Denver is struggling to metabolize the more than 40‚000 illegal migrants who have arrived in the city in recent months. Colorado’s capital is a sanctuary city‚ but lately‚ shelters are so overwhelmed that officials have decided to limit how long migrants can stay in rooms provided by the government. Starting February 5‚ migrant families can only stay in a shelter room for six weeks‚ Mayor Mike Johnston’s office announced. A spokesperson for Johnston’s office added that the influx is “straining capacity” and that “over the past two months‚ Denver has seen a dramatic uptick in arrivals and is currently sheltering 4‚000 people.” Johnston‚ a Democrat‚ said the city would likely need $100 million over the course of this year to pay for migrant costs such as housing‚ school‚ and health care. Meanwhile‚ city hospital Denver Health has about $10 million in unpaid medical bills from migrants. The hospital has requested more money from both Colorado and the federal government. Doctors there have reported an uptick in parasitic infections caused by the drinking water migrants consumed on their way to the southern border. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the department would continue to work with the city on the migrant issue. “We continue to urge Congress to approve our supplemental request‚ provide us with the resources to manage the Southwest Border in a humane‚ safe‚ and orderly manner‚ and provide communities across the country with the financial support they need‚” the spokesperson told NBC News. Denver has only 710‚000 residents‚ meaning the new migrants have increased the city’s population by more than 5%. The new arrivals now make up a more significant segment of the city’s population than they do in larger cities that have seen a recent migrant influx‚ such as New York City or Chicago. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Meanwhile‚ the city’s public schools have received nearly 3‚000 new migrant children‚ mainly from Venezuela‚ since July‚ which has strained the school system’s resources and funding‚ Adrienne Endres‚ the executive director of multilingual education for the school district‚ told NBC News. More than 600 of the children previously received little to no schooling at all‚ so they must spend time catching up‚ Endres said. More tent cities are cropping up in the city‚ which already has a significant homeless problem — the homeless population spiked more than 30% last year. As many as 200 tents appeared in the area of one local bar‚ the owner told Fox News. “There’s people right across the street that couldn’t even get to our door‚ so decline was pretty quick. The first three months‚ it was fine. After that‚ it was pretty aggressive for the decline of business‚” Samantha Menendez‚ the co-owner of “One Shot Back” bar‚ said.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) unloaded on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a contentious Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday‚ accusing the tech founder of having blood on his hands. Graham laid out what he believed to be the problem‚ arguing that social media outlets — by design — were facilitating the exploitation of children. Additionally‚ he noted‚ there was little recourse for anyone who was negatively impacted — because‚ as platforms rather than publishers‚ the outlets were protected from legal liability. “After years of working on this issue with you and others‚ I’ve come to conclude the following: social media companies‚ as they are currently designed and operate‚ are dangerous products‚” the South Carolina senator began‚ going on to tell the story of a teenager who was tricked into sending someone compromising photos of himself — and then extorted for money until he eventually took his own life‚ Mediaite reported. Make no mistake: These social media companies and Big Tech have blood on their hands. pic.twitter.com/WOIbOf1NoN — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 31‚ 2024 “Mr. Zuckerberg‚ you and the companies before us — I know you don’t mean it to be so‚ but you have blood on your hands‚” Graham said to applause from the gallery. “You have a product — you have a product that’s killing people. When we had cigarettes killing people‚ we did something about it – maybe not enough. You’re going to talk about guns‚ we have the ATF.” “Nothing here‚” he continued‚ referring to social media in general. “There’s not a damn thing anybody can do about it‚ you can’t be sued. Now‚ Senator Blumenthal and Blackburn‚ who’ve been like the dynamic duo here‚ have found emails from your company where they warned you about this stuff — and you decided not to hire 45 people that could do a better job of policing this.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “So the bottom line is you can’t be sued‚ but you should be‚” Graham said‚ arguing that the emails were evidence that Zuckerberg knew the risks and failed to make efforts to mitigate them. “But the courtroom’s closed to every American abused by all the companies in front of me.” Graham then called for the repeal of Section 230‚ which offers protections to social media companies under the assumption that they function as platforms rather than publishers‚ adding‚ “What do you do with dangerous products? Either allow lawsuits — you have statutory protections to protect consumers — or you have a commission of sorts to regulate the industry in question‚ to take your license away if you have a license or to fine you.”

During a Wednesday hearing on social media and child exploitation‚ Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) pressed tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg to address the families who had been hurt by his and other platforms — and the Meta CEO obliged. Zuckerberg faced a number of tough questions from Hawley and others about child safety as it related to social media platforms — and what those platforms should have done in the past and could do in the future to ensure the safety of younger users. WATCH: WOW. @HawleyMO pushed Mark Zuckerberg to stand up and apologize to families who’ve lost children to causes linked to social media‚ sitting behind him in the hearing. Zuckerberg stood up and addressed them. pic.twitter.com/zuOGAr2vX3 — Jay O'Brien (@jayobtv) January 31‚ 2024 Hawley pressed Zuckerberg on the fact that families who felt victimized by social media companies often had no recourse‚ since those companies were protected from lawsuits by their designation as platforms for public speech rather than as publishers who would have a greater responsibility to police what was posted. “Don’t you think they deserve some compensation for what your platform has done? Help with counseling services. Help with dealing with the issues that your services cause?” Hawley asked. “Our job is to make sure that we build tools to help keep people safe‚” Zuckerberg protested. “Are you going to compensate them?” Hawley asked again. “Senator‚ our job and what we take seriously is making sure that we build industry leading tools to find harmful —” Zuckerberg tried once more. “To make money‚” Hawley said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Toward the end of their exchange‚ Hawley told the Facebook creator that he owed an apology to the families who had been harmed by his product — and Zuckerberg complied. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through. Nobody should have to go through what your families have suffered‚” he said. “This is why we have invested so much and are going to continue industry leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things your families have suffered.” Mary Rodee‚ one of the parents in the gallery‚ told The Hill that she was not impressed by Zuckerberg’s apology. “If he really wants to apologize to me then answer any of my letters or contacts from any attorneys or anybody else the whole time since my kid died three years ago‚” she said‚ noting that her son had died by suicide at the age of 15 after someone used explicit photos to extort money from him via Facebook Messenger. “In that very short time‚ he panicked. He was an impulsive 15-year-old. He felt totally trapped and he killed himself.”

State Armor‚ a group dedicated to fighting national security threats on the state level‚ announced its launch on Wednesday. The group‚ founded and run by Michael Lucci‚ seeks to educate state lawmakers and push legislation designed to combat Chinese Communist influence operations and threats from other hostile governments. “States are now on the front lines against foreign adversaries. In fact‚ for years states have been targeted by well-resourced‚ technologically sophisticated foreign adversaries‚ particularly communist China‚” Lucci said in a statement. “The Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a broad effort to supplant the United States so it can rewrite global norms according to its authoritarian model. To achieve its goals‚ the CCP aggressively pursues a strategy to gain economic leverage over state and local governments‚ to make states dependent on their technologies‚ and to suppress the First Amendment-protected speech of Chinese dissidents within America.” “China’s communist government is already succeeding in targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and is insinuating itself in the fabric of American society — our economy‚ even our children’s schools — for leverage it may one day use. They harass and intimidate Chinese dissidents and Chinese Americans in our own free country. It must end‚” he said. State Armor has broken combatting the threat from China into four parts: protecting critical infrastructure‚ creating and protecting supply chains‚ stopping influence operations‚ and preparing for armed conflict in the Pacific – a growing possibility as China threatens Taiwan. China has made recent aggressive overtures toward Taiwan‚ which Beijing claims is part of China. The threats against Taiwan‚ the world’s leading producer of semiconductors‚ have complicated China’s relationship with the United States‚ which uses advanced Taiwanese semiconductors in many of its military weaponry. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Lucci’s initiative has found support among top lawmakers and national security experts. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)‚ the chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party‚ praised State Armor in a statement. “From CCP-affiliated purchases of agricultural land to efforts by the party to influence state and local politics‚ states are on the front lines of our New Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party. We may call this a ‘strategic competition‚’ but this is not a polite tennis match. The most fundamental human rights and freedoms are at stake. I commend State Armor for acting with a sense of urgency to expose the CCP’s nefarious networks across our states and equip local lawmakers with the tools to fight this New Cold War‚” Gallagher said.

Candace Cameron Bure shared exciting family news about her son‚ Lev Bure‚ getting married as she celebrated the new union and her faith. The 47-year-old actress posted several beautiful pictures from the wedding day festivities over the weekend to Instagram on Tuesday. “I present to you‚ Mr. and Mrs. Lev Bure‚” Bure captioned her post. “Words cannot express the joy we have felt this weekend celebrating the marriage of our son and his bride Elliott. We gained a beautiful daughter and a wonderful family to do life with.” “I have an overwhelming sense of love‚ joy‚ peace and contentment thanks to God’s blessing of family and friendship‚” she added. “My heart is so full. I’m grateful for our generational blessing of long lasting Christ-centered marriages; to have a legacy of great-grandparents and grandparents who have shown us the way.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) “And now‚ being the example for our children and their children to come‚” Bure continued. “If this isn’t a blessing‚ I don’t know what is. What a celebration it was! The Holy Spirit was present‚ the gospel was preached and love filled the air. Covenant vows were made and hearts watching were reminded of theirs long ago.” She closed out her post by calling it a “glorious” day as she congratulated the newlyweds. Lots of congratulatory messages filled the comments portion of her post with sweet words from celebrities and fellow stars of the Great American Family Network (GAF)‚ where Bure develops‚ produces‚ and stars in faith-based movies. The former “Full House” star recently talked about her work on the network and said their goal is to honor “faith‚ family‚ and country” in film — something she said was often missing. “I think we want to create an oasis in a cultural desert‚” Bure told Fox News. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Speaking to the Wall Street Journal‚ the “Fuller House” star previously opened up about her decision to leave Hallmark and join GAF after Hallmark’s programming and advertising started involving LGBTQ-themed stories. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment‚” the superstar actress said‚ noting that Hallmark had essentially become “a completely different network” than when she signed on due to a “change of leadership.”

President Joe Biden prompted a string of mocking replies when he engaged in a discussion about mental health and emotional well-being with the “Sesame Street” muppet character Elmo. Elmo started the exchange by “checking in” on X‚ asking how everyone was doing — and then followed up with a promise to do so again in the future: “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon‚ friends! Elmo loves you.” Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon‚ friends! Elmo loves you.❤️ #EmotionalWellBeing pic.twitter.com/jhn2LNKfHf — Elmo (@elmo) January 30‚ 2024 Biden responded‚ littering his reply with “Sesame Street” references and reminding his followers to check in with their friends as well. “I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days‚” he said. “Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other‚ offer our help to a neighbor in need‚ and above all else‚ ask for help when we need it. Even though it’s hard‚ you’re never alone.” I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days. Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other‚ offer our help to a neighbor in need‚ and above all else‚ ask for help when we need it. Even though it's hard‚ you're never alone. https://t.co/ffMJekbowo — President Biden (@POTUS) January 31‚ 2024 Several responded to the post by pointing out the fact that three American service members had just died in an attack perpetrated by Iranian proxies — and that in that context‚ Biden’s post had missed the mark. “Biden still hasn’t punished Iran for killing three American soldiers. Instead he’s tweeting about Elmo‚” one said. Biden still hasn’t punished Iran for killing three American soldiers Instead he’s tweeting about Elmo https://t.co/mqWgqUKmrB — John Hasson (@SonofHas) January 31‚ 2024 “Bro we lost three service members in a terrorist attack and the president is tweeting about sesame street‚” another replied. Bro we lost three service members in a terrorist attack and the president is tweeting about sesame street https://t.co/01DSWOxEXn — Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 31‚ 2024 “Country wrapped in another foreign broader conflict with Iran‚ who backed proxies murdering US troops. Current President — ‘What the puppet said‚'” Stephen Miller said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Country wrapped in another foreign broader conflict with Iran‚ who backed proxies murdering US troops. Current President – "What the puppet said." https://t.co/ETLhnBvm9A — Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 31‚ 2024 “This is worse than anything Donald Trump ever tweeted‚” Miller added. This is worse than anything Donald Trump ever tweeted. https://t.co/ETLhnBvm9A — Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 31‚ 2024 “Not a parody account. Really‚” Joe Concha observed. Not a parody account. Really. https://t.co/z49NimN4PI — Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 31‚ 2024 “I feel so much better now‚” added The Daily Wire host Andrew Klavan. I feel so much better now. https://t.co/BkdkQExMuP — Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) January 31‚ 2024  

In newly published audio‚ an employee warned Georgia‘s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in November 2021 about the potential misuse of federal funds just weeks before the worker was fired. The staffer‚ Amanda Timpson‚ can be heard in roughly two minutes of a longer conversation published by the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday telling Willis about a clash with her manager‚ Michael Cuffee‚ about his alleged plans to do “impossible” things with grant money. Timpson suggested Cuffee took her off projects because she “questioned” him about money allocated for a gang prevention initiative‚ and she feared retaliation because Cuffee allegedly claimed Willis told him “everything.” BREAKING: @FreeBeacon has obtained audio of a whistleblower privately warning Fani Willis in 2021 that her top aide was trying to misuse federal funds. Willis did not dispute the allegations. 56 days later‚ Willis fired the whistleblower and perp walked her out of the office. pic.twitter.com/YEkKIB2L5f — Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) January 31‚ 2024 Willis told Timpson she respected her “assessment‚” noting that she was not saying it was “wrong.” The prosecutor also said she was “sorry that you felt that way” in regard to an apparent intimidation tactic and expressed that multiple supervisors had “failed” her. The district attorney fired Timpson less than two months later‚ after which Timpson began taking legal action against Willis and her office — including a whistleblower complaint that alleged wrongful termination. A spokesperson for Willis has said an “inadequate” performance led to the firing. Although the Free Beacon said that neither Willis nor her office responded to a request for comment‚ Cuffee reportedly told the news outlet that he proposed taking money from a different fund to pay for computers. Cuffee‚ who noted he left the DA’s office in December 2021 for “personal” reasons‚ decried what he said was a “money grab for Timpson.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Willis is now leading a racketeering and election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others. The defendants have pleaded not guilty‚ and the trial against the former president is slated to begin during the heart of the 2024 election cycle in which he seeks another term in the White House. The prosecutor‚ who is a Democrat‚ is facing controversy over allegations that she got involved in an inappropriate relationship with Nathan Wade‚ the special prosecutor she hired to manage the RICO case‚ and misspent taxpayer dollars on lavish trips with him. Timpson told the Free Beacon that she can see a “pattern” between the Wade matter and her own. “Ethical violations‚ abuse of power‚ and the misuse of county‚ state‚ and federal funds‚” she said.

The Democrat governor of Oregon — the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug use in 2020—  has declared a 90-day state of emergency in Portland because of the magnitude of the fentanyl problem there. Governor Tina Kotek‚ Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson‚ and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler each declared an emergency. “Development of a system to efficiently track and coordinate existing resources to assist people impacted by fentanyl use should be completed in not more than 90 days‚” Kotek wrote in her declaration‚ adding: A command center will be stood up in the central city where state‚ county and city employees will convene to coordinate strategies and response efforts. The Command Center will serve to refocus existing resources. It will also share and publicly report data on the impacts of fentanyl in downtown‚ use data to identify and respond to acute needs and gaps in service‚ identify any specific resources necessary to address gaps‚ and establish a system to coordinate that can be sustained beyond the 90-day startup period.  Oregon passed Measure 110 in 2020. “We’ve had three years of this law that has not delivered on the promise that voters thought they were getting‚” Washington County district attorney Kevin Barton stated. According to CBS News‚ overdoses in the state have continued to rise since 2020. “This is a crisis that has been developing for decades‚” Haven Wheelock‚ the harm reduction manager of the medical and youth care nonprofit center Outside In‚ stated. “And if this is what it’s going to take to get the attention and the care and the funding and the coordination that this tragic issue deserves‚ then I’m going to remain hopeful about that.” Jesse Cornett‚ the policy director for the recovery organization Oregon Recovers‚ said‚ “If you talk to any police officer in the metro area‚ in Portland specifically‚ they don’t even have anywhere to take anyone that’s in the crisis right now. So there are some immediate first steps including a sobering center that should be taken.”