Tomorrow, President Donald Trump will be at the Capitol speaking with senators about the SAVE America Act. When asked about the meeting’s priorities, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the press he has others. Amid major disagreements within the Senate GOP, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., invited the president to attend the Senate Steering Committee lunch on Wednesday, which he chairs. Trump plans to speak with the majority party about the importance of passing the act. On Monday, Scott sent a letter to colleagues listing the party’s priorities and urging members to be vocal about what they think can be done to pass the SAVE America Act. When asked to respond to the letter, Thune didn’t mention the election integrity bill and instead said senators should “first and foremost” focus on the $1.5 trillion defense authorization bill. New — Sen. Rick Scott sends Dear Colleague to GOP senators ahead of Wednesday lunch he invited Trump toHe outlines a number of things he says the Senate should do in the coming months, including a “clean CR” thru after the election + SAVE America Act “or portions of it” pic.twitter.com/ULpScmQPtL— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) June 22, 2026 “I think that there are many things that were mentioned, probably in that letter, that all of us are supportive of,” Thune wrote. “We have to figure out, how do we maximize our opportunity, optimize the chance to get as much as done as we can in the amount of time that we have left between now and midterm elections.” The fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act recently passed out of the Senate Armed Services Committee and is scheduled for a floor vote soon. Thune previews the Senate SAVE America Act lunch with Trump tomorrow responding to @SenRickScott “Dear Colleagues Letter.”Of all the priorities listed, including SAVE America, he says the defense authorization bill is “first and foremost.”@DailySignal pic.twitter.com/AbQyiG4h32— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) June 23, 2026 Thune suggested that there are other items on the list that could at some point pass, depending “whether or not they have bipartisan support.” However, he did not clarify if he believes one of these possibilities to be the SAVE America Act. Trump, however, made his agenda for Wednesday clear. “We’re just going to talk about SAVE America,” he told Elizabeth Mitchell, the Daily Signal’s White House correspondent. NEW: I asked @POTUS about his lunch with senators tomorrow on the SAVE America Act. “We have to get, we have to pass the Save America Act, which is voter ID, which is proof of citizenship, etc. We have to pass it, so we're going to have to talk about that, and many other… pic.twitter.com/pFML3Rw6R3— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) June 23, 2026 “We have to pass the SAVE America Act, which is voter ID, which is proof of citizenship. We have to pass it. So were gonna have a talk about that and many other things,” Trump continued. Thune, again not mentioning the president’s priority, said, “We’ve got a list. It’s all going to depend largely on what comes together in the next few weeks, but I can assure you we’re going to be active and busy and trying to create that record of accomplishment.”

A fire at a 500,000-square-foot Los Angeles warehouse covered in solar panels has blanketed nearby communities with smoke for days, prompting residents to ask a simple question: What exactly are we breathing? The frozen-food storage facility, operated by Michigan-based Lineage Logistics, has walls densely lined with insulation. According to firefighters, the insulation continued to smolder as the days went on, even after the initial flames subsided, making it more difficult to put the fire out. Residents have questioned whether hazardous substances associated with industrial fires—including toxic metals such as lead, chromium, and arsenic—could have been carried into surrounding neighborhoods through the smoke. South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is responsible for improving air quality for large areas of Los Angeles, told the Daily Signal there were no significant levels of any toxic metals. “Mobile monitoring for ammonia, hydrogen fluoride, and toxic metals was performed on Wednesday and Thursday multiple times near the structure and in the adjacent neighborhood and no significant levels were observed.” The South Coast Air Quality Management District also said the Environmental Protection Agency and Los Angeles County Health Hazardous Materials Division are “currently on scene monitoring the perimeter of the building fire for air toxics.” Questions remain about how the fire started. Initial reports seemed to indicate that officials believed the fire was caused by the building’s wall insulation. But a statement released by the company suggests that testing of the facility’s solar panels may have caused the fire. “We believe the fire started on the roof when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was doing tests. The solar array does not power the building directly but provides power into the city power grid.” The fire eventually became so severe that officials issued shelter-in-place orders, and a state of emergency was declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency over the weekend due to the poor air quality. In a statement online, Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, shared her concerns for residents.  “Residents have lived through days of smoke, shelter-in-place orders, disruptions to daily life, and ongoing questions about what this means for their health and well-being,” she said. The fire has also renewed scrutiny of the facility’s rooftop solar infrastructure. This is not the first time firefighters have responded to a blaze involving solar panels at the site. In August 2024, a separate fire involving rooftop solar equipment broke out at the same facility. However, firefighters were able to extinguish it in less than an hour, with no injuries reported. The latest fire has drawn widespread attention online, including from former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who shared concerns about the impact on surrounding communities.  Forget the food…those burning solar panels are spewing out deadly heavy metals that all of you are now breathing in. Many of my neighbors in the Palisades had solar, and everyone in the fire zone tested for heavy metal poisoning. Trust me, you don't want to breathe this stuff. https://t.co/TJsxUcGxy5 pic.twitter.com/HtzBdpFp99— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) June 21, 2026 The fire has created an unusual contrast for a company that has made sustainability a central part of its public image. While residents worry about smoke and air quality, the facility itself had pledged in 2021 to eliminate its carbon footprint in coming decades. “Lineage, LLC, the world’s largest and most innovative temperature-controlled industrial REIT and logistics solutions provider … announced it has signed onto The Climate Pledge and committed to be net-zero carbon across business operations by 2040—10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement,” the company said in a November 2021 press release.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is at it again, with yet another downright deceptive pro-choice study, this time alleging state pro-life laws lead to worse care for pregnant women who suffer miscarriages. Planned Parenthood announced: “JAMA’s study finds that patients in states where abortion is banned at or before six weeks of pregnancy were less likely to be given the best standard of care medication to manage their miscarriages and more likely to face delays in treatment.” In a brazen attempt to increase the availability of abortion, the study’s authors contend that women who experience an early miscarriage should be given the abortion pill regimen—mifepristone followed by misoprostol—to speed along the process. The authors then attack pro-life states because doctors in these states have not rapidly adopted this off-label use of a drug, mifepristone, with an FDA-approved use that is ordinarily illegal in these states. Meanwhile, none of the three manufacturers of mifepristone—Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro, and Evita Solutions—has ever applied to the FDA to add this secondary use to the drug’s label. Why haven’t they simply applied to change the label? Could it be that the abortion industry and its allies are motivated not so much to help women suffering from miscarriages but rather to use their pain to argue against state pro-life laws? But the much ballyhooed “first study on abortion bans’ impact on miscarriage care” contains at least three major flaws: First, what the authors consider evidence-based care for miscarriage is the exception rather than the rule nationwide, not only in pro-life states. “Expectant management” (a wait-and-see approach, with no surgery or drugs to hasten resolution) is the norm during first-trimester miscarriage, chosen in more than two-thirds of cases regardless of a state’s abortion laws, according to the study data. Even in states without pro-life laws, mifepristone is used in less than a third of cases when “medication management” is chosen and in less than four percent of cases overall, according to the study data. Second, it is effectively impossible to distinguish and analyze miscarriage outcomes apart from abortion outcomes using insurance records, especially in pro-life states, as the study authors claim to have done. Health insurers in pro-life states cover abortion only in rare circumstances, yet every month thousands of abortion pills are illegally shipped into these states. Women seeking medical care after taking these drugs are routinely advised not to disclose their abortion attempts, and the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists warns health care professionals against documenting such abortions even if they are disclosed. The 123,598 miscarriages identified in the study undoubtedly include many thousands of misclassified abortions. Third, temporarily setting aside the first two problems, the finding that state pro-life laws “were associated with a relative 13.8 percentage-point increase in misoprostol-only regimens” among those women receiving medication is highly misleading. One might think this means that doctors in these states stopped using mifepristone ahead of misoprostol to treat miscarriages when state pro-life laws went into effect, and that’s certainly how the result is being portrayed in the media. In reality, the use of misoprostol alone in these states declined slightly, from 98.1% to 96.9% of cases in which misoprostol was used at all, according to the study data. How can this decrease represent a 13.8 percentage-point increase? Well, it didn’t go down as much in pro-life states as it did in other states, so they say it went up. Seriously, remove all the statistical jargon, and that’s the explanation. But that’s good enough for JAMA, which now regularly publishes pro-choice junk science. This once-prestigious outlet might as well just go ahead and officially rename itself the Journal Advocating More Abortions—but that, too, would require changing the label. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Heritage Foundation released an index to measure the indicators of America’s culture, and it delivers a sobering message ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary. “Our index measures the state of American culture and the picture is grim: more secular, more government, and less family,” Roger Severino, vice president of economic and domestic policy at the foundation, told the Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday. “The habits and opportunities that give the most meaning to life continue to slip away and policymakers and cultural leaders need to treat this like the five-alarm fire it is,” he added. The Heritage Foundation has long published indices of economic freedom (ranking countries on free-market policies) and military strength (analyzing America’s ability to wage war), but this Index of Culture and Opportunity marks a new chapter for the institution. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote the foreword for the report, noting that while “culture isn’t so easy to measure,” cultural factors often lie beneath Americans’ economic struggles. “For example, the strongest predictor of whether an American child is poor is not wage growth or the labor participation rate, but whether that child’s father is present in the home,” the senator writes. “This suggests that policies encouraging stable family structures—such as marriage and childbirth within marriage—can play a significant role in reducing childhood poverty.” “A healthy culture—stable families, healthy children, vibrant religious and virtue-forming institutions and practices—has economic benefits as profound as limited government, market-driven prices, and the rule of law.” Distressing Trends Delano Squires, director of Heritage’s DeVos Center for Human Flourishing, analyzed America’s family life in one section. His report notes a decline in the marriage rate and the distressing trend of Americans marrying later in life—when fertility declines. He notes the good news that the divorce rate has decreased from its high in 1980, but it remains high at 12 divorces per 1,000 married women. Finally, he laments that about 40% of all American children were born to unmarried parents in 2021, a significant increase from 5% in 1960. The rate of children born to unwed parents is higher among blacks (70%) and Hispanics (53%), but still significant among Asians (13%) and whites (28%). Meanwhile, highly educated women are more likely to have children once married, while less educated women are more likely to welcome a baby “carriage” before marriage. Other reports note the increasing prevalence of abortion, the growth in the suicide rate, and the decline in America’s fertility rate, which has remained below the 2.1 children per woman replacement rate for more than a decade. The report finds increasing social disorder across multiple fronts, from addiction to illicit drugs to a surging rate of homelessness. While violent crime has decreased in the aggregate, Senior Legal Fellow Cully Stimson explains how the “progressive” rogue prosecutor movement drove an uptick in crime in major cities. Finally, the report highlights the unprecedented influx of immigrats under President Joe Biden, estimated at 11.7 million people. The index outlines declining mental health, increased loneliness, and a distressing increase in obesity, which correlates with other health problems. The report examines high student loan debt, a rise in high school graduation rates that may have more to do with lowered standards than smarter students, and the increase in school choice, which allows students to escape failing public schools. Fewer Americans regularly attend church or religious services, and fewer donate to charitable causes. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American fell from 87% in 2001 to 58% in 2025. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Heritage index calls for decreased government spending, which has risen to a high percentage of GDP and leads to higher taxes and the hidden tax of inflation. It also notes the increasing regulatory burden. As Americans raise concerns about affordability, particularly the affordability of housing, the index calls for the construction of more and cheaper homes. The index also warns about government dependence, which saps both the dignity of self-sufficiency and the culture of self-reliance. As of 2023, almost 13% of the American population was receiving food stamps, so the index calls for work requirements and other accountability measures. Fewer young Americans are working, and that also undermines their dignity and makes them less likely to form families. The index faults the federal government’s official measure for poverty, which evaluates household income but excludes government assistance—a significant move when the government spends more than $1 trillion annually on means-tested welfare. The index calls for a measurement of self-sufficiency, rather than poverty. It is truly tragic if Americans are unable to thrive without government welfare, and the welfare system arguably encourages such dependency. Reasons for Hope Despite these distressing trends, Lee offers “glimmers of hope.” The increase in school choice “introduces market competition where it is most needed.” Volunteerism, Americans’ willingness to help one another, “remains robust.” While millions of illegal aliens entered the country under Biden, President Donald Trump has closed the border. He also notes that Americans are finally putting the chronic disease epidemic at the center of national concern. The Index of Culture and Opportunity may deliver some sobering truths about America today, but as Mike Lee says, “in order to fix or improve our culture, we must first measure and take stock.” This research is an excellent place to start.

Georgia state senators on Saturday, amid efforts to postpone removal of voter ballot QR codes to 2028, passed an amendment requiring hand recounts for the state’s top two ticket races during elections. The bill concerning the ban of QR codes on ballots would transition Georgia to an alternative system prior to the 2028 presidential election. The legislation, introduced by state Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, also calls for more post-election audits on some statewide races. On the floor of the Senate, Burns said his bill “prepares Georgia for future elections” while allowing the 2026 midterms to take place “in an orderly fashion.” The measure would accomplish four objectives: postpone Georgia’s deadline to ban QR code tabulation to 2028, institute a commission to choose an alternative voting system, require further post-election audits on certain Georgia elections, and mandate hand recounts on the state’s highest contests during each election. The hand recount amendment, added to the bill Saturday, passed by a 33-19 vote. Senate Minority Whip Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, voiced her opposition to the hand counts, telling reporters, “It sets us up for chaos and I actually believe that is the intention here.” “Republicans … [want] to create doubt in November so that they can contest what we know will be a blue wave,” Jackson added. However, when a hand recount was conducted following the results of the Georgia 2020 presidential election, various errors were revealed, such as significant ballot inconsistencies in Fulton County. Further, this was verified in a November 2021 report published by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office. Since then, various counties, including Paulding County, have utilized hand recounts since the presidential election and continue to use this method in vote tabulation. Burns’ bill, should it become law, would institute the Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee, composed of nine members chosen by the governor and lawmakers, to set guidelines for the new voting system without QR codes. The mandate to remove QR codes stems from legislation passed in 2024 that banned the codes starting July 1, 2026. However, that bill didn’t fund the change or explain how ballots would be counted without the codes. The bill introduced and approved on Saturday was introduced to deal with illegality and verifiability in the state’s QR system. Georgia’s current voting system gathers votes that are masked in QR codes that cannot be verified by Georgia voters. Critics say the problem needs to be addressed as it conflicts with various state election laws and also an executive order by President Donald Trump. According to Georgia election officials, recounting ballots by hand could prove expensive and take more time. A spokesperson for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia told The Center Square that the organization “comments on election bills only when they affect local taxpayer costs and election administration. The amendment affects both.” While Georgia does not have a new voting system, lawmakers will continue to work throughout the special session to keep the present system in place.