“We’ve known for a long time that Iran had intentions to kill President Trump.” Those intentions have now been crushed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered that blunt confirmation when asked about Operation Epic Fury, the joint United States–Israel campaign that ultimately eliminated an Iranian operative tied to a plot to assassinate Donald Trump when he was a presidential candidate. During a Pentagon briefing, Mary Margaret Olohan, White House correspondent for The Daily Wire, asked Hegseth whether the operation had taken out the individual connected to the assassination effort targeting Trump. https://x.com/realdailywire/status/2029191755434746229?s=46&t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q During a Pentagon press briefing early Wednesday morning, Hegseth explained the mission initially focused on Iranian missile systems and launch capabilities but said those responsible for threats against the United States were ultimately added to the target list. “We’ve known for a long time that Iran had intentions to kill President Trump, while that wasn’t the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination, never was raised by the president or anybody else,” Hegseth said. “I ensured and others ensured that they were eventually part of the target list.” “It wasn’t the beginning of the effort — we were focused on missiles and launchers,” he continued. “Ultimately, if we had the opportunity to get at those who were trying to get at America, we would. We eventually had the opportunity to do that from the air.” The Iranian operative believed to have been eliminated was Rahman Mokadam, identified as the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Special Operations Division and the alleged architect behind a sophisticated Iranian plot to assassinate Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Mokadam’s division had long drawn international scrutiny for overseeing unconventional warfare operations and extraterritorial “murder-for-hire” schemes. Details of the Trump plot surfaced in November 2024 when the United States Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges against Farhad Shakeri, an IRGC asset. According to federal investigators, Shakeri — an Afghan national deported from the United States in 2008 — was directed in September 2024 to surveil and ultimately assassinate then-candidate Trump. Court documents allege that IRGC officials were willing to commit massive financial resources to the operation, with one official telling Shakeri that “money’s not an issue.” Prosecutors say the plotters initially sought a plan within seven days. When Shakeri indicated the timeline was unrealistic, investigators say the IRGC instructed him to delay the effort until after the election, believing Trump would lose and be more vulnerable as a private citizen. “Shakeri has informed law enforcement that he was tasked on Oct. 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill President-elect Donald J. Trump,” the DOJ said in court filings. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump had been made aware of the assassination plot, adding, “Nothing will deter President Trump from returning to the White House and restoring peace around the world.” The assassination scheme was not limited to Trump. Shakeri and two associates, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, arrested in New York, were also charged with targeting outspoken Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad in Brooklyn. Alinejad wrote on X, “I am shocked. The person assigned to assassinate @realDonaldTrump was also assigned to kill me on U.S. soil. I came to America to practice my First Amendment right to freedom of speech — I don’t want to die. Thank you to law enforcement for protecting me.”

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. *** Buzzwords such as “all natural,” “farm fresh,” “superfood,” and “probiotic” have flooded supermarket shelves for years. The labels are pastoral. The fonts are earthy. But marketing has a way of borrowing the language of tradition without restoring its substance. Health bloggers will tell you to shop the perimeter of the grocery store to select the best options. And yet the same consistently available fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, cheese, and bread are there around every turn of the cart. Strawberries in February. Tomatoes in January. Blueberries without a season. What if we weren’t meant to eat strawberries and tomatoes in February? What if late winter, especially in colder regions, was designed for cruciferous and root vegetables such as beets and broccoli, along with fall harvests that store well and sustain? Instead of chasing superfoods imported from thousands of miles away, seasonal eating invites you to eat what grows abundantly where you live. Reduced time from harvest to plate often means greater nutrient retention and bioavailability. You get your fill of what’s thriving; then you let it go until it returns. Nature, it turns out, already built the meal plan. Leafy greens and citrus dominate winter harvests for a reason. Greens provide vitamin K and minerals such as calcium. Citrus is rich in vitamin C. Together, they support immune function and assist the body’s ability to utilize vitamin D during months with less sun exposure. In summer, fruit ripens heavy and sweet, offering hydration and quick glucose fuel when activity levels rise and heat increases sweat loss. Fall brings storable foods such as squash, potatoes, apples, and roots, dense starches that sustain as temperatures drop. Buy what’s in season first. Build meals around abundance instead of preference. From there, proximity becomes the goal. Farmers markets are often the easiest entry point, offering direct access to growers who can tell you when stone fruit peaks and when the broccoli will fade. Then you can go further, joining Community Supported Agriculture programs or herd shares for dairy, splitting beef shares, or ordering bulk dry goods through wholesale cooperatives such as Azure Standard to reduce reliance on conventional distribution chains. Seasonal eating becomes less about finding the right label and more about knowing who grew your food and when it was harvested. Here’s how I do it. When tomatoes are vibrant and lining farmers market tables in July, I eat them daily — until I don’t want to look at another tomato slice for the next year. Beyond their peak summer flavor, tomatoes are one of the rare foods that actually become more beneficial when cooked. Heat breaks down their cell walls, making lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, more bioavailable, meaning the body can absorb it more efficiently. While some vitamin C is lost in the process, simmering tomatoes into sauce, especially with olive oil or meat, enhances the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients, reflecting a glimpse of wisdom behind traditional cooking methods. So I find a farmer who sells inexpensive cases and host a sauce-making party with a few friends. We simmer, can, and stack the pantry shelves. In winter, lasagnas, tomato soups, and homemade ketchup, bbq, and enchilada sauces curb any craving for a fresh tomato my family might have. I also dehydrate several jars of sun-dried tomatoes for nights when we want a cast-iron skillet of “marry me chicken.” When blackberries peak, I freeze trays of them for smoothies in January. If corn is cheap and sweet in late summer, I blanch and freeze it for winter soups. Basil becomes pesto, and peppers are blistered and frozen for winter fajitas. Jams and jellies are beautiful, but be mindful of unnecessary sugar. Preservation is about smoothing the transition between seasons, especially during the hungry gap cold regions experience in late winter when fresh harvests are scarce, and stored crops carry the table. Meat ties the rhythm together year-round. While produce shifts dramatically, animal protein provides steady nourishment. In colder months, especially, many people naturally gravitate toward higher-fat cuts and slow-cooked dishes, meals that feel grounding and warm. Seeking out local beef from nearby ranchers deepens that connection. When you buy a quarter or half animal, you learn to cook differently. You utilize more nose-to-tail cuts, from roasts and short ribs to bones for broth, allowing nothing to go to waste.  Here’s what’s on my table this week. I love to start with warm marinated olives. Gently heat extra virgin olive oil with garlic, citrus peels, herbs, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add green olives, cover, and remove from heat. Serve with sourdough for dipping. For a side, I’ll have citrus kale salad. Massage chopped kale with olive oil, salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Add orange slices and fennel fronds or dill. Finish with toasted nuts and shaved Parmesan or feta. Then there’s the main course, slow-cooked braised beef roast with sheet pan root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes tossed with fresh herbs, chopped garlic, and a spoonful of your fat of choice, roasted until tender. I learned many of these cooking skills from my grandmother. In 2018, after years of practicing them quietly at home, I began teaching preserving and homesteading classes to others. People were tired of chasing labels, trying to navigate what was good. They wanted tools, not trends. We aren’t sitting on the porch shucking peas and corn with our families anymore. But maybe it’s time we bring some of that back. Seasonal eating won’t make you immune to illness. But it does something quieter and arguably more important. It restores awareness. You begin to notice when asparagus arrives. You anticipate zucchini season. You miss melons in winter, and that absence makes their return sweeter. When we accept that not every fruit belongs in every month, we relearn something modern culture has flattened. We trade convenience for connection to our food and the seasons that were shaping it long before we ever touched a cart. *** Lindsey Hickman is a lifestyle writer covering the intersection of news, health, faith, and modern life, focused on the human stories behind today’s headlines. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) was beaten decisively in the Republican primary for Texas’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday. Crenshaw comes behind state Rep. Steve Toth by a wide margin, a stunning reversal for a lawmaker who entered Congress in 2019 as one of the GOP’s most prominent rising stars. With 94% of the votes counted on Wednesday morning, Toth won 56% to Crenshaw’s 40.5%, according to the Associated Press. Crenshaw was first elected in 2018, succeeding retiring Republican Rep. Ted Poe in the suburban Houston-based district. A former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in Afghanistan, Crenshaw quickly became a fixture on cable news and conservative media, gaining national attention during his first campaign and building a reputation as a sharp, combative communicator. In Congress, he positioned himself as a national security-focused conservative, serving on key committees and often emphasizing border security, energy production, and military readiness. He cultivated an image as a policy-oriented Republican willing to engage across factions of the party, though that positioning increasingly placed him at odds with its populist wing. Crenshaw survived prior primary challenges, but not without turbulence. While he maintained comfortable general election victories in the solidly Republican district, he faced criticism from grassroots activists who viewed him as insufficiently aligned with the party. His votes on certain spending measures and foreign aid packages drew scrutiny from the right, and he occasionally clashed publicly with conservative commentators and fellow Republicans. Over time, those fissures widened. As the Republican Party shifted further toward a more combative, populist posture under President Donald Trump, Crenshaw’s brand of hawkish, institutional conservatism lost ground among segments of the primary electorate. His criticism of some Trump-aligned figures and his support for certain bipartisan legislative efforts fueled the perception among critics that he was out of step with the party’s grassroots base. That discontent has coalesced around Toth, a longtime Texas state legislator with strong ties to the state’s conservative activist network. Toth ran a campaign positioning himself as a more reliable ally of the Trump-aligned wing of the GOP, emphasizing border security, opposition to federal spending, and what he described as the need to send a fighter to Washington. Crenshaw’s defeat marks one of the most high-profile primary losses of the cycle, especially in a safe Republican seat where the decisive battle is likely the primary. Toth will face Democrat Shaun Finnie, an investment banker, in November. Finnie ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. However, Texas’s 2nd District has remained firmly Republican in recent cycles, and the GOP nominee will be heavily favored in the general election barring a dramatic shift in turnout or national conditions. Crenshaw’s trajectory mirrors a broader pattern within the GOP: lawmakers who rose during the pre-2020 era and sought to balance establishment conservatism with populist energy have increasingly found themselves squeezed by challengers promising clearer alignment with the party’s current center of gravity. For Crenshaw, the loss closes a six-year chapter that began with national momentum and ends amid a changing party landscape. Whether he seeks another path in public life remains to be seen. But, Texas’s 2nd District will likely send a new Republican to Washington — and one whose ascent underscores just how much the party’s internal politics have shifted since 2018.  

State Sen. James Talarico leads Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the race to be the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas. As of 11:20 p.m. ET, with 67% of the vote in, DecisionDesk showed Talarico with 51.5% to Crockett’s 47.2%. Whichever candidate wins the Democratic primary will face off against either Attorney General Ken Paxton or Sen. John Cornyn, who are themselves scheduled for a May 26 runoff election after neither candidate could crack the 50% barrier on Tuesday. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Likely Republican” as of Tuesday, with the Kalishi prediction market showing that Republicans have the upper hand in the race. Although the Republican primary has been messy, the Democrats have had a brutal fight in their own regard. The campaign trail has been marked with several heated moments, including when Talarico claimed that the Trump administration was responsible for nixing his interview with Stephen Colbert from hitting the airwaves over Equal Time Rule concerns, The Daily Wire reported. “This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” Talarico claimed. “His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.” The interview was ultimately posted online and gave a major publicity boost to his campaign. “You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way that the news media works, and he took advantage of all of your sort of prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fired back at a press conference last month after Talarico’s claims. Former Rep. Colin Allred also played a role in the race, as he dropped out and instead pursued another bid for Congress, but he waded in over rumors that Talarico said privately that he “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent Black woman,” according to Politico. Allred posted a video slamming Talarico’s reported comments, saying, “Thank you for telling us who you really are and what you really think, and goodbye.” “Don’t come for me unless I send for you, okay James? And keep my name out of your mouth while you’re at it,” he added, while also telling people to vote for Crockett instead. Allred lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the 2024 Senate race. “In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre – but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race,” the state senator said in a statement to Politico at the time. Crockett also garnered the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost Texas to Trump in 2024, and lawmakers like Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD). “Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate,” Harris said in a call promoting Crockett’s campaign last week, according to the Texas Tribune. “Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn will advance to the May 26 runoff election in the Texas Senate Republican primary, results indicated as of Tuesday night. DecisionDesk projected the runoff at around 10:25 p.m. ET, with Cornyn at about 43.2% to Paxton’s 40.3%. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who was also campaigning for the seat, was in a distant third place as of Tuesday night. In the Lone Star State, a candidate needs to crack 50% of the vote in order to avoid a runoff election. None of the candidates was able to snag an endorsement from President Donald Trump that was unique to them, but the president did note that he backed “all three.” “I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t. [Cornyn’s] a good man. John is a good — I like all three of them, actually,” the president said in mid-February. “They’ve all supported me. They’re all good and you’re supposed to pick one. So, we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.” It’s unclear if the president will endorse a candidate for the runoff election. All three candidates were in attendance at an energy-focused event led by the president in Corpus Christi, Texas, last Friday. However, the election was overshadowed this weekend by a shooting at an Austin bar where two people were killed and over a dozen were injured – as the alleged shooter wore a “Property of Allah” hoodie and apparel with the Iranian flag on it. The candidates engaged in a brutal and, at many times, personal fight for the nomination. Accusations flew about Cornyn’s political record, Paxton’s personal history, and Hunt’s attendance in Congress – all while trying to make the case that they would be the best individuals to carry out Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his second term. Whoever advances to the general election will face off against either Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Sen. James Talarico in November, depending on the final outcome of the Democratic primary. Sen. Ted Cruz has remained neutral in the primary race, but his own electoral history could provide a window in the 2026 contest. Cruz defeated former Rep. Colin Allred in 2024 with 53% of the vote, and the Republican also beat former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in 2018. The Cook Political Report ranks the general election race as “Likely Republican” as of Tuesday night, as the Kalshi prediction market has the odds of Republicans winning the general election at 60%.