Democratic Rep. Josh Riley canceled an informal discussion with local Democrats last-minute after taking credit for federal funding for his district that he voted against. The New York congressman is one of about a dozen House Democrats who have touted funding flowing to their districts as part of a spending package they voted against, but that ended the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States. After a flurry of critical news coverage, Riley last week canceled a meeting with the Green County Democrats the day before it was set to take place. “We are writing to let you know that tomorrow’s scheduled gathering with Congressman Josh Riley will need to be postponed to a date and time to be determined,” said a Friday email from the local Democratic group obtained by The Daily Wire. “Unfortunately Congressman Riley’s team has decided to cancel their meeting with us tomorrow over concerns regarding safety and other groups disrupting the event,” it continued. “We will be in touch as soon as a new date – hopefully in January – is confirmed. Thank you, as always, for your continued engagement and commitment to Greene County Democrats.” Riley’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire. Riley last month touted three different projects in his district that will receive federal funding because of the bill. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “It means Guilford’s volunteer firefighters will finally have a safe station to work from, families in Margaretville will have better access to care close to home, and South Fallsburg will get the permanent clinic it’s needed for years,” said Riley in a statement. “I’ll keep pushing to make sure rural communities in Upstate New York get the resources they deserve,” he added, taking credit for the funds that he voted against. Like the other Democrats who are touting funding for their particular districts, Riley had a hand in attaching his pet projects to the final spending bill. But after his requests were acceded to, he voted against the final version of the legislation. Republicans have taken the opportunity to clobber Riley. “Out of touch Democrat Josh Riley voted against funding that improves health care access for his constituents and facilities for first responders in his own district. Now that he’s been exposed, he’s refusing to face the very people he tried to hurt with his vote. Riley is a fraud and a coward,” said Maureen O’Toole, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Riley is facing a challenging 2026 reelection campaign. His district, New York’s 19th, is a competitive swing district that was last won by a Republican in 2022, a race that Riley lost. Riley unseated former Rep. Marc Molinaro in 2024, winning that race by just two points. The Cook Political Report ranks NY19 as a “Lean D” race in 2026, but only by one point.

Ben Shapiro called out Tucker Carlson as a threat to conservatism in a Wednesday afternoon speech at the Heritage Foundation, insisting the movement must enforce “ideological borders” to protect its principles. At the event promoting Shapiro’s new book, Lions & Scavengers: The True Story of America, the Daily Wire Editor Emeritus argued that conservatism without clear boundaries risks being co-opted by voices who are opposed to core conservative principles. “The conservative movement requires a border,” Shapiro said. “A conservative movement without a border is no conservative movement. We are a welcoming movement, but those who seek to undermine the character of conservatism must never be granted legitimacy as voices of our movement.” Shapiro’s comments came weeks after the Heritage Foundation defended Carlson’s interview with self-proclaimed Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin admirer, Nick Fuentes. At the time, the think-tank’s president Kevin Roberts slammed the “venomous coalition” that was trying to cancel Carlson for having the conversation.  .@benshapiro joins Heritage President @KevinRobertsTX live for remarks and in-depth discussion of his New York Times bestseller, Lions and Scavengers. Together, they examine the cultural, political, and moral challenges shaping the nation. Watch now ⬇️ https://t.co/sVBFKn3Stm — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 17, 2025 Roberts later said he made a “mistake” with his initial speech defending Carlson, and that the term “venomous coalition” was a “terrible choice of words.”  Shapiro said that Heritage must play the role of “ideological border control” to keep the movement aligned with its mission statement: “Heritage’s mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.” Shapiro went on to describe why he believes Carlson is an “opponent of conservatism,” an “outsider masquerading as an insider” who is “destroying the character of the conservative movement in the process.” He examined how Carlson’s positions measure up against the Heritage Foundation’s mission statement. According to Shapiro, Carlson opposes the free market, citing his stance against self-driving trucks, high-interest credit cards, and mergers that result in layoffs, and has labeled venture capitalists “vulture capitalists.” “It is why he has praised left-wing figures ranging from Elizabeth Warren to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Zohran Mamdani,” Shapiro said.  Shapiro criticized Carlson for rejecting limited government, accusing Carlson of telling his audience the United States is controlled by a conspiratorial elite and praising feudalism over the Constitution. Shapiro argued that true conservatism defends the Founders’ system of checks and balances and federalism. “To Tucker Carlson, the Constitution is a mere ruse, a sham. Instead, Carlson promotes a conspiracy theory by which the American people have lost total control of their lives and have no ability to shape policy,” Shapiro said. On the principle of national defense, Shapiro argued that Carlson abandoned the “peace through strength” approach in favor of one that excuses or rationalizes hostile regimes such as Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela, citing his soft or sympathetic interviews, his downplaying of adversaries’ aggression, and his repeated criticism of the United States and its allies. Shapiro said that Tucker treats Qatar as “America’s foremost ally in the Middle East, dismissing its financial support for terrorist groups like Hamas, ties with Iran, and anti-American propaganda networks like Al-Jazeera.” “Carlson just announced he is buying a house in Qatar, as a show of American-ness. Which is strange, since Qatar does not allow public displays of Christianity by churches, and currently holds tens of thousands of people from foreign nations in slave labor conditions,” Shapiro added. Shapiro went on to make the case that Carlson opposes traditional American values, arguing that while he may agree on issues like same-sex marriage and transgenderism, he consistently prioritizes speculation, conspiracy theories, and uncritical promotion of figures like Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, and Nick Fuentes over truth and moral integrity. “Truth is simply not Carlson’s priority. He likes speculation; he likes conspiratorial question-asking. But evidence and truth are not of value to Tucker Carlson,” Shapiro said. “And so Tucker has trafficked in nearly every conspiracy theory under the sun.” Shapiro slammed Tucker for accusing the Trump administration of “covering up a Mossad-run child sex trafficking ring run by Jeffrey Epstein,” adding that Carlson is a “coward” for not mentioning Trump directly while making such allegations. Shapiro has a long relationship with the Heritage Foundation, beginning when he was just a teenager, when Town Hall — which was at the time associated with Heritage — published his column.

A trailer for the upcoming documentary film “Melania,” based on the first lady, debuted today. The movie is scheduled for release in theaters on January 30. The teaser highlights several behind-the-scenes moments in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration. “Here we go again,” Melania says in the opening moments of the trailer as she walks into the US Capitol on Inauguration Day. At another point, the first lady answers the phone and says, “Hi, Mr. President. Congratulations,” as she looks out at the Manhattan skyline. President Trump can be heard asking, “Did you watch it?” “I did not. Yeah. I will see it on the news,” Melania replies. The trailer then cuts to a January photo shoot at the White House. The short trailer also includes brief clips of the Trumps with White House staff, snapshots from Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower, and the first lady laying a white lily by a tombstone. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships In another scene, Melania listens to her husband practicing a speech and interjects with an additional remark. When President Trump describes himself as a “peacemaker,” she chimes in saying, “Peacemaker and unifier.” Melania signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Amazon MGM Studios and is an executive producer of the project. It began filming in December 2024 and documents the 20 days around her return to the White House. “Melania” is directed by Brett Ratner, who is best known for the “Rush Hour” franchise.  The first lady previously mentioned the inspiration for the documentary while accepting Fox Nation’s “Patriot of the Year” award. “A first of its kind, capturing the 20 days of my life before the inauguration, 20 intense days of transformation from private citizen to first lady, balancing my business, my philanthropy, fostering the future, building my East Wing team and the White House staff, and, of course, caring for my family,” she said at the time.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino plans to leave the bureau next month. Bongino posted his farewell announcement on X on Wednesday. Bongino’s message came soon after President Donald Trump hinted at Bongino’s departure in comments made on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, saying of Bongino, “I think he wants to go back to his show.” “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her,” said Bongino. Trump appointed Bongino to the bureau in February. Bongino, before his career in conservative media, served in the New York Police Department and Secret Service. In the media, he was an adept watchdog over the Department of Justice and FBI, especially on scandals such as Operation Crossfire Hurricane and the Jeffrey Epstein saga. Bongino recently wrapped one of his priorities for the FBI since coming into the deputy director role: identifying the suspected pipe bomber who planted bombs outside the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021. Attorney General Pam Bondi noted in a press conference that arresting the suspected bomber was “the best birthday present” Bongino could have asked for. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The Department of Justice under Bondi has been roiled by controversies over the past year, including its handling of the so-called Epstein files and prosecutions targeting some of Trump’s chief antagonists. White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles was critical of Bondi in comments published recently in Vanity Fair. Wiles said Bondi mishandled the investigation into Epstein when she released old information to a group of right-wing reporters and internet influencers. “I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Wiles said of the attorney general. “First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.” Wiles was more complimentary of the FBI leadership. “The people that really appreciated what a big deal this is are Kash [Patel] and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino,” she said. She noted that, before they were inside the department, Patel and Bongino had been two of the loudest voices calling for transparency on Epstein, suspecting that information on his connections to some elites had been buried in non-public government records. After joining the FBI, Patel and Bongino investigated their hunch about the Epstein files. They later came to the conclusion that the so-called secret files did not exist, and said as much publicly. The handling of the Epstein probe sparked tensions within the Justice Department. Bongino reportedly took issue with Bondi’s handling of the situation in particular. At the time, the deputy head of the FBI was rumored to be on the way out over frustrations with the attorney general.