Almost a year after the University of Michigan severed ties with a Chinese institution over concerns of national security, over a dozen U.S. universities are still working with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Now, at least one of those schools is also considering cutting ties with the Chinese university over national security concerns.   The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong University is currently under review, the Honolulu public university told The Daily Signal.   The central fear is China may exploit its relationship with universities like Yale, Cornell, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same way it is reported to have done at the University of Michigan, according to a Heritage Foundation expert.   In the case of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, “it would be safer” for U.S. universities “to cut ties at this particular juncture where we must pay closer attention to these critical matters to safeguard our national security from CCP threats,” Anthony Kim, a research fellow in International Economic Affairs at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal.   University of Michigan In January, the University of Michigan announced it would end its longstanding partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, based in Shanghai, China, over Congress raising concern of national security.   Following an extensive investigation into American universities’ relationship and work with China, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., sent a letter to University of Michigan President Santa Ono at the end of October 2024 warning that “Sanghai Jiao Tong drives the [People’s Republic of China] PRC’s military modernization and intelligence capabilities.”   Through its work and research, Sanghai Jiao Tong makes “significant contributions to the PRC’s most sensitive defense programs, including nuclear weapons, carrier rockets, satellites, nuclear submarines, and fighter jets,” the Congressman wrote to Ono.   A series of national security breaches at the University of Michigan were also discovered to be linked to the school’s research relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The Washington Free Beacon reports. The breaches included accusations that University of Michigan Students, who are Chinese nationals, took photos of military drills at Camp Grayling, a military training facility in Michigan.   Earlier this year, the Department of Justice charged a Chinese national employed at the University of Michigan with smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen called Fusarium graminearum into the U.S.  Change Is ‘Overdue’ “I think we need a common sense-based step by step approach to untangle what’s been going on with bad, malicious players that have been polluting our academic institutions,” Kim said, adding that the change is “overdue.”  Changes aimed at “stopping academic or other types of espionage or influence operations, particularly from China’s CCP” should include “enforcing stricter transparency for funding …, lowering disclosure thresholds for university grants [and] donations, and holding universities accountable for concealing foreign influence through government-sponsored student groups,” Kim said.   Shanghai Jiao Tong and US Universities The University of South Carolina, which has an exchange program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, says its relationship with the Chinese institution “has been limited to sending a handful of our business students to SJTU for a semester; not part of research-oriented student exchange program,” Jeffrey Stensland, associate vice president for university communications at the University of South Carolina, told The Daily Signal.   The university does not currently have any students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, according to Stensland.   The University of California at Berkeley, which also has a relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, “complies with every single federal law, every state law, and every university policy that together ensure our relationships with foreign countries and entities operate in [a] manner consistent with our national interest,” Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor at the school, said.   Meanwhile, other colleges, such as Drexel University in Pennsylvania, have already ended their program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, but did not specify the reason why.   Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, University of Texas at Austin, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment regarding their current relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong University or whether their school would consider terminating relations with the Chinese institution over concern of national security.   The post Another University Considers Cutting Ties With Chinese Institution as National Security Concerns Mount   appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In a short timeframe, Republicans in Congress are attempting to legislate on an issue that has challenged them for over a decade—health care. At the end of the year, President Joe Biden’s COVID era boosts to premium tax credits are set to expire. Democrat messaging on the issue has repeatedly accused Republicans of taking away Americans’ health insurance, putting pressure on Republicans to act before year’s end. Now, Republicans are scrambling to present an alternative to the tax credits—which they say more closely resemble direct subsidies to insurance companies, are vulnerable to widespread fraud, and have produced market distortions and inflation. The Senate‘s Menu of Options Thursday is set tobe a tremendously important day for this health care fight as Senators will have the option of advancing two bills.  One is the Democratic proposal to simply extend the enhanced credits for three years.  The other is the Republican-backed overhaul from Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mike Crapo of Idaho, which would allow the credits to expire.  There had been other Republican proposals to choose from, such as Sen. Rick Scott of Florida’s bill, a somewhat similar proposal which would allow states to opt out of more elements of Obamacare, enabled consumers to shop across state lines for plans. It additionally would reinforce President Donald Trump’s 2019 health care price transparency executive order. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, has introduced companion legislation in the House. Cassidy and Crapo’s bill would put in place of premium tax credits new health savings accounts that would have funds deposited by the Department of Human Health and Services (HHS). The funds could not be used for abortion or gender transition procedures. Additionally, the Cassidy-Crapo bill would widen plan options for consumers and include provisions to prevent taxpayer funds from going to illegal immigrants and transgender procedures. “This program desperately needs to be reformed, the Democrats have decided, ‘We’re not going to do anything to reform it,’ and so we’ll see where the votes are on Thursday,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said at a Tuesday press conference. “But we will have an alternative that we will put up that reflects the views of the Republicans here in the United States Senate.”  Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images) Neither bill is likely to get the 60 votes necessary to be advanced to a vote on a floor, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has already expressed his opposition to the Cassidy bill, but Thursday’s floor action is a chance to get the ball rolling on health care legislation. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters Tuesday that what has to come after the likely standstill is good faith negotiation from both sides. “Hiopefully further negotiation” comes next, he said, “so we can get to some sort of a compromise that can get 60 votes.” A House Divided In the House, where some Republican rank-and-file have recently complained about the chamber not being in the driver’s seat of policy creation, leadership has not yet unveiled its exact proposals.  However, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed Wednesday that he would be advancing a package to tackle the issue.  The Republican conference is split between numerous views on the matter, with some advocating an extension of existing subsidies, and others advocating their complete overhaul. “Some are talking about that,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters when asked if his some of his members favored a short-term extension of the subsidies. House Republicans had held their weekly conference meeting Wednesday morning. “But there were members on the other side of that issue as well,” Scalise said. “And again, when you got a very narrow majority, if less than a handful of members are on the other side of an issue, it’s not going to make it through our conference.” Republican members of the House ways and means Committee—a key committee dealing with taxation issues—indicated that they would not be able to stomach a proposal which would simply extend the Obamacare credits as they left the conference meeting. “This is absolutely destroying the health care system,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said of the credits system. “The CEOs are making 80, 100 million dollars a year while a family of four can’t afford their premiums.” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images) Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who chairs ways and means, told reporters that he will not go along with a health care plan tailored to credit recipients—who, although numerous, are only a subsection of the wider American population. The recipients are, in accordance with the eligibility structure of the program, generally people under 65 who do not receive insurance coverage from an employer but are also not impoverished enough to receive Medicaid. “Options on healthcare have to be focused on lowering the cost and premiums for every single American, not just the ones on exchanges,” Smith told reporters in a heated tone. “And so I’m glad that people are started to have that discussion and putting the timeframe on when things happen. That’s up to leadership to decide, but I will not support policies that don’t lower healthcare costs for all America” The Abortion Angle A number of pro-life provisions in GOP healthcare proposals are under pressure because of Democrat opposition. While this opposition does not matter much in the House, Democrats will ultimately need to vote with Republicans on a healthcare package to overcome the upper chamber’s filibuster. Speaker Johnson made clear that House Republican proposals will include pro-life provisions in response to a question from The Daily Signal on Wednesday. “Look, it’s an important principle. The Republicans always stand by the Hyde provisions,” Johnson told The Daily Signal on Wednesday. “It’s been a tradition in our law forever. We do believe in the sanctity of human life and we think it’s important that taxpayer dollars not fund abortion. This is a well settled principle of ours.” ‘It’s Important Taxpayer Dollars Don’t Fund Abortion:’ Johnson Says House Republicans Plan to Advance Pro-Life Provisions in Healthcare PackageAs @SpeakerJohnson prepares to advance a health care package to overhaul Obamacare premium subsidies, he tells @GCaldwell_news the… pic.twitter.com/hJVnS3bkgU— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 10, 2025 Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told reporters that abortion, specifically the issue of whether to include a pro-life “Hyde” provision to the package, is causing issued in the House. “The real problem is the Hyde amendment issue, and I would urge that our groups that support us look at the big picture here. We either have incremental wins or we lose everything,” Murphy said. Asked if he meant incremental wins should be sought specifically on pro-life issues, Murphy told The Daily Signal, “Well, that’s part of it, but also, we can do about 15 things, really, that lower the cost of care in the United States… The whole insurance industry in the United States is something that is not replicated across the entire world. It’s an aberration, and it absolutely needs complete reform.” A Do-Or-Die Situation There is a growing Republican consensus that they must act decisively on health care and insurance policy quickly, or Democrats will take the reins on the matter. “If we play small, we’ll lose the elections,” Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., said. “We have to do overhaul of this engine that is sputtering, of the unaffordability among health care.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is already attempting to sow dissent in the Republican caucus, having filed a discharge petition which, if it gathered enough Republican signatures, would force a vote on his bill to extend the subsidies for three years. There also appear to be Republican-led efforts to circumvent leadership. Punchbowl News reported Wednesday afternoon that moderate House Republicans are filing a discharge petition to force a vote on Democrat Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania’s bill to extend the subsidies for two years. With midterms approaching, Democrats attempting to stoke the fires of dissent, and Republicans eager to fight back, it appears vital for House Republican Leadership to deliver on popular health care legislation. The post Republicans Engage in Do-Or-Die Health Care Push appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The incredible artists who were awarded Kennedy Center Honors Sunday night rose above partisan rancor and helped showcase the universal appeal of President Donald Trump’s valiant efforts to restore America’s cultural jewel.  Trump made history as the first president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, an event founded 48 years ago to give lifetime achievement medals to iconic artists.  I spoke with several of the honorees, who included actor-director Sylvester Stallone, singers George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford, along with rock band KISS. Each said that art is unifying, universal, and should be free from partisan tribalism. “I think it’s nonsense,” KISS musician Paul Stanley told The Daily Signal about critics trying to vilify Trump and artists who accept Honors under Trump’s presidency. “And it’s almost embarrassing, because this isn’t a political event. This is a celebration of the arts, and I don’t believe that any other people who have gotten these accolades were asked who they voted for or what their political beliefs were.   “So, to suddenly spring on us the idea that that should push us one direction or another really, I think, eclipses the idea that the arts are what are being celebrated and what all of these people have brought to the public in their own way. I think everybody should just calm down.”  Before the show, Trump told the press the Honorees were chosen from a list of about 50 names. Trump also told The Daily Signal that next year’s Kennedy Center programming for the America 250 Celebrations would also include tributes to some of the country’s most prominent UFC fighters.  This year, under Trump’s leadership as board chair, Kennedy Center Honors raised a record $23 million—the highest haul for Honors ever raised and nearly double the $12.7 million raised last year under former President Joe Biden.  “I’m an actor. I’m non-political,” Crawford, most noted for playing the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Phantom of the Opera,” told The Daily Signal. “[Trump]’s an enthusiastic fan of the music, and I’m here for the audience that has been kind to me since we’ve been in America.”  Crawford, 83, who is British, complimented America for its artistic vibrancy and “great freedom.”  “I saw the original cast of ‘West Side Story,’ and that changed my life, to see that energy,” Crawford said. “We didn’t do musicals like that in England … I love the freedom. But it took a lot of bravery to be like that in England. So, it was good when I got over here and worked in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ I had that freedom to be that way.” “Good art isn’t political, and I think maybe what’s happened in the past is that it’s not been great art, not been great shows,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The Daily Signal before the Honors show. “It’s pretty hard-pressed to go, ‘We’ve got right-wing music.’ That doesn’t really exist. It’s just good music, and [Trump]’s looked to this facility, the Kennedy Center, and said ‘I want to bring in the best artists and the best shows.’”  Clearly, people are hungry for artistic programming that appeals to all Americans and veers away from woke partisanship like under Biden. “I think no matter what the president does, people will try to criticize him, which is too bad,” Duffy continued. “If you love the performing arts, then you have a president who cares about it the way that he does, who wants to find donors to give to this facility and the Congress to give money to make it great, then you should celebrate that. But because he does it, they get angry. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.  “But again, I think the Left can’t wrap their heads around Donald Trump doing something for a facility that they actually like. They should just stop and say, ‘Thank you, Donald Trump, you are amazing. Well done.’”  Kari Lake, senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, told The Daily Signal Trump is revitalizing the Kennedy Center for all Americans.  “Arts are a place where we can escape, where we can walk away, we can walk into a theater, we walk into a venue and we can turn off any animosity we have, let go of our politics and it doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat, Republican, American, another nationality,” Lake said. “You sit down and listen to Mozart. You listen to a symphony—you escape. And so that’s what it should be about.”  Carrie Sheffield is author of “Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness” and program manager of Healthy Faith.  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Kennedy Center Honors Continues Trump Momentum to Unify Americans Through Art appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is demanding answers from Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary after he declined to give The Daily Signal a timeframe for his review on the abortion pill. “Yesterday, in response to the latest reports, you said, ‘There has been an ongoing review of mifepristone. It’s actually required as part of a policy called REMS,'” Hawley wrote, linking to The Daily Signal interview. “But that is not what you promised. You promised a new and comprehensive study taking account of all available safety data, not the standard monitoring FDA already performs for countless drugs.” The science is clear. The chemical abortion drug is not safe. FDA head Marty Makary needs to reinstate President Trump’s safety rules from his first term and stop stonewalling on a full safety review of mifepristone. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/SoVoumSB9W— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 10, 2025 Makary told The Daily Signal Tuesday that the review of the abortion drug mifepristone is in the “data acquisition phase” following a Bloomberg report saying he is delaying the process until after midterms. “We do an ongoing review, but we’re also engaging in a robust study that can serve to validate or not validate other numbers that have been put out there in the literature,” the FDA chief said. Makary and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have pledged to do a review of the safety of abortion drugs. But Hawley said it is unclear if Makary is “conducting an independent safety review at all.” EXCLUSIVE??: @DrMakaryFDA responded to a report saying he is delaying the review of the abortion pill.The FDA is currently in the “data acquisition phase” of the review," he told @DailySignal.“We do an ongoing review, but we’re also engaging in a robust study that can serve… pic.twitter.com/bhkTwXqvby— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) December 9, 2025 “This is totally unacceptable,” the senator wrote. “I cannot emphasize enough the danger of playing politics with women’s health.” The Ethics & Public Police Center study found that about 11% of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion. This has led to calls to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. “The safety regulations from President Trump’s first term should be reinstated,” Hawley said. “But you have not done so. And news reports indicate you are attempting to sideline any review of mifepristone safety.” In response to Hawley’s letter, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said “FDA’s comprehensive scientific reviews take the time necessary to get the science right, and that is what Dr. Makary is ensuring as part of the Department’s commitment to gold-standard science and evidence-based reviews.” Hawley demanded direct answers on what the FDA is doing regarding the safety review. “Is the FDA conducting a comprehensive safety review of mifepristone separate from the REMS process?” Hawley asked, specifying that the answer should include when the study began and a specific timeline for its completion. “If you are conducting a comprehensive safety review, did you order it to be delayed? Why? Until when?” Hawley asked. When questioned by The Daily Signal about the timeline of the review, Makary said he is unable to predict the “results or the timeframe” of it.  “The shutdown was a little bit of a setback in that, but we’re gonna do it and whenever the results are available,” he said, “we’re gonna make them public.”  Hawley also asked if the FDA has plans to update the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) “to restore basic safety guardrails from President Trump’s first term, such as in-person dispensing.” When asked by The Daily Signal if it’s safe for women to take the abortion pill at home without seeing a doctor first, Makary said the Ethics & Public Police Center study “was done in claims data, so it didn’t have granularity into the patient characteristics in a way that many researchers would want to have.”  He dismissed the report that he is delaying the review of the abortion pill as a rumor circulating on social media. “There’s a lot of rumors that are circulating out there,” he said. “We live in a very partisan time, and so you’re going to see the echo chambers of social media sort of magnify rumors, things that are just not true. There has been an ongoing review of mifepristone.”  Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said “the reality is far worse” than a social media rumor. “Now, nearly a year into the Trump administration, the Dr. Makary abortion drug safety review hasn’t even passed the data-gathering phase and there’s no ETA,” the organization wrote on X in response to The Daily Signal’s interview. “That’s the definition of slow-walking.” “We repeat: Makary must go,” the leading pro-life organization said. The post Hawley Ramps up Pressure on FDA Chief After Daily Signal Interview appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The House of Representative passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual defense bill, by a vote of 312-112 Wednesday evening after a drama-filled day on the House floor. The NDAA with over a $900 billion price tag received support from both Republicans and Democrats, a rarity this Congress as House Speaker Mike Johnson has regularly had to pass major legislative items through the lower chamber with just a few votes to spare. The 312 in support of the bill was divided between 197 Republicans and 115 Democrats. Only 18 Republicans joined 94 Democrats in opposition. BREAKING: House passes compromise version of the NDAA in a 312-112 vote.It’s a wide bipartisan vote, though Democrats fairly closely divided on supporting the defense bill. pic.twitter.com/Ad4NyYVLZ3— Connor O'Brien (@connorobrienNH) December 10, 2025 Both the House and the Senate have previously passed their own versions of the NDAA, and the text is a compromise between the two. The topline spending number set in the bill is $8 billion above the White House’s budget request and includes some major wins for conservatives. These include a 4% pay raise for enlisted service members, ending “authorizations for use of military force” for previous Middle East wars, and a prohibition on programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as critical race theory. Wins also came in the form of provisions left out of the bill, such as an artificial intelligence regulation moratorium and language that would have expanded IVF coverage. The bill additionally has oversight provisions over the executive branch. The Pentagon would not be allowed to reduce the number of active troops stationed in Europe below 76,000 for longer than a 45-day period unless it has certified to Congress that it is in the best interest of the United States and the decision has been reached after consultation with NATO allies. How the NDAA Almost Failed Drama came to the chamber during the vote on the rule to bring the bill to a vote, as Democrats refused to back the annual legislation which is often considered “must-pass” legislation. A large contingency of swing district Republicans, many of whom support extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, also withheld their votes for an extended period. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., huddled with these members for an extended period of time before they voted for the bill.  These informal huddles on the House floor between holdouts and leadership are often used to resolve policy questions and disagreements This group of swing district Republicans slow to make their vote included Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota of New York, as well as Brian Fitzpatrick and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania. Additionally, multiple conservative firebrands, such as Reps. Eric Burlison of Missouri, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, initially voted against the rule before ultimately backing it.  House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., engaged in a one-on-one conversation with Greene before she flipped her vote. On X, Greene, who is set to resign her seat on Jan. 5, 2026, said she had struck a deal with House leadership for her support on the NDAA. “I made a deal and changed my NO vote on the rule to a Yes in exchange for a floor vote next week on my bill that is one of President Trump’s key campaign promises and executive orders,” Greene said. “Leader Steve Scalise has promised me that my bill Protect Children’s Innocence Act, H.R. 3492, will be brought to the floor for a vote next Wednesday, Dec 17th.” The bill, Greene said, “would make it a class c felony to trans a child under 18. Every Republican campaigned to protect kids from the trans agenda.” I made a deal and changed my NO vote on the rule to a Yes in exchange for a floor vote next week on my bill that is one of President Trump’s key campaign promises and executive orders.Leader Steve Scalise has promised me that my bill Protect Children’s Innocence Act, H.R. 3492,…— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) December 10, 2025 CNN’s correspondent Manu Raju reported after the rule vote that Burchett, Luna and Boebert had been won over after a few leadership concessions: a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a promise of a vote on a bill to prohibit stock trading among members of Congress, and a vote on banning the potential creation of a digital U.S. dollar. An anti-central bank digital currency provision in the bill had been left out after previously being promised to members. Just spoke to conservative holdouts who ultimately voted to advance NDAABurchett/Luna/Boebert-They said they spoke to Rubio who assured them money going to certain NGOs won’t go to Taliban– won assurances to move version of Stock Act– concession from Johnson on crypto bill— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 10, 2025 Shortly after flipping her vote, Luna posted on X, “Our Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] is incredible. He talked to us on the phone and told us he is cutting off all funding of US tax or dollars to Taliban. We will be providing him with the vehicle in which that is happening!” Rep. Burchett is the author of a bill to prevent United States funds from being sent to the Taliban in Afghanistan. It has not come to a vote in the Senate, causing frustration for Burchett. Luna had earlier on Wednesday complained of the NDAA, “The Senate GOP is pulling some massive trash with the NDAA meanwhile undermining POTUS with his confirmations. Guess what? NO ANTI-CBDC legislation in NDAA? Taxpayer dollars for Taliban? The same POS’s that shot my husband? UKRAINE funding? NDAA in current form is NO GO sincerely WE THE PEOPLE.” It appears that the phone call with Rubio may have been part of a deal to satisfy Luna and others’ concerns about taxpayer funds ending up in the hands of the Taliban.  The bill will now go to the Senate, where it will require 60 votes to proceed to a vote on the floor. The post House Agrees to Over $900 Billion in Pentagon Spending After Drama on the Floor appeared first on The Daily Signal.