Nearly 90,000 unidentified children facing sexual abuse will finally be helped thanks to House Republicans funding the largest investment to fight child exploitation and trafficking. A provision included in the newly passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill will allow 200 new investigators to identify victims of child sexual abuse. “Right now, 89,000 unidentified image series of children being sexually abused have been seen by law enforcement—but these children have yet to be identified and are still waiting to be found due to resource and manpower shortages,” Tim Tebow, founder and chairman of the Tim Tebow Foundation, said. Every day we wait, they suffer. Right now, there are kids praying for a rescue—for someone to step up, step in, and do something. Are we actually going to protect these kids from further exploitation, or are we just going to keep talking about it? pic.twitter.com/DtLbpZKIyZ— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) March 4, 2026 “Today, we acted. I am grateful to our congressional leaders for getting this lifesaving legislation over the finish line, and to the law enforcement who never stop fighting for these kids,” Tebow continued. House Republicans passed the $70 billion party-line budget bill, the Secure America Act, to fully fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The bill passed Tuesday night, 214–212, with all Republicans voting “yes” and all Democrats voting “no.” S2Download The Renewed Hope Act was included to allocate $108.5 million to hire 200 additional victim identification analysts, forensic analysts, and investigators to identify unknown children seen in sexual images. Now they can be located, and future potential child victims can be safeguarded. Tebow testified before Congress in March, where he brought this escalating crisis of online child exploitation to lawmakers’ attention. He told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism that there are over 330,000 unique IP addresses that have downloaded, shared, or distributed child-rape images in the United States in less than a year. He highlighted the widening gap between the scale of exploitation and available federal resources; prior to this passage, there were only seven analysts whose job it was to find and protect tens of thousands of children. Now there will be 200. “My legislation with Tim Tebow to rescue thousands of children trapped in sex trafficking just passed the House and is headed to the president’s desk,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who spearheaded the legislation. “This is the biggest surge against online child exploitation ever by the federal government. It’s time to rescue these kids.” Hawley Measure to Fight Child Trafficking Passes House, Heads to President’s Deskhttps://t.co/MitRPTa7WE— Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) June 9, 2026 Tebow credited multiple members who helped author this legislation, including Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Lucy McBath of Georgia, and Madeline Dean of Pennsylvania, all of whom decided to vote against the final passage due to it being connected to ICE funding. “My prayer is that hope is renewed for many more boys and girls, and that their stories will be different because of this legislation. When we come together, real change can happen—and this is just the beginning,” Tebow said in a press release following the vote.

With Senate Joint Resolution 10 on voter ID having passed the Ohio Senate last week, and a similar resolution expected to come up for a vote on Wednesday in the House, President Donald Trump took to social media to promote the effort. “Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. “I am now asking all of my Republican friends in the State House to, also, PASS THIS NOW, and put a Constitutional Amendment on the Ballot so that the Great People of Ohio can vote to enshrine VOTER I.D. in the State Constitution. I will be watching, and am strongly supportive of this Resolution,” he added. Many Ohio Republicans expressed enthusiasm that the president was speaking out, including the resolutions’ sponsors and Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou. Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio native, also shared Trump’s post. Thank you Mr. President! @realDonaldTrump supports our state efforts to put photo ID on the ballot and in our constitution! Thank you @JaneTimkenOH @theresagavarone @Rob_McColley @matthuffman1 & especially @VivekGRamaswamy! Common sense! Vote yes. pic.twitter.com/bbjcKJsk6a— Alex Triantafilou (@ChairmanAlex) June 8, 2026 The push comes as Vivek Ramaswamy argued for a constitutional amendment last month. Republicans in the Legislature heeded the call, moving quickly to pass resolutions to put the issue before voters in November. Both Ramaswamy and Trump have been supporting the federal SAVE America Act to require proof of citizenship for voter registration. The bill has been held up in the U.S. Senate, however. In an op-ed for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ramaswamy referred to the SAVE America Act as “a welcome proposal,” adding that “those of us here in Ohio should not be forced to wait.” Voter ID is popular around the country and in Ohio, according to polling from Heritage Action and Honest Elections Project Action. State Sen. Jane Timken told the Daily Signal last week that if voters pass the ballot initiative in November, it will be “the most stringent voter ID law in the country.” The resolutions have faced mild opposition from the Right, primarily over the lack of photo ID requirements for absentee mail-in ballots. State Rep. Ron Ferguson, a Republican, signaled his opposition to the measures as written. The polling by Honest Elections Project Action indicates that voters would support a ballot initiative with requirements for mail-in ballots, and Ferguson introduced the Secure Vote Act to that effect, which is currently assigned to the General Government Committee. The Trump administration also is attempting to fix problems with mail-in ballots. Ohio Capital Journal reported that the Department of Homeland Security “plans to monitor the flow of mail ballots for signs of voter fraud.” That move comes after a March 31 executive order from the president, which faced several lawsuits. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, ruled against pausing the executive order.

THE CENTER SQUARE—Virginia budget negotiations spilled into public view last week as top Democrat leaders publicly clashed over data center policy ahead of the June 30 budget deadline. Senate Finance and Appropriations Chairwoman Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, publicly criticized Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and House of Representatives leaders Friday as negotiations continued without a final agreement. “Just when I thought Chairman Torian and I were getting close to agreeing on a budget, we had a meeting with Data Center Diva this morning and she agrees with Amazon Don who doesn’t want to impact the richest corporations in the country,” Lucas wrote on social media, referring to Spanberger and House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth. In a separate statement released on Senate letterhead, Lucas said the governor and House leaders “did not want to alter the freeloading policy for data centers” and said the facilities should “pay their fair share to provide services to the people of the commonwealth for the next two years.” Lucas also pushed back on suggestions she was unwilling to compromise. “I know the governor and House’s narrative will be that I wasn’t willing to compromise or to meet. This is simply not true,” Lucas wrote. “We attempted to move forward multiple times. With the support of the Senate conferees, I have offered multiple compromise options that would have provided revenue from data centers. Under these compromises, neither side got everything.” Spanberger later released a statement saying she remained confident lawmakers would reach a budget agreement before July 1. “I have also been clear that data centers in Virginia need to pay their fair share for energy consumption,” Spanberger said. “I have brought proposals to the table that would make data centers pay more for the energy they use and address environmental concerns, including their air pollution, water and energy use, and noise. “I am confident that General Assembly leadership will get a bill on my desk that I can sign on time. Because there is no other option – those responsible for funding our government have an obligation to deliver.” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, also criticized the possibility of what he described as “DC-style continuing resolutions” instead of a full budget agreement. “Virginia has never done that in our history, we’ve always passed a full budget by July 1 and this year should be no different,” Surovell wrote on social media. Lawmakers failed to finalize a budget during the regular General Assembly session or a subsequent special session earlier this year. The House of Delegates is scheduled to reconvene its special session June 18, followed by the Senate on June 22, as negotiators continue work on the state’s next two-year spending plan.

President Donald Trump said the public will become “very rich” due to his plan for the government to have stakes in top artificial intelligence companies. “We’re talking about giving back something to the public, and if we do that, the public will become very rich, the people in our country, because that’s the kind of money we’re talking about, and I think they’ll do that, and I think it’ll make it very popular,” he told the Daily Signal at the signing of the Secure America Act. Trump said Friday he planned to met with top tech executives to discuss equity stakes in AI companies. However, subsequent reports indicated that the executives had not yet received invitations from the White House. Trump confirmed that the meeting is still going to occur. President Trump says the meeting with "the top 12 or 15 executives" about the gov't taking stake in AI companies will happen "very shortly."He tells @DailySignal Americans will get "very rich" as a result."We're talking about giving back something to the public, and if we… pic.twitter.com/1qEnVeTELJ— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) June 10, 2026 He said he will meet with “the top 12 or 15 executives very shortly.” “We’re having a meeting with them,” Trump said in response to a question from The Daily Signal. “It’s an amazing industry. It’s bigger than any industry anyone’s ever seen. We are leading China by a lot, and you know whoever leads that is going to really lead the world to a large extent. That’s how big it is.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described “democratic socialist,” has made a similar proposal with legislation requiring top AI companies to pay a one-time 50% tax in stock. Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism at the proposal. “I don’t think the federal government should be in the business of being an equity holder in private companies,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told NOTUS. “I’m not a huge fan of the government owning industry, and I think with this you’d combine the worst of the big bureaucrats with the Big Tech monopolist,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.

Graham Platner has won the Maine Democrat nomination for the U.S. Senate, officially clearing the field for the scandal-plagued oysterman to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. Platner won the nomination with little contest, as Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race in April. However, her name remained on the ballot. With 88% of the vote tallied by Wednesday morning, the Associated Press called the race for Platner, who received 71.9% of the vote against Mills’ 19.4%.  In third place, with 8.3% of the vote, was David Costello, who ran in 2024 as the Democratic nominee against incumbent independent Sen. Angus King. “You have built the most powerful grassroots movement in the history of this state,” Platner told his supporters after the victory. “And when we finally defeat Susan Collins that will be because of you, too.” Graham Platner wins the Democratic primary for US Senate in Maine, will face GOP Sen. Susan Collins pic.twitter.com/oQ4WK5ENpb— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) June 10, 2026 The race, whose final outcome the Cook Political Report rates a “toss up,” is critical for Democrats, as they need to net four additional seats to claim a majority in the Senate. President Donald Trump said of Platner on Wednesday, “He’s a thug and they’re trying to make excuses for him. I mean, he is worse than any human being that has ever run for office, probably.” Platner secured the nomination amid a negative media-cycle, with The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times having recently reported his wife alerted campaign staff that he had sent sexual messages to multiple women early on in their marriage.  Most recently, The New York Times interviewed multiple of Platner’s former girlfriends, turning up allegations of physical roughness and eccentric behavior, although some spoke of him positively. But this is just the most recent wave of negative press for Platner. Platner has come under fire for controversial online forum posts in which he said women should “act like an adult” to avoid rape and ridiculed rural white voters and black people.  He has asked voters to look past his online history, saying, “I’m asking you not to judge me for the worst thing I said on the internet on my worst day 14 years ago.” He has also faced criticism for having had a tattoo that resembled the German Totenkopf symbol associated with Nazi Germany.  Platner has claimed to have been unaware of the tattoo’s historical associations and has since had it covered. Detractors have also questioned Platner’s authenticity as a working-class voice, calling attention to the fact that his father was a successful lawyer, his grandfather was a famous architect and interior designer, and he attended the Hotchkiss School, a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut. This baggage could be a problem as Platner faces off against a formidable political survivor in Collins, who won by over eight points in 2020 despite having trailed in every public poll. Graham Platner delivers scandals.Susan Collins delivers results.In Maine, the choice is clear. pic.twitter.com/jTy5plt1vw— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) June 10, 2026 Nevertheless, the political environment could present Platner with some advantages.  For one, Maine favored Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris over Trump by a nearly seven-point margin in 2024.  Platner is now seeking to take advantage of Democrat voters’ frustrations with Republicans in Washington to unseat the incumbent. Historically, the party that controls the executive branch tends to suffer in the midterms, and Democrats have already shown high turnout in elections during Trump’s second term. A member of a prominent political family, Collins has held onto her seat for nearly three decades in a state that has never voted for a Republican to become president during her tenure. We do not need ICE.It is an agency that has been turned into a weapon to terrorize American communities and murder American citizens. Scrap it and start over. pic.twitter.com/aJlzHdP3JC— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) June 4, 2026 Collins is a moderate who has often defied Trump’s wishes, voting against the July 2025 budget reconciliation bill that prevented the expiration of tax cuts enacted in his first term. There is a stark ideological contrast between the two candidates. Platner, who is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has accused Israel of committing a “genocide” and  has called for policies such as “Medicare for All.”  He has sought to hold Collins to task for the administration’s foreign policy and health care policy. Meanwhile, Collins wields significant power in the Senate as the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee—the panel that determines the allocation of annual federal spending. The Daily Signal contacted both campaigns for comment but received no reply in time for publication. Related Posts‘I Couldn’t Stay Silent’: NYT Reports Explosive Allegations Against Maine Senate Candidate Graham PlatnerThe hits keep coming against embattled Democrat candidate Graham Platner in the U.S. Senate race for Maine. The New York Times released a report Thursday in which former girlfriends of Platner described a disdain for women, with one alleging physical intimidation and mistreatment. Platner also allegedly made bizarre comments about how he would rape someone…How The New York Times Buried a Conservative Woman’s Allegation Against a DemocratIf a major Senate candidate abused a past girlfriend, isn’t that newsworthy? If a major Senate candidate knowingly sported a Nazi tattoo, isn’t that newsworthy? If a major Senate candidate, already under fire for his past remarks about rape, talked about raping intruders, isn’t that newsworthy? You’d think so. Yet in an extensive new article…DHS Directs ICE to Deport Noncitizens Who Illegally Vote in US ElectionsNoncitizens who illegally vote in U.S. elections will face deportation, among other stricter penalties, according to new guidance from the Department of Homeland Security. The general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, James Percival, directed the leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce the stricter penalties against noncitizens who vote. Percival’s letter cites…