Bill Maher says “woke” Hollywood may nominate him for awards, but insists they’ll never actually give him one because he doesn’t play by their rules. The 69-year-old comedian said as much during an episode of “Club Random” that was filmed before the Golden Globes on Sunday.  “I’ve been nominated for 33 Emmys, and they would never give it to me,” Maher told his guest, Joel Edgerton. “That’s not a gag number. That’s a real number. It’s crazy.” He went on to list all the things he’s been nominated for in various categories.  “Obviously, it’s something I said. Well, it’s everything I said,” he joked. “Because I speak freely. And this woke town f*cking hates that. And that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with that.” If by “some miracle,” he received an award, he said, “I really should be shocked.” Maher was nominated on Sunday for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television. He lost to fellow Hollywood outcast Ricky Gervais. Gervais, who is well known for his iconic no-hold-barred, celebrity roasting monologue at the 2020 Golden Globes ceremony, won a coveted statuette Sunday night for his Netflix special, “Morality.” The 64-year-old comedian was not in the audience to accept his award, but later posted about it on X, writing, “I f*cking won. Again.” The moment of Gervais’ triumph was hijacked by Golden Globes presenter Wanda Sykes, who used Gervais’ absence to mock him.  “There’s some people pissed off that a queer black woman is up here doing the job of two mediocre white guys,” Sykes said while presenting the award, “But first I want to give them some love.” She also referenced Maher, saying, “You give us so much. But I would love a little less. Just try less.” The camera panned to Maher, who appeared perplexed and was not smiling. “Ricky Gervais, I love you for not being here,” Sykes said while still listing nominees. “No, I love you. But if you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you are going to thank God and the trans community. Oooh, Ricky!”

During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist refused to say that a man can’t get pregnant. The exchange between Dr. Nisha Verma and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley took place during the “Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs” Senate Hearing. Dr. Verma was the witness Democrats brought in to represent their side of the hearing. Senator Hawley repeatedly asked Dr. Verma throughout the exchange, “Can men get pregnant?” “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is,” Dr. Verma said. Senator Hawley’s question followed Senator Ashley Moody’s similar question to Dr. Verma. The reproductive doctor refused to answer Moody as well. Moody asked the question to point out that men were getting hold of the abortion pill. Hawley reminded Dr. Verma that the goal of this point-blank question was to get to the truth. “The goal is just to establish a biological reality,” Hawley said. “Can men get pregnant?” The Emory physician again refused to answer the question. Instead, she told the senator she takes care of people with many “identities.” “I do take care of people that don’t identify as women,” she said while still refusing to say if men get pregnant. Dr. Verma, who was speaking in favor of mifepristone, the abortion drug up for debate, urged the committee to follow the science and evidence on the medication, but couldn’t speak to the science behind a man’s reproductive limitations. “I think you’re trying to reduce the complexity of a lot of people’s lives,” Dr. Verma said to Sen. Hawley. Neither side budged from their beliefs during the exchange. In an effort to ignore the science and Hawley’s question, Dr. Verma said the question of whether men can get pregnant was being asked as a “political tool.” “Yes/no questions like this are a political tool.” Dr. Verma argued. “I would be more than happy to have a conversation with you that is not coming from a place of trying to be polarized.” “It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such,” Hawley said. “That is not polarizing, that is [the] truth.” Hawley appeared alarmed by the doctor’s lack of reproductive knowledge. “We are here in a hearing about science, and about women and, for the record, it’s women who get pregnant, not men,” Hawley told the doctor. “And yet you won’t even acknowledge the basic reality that biological men don’t get pregnant. There is a difference between biological men and biological women. I don’t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won’t level with us on this basic issue. I thought we were past all of this.” Verma claimed to be a “person of science” and continued to argue that “polarized” language and questions “don’t serve the American people.” Dr. Verma is not the first one in Washington, D.C. to challenge basic biology this week. During a Supreme Court hearing on two cases involving men in women’s sports, the lawyer representing the trans-identifying athlete couldn’t define the word “sex” in regard to biology when Justice Samuel Alito asked her to. “We do not have a definition for the court,” Kathleen Hartnett said. By definition, an obstetrician-gynecologist specializes in women’s reproductive health. “I wouldn’t trust her to give me an aspirin,” Fugitive Mama said on X. Hawley didn’t get his answer, but got the final word. “I am glad we had this exchange because it’s exceptionally clarifying. It is also in many ways quite depressing,” Hawley said.

President Donald J. Trump, in his January 6, 2026, address marking National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, reaffirmed the administration’s unwavering commitment to ending modern-day slavery, holding traffickers accountable, and empowering survivors to rebuild their lives. That is why the bipartisan Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously, is so important. Human trafficking is not only one of the most vicious crimes in the world, but also one of the most profitable. Modern-day slavery has become a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise where the supply and demand are the same thing: human beings. People are bought and sold again and again, not because trafficking is hidden, but because it is high-reward and low-risk. Traffickers too often evade justice. Too frequently, victims cannot find justice. For eight years, Hollie lived that reality. “My traffickers stripped me of my freedom, my income, my career, my safety, my family, my reputation, my body, and nearly my life.” When Hollie finally escaped exploitation, she did not step into freedom. She stepped into a system that failed to recognize her as a victim. Instead of protection, she faced punishment. Instead of justice, she faced criminalization for acts she was forced to commit to survive. That experience is not unique. It is tragically common. Traffickers routinely coerce victims into committing crimes, selling sex, transporting drugs, using false identification, or engaging in financial fraud, solely for the trafficker’s benefit. This is known as forced criminality, and it is a well-documented reality of human trafficking. Yet when government systems fail to properly identify victims, survivors are arrested, prosecuted, and left with criminal records that follow them long after they escape. Those records become invisible shackles. They block access to jobs, housing, education, and financial stability. They keep survivors trapped in cycles of poverty and vulnerability. And they send a devastating message: that the law holds victims responsible for crimes committed against them. As Hollie has said, “I did not emerge from exploitation into freedom. I emerged into a system that did not know how to see me, protect me, or distinguish me from the crimes committed against me.” That is not justice. Conservatives believe in accountability. However, accountability must be placed where it belongs: on the criminals, not the victims. Traffickers should face the full force of the law. Survivors should not be punished for surviving. This legislation is not symbolic. It is corrective. Many states have already enacted this type of legislation; however, the federal government has been behind the curve. The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act creates a clear federal pathway for survivors of human trafficking to vacate and expunge convictions for non-violent crimes that resulted directly from their exploitation. It also establishes an affirmative defense to prevent wrongful convictions before they happen. In doing so, it restores integrity to the justice system by ensuring prosecutors recognize and pursue the true perpetrators of crime. As the bill’s lead sponsor, Congressman Russell Fry of South Carolina, rightly noted, “It makes sense to give prosecutors tools in their toolbox to go after the true perpetrators of these crimes and not the victims themselves. This is common sense.” He is right. Survivors should never have carried the legal consequences of their traffickers’ crimes in the first place. This bill is survivor-informed, shaped by those who understand firsthand how systems fail and how they can be fixed. Survivors know that justice cannot end at initial recovery or prosecution — it must extend into long-term restoration, independence, and self-sufficiency. Hollie has spent years working with law enforcement to improve victim identification, advising prosecutors and judges on survivor-centered justice, partnering with service providers to ensure help does not end at crisis, and collaborating with financial institutions and policymakers to empower survivors to rebuild their lives. The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act represents American leadership with moral clarity. The United States can now become the only country with federal legislation that explicitly recognizes forced criminality and provides survivors a clear legal path to relief from convictions tied to their exploitation. That matters. A just nation protects the innocent, punishes the guilty, and restores those who have been wronged. This law gives survivors a real second chance — the chance to work, to secure housing, to pursue education, and to fully participate in American life without being haunted by crimes they were forced to commit. It replaces punishment with accountability. Justice should heal. Justice should be restored. And justice should never ask survivors to carry the crimes of their traffickers. With the passage of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, America takes an important step toward making that principle the law of the land. * * * Mercedes “Mercy” Schlapp is a CPAC Senior Fellow and former senior White House advisor to President Donald Trump, as well as Director of Specialty Media for President George W. Bush. She is a Republican strategist, media commentator, and co-host of CPAC 365 on SiriusXM Patriot and America Uncanceled. Hollie Nadel is a survivor of human trafficking and a graduate of Ithaca College. In recent years, Nadel has prioritized raising awareness of the reality of human trafficking, serving as a consultant for anti-trafficking organizations. She received her certification from the ACAMS/ Liechtenstein Initiative for Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking, provided survivor support for the Survivor Inclusion Initiative, and is currently working to pass additional anti-trafficking legislation. The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Washington state’s Governor Bob Ferguson refused to answer a reporter’s question when asked about his own daughter competing against a man during a recent legislative session. “Would you support a biological boy competing against your own child?” Brandi Kruse asked the governor. I asked Washington @GovBobFerguson about boys in girls’ sports. He accused me of being “obsessed with trans kids” and refused to answer the question. I’m not obsessed with trans kids. I’m obsessed with truth. pic.twitter.com/X1pxhRxsjf — Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) January 10, 2026 “I understand your obsession with trans kids,” Ferguson replied. According to Kruse, Ferguson has been open about his children and his daughter attending a private school. The governor, however, was visibly annoyed with the question and continued to dodge it. “Look, we live in a world right now where trans kids are going through a lot. So you know, I want to support trans kids. We have a federal government that essentially wants to erase that community. I’m diametrically opposed to that,” Ferguson said. The governor immediately said he was ready for the next question. Ferguson often posts about his kids on social media. Kruse raised the question to the governor because his daughter is a softball player who recently signed to play at the next level at Carleton College. According to Kruse, Ferguson’s daughter attends a private school and hasn’t had to deal with men infiltrating the girls’ sports teams. The same cannot be said for other girls in the state. Veronica Garcia is a biological male who won the 2025 girls’ 400-meter state championship for East Valley High School in Spokane, Washington. Ahnaleigh Wilson spoke out about losing to a biological male in the 2024 Cashmere Junior Olympics regional track meet 1600-meter race in Washington state. According to Washington state’s regulations, students can participate in any school sport that matches their gender identity. This week, for the first time ever, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on two cases involving transgender athletes. Tuesday, the nation’s highest court heard Little v Hecox and West Virginia v B.P.J. RELATED: SCOTUS Leans Toward Protecting Women’s Sports While ACLU Can’t Define ‘Woman’ During the oral arguments, the lawyer representing the trans-identifying athlete from Idaho couldn’t define biological sex. “We do not have a definition for the court, and we don’t take issue with the … we’re not disputing the definition here,” Kathleen Hartnett told the court. “What we’re saying is that the way it applies in practice is to exclude birth sex males categorically from women’s teams, and that there’s a subset of those birth sex males where it doesn’t make sense to do so, according to the state’s own interest.” The Court seems ready to side with the states that have banned men from women’s sports, which would uphold laws in 27 states.

“The Pendragon Cycle” is not just about epic battles and otherworldly magic — it’s also very much a study of human relationships. And one of the most fascinating relationships is the strong yet complicated bond between brothers Aurelius and Uther.  Portrayed in the series by Finney Cassidy and Myles Clohessy, respectively, the legendary figures are at the heart of Stephen R. Lawhead’s Arthurian saga, embodying two completely different paths toward power, loyalty, and destiny. For Cassidy, stepping into the role of Aurelius felt less like a decision and more like something that simply “shook out the way it was supposed to.” “It was kind of between Aurelius and Merlin that I read for,” Cassidy recalled of the lengthy audition process. “But looking back at the project now, when you watch it, and being amongst everyone on set, it was the most perfect casting. There was something about him where there was a bit of me in Aurelius… I felt like I couldn’t have played anyone else.” Clohessy’s draw to Uther came from a different place entirely, as he’s been a longtime fan of Arthurian legend. “I was a huge history buff regarding the whole legend and lore of King Arthur in the first place,” Clohessy said. “I grew up with those tales. And especially being an American, getting to dive into the world of King Arthur and the creation of the Kingdom of Britain … that was really cool.” Both actors immersed themselves in Lawhead’s book to help develop the characters.  “[The books] gave me real depth for the character,” Cassidy said. “You really understood who he was. When you’ve got the adapted scripts and the novel, you can draw your own version of Aurelius.” For Clohessy, discovering the deeper layers of Uther’s story was a revelation, even with his knowledge of the legend. “I had no idea that Uther was essentially King Arthur’s father,” he said. “I didn’t know there was that whole love triangle going on. I thought going in, we were going to be on the same team throughout the whole thing.” That tension between loyalty and resentment defines the brothers’ on-screen relationship. Cassidy described Aurelius as the level-headed opposite of Uther’s brute strength and volatility. “Uther’s very much a hothead, and I’m the one who kind of brings it down,” Cassidy said. “He wants to deal with things with his hands. Aurelius absolutely wants to talk things out. But if it got to the point where he did have to fight, he would. He’s not a pushover.”  Clohessy agreed, noting that their real-life dynamic is surprisingly similar.“Finney is the more level-headed of us as friends, and I’m the more hot-headed brute,” he said.  As for his character, the actor says Uther has a singular focus. “My loyalty is to my brother,” he went on. “And you see in the arguments I have with the other kings, my whole through line … is to make sure my brother is safe and make sure my brother is king. I’m his battle chief. I’m there to support him and to defend him.” The weight of those roles was amplified by the show’s incredible production scale, which both actors credited as being an important component to their performances. Cassidy recalled his first day on set. “You turn up, and there’s 50 horses being dressed, a hundred supporting artists,” he said. “The day they put me in the costume… it instantly felt real.’” Clohessy echoed the sentiment, calling the production value “everything.” “Without it, the show would be nothing,” he said. “They’re ‘Game of Thrones’ level sets. Hundreds of horses, massive locations across Europe. If the scale isn’t there, not only will the actors not be able to dive in, but the audience won’t either.” While epic battles define much of “The Pendragon Cycle,” both actors pointed to quieter moments between the brothers as the most impactful. Cassidy described a scene with no dialogue that resonated deeply. “There was just a look between the two brothers,” he said. “No dialogue, nothing, but it just means everything. They’ve been through a lot. It was my favorite moment of my performance.” Offscreen, that brotherhood translated into real friendship. Both actors agreed that their favorite behind-the-scenes memory was a snow day that shut down production and turned into an all-cast snowball fight. “We ended up having this massive snowball fight,” Clohessy said. “Just acting like total doofuses.” Cassidy said, “Being adults dressed in medieval outfits, having a major snowball fight… that kind of says everything.” “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” premieres January 22, 2026. Early episodes are currently available for DailyWire+ All Access members.