SAN ANTONIO—City officials found a way to flaunt state and federal prohibitions on “pride crosswalks,” and it could come at a high price for taxpayers. These rainbow-painted stretches of road became a common sight during the Biden years. That has changed since President Donald Trump returned to office, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning governors that “roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott is one of several red state leaders who expressly prohibited pride crosswalks, saying in October that “Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways,” and warning that “any city that refuses to comply with the federal road standards will face consequences including the withholding or denial of state and federal road funding.” Rather than comply, the City of San Antonio devised a clever workaround to Abbott’s prohibition: it will start painting sidewalks instead. Construction crews began power-washing a block of sidewalk in the city’s “Pride Cultural Heritage District,” or “gay strip,” as it is locally known, earlier this month. This follows about three months of planning by the city council and “LGBTQ+ Advisory Board,” and is projected to cost taxpayers $170,000. Several Texas cities initially sought exemptions to Abbott’s ban on political road artwork, requests the governor’s office denied. San Antonio’s decision to plow ahead with its pride sidewalk comes as several Florida towns have done the same in violation of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s prohibition on these installations. Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told The Daily Wire that the governor “expects all Texas municipalities to fully comply with his directive on roadway safety and U.S. Department of Transportation guidance and regulations.” San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and the San Antonio City Council did not respond to requests for comment. It is unclear how Abbott or the Transportation Department will penalize San Antonio. But the pride sidewalk already faces steep local opposition from an unlikely coalition. Pride San Antonio, a nonprofit that organizes pride events, funded most of San Antonio’s original rainbow crosswalk, sued to block the pride sidewalk alongside the San Antonio chapter of the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum. While the parties to this improbable joint lawsuit have radically different end goals — Pride San Antonio wants to bring back the rainbow crosswalks, while the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum wants to nix all public pride paintings — both groups argue that it is a misappropriation of funds to do so, according to attorney Justin Nichols. Pride San Antonio, in particular, objects to the astronomical cost of painting the sidewalk, noting in the lawsuit that it spent $4,690 in 2023 on maintenance for the pride crosswalk, and noted elsewhere that most of the $19,000 that originally went into painting the crosswalk was fundraised, rather than provided by the city. Texas Conservative Liberty Forum president Joe Garza said both parties “hope the city will hold a public debate and vote on the proposed rainbow sidewalk.” And while he acknowledges that debate will pit his group against Pride San Antonio, he remains committed to the joint lawsuit. “We believe cities have to make the choice that’s best for them,” he said, “but that elected officials should make those choices, not bureaucrats.” One such elected official is San Antonio City Councilwoman Misty Spears. “I believe the elimination of the rainbow crosswalks was an important roadway safety decision made by the state of Texas and not intended to target San Antonio or the LGBTQ community,” the Republican wrote in a statement. “Tax dollars should not fund individual viewpoints.” Whether or not this lawsuit succeeds, it seems that other Texas cities are hellbent on flouting Abbott’s ban. Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas decided to paint its steps rainbow in response to the city agreeing to repaint the pride-themed crosswalk. And Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert told the mayor and city council that she would continue to look for ways to “allow neighborhoods to express their unique community identity,” according to a December 12 memo. Neither Tolbert nor the mayors of Austin or Dallas responded to requests for comment. Sam Korkus is a student at the University of Dallas and a contributor to The College Fix.

In an era of spiraling political absurdity, America finds itself squandering precious time and resources on what should be one of the most straightforward, apolitical facts of human existence: only women can get pregnant. Even Democrat strategist James Carville recently mocked the absurdity of today’s gender politics on Fox News, saying, “I’m not worried about getting pregnant. I have no idea why this is the number one issue in America.” It’s time to stop pretending this point of view is controversial. As a mom, I’m calling for this political charade to end in 2026. After many decades of modern scientific consensus, which follows centuries and even millennia of common sense on the subject, we’ve somehow devolved into laughably ridiculous disagreements over gender. This isn’t just science; it is the order of creation itself, designed by God with intention and clarity. But it is politically unserious to convene hearings where elected politicians and sitting Supreme Court Justices go through the motions of grilling so-called experts on a matter that, in terms of objective reality, isn’t even up for debate. Imagine a congressional hearing on whether gravity affects everyone equally, or if some people can ‘identify’ as not being subject to such a narrow-minded and restrictive force. Or, imagine someone bringing a case before the Supreme Court to decide whether humans require oxygen to live, or if some could ‘identify’ as anaerobic and live on carbon dioxide alone. We, the serious masses, wouldn’t even entertain the conversation. We would turn our attention to real political issues like immigration, national security, or the economy, and not waste our time. Speaking of which, I don’t have much time to waste these days. I just welcomed our third child in three years into this world. It was beautiful, painful, exhausting, and awe-inspiring; the kind of experience that reminds you just how extraordinary the female body truly is. God entrusted me to carry a child and give birth, something only a woman can do. A man is simply incapable of doing what I did. That isn’t opinion, it’s biological reality. And as a mother who just gave birth, I’m exhausted that this ever became a political issue. Women shouldn’t have to fight to own something as fundamental as pregnancy. Which is why I was so disgusted when I watched the congressional hearing where Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) questioned the so-called “expert,” and (somehow) certified OB/GYN, Dr. Nisha Verma. Dr. Verma testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on abortion pill safety. She represented Physicians for Reproductive Health, and Sen. Hawley asked her a simple question that has an objective, biological, common-sense answer: “Can men get pregnant?” Dr. Verma, who definitely knows the answer, repeatedly dodged the question — insisting instead that it was a “political tool” that “polarized” the discussion and failed to capture the “complex experiences” of her patients. I wonder if Dr. Verma would also dodge questions about whether people could choose to live without oxygen or decide that gravity doesn’t apply to them. Would she claim such farcical questions are political tools that polarize? SPOILER ALERT: Men cannot get pregnant pic.twitter.com/08JwHUlxIj — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 14, 2026 Credit: @HawleyMO/X.com That is really the crux of the issue here; none of this should be treated as a political issue. A serious nation would not waste another moment nor another taxpayer dollar entertaining such an unserious conversation. The entire premise should be dismissed outright as unworthy of the time it would take to even ask such a ludicrous question. Stop indulging delusion and start governing in reality. Incredibly, this Senate hearing came just days after the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding men in women’s sports. Ironically, this is the same thing that happened to one of the sitting Justices during her confirmation hearing, when she was unable to answer a similar question — “What is a woman?” More incredible still, she and every other person still hung up on this issue suddenly know what a woman is when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling and placing the first black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States. Suddenly, they all know what a woman is? Suddenly, that distinction matters? No, not suddenly. They always knew because it’s an objective, reality-based fact that isn’t up for debate, unless we pretend along with those who want to bend reality. Even James Carville wasn’t just stating a fact; he was calling out how absurd the debate itself has become. His joke on Fox News wasn’t about biology; it was about how fake and manufactured this entire controversy is. But Democrats keep entertaining fiction to pander to rabid extremists and then expect the rest of the country to play along. The bottom line is simple: there is no debate, so entertaining one is foolish. Polling consistently shows that most Americans are willing to publicly admit that they understand the biological reality of sex. Voters aren’t confused, but Washington is pretending to be. Americans are tired of political grandstanding on issues that don’t matter. And 2026 should be the year this nonsense ends. It’s time to stop coddling absurdity as though we owe irrationality an esteemed seat at every table. One might say that when you wrestle with a pig in lipstick, it’s still a pig, and you both get dirty. It’s not respect, and it’s not compassion. It’s suicidal empathy. If we let lunacy hijack constructive conversation, we all crash together. ### Jillian Anderson King is a former Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador and ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelor in Paradise contestant. She’s a Mombassador for Moms for America, an ambassador for Turning Point and Turning Point Faith, and a proud Christian Conservative mother and wife. Jillian is also the founder of The Kings Firm, a strategic communications firm. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

A self-described “lefty lesbian lawyer” says she was fired by New York Attorney General Letitia James after months of publicly speaking out against transgender medical procedures for children.  Glenna Goldis lost her position in the consumer fraud bureau after warning about the dangers of so-called treatments like puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. In July, Goldis participated in a Federal Trade Commission roundtable on transgender procedures in her private capacity.  “Today I was fired by NY Attorney General Letitia James for speaking out against pediatric gender medicine (PGM),” Goldis posted on X. “I was an attorney in [New York Attorney General’s] consumer frauds bureau, which did not work on anything related to PGM. Since 2024 I’d been raising the alarm publicly and within NYAG that PGM providers may be engaged in a dangerous consumer fraud. James’s officials treated me like a pest.” Goldis said that James’s lawyers “struggled” to identify what was problematic about her public statements.  “When the general counsel finally identified an objectionable line in my blog, it was where I stated the holding of US v. Skrmetti (banning [pediatric gender medicine] isn’t discriminatory). She wrote that it contradicted James’s legal position,” Goldis said.  Goldis said she was told that she was not allowed to “take public legal positions that conflict” with James under the Rules of Professional Conduct. She said that the claim was inaccurate and accused the attorney of trying to cow her “into silence.” James has been a vocal supporter of transgender medical procedures for minors and previously sued to block President Donald Trump’s executive order cutting federal funding to institutions that facilitate such interventions.  A spokesman for James confirmed Goldis’s firing to The Daily Wire.  “The Office of the Attorney General has rules and protocols for employees who engage in activities that can impact the work, operations, or integrity of the office,” the spokesman said. “This employee’s flagrant and repeated disregard of these rules and protocols disrupts and undermines our efforts to protect the rights of all New Yorkers.” Goldis said her social circles are “full of progressive lawyers.”  “I’m a lesbian, i.e., a ‘member of the LGBTQ community’ that James purports to champion. I tried to explain to NYAG officials that PGM, by its nature, targets children who defy sexed norms — whom studies show are more likely to be gay when they grow up,” she said Thursday. “If Letitia James actually cared about ‘LGBTQ’ youth then she’d research ‘gender’ drugs and learn what they do. Instead, she glibly calls the drugs ‘safe’ and fires me for contradicting her.” Goldis said she hopes Democratic officials will one day move away from the party’s intolerance of dissent on transgender-related policy. “In the end, NYAG accused me of engaging in ‘disruptive public speech.’ Unfortunately, that’s not true. I haven’t disrupted the Democratic elite’s zombie-like devotion to PGM providers,” she said. “But I’m just getting started.” Ahead of her appearance at the FTC roundtable, Goldis told The Daily Wire she wanted to end what she described as a “taboo” on criticizing the transgender medical industry.  “I want to end that, I want to break the taboo,” she said. “There’s a taboo out there which is just performing so much work for the gender doctors. The healthcare industry is able to make all this money and pass off all these lies because there’s a taboo against criticizing it. And so I want to smash that taboo.”

At least 14 states have declared a state of emergency as they brace for snow, record cold, and potentially crippling ice from a winter storm that will stretch from New Mexico to Maine. Around 172 million people are in the storm’s path this weekend, with the ice being the biggest threat. Up to an inch of ice is possible in some spots in the Southeast, which is enough to down trees and power lines, potentially knocking out power for days. Some cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., could see up to a foot or more of snow, while Minneapolis and Chicago face extreme cold. A polar vortex is expected to bring in frigid Arctic air to around 35 states following the major storm. States that have declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also preparing to respond to the storm, setting up staging areas in multiple locations, ABC News reported. In Louisiana, FEMA is preparing 250,000 meals, 400,000 liters of water, and 30 generators at Camp Minden near Shreveport. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders ordered 168 National Guard troops to active duty on Friday to support state police “until weather conditions improve.” “Winter weather is headed our way as early as this evening. Stock up on essentials now, stay inside, and follow local and state guidance,” Sanders said on Friday morning. In the South, where ice remains the biggest risk, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency urged residents to finalize their plans “and get home or to a safe place” by Friday night. In Texas, officials have warned residents to prepare for a “long-duration freeze” that will likely affect the state Saturday night through Monday night. Public buses and light rail trains will be completely shut down on Saturday afternoon in Austin, where the city’s mayor urged residents to stay indoors. “Travel will become difficult, especially on bridges, overpasses, and untreated roadways,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Runyon. The storm will move across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on Friday night before ice and snow are expected to reach the Carolinas and Virginia by Saturday and into Sunday. The National Weather Service warned that heavy snow can also “bring multi-day Power Outages, block emergency routes, and cause Communication Loss from downed lines.” Cold temperatures are expected to persist throughout the first half of next week, potentially prolonging power outages and travel difficulties in many states that are ill-equipped to clear roads.

The Department of Justice is going “to the ends of the Earth” to press charges against former CNN host Don Lemon for his alleged role in storming a St. Paul, Minnesota, church with a group of anti-ICE activists Sunday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said Friday. A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign off on charges against Lemon on Thursday but authorized the arrests of three activists who were tied to the mob. Still, the Justice Department is exploring ways to prosecute Lemon, Dhillon told conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, calling the judge’s actions “frustrating.” “We are going to do it because that is what is required for justice here, and from Sunday, when I first saw the video that Don Lemon himself put out about his conduct that day, it was clear to me that we have the predicates for pursuing FACE Act and conspiracy,” she said. The FACE Act penalizes those who “by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.” “We have aggressively and very rapidly sought legal process,” Dhillon said. “He is not out of legal jeopardy and he has lawyered up, he has a prominent lawyer and we’re gonna pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” she said. ?NEW: @HarmeetKDhillon tells @megynkelly DOJ will pursue Don Lemon charges “TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”? “He is NOT out of legal jeopardy.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/W1XjXvlTjV — Jason Cohen ?? (@JasonJournoDC) January 23, 2026 Lemon responded to the Trump administration’s efforts to arrest him, saying Thursday, “Here I am.” His attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement saying that the First Amendment protects Lemon since he joined the protest “as a reporter.” “It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist,” the statement read. “Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” it continued. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that such protections don’t extend to “being part of the group that storms inside of a church.” “Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Blanche told Fox News’s Will Cain. “It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters and being part of the group that storms inside of a church… the fact that Mr. Lemon thought that was a good idea, and then raced away from it saying it was ‘freedom of the press’ — well, we’ll see.”