A group of Republicans led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is threatening to block President Donald Trump’s push to make daylight saving time permanent.  The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently keep clocks on daylight saving time, eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes Americans currently observe each spring and fall. The legislation passed the House by a bipartisan 308-117 vote.  Cotton has argued that making daylight saving time permanent would create safety issues by delaying winter sunrises, particularly in northern states. “By moving the clock back an hour in winter, permanent Daylight Saving Time would push winter sunrises to an absurdly late hour, depriving Americans of morning sunshine that’s essential for our safety and well-being,” Cotton said. He also argued the change could push sunrise as late as 9:45 a.m. in parts of North Dakota, creating challenges for schoolchildren, construction workers, and farmers who rely on early morning daylight.  Despite Cotton’s opposition, Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to approve the legislation. After the bill advanced out of committee, Trump wrote that it was time for Americans to stop worrying about “the Clock” and described the current system as a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production.” He also called permanent daylight saving time “the far more popular alternative” and urged Republicans to support the measure. The legislation has since stalled in the Senate, where supporters must overcome objections from Cotton and other Republicans. “I mean, the House having acted on it now, we’ll see what the interest level is in the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Fox News. “But I know that there are people who are willing to really slow things down over that issue.” A source close to Cotton told Fox News that the Arkansas senator is “far from the only one who objects” to the bill and is working with other senators prepared to block it. The Sunshine Protection Act was originally introduced by then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and later reintroduced with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). A similar law briefly took effect during the 1970s energy crisis before Congress repealed it following backlash. “[Daylight savings] is left over from World War I when America was trying to save lamp oil. We’re doing OK on lamp oil now, so that’s not the issue,” Lankford said. “With streetlights, with different power and things, we have — we’re in a very different situation. And I talk to a lot of folks that say they are just sick of the time change. They want to be able to lock the clock.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who has also championed the legislation, welcomed its passage in the House.  “[Daylight Saving Time] is an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than [a] benefit to them,” Scott said in a statement, calling on his other senators to “make this common sense change” to “LOCK THE CLOCK.” The bill currently has 18 Senate co-sponsors, including eight Democrats, according to Congress.gov.  The legislation-tracking website GovTrack estimates the Sunshine Protection Act a 35% chance of becoming law during the current Congress.  Congress must approve the Sunshine Protection Act before the current congressional session ends in December 2026.

An Omaha man has been arrested after authorities say he threatened to shoot Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen’s grandchildren and the Catholic school that they attend.  Ean Halstead, 32, was arrested after allegedly posting a message on Columbus Catholic School’s website that read, “I’m going to shoot up this school and kill [Governor] Jim Pillen’s [grand]children with a few nuns for f*cking funsies.” Pillen thanked the Nebraska State Patrol in a press conference for apprehending Halstead. “We’re trying like heck to protect our babies. I mean, I got grandbabies that are going into fourth grade,” Pillen said. “So we’re doing anything we can to protect our kids.” “It’s very disturbing when somebody does enough research to know where my babies are going to school, and did a threat to the school,” he added. Investigators attempted to confront Halstead near his home on Friday, but he fled inside, barricaded himself, and remained there for about an hour, according to Nebraska Public Media. Authorities later obtained an arrest warrant and took Halstead and his mother into custody.  Prosecutors say Halstead hid his cellphone inside a guitar after wiping it and restoring it to factory settings. He also allegedly unplugged his internet router, according to KETV News. Investigators later determined the router had been used to access the Columbus Catholic School website. They also linked several email accounts to Halstead and the alleged online threat.  Authorities further allege that Halstead made eight outbound phone calls to a contact in the governor’s office about seven minutes before the threat was posted online.  Court records also sho Halstead was the subject of a protection order filed by a former boyfriend in 2022. The petition alleged that Halstead brandished a butcher knife, threatened to kill him and their dogs while they slept, and sent text messages describing fantasies about burning down the bedroom.   Bond was set for $1 million. Halstead is scheduled to appear in court on August 24.  Nebraska prosecutors have charged him with making a terroristic threat and tampering with physical evidence.  

The charred body of a 53-year-old sports journalist was found on Sunday, sparking an investigation into his death as a suspected homicide. Investigators believe Luigi “Luca” Esposito was shot to death and then set on fire. Firefighters discovered Esposito’s charred body while extinguishing a brush fire on farmland near Eboli, located in the province of Salerno, Italy. Local reports indicate shell casings were found at the scene. Investigators are examining both Esposito’s personal and professional relationships as they work to determine a motive. Italian media have reported that investigators are currently focusing more heavily on his private life than his journalism, though officials have not ruled out a connection to his reporting. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for a thorough investigation into the matter, specifically any ties to his journalism. “We are deeply shocked by the brutal killing of Italian sports journalist Luca Esposito,” CPJ’s Europe representative Attila Mong said. “Italian authorities must act quickly and transparently to establish the full circumstances and determine whether this terrible event is linked to Luca Esposito’s journalism.” Esposito, whose legal first name was Luigi but went by Luca, was editor-in-chief of the local soccer news website TuttoSalernitana.com. He also contributed to the newspaper La Città di Salerno, appeared as a soccer commentator on regional broadcaster Otto Channel, and wrote for TuttoC.com. Local reports indicate Esposito was last seen on the evening of July 17, before he stopped answering his phone and missed a planned meeting. According to a Salerno-based site, analysis of Esposito’s phone records shows that his last phone call was exchanged on Saturday evening with a colleague, at around 10:30 p.m. A woman named Mary Esposito said in a social media post that he had planned to travel to a property in Agropoli before he disappeared. Mary, who has been described in the Italian press as a close friend, posted photos to Facebook with the journalist on Sunday and added the caption (translated from Italian), “These are just a very small number of the photos in our life together. Only those who know us know what I was for you and you were for me. You will always be with me Luca “

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggested Tuesday that racism may help explain why many soccer fans rooted against Argentina during this year’s World Cup, drawing a puzzled response from a Yale history professor testifying before Congress.   During a House hearing titled “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past,” Crockett asked Yale historian David Blight why so many people rooted for Spain over Argentina in the tournament’s final. Noting that the World Cup captured the “imagination of the entire world” where everyone saw people of color playing for these teams, Crockett pointed to the championship match between Argentina and Spain.  “And it seemed like the vast majority of the world was rooting for Argentina … or, actually, against Argentina, right?” Crockett said. “And why was that? Just give me an explanation if you can guess.”  “Spain had the best team,” Blight responded with a smile while shaking his head. “Maybe that’s why they were rooting for them.” After laughing at Blight’s response, Crockett suggested there was also “a racist history that exists as it relates to Argentina.” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) implies it was racist to root for Argentina vs Spain: pic.twitter.com/NoJqioHhDq — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 21, 2026 Earlier in the hearing, Crockett welcomed attendees to what she called “Republicans’ white-pride rally disguised as a congressional hearing,” according to Blaze Media. She followed with a series of remarks about America’s history being rooted in racism and white supremacy.  “It’s a fact that there is a violent, exclusionary, discriminatory, sexist, and racist part of American history where our indigenous populations were forcibly displaced from their land,” Crockett said. Crockett also cited the Biden administration’s 2021 claim that the greatest “domestic threat to the United States is violent white supremacists.” She accused Republicans of pushing to ban books and “attack museums.” Crockett also claimed that “white men,” whom she accused of having a “fetish” and “fragile egos,” are attempting to feel “oppressed” over changes at the Smithsonian Museum, according to Blaze Media.

This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars. *** In his opening remarks at last week’s State Department ministerial on “the resurgence of political terrorism,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio contrasted “overt” forms of left-wing terrorism such as “bombings, assassinations, and organized violence in our streets” with “quieter” forms, like efforts to “suppress speech, intimidate political opposition, and sabotage our national institutions.” But he identified both as terrorism: breaking laws to achieve political goals through coercion. I’m glad that the Secretary of State is on board with the recognition that we should treat these “quieter” forms, which I call civil terrorism, as a serious threat to our national security and the integrity of our political institutions. Nothing is exaggerated or overblown about this characterization of the threat. On the very day of Secretary Rubio’s remarks, Washington Representative Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, put out a statement explaining why he had voted the day before to cut American aid to Israel. “My family and I have had our home vandalized, a fire has been set in my driveway, my neighbors’ lives have been disrupted by demonstrations in the middle of the night, town halls meant to be forums for dialogue have been shut down, and a staff member has been physically assaulted.” Click here for more Manhattan Institute content. This is a remarkable admission. A member of Congress has admitted that he cast an important vote — in a “very close” call — at least in part because he had been targeted by lawless anti-Israel fanatics. The vandals, arsonists, and demonstrators wanted Representative Smith to know that he could not feel secure until he gave up his long-running support for the Jewish state. They figured that he would eventually conclude that harboring views at odds with theirs — even if they remain views held by millions of Americans — was not worth the trouble, the threats, the danger. And they were right. There are at least two scandals here. The first is that Smith capitulated to his tormentors. He claims to be “deeply concerned about the tactics used by those on the far left to advocate cutting off aid to Israel.” Yet he is not so concerned as to deter their future use. He should have dug in his heels and vowed that each act of civil terrorism would lead only to a swift action from law enforcement officers and more military credits for Israel. Civil terrorists are not trying to persuade you but to strongarm you. Once you show them that you can be coerced, you have only made yourself — and, in this case, other lawmakers — a likelier target for future intimidation. The second scandal is that no institutions stepped up to eliminate this despicable threat to our democratic system before it began swaying congressional votes. Legislators can and must be persuaded by citizens — when those citizens make reasoned arguments and explain why their way is better than the alternative. Shameful as it is that Smith had to suffer threats and violence against his family, it is even worse that Americans are choosing to tolerate a systematic, lawless effort to circumvent the proper channels for political change. Civil terrorism is an assault on our democracy. States, including Representative Smith’s Washington, must crack down on civil terrorism by increasing penalties for crimes committed with the intent to intimidate or coerce. Vandalizing anyone’s house is bad enough; vandalizing an elected official’s house to send a message about the costs of supporting a particular policy is much worse, yet authorities usually treat the latter as misdemeanors not worth prosecuting. Utah recently passed a bill making acts of civil terrorism into felonies, ensuring that they will be deterred or met with severe punishment. Every state should follow suit, and the federal government should consider its own parallel actions. Each act of civil terrorism that goes unpunished only emboldens the perpetrators further to disfigure our politics and sabotage our nation. *** This is republished with permission from the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. The original can be found here. Tal Fortgang is a Legal Policy Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.