Second Lady Usha Vance just launched a new podcast aimed at children’s literacy, her office announced Monday. The project, which is called “Storytime with the Second Lady,” will include Vance and special guests reading “good books out loud” and discussing why they love to read.  “We will have someone come in—a ‘special reader,’ we’re calling them—read a fun book, have a very short little conversation, and then invite children to pick up books on their own,” the announcement said.  “It’s sort of just a little advertisement for reading,” Vance said during an appearance on NBC News. When asked why this initiative was so important, the second lady mentioned the decline of literacy rates, calling the trend “worrisome.” The first three episodes are already posted, featuring the books “Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter, Disney’s “Cars” featuring Danica Patrick, and “Playground Lessons” written and read by Brent Poppen. Vance has made children’s literacy a focus of her office. At the beginning of March, she celebrated National Reading Month by reading to young patients at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., as The Daily Wire previously reported. “Childhood literacy is something that’s very important to me, both as a parent and as someone who grew up reading avidly,” Vance said at the time. “In particular, when children are spending a lot of time in the hospital it’s important that they have access to books, both as entertainment and to ensure they develop the essential literacy skills they will need for the rest of their lives. It’s an honor to spend time with these children and to encourage them to keep reading after they complete their stay here at the hospital.” Earlier this year, the Vance family announced the happy news that they were expecting their fourth child together. The vice president, 41, and his wife, 40, have been married since 2014.  With the birth of their new son expected in July, the couple will have joined a small club of presidents and vice presidents to have had a child while in office. Episodes of “Storytime with the Second Lady” are available on YouTube and Spotify.

The Trump Kennedy Center will host the premiere of the family-friendly film, “Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie,” on Flag Day: June 14, 2026. The animated family film brings American history to life with humor and heart, tracing the nation’s founding ideals through adventure and storytelling that’s fun for the whole family. The film features a mix of live-action and voice performances from well-known actors and public figures, including Kirk Cameron as Brutus Wigglesthorpe, Kevin Sorbo as George Washington, Pat Boone as Abraham Lincoln, Gary Sinise as Robert E. Lee, Rob Schneider in a cameo role, Alveda King as a civil rights activist, Jarrett Ellis as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Dr. Ben Carson appearing as himself. Per the website, the narrative “begins in 1775, as Liberty the Eagle is sent as an apprentice to watch over Freedom in pre-Revolutionary America … In preparation for what will become a truly revolutionary act, brave colonists draft the Declaration of Independence — setting the stage to change the world. Cue the fireworks! As America’s story unfolds, the promises of the Declaration echo through each generation. When fireworks burst across the sky during a modern-day July 4th celebration, young viewers are left with a powerful truth: our cherished freedoms were not only hard-won, but they must be protected. And now, it’s up to them to carry the torch.” The premiere marks the latest addition to the Trump Kennedy Center’s faith and family-based programming initiative. The Center has previously featured screenings of faith-centered films such as “King of Kings,” CBN’s “Revival Generation,” and “El Tonto Por Cristo,” along with its first-ever Christmas spectacular – “Noel: Jesus is Born!” This upcoming Flag Day event will encourage Americans to celebrate our great nation. “As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the Trump Kennedy Center is proud to bring families together for the premiere of ‘Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie,’ a patriotic experience the whole family can enjoy. This continues our promise of more family-friendly show options at America’s cultural center,” said Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations. The film was made as part of the American Cornerstone Institute’s Little Patriots initiative, expanding on the popular “Star Spangled Adventures” cartoon series. “‘Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie’ brings the story of America to life for our youngest learners in a way that will educate and inspire them. By honoring the courage, faith, and love of liberty that has shaped our great nation over the years, we are helping the next generation understand that freedom is not automatic — it is something that must be understood, loved, and protected,” said Dr. Ben Carson. The premiere aligns with a broader cultural push to reclaim American institutions for faith, family, and patriotism. As the country prepares for its 250th anniversary, “Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie” offers parents a wholesome, educational film that celebrates the principles of liberty, courage, and self-governance that built the United States.

Thanks to a loophole in federal law, cash from foreign nationals could make the difference in a battle over Michigan election security.  Earlier this month, the group Citizens Only Voting turned in 750,000 signatures to place a citizen-only voting proposal on the 2026 ballot in Michigan. Leftist groups that have taken millions in foreign-linked money have already come out swinging against the proposal, suggesting they will mount a stiff campaign against the election integrity measure.  Those groups include Promote the Vote and Voters Not Politicians, groups that have been funded by dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund during previous election-related campaigns. The Sixteen Thirty Fund has received a whopping $305 million from the Berger Action Fund, according to Americans for Public Trust. The Berger Action Fund is tied to Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who has dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into influencing American politics.  “It would be incredibly ironic if it remains possible in Michigan for groups to spend foreign-tied money to try to defeat a ballot measure to prevent non-citizens from voting in Michigan elections,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told The Daily Wire. Of all the foreign-linked money the Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent on ballot initiatives, the most has been spent in Michigan. This spending has topped $34.5 million since 2014, according to Americans For Public Trust.  Promote the Vote reportedly took over $11 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2022 to successfully push a ballot initiative critics said effectively banned voting requirements for photo ID by giving broad ability for people to just sign affidavits instead of presenting IDs. Snead said this made photo ID optional rather than required and would prevent localities from demanding proof of identity.  Earlier this month, Promote the Vote Action told local outlet Michigan Advance that it would oppose efforts to require proof of citizenship to vote. Michael Davis, Jr., the group’s executive director, told the outlet that the citizen-only requirement will “make it more difficult for all of us to register and vote, resulting in the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of eligible American citizens across the state. It’s voter suppression, pure and simple, and we’re confident Michigan voters will see this effort for what it really is.” Voters Not Politicians, the other group that released a statement opposing the citizen-only ballot initiative, has also taken millions in foreign-tied money from the Sixteen Thirty Fund. In 2018, it took over $5 million from Sixteen Thirty to promote a ballot initiative that took away redistricting power from state legislators and transferred it to a supposedly bipartisan commission.  Regarding the Michigan ballot initiative, Voters Not Politicians Executive Director Christy McGillivray said, “F**k this sh*t, actually.” While her group has been supported by a billionaire-backed dark money organization, McGillivray attacked Citizens Only Voting for having wealthy supporters.  “A billionaire from Illinois has bankrolled this entire campaign with the only goal to trick Michiganders into throwing away their own political power,” she said. “This ballot initiative is part of a wider national power grab by wealthy political elites who are trying to take power away from the people by blocking them from voting.” Americans For Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland said that the foreign influence loophole is “a huge threat to the state of Michigan.” “We’re eager to work with legislative leaders to shut off foreign funding and state ballot issues across the country, and especially in Michigan,” she said.  Advocates of the proposal say it would safeguard Michigan elections. Last year, a Chinese student in Michigan was charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election by the Justice Department. Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the vote would count because it could not be taken out of the system even though it was illegally cast.  “This is really to cement and restore the public’s confidence and trust in elections. It is not a high threshold,” said state Rep. Ann Bollin. “This is something I am sorry that I actually have to be here to say, that we need a constitutional amendment to do this.” A bipartisan bill to ban foreign funding of ballot initiatives easily passed the Michigan House earlier this year but has currently stalled out in the Democrat-controlled Senate.  “Are they really interested in keeping Michigan exposed to foreign spending and foreign influence, especially with a ballot measure coming up in November on an issue as crucial as trying to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections?” Snead asked. At least nine states have passed laws to ban foreign funding for ballot initiatives with support from the Honest Elections Project and Americans for Public Trust.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is calling on President Donald Trump to force the Senate to return from their Easter break as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on. “President Trump has the power to convene the Senate under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution ‘on extraordinary Occasions,’” the Utah Republican posted to X on Sunday. “If a department with 260,000 employees (DHS) going unfunded isn’t an ‘extraordinary occasion’—especially while the Senate is out on a two-week recess during that shutdown with no plans to resolve the impasse beyond ‘we’ll deal with that in two weeks’—I don’t know what is,” Lee added. The Senate held a pro forma session on Monday morning, but made no progress toward funding DHS. Last week, the Senate approved a DHS funding deal that excluded ICE and Border Patrol, which Trump opposes, whereas the House passed a bill late on Friday that would extend funding for 60 days for the entire department. Both chambers were permitted to go home after passing their bills. During the White House press briefing on Monday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is “encouraging Congress to come back to Washington to permanently fix this problem and to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely.” A Republican aide told the Daily Wire on background that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Monday morning “told his colleagues this weekend that he would not bring them back for a show vote but would bring them back if there were a bill that would have the support to pass the Senate.” The aide noted that there is still a preference for the House to pass the Senate-backed bill. In another post, Lee criticized the Monday session, saying that “no attempt was made to pass DHS funding by unanimous consent,” adding that “the Senate must convene now.” Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) told Fox News on Monday that an effort to pass the House’s bill, known as a continuing resolution, was not attempted because Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) was in attendance in order to kill any effort to do so, as it would ultimately send the legislation to the president’s desk. However, the North Dakota lawmaker said there could be an attempt made to do so on Thursday, and that he would like to see a three-year-long DHS funding push through reconciliation instead. A reconciliation bill is not subject to a 60-vote threshold in the Senate. As for Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that the 60-day CR from the House would be “dead on arrival,” and House Democrats largely wanted to pass the Senate deal, with all but three of them voting against the House Republican proposal. “There is a bipartisan bill to end the chaos at airports,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) posted to X on Monday. “House Republicans rejected it and left town on vacation. Bring the House back. End the GOP shutdown. NOW.” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), one of the three Democrats who voted for the CR, said that she believes reforming ICE is “necessary” but wanted to make sure federal workers at DHS get paid. ‘The president has agreed to several reforms to ICE — including mandatory body cameras, ID numbers, ending enforcement at hospitals and schools, and other reforms — but only in exchange for full 2026 funding of ICE,” she posted. “Walking away from DHS funding will not fix anything about ICE and it screws a lot of hard-working people. Ideological purity that empowers a broken system and hurts working people is not what I was sent to Congress to be part of,” the Democrat added. The impact of the shutdown is expected to be lessened starting this week, after Trump’s executive order last week to provide TSA officers with pay, as callouts and resignations continue to strain airport security lines. The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment.

A planned campus appearance by Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro at the University of Pennsylvania has become mired in what organizers describe as months of bureaucratic delays, opaque security demands, and shifting administrative hurdles that now threaten to derail the event entirely. In an interview with The Daily Wire, Sara Carr, a vice president at the Adam Smith Society, said the group has spent months navigating what she described as an inconsistent and slow-moving approval process that varies by venue and lacks clear guidance. “It’s been like pulling teeth with this administration,” she said. According to second-year Wharton MBA student Colin Duffy, who serves as president of the university’s Adam Smith Society chapter, the talk is scheduled for April 14 at the Penn Museum. Duffy told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Shapiro and his team are “fully confirmed.” A University Life spokesperson said the approval process had been complicated by changes to the scope of the event. “The Adam Smith Society has been working with University Life, DPS, and the MBA Office of Student Life as part of the University’s established process for planning campus events and obtaining contract signatures,” the spokesperson said. “The scope of the proposed event has changed several times, each of which requires a new review to ensure appropriate planning and resource allocation.” “At this time, the group has not completed the required steps to obtain a cost estimate and move the event forward,” the statement continued. Duffy disputed that characterization, saying the group has been working with the university since the fall and accused the university of putting up “roadblocks” in the process. “The contract has been ready on our end for some time,” Duffy said, adding that organizers have concerns about what they describe as unclear and potentially “uncapped, vague” security costs. He said the group would “not agree” to such terms. Carr said the group requested comparable cost estimates for similar events but did not receive them from the university’s public safety officials. Organizers say the process has dragged on for months longer than organizers initially anticipated. “It’s been a slog the whole way through,” she said. “From August to December, we didn’t appreciate the level of restrictions” the group would ultimately face. According to Duffy, the event, co-hosted with Young America’s Foundation, would feature a speech by Shapiro followed by a question-and-answer session focused on the ideas promoted by the Adam Smith Society, which aims to foster debate on the moral, social, and economic benefits of capitalism. Duffy said organizers initially planned to open the event to the public but agreed to limit attendance to members of the Penn community. “We intended to open the event to the public to advance Penn’s mission of open inquiry and intellectual diversity while reinforcing Penn’s stated commitment to combating antisemitism by hosting a prominent Jewish public intellectual in an academic setting,” Duffy said. Carr indicated that time constraints could ultimately determine whether the event moves forward at all. “The viability of the event is almost entirely dictated by time,” she said, suggesting delays, rather than security costs, may be the primary obstacle. University officials have not indicated whether Shapiro’s speech will move forward as planned. The Daily Wire reached out to the offices of Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Dave McCormick (R-PA), and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) for comment but did not receive responses.