Michelle Obama joined the sex and dating podcast “Call Her Daddy” to criticize society’s fixation on women’s appearances while promoting her new book, “The Look,” which explores her outfits as the former first lady. Without a hint of irony, Obama told podcast host Alex Cooper that she wished the press focused less on what she wore and more on her education and professional background. “The top of the article would be ‘she was wearing…’” Obama lamented. “Not my education, not my professional career.” Cooper agreed with Obama, though both women seemed to forget that the interview had opened with, “Talk to me about your outfit. How did you pick it?”  The irony continued when, instead of delving into her professional accomplishments, Obama highlighted the personal toll of being overlooked “as just Barack Obama’s wife.” “All of that just disappeared in the course of this whole [2008] election,” she said after listing her professional accomplishments as an attorney, assistant to the Chicago mayor, nonprofit leader, and vice president for community relations at the University of Chicago Hospitals. “You now see me as just Barack Obama’s wife … my shoes became the most important thing about me,” she added.  While she declined to say more about her past careers, Obama was clear about one path she would not take: Politics. “Don’t even ask me about running,” she said. “Because you all are lying. You aren’t ready for a woman. You are not.”  Obama explained that Donald Trump didn’t win because Americans favored him over Kamala Harris or Hillary Clinton, but because the nation is not yet ready for a woman in the Oval Office.  “Let’s look at the fact that we’ve had two really qualified female candidates,” she said. “One who was first lady, secretary of state, well educated, you know, my husband beat her… And now we just had the former vice president, you know, we’ve had qualified women and they just, you know, again, if they’re not perfect and they don’t cross every T and dot every I, there’s a falling shortness that is happening.” Still, she urged young women — especially those interested in public service — not to be discouraged. “We need you,” Obama said.  Podcast host Cooper asked the former first lady, “How could a woman hold the highest seat in the government when she has less rights than half the population?” Obama responded, “Yeah, yeah,” before shifting to a message of encouragement. She emphasized that women should not give up just because the glass ceiling hasn’t been broken.  “That doesn’t mean that women should roll up their sleeves and call it a day… prove us wrong. I would love that. The young women we’ve been talking to keep climbing. We need you. You may come up short, but keep going.” 

“The Pendragon Cycle” features bards and legends whose power is immediately visible. But one intriguing figure in the series presents a more subtle, yet undeniable power. Ganieda, portrayed by Brett Cooper, is not a character who draws attention through outward magic. Instead, her presence changes the lives of those who surround her. In Stephen R. Lawhead’s saga based on the Arthurian legend, Ganieda is both a seer and an emotional anchor. The series introduces her in glimpses and flashbacks as the story unfolds, leading to the full reveal, which contributes to the character’s overall mystique.  Cooper is described as having a natural “chemistry” with her on-screen love interest, Tom Sharp, which helps add authenticity to their scenes together. While speaking with The Daily Wire, Sharp mentioned Merlin meeting Ganieda as being one of his favorite scenes.  The pair met in full costume, with her clad in the gown of a regal princess and him presenting as a mud-covered Merlin as they both encountered a giant wild boar. “This is not your traditional romantic setting,” he joked. Cooper’s performance is revealed gradually over the course of the series, but because she’s described by others, her image emerges from perception rather than being defined by actions the audience can immediately see. Cooper plays the role with humor and joy, but also maintains the otherworldly essence of Ganieda. Silent-hearted and steadfast, Ganieda is the calm within Merlin’s storm, a guiding light whose quiet strength anchors the fate of Britain’s greatest prophet. Ganieda’s strength is in her moral clarity. She does not seek to control or manipulate; instead, she serves as a grounding presence. The character is not physically present in every episode, but her impact is felt throughout the series. Through Cooper’s measured performance, Ganieda emerges as one of “The Pendragon Cycle’s” most essential and memorable characters. “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” premieres January 22, 2026. Early episodes are currently available for DailyWire+ All Access members.

A watchdog group is urging Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to restrict classified access for the so-called “Seditious Six” Democrats while they are under federal investigation. The Center to Advance Security in America sent a letter to Gabbard’s office on Tuesday warning that the continued access of two Democratic senators and four Democratic congressmen to sensitive U.S. documents risks national security. The lawmakers in question teamed up in a controversial video posted online in November, in part claiming that the Trump administration is “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens.” “Given that these members are now all under federal investigation, their access to classified information should be suspended for the duration of the investigation. We are requesting this restriction to mitigate the risk of unauthorized disclosure or misuse of classified material during the investigation,” CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told Gabbard in the letter obtained by The Daily Wire. The Democrats in question are Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, along with Reps. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Jason Crow of Colorado, and Chrissy Houlahan and Chris DeLuzio of Pennsylvania. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the “Seditious Six” over their November video. War Secretary Pete Hegseth coined the nickname for the lawmakers, saying the video “undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion.” The lawmakers said the investigation is an example of the administration “using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.” The letter notes that each lawmaker likely handles sensitive U.S. national security information through their committee assignments. “The members of Congress who appeared in the November 2025 viral video insinuating that military orders from the Trump administration are illegal and not to be followed were purposefully attempting to sow confusion and undermine good order and discipline in our armed forces,” Fitzpatrick told The Daily Wire in a statement. “Given the ongoing federal investigation concerning all six subjects, we believe it is appropriate to restrict their access to classified information for the duration of the investigation.”

CNN anchor John Berman reluctantly stepped in to save Cameron Kasky after the Parkland activist-turned-commentator defamed President Donald Trump — twice — during a Monday evening broadcast. Berman was goaded into covering for Kasky — who twice claimed that Trump was “provably” involved in a “global sex trafficking ring” tied to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — by conservative commentator Scott Jennings, who had to ask whether Berman was going to let the accusation stand. WATCH: Activist Cameron Kasky DEFAMES President Trump live on CNN, accusing him of being a part of a global Epstein trafficking scheme. It gets intense when Scott Jennings has to force the CNN host to begrudgingly say anything at all. This is CNN pic.twitter.com/gpGF65umPH — Cash Loren (@Cashloren) January 20, 2026 “I am appreciative that the president is being transparent about this,” Kasky said in reference to Trump’s designs on Greenland and his anger at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. “I would love it if he was more transparent about the human sex trafficking network that he was a part of, but you can’t win them all.” “Cameron’s grateful that the president is being transparent about the Nobel Peace Prize and his desires for Greenland, Scott, what do you think about that?” Berman asked, ignoring Kasky’s assertion. “You’re going to let that sit? Are we going to claim here on CNN that the president is part of a global sex trafficking ring? Or —” Jennings pushed back. “Well, we’re going to talk about the Epstein files, Scott, I will do the fact-checking as we go along here,” Berman protested, and then turned back to Kasky: “Repeat what you said about the global sex trafficking ring.” “That Donald Trump was provably very involved with it,” Kasky declared. “Okay, we’ll get to that later,” Berman said, eventually adding, “Donald Trump has never been charged with any crimes in relation to Jeffrey Epstein, but we will talk —” “Yeah, but let’s be adults here —” Kasky kept digging as Berman quickly scrambled to get him out of the hole. “We’ll talk about the Epstein files later,” he said to Kasky, before turning back to Jennings and asking, “Satisfied? Now answer the question about Greenland.” Sometime after the broadcast, Kasky apparently realized the gravity of what he’d said on air and offered an apology in which he also claimed he had twice made the accusation “by accident.” “I would like to retract my comments from CNN last night and truly apologize. Donald Trump was obviously not involved with a giant international child sex trafficking ring where women and children were systematically raped by elites,” Kasky said in an X post. “I said that by accident and didn’t mean it.”

Federal immigration agents have deployed to Maine as part of a new initiative dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” according to Fox News. The raids reportedly started with more than 50 arrests on Tuesday. “We have approximately 1,400 targets here in Maine,” ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told the outlet. Hyde said the illegal immigrant targets had rap sheets for “rape of a child” and “drug trafficking,” as well as “sexual assaults, simple assaults,” and “driving while under the influence.” “You name it,” she said. “They’re on the target list.” At the start of the operation, ICE nabbed a Sudanese man with more than a dozen criminal convictions, according to Fox News. He also had a deportation order. Two Ecuadorian illegal immigrants were also caught after they were charged with drunk driving. One of them was released into the country after crossing the border unlawfully during the Biden administration. The sanctuary city mayor of Portland, Maine, Mark Dion, came out against news of the deployment last week. “There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents. In that view, Portland rejects the need for the deployment of ICE agents into our neighborhoods,” Dion said. “As a reminder, Portland Police does not cooperate with ICE, and they do not participate in enforcing federal immigration law,” he added. Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills also condemned the deployment before it commenced, calling out ICE for its tactics. She also mobilized local law enforcement to respond if needed, but it’s unclear what orders they were given. “Maine knows what good law enforcement looks like because our law enforcement are held to high professional standards,” Mills said. “And, I’ll tell you this, they don’t wear a mask to shield their identities and they don’t arrest people in order to fill a quota,” she added. Most recently, the Trump administration has flooded Minnesota with federal immigration agents, arresting more than 3,000 illegal immigrants in the last six weeks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this week. Federal immigration agents have also conducted similar operations in cities like New Orleans, Charlotte, Memphis, and Chicago.

Savannah Guthrie had surgery to treat vocal nodules and a polyp in her throat in early 2026. She explained her upcoming absence during the December 19 broadcast of the Today Show. “Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit like Peter Brady, who was going through a change,” Savannah said with a laugh. Her surgery was a success, and she shared an update with fans in early January. Savannah Guthrie was on total vocal rest to let her voice heal and relied on a whiteboard to share her thoughts. Two weeks later, she’s on the road to recovery. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TODAY (@todayshow) Savannah Guthrie Shared Her New Voice with “Today Show” Family During the January 20 broadcast, Savannah Guthrie finally let fans hear her new voice. “I am still on vocal rest, but I’m allowed to talk for five to 10 minutes every hour,” Savannah said. “This is my new voice or my old voice, but my new voice.” Savannah said her recovery has gone great so far. “I think the good news is that it worked!” she said. “And Sheinelle knows, she went through this and had this surgery, it’s kind of a slow recovery. You’re allowed to talk, and if you talk too much, which is a real risk for me,” she said. You start to feel it, so you just have to take it easy.” Fans loved hearing Savannah Guthrie’s new old voice and can’t wait to have her back on the show. “So happy to see you’re doing well, Savannah! Keep up the great work!” A fan cheered. “Very happy your feeling better!” Another fan added. Savannah Guthrie plans to return to Today on January 26. This story’s featured image can be found here.

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