Virginia Democrats have introduced legislation that would significantly raise income and investment taxes, putting the Commonwealth on track to become the highest-taxed state in the nation. These proposals, which include new top tax brackets and higher levies on investment income, would push Virginia’s effective income tax rate above California’s. Democrats introduced the legislation shortly after consolidating power in Richmond, creating higher income tax brackets and expanding taxes on capital gains and other investment income. If lawmakers enact the bills, the changes would raise Virginia’s top effective income tax rate to roughly 13.8%, surpassing all other states. Lawmakers backing the measures argue the tax hikes are necessary to fund public priorities and stabilize state finances. Virginia Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-VA) said the proposals would require “millionaires [to] pay their fair share of taxes,” arguing the revenue would help “buffer” Virginians from broader economic pressures. Left-wing policy group The Commonwealth Institute, one of the many groups behind this proposed plan, said a “Fair Share tax” could raise more than $1 billion annually for education, housing, and other public services. Democrats have positioned the tax proposals as part of a broader affordability agenda. Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) has said her administration will prioritize lowering health care, housing, and energy costs. She campaigned on what she called an agenda to build a more “Affordable Virginia.” Throughout her campaign, Spanberger emphasized cost relief as a central theme. Her campaign promised that an “Affordable Virginia Plan will lower costs, save Virginians money, and make it easier for people who work hard to get ahead.” She later pledged that her administration would “lower health care, energy, and housing costs in 2026.” But critics argue the tax increases directly undermine those affordability promises. Virginia Republicans remain skeptical of these promises, with State House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-VA) pointing to the tax proposals as the leading edge of what he calls a slate of “bad bills.” The Republican Party of Virginia released an official statement saying, “Spanberger’s economic agenda would take Virginia down the same failed path as California and New York.” The criticism quickly extended beyond Richmond. Conservative policy groups and Republican-aligned organizations warned the proposals would put Virginia at a competitive disadvantage nationally. “It’s always a bad time to raise taxes, but it would be particularly foolish for Governor Spanberger and the Democrats who now control Richmond to do so at this time of heightened state tax competition,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. Other conservative groups echoed that warning. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a major fundraising organization aligned with House Republicans, said the proposed tax increases would raise costs statewide, discourage investment, and drive jobs and capital out of Virginia. “It’s about to get very, very expensive to live, work, and raise a family in Virginia,” the organization said. The CLF also accused Democrats of moving quickly to raise taxes after campaigning on affordability, noting that “within 48 hours of taking power in Richmond, Virginia Democrats have introduced legislation creating new sales and retail taxes.” The group added that “Democrats campaign on affordability, but the minute they’re given power they rob hardworking families of their paycheck in the form of higher and new taxes.” Although lawmakers have not officially adopted the plan, Democrats’ 64-36 control of the House of Delegates and 21-19 majority in the Senate make passage likely. Still, as Democrats defend the tax hikes as a “fair share” contribution to fund affordability initiatives, the measures risk turning Virginia into a tax-hiking outlier and a liability for Democrats in the 2026 midterms, as voters increasingly see higher taxes as the party’s solution to affordability concerns.

President Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon reacted to the Border Patrol-involved fatal shooting in Minneapolis, accusing Democrat leaders in the state of inciting insurrection and questioning if they called off local law enforcement so federal immigration officers would be left unprotected. The shooting, which occurred hours ago, reportedly involved an armed 37-year-old white male. “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go,” Trump posted to Truth Social, captioning an image of the gun. “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off?” “It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” the president continued. Trump then brought up the stunning fraud scandal in Minnesota, where it’s suspected that billions of tax dollars were stolen. The scandal has been tied to the state’s large Somali population. “Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account?” the president wrote. “And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota? We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.” “We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW,” he continued. “Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong! This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.” Trump also accused far-Left Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” “Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America,” Trump said. “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!” he added. “12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!” Truth Social: Donald Trump As reported by The Daily Wire, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the incident occurred Saturday morning during a “targeted operation” for an illegal immigrant “wanted for violent assault,” when another individual came up to Border Patrol agents with a “semi-automatic handgun.” Related: Armed Suspect Fatally Shot By Federal Immigration Authorities In Minneapolis

Governor Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have all released public statements after an armed suspect was fatally shot by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. While none of the officials mentioned that the suspect was armed in their initial statements, all three placed blame on the Trump administration. Walz said, “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.” Rep. Omar said, “This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement.” The congresswoman added that she is “absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled” that federal agents “murdered another member of our community.” She claimed the shooting was not “isolated or accidental,” but the result of the Trump administration “trying to beat us into submission.” Omar said President Trump has turned Minnesota from a place of refuge into a “warzone where unchecked federal forces murder our neighbors.” Mayor Jacob Frey said, “How many times must local and national leaders plead with you Donald Trump to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city.” The Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire that the incident occurred as immigration officers carried out a “targeted operation” for an illegal immigrant “wanted for violent assault.” The individual who was shot approached Border Patrol agents with a “semi-automatic handgun.” The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The statement put out by the Department of Homeland Security stands in sharp contrast to those put out by local and national leaders. “At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” DHS said. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted.” Other prominent leaders in Washington, D.C., are voicing their opinions as well. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “Americans are being killed in the street by their government. Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving. Resist.” She added, “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared that ICE needs to be “out of Minnesota now.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated, “As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today,” adding, “ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.” The Department of Homeland Security has said additional details about the armed struggle are forthcoming.

An armed individual was fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, and the firearm was taken by law enforcement on Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to The Daily Wire that the “suspect had a firearm with 2 magazines,” but noted that the situation is “evolving,” with more details expected to emerge. According to Fox News, the shooting occurred around 26th St. and Nicollet Ave. In a statement sent to The Daily Wire by DHS said that on Saturday morning that the incident occurred during a “targeted operation”  for an illegal immigrant “wanted for violent assault,” and then an individual came up to Border Patrol agents with the “semi-automatic handgun.” ‘The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” the statement read. “The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.  About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.  This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming,” it continued. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the individual died shortly after the shooting, while a viral video now circulating on social media appears to show the incident. Various details are unknown at this time. Firearm obtained by authorities following shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24. (DHS) The Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge has been ongoing in the Minneapolis area since late last year, which has yielded the arrests of over 3,000 people, including those in the country illegally with additional criminal charges and convictions. “DHS law enforcement continues to remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the streets of Minnesota. Just yesterday, they arrested pedophiles, sexual predators, and drug traffickers in Minnesota,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Friday, highlighting notable arrests throughout the operation. “Many of these public safety threats were released from Minnesota jails. We are calling on Governor Walz and Mayor Frey to honor the more than 1,360 detainers of the illegal aliens in Minnesota jails. Despite horrific smears and violent assaults against them, our officers continue to put their lives on the line to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” she added. Anti-ICE protests surged in the region following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, who the administration said tried to hit an ICE agent with her vehicle, and the agent suffered internal bleeding as a result, according to DHS.

When the Food and Drug Administration announced that the agency would be removing the black-box warning from hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, women everywhere threw their hands up in celebration. And rightly so. America’s health agencies are finally acknowledging that women are not simply “little men,” and that research and clinical care must account for a woman’s unique biology and hormonal fluctuations across every stage of life. But amid the cheering, some important nuance is being overlooked. The FDA’s decision to remove the black-box warning from HRT is just one example of how recommendations offered without adequate context or distinction may do more harm than good. The idea that estrogen supplementation is a cure-all for the symptoms women commonly experience during perimenopause and menopause — hot flashes, disrupted sleep, fatigue, muscle aches, inflammation, weight gain, bloating, and mood swings — is a myth. Often, women are not suffering from a lack of estrogen, but from what Kitty Martone, a holistic health educator who works with women to navigate perimenopause and menopause, refers to as estrogen dominance — a state in which estrogen outweighs progesterone, producing symptoms that look identical to low estrogen. Estrogen does not act in isolation, but the details are rarely explained to women. To be tolerated well, estrogen must be balanced by adequate progesterone and supported by a healthy metabolic rate. For many women, progesterone is the first hormone to decline — often years before estrogen meaningfully drops — due to chronic stress, under-eating, thyroid suppression, and blood sugar instability. This creates a common paradox: estrogen may appear “normal,” or even low, on a lab test, yet functionally feel excessive in the body because there is not enough progesterone to counterbalance its effects. Women are then told they are estrogen-deficient and prescribed more estrogen, while symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, migraines, heavy or irregular bleeding, bloating, and inflammation intensify rather than improve. In these cases, simply prescribing more estrogen does not resolve symptoms. In fact, it can make them worse. These mechanisms were not understood properly during the Women’s Health Initiative study, which was abruptly halted in the early 2000s upon a suggested correlation between HRT and breast cancer as well as heart disease. In an effort to recover from the fallout of the highly flawed study, which caused millions of women to abandon hormone therapy altogether, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. Cue the pharmaceutical ads: dancing women in sunflower meadows, singing about how wonderful life is with the latest HRT option. The fine print instructs women to “ask your doctor if it’s right for you,” but many doctors may not be properly equipped to offer nuanced guidance. Over the past few decades, medical visits have been reduced to 15–20 minute symptom reviews that are translated into billing codes entered into a computer. While this system serves insurance and data collection, it fails to treat women as whole individuals. It leaves little room to explore how diet, stress, thyroid function, gut health, or metabolic status influence hormonal symptoms — particularly in perimenopausal women. Martone argues that this system has created an environment where estrogen is prescribed casually, without sufficient context. “Doctors now essentially have carte blanche to prescribe estrogen for any hormone complaint — without evaluating detox pathways, metabolism, liver function, or estrogen clearance.” Some clinicians have been cautioning against this oversimplification for decades. Dr. Ray Peat, who studied hormones, metabolism, and stress physiology extensively, wrote about how estrogen tends to accumulate under conditions of chronic stress and low thyroid function, while progesterone plays a stabilizing, protective role for both the nervous system and bodily tissues. In plain terms, how a woman feels on hormones can have less to do with hormone levels and more to do with improper functioning of the liver, metabolism, and stress load at the time therapy is introduced. Two women can take the same prescription and have completely different outcomes — not because one is “doing it wrong,” but because their internal terrain is different. This helps explain why so many women feel dismissed when HRT is presented as a simple solution. When symptoms worsen, they are often told to increase the dose or switch brands, rather than step back and ask whether the body is prepared to handle additional estrogen. Martone emphasizes that women often need to experiment with hormones to discover individualized therapies that are right for them. Even low doses may require careful adjustment, alternative delivery methods, and significant trial and error — an experience that can be costly, frustrating, and far from straightforward. Meanwhile, big pharmaceutical companies are circling middle-aged women like sharks around blood. With the FDA’s decision, they’ve gained an expanded customer base — one encouraged to start hormone therapy earlier and remain on it for decades. The truth is no one — not even a doctor — can predict exactly how a woman will respond to HRT. Hormones are powerful biological signals, not cosmetic fixes. Their effects depend heavily on the body’s metabolic health, stress physiology, and ability to process and clear them. The renewed interest in hormone therapy reflects a real and valid desire for relief for women. But before removing warning labels and declaring HRT a universal solution, it’s worth asking why those cautions existed in the first place. Hormone replacement therapy is not a magic bullet. Women deserve care that honors complexity, not just convenience. * * * Jennifer Galardi is a Senior Policy Analyst for Restoring American Wellness in Heritage’s DeVos Center. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.