Public affairs experts are weighing in to highlight the top issues that will impact the 2026 midterm elections. “Prices are going to be the top issues that voters care about. But beyond that, voters also care about safety, security, those will be top on the ballot as well,” Matt Terrill, the managing partner of Firehouse Strategies, told The Daily Signal. Terrill is a top public affairs expert having worked for both the National Republican Committee and the 2016 presidential campaign of then-Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. He noted some of the positive signs in the economy under the Trump administration. “You’re seeing inflation down. You’re seeing egg prices down,” he said.  One notable cost that affects millions of Americans is the price of gasoline, which according to Consumer Affairs, has declined by about 21 cents per gallon from where it was in December 2024. Diesel has also been trending downward in recent weeks. Terrill emphasized the need for a holistic approach to reduce energy costs in the U.S.  When asked about what the GOP should do regarding messaging around those critical issues, Terrill emphasized that there would still be opportunities for Americans to receive economic relief in the upcoming months.  “Remind Americans, if you’re President [Donald] Trump and Republican candidates in 2026 about the deregulation efforts being done under President Trump’s watch, and remind Americans about what President Trump has been doing to bring investment into the U.S. economy,” Terrill explained, also noting the tax cuts that were enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill.  “I think obviously the tax cuts on tips and overtime. That’s going to help with the affordability,” Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who is running to represent Alabama in the Senate, added in an interview with The Daily Signal. “I think part of this is just countering the narratives being pushed out by Democrats right now, and really the White House is drilling home what they’re doing to bring down energy costs, what they’re doing to bring down health care costs,” Terrill stated. “I mean, D.C. is the only entity in America that creates inflation. And when we print dollars in D.C., it’s just, it’s ink on paper, and we can print it pretty fast, but if you’re out there trying to earn that money by the hour, our printed dollars compete against the ones that you actually earn in the market, and it just makes it difficult for families to survive,” Moore told The Daily Signal.  Moore contended that voters would also be concerned about the recently uncovered fraud perpetuated against American taxpayers in Minnesota that could tally as high as $9 billion. “These people are taking tax dollars and stealing them from the Treasury, and so there has to be an accountability level there,” the Alabama congressman stated. “Some people need to be removed from this country. They need to be denaturalized as citizens. Things that we can do to show the American people that we’re going to protect the overall national security, and the funds that they’re sending to us to manage without just letting these blue states and some of these places just waste their money,” Moore said. The congressman also emphasized the importance of combatting crime as a way to alleviate costs on Americans.  “Things that we can do to lower crime and to also lower the theft of products and services makes things more affordable in the long haul,” Moore stated. He cited Trump’s deployment of the National Guard as an example of Republican success at combatting crime. Such was the resounding effect of the troops in Washington that even the city’s mayor acknowledged the subsequent decline in several categories of crime. “When the American people are seeing National Guard members being attacked, or they’re seeing a young woman on a train in Charlotte being attacked, or what they’re seeing related to crime in Chicago, the issue of national security is top of mind,” Terrill said.  Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist and former State Department appointee during the first Trump administration, noted the many factors related to the affordability of housing.  “You had COVID where you had people fleeing cities towards the suburbs, and you saw the prices go sky high. And then you had inflation. The cost of building just was tremendously high. And then combine that all with interest rates. That’s a recipe for disaster,” Bartlett said. He contended that members of Congress would have to “incentivize this without furthering expenses or giving more to the demand side” to help alleviate the issue but also noted that much of the problem stems from local governance like permitting land use.  “We can’t just run on the status quo. I think we absolutely need some new ideas, whether it’s from Congress, whether it’s from the White House, as to give a goal to the American voter and the American public towards the economy and society that we want to live in,” Bartlett said.  “There’s so many other aspects, including addiction, and that continues to be a plague in society with drugs, as this White House has highlighted, whether it is fentanyl or cocaine addiction, where it starts, how it’s trafficked,” Bartlett explained. The post Experts Talk Top Midterm Election Issues appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Possibly Looking at Bi-Coastal Energy Prices Shocks for 2026

On Monday, CBS Mornings finally found Republicans they liked. The people they celebrated were the so-called “Nasty Nine,” a group of self-described Republicans in Montana’s State Senate who decided to throw their lot in with Democrats and pass their agenda. Of course, CBS framed the story as the nine righteously breaking ranks to stand up against the scary “ultra-conservative caucus.” Fill-in co-anchor Michael George led into the segment by teeing it up as a wonderful tale of politicians overcoming “political polarization,” where the Republican Party was the bad guys and the Democrats were the good guys. He even suggested it was an example for the rest of the country: Well, look, it is no secret that political polarization is pretty much the norm these days with Republicans and Democrats not agreeing on much. Now, back in April, nine GOP state senators in Montana were kicked out of their party for voting with Democrat colleagues across the aisle. Now, some of those lawmakers are talking to our Jo Ling Kent about why they did it and how they hope to set an example for the rest of the country. “Montana is often called ‘the last best place where life feels different.’ And this year, ‘different’ meant something rare: Republicans and Democrats voting together,” gushed correspondent Jo Ling Kent. “Nine Republican state senators voted with 18 Democrats to form a new majority to pass major legislation last session, undermining the influence of the ultra-conservative caucus of the Montana GOP … Safe to say it did not go over well.” Kent lamented, “The political punishment was swift. The nine senators were censured by their own party in April, stripped of their GOP status, and in June, cut off from voting rights at Republican Party conventions.”   CBS News finally finds Republicans they can tout. Of course, they're Republicans who decided to side with Democrats against the "ultra-conservative(s)": MICHAEL GEORGE: Well, look, it is no secret that political polarization is pretty much the norm these days with Republicans… pic.twitter.com/BasQnvneXd — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 29, 2025   Without going into any detail about the legislation that was passed by the “new majority,” and without any word from the opposition about what they had issues with, Kent partnered with the senators to boast about what was done (Click “expand”): KENT: What was at stake, senator? RUSS TEMPEL (R-state senator, MT): Things as far as I was concerned was the Medicaid expansion. Example, of one of the hospitals I work with, they work on a pretty small margin. KENT: Senator, what was at stake for you? DENLEY LOGE (R-state senator, MT): Medicaid reauthorization. I had two rural hospitals in my district. KENT: What would have happened if you had not been able to pass this legislation? LOGE: Well, you get people that will go to the Emergency Room, so we end up paying two and three times the cost as taxpayers. And if that happens, pretty soon the doors are going to close as well. KENT: In another bipartisan effort, the Senate approved a state trust to support housing, infrastructure, pensions and childcare. JOSH KASSMIER (R-state senator, MT): We're going to invest in dams, bridges. Kent even spoke with a couple of Montana Democrats who beamed about the Republicans (Click “expand”): CORA NEUMANN (D-state senator, MT): Americans need that right now. Just, don't look left, look right. Look ahead at the goal which is to serve our constituents. There's a lot of pain in Montana right now. KASSMIER: They want to see relief. They want to see their quality of life improve. LAURA SMITH (D-state senator, MT): I refuse to use the word bipartisan as a bad word. He might not vote for my bill, I might not vote for his, but we can both vote on it on behalf for constituents, you better bet we'll come together. NEUMANN: I like these guys. I can tell you that. “It is nice to see that unity in Montana certainly bucking the trend nationwide,” Kent proclaimed. While Kent was palling around with the Senator’s at one of their homes, she didn’t seem to do any in-person meetings with the Republicans they opposed. Instead, she just paraphrased from a statement and hyped a lawsuit against the party: And this story is not over yet. The Montana Republican Party chairman did confirm to us at CBS News the party no longer considers the Republicans that we interviewed to be members of their party. That has three of the nine Republican senators suing to regain their rights to vote at the Republican Party Convention in Montana. The so-called nasty nine says the punishment has been a distraction for what they call the GOP leadership's failure to deliver for Montana families, and they're committed, they say, to their conservative principles. And they’re just looking for some unity. Meanwhile, the left didn’t look too kindly on the Democratic U.S. Senators who crossed the aisle to join Republicans in ending the government shutdown just last month. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CBS Mornings December 29, 2025 8:20:04 a.m. Eastern MICHAEL GEORGE: Well, look, it is no secret that political polarization is pretty much the norm these days with Republicans and Democrats not agreeing on much. Now, back in April, nine GOP state senators in Montana were kicked out of their party for voting with Democrat colleagues across the aisle. Now, some of those lawmakers are talking to our Jo Ling Kent about why they did it and how they hope to set an example for the rest of the country. [Cuts to video] JO LING KENT: Montana is often called “the last best place where life feels different.” And this year, “different” meant something rare: Republicans and Democrats voting together. JOSH KASSMIER (R-state senator, MT): I mean I would have worked with anybody if they had a solution. KENT: Nine Republican state senators voted with 18 Democrats to form a new majority to pass major legislation last session, undermining the influence of the ultra-conservative caucus of the Montana GOP. KASSMIER: We voted for lower income tax relief. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in the future of Montana. KENT: Safe to say it did not go over well. Y'all were called part of a nasty nine. KASSMIER: Yeah, that's right. DENLEY LOGE (R-state senator, MT): I say necessary nine. KENT: The political punishment was swift. The nine senators were censured by their own party in April, stripped of their GOP status, and in June cut off from voting rights at Republican Party conventions. BRUCE GILLESPIE (R-state senator, MT): It become more my way or the highway. KENT: What was at stake, senator? RUSS TEMPEL (R-state senator, MT): Things as far as I was concerned was the Medicaid expansion. Example, of one of the hospitals I work with, they work on a pretty small margin. KENT: Senator, what was at stake for you? LOGE: Medicaid reauthorization. I had two rural hospitals in my district. KENT: What would have happened if you had not been able to pass this legislation? LOGE: Well, you get people that will go to the Emergency Room, so we end up paying two and three times the cost as taxpayers. And if that happens, pretty soon the doors are going to close as well. KENT: In another bipartisan effort, the Senate approved a state trust to support housing, infrastructure, pensions and childcare. KASSMIER: We're going to invest in dams, bridges. LOGE: And preemptive repairs so that you don't come behind and have to pay a triple price to fix it. KENT: The state legislative session ended on April 30th. With lawmakers back home, Senator Bruce Gillespie hosted our interview on familiar ground, his family farm in Etheridge near the Canadian border. All four GOP Senators here are that connection to land and make their living in agriculture. Despite criticism from within their party, these Republican senators believe they still have hometown support. BUTCH GILLESPIE (R-state senator, MT): We've had a lot of thank yous. We've had a lot of, you know, atta boys, keep doing what you are doing. LOGE: I received a lot of e-mails and letters similar to this. KENT: So, what’s it say? Do you mind reading it to me? LOGE: I'll read it. Dear Danley, I'm so glad you stayed with your basic ethical beliefs. You have more fans than you know. KENT: Two Democrats who joined the nine Republicans say they all just focused on what was best for Montana. I mean, they've been called part of the nasty nine. You’re a Democrat. Are they nasty? LAURA SMITH (D-state senator, MT): No. We've had some epic, epic arguments. KASSMIER: We respect their opinion, they respect ours and we just move on, right? SMITH: And it doesn't change our party values. We always came back to the table. TEMEL: I mean if we weren't willing to sit down and talk we would have never accomplished half of what we did. CORA NEUMANN (D-state senator, MT): Americans need that right now. Just, don't look left, look right. Look ahead at the goal which is to serve our constituents. There's a lot of pain in Montana right now. KASSMIER: They want to see relief. They want to see their quality of life improve. SMITH: I refuse to use the word bipartisan as a bad word. He might not vote for my bill, I might not vote for his, but we can both vote on it on behalf for constituents, you better bet we'll come together. NEUMANN: I like these guys. I can tell you that. KENT: Do you like them back? KASSMIER: Oh, yeah. Like I said, I’m friends with them. I like them. I'm proud to call them friends. KENT: So, not the nasty nine after all? SMITH: No, they are not. [Cuts back to live] KENT: It is nice to see that unity in Montana certainly bucking the trend nationwide. And this story is not over yet. The Montana Republican Party chairman did confirm to us at CBS News the party no longer considers the Republicans that we interviewed to be members of their party. That has three of the nine Republican senators suing to regain their rights to vote at the Republican Party Convention in Montana. The so-called nasty nine says the punishment has been a distraction for what they call the GOP leadership's failure to deliver for Montana families, and they're committed, they say, to their conservative principles. And they’re just looking for some unity. Guys. VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: What a remarkable story. Jo Ling Kent, thank you very much. That was great.

On Sept. 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi stood outside of his gas station, the Mesa Star Chevron, to decide where to plant flowers for the victims of the terrorist attacks four days earlier. He had just emptied his wallet to donate to a fund for the tragedy. He wanted to go to New York to volunteer for the clean-up and recovery efforts. Sandra Vuong/Smithsonian Asian Pacific American CenterBalbir Singh Sodhi was a beloved member of the Mesa community who was gunned down by Frank Roque, who thought he was Arab because of his turban. At the same time, he was also making a plan to help his own people. Sodhi was a Sikh Indian. He had a beard and wore a turban, and he anticipated his appearance would make him and his fellow Sikhs a target in the wake of 9/11. He and his brother, Rana, had already met with Sikh leaders in the Phoenix area and were preparing to hold a press conference to educate their community on their peaceful beliefs. Frank Silva Roque had a plan, too. The 42-year-old Arizona man had sworn that he was going to “go out and shoot some towel heads.” So, as Balbir Singh Sodhi planted flowers for 9/11 victims, Roque pulled up in a pickup truck and shot him five times in the back. The 52-year-old Sikh man’s death was the first in a series of racist “revenge” murders that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Sodhi’s name would come to represent so much more than the heinous act that took his life. The Life Of An American Dreamer Born in 1949 in Punjab, India, Sodhi was a personification of the American Dream. He came from a family of farmers and merchants, and he immigrated to the United States with his brothers in the late 1980s to make more money for his wife and children. He also moved to escape religious persecution. After Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, Sikhs in India faced extreme violence. In America, Sodhi could practice his faith freely. He first settled in California, where he worked various jobs, including as a cab driver. Sandra Vuong/Smithsonian Asian Pacific American CenterBalbir Singh Sodhi worked as a taxi driver when he first arrived in America. He sent much of the money he made in the U.S. back to his community in India, providing uniforms for schoolchildren and making sure the elderly had clothing to wear. After buying a gas station in Mesa, Arizona, in 2000, Sodhi would often give children free candy or let those in need fill their tanks for no charge. Frank Silva Roque was the complete opposite. He was raised by an abusive father and a schizophrenic mother, and his life left him bitter. He was convicted of attempted robbery in 1983, and his estranged wife sought orders of protection against him after he assaulted her and their children. Arizona Department of CorrectionsFrank Roque killed Balbir Singh Sodhi in cold blood on Sept. 15, 2001. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Roque had a mental breakdown. Whether it was psychosis brought on by trauma or barely restrained hatred that was finally given an outlet, he was determined to get revenge on America’s Middle Eastern population. According to court documents, Roque informed a friend that he wanted to kill “rag heads.” Then, on Sept. 15, he began his rampage. The Cold-Blooded Murder Of Balbir Singh Sodhi As reported by The Guardian in 2003, Frank Roque displayed concerning behavior in the days leading up to Sodhi’s murder. His brother, Howard, spoke with him on Sept. 15. “He said his head was going to explode,” Howard recalled. “‘I am going to die; I am going to die. The voices, the voices; I am going to die.’ He said, ‘The Devil is out there; we have to stop him.'” That afternoon, Balbir Singh Sodhi was outside of his gas station with a landscaper planning where to plant his flower memorial when Frank Roque’s truck pulled up. Roque shot Sodhi five times in the back and sped away. He then drove to his former home, which he’d sold to an Afghan family, and fired shots at the house. He also fired at a Lebanese man through the window of another gas station, though the victim wasn’t injured. Google MapsThe gas station where Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered. A memorial to him can be seen on the right. After this disturbing spree, as reported by the Los Angeles Times in 2001, Roque went to a local sports bar and started shouting, “We’re going to take back our country from the Arabs! We need to stand up and fight!” He also bragged, “They’re investigating the murder of a turban head down the street.” And when the police arrested Roque shortly after the shootings, he declared, “I’m a patriot and American. I’m American. How can you arrest me and let the terrorists run wild?” Roque was charged with the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, and his trial began in August 2003. His attorneys claimed that he was not guilty by reason of insanity due to the fact that he’d heard voices telling him to kill Arabs. They said that his lifetime of mental illness, troubled childhood, and the trauma of the 9/11 attacks left him temporarily unable to tell right from wrong. Sandra Vuong/Smithsonian Asian Pacific American CenterBalbir Singh Sodhi was killed simply for the color of his skin and his religious attire. However, Roque’s coworkers took the stand and testified that he had previously spoken of his hatred toward immigrants. In the end, he was found guilty and sentenced to death, though this was later changed to life in prison. He died behind bars 2022, at age 62. Before his death, however, he expressed remorse for killing Balbir Singh Sodhi. Balbir Singh Sodhi’s Inspiring Legacy In 2016, Sodhi’s brother, Rana, and family friend Valarie Kaur decided to call Frank Roque in prison. Kaur documented the phone call, writing that Roque told Rana, “I want you to know from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry for what I did to your brother. One day, when I go to Heaven to be judged by God, I will ask to see your brother, and I will hug him, and I will ask him for forgiveness.” Rana replied, “We already forgave you.” Indeed, in the aftermath of Balbir Singh Sodhi’s death, his loved ones had focused not on ensuring that Roque’s death sentence was upheld but on sharing Sodhi’s peaceful and loving spirit with the world. They did fight to have Sodhi’s name included on a memorial for 9/11 victims, however. Visitor7/Wikimedia CommonsThe 9/11 memorial in Phoenix, Arizona, includes Balbir Singh Sodhi’s name. As Sodhi was the first known victim of a series of “revenge” murders that were carried out on Muslims and Arabs in the aftermath of the attacks, his family insisted that he be honored. When lawmakers disagreed, claiming that Sodhi wasn’t a primary victim of 9/11, his son, Sukhwinder, asked them, “Do you think that my dad would have lost his life if 9/11 didn’t happen?” Today, Balbir Singh Sodhi’s name remains displayed on the memorial in honor of the innocent Sikh Indian who lost his life to unthinkable hatred. It’s a lasting testament to a man who truly believed in the good of others. After reading about the tragic story of Balbir Singh Sodhi, go inside the stories of nine 9/11 victims that paint a heartbreaking picture of America’s darkest day. Or, discover 9/11 conspiracy theories that many people think are actually true. The post Balbir Singh Sodhi, The Sikh Indian Who Was Killed After 9/11 By A Man Who Thought He Was Arab appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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Utah Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf ordered on Monday that audio and transcripts of a closed hearing surrounding Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, can be released with redactions.…

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