This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** We celebrate our incredible mothers all year long, but on Mother’s Day (May 10), we get to do something extra special. From memorable experiences to personal gestures, real Daily Wire moms reveal the gifts that touched their hearts.  Amanda Harding, entertainment reporter Kindle Unlimited, $11.99/mo   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Amazon Kindle (@amazonkindle) Besides the sweet homemade gifts that I always appreciate, the best Mother’s Day gift I ever received was a year of Kindle Unlimited. I’m a huge reader, so this was very thoughtful and personal, and, as a bonus, took up zero physical space, hence keeping the clutter to a minimum. —AH Madeline Fry Schultz, Upstream editor Diptyque Paris hand wash, $85   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Diptyque (@diptyque) The best thing you can get for a mother is something she would really enjoy but doesn’t want to splurge on for herself. My husband recently got me one of my favorite gifts ever (which is saying something!), and it’s hand soap. Yep, hand soap — but the really extravagant kind. Every single day, between diaper changes and washing dishes, I get to feel like I’ve taken a mini trip to the spa with this luxurious lavender scent. If you want a slightly cheaper option, skip the bottle and just order a refill pack to fill up whatever you have at home and enjoy smelling like you’re staying at a five-star hotel. —MFS Melanie Pritchard, business manager A one-of-a-kind standing coffee date Since my son was five years old (he’s 18 now), he has taken me for a coffee date each year on Mother’s Day. He always comes prepared with questions to keep the conversation going. These moments have been my favorite gift, and I truly cherish the time we spend together. —MP Makenna Michaelis, producer Keepsake sweatshirt made with your baby’s clothes, $55   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Dawn Desa (@bee_shiny_tees)   I’m a reader, so “bookish mom” and “reader mom” gifts would be cool: cozy, personalized reading clothes, mugs, or tumblers. This year, I’m sourcing Etsy for the sweetest sweatshirt embroidered with my baby’s favorite clothes. —MM Stephanie LaCroix, associate producer Rest and relaxation I would want a massage. An hour of relaxation away from hearing the word “Mom” or someone needing me for something. My first Mother’s Day, I had the morning with my son and husband and the afternoon at a spa with my sister and mom. It was a perfect balance of celebrating motherhood as a mother and a daughter. I hope to share that with my daughter as she gets older and gets to participate. —SL Johnna Bond, senior vice president of content operations Glass photo prints, starting at $25    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Aileen Bayliss (@bayliss.storybook) I love Fracture. I got bored of framed gallery walls, but I am obsessed with these. I also recommend Aura frames and the smart family calendar from Skylight with a screensaver that displays snaps of your favorite people. I am obsessed with my cute family. —JB Megan Brock, investigations reporter Family time spent in nature When my kids were two and under, my husband planned a perfect Mother’s Day picnic at a gorgeous state park. At the time, I worked weekends and he had already been on his own with the kids from morning to bedtime on Saturday. Despite being tired, he made the effort to plan and organize a meaningful outing with two small kids — which, as every parent knows, is no small feat! Time together in nature as a family and the thoughtfulness behind it meant more to me than any item he could have bought. —MB Sue Doherty, guest booker A fresh floral candle, $17 @bathandbodyworks It’s officially Lilac Season!

A veteran social studies teacher at Kaukauna High School—roughly 100 miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin—has been placed on administrative leave after sparking national outrage with a social media post mocking failed assassination attempts and calling to “make Americans great assassins again.” Patrick Meyer, who has taught in the Kaukauna Area School District for over 20 years, was removed from the classroom Monday following a controversial post on X. The comments were reportedly made in response to the attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night. In the since-deleted post, Meyer appeared to mock President Donald Trump’s “MAGA” slogan while lamenting the incompetence of modern attackers compared to historical assassins. “I am not impressed with recent presidential assassins. It’s f*cking embarrassing!” the post read. “Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz, Oswald must all be spinning in their graves! MAGAA (make Americans great assassins again)! Sad!” BREAKING: Teacher at Kaukauna High School in Wisconsin who complained that the shooter failed to kiII Trump has been placed on administrative leave He needs to be fired for good! https://t.co/bZAsBk6cbd pic.twitter.com/XR1eKfsmT5 — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 27, 2026 The post quickly drew condemnation from local and national figures. U.S. Representative Tony Wied (R-WI) shared a screenshot of the comments, calling the rhetoric “disgusting.” “This type of rhetoric has no place in our society and does not represent our values,” Wied stated. “It is not the example that our teachers should be setting for Northeast Wisconsin students.” The Kaukauna Area School District issued a statement Monday confirming Meyer’s leave, noting that the district “unequivocally rejects any conduct, expression, or behavior that may encourage, condone, or promote violence in any form.” While the district emphasized that the post was not related to school activities and posed no immediate safety threat to students, officials are reviewing the matter in accordance with district policy. The controversy has deeply divided the local community. During a packed school board meeting on Monday night—moved to the high school library to accommodate the crowd—emotions ran high. Several parents demanded Meyer’s immediate termination, arguing that his words were an incitement to violence. “His comment was, ‘Make assassinations great again.’ What does this teach our kids?” asked parent Jennifer Schaefer. “That if you disagree with someone, we should just kill them?” However, a wave of current and former students spoke in Meyer’s defense, describing him as a fair, thoughtful educator who prioritized critical thinking over indoctrination. “Mr. Meyer is a kind and dutiful teacher who values his students,” said one senior. A 2014 graduate added that Meyer was always “even-keeled” and encouraged students to do their own research and look at facts. As of Tuesday, the district has not indicated whether Meyer will face permanent termination. Meyer has not responded to requests for comment.

Avowed leftist George Clooney doesn’t see anything wrong with what Jimmy Kimmel said about Melania Trump being an “expectant widow.” The big-time Democrat donor and Hollywood A-lister said as much during a gala event Monday night, even going so far as comparing Kimmel’s joke about the president dying with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt using a popular idiom recently.  “Jimmy’s a comedian, and I would argue that Karoline Leavitt didn’t mean shots should be fired,” Clooney told Variety. “She was making a joke. Fair enough. I look at that side and go, ‘Well, jokes are jokes.’ But the rhetoric is a little dangerous. And we’ve seen it a lot lately.” Clooney was referring to Leavitt telling Fox News “there will be some shots fired tonight in the room,” before heading into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The “Ocean’s 11” actor said he doesn’t believe that you should have “a good relationship with government” and that there should be a “free and fair press.” Clooney tried to place blame on conservatives, saying the rhetoric “can be toned down.” “When one side is calling anyone they disagree with traitors to the country, which is a charge that’s punishable by death, just because they don’t agree with someone, I think the rhetoric is a little too heated,” he went on. Kimmel has been put on blast for a parody he did during which he said, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” The clip aired Thursday night, two days before a crazed gunman gained access to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with the intention of not only killing the president, but taking out everyone in the room if necessary. The first lady did not take the “joke” lightly. She wrote a scathing X post Monday morning, urging ABC to reprimand the late-night comedian. “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.” “A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.  It is time for ABC to take a stand,” the first lady added. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.” Kimmel responded to the backlash on Monday night, doubling down and claiming that everyone was overreacting to his bit.  “…Obviously, [it] was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,” Kimmel insisted.

WASHINGTON — ABC is remaining silent amid calls from the White House for late night show host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired for joking that Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow” — just days before another would-be assassin tried to kill Donald Trump. “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” President Donald Trump said on Monday afternoon. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.” Trump’s comments followed a rare statement from his wife, who said on Monday that “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country.” “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” the First Lady said. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.” “A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” she added. “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.” The Daily Wire has repeatedly reached out to both ABC and Kimmel’s representatives over the past 24 hours about the White House statements. Neither ABC nor Kimmel’s team has responded to requests for comment. The network recently announced its decision to pull “The Bachelorette” amid concerns over bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul and domestic violence videos that surfaced. Years earlier, the network cancelled host Chris Harrison for defending bachelorette contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed party. Kimmel’s remarks, however, have not appeared to faze the network, despite aggressive condemnation from the White House. “Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?” questioned Karoline Leavitt from the briefing room podium on Monday afternoon. (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) Kimmel, meanwhile, defended his remarks without apologizing, claiming he was joking about the Trumps’ age difference, mocking the Trumps, and even repeating the joke. “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” he said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.” “I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence, in particular,” he said during his stand-up bit. “But I understand that the First Lady had a stressful experience over the weekend … and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.” Kimmel’s defense prompted a scathing response from Steven Cheung, the White House Director of Communications. “Jimmy Kimmel is a sh*t human being for: #1. Making a disgusting joke about assassinating the President #2. Doubling down on that joke instead of doing the decent thing by apologizing,” Cheung said. “ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life,” he said. ABC has still not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.

The United States Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that Dr. Richard Morens, once a top aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, was indicted for his role in hiding data on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Morens, according to a press release from the DOJ, was “charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.” Morens served as a top adviser in the NIAID’s (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) Office of the Director for 16 years, from 2006-2022 — where Fauci served as the director from 1984-2022. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement on the indictment, saying, “These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic. As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19. Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest — not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.” “Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,” FBI Director Kash Patel added in a separate statement. “Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.” At NIAID, much of the information the so-called “experts” had was funneled through channels that Morens either had access to or influence over, and the indictment alleges that he used that position to manipulate the data that eventually became public knowledge with regard to COVID-19 and its origins. Morens allegedly accomplished this in part by steering grant funding away from research that might support theories that strayed from the accepted narrative. He and others involved also allegedly conspired in writing to hide their efforts to manipulate public data lest someone use the Freedom Of Information Act to obtain access to it in the future. “[I] learned from our foia [sic] lady here how to make emails disappear after I am foia’d [sic] but before the search starts,” Morens explained in a Feb. 24, 2021, email. “Plus I deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail [sic].” “[T]here is no worry about FOIAs. I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail [sic], or hand it to him at work or at his house,” Morens wrote in an April of 2021. “He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble.” In another email sent the same year, he advised the addressees to only send such communications directly to his gmail account to avoid the extra hassle of forwarding and deleting them from his official accounts. Even in June of 2020, Morens was eyeing the possibility that certain communications could potentially raise red flags. “We are all smart enough to know to never have smoking guns, and if we did we wouldn’t put them in emails and if we found them we’d delete them,” he wrote at the time. According to the DOJ press release, Morens could face up to five years in prison for the charge of conspiracy against the United States — as well as up to 20 years on each count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations. He could also face up to three years for each count of concealment, removal, or mutilation of records. His sentence, should he be convicted, would be determined by a federal judge following consultation of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The case was investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Bijon A. Mostoufi for the District of Maryland.