If you’ve followed The Daily Wire over the past year, you’ve probably noticed that we’re shifting how we approach the news. We rang in 2025 by naming Mary Margaret Olohan our first-ever White House correspondent, and she’s quickly made a name for herself in the briefing room. She’s traveled on Air Force One and Air Force Two, and been on the front lines daily with questions for President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the top members of their cabinet. She’s broken major stories, including earlier this month, when she reported that the man who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh now identifies as a woman. We’ve also stepped up our investigative efforts, driving some of the biggest news stories in the country. In the waning days of the Biden administration, Leif Le Mahieu exposed FEMA for skipping houses with Trump signs in Florida during Hurricane Milton, and we blew the whistle when Joe Biden (or his autopen) tried to sell off parts of the border wall before Trump got the chance to put them up. We couldn’t have done any of this without the continued interest and support of you, our readers. Our goal is to deliver well-written, timely, and informative stories that matter to you. In pursuit of that goal, we’re proud to announce two new additions to our growing team. Jennie Taer joins The Daily Wire from the New York Post, where she covered immigration and national security. Taer, who’s based in Texas, went viral in 2024 when she captured footage of 300 migrants trying to break their way into the United States. Her reporting on the front lines of the border crisis, which garnered over 19 million views, became a centerpiece of ads in the 2024 election. Jennie Taer Taer also exposed an Al-Shabaab bombmaker who had been living in Minneapolis for nearly a year after crossing the border illegally, and broke the news of a nationwide sting to arrest a group of migrant terrorists with ISIS ties planning an attack on an LGBTQ establishment in Philadelphia. “I’ve always been a fan of Jennie’s reporting,” Daily Wire editor-in-chief Brent Scher said. “From the southern border to foreign wars and everything in between, she’s always chasing a story with the goal of giving readers a front-row seat to the most pressing fight of the day.” Amber Jo Cooper, formerly a senior reporter for Florida’s Voice, joins The Daily Wire as its first ever DC-based Congressional Correspondent. Cooper has years of experience in print and on camera, having previously been an award-winning reporter at FOX21 in Colorado. Amber Jo Cooper Cooper was on the ground when a would-be assassin fired at Trump at his golf club in Palm Beach, Florida, and extensively chronicled the encroachment of radical race and gender ideology into Florida’s classrooms. She conducted an undercover investigation to expose drag shows where children were present and explicit content at “family friendly” pride festivals, and exposed the Colorado Secretary of State’s office for sending voter registration reminder postcards to dead people. For too long, the narrative around Congress has been driven by a small group of insider publications. Our goal is to change that dynamic. Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout “Amber Jo is a consummate journalist,” Daily Wire DC Bureau Chief Tim Rice said. “For years, she’s exposed corruption and held lawmakers accountable at state houses and town meetings. We look forward to her doing the same here in the halls of Congress.” Taer and Cooper join our growing Daily Wire reporting team that has transformed coverage in Washington and across the country. “From Luke Rosiak’s exposés on government waste to Kassy Akiva’s relentless coverage of the war in Gaza, we’re not just covering the news, we’re driving it,” Scher said. “That’s always been the goal, and we hope to do it everywhere we place a reporter.” For years, there have been efforts from the highest levels of government to silence conservative reporting like ours. Those efforts make it clear for us: we need more reporters out there covering the news that matters to you, not less. Thanks for your continued support, and, as always, for reading.

President Donald Trump meets with congressional leaders in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown, anti-ICE protests in Portland take a riotous turn, and an audit in Maryland turns up some disturbing findings. It’s Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: If you would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below: Trump Seeks Deals For Washington And Jerusalem Topline: The White House buzzed Monday as President Trump sought deals at home and abroad. The president hosted Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and congressional leaders as he pushed to simultaneously end the war in Gaza and avert a government shutdown. What Washington is watching: At midnight, fiscal year 2025 for the federal government will come to a close. As of now, the 2026 budget has not been passed by Congress. If leaders can’t reach an agreement in the next 24 hours, a shutdown will commence, with large swaths of the federal government closing their doors, and only essential services will remain open. Republicans have proposed a continuing resolution, a temporary stopgap measure to keep the lights on while lawmakers finalize the budget. The House passed that measure 217-212 earlier this month, but it has stalled in the Senate. While Republicans have a slim majority there, the Senate filibuster requires them to win over at least seven Democrats, and Democrats are not budging. What Republicans want: Republicans want to pass a clean resolution to keep funding levels the same across the board and worry about policy debates later. Their measure would maintain federal spending levels set under President Joe Biden, while offering some additional funding for personal security for lawmakers, judges, and other federal officials. What Democrats want: Democrats say they will only pass the stopgap if it includes billions of dollars in new funding for Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid, some of which were cut under Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” They also want the deal to include measures that would prevent the White House from blocking congressionally appropriated funds. Democrats know that Republicans are unlikely to give in to those demands and are daring them to allow a shutdown. Step back: Government shutdowns can feel like a ‘boy who cried wolf’ scenario, as the two sides often reach a last-minute deal. But there’s a real chance a shutdown happens this time. Remember, when Democrats ultimately failed to stop Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” during the summer, the party’s far-Left base was furious and hasn’t let them live it down. So they’re facing pressure to push back this time. What Jerusalem is watching: Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday —  the two met privately before a joint press conference in which Trump formally released a 20-point ceasefire plan to end the war in Gaza. That plan offered some concessions — for example, it offered Palestinians the right to remain in Gaza after the war, amnesty for Hamas members who turn in their weapons, and a vague acknowledgment of the potential for the creation of a Palestinian state in the future, assuming certain conditions.  It includes many things that Israelis will also appreciate. For example, it requires Hamas to “not have any role in the governance of Gaza … in any form.” It calls for all military and terror infrastructure to be destroyed and never rebuilt, and it demands all remaining hostages be released within 72 hours. Netanyahu offered support for the proposal, saying it “achieves our war aims.” He added that if Hamas accepted, Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza and place them “in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future.” However, “if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President,” Netanyahu said, “or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.” Worth consideration: Hamas has already rejected a number of the points included, but Trump said that because so many of the terror group’s leaders have been killed, they’re dealing with “new people.” He also said that if they rejected this final offer, the United States would support Israel in eliminating the group.  Portland Rioters Escalate Topline: The Trump administration has deployed troops to Portland as part of a nationwide crackdown on violent protests surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. In response to riots in Portland around an ICE facility, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested that Trump deploy troops to the area to stop the clashes. Across the country, these protests have turned violent at ICE facilities. Trump wants to stop these violent protests, and the president is doing this in Portland and in Broadview, Illinois. Though the situation is lesser known, in Broadview, ICE has made arrests, including of armed rioters. One reportedly carried what looked like an explosive device that law enforcement is still investigating. The president said the effort is part of a nationwide effort to crack down on crime and “Antifa,” which the president described as a “domestic terrorist organization.” Paging Des Moines: The superintendent of Des Moines public schools was arrested by ICE last week on multiple charges, including immigration infractions. Dr. Ian Roberts has a standing deportation order from an immigration judge from last year, in addition to a 2020 arrest on a firearms charge. When ICE attempted to pull Roberts over, he drove away. ICE said he tried to escape; agents later found his car abandoned in nearby woods, and they found Roberts a distance away. Roberts had $3000 in cash on him at the time. He had a switchblade for hunting and a loaded firearm. Illegal immigrants are barred from having firearms. The ATF has launched an investigation into how he was able to obtain firearms, given his legal status. That, in addition to the pressing questions as to how he became the superintendent in Des Moines, given his illegal status in the United States. According to the school district, he underwent background checks conducted by a third party. A third party also recruited him for the position.  According to his LinkedIn profile, Roberts previously held school leadership positions in several other municipalities, including D.C. and Maryland. He has had a track record in the United States since arriving in 1999 under a student visa, which he has long since overstayed. Maryland Placed Foster Children With Sex Offenders And A Convicted Murderer Topline: Maryland auditors have excoriated the state’s Social Services Administration for placing foster children with known sex offenders and failing to act on reports of abuse. One state lawmaker is calling the findings “abhorrent” and demanding someone be fired immediately. According to a government report, in as many as half of the cases, Maryland’s Social Services faked the verifications that background checks had been done on foster parents, either through incompetence or malfeasance. The shoddy work last year resulted in 10 children living with seven different registered sex offender adults in foster homes. In 2023, a branch of Maryland’s Department of Human Services reviewed a group foster home but failed to note that it was employing a man convicted of sexually assaulting a minor. Three months later, the man transported three children in his care to abuse them, prosecutors said. In another case, the government was paying a convicted murderer to offer “one-on-one care” to foster children in hotel rooms. At a rate of $1,300 per night per child, the department funded this placement instead of utilizing foster homes that offered safer and more cost-effective care. Repeat offender: This wasn’t the first time that many of these issues had been raised, and still, the agency made almost no effort to change. After the registered sex offender allegedly abused kids in his care, the Social Services Administration “could not document any corrective action as a result of this incident to ensure the criminal background checks were in fact obtained,” the audit found. What were they thinking? It seems that, basically, they didn’t want to do the work and just wanted the data to look good, even if the kids were suffering. One of the Social Services Administration’s responsibilities was to ensure that foster children attended school. It publicly claimed that virtually all of them were. However, when auditors examined their database, they found no evidence that 38% of them were.  Auditors stated that the agency made numerous excuses that appeared to be false. There were 17,000 allegations of abuse or neglect of foster kids, and county agencies are required to investigate them immediately. If they don’t, the state agency is required by law to report it to the legislature. Neither one happened. The state made excuses for some investigations being delayed by months, citing a “natural disaster,” even though no one could say what natural disaster occurred in that part of Maryland in 2024. Social Services responds: The agency acknowledged that “our regulations for privately-certified foster parents lacked a ‘crimes of violence’ prohibition required by … the Social Security Act, and we are updating this regulation.” It said after the cases of children living with sex offenders were identified, “we took action.” “In one case, we contacted law enforcement who conducted a safety check and confirmed the children were safe. In another case, we contacted the Office of Parole and Probation and found that while an identified individual was on the registry, there were no restrictions prohibiting their presence around children,” the agency said. “For the remaining cases, law enforcement and probation officers determined there was insufficient information to warrant a welfare check.”

A government shutdown looms, threatening mass layoffs, while Democrats demand costly concessions. Impending Government Shutdown Threatens Jobs White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the government is poised to implement mass layoffs if a shutdown occurs. The warning comes as Democrats demand changes to the continuing resolution, risking the stability of the federal workforce. The fiscal year ends on Tuesday, and while the House has approved a bill to maintain government operations, it faces opposition in the Senate. Tell it like it is: Democrats are going to inflict massive pain on the American people because radical left-wing groups are demanding a government shutdown. pic.twitter.com/pNfdn4BeBR — The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 29, 2025 Trump’s Stance on Immigration and Budget President Trump has made it clear that he will not concede to Democrat demands for additional funding to provide health care to illegal immigrants. His administration remains focused on deportation efforts, with over 2 million people having left the United States since his return to office. Trump’s approach underscores his commitment to conservative immigration policies and fiscal restraint. They said it, and now they want you to forget. A government shutdown would CRUSH hard working Americans. The truth speaks for itself. cc: Senate Democrats. PLAY IT BACK pic.twitter.com/7feR4NdipP — The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 29, 2025 Trump’s firm stance on these issues highlights his administration’s dedication to preserving American jobs and minimizing government overspending. The desire to keep the government open without succumbing to politically motivated demands is a core part of his strategy. The Call for Reasonable Negotiations Leavitt emphasized the need for Democrat leadership to engage in reasonable negotiations with the President. The administration has extended an invitation to the White House for talks aimed at resolving the impasse without resorting to a shutdown. The focus remains on keeping the government operational and avoiding unnecessary layoffs that could impact numerous American families. While the political landscape remains tense, the Trump administration is urging Democrats to prioritize governance over gaining political points. The current situation reflects the ongoing struggle between maintaining essential government functions and adhering to conservative fiscal policies. Sources: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5526761-white-house-warns-democrats-layoffs/

For 50 years, the state of Maine has drawn worldwide attention for its efforts to restore a puffin colony, an effort that has brought controversy, hope, and a cottage industry you have to see to believe. Featured recently on the PBS News Hour, it’s a story that begins back in 1973 when a young ornithologist […] The post Determined Scientists Created Only Puffin Colony in the US, and Continue to Protect it Decades Later appeared first on Good News Network.

With Halloween just 31 days away, now is the time to start getting your costume ready. And the best place to do that is HalloweenCostumes.com. They have the largest selection of costumes anywhere, and no CONTINUE READING... The post The Best Retro Themed Halloween Costumes of 2025 appeared first on The Retro Network.

Every year, the federal government sends hundreds of billions of dollars to the wrong people—criminals, ineligible recipients, and beneficiaries of bureaucratic errors. In 2024 alone, the federal government admitted to at least $162 billion in improper payments. That’s $1,200 for every household in America. That’s on top of the $233 billion to $521 billion that the Government Accountability Office estimates the federal government loses annually to fraud. But even some of these steep price tags are massive understatements. For example, Medicaid reported $31 billion in improper payments in 2024, but Brian Blase of the Paragon Health Institute and I estimate that the true figure was likely closer to $153 billion (equal to the cost of providing private health insurance to 1.7 million people). That’s because Medicaid’s reported improper payments metric largely ignores eligibility checks, which are the biggest source of errors. But instead of facing penalties, agencies are rewarded with larger budgets—meaning they’re effectively paid more to fail.    While Medicaid issued an estimated $1.1 trillion in improper payments over the past decade, the federal government doubled its budget, from $302 billion in 2014 to $618 billion in 2024. When the Small Business Administration granted $5.3 billion in forgivable loans to more than 100,000 individuals on the federal government’s Do Not Pay list, the administration’s inspector general recommended the agency stop. The agency’s leadership rejected that advice.   In the private sector, waste means bankruptcy—not a bigger budget.    But despite the enormous cost of improper payments, there has been little attention and zero consequences for government agencies that regularly squander taxpayers’ dollars. Fortunately, the Trump administration, the Department of Government Efficiency, and Congress have all taken action to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse. In March, the Trump administration issued three executive orders designed to help agencies access the data they need to verify whether people are who they say they are and whether they are eligible for the payments they request. That’s important, as failure to do these two things accounts for roughly 85% of improper payments. These orders will also improve the integrity and efficiency of the federal government’s financial transactions, including the nearly $6 trillion in payments disbursed from the Treasury’s General Fund. Among its accomplishments, DOGE implemented a requirement that the Treasury Department include proper descriptions with all payments so that they can be properly tracked. Further, it spelled out necessary improvements to the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay database, including providing it with access to more government data sources. Now, some members of Congress are trying to lock in and build upon the Trump administration’s crackdown on waste, fraud, and abuse through legislation such as the Delivering on Government Efficiency in Spending Act and the Payment Information Integrity Reform Act. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also achieved similar goals with provisions that will significantly reduce improper payments, particularly in Medicaid. It requires states to check Medicaid eligibility twice a year (instead of just once), imposes new checks to prevent the federal government from paying multiple states to enroll the same individuals on Medicaid, and makes it harder for the federal government to waive its 3% limit on federal government payment for states’ improper Medicaid payments.       These provisions will make significant headway in addressing profligate waste, fraud, and abuse, but more is still needed.   Whether through a second reconciliation bill or stand-alone legislation, Congress should build on recent reforms by: (1) enhancing secure data sharing across agencies, (2) tightening eligibility verification, (3) creating a Fraud Czar or Taxpayer Integrity Office, and (4) holding agencies and states accountable for improper payments. If Washington can’t stop sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the wrong people, it will never earn the public’s trust to enact entitlement program reforms that will be necessary to prevent a fiscal crisis. Cracking down on waste isn’t just good stewardship—it’s essential for America’s fiscal future.    Originally published by the Washington Examiner The post Improper Payments Are Cheating the Taxpayer and Bloating the Federal Budget appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The ruling could provide prosecutors with a lot more confidence in using such evidence, potentially leading to a whole wave of fresh cases.

Every fall, Apple releases the latest software updates for its fleet of iPhones, iPads, and more. This year is exceptionally special, as iOS 26 brings a brand-new look to iPhones everywhere. Unfortunately, the refreshed design makes text difficult to read throughout the operating system, but don't worry. We have an easy fix.iOS 26 is a Liquid GlasstastropheApple has some big changes for iOS this year. For starters, the numbering scheme moved from its usual sequential order to an annual system. Instead of iOS 18 upgrading to iOS 19, it’s jumping to iOS 26 in recognition of 2026. The rest of Apple’s software ecosystem also got the same treatment, with iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26, and tvOS 26 all available now.The next big change is the design. As the first major iOS overhaul since 2013, this year ushers in an entirely new design language called “Liquid Glass.” The main theme of iOS 26 is inspired by the way light fluidly interacts with panes of glass in the real world. As a result, the update is packed with transparent layers, light refractions, and buttons that react like tiny droplets of water when dragged or touched.A befuddled Apple is still refining its look and feel in iOS 26.1, even after an entire summer of beta tests.While iOS 26 won’t drastically change the way your phone works, Liquid Glass certainly impacts how the UI looks and feels, especially when it comes to text. Many of the transparent layers throughout iOS 26 — like Notification Center and Control Center — are filled with words, and although Apple tried to improve legibility with subtle background blurring, the unfortunate truth is that many sections are either hard to read or just plain distracting: Screenshots: Zach LaidlawLuckily, there’s a simple fix.How to make iOS 26 easier to readApple deserves the blame for iOS 26’s legibility issues, but the company also included an accessibility setting to reverse it. Just follow these steps for instant eye relief.Open up the “Settings” app on your iPhone. If you’re not sure where to find it, swipe down from the center of your home screen and type “Settings” into the Spotlight search bar.Scroll down and tap on the blue “Accessibility” icon.Tap the blue “Display & Text Size” icon.You’ll find “Reduce Transparency” near the top of your screen. Select that. Screencaps: Zach LaidlawWith the push of a button, all of the difficult-to-read transparent panes in Liquid Glass are replaced by opaque layers, making text much easier to digest. This same feature also works on iPads running iPadOS 26, so be sure to enable it there too, if you need it.RELATED: Apple is falling — is the smartphone next? Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty ImagesBonus tipIf you hate Liquid Glass, you can avoid it altogether, at least for now. Apple will continue to support iOS 18 for a little while longer, which means you can stay on the current version and receive the latest security updates until you’re ready to make the switch.Keep in mind that all four new iPhones this year come with iOS 26 built in, and there’s no way to roll the software back to iOS 18 once you’re there. Liquid Glass is unavoidable if you upgrade to iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, or iPhone Air.iOS 26 is currently available for iPhone 11 and up. Models released before 2019 cannot install the update.More pane points to come?With the last major iOS redesign dating back to more than a decade ago, iPhone was well overdue for a fresh coat of paint. The new transparent layers, smooth animations, and bloopy buttons of Liquid Glass breathe new life into a device category that’s nearly 20 years old, and for that, it’s a welcome change.That said, iOS 26 isn’t for everyone. The buzz online suggests that it’s more polarizing than pleasing, and a befuddled Apple is still refining its look and feel in iOS 26.1, coming this fall, even after an entire summer of beta tests. The version of Liquid Glass that’s on devices today may not be its final form, but until Apple figures out how to thread the needle between transparency and legibility, it might just be easier to turn the glass panes off entirely.

The government shuts down at midnight Tuesday. That is, so long as Democrats stick with their plan (and they will). It's not a good plan, but it's one they believe they need to act upon. Polls show their base is out for blood, and their radicals are drawing it weekly, so smart politics are out the door.It's not a winning fight. Democrats will lose, further empower the White House, destabilize the strongly Democratic-leaning Virginia governor's race, and, in the end, surrender. It's essentially the opposite of anything Sun Tzu or Machiavelli ever taught about battle, but here it is. This is the field they have chosen. Here's how it will all play out.Surrender is inevitable. Democrats simply do not have any off-ramps from this fight. So what will they have gained?Republicans have a majority in the House, which last week passed a “clean continuing resolution” that will fund the government without any meaningful policy changes or add-ons, then left town. The Senate requires seven Democrats to join Republicans to hit the 60-vote threshold, but Democrats weren't allowed to vote yes unless Republicans agreed to a $1 trillion bunch of their demands. Republicans did not, so here we are.A shutdown puts the Office of Management and Budget squarely in charge of what’s funded and what isn’t. OMB Director Russ Vought, a veteran tactician and shrewd architect of small government, will very soon be in the driver’s seat. If Congress shuts down the government on his watch, he’s going to work to make some of the changes permanent.Vought instructed agencies to send “[reduction in force] notices to all employees in programs, projects, or activities” that check all three of the following boxes: 1) They’re not paid for by mandatory spending. 2) They aren’t covered by the Big Beautiful Bill Act. 3) They aren’t in line with the president’s goals. And not for just the week, either, but until the program is reauthorized — at which point they can apply for their old job if they'd like.That’s a whole lot of government. As usual, press reports are focused on scary things like air traffic control and Social Security, while Vought and the White House are focused on wasteful, and hitherto “untouchable,” entrenched Democratic bureaucracies.These are the kinds of changes that won't be easily undone without Republicans giving in — or Democrats once again winning power. In effect, many are lasting changes — and wins Democrats didn't need to give the administration. Except they felt they needed to.Why? Because their base wants a fight. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took a heavy blow for passing the triumphant GOP's first budget earlier this year. A Politico reporter who spoke with every serious Democrat Senate primary candidate across all open and targeted races could not find one who would endorse Schumer's leadership of the party. “Of the 19 who responded ... [11] said they would not support him and eight were noncommittal.”All responders demanded that he fight the Grand Old Party to the mat. This time, he can't give in without first showing up for a fight.Republicans are fine with this battle. Neither Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), nor President Donald Trump so much as took a meeting to hear Democrats' theatrical demands before Monday afternoon. That meeting went about as expected, for the above reasons: Democrats must fight, and Republicans aren’t afraid of losing.One major Democrat focus is the expiring Obamacare tax credits, which don’t end until December. If Republicans are going to give this issue to them (and they likely will, because without it they’ll get pinned for rising health insurance premiums), it will be in exchange for a real win — not merely funding the government for 30 days. In fact, several Republicans are already working on this (though they don’t have leadership’s blessing yet).Meanwhile, nearby Virginia has a governor's race in a little over a month. Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger is expected to win, but the trick to turning this once-conservative state blue was always the ever-rising population of federal employees and government-program-dependent refugees and immigrants most immediately and materially affected by a government shutdown.The entire Virginia delegation voted for that shutdown. That could mean thousands of pink slips in the Democrat north. It's a long shot, but if Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) has a shot at changing the election’s outcome, this is her ticket.Finally, surrender is inevitable. Democrats simply do not have any off-ramps from this fight. So what will they have gained?They’ll have handed power to one of their ablest opponents, who used it to change the federal government; thrown a wild card into an otherwise safe race for the Virginia executive; and surrendered.It’s understandable: Their base demands a hostage situation, even if leadership has neither hostages nor bullets. And so the outcome is determined.Blaze News: State Department faces its moment of truth under RubioBlaze News Lifestyle: Save thousands on your next car with the One Big Beautiful Bill ActSign up for Bedford’s newsletterSign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford’s newsletter.