It now seems certain that the war in Iran is either coming to an end, or going on forever, or won, or lost, or a disaster or a major triumph. Despite the fog of war, it is becoming clear that either we’ve accomplished our goals or failed to and have made the situation better or worse and have a lot to look forward to or so much to fear that we should hide in the cornfields, hoping the aliens come back and take us someplace safe. One thing at least is obvious, and that is that the Iranian regime has been destroyed or strengthened, and that the oppressive anti-American thugs who have terrified the Middle East for so long have been wiped out or have completely defeated us and are now running the United States, or at least the Democrat party. Major news outlets that run the gamut from the Left to the far-Left to the so-far-Left that you just sit there thinking, “What the hell is wrong with these people?” are now reporting with complete assurance that the Trump administration is in serious negotiations either with Iran’s latest supreme leader or just some guy selling falafel from a hand-truck in Tehran. The major outlets say these negotiations are certain to result in a ceasefire deal that is a complete disaster for the United States, according to a highly placed military source who wishes to remain anonymous but looks suspiciously like Cory Booker dressed up in an army hat and epaulettes, and some leather underpants with “Spartacus” embroidered on the crotch. On right-leaning outlets, analysts and commentators and analysts analyzing commentators commenting on analysts, thoughtfully think that President Trump should make a good deal instead of a bad deal, but that he should not risk renewing hostilities unless he launches an invasion, in which case he should avoid putting boots on the ground because you can’t really accomplish much with a bunch of boots lying around on the ground. Other right wing commentators commenting on those analysts analyzing commentators talking to their analysts, say President Trump must bring down gas prices by showing the Iranians that scary frowny face he has, otherwise the midterms will be such a disaster that there won’t be enough Republicans left in the Senate to stand around waiting for John Thune to do something, even if it’s just spit a pumpkin seed shell into a spittoon, so they know he’s still alive. Now, obviously, if you watch the news on TV, you can see there are many questions still unanswered, and many answers that should be questions that are still unanswered because no one knows the answers or even the questions, and they’re mostly just filling time until the next advertisement for some new medicine that will clear up your skin but also kill you. To be fair, it can be very difficult in a situation like this for journalists to get the facts, especially if the journalists are gormless imbeciles who wouldn’t know a fact if it bit them on the ass and left teeth marks on their buttocks that spell the word “fact,” which, let’s face it, describes 98 percent of the journalists in the country, while the other two percent are both Bret Baier. However, here at the Daily Wire, OUR journalists have been able to obtain some of the secret communications concerning the war. In a conciliatory letter written in the blood of innocents, the Iranians have explained their grievances to President Trump, saying, “Why can’t you be more like that wimpy black guy? We liked him. He gave us lots of money and left us alone to build nuclear weapons so we could kill everyone, in accordance with the demands of our religion. If you would just act like that Orama or Ba-nah-nah or whatever his name was, this whole war thing would be over and Americans could go back to watching cat videos until we wipe their country off the face of the earth.” The Trump administration reacted angrily to the Iranian demands until they realized the letter had come from an assisted living facility in Delaware, and was signed by autopen, “Love, Joe.”

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris removed a historic bust of Christopher Columbus from her office while she served under Joe Biden’s administration. Under Vice President JD Vance, The Daily Wire has learned, the bust has since been brought back. “Restoring this piece of history to the Vice President’s office is one of many actions taken by the Trump Administration to honor Christopher Columbus’s contribution to Western exploration,” a spokesperson for the vice president told The Daily Wire. “Unlike Kamala Harris, Vice President Vance is committed to respecting our national heritage and restoring our monuments.” Members of the USS Montgomery removed the Christopher Columbus bust from the Spanish fleet in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and gifted it to the Secretary of the Navy, a source familiar with the matter shared with The Daily Wire. A historic bust of Christopher Columbus in Vice President JD Vance’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Photo courtesy of the White House. The bust remained on display in the Secretary of the Navy’s office through 1921, when the office was converted into the Army Chief of Staff’s office and later became the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office. That office has been occupied by a vice president since Lyndon B. Johnson. Harris, who supported efforts to replace Columbus Day with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” had the bust removed and moved to an unknown location, the source familiar said. “Since 1934, every October, the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas. Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease,” she said in 2021. “We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.” A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment. News of the bust’s reinstatement comes amid a strong push by President Donald Trump’s administration to celebrate Columbus, who famously explored the Americas. Democrat lawmakers and leftist activists have demeaned Columbus in recent years, displacing Columbus Day and accusing him of genocide against Native Americans. Trump has pushed back with aggressive pro-Columbus messaging, leaning into memes from the acclaimed television series “The Sopranos,” in which fictional mafia boss Tony Soprano warns his son: “In this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero.” “I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes,” Trump said in an April 2025 Truth Social post. “The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much.” And in this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero. pic.twitter.com/9vCzUlThxg — The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 21, 2026 “They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all,” the president said. “Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!” Six years after vandals toppled a Baltimore-based statue of Columbus and tossed it into the city’s inner harbor, Trump had the statue restored and placed in the White House’s “Garden of Heroes.” The president also led the charge in restoring the Columbus Circle fountain at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Vance himself has slammed Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a “fake holiday” and praised Columbus for using “technology developed in Europe to sail across a giant ocean and discover a new continent.” “’Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ is a fake holiday created to sow division,” Vance wrote on social media in 2021. “Of course, Joe Biden is the first president to pay it any attention.” The vice president and his wife lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a time, and Vance attended The Ohio State University there. According to photos shared with The Daily Wire, the vice president also recently added a model of the USS Ohio to the Ceremonial Office, in addition to the bust. A model of the USS Ohio in Vice President JD Vance’s Ceremonial Office. Photo courtesy of the White House.

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. *** This week took a sharp turn for President Donald Trump and his administration: not because of a national security matter or the southern border, but because a bunch of performers decided to bail on a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. After initially agreeing to perform for the president’s Great American State Fair concert on the National Mall, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day & the Time, and The Commodores decided to drop out claiming they were unaware of the event’s “political affiliation.” If you’re wondering who most of these people are, you’re not alone. Unless you spend your weekends shuffling through old 8-track collections at flea markets or garage sales, you’ve probably never heard of them. Which begs the question: Wouldn’t it be an honor for most of these “artists” to dust off their finest Zubaz pants and primp the perm one more time to perform in front of thousands of patriotic Americans? The answer is, of course, yes. It’s certainly worth wondering how we got here. But I have a bigger question, one that I think is the most important thing we can take from this saga: Where are today’s country music superstars? You can’t go a single election cycle without seeing the biggest musicians in the world put their unwavering support behind a Democratic candidate. Jay-Z and Beyonce famously campaigned with Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen cut ads for Joe Biden in 2020, and Bon Iver showed up to holler in a field for a Harris-Walz event in 2024. They never seem to feel ashamed to “speak out” and “resist” on behalf of their fans. So, why do country stars? Every week we see videos of Morgan Wallen selling out football stadiums, Ella Langley hitting the top of the charts with songs about God, Riley Green putting out conservative-coded songs like “Different ‘Round Here,” and new artists like Dexter and the Moonrocks going viral through conservative Instagram reels. Country music is as hot as it has ever been — not because of pink-haired commie liberals, but because of hard-working, patriotic conservatives. Go to a country concert these days. The parking lots are chock-full of lifted trucks with Trump-Vance stickers. Inside the venues you’ll often find more MAGA hats than band merch. American flags everywhere, Bible verses tattooed on forearms, and not a Bud Light in sight. Everything conservatives are mocked for in Hollywood is celebrated at country shows. Americans realize this, and they behave accordingly: When certain country stars were swept up in the Left’s cancel culture crusades, conservatives were there selling out arenas and buying their merchandise. These fans have been there at every turn, as steadfast in their support of their musical icons as they are in support of their country. It’s time country stars repaid the favor. So what do you say, Morgan? Give the people what they want and dial up one of your famous walkouts with the greatest president of our lifetime — on the National Mall, celebrating the country that gave you everything. I promise your fans will love it because, unlike the Left, they actually love their country. *** Brad Bishop is The Daily Wire’s senior vice president of public relations.

It’s been 48 hours since organizers unveiled the lineup for the “Freedom 250” concert on the National Mall, and nearly every featured musical act has dropped out. Morris Day & The Time say they were never confirmed for the kickoff to The Great American State Fair, while the other acts all posted some version of the same statement. Martina McBride said she “was assured this was a nonpartisan event,” while Bret Michaels said the event was described to him “as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor … hardworking Americans from all walks of life.” “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive,” Michaels added. Rapper Young MC offered a similar excuse, saying he was “never told about any political involvement with the event” and expressed his desire to “perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.” What a load of bullshit. I don’t expect famous musicians to embody courage and patriotism, but even by celebrity standards, this is an egregious display of both ignorance and cowardice. These artists didn’t pull out because the concert was politicized — they politicized it by pulling out. The bigger issue is that the event would have been politicized no matter what the artists did. Had McBride and Michaels and the lot stayed on the bill, it would have sent a message to Americans about the importance of separating patriotism from politics. Instead, their actions worsened the problem they pretended to lament. It’s unfortunate, and it’s embarrassing. Let’s break it down. Partisanship Is Neither Bad Nor Un-American I want to start here, because this is the subtext of the entire debacle. The artists were happy to sing on the Mall until the media and Democrats started deeming it “Trump’s concert,” at which point they promptly ran for the hills. The real issue, of course, is that they don’t want to be associated with Trump (more on that later). But because they want to seem like they’re above the political fray, they simply say that they want to remain “nonpartisan.” People love to say this, and it always makes them sound stupid. You can’t touch politics and remain nonpartisan. Bipartisan, sure — it’s possible for people with different party affiliations and ideologies to work together, and good when they do. But nonpartisan? To quote the 21st century’s sleepiest president: Come on, man. This isn’t even a commentary on our divisive political age, though it’s certainly gotten harder to play at nonpartisanship over the past decade. Partisanship is literally built into the foundation of this country. The Constitution? A document born out of a brutal political struggle. Washington, D.C.? Declared our nation’s capital after a backroom trade between warring factions. Even George Washington’s Farewell Address — where Washington famously cautioned Americans to avoid “the enterprises of faction” — is a partisan document. Alexander Hamilton wrote the speech with an eye towards Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s nascent Republican Party. Washington wasn’t warning Americans to avoid political parties as a rule; he was telling them they should all be Federalists. So, even if a celebration is associated with a particular party or politician, that doesn’t make it bad. But as luck would have it for our roster of stars, that’s not even a thing they needed to worry about. There’s Nothing “Partisan” About The National Mall Concert Donald Trump is a divisive and partisan figure. The former is a matter of perception: if Democrats could get over themselves, he would be seen as the opposition rather than the enemy. But the latter is an indisputable fact: Trump is an elected official and the head of the Republican Party. In that role, he is inherently partisan, no two ways about it. But Trump isn’t just the leader of the Republican Party. He’s the President of the United States. As ultraliberal President Jed Bartlet says in “The West Wing,” “I’m the President of the United States, not the president of the people who agree with me.” So it is with Trump. Partisanship is just one part of a presidency. The other, more important part — leading the nation and all that — was perfectly reflected in this concert. Trump is right to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence with, as John Adams once wrote, “pomp and parade, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations.” Now, Trump will almost certainly make some kind of political speech at the concert. Of course he will. Would it be better if he stuck to patriotic platitudes and avoided potshots at political foes? Of course. But that’s not who he is, and that’s not what our politics is like these days. But even a presidential display of partisanship is not enough to drown out the broader message of the concert. That’s the entire point of this country – the republic looms larger than, and outlasts, our petty squabbling. It’s also, to a certain extent, the point of live music. Conservatives take it for granted that their favorite artists hate them, and they go to their concerts anyway. You can sit through a rambling Springsteen monologue about tyranny if it means getting a roaring “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.” Liberals, having enjoyed cultural hegemony for so long, can’t conceive of this. And so these artists — none of whom are really famous enough to pass up a national stage — chose to stay home rather than play nice with the president for an afternoon. That’s unpatriotic and stupid, but it’s also just really, really lame. Everyone Needs To Be Cool About Cool Stuff Just because partisanship isn’t inherently bad doesn’t mean it’s all inherently good. And one of the worst expressions of partisanship is when people let their political priors blind them to objectively good things. We see this all the time when politics and entertainment intersect. Before acts started pulling out of the concert, people were talking about the upcoming UFC fight on the White House lawn. Construction began on the Octagon this week, and liberals naturally took to social media to say that this was an affront to democracy. If I thought that these critics were arguing in good faith, I would say that a bare-knuckle brawl on the White House lawn is the perfect distillation of American democracy. But of course, these critics aren’t arguing in good faith. It’s not about keeping the White House free of spectacle, or else they would have been furious when Joe Biden turned the lawn over to a bunch of half-naked transvestites. It’s about opposing anything that’s even a little bit affiliated with Trump. Republicans have this problem, too. It was dumb to pretend it wasn’t awesome when Obama played basketball with Kevin Durant. That was awesome! It was an incredible American moment, just like Dubya telling the White House press corps to “watch this drive.” A UFC fight on the South Lawn, a concert on the National Mall: these are incredible spectacles, and it’s objectively cool that the president is involved. It would be cool if the president was a Democrat; it would be cool if the president was a different Republican. Some things are too enjoyable to let politics get in the way. It’s why there are conservative Grateful Dead fans and liberals who love “Yellowstone.” It’s why Martina McBride didn’t object when Americans turned her song “Independence Day” — written from the perspective of a woman fleeing domestic violence — into a patriotic anthem in the wake of September 11. The song’s writer, Gretchen Peters, has complained about the song’s new life, making it known that she donated her royalties from Sean Hannity’s show (which famously used “Independence Day” as its theme song) to Planned Parenthood. Not so McBride, who famously performed the song while flanked by two giant American flags at Farm Aid in 2001, shortly after attacks on the World Trade Center. The singer would subsequently say that she had “mixed feelings about” that performance, because she doesn’t “want to take away from what the song is really about.” But she was very clear about the reason she leaned into a patriotic interpretation of the song when she did. “We were all so raw … and trying to have solidarity and pulling together as a country,” she said. “When I realized that the words to that chorus, ‘let freedom ring,’ kind of mirror what we were all feeling at the time, I made that decision to do that.” Some things are bigger than politics. Americans understand this. The president understands this. There was even a time when Martina McBride understood this. It’s a shame that she and her fellow performers lost sight of this truth.  But hey, there’s still time: maybe Trump can get Morgan Wallen or Ella Langley.

A Kenyan court on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to establish a U.S.-run Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya, throwing uncertainty into Washington’s strategy for handling Americans exposed to the rapidly growing outbreak in central Africa. The ruling came just as U.S. officials said the field hospital at Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya was set to begin operations. The temporary restraining order, issued by Kenya’s High Court pending a June 2 hearing, halts the establishment and operation of the facility after legal activists argued the agreement endangered Kenyan citizens and lacked public transparency. “At its core, the case is about preserving constitutional accountability, protecting public health, and ensuring that no government may place expediency above the lives and safety of the people of Kenya,” the Katiba Institute, the legal advocacy group behind the lawsuit, wrote in a statement on X. The proposed facility was intended to quarantine and treat American citizens exposed to Ebola during the ongoing outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S. officials said the site would initially hold up to 50 patients, with plans to potentially expand capacity to 250 beds. The Trump administration unveiled the Kenya plan Wednesday as part of a broader effort to prevent Ebola from entering the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a White House Cabinet meeting that the administration “cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.” Under the plan, Americans exposed to Ebola would first be sent to Kenya for quarantine and treatment before severe cases could potentially be transferred to advanced medical facilities in Europe. The administration has defended the strategy as medically and logistically sound, arguing that treatment closer to the outbreak zone would reduce transport times and help contain the virus overseas. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or targeted therapeutic treatment. According to health officials, the outbreak has now surpassed 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases, with nearly 250 suspected deaths reported so far. The outbreak has proven especially difficult to contain because it is concentrated in eastern Congo, a region plagued by armed militias, population displacement, and instability surrounding valuable mineral mining operations. Health experts warn that the actual number of infections may be significantly higher due to delayed detection and challenges in tracing contacts in conflict zones. Kenya’s medical community has also voiced alarm over the American quarantine proposal. Some doctors and union officials argued the facility could effectively create an Ebola entry point inside a country that has not yet reported any confirmed cases. “Our concern is that this is being done with the interest of the Americans, and there’s no interest of the Kenyan citizens,” Kenya doctors union secretary general Davji Atellah told reporters. The Kenyan government has defended its cooperation with Washington, insisting the arrangement complies with Kenyan law and public health safeguards. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has intensified travel restrictions tied to the outbreak. Last week, the U.S. banned travelers from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan and announced that American citizens arriving from those countries may enter only through three designated airports for enhanced screening. The Kenyan court’s ruling now leaves the administration without a clear backup plan if additional Americans are exposed to Ebola in the coming days.