FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—After President Donald Trump called for a new census excluding illegal immigrants, the Department of Commerce told the Daily Signal it will “immediately” change course to “reflect the number of legal residents in the United States.”  Trump ordered the Department of Commerce to start work on a new census in which illegal immigrants will not be counted. “I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday.  A Commerce spokesperson told The Daily Signal it will follow the president’s mandate. “The Census Bureau will immediately adopt modern technology tools for use in the census to better understand our robust census data,” the spokesperson told The Daily Signal.  “We will accurately analyze the data to reflect the number of legal residents in the United States.” In July, Trump backed a bill from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that would exclude illegal immigrants from the census.  This is not the president’s first effort to exclude illegal immigrants from the census count. In 2020, Trump issued a presidential memorandum instructing the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, not to include illegal aliens in the census. “My Administration will not support giving congressional representation to aliens who enter or remain in the country unlawfully, because doing so would create perverse incentives and undermine our system of government,” Trump said in the memorandum. “Just as we do not give political power to people who are here temporarily, we should not give political power to people who should not be here at all.” A federal court blocked the effort in 2020, however. Trump also wanted a citizenship question added to the census form. The Supreme Court blocked that move. The post EXCLUSIVE: Commerce Department to ‘Immediately’ Make Census ‘Reflect the Number of Legal Residents’ in US appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A 10th former Joe Biden White House staffer took questions from House investigators on Thursday, insisting that the 46th president was up to the job.  Anita Dunn, former senior adviser to the president for communications, has been closely linked to Biden for years. Dunn and others voluntarily spoke to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday.  The Hill obtained a copy of her opening statement to the committee, in which she strongly defended Biden’s ability to do the job despite widespread public concern about his cognitive decline. “From what I experienced and observed in the White House, President Biden made all of the important decisions expected of someone serving as the president of the United States,” Dunn told the oversight panel. “As is typical and necessary for that role, President Biden relied on senior advisers to execute his priorities and manage the day-to-day operations that allow the White House to run effectively, but his authority and involvement in decision-making was clear.” She declined to answer questions from reporters after the testimony.  ? JUST IN: Former Biden senior staffer Anita Dunn refuses to answer questions about Joe Biden's cognitive decline.All of them lied to America. pic.twitter.com/JjUzUOYXnN— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) August 7, 2025 Her assessment was more generous than some other Biden staffers. Biden’s first White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, told the committee that Biden was less energetic and his memory became worse during his presidency.  The House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., is probing Biden’s apparent cognitive decline in the White House as well as whether he was aware of major presidential actions taken on his behalf—such as presidential pardons—using the White House autopen.  Though close to Biden, Dunn was not part of Biden’s “politburo,” according to the book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by reporters Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper. The politburo was a group that sought to hide Biden’s cognitive decline, according to the book.  Dunn and others voluntarily responded to requests to go before the committee for a private transcribed interview. However, former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, and Anthony Bernal, a former adviser to first lady Jill Biden, invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination.   The post Biden Made the ‘Important Decisions,’ Former Top Aide Insists appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A litigation group run by veteran Democrat election lawyer Marc Elias helped coordinate legal challenges from California and Illinois to stop President Donald Trump’s agenda.  Democracy Forward, where Elias is chairman, coordinated an online conference with lawyers working for the California and Illinois state attorneys general offices to challenge executive orders from Trump, according to records obtained by The Daily Signal.  The emails and schedules, obtained through a public records request to the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, shine further light on how private left-leaning organizations steered state government entities to oppose Trump. It also illustrates how anti-Trump “lawfare” has evolved from Trump’s candidacy into his second term as president.  Elias was a lead figure in promoting the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy theory while working as Hillary Clinton’s campaign lawyer during her 2016 presidential run.  Democracy Forward has hired several former Obama and Biden administration-era Justice Department lawyers and, this week, announced the creation of an appellate division.  The organization’s first target after Trump’s second inauguration in January was defending diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the federal government. Among his slew of Day One executive orders, Trump cut federal support and contracts for DEI programs in the government.  “We would like to connect, in very short order, on this [Trump executive order] (Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing),” said a Jan. 21 email from Megan Uzzell, director of impact and external affairs for Democracy Forward, to Illinois Deputy Attorney General Alex Hammer. “Would you have time to connect in short order on this?”  Hammer replied by connecting Uzzell with two of his colleagues, Karyn Bass-Ehler and Liz Jordan.  By the next month, lawyers working for California Attorney General Robert Bonta were part of the conversation.  On Feb. 11, Democracy Forward organized an online meeting with lawyers from both attorneys general offices to develop strategies to challenge Trump’s executive orders.  The day before the meeting, California Deputy Attorney General Kenneth Sugarman wrote, “Tomorrow 3-4 is good, and I’d love to have it that soon.” After the meeting occurred, Jordan from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office wrote Democracy Forward and Illinois attorney general staff to say, “IL & CA would like to get another meeting on DF’s calendar soon.”  While multiple Democrat attorneys general have frequently joined together to bring multistate lawsuits against the Trump administration, the states have not disclosed receiving direction from liberal interest groups such as Democracy Forward.  Based on the available information, it’s not clear if California, Illinois, or other states had additional strategy sessions with Democracy Forward.  This week, Bonta’s office asserted that California has filed 37 lawsuits against the Trump administration and filed more than 40 amicus briefs (briefs where the state is not a party to a lawsuit but offers additional information and legal arguments to a court to try to get it to rule one way or another). The issues covered in the lawsuits include defending birthright citizenship, federal funding for the state, education funding, and electric vehicle policy.  Bonta noted that after Trump’s 2024 election victory, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special session of the state Legislature to boost funding for the Attorney General’s Office to litigate against Trump. Bonta said that litigation has protected federal funding for the state.  “For every dollar we’ve been given by the governor and the Legislature in Special Session funding, we’ve returned more than $33,600 for the state,” Bonta said in a public statement. “I’m proud of my incredible team who has been working around the clock to protect California’s people, values, and resources in the face of relentless attacks. We know that this work is just the beginning, but we are not backing down.”  Illinois Attorney General Raoul’s office has been less active than California but has joined a multi-state Democrat attorneys general lawsuit against a Trump administration ban preventing federally funded hospitals from performing “transgender” surgeries on minors. It is also suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement over health data access and is suing over the Trump administration halting wind energy project approvals.  Spokespersons for the California and Illinois Attorneys General Offices did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story.  A Democracy Forward spokesperson also did not respond to numerous inquiries.  Much of the legacy media refers to Democracy Forward as a “watchdog group” and rarely notes the ties to partisan Democrats, noted Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, a conservative investigative think tank. If an Elias-run group is coordinating state litigation to stop the Trump administration, it “shows the nonprofit tail is wagging the Democratic Party dog,” Walter told The Daily Signal.  “Marc Elias has had some black eyes. He’s lost cases and clients. But he is still a legal power house on the Left, partly because of his money,” Walter told The Daily Signal. “The Left has an endless supply of cash for litigation.” Left-leaning nonprofits pushing state action against Trump isn’t unique to the Elias-run organization.  As The Daily Signal previously reported, a Democrat group called Governors Safeguarding Democracy issued a 126-page “resistance playbook” to Democrat governors to help them oppose Trump through litigation and state executive orders. The same organization met with Biden White House officials about strategy in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration.  Beyond DEI policies, it’s not clear what lawsuits were brought because of the online conference with Democracy Forward and California and Illinois or even how many meetings were organized by Democracy Forward.  By May, both Illinois and California were part of a coalition of 18 Democrat attorneys general that filed an amicus brief in the case National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump. The brief contends that Trump’s executive orders targeting “equity-related grants or contracts” and DEI frameworks within government are unlawful and harm state residents. “Diversity initiatives are lawful, and studies show that they lead to more successful businesses and learning environments,” Raoul said in a statement after joining amicus brief. “I will stand with those who are challenging this administration’s illegal attempts to eliminate these programs and turn back the clock on the important progress that has been made toward equity.” The post EXCLUSIVE: How Dem Super Lawyer’s Organization Shaped California, Illinois Anti-Trump Lawfare appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Almost two weeks after a mob attack took place in Cincinnati, garnering national attention, one of the victims, Holly, spoke at a press conference held by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. The Wednesday event focused on moving forward. Moreno called the media out for their coverage of the violent incident. “Let’s be honest, because a lot of times you guys are qualifying this as a brawl,” the senator said, as quoted by Fox News. “This was the attempted murder of an innocent woman. And that person had a rap sheet a mile long. Nobody who has that rap sheet should be walking the streets of any Ohio city free.” Coverage from WLWT as well as other local outlets, including WXIX Cincinnati and national ones like NewsNation, indeed described the situation as a “brawl.” Holly also expressed dismay her alleged attacker was on the streets. “The man who attacked me, and might have permanently damaged me forever, should have never been on the streets, ever,” she said. “The fact that he had just gotten out of jail previously for something he should have been in there for years.” One of the victims in the violent downtown brawl is speaking out on moving forward following the incident, arrests. https://t.co/iIUxmuf6OP pic.twitter.com/wK08dfukm4— WLWT (@WLWT) August 6, 2025 The suspect, Patrick Rosemond, was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia. He is one of six suspects who have been arrested. Fox News had further details: Rosemond, 38, was taken into custody Monday afternoon by the FBI and Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender’s Task Force in Fulton County, Georgia. He is charged with two counts of felonious assault and aggravated riot, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.  He is also charged with one count of fugitive from justice for a fingerprintable charge, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Rosemond is currently being held in Fulton County Jail while awaiting extradition to Ohio. The resident of Cincinnati does not have any registered addresses in Georgia, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital.  Moreno has not shied away from criticizing the local response to the incident, especially that of Democrat Mayor Aftab Pureval. The Daily Signal has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment. The senator’s current pinned post on X is about the conversation he had with the mayor on Wednesday. Pureval tagged Moreno and referred to their discussion as “productive.” Moreno previously threatened to call for a review of federal funding for Cincinnati. We will work together as a City, County, State, and Federal team to ensure the safety of all of our citizens. We are united in that goal.To SW Ohio: don’t let the criminals win. Head to a Cincinnati business, restaurant, or activity this weekend! https://t.co/Idpuz8Wpwq— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) August 6, 2025 As WLWT reported, Moreno will meet with local leaders on Aug.19 to make sure they’re making “forward progress.” The attack exposed issues beyond criminal behavior. “The thing I think really upsets me is desensitization of humans where there’s a brutal attack in front of you and they think, ‘Oh let me get my phone and record it,'” Holly said. “I truly hope in the future there’s some sort of bill so someone can be prosecuted or at least fined if they don’t call 911 first to save someone’s life.” Moreno similarly called out the bystanders. “We’re not people that watch a woman get beaten to the inch of her life and our first instinct is to get out and videotape something so that you can be cool on Instagram,” he said. “That’s not who we are.” There was one 911 call that came in minutes after the attack. As Fox News previewed, Moreno is also looking to see Holly’s Act introduced, for minimum sentencing and minimum bail requirements. “We’re going to end the revolving door of injustice,” Moreno said on Wednesday. “Our judges can no longer hide behind their cloak, and they have to be held accountable for not upholding law and order,” he added. Earlier this week in Cincinnati, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for Ohio governor, held a town hall where concerns with judges and the need for “transparency” about sentencing came up. Meanwhile, violence and crime in Cincinnati continue. Earlier this week a woman described as an “innocent bystander” was shot and killed in Over-the-Rine after a suspect fired 15 to 20 rounds. The victim was identified by Cincinnati police as 34-year-old Chrishonda Wynn. The post ‘Let’s Be Honest’: Moreno Calls Out Media From Cincinnati appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Benjamin NetanyahuIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel does intend to take full control of the Gaza Strip, but does not want to rule the territory long-term.   “Well, we don’t want to keep it,” Netanyahu said in an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. “We want to have a security perimeter, but we don’t want to govern it, … we want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly, without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life,” the Israeli leader said.   It will not be possible for Israel to be kept safe, or for the people of Gaza to have a better life, unless Hamas is no longer able to rule, according to Netanyahu.   'WE INTEND TO': Israeli prime minister @netanyahu tells FOX News' @BillHemmer that Israel is aiming to take control of Gaza in order to liberate its people from the grips of Hamas and end the threat of the terror regime against his country. pic.twitter.com/lxQkYKHEB8— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 7, 2025 “They have to go,” Netanyahu said of Hamas, adding, “I think President [Donald] Trump has said it, you know, you have to see two things in Gaza: You have to see Hamas eliminated, and you have to have the hostages released.”   There are still 50 hostages being held in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be still alive 22 months to do the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel that left some 1,200 dead. Netanyahu told Hemmer that Israel is doing everything it can to “salvage” the hostages and says he thinks they can be saved, but indicated “military pressure” will be the only way to free them.   The prime minister said Israel is well on its way to achieving its goals of freeing all the hostages, defeating Hamas, and ensuring Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.   Netanyahu made the comments shortly before the start of a meeting with his security Cabinet to discuss plans to expand Israel’s operation in Gaza to achieve the aim of taking full control of the Gaza Strip.   The post Netanyahu Outlines Israel’s Plan for Taking Control of Gaza appeared first on The Daily Signal.