.  It also invites reflection. We aren’t celebrating 250 years of perfection; we must always work to live up to our founding ideals of liberty, self-governance, and rule of law. The Declaration of Independence articulated unalienable rights that continue to define the nation’s identity. No other nation has this level of freedom and this amount of opportunity.   Simply put, we live in the best country in the history of the world! May we teach our history and our founding values to our children, so that they can celebrate America 300.  As we celebrate and enjoy the fireworks, remember the sacrifices behind these freedoms. The defenders of Sullivan’s Island—farmers, tradesmen, and young men like James Baggett—risked everything for their freedom and for ours. As President Ronald Reagan warned us, freedom is never guaranteed; it must be preserved by each generation.  As America marks 250 years, may we thank God for what He has given us. May we honor those who came before us and commit ourselves to preserving the ideals they championed. Like the patriots of 1776, may we stand together in gratitude and determination.  Happy 250, USA!  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

New Mexico’s Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham blasted a Drug Enforcement Administration program that began in the Biden administration and allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to flood the state. The governor said she wrote state Attorney General Raúl Torrez, also a Democrat, and asked him to investigate whether federal agents broke state law by allowing lethal drugs to remain in New Mexico, “and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.” “There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were,” Grisham said in a statement Wednesday. “Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.” The Associated Press first reported this week on the program that ran from 2023 to 2025. It allowed a shipment of 74,000 fentanyl pills to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, under the DEA’s oversight. “Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets,” Grisham said. The DEA has denied the characterization of the program in media reports, while former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez, who oversaw the program, told the Associated Press it was justified, saying, “The bigger fish are worth catching.” However, Grisham didn’t buy that argument. “If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise,” Grisham said. “New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.” Although Grisham did not name former President Joe Biden in her statement, she noted that she twice wrote to Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking additional resources for the state to fight the fentanyl crisis. She also said she wrote to President Donald Trump’s former Attorney General Pam Bondi with a similar request. In response to an inquiry from the Daily Signal, a DEA spokesperson said in an email response, “The cases in question involved complex, court-authorized Title III investigations in which agents and prosecutors conducted real-time surveillance, intelligence gathering, and operational analysis targeting larger drug trafficking organizations.” According to the DEA, fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine, but illicit fentanyl is often mixed with other illicit drugs to increase its potency. The combination of drugs can often be fatal. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, according to the DEA. The operation is reminiscent of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program under President Barack Obama’s administration dubbed Operation Fast and Furious, which allowed illegal guns to flow from the United States into Mexico for the purpose of tracking them to build a case against drug cartels. However, the government lost track of some of the guns, one of which was used in the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.