President Joe Biden is expected to meet at the White House with congressional leaders on Wednesday to discuss his months-old request for roughly $106 billion to spend on a variety of national security issues that has failed to make headway on Capitol Hill. The meeting will address Biden’s “top priority” supplemental funding request from October‚ which seeks more money for U.S. allies such as Ukraine and Israel as well as border security‚ White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday. Jean-Pierre also referenced bipartisan negotiations in the Senate where lawmakers are trying to hash out a deal tying border security reforms to Ukraine aid after Republicans blocked an effort to advance a national security package in December. “While the president is having this really important meeting tomorrow‚ negotiations on a bipartisan agreement on the border that includes funding and policy are still ongoing‚” Jean-Pierre said‚ adding that Biden’s team believes the talks are “headed in the right direction.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will attend the meeting with other congressional leaders‚ his spokesman Raj Shah confirmed on X. Punchbowl News reported Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)‚ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)‚ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)‚ and “key” committee leaders were also invited. The meeting is slated to happen as Congress also contends with a separate battle over fiscal 2024 spending and a possible two-tiered government shutdown in the coming weeks if lawmakers are unable to resolve their differences or at least pass another stop-gap measure. Purported details of the border agreement being negotiated in the Democrat-led Senate were released in recent days by a group called the Immigration Accountability Project and displayed in an infographic shown by Fox News. The alleged deal included an increase in green cards‚ more work permits‚ tax-payer-funded lawyers for some unaccompanied minors and mentally incompetent illegal immigrants‚ allowing 5‚000 migrants to enter the U.S. each day‚ and restricting parole for those who enter without authorization between ports of entry. Absolutely not. pic.twitter.com/tkXma24r8M — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 13‚ 2024 Johnson‚ who is facing intense pressure from conservatives to take a strong stance on border security and rein in spending‚ rejected the deal as reported. “Absolutely not‚” he said in a post to X along with the Fox News infographic. Other members of Congress advocated for H.R. 2‚ border legislation passed by the GOP-led House last year that Schumer has refused to allow the Senate to consider‚ dismissing what he described as “partisan right-wing demands.” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK)‚ who has led the Senate talks on the GOP side along with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) for the Democrats‚ urged lawmakers not to jump to any conclusions. “I encourage people to read the border security bill before they judge the border security bill. I also advise people not to believe everything you read on the internet‚” Lankford said in a post to X last week. CNN’s Manu Raju reported that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Lankford and other Senate negotiators on Tuesday morning to discuss immigration. “Our target is to get text out as quickly as we can‚” Lankford reportedly said. “And we’re hoping to be able to do that this week. But we continue to go through little technical things that are just constantly going to come up over and over again. You gotta get them resolved.”

A black Republican lawmaker from Texas responded to a heckler who accused him of being “racist” as he campaigned for former President Trump in Iowa on Monday. Texas state Representative Wesley Hunt (R) appeared unfazed by the disruptive audience member‚ who accused Hunt of “degrading himself” and “turning his back” on black people as he spoke at a caucus site near Des Moines. Tonight‚ at the Timberline Caucus‚ as I spoke on behalf of President Trump an enraged man attempted to stop my speech. He shouted Trump was “racist.” You know‚ the same tired trope we’ve heard over and over again. But on this day‚ of all days‚ Martin Luther King Day‚ the… pic.twitter.com/TrFnc7vZar — Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) January 16‚ 2024 “How can a black man do this on Martin Luther King day?” the man‚ who appeared to be black as well‚ shouted at Hunt as he walked toward him. “How can a black man stand here and talk to us about a racist?” Members of the audience quickly grabbed the man and escorted him out. “I was saying‚” Hunt continued after the heckler was removed. “I come from a district in Houston‚ Texas‚ that’s a majority white district‚ and I won by 30 points.” “Because on days like this I realize I am literally being judged not by the color of my skin‚ but by the content of my character‚” Hunt said‚ invoking a line from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. “And when I walk into rooms like this‚ I don’t see race‚ color‚ or creed‚ I see my fellow Americans that must join together in the fight to save our country‚” Hunt said. “And the same loyalty that we have to you is the same loyalty that I have seen from President Trump.” Later on Monday evening‚ Hunt posted about the incident on social media‚ saying an “enraged man” attempted to stop his speech shouting Trump was “racist.” “You know‚ the same tired trope we’ve heard over and over again‚” Hunt posted on X Monday evening. “But on this day‚ of all days‚ Martin Luther King Day‚ the people of Iowa‚ just like President Trump‚ judge me not by the color of my skin‚ but by the content of my character. The anti-Trump movement is in full blown meltdown‚” Hunt wrote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Hunt is a West Point graduate and flew Apache helicopters in the U.S. Army before running for office. Trump won the Iowa caucuses Monday in a record landslide victory‚ garnering 51% of the vote with 99% of votes counted‚ according to the Associated Press. The former president’s win was about 30 points ahead of the second place finisher‚ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‚ who got just over 21% of the vote. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley came in third with 19%. Trump’s performance in Iowa gives him a strong early primary lead and brings him closer to clinching the GOP presidential nomination‚ although a formal nominee will not be declared for several months.

The Daily Wire on Tuesday sued the Virginia school system at the center of a rape coverup‚ stating that Loudoun County Public Schools is violating public records laws by refusing the news outlet’s requests for documentation on legal settlements. Loudoun‚ like other school districts throughout the country‚ has abused “privacy” laws to refuse to turn over basic information under the guise of protecting children’s identities‚ even if children’s identities would not be exposed. The reference to inapplicable privacy laws suggests the school district’s real purpose may be to hide embarrassing conduct by administrators. The Daily Wire’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request asked for a list of legal settlements by LCPS. That essentially amounts to a list of times the school district did something it could have been sued for‚ and how much taxpayer money it spent to make it go away. Out-of-court settlements allow the district to avoid a public trial‚ and settlements can require the other party to agree to certain terms — perhaps even a stipulation preventing them from talking about the school’s misconduct — in exchange for the money. On October 2‚ 2023 The Daily Wire requested “copies of all legal settlements entered into between May 1‚ 2023 and the present‚” specifying that it was “not seeking the name of the student or the parents‚ and you should redact those names.” LCPS first claimed the request was too broad  – suggesting it had entered into so many settlements that it would be burdensome to produce them. Then it claimed that “even if the student’s name is removed‚” settlements would still be a private academic record “given that the requestor (or others) could discern the identity” of a student involved. The Daily Wire then requested just a financial ledger showing the dollar amounts spent on legal settlements. LCPS claimed‚ without explanation‚ that it had “no records that are responsive to your request‚” suggesting the unlikely situation that the school system does not keep financial records. The Daily Wire “filed a valid FOIA request seeking information on the amount of money the School Board and Administration has spent to cover-up and avoid responsibility for their actions‚” the lawsuit filed by America First Legal said. “The documents requested are of the type that can be released‚ and are released by other school districts in the Commonwealth‚”  the lawyers write in the lawsuit‚ referencing records disclosed by nearby Fairfax County Public Schools. “The Respondents have not given a proper justification for withholding the requested documents and‚ instead‚ have given only shifting‚ improper‚ and pretextual reasons for withholding documents it should have simply produced.” School officials have frequently invoked the federal “Family Educational Right and Privacy Act of 1974‚” known as FERPA‚ to justify secrecy – even if they don’t understand what the law actually says. In the criminal trial of Loudoun’s former superintendent‚ Scott Ziegler‚ a principal claimed that a teacher who blew the whistle about being sexually assaulted by a student could have caused the district to be sued for violating privacy‚ even though the teacher didn’t name the student or even the school. But FERPA provides no “cause of action” or mechanism to sue. Only the Secretary of Education can enforce the law‚ theoretically with a loss of federal funding — a drastic step that experts consulted by The Daily Wire could not recall any examples of. On the other hand‚ districts can be sued for keeping information secret. This is the second case in a month in which the public-interest legal group America First Legal is suing on behalf of The Daily Wire’s investigative journalists. The lawsuit could also send a message to Loudoun about using the same wrongful interpretation of privacy laws in other instances. This year‚ LCPS’s new superintendent‚ Aaron Spence‚ was accused of concealing the fact that there were nine fentanyl overdoses in one high school in a single month. Spence denied the charge‚ claiming his ability to disclose the spike was constrained by privacy laws‚ even though naming an entire high school does not identify a specific child. FERPA only applies to “education records‚” and says schools “may release the records or information without the consent required by [the statute] after the removal of all personally identifiable information provided that the educational agency or institution or other party has made a reasonable determination that a student’s identity is not personally identifiable.” It also allows for releasing information “in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.” Following The Daily Wire’s exposure of Loudoun’s 2021 coverup of a rape committed by a skirt-wearing boy‚ LCPS commissioned an “independent report‚” then withheld it citing the privacy of the victim — even when the victim’s family asked for it. LCPS also cited privacy as an excuse to avoid telling parents that the infamous rape had occurred at all‚ instead telling them the police were at the school for because of an unruly parent—the victim’s father. LCPS spent at least $1.9 million on lawyers since the 2021 rape scandal‚ not including the criminal defense fees for Ziegler and the school’s spokesman‚ and any money it spent paying off potential litigants. “Over a year ago‚ a special grand jury in Loudoun County explicitly stated that Loudoun County Public Schools relies on overbroad application of laws to ‘impede transparency‚ accountability‚ and openness‚’” America First Legal senior advisor Ian Prior said. “Even after LCPS’s former superintendent was criminally indicted and convicted as a result of the special grand jury investigation‚ LCPS continues to stonewall the public when it comes to legitimate requests for how taxpayer money is being used.” In addition to asking a judge to force LCPS to release the document‚ it asks that the court issue “penalties” to LCPS communications officer Dan Adams “and any other Respondent this Court finds substantively involved in the decision to unlawfully withhold documents.” Across the country‚ other districts have made dubious claims that telling parents important things that happened at a school would violate the privacy of a child‚ even if the child wasn’t named. In Giles County‚ Tennessee‚ superintendent Vickie Beard concealed from parents the fact that a student was arrested for allegedly making detailed plans to shoot up the school. Beard told them only of an unspecified “rumor‚” later saying that “due to Constitutional and privacy rights‚ we cannot discuss specifics.” Parents said the idea that the district was concerned that the alleged would-be school shooter would sue the school for invading his privacy is not credible. The real goal‚ they said‚ was to keep parents in the dark about a safety failure. Hannah Riley‚ whose son testified against the arrested student and was never told that he was coming back to school‚ pointed out that everyone in a school is a minor‚ meaning that if officials could invoke “privacy” any time an incident in any way connected to an unnamed minor‚ they would never have to tell parents anything. “My kid is a minor. Why did nobody give a damn then?” Riley said.

The claim is false and appears to stem from a Dec. 17 article from 'The People's Voice‚' a website that is known for spreading 'fake news'

The video actually shows a motorcade for former President Donald Trump’s arrival in Iowa.

Human cloning 'would be extraordinarily difficult and ethically unjustifiable'

Cut through the stuffy bureaucrat-speak‚ and you have nothing more than a muscular flex

'It was a terrible idea'

'A few hundred roles globally are being eliminated'

'I said ‘p*ssy’ in front of Casey DeSantis‚ my parents would be so embarrassed‚'