Tropical Storm Erin intensified to become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, with Caribbean residents bracing for what forecasters warn could become a dangerous Category 3 storm as early as Sunday. The National Hurricane Center confirmed Hurricane Erin reached sustained winds of 75 mph Friday morning, with the storm currently located approximately 460 miles east of the nearest Caribbean islands, NBC News reported. Hurricane #Erin Advisory 17: Erin Becomes the First Hurricane of the 2025 Season. Expected to Pass Near Or North of the Leeward Islands On Saturday. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 15, 2025 According to the Weather Channel, next week, “Erin is expected to pass between North Carolina and Bermuda,” with several northern Caribbean islands likely impacted, and forecasters are noting there remains some uncertainty regarding the hurricane’s impact on the U.S. East Coast. “Erin is turning toward the west-northwest as it strengthens. This path will take Erin toward progressively warmer waters, which, in tandem with low wind shear, should allow Erin to become a major hurricane this weekend as it makes a close brush, or travels just north of the Caribbean islands,” The Weather Channel added. Given its current trajectory through warm water in the open ocean, the National Hurricane Center projects Hurricane Erin reaching Category 4 status as early as next week. JUST IN: Erin has been upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. Erin is forecast to become a Major Hurricane late weekend/early next week, topping out as a Category 4. pic.twitter.com/FeSdBfnHWd — MyRadar Weather (@MyRadarWX) August 15, 2025 Tropical Storm Watches have been issued for several Caribbean islands, including Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 48 hours, Fox Weather reported. The system is forecast to dump between two and four inches of rain in its early stages, with isolated areas potentially receiving up to six inches, potentially triggering flash/urban flooding, landslides, and mudslides across the northernmost Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and southern and eastern Puerto Rico, per NBC. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The disturbance that eventually became Hurricane Erin caused significant destruction in the African Cabo Verde islands earlier this week. Images from the island of São Vicente showed extensive flooding with muddy water rushing through streets and damaging homes, killing multiple people, per Fox Weather. Emergency management officials in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are urging residents to review hurricane plans and secure emergency supplies despite forecasts showing the storm’s center remaining offshore.

Tom Cruise reportedly turned down a chance to be honored by President Donald Trump with an award at the Kennedy Center, according to The Washington Post. The outlet reported that the “Top Gun: Maverick” star cited “scheduling conflicts” when asked to attend the gala at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., on December 7. Cruise, 63, remains silent on political issues, and redirected the conversation when a Korean reporter pressed him on the issue of Trump and tariffs at a press junket for “Mission: Impossible 8” earlier this year. “We’d rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you,” the actor said. Notably, Cruise has a history of skipping awards shows, especially considering how fans believe he’s been snubbed by the Academy on multiple occasions after being nominated for an Oscar three times, but never winning. President Trump made headlines earlier this week when he announced this year’s Kennedy Center honorees personally during a press conference. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships This year’s celebrity honorees include country singer George Strait, legendary actor Sylvester Stallone, the rock band KISS, “Phantom of the Opera” actor Michael Crawford, and singer Gloria Gaynor, as The Daily Wire previously reported. “The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, incredible, we can’t wait … in a few short months since I became chairman of the board, the Kennedy Center, we’ve completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” Trump said during his speech on Wednesday. When asked if he participated in the selection process, Trump said he was “about 98% involved” and that “they all came through me.” The president flat out said he turned down certain suggestions for being too “woke.” “I turned down plenty, they were too woke. … I had a couple of wokesters. No, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be,” Trump added. He went on to mention other Hollywood awards shows, which seemingly take an opposite approach. “Look at the Academy Awards — it gets lousy ratings now, it’s all woke. All they do is talk about how much they hate Trump, but nobody likes that. They don’t watch anymore,” Trump said.

Many NFL fans are furious over videos of male cheerleaders being introduced as part of the 2025 cheerleading squad for the Minnesota Vikings. While male cheerleaders have been part of NFL squads for several years, a clip of rookie cheerleader Blaize Shiek being introduced went viral on social media, igniting significant backlash. Shiek is one of two male cheerleaders on the Vikings squad, joining Louie Conn this season.  “Dear Minnesota Vikings, Just Stop. Sincerely, All Sane Americans,” one popular reply on X said.  “Because nothing says ‘football’ like watching Chad do high kicks in booty shorts,” another person quipped. ?BREAKING: The Minnesota Vikings under MAJOR backlash after the team hires a MALE as their LEAD CHEERLEADER for the 2025-26 NFL football season. Recent Videos of the cheerleader are going VIRAL online with many calling to cancel the team. pic.twitter.com/uwuMAWDTr2 — The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) August 12, 2025 Others noted that even though male cheerleaders are nothing new, the presentation now is vastly different.  “Im not opposed to male cheerleaders like those guys on college teams that help with stunts or whatever but I am opposed to guys holding pom poms,” one person observed, echoing what others have been saying about Shiek’s flamboyant, overly feminine look and behavior. Shiek seemed to troll critics with a video posted on Instagram. In it, one female Vikings cheerleader asks another, “Wait, where are the boys?” to which the second woman replies, “I don’t know. I heard they were throwing a fit.” Then Shiek and Conn strut forward with their pom poms, as Shiek dramatically flipped his hair back and forth. “SEE YOU AT 3,” Shiek wrote in the caption, referencing kickoff time. He went on to cheer during a preseason Minnesota Vikings game against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The response got so bad that the Vikings released a statement to NBC News on Wednesday. “Male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading,” the team said. “We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.” Per The Spun via Yahoo Sports, 12 out of the 32 NFL teams have male cheerleaders. And while many X users were celebrating that Shiek is at least a male who isn’t pretending to be female, that’s not the case everywhere.  In 2022, Justine Lindsay became the first transgender-identifying man to become an NFL cheerleader with the Carolina Panthers. “I have had so many parents of young kids in the trans community say thank you for what I’m doing and that their son or daughter is watching me,” Lindsay said at the time, per NFL.com. “They are so pleased to see that I’m tearing down that wall.” Lindsay will be cheering again for the Panthers for the 2025 season.

This month, I journeyed to the Middle East, where I met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif. I spoke with leaders about the importance of bringing peace to the troubled region. In a region too often defined by conflict and mistrust, my mission overall was simple: listen, engage, and explore a path toward stability that protects all ethnicities and religions while advancing America’s security interests. But the most important part of my trip came in Damascus, where I met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. I have long advocated for a Syria that looks towards the future and not the past. For me, it’s personal. When I took my oath of office, I did so using the family Bible of Kayla Mueller, who was abducted by terrorists in 2013 while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Kayla’s parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, joined me and my family that day. In recent months, I’ve coordinated with American partners to follow new intelligence about the possible location of Kayla’s remains. I won’t stop fighting until we bring her home — and I won’t stop fighting until we bring stability to Syria. Lasting peace in the Middle East is possible, and I believe that peace between the region’s peoples is the ultimate safeguard for both American and global security. We’ve made progress. Recently, American forces and local partners successfully targeted ISIS leadership in al-Bab. But what Syria needs most is time, space, and a framework for peace that guarantees equal rights, fair representation, and a constitutional system that breaks from the failures of the past. That is where President Donald Trump’s game-changing Abraham Accords come in. The first round of agreements reshaped the geopolitical map, bringing Israel together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in a coalition for peace, trade, and security. Abraham Accords 2.0 is the natural next step, one that would expand this circle to include Arab nations, Israel, and potentially a post-conflict Syria, fostering an alliance that isolates Iran and its terror proxies, defeats ISIS, and opens the door to unprecedented regional cooperation. The purpose of my meetings was not just fact-finding. With my military background and seat in Congress, I am uniquely positioned to bridge cultural divides, open dialogue with communities often overlooked in Washington, and help President Trump build the trust and political will necessary for these historic agreements. Just as President Trump defied the skeptics with the original Abraham Accords, we can defy them again. We can bring in nations once considered impossible partners, tie security cooperation to economic growth, and create a durable framework for peace that ensures every community, Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims all have a place in the region’s future. My office has always welcomed diverse voices and perspectives from across the Middle East. I didn’t visit the Middle East to dictate how people live or to push another era of nation-building. I went to offer support and foster hope, just as President Trump did with Kosovo-Serbia normalization, peace agreements in Africa and Asia, the first Abraham Accords, and the most recent peace signing between Azerbaijan and Armenia. These successes prove that President Trump’s brand of diplomacy works. This is only the beginning. Working alongside Ambassador Tom Barrack and other key partners, I will continue to advance a vision for the Levant and the broader Middle East that promotes stability for every community and strengthens America’s security posture. The voters who sent me to Washington made it clear: they want an end to endless wars and a real strategy for peace. With America First diplomacy and the leadership of President Trump, Abraham Accords 2.0 can become a reality and with it, lasting peace in the Middle East. If there was ever a moment to turn the page and secure a future where peace is possible for Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims alike, it is now. America First diplomacy does not mean America Alone. We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to seeing the day when lasting peace in the Middle East is achieved. By working together, we can make this dream a reality. Abe Hamadeh represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Donald Trump said on Friday, before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that he would discuss potential land swaps between Russia and Ukraine, but that the ultimate decision on agreeing to such a deal rests on Ukraine. While en route to Alaska for the summit, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he’s not negotiating for Kyiv, adding that Ukraine must make its own decision on swapping territory with Russia. “I’ve gotta let Ukraine make that decision, but I think they’ll make a proper decision,” Trump said. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I’m here to get them to the table.” “Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine,” he added. “If I wasn’t president, he would right now be taking all of Ukraine, but he’s not going to do it.” The president is scheduled to sit down with Putin at 3:00 p.m. ET as Trump seeks to guide Russia and Ukraine toward a ceasefire agreement. Trump told reporters that he’s hoping a ceasefire will be agreed upon “rapidly,” adding, “I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today.” “Everyone said it can’t be today, but I’m just saying I want the killing to stop. I’m in this to stop the killing,” the president said. FOLLOW THE DAILY WIRE’S LIVE BLOG ON THE TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT Potential land swaps between Russia and Ukraine were suggested by Trump last week. Russian forces have largely taken control of Ukraine’s eastern region while Ukrainian forces continue to fight back. Putin reportedly told Trump envoy Steve Witkoff last week that he would end the war against Ukraine in exchange for the region in eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is excluded from the Trump-Putin summit, suggested last weekend that he’s opposed to a land swap deal with Russia. End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelensky said, adding, “Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.” Trump criticized Zelensky over his comments, saying that he disagrees “very, very severely” and “was a little bothered” by Zelensky’s pushback. Trump believes that a land swap would benefit both Ukraine and Russia. The Kremlin expects the Trump-Putin talks to last between six and seven hours on Friday, adding that the Russian side “expects” the meeting to “end productively.” If the talks are productive, Trump and Putin are expected to conclude the summit with a joint press conference, but Trump said that he would “head back home real fast” if the meeting doesn’t go well.

'I feel perfectly safe'

'He's not handsome'

'Totally preventable crime'

Longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., is facing a formidable Gen Z opponent in the form of Liam Elkind during this primary season.  Elkind, a former Rhodes scholar and nonprofit founder, has already raised more than $340,000 in his bid to oust Nadler after launching his campaign on July 30. The Democrat incumbent, by contrast, has $243,000 cash on hand and generated $91,000 in donations for the second quarter of 2025. “In just one day, Liam didn’t just outraise a 32-year incumbent’s entire last quarter, he eclipsed their entire war chest,” David Epstein, a campaign aide to Elkind, told the Hill. “That’s not just momentum, it’s a movement. It’s no secret that New Yorkers are demanding bold, new leadership. This surge of grassroots support shows that Liam’s unapologetically progressive vision is striking a powerful chord. This is just the beginning,” Epstein added.  Elkind is a community organizer having founded a nonprofit called Invisible Hands that partnered with religious organizations and food pantries to deliver meals to New Yorkers. That work earned him recognition alongside Oprah Winfrey and Anthony Fauci in 2020.  Elkind joins a string of Gen Z Democrat activists who are seeking greater say in a party that is facing historic unpopularity. One such generational leader in the Democrat Party is gun control activist David Hogg, who was elected in February to be a vice chair of the Democrat National Committee before ultimately resigning after refusing to remain neutral in Democrat primaries. Hogg has pledged to help unseat older Democrats in safe blue districts with his political action committee and recently supported Gen Z candidate Deja Foxx’s unsuccessful Democrat primary run in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District seat. Elkind for his part has leaned into rhetoric about Nadler’s age and the general issues surrounding an aging Congress by documenting how Democrat members of Congress and Democrat appointees like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have died in office in his campaign launch video.  “When he was first elected, rent was $500 bucks. The president was Gerald Ford, my mother was 9 years old, and the latest technology was a floppy disk,” Elkind explained to Punchbowl.  Nadler’s chief of staff, Robert Gottheim, rejoined in the same article that the Democrat incumbent would “put his over 30-year record of accomplishments against anyone, including someone who appears to have no record of accomplishment to speak of.” A lawyer by training, Nadler, 78, previously served in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 1992. He has served in the House of Representatives since 1992 and chaired the powerful House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2023. Nadler stepped down as the ranking member of the committee in January after being challenged for the position by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. The Daily Signal contacted Nadler and Elkind’s offices, but they did not respond. The post Jerry Nadler Faces Youthful Primary Challenger appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A trade group representing companies that build age verification systems is now lobbying to extend these checks to anyone using a VPN in the UK. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) wants online platforms that fall under the UK’s censorship law, the Online Safety Act, to not only detect VPN usage but also analyze user behavior to guess whether someone might be a minor in disguise. If flagged, users would face a prompt: prove your age, or allow a one-time geolocation to confirm you’re outside the UK. According to the AVPA, this process is necessary because VPNs can mask users’ actual locations, allowing them to appear as though they are in countries where age verification laws do not apply. The association points to data showing a dramatic increase in VPN use around the time the UK’s new internet rules were enforced, suggesting people are using these tools to bypass restrictions. This approach treats privacy tools as a form of defiance. Here, VPNs, once considered sensible and essential for online security, are being rebranded as suspicious. Under the new logic, using a VPN could mean you are trying to break the rules. As the UK’s censorship machinery rolls out, AVPA wants to make sure even those trying to shield their data are pulled back into the system. The justification is familiar: VPNs can hide user locations, letting people appear as though they are accessing the internet from places where the UK’s new rules do not apply. But rather than address the backlash driving VPN usage, AVPA is proposing a dragnet approach that monitors traffic patterns, assigns risk scores based on vague behavioral signals, and then forces users to identify themselves or prove their physical location. Privacy protections are being reclassified as regulatory gaps. VPNs, proxies, and other location-masking tools are not illegal, but under the current model, platforms are discouraged from even mentioning them. And while Ofcom has stopped short of an outright ban, it has created a climate where using a VPN can make you a target for further scrutiny. The Online Safety Act does not require platforms to fully block underage access. Instead, it sets a vague standard: services must be “not normally accessible” to minors. In practice, this means companies are expected to close off every possible loophole, and that includes figuring out if VPN users are teenagers trying to bypass restrictions. AVPA’s proposed process is straightforward and invasive. First, detect VPN traffic using a mix of IP blacklists and traffic analysis. Then, examine the user’s language settings, access times, engagement patterns, and payment behavior to guess whether they are a UK minor. If they match the profile, prompt them: either undergo a facial scan or ID check, or allow the site to geolocate your device once to confirm you are abroad. They claim this is a privacy-respecting solution, insisting the geolocation check is one-time only, not ongoing. But it still hinges on coercing users into handing over sensitive information just to continue browsing. Users who want to stay anonymous or decline tracking are left with no option but to surrender or be locked out. Even more troubling is the total lack of accountability when these systems fail. Under the current regime, users can be flagged as underage by an algorithm with no human review. Adults have already been banned from platforms like Discord based on incorrect age predictions, with no path to appeal unless they provide biometric data or official documentation. Once flagged, users are stuck. There is no due process, just an ultimatum. AVPA argues that VPN detection and behavioral profiling will help platforms stay compliant. But what they are really advocating for is another layer of surveillance. Instead of recognizing that people are using VPNs to escape an overreaching law, they want to penalize that resistance. They are not challenging the logic of the system. They are demanding new tools to enforce it. The broader context matters. The Online Safety Act is not a child protection measure in any meaningful sense. It is a sweeping control system that treats every user as a potential offender. It mandates identification in exchange for access, transforming the internet from a space of open communication into a series of checkpoints. Your presence online must now be justified. The recent explosion in VPN usage is the public response to a system that asks for too much and gives back too little. When people are forced to choose between privacy and participation, many are choosing to shield themselves. AVPA’s proposal would punish them for it. The more surveillance tools are layered into this system, the more users will be pushed out or boxed in. Already, websites are blocking UK users entirely rather than navigate the minefield of compliance. Others are geofencing features or quitting the market altogether. This is the outcome of a policy built on fear, not function. The push to target VPN users is one more step in a growing pattern. It is not enough for the UK government to require ID scans and facial analysis. Now, even the tools people use to protect themselves from that intrusion are seen as threats. And instead of backing off, groups like AVPA want to go further. They want platforms to watch for resistance and respond with pressure. They want to turn privacy itself into evidence of guilt. What they are building is not a safer internet. It is a controlled one. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Age Verification Lobby Pushes For Age Verification Checks For VPN Use appeared first on Reclaim The Net.