Prominent Democrats from across the country were campaigning for Tennessee Democrat Aftyn Behn on Monday night as the party hopes to pull of a “miracle” in Tuesday’s special election. Behn, running against Republican Matt Van Epps for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional district seat, was joined on a Zoom call by some of the Left’s biggest names, including former vice president Al Gore, and far-left congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal. The virtual rally was the final event of Behn’s special election campaign and was attended by around 1,200 people, many of whom appeared to be hopping on Zoom from out of state based on their comments in the video call’s chat. Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged that it would take a “miracle” for Democrats to turn the Tennessee district blue, but added that Behn’s position in the race has shown that “miracles still happen.” The democratic socialist from New York urged Democrats in Tennessee to remain hopeful that politicians like Behn can successfully push leftist policies in deep red states as the Democratic Party looks ahead to the pivotal 2026 midterm elections. Behn is hoping to win the deep red district despite pushing leftist policies in the past, including voicing support for abolishing police departments and saying that she was “fearful” for “trans communities” after a trans-identifying shooter killed three Christian schoolchildren and three staff members in Nashville. Behn’s Republican opponent was rarely mentioned during the rally, as the Democratic speakers focused much of their attention on attacking President Donald Trump and his administration. Democrats are positioning the Tennessee special election as a referendum on Trump’s agenda, as the party is optimistic that Behn is within striking distance in a district that went for Trump by 22 points in 2024. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. The virtual rally got off to a bumpy start when Gore was introduced by Behn’s campaign manager, with the former vice president nowhere to be seen. After a few quiet and awkward moments, Gore’s face appeared on screen and he was introduced for a second time. Gore kicked off the rally by doubling down on that focus and painting the Trump White House as one of the most evil and corrupt administration’s in U.S. history. Earlier on Monday, big name Republicans also gathered in the district to push Van Epps as the GOP and Trump emphasize the importance of the special election. At the Van Epps rally, Republicans were confident that they would win on Tuesday, but also acknowledged that the margins could be closer than what Republicans have come to expect in the district, The Daily Wire reported. Republicans and Democrats have poured millions of dollars into the special House race, with Behn’s campaign raising over $1 million between October 1 and November 12, according to campaign finance records. In that same timeframe, Van Epps raised $591,000, but the Republican candidate is also getting a big boost from Trump-aligned outside groups that have spent over a million dollars on advertisements. Over 84,000 voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, which lasted from November 12-26, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State. A large chunk of Republicans and Democrats are still expected to head to the polls on Tuesday morning. Polling results from Emerson College and The Hill released on Monday showed Van Epps with just a 2-point edge on Behn.

Target is being raked across the coals following a botched Black Friday giveaway that was overhyped and underwhelming. The retailer attempted to lure shoppers into the store ahead of the biggest shopping day of the year by promising the first 100 people in line early Friday morning “a limited edition iridescent holiday tote filled with fun giveaways.” In addition, ten randomly selected people at each store could win grand prizes including a Laifen hair dryer, a Ninja slushie machine, Beats headphones, and a $100 Target gift card, among other items. People started posting on social media about being camped out overnight in the freezing cold despite the rules clearly stating that no one was allowed to line up until 4 a.m. at the earliest. After the event, many customers complained about poor enforcement for line jumpers. But in the end, it didn’t matter much because almost everyone expressed their frustration at the contents of the swag bags. The oversized tote wasn’t “stuffed” – instead, it had a few cheap items that inspired most recipients to deem the entire thing a waste of time and energy. Most photos posted by shoppers who scored the giveaway showed similar contents, including a pack of UNO cards, a miniature Gemz shampoo package, a small bag of Nerds candy, an Elf cosmetic product, and a variety pack of LMNT electrolyte water supplements. The small items looked tiny in the oversized tote bag. There was a plethora of negative comments, video reactions, and spoof videos across all social media platforms. “Thanks @Target for the most pathetic black friday swag bag imaginable,” one X user wrote alongside a photo of the giveaway items. thanks @Target for the most pathetic black friday swag bag imaginable pic.twitter.com/8vZXfqdrQ5 — batt (@tasteochaos) November 28, 2025 “You advertise that the first hundred people in line would get swag bags filled with goodies… And this is what you came up with? Pretty ridiculous and disappointing,” another commenter agreed. “Waited hours for those ‘swag bags’ just to get… this? What a freaking joke. Y’all hyped it up like it was Christmas morning and handed us a bag of nothing. Guess I’ll go play Uno with everyone else who got played today. Absolute scam-level disappointment,” echoed a third. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. The bad PR comes at a terrible time for the retail giant, as the CEO just stepped down in August amid declining sales and boycotts from both sides of the political aisle. Black Friday shoppers had praise for a different retailer handing out swag bags, saying the giveaway at Lowe’s put Target to shame. The home improvement retailer handed out swag to the first 50 customers in line at their stores, and the offerings were much more substantial. Those customers received a five-gallon bucket filled with various building and home improvement items including a drill bit set, a bucket-shaped coffee mug, Magic Erasers, WD-40, and a keychain. Several lucky shoppers also received a “golden ticket” with a coupon for a free appliance worth up to $2,000. Target did not immediately return The Daily Wire’s request for comment.

Whoopi Goldberg claimed on Monday that if any American service members were charged with “war crimes” in relation to drug boat strikes, it would be because War Secretary Pete Hegseth had “set them up” to take the fall. Goldberg and her cohosts on ABC’s “The View” insisted that the strikes were illegal and argued that in ordering them, Secretary Hegseth was putting the service members who executed those orders at risk of prosecution. WATCH: The View wants American service members put in prison. Admitting their speaking about something they’re totally ignorant about, The View accuses War Secretary Pete Hegseth of a setting up soldiers to be charged for war crimes: SUNNY HOSTIN: I can’t speak to the law of it, I’m… pic.twitter.com/Ocvbb6Mes2 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2025 “I can’t speak to the law of it, I’m not a geopolitical expert, but in terms of the law of it, you’re right, Sara, that is why those Army vets explained do not follow — you do not have to follow illegal orders,” Sunny Hostin said. “You know why? Because if this is deemed to have been war crimes, which by all accounts right now there are seven sources that said Pete Hegseth did say ‘kill them all,’ even after there were two survivors,” Hostin continued. “What you are supposed to do under international law, you are supposed to take those fighters as war criminals, prisoners of war, and you are supposed to give them refuge and you’re supposed to take care of them and then you are supposed to put them into a court of law. Instead, they killed them.” 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. Hostin went on to say that there could be legal consequences for those who gave the orders and for those who carried them out. “That means the person who gave the order can be held accountable and put in prison, and that means the person that conducted — the people who conducted the orders, that pulled the trigger are also responsible and can be held accountable,” she said. “So, now you have people that are serving their countries, that are serving this country as patriots, perhaps following an illegal order and then themselves can be court-martialed. Imagine that.” “Well, what he has done is he’s set them up,” Goldberg declared. “He has set them up.” Hostin echoed comments made on Sunday by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who told “Meet the Press” anchor Kristen Welker that he worried some service members would only learn that they had carried out illegal orders after the fact, when it was too late for them to do anything about it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advocates and angel families who lost children to the opioid epidemic applauded news Monday that President Donald Trump had signed the SUPPORT Act, legislation that strengthens resources for Americans facing substance use disorders. Trump signed the legislation into law on Monday afternoon, reauthorizing and revising programs within the Department of Health and Human Services addressing substance use disorders, overdoses, and mental health. Sandy Snodgrass, the mother of a victim named Bruce, and co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army, said simply: “The SUPPORT Act and Bruce’s Law will simply save the lives of young Americans.” Another bereaved father, Greg Swan, thanked the president for listening to the story of his grieving family, noting that Trump created the original SUPPORT Act back in 2018. Monday’s action renewed the law with the addition of “Bruce’s Law,” written by Snodgrass, he said. “Now we are empowered and backed by the Support Act to go into all 26,727 reluctant USA High Schools and preach the dangers of fentanyl as a bereaved army, the Angel Army,” said Swan, who is co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army. “110,000 lives will be saved by youth alone – and you can double that by the number of bereaved parents who WILL NOT have to have an empty chair for their ‘Tiny Tim.’” Drew Siegel, co-founder of Victoria’s Voice, said that his organization is “forever grateful” to Trump and his administration for “answering the prayers of millions of bereaved parents, siblings, friends, and families across our country.” Drew’s sister, Victoria, is also a victim of a drug overdose. “This is for you, Victoria,” he said simply. “We love you, and we miss you every day.” U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration’s declaration of combating the opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Robert Branner, co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers, described the legislation as “a lifeline for American families.” “It is an Act designed to save lives, strengthen communities, and protect our children from a crisis that is touching every corner of this nation,” he argued. “I stand here as a Father who lost a daughter because she did not know the dangers of taking a pill that was not prescribed to her. She didn’t know it could be laced with fentanyl. She didn’t know one single pill could stop her heart. She didn’t know because she was never taught.” Branner says the new law matters for all Americans, recognizing that “prevention is protection.” 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. “It invests in education, awareness, treatment, and support,” he said. “It brings resources to schools, families, and communities so our children do not grow up uninformed, unprotected, and unaware. If my daughter had received the education that the SUPPORT Act encourages, if she had been taught early about the dangers of unprescribed opioids she might still be here today. And I know I am not alone. Families across this country have the same story, the same pain, the same loss.” “The SUPPORT Act is an equalizer,” he said. “It doesn’t pick and choose which families to help. It reaches across race, class, background, and zip code because addiction and fentanyl do not discriminate. Education, prevention, and support should not either. … It saves lives. It strengthens families. And it gives our children the knowledge they need to survive in a world where one pill can take everything.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recommended a “full travel ban” on potentially dozens of countries on Monday. Noem said on Monday she had met with President Donald Trump and pushed for a travel ban on all countries that have “been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” Noem’s move to crack down on foreign entry into the United States comes as the president has paused asylum claims from 19 countries after an Afghan national allegedly killed a National Guardsman in Washington, D.C. “Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” Noem wrote in a post on X. “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” Noem did not specify which countries would be included in the travel ban under her criteria. Law enforcement says that Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal shot two National Guardsmen in D.C. last week. Lakanwal worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan before coming to the United States during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. Lakanwal applied for asylum in the United States last year, and his request was granted earlier this year under the Trump administration. Noem deflected on Sunday when asked if the Trump administration vetted Lakanwal before granting him asylum. The Homeland Security secretary said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that “vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration.” Trump paused asylum claims from 19 countries last week, announcing the move in a pair of Truth Social posts on Thanksgiving. The countries included under the pause are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Those countries “of Identified Concern” were originally listed in a June 4 executive order. The president said Sunday that he would not put a time limit on the pause because “we have enough problems. We don’t want those people.”