An aircraft in Nepal has exploded, killing 18 people and leaving only one survivor. 

On Wednesday, the House Freedom Caucus said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) should not be allowed to serve on the bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump because he introduced a bill that could strip Trump of Secret Service protection under certain conditions. The group of a few dozen conservative members also pushed for Thompson, who served as chairman of the now-defunct January 6 Committee, to be removed as the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee — which has oversight of the Secret Service. “In April, Rep. Bennie Thompson launched an effort with other radical progressive Democrats to deny Secret Service protection to President Trump — legislation that he continues to defend even after the attempted assassination on July 13,” the caucus said in a statement. HFC Official Position: "Rep. Bennie Thompson Must Not Be Allowed To SoilAnother Investigation" pic.twitter.com/gO7KpADaxY — House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) July 24, 2024 “We therefore urge the removal of Rep. Thompson as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security,” it added. Similarly, his actions should invalidate Rep. Thompson from serving on the task force to investigate the attempted assassination of President Trump.” The group concluded, “Americans cannot trust that he will be an unbiased arbiter of the facts in the effort to get to the bottom of the greatest failure of the Secret Service in more than three decades.” Atop the statement was a quote that read, “Rep. Bennie Thompson Must Not Be Allowed To Soil Another Investigation.” Thompson has faced blowback for legislation he introduced in April that could strip a protectee of Secret Service protection if this person is convicted of a felony that is punishable with prison time of at least one year and sentenced. Trump is not mentioned in the bill, but, in May a jury convicted Trump on dozens of felony counts in a New York hush-money case. Sentencing has been postponed until at least September as Trump seeks to get the conviction thrown out, but the former president could get prison time. As noted by The Washington Times, Thompson insisted his bill “would not have affected the Secret Service’s presence” during the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally and will only apply to Trump if he gets sentenced to prison and is in the custody of another law enforcement agency. Thompson repeated that claim during a hearing on Tuesday when he stressed that his bill “makes clear that when a protectee is sentenced and remanded to the custody of prison officials, the Secret Service is able to hand off the prisoner in an orderly fashion,” per the New York Post. But Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), a member of the Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have pushed back on Thompson’s claim by pointing out that the text of the legislation does not mention the requirement about incarceration. A list of members on the bipartisan task force to investigate the Trump rally shooting is expected to be released on Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Punchbowl News reporter Melanie Zanona he did not think Thompson would be a “good choice” for the panel. He also said he spoke to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about it and does not think it’s “gonna be an issue.” The Hill’s Emily Brooks noted on X that Thompson “seemed slightly bewildered” by the House Freedom Caucus statement. “I don’t even want to be on it,” Thompson told her. “I’ve never expressed an interest.” Thompson also reportedly said he would remain as ranking member while a spokesperson for Jeffries told the Freedom Caucus to “pipe down.”

Kris Tyson, a trans-identifying man and sidekick on the wildly popular Mr. Beast YouTube channel, is leaving the channel for good in the wake of accusations that he had sexually inappropriate conversations with a 13-year-old boy years ago. Mr. Beast is the top channel on YouTube with more than 305 million subscribers. Videos with titles like, “7 Days Stranded At Sea” and “Face Your Biggest Fear To Win $800,000,” regularly get hundreds of millions of views. Tyson, 28, who now goes by Ava, sparked controversy last year when he announced that he identified as a woman and was taking cross-sex hormones. He separated from his wife and son, now four. “I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent. Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health,” Tyson wrote Tuesday in a post on X. I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent. Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health. — Ava Kris Tyson (@kristyson_) July 23, 2024 Kris Tyson literally abandoned his family to chase after a f3tish. Are we shocked at the allegations? Not in the slightest. Mr. Beast has some explaining to do. pic.twitter.com/YrRye4pJoQ — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 23, 2024 Tyson added that he “never groomed anyone,” but does not want the accusations to “impact the hundreds of people who work at MrBeast, which is why I have stepped away.” “Having said that, I humbly apologise to anyone I have hurt with my unacceptable social media posts, past actions, and to those who may feel betrayed by how I used to act online,” Tyson wrote. “To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behavior extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen. In past years, I have learned that my old humor is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself.” Tyson also deleted all of his X posts except his apology thread. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The accusations against Tyson came from another YouTuber, Prism42, who posted a 45-minute video last month going through alleged evidence of a 20-year-old Tyson having inappropriate online interactions with a minor boy for years starting when the boy was 13. According to the video, the young fan won a competition at 13 and Tyson became friends with him, making inappropriate sexual comments to the teen and even co-running a Discord server with him. The conversations allegedly involved Tyson joking about sending nudes and the teen referencing Tyson’s addiction to “hentai” or sexually explicit anime. Other sleuths then discovered that Tyson allegedly interacted multiple times with an artist known for drawing young characters in sexual positions. The alleged victim, who is now 20 and goes by LavaGS on X, defended Tyson, saying he was never a victim and that Tyson’s messages were sent on public channels, not one-on-one. “These videos are massive lies and twisting the truth. Ava never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of,” LavaGS posted on Monday. “Nothing bad happened between me and Kris, people are creating lies around my name.” LavaGS also said he did not meet Tyson by himself, but rather met him and the Mr. Beast crew with his family present, according to the YouTuber Keem, who said he spoke to the alleged victim. Mr. Beast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, defended Tyson, his childhood friend, last year amid backlash to Tyson’s announcement that he was on cross-sex hormones. “Yeah, this is getting absurd. Chris isn’t my ‘nightmare’ he’s my f***en friend and things are fine. All this transphobia is starting to piss me off,” Donaldson posted. Last month, Donaldson defended Tyson again, saying he is “literally always” with his son and “doesn’t even go on shoots to spend more time with him.” Critics have pointed out that children are among Mr. Beast’s audience, with some arguing that it is not appropriate to expose them to gender ideology.

Vice President Kamala Harris ditched Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Congressional address in order to speak at the Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s Grand Boule in Indiana, an event that aides said she had previously planned to attend. The event was titled, “Finer Women Amplifying The Extraordinary Power of S.H.E. through Legacy, Leadership & Impact,” and was scheduled to be held July 23-28 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Despite the event being previously scheduled, critics pointed out the awkward optics of Harris not being present at Netanyahu’s address — particularly because President Joe Biden was not attending either and because, since Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, she has since become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee. “I cannot imagine worse optics for the White House not to have Biden or Harris at this speech. Seems so very small. The fact that she was at a sorority speech is just an incredible choice,” Josh Holmes said. I cannot imagine worse optics for the White House not to have Biden or Harris at this speech. Seems so very small. The fact that she was at a sorority speech is just an incredible choice. — Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) July 24, 2024 “Hamas is still holding over 100 hostages and Kamala Harris is skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to go to a sorority event. She needs to get serious,” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) added. WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+ Hamas is still holding over 100 hostages and Kamala Harris is skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to go to a sorority event. She needs to get serious. — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) July 24, 2024 From the New York Post: “Today’s cover: Kamala Harris skipping Netanyahu’s speech to Congress to address sorority event instead.” Today’s cover: Kamala Harris skipping Netanyahu’s speech to Congress to address sorority event instead https://t.co/EOHbMQWubi pic.twitter.com/vTljkcdRBk — New York Post (@nypost) July 24, 2024 “VP Harris avoiding Netanyahu’s address to attend a sorority function is the wrong choice. Israel is a democracy and an ally under constant siege from Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, all funded by Iran. Her failure to attend turns her back not on one man but on 10 million Israelis,” Mark Penn posted. “She need not agree with all but she should do her job as Pres. of the Senate and be there.” VP Harris avoiding Netanyahu’s address to attend a sorority function is the wrong choice. Israel is a democracy and an ally under constant siege from Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, all funded by Iran. Her failure to attend turns her back not on one man but on 10 million… — Mark Penn (@Mark_Penn) July 24, 2024 While Harris missed Netanyahu’s address for another event, dozens of members of her party boycotted it intentionally. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and others refused to attend the speech, while anti-Israel Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) did attend solely in order to hold up a sign in the chamber claiming that Netanyahu was a “war criminal.” Rashida Tlaib holds ‘War Criminal’ sign as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress. pic.twitter.com/q2GZTd4Ucf — CSPAN (@cspan) July 24, 2024

Fox News offered to host a presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Harris for president. In a letter on Tuesday from Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace and Fox News Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker — to both the Trump and Harris campaigns — the network proposed a debate in Pennsylvania in September before early voters go to the polls in the 2024 election. “Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee, FOX News Media is amending our proposal for a debate this cycle,” the letter from Fox News read. “Given the race has changed, we’d like to request the opportunity to host a Presidential Debate between VP Harris and former President Trump.” “We propose to host the debate in the state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 17, just as early voting is getting underway there and in other key battlegrounds,” the letter added. “We are open to discussion on the exact date, format and location – with or without an audience. Again, we believe Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the faces of our political coverage, are the best choices to moderate.”  Fox News has sent a letter to the Trump and Harris campaigns proposing a September 17 debate in Pennsylvania. The network is suggesting @BretBaier and @marthamaccallum as moderators. pic.twitter.com/QnMFNazoon — Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 24, 2024 “As you recall, despite not having a Democratic debate in 2016/2020, Fox News was able to secure town halls with Democratic candidates such as: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand,” the proposal continued, noting some viewership stats and Fox News’ “strength with key demographics such as independent voters in swing states.” There is no word yet on if either campaign will take Fox News up on the offer. However, on Tuesday, Trump told Fox News that he would “absolutely” be open to debating Harris, calling it “important,” the outlet noted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually,” Trump said. “I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” he added, moments later. In June, CNN hosted the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, and the president’s disastrous performance at the debate started the onslaught of calls by Hollywood and Democrats for him to drop out of the race. When Biden was the Democratic presidential nominee, the Trump campaign had agreed to have ABC host a debate in September and a Fox News presidential debate on October 2, the outlet noted. Related: Trump Campaign Warns Networks About Giving Kamala Harris A ‘Primetime Campaign Commercial’

Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley released body camera footage on Tuesday of Secret Service and local law enforcement responding to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The footage shows law enforcement standing on the roof of the American Glass Research building where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple shots at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. Crooks struck Trump in the face, seriously injured two rally attendees, and killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore. “Bodycam footage provides more info than Secret Service will share w America We NEED detailed answers ASAP on security failures TRANSPARENCY BRINGS ACCOUNTABILITY,” Grassley posted on X. JUST IN: Bodycam footage released by Senator Chuck Grassley from the Trump Pennsylvania rally on July 13th. The video was obtained from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit. In the footage, the men were discussing how they had noticed Thomas Crooks earlier before the… pic.twitter.com/KQErF69xk5 — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 23, 2024 Crooks can be seen lying dead in the background with a pool of blood alongside what appears to be the rifle he used in the attack. In the footage, a man in a black suit is talking with several law enforcement personnel about what was going on. According to video, a sniper had apparently taken pictures of a man on a bike who had been flagged as suspicious. The man in the black suit is asked if there was anyone detained over the shooting. Reportedly, several people who had been reportedly videoing the shooter on the roof were now being held for questioning. “We have one shooter, deceased. I think we have three victims in the crowd. Did you guys hear that, too?” an agent said. The men only respond by saying they saw two helicopters leave the scene. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Grassley said that he obtained the footage from the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit. “For the past 10 days, questions have only been building regarding the catastrophic security failure that occurred on July 13. Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people. This assassination attempt is a matter of significant public interest, and the public’s business ought to be public. I’m releasing these records as part of my efforts to get answers and hold agencies accountable.” In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, Grassley requested the Secret Service operational security plan for the rally and other records related to the incident. Grassley also asked who was responsible for securing the rooftop of the building that Crooks attacked from.

As Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer basks in the national spotlight and gets floated for a potential spot on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, she’s being slammed at home for signing an education budget that cuts deep into school safety and mental health spending. The budget, which passed the Michigan legislature with support from Democrats and was signed by Whitmer on Tuesday, cuts school safety and mental health funding by a whopping $300 million, a 92% decrease, The Detroit News reported. The cuts also take from teachers’ pension funds and leave the per-student funding without an increase for the first time in 13 years. The budget cuts have led to an outcry from Republicans in the state legislature, school district superintendents, and teachers. Education advocates — who often support Democratic Party politicians and policies — have also blasted Whitmer and Michigan Democrats over the education cuts. “I have no words,” Republican state Rep. Gina Johnsen told The Daily Wire in a phone interview. Johnsen said that Republicans were given no time to read the budget before a vote was taken. “The party that gets criticized for not caring cared, and the party that said they cared so much just gouged the education budget,” Johnsen said. The state representative added that multiple Democratic state legislators who voted for the budget are “now horrified by the last-minute changes that went through, and they’re saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I wouldn’t have voted for it had I known.’” Johnsen predicted that Michigan would see “layoffs in the education field” because of the new budget cuts. Michigan State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice, who was appointed by the Democrat-majority State Board of Education, also expressed concern about the budget. “This reduction will slow Michigan’s recent momentum in addressing student mental health challenges,” he said in a statement. “A $300 million reduction in funding for children’s mental health services and school safety fails to recognize the physical and mental health needs of our students.” Robert McCann, the executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan, blasted Whitmer’s education budget as “misguided.” “There will, unfortunately, be consequences of this misguided budget felt in every school across Michigan,” he said. McCann worked as chief of staff for the Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus while Whitmer was the Michigan Senate Minority leader a decade ago. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Michigan Education Association President Chandra Madafferi praised some aspects of the budget, but acknowledged, “There were deep cuts to categorical funding for school safety and student mental health — cuts that will need to be navigated at the local level to keep our schools safe learning spaces for all students and employees. Our hope is that state lawmakers will return after the summer break to pass a supplemental budget that funds these critical student mental health and safety priorities.” While education faced a 92% cut, Whitmer and Michigan Democrats passed over $400 million in earmarked pet projects, including $10 million for a youth sports complex in Frankenmuth and $2 million for Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit, among multiple other projects, Bridge Michigan reported. Republican state Rep. Cam Cavitt told The Daily Wire that both sides of the aisle were working to get schools the funding they need for safety and mental health, but “the governor gutted that.” “And why did the governor do that? So she could give out political gifts to her base who go back to the splash pads and the cricket fields,” Cavitt said. “I have six school districts in my House district and not one of the superintendents is in favor of the budget,” he added. The cuts to school safety and mental health spending are especially concerning to some educators and advocates in the wake of the Oxford High School shooting in November 2021, where a lone gunman claimed the lives of four of his classmates. “Republicans made school safety and mental health top priorities in our education budgets, but now that Democrats have full control, they’re reversing course and cutting support for these critical student needs,” House Republican Leader Matt Hall said earlier this month. While the new budget has been signed, Democrats could still bring a supplemental package to the floor for a vote when the legislature returns from recess later this month. The Daily Wire has reached out to Gov. Whitmer’s office, requesting comment on the budget. The Michigan governor, who has been on tour to promote her new book “True Gretch,” is viewed as a powerful player in the future of the Democratic Party. Whitmer was floated as a potential replacement for Democrats as the party’s nominee for the 2024 election, and after Vice President Kamala Harris presumably locked up the nomination, some have speculated that Whitmer could be offered the VP slot.

The political satire TV series “Veep” is experiencing a resurgence in popularity following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he’s ending his reelection campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic candidate. The Emmy Award-winning HBO series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus ended in 2019, but clips have been circulating ever since Biden’s announcement as fans compare the fictional character Selina Meyer to Harris. Per The Hill, viewership on the series increased 353% on Monday compared to the previous day. This was one day after Biden said he was dropping out. The outlet noted that viewers watched 2.2 million total minutes of the series on MAX Monday compared to 486,000 total minutes on Sunday. Harris mentioned “Veep” last year during an interview with Stephen Colbert, claiming, “There are bits of [the show] that are actually quite accurate.” The VP also mentioned how she was a fan of Louis-Dreyfus. “[Biden] is really is a true partner and he understands that job,” Harris said at the time. “He’s an extraordinary leader and I wish people could see what I see because there’s only one person who sits behind that Resolute Desk. And the decisions that person has to make are the decisions that nobody else in the country can make. And he’s an extraordinary leader. He really is.” Earlier this week, “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci responded to fans pointing out similarities between the comedy series and current political events. One popular fan comment said, “Let’s remind ourselves that #Veep has already written a fictional version of this script .. Kamala *inherits* the actual presidency. Then runs. The electoral college is tied. The house (sic) vote is tied. Which means the Senate has to choose the tie breaking candidate. And that ends up with … JD Vance as POTUS (Nb this is DRAMA …).” WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+ Iannucci responded by saying, “Don’t forget we made all that up, though.” “Still working on the ending,” he replied to another fan who mentioned how Iannucci was “continuing to predict our political reality.” In the show, which ran from 2012 until 2019, the president resigns, leaving Meyer to ascend the office herself and later launch her own campaign.