“It’s more than memorizing statistics and facts. It’s how you are able to absorb such knowledge that elevates your thinking above the noise of this world.” Erika Kirk delivers an emotional commencement speech Saturday at Hillsdale College, telling graduates that her late husband Charlie Kirk believes learning is about far more than facts, politics, or headlines. It’s about pursuing truth, defending liberty, and building a life rooted in purpose. Kirk, who now serves as CEO and chair of Turning Point USA following Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September 2025, speaks to Hillsdale’s graduating class during the school’s 174th commencement ceremony in Michigan. At times emotional and at times funny, the speech doubles as both a tribute to Charlie and a broader message about faith, family, responsibility, and what Kirk sees as a culture losing its direction. One of the most memorable moments comes when Kirk tells the story of their honeymoon, where Charlie still can’t fully disconnect from learning. “When we got married and we went to our honeymoon the next day, we decided for our honeymoon that it would be a disconnected honeymoon,” Kirk says. “Meaning no computers, no cell phones.” But Charlie still brings along what she jokingly calls a “bat phone” for emergencies. While the two are working out at the gym, Kirk suddenly hears Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn’s voice coming from across the room. “I walk over to him. Baby, what are you listening to?” she recalls. “He goes, I know. He was like, I’m almost done. He’s like, I have to finish just a few more lectures from Dr. Arn.” Kirk says Charlie constantly takes Hillsdale online courses and proudly screenshots every certificate of completion. “He really understood that this institution wasn’t normal,” she says. “It was something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader and really become a serious person, not just a political talking head.” Throughout the speech, Kirk repeatedly points back to Charlie’s obsession with learning and his belief that education should shape how people think, not just help them memorize information. “I would say, I love learning from you,” Kirk says, recalling date nights where she would ask Charlie to explain the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, or Winston Churchill. “He just loved being able to share what he had learned in those moments,” she adds. Kirk also uses the speech to warn graduates about chasing comfort and easy living instead of purpose and meaning. “What you seek in life, you will get,” she tells graduates. “If you’re seeking the ugly, the conspiracy, the pain, you’ll find it. And if you’re seeking the good and the true and the beautiful, you will find that as well.” “You are not made for a life that asks nothing of you,” she adds. “You were made for something higher.” At several points, Kirk frames Charlie’s life as a blueprint for the graduating class, reminding students that Turning Point USA famously starts “in a garage in Lamont, Illinois” when Charlie is fresh out of high school with “no money, no connections, and no idea what he was doing.” But she says he never sees the mission as random. “He knew that with the Lord. That was his calling,” she says. Kirk closes the speech with a direct message to graduates about preserving the country they are inheriting. “Love your country,” she says. “Our country is not perfect, but my goodness is she good.” “And as you start day one as a graduate, build carefully, choose wisely,” Kirk adds. “And aim not at what is easy or immediate, but what is beautiful and true.”

Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said the solution to shrinking portion sizes is simple: just ask for more. The exec addressed the issue during an appearance this week on Yahoo! Finance. Customers have been complaining for months that fast food burgers are smaller, pre-packaged snacks have less food, and burritos from Chipotle aren’t as stuffed as they used to be.  “If you want more, you should ask for a little more,” the fast food exec said. “I promise you, there’s never a team member on that line that is going to say no to you.” “We will continue to put heaping spoonfuls of food in bowls and burritos,” Boatwright continued, adding that the company is focused on both portions and food quality.  “It has always been our brand ethos, and it is still to this day,” he insisted. “We serve big, beautiful bowls and burritos. No questions asked.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Yahoo Finance (@yahoofinance) The CEO further pushed back on claims that Chipotle employees were “skimping” on portion sizes. “I tell my team all the time, ‘put as much food in that bowl and burrito as you possibly can,'” he told Yahoo! Finance. “‘I want the consumer to tell you, ‘it’s too big.'” “We’re about abundance, we’re about value,” he went on. “Value equals benefit over price.” The exec also claimed to be “absorbing” the cost of inflation rather than passing it on to customers. He told the outlet that Chipotle is pleased to offer “an affordable price point for all walks of life, and we’re for everyone. We want everyone to have access to wholesome, nutritious food.” Commenters were skeptical that restaurant workers would be willing to increase portion sizes without charging them extra.  “Save this video [for] every time you walk in,” one commenter wrote. “He said if you want more, they will give you more, but will also charge you more,” another comment said. “Bro … have you been to Chipotle,” a third person chimed in. “Straight lies they will 100% charge you double each time you say more,” yet another commenter agreed. Others brought up the common complaint that delivery portions are rumored to be much smaller than those being served inside the restaurants, a problem that wouldn’t be solved by Boatwright’s suggestion to “ask for more.”

Iran keeps finding out the hard way that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy playbook does not leave a lot of room for stalling, bluffing, or endless empty negotiations. As the regime weighs whether to respond to Trump’s latest nuclear proposal, officials and defense experts are openly warning what comes next if Tehran tries to drag this out too long: more crushing economic pressure, expanded military strikes, and a systematic dismantling of Iran’s ability to threaten the region. Speaking Saturday morning to reporters, our commander-in-chief said he expects to hear from Iran “very soon” regarding the latest United States peace proposal and suggested Tehran still “very much” wants to reach a lasting agreement. The president sounded cautiously optimistic but also made clear he is watching closely to see whether Iran is serious or simply trying to buy time, a tactic the regime has used throughout Operation Epic Fury. “We’re getting a letter [from Iran] supposedly tonight, so we’ll see how that goes,” Trump told reporters Friday evening from his golf club in Virginia. When asked whether Iran could be intentionally dragging out negotiations, Trump responded bluntly: “I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough.” That uncertainty is exactly why the situation still feels like it could explode at any moment. Behind the scenes, negotiators are reportedly trying to piece together a preliminary framework tied to Iran’s nuclear program and possible sanctions relief. But former military officials say neither side actually trusts the other. Meanwhile, the pressure campaign on Tehran has not exactly disappeared. Just days after Iran launched missiles toward the UAE’s Fujairah Port, United States forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz. Officials insist the operation did not officially restart the war or end the ceasefire, but it sent a very clear message that America is still holding the bigger stick. And according to defense experts, Trump is intentionally keeping Iran guessing about how far he is willing to go. If negotiations collapse, experts say the U.S. would likely begin by targeting the systems Iran relies on to intimidate the Middle East and threaten global shipping lanes. That includes ballistic missiles, Revolutionary Guard infrastructure, command centers, naval attack boats, and air defense systems. One major target would almost certainly be Iran’s fast attack boat fleet in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has long used to harass oil tankers and pressure the global economy. At the same time, Trump appears to be tightening the economic screws even further. Some experts say a maritime blockade alone could slowly suffocate Iran’s oil exports and leave the regime economically cornered within months. Others warn that if Iran refuses to deal, the next phase could become much more painful. Trump has already warned Iran that America could target key energy infrastructure and export hubs if Tehran continues pushing toward a nuclear weapon. The contrast with previous administrations is hard to miss. Instead of pallets of cash, endless appeasement, and weak red lines, Trump is signaling that Iran has two choices: negotiate seriously or watch America squeeze the regime even harder from every direction possible.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is getting roasted online after an obscene verbal slip-up during a live mayoral debate became one of the night’s most viral moments. The awkward exchange happened while Bass was defending her administration’s handling of the catastrophic Palisades fires that devastated parts of Los Angeles earlier this year. “Was that a mistake?” the moderator immediately asked as Bass stumbled through the response. Attempting to explain problems with the city’s emergency response, Bass appeared to accidentally say “fire f*cks” instead of “fire trucks” before quickly correcting herself. Karen Bass makes obscene gaffe during live LA mayoral debate https://t.co/vgEXB5WlmC pic.twitter.com/Gyp1EMAF3U — California Post (@californiapost) May 7, 2026 Clips of the moment spread rapidly across social media, where critics mocked the mayor for looking flustered and unprepared during one of the most high-profile debates of the race so far. The gaffe came during an especially rough night for Bass, who repeatedly found herself on defense over Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, public safety concerns, and the city’s wildfire response. Several moments during the debate saw Bass interrupted or forced into lengthy explanations as challengers pressed her on the city’s ongoing problems. Much of the criticism centered on Bass attempting to blame former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley for staffing issues during the deadly fires. Bass argued that firefighters had been sent home before conditions spiraled out of control — a claim that immediately sparked backlash online from critics accusing the mayor of trying to shift responsibility. The debate quickly turned combative as frustration over the condition of Los Angeles dominated the discussion. Questions about rising crime, drug addiction, homelessness encampments, and taxpayer spending repeatedly put Bass on the defensive throughout the night. Political observers noted that Bass often appeared tense and struggled to regain control during several exchanges as the audience reacted loudly to attacks over the city’s decline. The viral debate performance now adds even more pressure to Bass as anger continues to build over the direction of Los Angeles ahead of the June 2 mayoral election.

While hardworking Americans juggle grocery bills and sky-high property taxes, Ohio’s Medicaid money machine was apparently having a pretty great run. Now Republican Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy says it is time to slam the brakes. After Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak exposed what critics are calling a sprawling Medicaid cash pipeline operating across Ohio, Ramaswamy is now calling for prosecutions, taxpayer savings, and a crackdown on abuse inside the system. “Common sense policies to say we’re respecting the rule of law,” Ramaswamy said on ‘Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany.’ “Lawbreakers ought to be prosecuted. We should not apologize for that.” The comments come after Rosiak uncovered a bizarre web of Medicaid-linked companies across Ohio, including one Columbus address tied to 94 separate businesses that reportedly billed taxpayers more than $66 million. The taxpayer is not a piggy bank to be bilked. We will comprehensively review Ohio’s $40BN+ Medicaid expenditures and aggressively prosecute illegal abuses of the program. That starts in early 2027 & we won’t hold back. pic.twitter.com/MFRAU4B69z — Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 9, 2026 The investigation blew the lid off some of the offices appearing practically deserted, with covered windows, generic “Home Health LLC” names, and little visible evidence that actual operations were taking place inside. The reporting zeroed in on Ohio’s exploding Medicaid-funded home healthcare system, where loosely defined “homemaking” services like cooking and cleaning can generate massive taxpayer-funded payouts with limited oversight. Rosiak’s investigation also highlighted how Columbus, home to one of the nation’s largest Somali immigrant populations, has seen entire neighborhoods flooded with Medicaid-billing home healthcare businesses as operators realized the government would pay people to provide “companionship” and care services to family members inside private homes. Ramaswamy argued the issue goes far beyond bureaucratic waste. To him, it is directly connected to why taxpayers feel squeezed in the first place. “But these are taxpayer dollars that belong in the hands of citizens,” he said. “Property taxes in the state have gotten too high.” The Ohio Republican also connected the Medicaid controversy to his broader push to slash taxes across the state if elected governor this November. “Income taxes in certain states are zero income tax,” Ramaswamy said. “I want Ohio to be such a zero income tax state as well, but that means we’re going to have to take a look at every other area of savings for the taxpayer.” Rosiak’s reporting painted a picture not just of isolated fraud, but of an entire taxpayer-funded ecosystem where oversight appears weak, accountability appears scarce, and huge amounts of public money are flowing through companies that investigators say often raise obvious red flags. One especially eye-popping detail involved a landlord whose buildings reportedly housed hundreds of Medicaid-related businesses billing the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars. The investigation also highlighted how difficult the system can be to verify in practice. In some cases, family members are reportedly paid through Medicaid programs to “care” for relatives at home, with little meaningful oversight over whether services are actually being rendered.